October 03, 24 Hour Book.......

Am I willing to be a good listener? One of my favorite readings of this book. How willing am I to listen to a new person? I see people at meetings telling a new person to sit down and shut up. Take the cotton out of your ears and stick it in your mouth. You don't know nutin, sit down and shut up. the list goes on. When a new person shows up, they are usually filled with a lot of stuff and need to start venting, or else explode! They come to us for help. Are we helping if we tell them to shut up? I tell those people, who tell them to shut up, are you willing to buy them a 12 pack? Because in essence, that is what you are doing to them. I tell new people to start talking and keep talking. They say, what if I make a fool of myself? I tell them, it won't be the first time, nor will it be the last time. How many times are you at a meeting and you wish the person talking would just shut up. did they? Did you make it through that brief period of time? I'll bet the other person got a lot out of unloading a lot of stuff, they had been holding in. We gather together to help each other! Don't set a lot of tough guidelines that a new person might be able to meet. When a new person starts talking, I'll be the last to ask him to stop..... Time for a cup of coffee, see ya later.

A design for living....

For years I have been telling people, if you think you can work the steps to stop drinking and drugging, you are in for a rude awakening! That's not what is happening. Nothing or anyone can stop that. On page 28, of The Big Book, it states: "a new life has been given us or, if you prefer, a "design for living" that really works. I tell people who are new to recovery, "you need a new design for living!" Your old design didn't work. Instead of telling people they are failures, I tell them you were successful in using, because you had a design that worked. Now you need to develop a new design (the steps) that doesn't include alcohol and drugs. It never helps to look down on people who already have no self-worth. We need to bring them into this way of life and tell them; you were successful before, you can be successful now. Time for a cup of coffee. See ya later....

CHANGE.....

I posted this on Face Book and got a lot of comments! Humans don't like change. One time, when I was around 5 years sober, I went to my Home Group real early. I turned all the tables in a different way. When the people started to arrive, you should have seen the havoc! Man, were they upset. They were walking around asking everyone, "what the heck happened?" Then they started turning the tables back the way they were saying, "we don't care if the church wants them the other way, we want them this way!" When they found out I did it, WOW, were they angry with me. I told them, " it was just a little test I was doing". They said, "if you do that again, we'll kill you!" So much, for that test. Time for a cup of coffee, see ya later!

God could and would if He were SOUGHT....

C) God could and would if He were sought. I think Bill W. was a brilliant writer. He was able to think things thru and use the best wording to get a specific thought out there for us to work with. I believe Bill used the word sought, because he did not want us to think we need to FIND God. He wanted us to see that we are on a seeking mission, not a finding mission. My Sponsor used to tell me, "God ain't lost!" The word sought means to me; we need to seek God in everything we do, think, work on, plan, and on and on. Seek ye first the Kingdom of God. that's in the Big Big Big Book. I have been on a seeking mission for over 25 years. Man, the places I see God hanging out at, is just extraordinarily neat! But, I need to be seeking Him. When I seek, I need to ask for Him to be known to me, and then be aware that he will show me in His way. Sometimes He is in the eyes or the voice of the person or people I am working with. Sometimes He is in something I am reading. Sometimes He is in the weather I am experiencing. Sometimes (and this happens a lot) He is in my pets actions. If I seek, He appears! But, I had better be looking and listening to everyone and everything, if I am to see Him. Time for a cup of coffee, see ya later. Bob

A little braggin'

I have been asked to speak on a Monday night in September for The ADASB of Cuyahoga County. That is recovery month. They do things throughout the month. They want me to show one of my DVD's and talk about how I got sober and what has happened to me over the years. They give my 2 to 3 hours. I told them "I would be honored to help them out". They use the Ohio Room at The United Bank Building in Cleveland, and they expect over a hundred to attend.

Me and my slang....

I guess that I irritate people sometimes with my slang. Please accept my apologies, but I am not going to change anytime soon. I'm kind of like Bill Wilson. He used to refer to himself as "a rum hound from New York, a gin hound from New York, never referred to himself as an Alcoholic. Never introduced himself as, Bill W. an Alcoholic. Actually never started off any talk introducing himself. I sometimes state I spent time at "the Hilton with the bars, the Ha Ha Hilton, but haven't been to the Refrigerated Hilton yet. Some people would like me to state "jails, institutions, or death". Oh well, that's not me. They told me to be Honest with myself. I introduce myself as Bob, a drunk and a dope fiend. Well, that's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Old story of Bill Wilson

This is documented. Bill had a history of Depression and fought it throughout his life. When he was sober for several years he called his Spiritual advisor, Father Ed Dowling, in St. Louis. Bill stated he was having trouble and needed to talk to him or he may drink! Father Ed told Bill, I know what your trouble is, but you will need to wait until I arrive in New York. I need to tell you this Face to Face. Bill agreed and told him to hurry up! Father arrived in New York and Bill met him at the Train Station. They went to a Diner and talked over Lunch. Father Ed told Bill, "If you don't want to drink, then you must do what I will tell you to do". Bill said, "OK, what do I have to do?" Father Ed said, "Bill, you have to work the steps!" Bill said, " I wrote the steps!!" Father said, "I know, but you never worked them!" It is documented that Bill worked a 5th Step with Ed at that time. The whole story is; He worked all the steps at that time. That's refreshing to know. Everyone one of us, even the guys who started all this, need an occasional push. We are all JUST HUMAN, and can fall short a whole lot of the time.