Good point, Tommy. My cousin-in-law has a roofing hatchet hammer made by Eastwing and I have a carpenter hammer made by Eastwing. He was helping me do the roof the other day. He said that I should be careful with my hammer because it doesn't offer much shock protection. I thought he should be careful with his hatchet hammer because the head is bigger. But we both have been using our separate hammers for a while.

Tonight at the meeting our topic was 'home' from the 24 hours book concerning October 26. I found that the word 'home' means different things to different people. One person said that he was always home where ever he was. It was learning to how to work the AA program and not his own program because his own program got him drunk and high. One lady said that home is where the heart is and that her husband pulled their home with them to where her husband work on constructions sites and to AA conventions. One person said that he had always lived here and it was good to come home from prison. One person said that the fellowship was her home. The wife's husband said that travelling was what used to make him feel at home. I used to hitch hike a lot so home used to be a big mystery to me. Whenever I am around a member of the fellowship I feel right at home.

We had a good meeting, tonight. It was good to see my sponsor and spend time with him before the meeting. I was glad my van made it home. My sponsor said it might be an universal going out. We got a new member who got his 30 day medallion and it was nice to have him there with his wife. Our little meeting place is able to support two meetings and it is nice to know it it is there for us.

Yesterday made 27 years. They were out of my time medallions but going to the meeting, tonight.

My sponsor was waiting outside the meeting place when I got there. One member showed up to get his paper signed but had to rush out to fix a broken water pipe in another church. We had a good meeting anyway but we shut down early since my sponsor had to get back to his wife.

I will be sober two years this month. I did hit rock bottom and aa was great help until I could be on my own. So you will know when it is time to call it quits.

I am happy for you, chance. Getting sober was one of the best decisions I have ever made.

I am not sure this fits here. Both of my parents were alcoholics. It was a big problem in my house. My father died very young because of it. In my military days, you could not get guys to leave it alone.

Me personally, I make a vow in every year to remember never to drink in memory of my parents. It is said that when parents drink, the kids pick it up. I want to prove them wrong, so every year I make this solemn oath.

Grandpa had a still. Dad run shine for him. And Dad was teaching me what he knew when I was growing up. Of course, the Gmen blew up his still and Dad said Grandpa got into trouble for converting the grain into a liquid. Dad said Grandpa was ran out of the state of Arkansas and went back to Alabama. We got this place in Harrison, Arkansas called Still Hill. It is named that for all the stills that were blew up there. I had a picture of Grandpa with George Jones and both them three shades to the wind. The song George Jones wrote called, "White Lighting" is about the rebellion of the country folk still people and the government. Children of the "still people" used the same attitude with marijuana growing. It is a mountain subculture mentality that is still prevalent here. The song by Hank Williams junior about caring on a family tradition depicts that tradition. I didn't want to carry it on especially when my son was busted with a meth lab. Some traditions should be broken.

Great stories here guys thanks for sharing! I never hit rock bottom due to drugs, but I have had enough scary experiences and the ex hubby's alcoholism really tore our lives apart (coupled with other family & friend alcohol/drug addictions that led to lies and betrayals)!

I use to do whatever I could to get effed up every day! Drink, drugs, pills, etc & then I started replacing the bad habits with good ones like college, training horses & dogs, working out, etc until I eventually didn't need any of it to feel good.

I feel much better being happy and healthy!

went and heard a good lead tonite. they talked about what it was like when i came in the program.....you could still smoke in meetings and we used to have to clean ashtrays and we has real coffee cups and had to wash them every week.....ahhhh the good old days of AA

For Today --

Alcoholics Anonymous was nurtured in its early days around a kitchen table.
Many of our pioneer groups, some of our most resultful meetings and best
programs have had their origin around that modest piece of furniture with
the coffeepot handy on the stove.
True, we have progressed, materially, to better furniture and more
comfortable surroundings, yet the kitchen table must ever be appropriate
for us. It is the perfect symbol of simplicity. In AA we have no V.I.P.s nor have
we need of any. Our organization needs no title-holders nor grandiose
buildings. That is by design. Experience has taught us that simplicity is basic
in the preservation of our personal sobriety and helping those in need.

-- Dr. Bob


Happy New Year everyone,albeit a bit late!

Hi, Conrad.

I gave the topic for our meeting last night from chapter 7 'Working With Others' second chapter on page 89. The topic was "Bright Spot".

"Frequent contact with newcomers and with each other is the bright spot of our lives."

You said it!

Friend of mine from AZ sends me some of those things!
Usually right on the Button.

For Today --

God damn it, an entire generation pumping gas, waiting tables; slaves
with white collars. Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes,
working jobs we hate so we can buy **** we don’t need. We’re the
middle children of history, man. No purpose or place. We have no
Great War. No Great Depression. Our Great War’s a spiritual war…
our Great Depression is our lives. We’ve all been raised on television
to believe that one day we’d all be millionaires, and movie gods, and
rock stars. But we won’t. And we’re slowly learning that fact.

-- Tyler Durden, Fight Club

****************************************************

When I am disturbed, it is because I find some person, place, thing, or
situation—some fact of my life —unacceptable to me, and I can find no
serenity until I accept that person, place, thing, or situation as being
exactly the way it is supposed to be at this moment. Nothing, absolutely
nothing happens in God’s world by mistake.

-- Doctor, Alcoholic, Addict, Alcoholics Anonymous, Page 449 (3rd Ed.)
-- Acceptance Was The Answer, Alcoholics Anonymous, page 417(4th Ed.)


****************************************************

Do not weep; do not wax indignant. Understand.

-- Baruch Spinoza

Good post on acceptance, Conrad. That way of thinking helped me this morning. Instead of arguing with this person about something we both had agreed to last night to do this morning I just accepted the fact that things had changed. I should have checked my message on my cell phone to see that he had forgotten that he was going to take his son to church. I was actually happy for him and wished him and his family an enjoyable day. It irked me that he wanted to stop to get his wife a bottle of wine on the way back from getting his child a toy. I choose to stay sober but if that is not his choice then as the Big Book says, "My hat is off to him."

It goes right along with the little black book (24 hour book) for our Friday night meeting about how what seemed unnatural and strange when we first came to the meetings and AA is not unnatural and strange, today.

it gave the newcomers something to do with their hands...

Yep,other than have to sit on them,or have a Deathgrip on the Table!

For Today --

Those who do not recover are people who cannot or will not completely
give themselves to this simple program, usually men and women who
are constitutionally incapable of being honest with themselves. There
are such unfortunates. They are not at fault; they seem to have been
born that way. They are naturally incapable of grasping and developing
a manner of living which demands rigorous honesty. Their chances are
less than average.

-- Alcoholics Anonymous, page 58

*******************************************

A sluggish, dawdling, and dilatory man may have spasms of activity, but
he never acts continuously and consecutively with energetic quickness.

-- George Stillman Hillard

*******************************************

Excuses are the nails used to build a house of failure.

-- Don Wilder

and the beginnings of basic service work. Wipe down the tables, empty the trash.

Great quotes!