One of my favorite meditations…
Everywhere you look, you see what you’re looking for. When you’re looking for God, everywhere you look you see God.
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October 1st
"Sobriety does interesting things to the mind - clears it up some, lets a bit of honesty and truth filter in, and begins to demand reality."
Vancouver, British Columbia, January 1998, “Reciprocal Strength”, Voices of Long-Term Sobriety
For most, our second year of sobriety gets rough at times, because “life gets real.” With all those I work with in the program, I tell them it’s coming, but most of us have to experience it for ourselves. When we no longer have our only coping mechanism, King Alcohol, we are faced with a barrage of feelings and emotions we’ve never experienced. We break down crying during a simple share at a meeting, or we recoil and isolate when our feelings get hurt. Whatever the case, we have to learn an entirely new way of dealing with our emotions, which usually means walking through some sort of pain or discomfort. We should let our emotions run their course and never apologize for them. If we apologize for emotions, we apologize for the truth. Letting out tears is truthful; suppressing emotions is a form of internal dishonesty. In early sobriety, I struggled with letting my emotions out. It was just too foreign and uncomfortable for me to feel emotions fully. Once I let the program break down my walls of self deceit, I found that I did want to live life fully, and to feel everything, both good and bad. Letting the reality of life into my heart allows me to find a much deeper love and appreciation of my family, friends and others. 
Have a beautiful day in sobriety my friends and remember to be kind to yourself and to each other.
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blessings Mr Ed.
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Good morning Paul, Wishing you peace and serenity in your journey of sobriety. Have a blessed day my friend.
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October 2nd
"My soul remained a mystery until my Higher Power settled inside me, appearing to me as a very real feeling of love and caring. Kindness slowly took precedence, and I became comfortable with the idea that I didn’t need a drink.”
Cornwall, Ontario, January 2005, “From Rags to Riches”, Voices of Long-Term Sobriety
Throughout our book, it is made very clear that no human power can relieve us of our addiction. It is also clear that there will come times in which no human power can keep us from picking up that first drink, the one that kills us. When those moments inevitably arrive, we better hope our “spiritual bank” is supplied and that we aren’t getting an “insufficient funds” message. Our entire program and book are about developing spirituality, and a loving relationship with a Higher Power of our own understanding, which the vast majority of us call God. Talking about the spiritual part of the program is like talking about the wet part of the ocean, or the round part of a basketball; it’s everything! Gaining a deep faith is essential to our recovery, but it is also a key element in changing our behavior for the better. I have never met anyone that thoroughly and honestly took all 12 steps and didn’t have a complete personality change for the better. Through the steps, we obtain the courage to become whom we were supposed to be. We come into the program wanting to get sober, but we end up finding a design for living that directs us into becoming kind and caring towards all.
Have a beautiful day in sobriety my friends and remember to be kind to yourself and to each other.
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October 3rd
I doubt very much that there is a single one of us on our way through the years who does not leave some faint imprint of his creative thinking, some meaningful expression, some small inspired insight as an addition to our healing body of thought. And each contribution is the life-stuff of the AA program. Ours is a living program.
Thank You For Sharing, p. 200
I am quite certain that the world has become infinitely better since the inception of Alcoholics Anonymous. Throughout the world, masses of people have dedicated their lives to helping others. By any measure, AA has made the world a better place to live. But, perhaps the greatest contribution from the tenets of our program has been the impact on each of us individually. Each of us can become very productive members of society, and we do it with integrity, rather than leaving a debris field in our wake. We bring honesty, care and kindness into everything we do, and in so doing, we create an environment of support, initiative and creativity. When failure becomes fatal, innovation dies a hard death. Good AA is good business! Our positive outlook on life, and perspective through the prism of gratitude and acceptance, creates an undeniable spirit of goodwill and achievement. We certainly make a huge impact on our families and friends, but this loving spirit begins to permeate every aspect of our lives. If we stay true to the program, we can’t help but be the best version of ourselves, and a conduit for others to do the same.
Have a beautiful day in sobriety my friends and remember to be kind to yourself and to each other.
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it’s October but it’s such a great message I can let that go, it needed to be heard. Good day Mr Ed. 
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Thanks Paul for the heads up. Oops my bad. Good looking out my friend.
A great message for sure. I try to focus my recovery around these three pertinent ideas. 'Trust God, Clean House, Help Others." Staying in gratitude and acceptance along the way.
I am proud of the work I see that you’re doing, we all are. Wishing you a beautiful day in sobriety Paul.
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At least you know I read your posts carefully 
thank you for your unwavering support. My sponsor is a godsend we were still chatting at midnight last night not bc I needed to, we had just finished a meeting and were discussing what I took from it. We have a serious chat and we have a laugh just how I like it and TBH It wouldn’t matter if I didn’t like it bc when he says jump I ask how high.
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That is incredible paul, I’m so proud of you… I have faith in you my friend. Stay focused and determined Paul, the right sponsor is a godsend. One day at a time.
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Just to chip in, thank you all and thank you Ed for these wonderful posts , they’ve been a wonderful part of the journey !!
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October 4th
“My sponsor … gave me some good advice. 'Take the words success and failure out of your vocabulary. Replace them with honesty and effort.”
Escondido, CA, August 2001, “Win or Lose”, Emotional Sobriety: The Next Frontier
If you show me someone who is willing to try, despite whatever obstacles there may be, I’ll show you someone who has achieved meaningful things. One of the best examples of someone that failed over and over, but ultimately achieved greatness, was Abraham Lincoln (8 political defeats and a nervous breakdown before becoming one of our greatest presidents). So, success is about learning from our mistakes and moving on to the next challenge in life. It doesn’t matter that we get knocked down; it matters how we deal with that adversity. Thank God the program teaches us to look honestly at ourselves and our part in life situations. Only when we accept our part can we learn from our mistakes. Prior to the program, I blamed everyone except myself for my failures. Getting sober changed everything, and by practicing the principles of the program, I was blessed to achieve a degree of professional success. Due to my program commitment to rigorous self honesty, I had to be completely honest at work, which meant I had to give 100% all the time, even when no one was looking. So, honesty translated into effort, and effort turned into success. A good friend on the program often says, “I’ll give you a dime’s worth of work for a nickel.” That says it all.
Have a beautiful day in sobriety my friends and remember to be kind to yourself and to each other.
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morning, my sponsor told me if you only listen and practice half the message all you’ll end up with is a mess. Blessings Mr Ed, have a super sober Sunday.
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October 5th
“For myself, I try to seek out the truest definition of humility that I can. This will not be the perfect definition, because I shall always be imperfect. At this writing, I would choose one like this: "Absolutely humility would consist of a state of complete freedom from myself, freedom from all the claims that my defects of character now lay so heavily upon me. Perfect humility would be a full willingness, in all times and places, to find and to do the will of God."
As Bill Sees It, “Perfect” Humility, p. 106
I don’t think many practicing alcoholics in the depth of their disease have much humility, nor do they want any. In our disease, we were selfish and completely self absorbed. The smallest package in the world is an alcoholic all wrapped up in himself. The disease of alcoholism brings out the worst in people, and eventually, we alienate every person in our life. Trust gets burned to the ground, and it takes years of sobriety and amends to build that trust back up. When I got to my 6th and 7th steps, this question of humility smacked me hard in the face. I knew that in order to stay sober, I would need to find some modicum of humility, but I had absolutely no idea how to get there. By getting rigorously self honest, I was at least able to identify the negative qualities in myself that kept me from getting close to God and others. You taught me that humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less. More of you, less of me. More of God, less of me. Bill Wilson maintained that he struggled with humility, and I can totally relate. Human nature draws us into “self,” so it takes a conscious effort to lay aside our selfish wants, and to extend ourselves completely to others. Today, I understand humility as remaining teachable and getting out of self by practicing loving thoughts and actions towards others.
Have a beautiful day in sobriety and remember to be kind to yourself and to each other.
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October 6th
In 1941, a news clipping was called to our attention by a New York member. In an obituary notice from a local paper, there appeared these words: “God grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, the courage to change the things we can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” Never had we seen so much A.A. in so few words. With amazing speed, the Serenity Prayer came into general use.
As Bill Sees It, Learn in Quiet, p. 108
For many years, I had the Serenity Prayer prominently displayed on my desk at work. It became a conversation piece at times, or an unexpected 12th step call. For me, it was that simple prayer that brought me so much solace in the face of chaos, tragedy or emotional blow-ups. I learned to slow this prayer down in my head to fully digest each powerful component. It starts with “God,” which reminds me that I have profound faith in my Higher Power. Then, we ask for “serenity,” which tells us that we need to find peace. When we ask “to accept the things we can not change,” we are acknowledging that we have no control over people, places and things. “Courage to change the things I can,” is a polite way of admitting that we are better off not trying to change the outcome of everything, and to keep the focus on what we can change, ourselves. Lastly, “the wisdom to know the difference,” reminds us that it may be best to ask God to direct our thoughts and actions. The Serenity Prayer taught me the power in being able to hit the pause button before I sabotage myself (ISM) with hasty judgments or hurtful words. I am so thankful that the early AA pioneers adopted the Serenity Prayer into our program, and with it, they gave us an essential tool for a peaceful life.
Have a beautiful day in sobriety and remember to be kind to yourself and to each other.
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Just because…R.I.P.
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October 7th
“Anger is the real destroyer of our good human qualities; an enemy with a weapon cannot destroy these qualities, but anger can. Anger is our real enemy.”
His Holiness the Dalai Lama
Without question, my greatest character defect before coming to Alcoholics Anonymous was my anger. As I reflect back, my anger was a way for me to overcompensate for my low self esteem. Sadly, my anger often turned physical, and those memories still haunt me today. Those in the path of my destruction didn’t ever deserve my blowing up at them. I tried to make amends where I could, but many were just strangers that made the mistake of being in the vicinity of an insane walking powder keg. My wife tells me that she saw the good qualities in me (she was my girlfriend before the program), but I mostly just remember my anger causing conflict, embarrassment, and alienation. I’ve heard it said at meetings that the moment we become angry, we are no longer pursuing the truth. Quite simply, anger blots out the truth. You also taught me that no one can make me angry without my permission, and that I am 100% accountable for my actions and reactions. Thank God the program guides us to process our resentments by admitting our part, asking God to remove it, and sharing it with others. The program also directs us to recognize that our character defects have a significant negative ramification on our lives. I am eternally grateful to the program for teaching me how to deal with my emotions, primarily unchecked anger. Where I used to bottle up and store my anger, I now fill that abyss with faith and the fellowship.
Have a beautiful day in sobriety my friends and remember to be kind to yourselves and to each other.
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October 8th
All I have is today, this moment, now. I can spend this moment making it the best moment yet with fearlessness, trust, courage, confidence, faith and love, or I can waste it with doubt, anxiety, worry, regret, anger, fear, distress and hurt. Knowing that whichever way I choose determines the experiences I will have, I choose to use the opportunity of each moment to live my life to the fullest, always choosing love.
Carol A. James
Before the program, I was always living in regrets of the past or some fears of the future. The here and now was numbed out by alcohol, and most of the time, I certainly didn’t want to feel what was actually happening. I have come to see that regrets of the past and future tripping are a form of insanity. We can’t change the past no matter how hard we may try. The future is not real; it hasn’t happened yet, even though at times our mind tells us that it is very real. We are too late for the past, and too early for the future. When we focus on the here and now, especially through a new found perspective on life, we see how incredible God’s universe can be. When I’m in the right mind frame, the trees get greener, the sky gets bluer, and I can appreciate the blessings of healthy relationships and interactions with others. Every minute I spend angry, frustrated or agitated, I waste 60 seconds of happiness. We are only as happy as we allow ourselves to be, and seeing life through hope, gratitude and acceptance clears the way for our contentment. I don’t want to miss another sunset, child’s laughter or any other fulfilling life experience, but I know that only happens if I stay in the moment and keep a positive perspective and outlook on life.
Have a beautiful day in sobriety my friends and remember to be kind to yourselves and to others.
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if you haven’t already read it, eckhart Tolle - The power of now.
Have a wonderful day Mr Ed.
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October 9th
For most of us, this pair of acceptances (I have a disease, and the existence of God) had required a lot of exertion to achieve. Our whole treasured philosophy of self-sufficiency had to be cast aside. This had not been done with sheer will power; it came instead as the result of developing the willingness to accept these new facts of living. We neither ran nor fought. But accept we did. And then we began to be free.
As Bill Sees It, Freedom Through Acceptance, p. 109
So many of us came into the program as the “lone wolf.” We either pushed everyone out of our lives with our drinking, or we isolated ourselves with self-pity, selfish, and self-centered behavior. We played the victim card and justified and rationalized our drinking. We constantly complained about our plight in life, but we never took the necessary steps to change. At the end of my drinking, I was a man on a deserted island, alone and filled with sadness and despair. In early sobriety, I heard the song Desperado by the Eagles, and the words stuck in my head. “Desperado…It may be raining, but there is a rainbow above you. You better let somebody love you, you better let somebody love you before it’s too late.” Accepting help from those in the program was essential to my recovery, but this acceptance also opened my heart to accepting God and other aspects of my life. By coming to the realization that I could not change people, places and things, I was given the freedom of living life on life’s terms. Accepting others and the nature of our disease were the terms of the contract. If you were going to be a part of my life, I had to accept who you were and not try to change you. By accepting you, it enabled me to fully accept myself. That’s a freedom I never thought possible, and it is just one of the many gifts of this amazing program.
Have a beautiful day in sobriety my friends and remember to be kind to yourself and to others.
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