Thursday December 3, 2009

Miss Lily (torti) and Leo de Catrio...
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I have had a most wonderful evening, and am dying to tell you about it. lol

One of the women at our meeting recently moved here from another state. It was one of those moves we have all made, where you haven't much choice than to leave almost everything you own and GO. She was staying with family, and now she has a new apartment and was stoked about that, but had no furnishings. Tonight at our women's meeting we had a little surprise shower for her new place, and the generosity of these women in my life just knocked my socks off. And she was so overwhelmed that she could barely speak, lol. Afterwards, a couple of us followed her to the new digs and helped unload the cars of all the stuff. We filled her pantry with food, gave her dishes and glasses and silverware. We gave her a bed and a couch and a television. We gave her things she really needed and some things, like napkins and napkin rings that our souls just need. She got some candles, some sponges, a gift card, and lordy...you name it. It was wonderful to be a part of and to watch.

I never cease to be amazed (and grateful!) at the generosity and courage of the women I have met in AA. We are really something...and I am so blessed to be a part of it all.


The endless compassion that some people have has been on my mind a lot lately. Over and over again, in my years on this planet, I have seen miraculous things happen as the result of the small acts of kindness that come from the most unlikely sources. The people who have the least are often the most generous. The ones who are suffering from incredible maladies (be they physical or spiritual or emotional) are the ones who are there first, putting out a hand to help someone else. The miracles happen daily. When we can open up to give, we are opened up to receive. When we think of someone else first, we step back into riches we never imagined. Something magical happened tonight in that little room, and I could see it on the faces of everyone present. And I am so thankful today that I get to witness these things firsthand, because I am right in the middle of them.

I am especially grateful and blessed by the program of Alcoholics Anonymous, for changing me in ways I could never have known possible. For opening my heart and my eyes. For giving me the opportunity to be a part of such a group of people. For taking this worthless, useless shell of a human being, and turning her into a woman of substance. A woman who can be generous and can be courageous and can be filled with a love so marvelous that she shines. I feel , sometimes, like I am radiating this stuff that you have all given me. And I will be thankful every day for my life, for my sobriety and for love.

Thank you all for making me the woman I get to be today.


Namaste.

Sunday on a string.,..

A nice peaceful shot of MY Blue Ridge Mountains.


Another exhausting and wonderful day. A meeting this morning and gave a 3 month coin to a sponsling. Then a light lunch with hubby and then off to the CSO to hold the workshop for new GSR's. Only about 12 people in attendance. Not a great turnout, but there was lots of competition on this almost 85 degree day. lol

Came home and sat around for a minute and then proceeded to plant 6 pounds of fingerling potatoes. Also started some pumpkins and some yellow bell peppers and green bell peppers in flats. Al my heirloom seeds came yesterday except for 2 types that they were out of. Red bell peppers and something else.

Then it was a short play time with the doggies and then supper.
I am whipped.

What a blessing it is for drunks like us to have boring old normal days! I am grateful for these times. Taking hubby to work tomorrow and then off to get flea stuff for the dogs. Grateful to have the money to spend on stuff like this.

Grateful to have the opportunity to play in the dirt. To be able to raise much of my own food. To always grow enough every year to give away too. To enjoy silly stuff like this...I can remember a day when this kind of life bored me to tears. When all I wanted to do was run. To be anywhere else but where I happened to be, with whomever I happened to be with. Never happy, never content or satisfied, always looking for a different answer.

All this has changed for me. It's been a wonderful journey into my life and I am loving it, every step of the way.

How blessed are we?

I'm off to dance with the sandman.

Namaste.

Manic Monday

(Dueling rocking chairs-a must for every homestead!) Click to enlarge

It was a day full. And I mean FULL. lol This is part of the problem...when you live where I do and you try to only go to town a couple of times a week, you have to jam a lot of stuff into that one day. Sometimes it's a little...well... frenetic. And Monday was one of those days.

But, it's done and I'm home and ensconced in my little world once again. We are feeding the neighbor dogs, and they get fed morning and evening, usually around 8 and 5:30...it's not a chore, really, they are sweet dogs and I have the best neighbors in the Universe. But I had to finish up the crazy- packed day and then pick up husband from his 10 hour shift and then come home, feed the dogs, make dinner (actually it was only leftovers tonight, so I got lucky, lol, though I did still make a salad.) and then clean up after dinner and then hit the computer after a little tv with himself.

I love my life. It's full and it's contented and it has it's share of satisfaction-on a lot of levels. I am blessed to be me, and to be happy with that today. 'Twasn't always the case.

I am especially blessed today. In addition to all the things and blessings and people that bless my life, I have the awareness to know that I can go back to that misery any time if I'm not vigilant. Today was a memorial service for another one of us. The verdict is in and his blood alcohol was through the roof. I just hope he died quickly. A broken neck can't be a good way to go, although I'm sure it beats a few other alternatives I can think of offhand.

Time for sleep. I can barely see. I was up at 5 AM and it's been a looooooooong haul today.

Namaste.