Back To Regular Programming....

....no sex here..... nothing to be seen..... move along now....

Just another couple of hours before my workweek is finally over. It was even a shortened one with those couple of sick days and it still seemed long. Ah well, feeling better now anyway. Funny - you quit smoking and colds don't linger on. Think there might be a connection here???? In my off work hours I've been in bed....period.....resting... trying to be rid of the cold and it seems to be working.

Lately I've kept a low profile (mostly) by reading a ton o'blogs and not commenting (by and large). I'm constantly amazed at how much good writing and photography there is out there. Before logging on here I had a look at the site meter - hello Kansas; thanks for stopping in. Nice photos, but you didn't answer my question. Pushy damned Canadians, eh?

I posted recently about my perceived pressure to pack up and move quickly back to the house. We had a chat about that and it has been relieved somewhat. It's still a.s.a.p. but in a manageable, do-able way.

Saturday night's outside meeting was at my g'friend Audrey's homegroup so I let her in on the news about Lynda and I, and thanked her for her prayers on our behalf. She was pleased for us and recommended we look to the future and enjoy the present - leave past issues behind.

On arriving back here at 'the house' I found an email from one of the guys I sponsor. He'd just got back into town from Atlanta Saturday morning; by now he ought to be in Montreal. He receives a medallion a week from Monday in recognition of his first year of sobriety. In his email he was reflecting back on what his life was like just before he arrived for treatment.... and how he's willing to do anything to not return to that state of being. Recovery can be a remarkable thing to witness - the changes in him are incredible.

My sleep time Sunday will be foreshortened as I have to be up and in attendance at a committee meeting very early in the afternoon; I might get 5 hours if I'm lucky. The rest of the day will play out the way it's supposed to......

Later.

Rattle and Hum

Things bobbing around my cranium:

*Lynda and I have yet to get any time in where we're both a 100% with it. She had a touch of food poisoning that knocked her out of commission for Friday night and the day Saturday. All better now tho. So, we didn't get our dinner date in - something to look forward to soon.

*While Lynda was laying low recuperating I took Mom out for a few hours looking through the used book shops and picking up a few household things. She reads 4 or 5 novels per week; knits; does 3 or 4 crosswords a day. Mom likes to be occupied doing one thing or another.

*I checked in with Sarah tonight and she's still having quite a time, nearing the end of her first trimester. She's been missing a lot of time from work and is getting sick of feeling sick all the time. I've spoken to a couple of women* lately who have been nauseous throughout their pregnancies and I hope that won't be the case for Sarah. (*in all those cases they were carrying boys - something about male hormones in their systems{?})

*While I've come to know a great many people in AA over these last few years, I don't know very many of their last names. On the new committee that I'm sitting on we use last names and I came to know that one of the women and I share a common surname. She was telling me that her father is into genealogy so we've connected him with my aunt who has all our family history. What a hoot it would be to find that we're distantly related.

*Still on AA stuff ... over the course of the last week two more guys have asked me to sponsor them which would bring the total to five. I'm thinking of starting a meeting that would rotate through each of our homes, once a week, which would be a 12 step commitment and AA Big Book study group. Hmmm ... propose it and get some feedback. Progress; not perfection. The process must be continuing and demonstrative changes happening for this to be occurring but it isn't always self evident. I know I'm nowhere near perfect and not likely to be anytime soon.

*While I attend a lot of AA meetings as part of my job (with the guys in-house) they aren't a substitute for taking time to attend on my own time, for my own benefit - so last Friday night I went to a 25 year medallion presentation. Was I ever glad I did. The speaker had a message that resonated with old-timers and newcomers alike. It reminded me of early recovery and being afraid of not attending particular meetings as I might miss something that I desperately needed to hear.

Periodical Posting

Where this blog relates to publishing..... well it isn't a daily; certainly isn't a serial and I hope it never becomes a soap. It's just going to have to fit somewhere along the pace of life...periodically.
It's been a very hectic, off balance, sometimes frustrating, occassionally rewarding and painful stretch for the last month or so.

The only highlights in the last week have been some good time spent with Lynda, getting to a meeting with a new sponsee (and getting to know him a bit better), and helping another sponsee with some step work. And we heard a wonderful speaker at tonights meeting who had a very powerful message of recovery - a very engaging young gal who attained one year sobriety yesterday.

My heart sank when Sarah called Friday morning to say that Shorty had suffered a stroke on Thursday morning. Her Mom and Russ had flown in from Calgary Thursday night; Sarah arrived from Vancouver Friday morning. Lynda and I joined the rest of the family at the hospital for the balance of the day Friday but it was clear that there was no hope for recovery. We carried on over the weekend with our work about the house but our hearts weren't really in it - our minds were elsewhere. My friend and work mate John has offered to cover my shifts on an 'as needed' basis this week; for that I'm grateful. Relief of that worry!

So I'll continue to write when I can; it just won't be as often as I'd like. Next time something more cheerful - honest.