“The real art of conversation is not only to say the right thing at the right place, but to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment.” – Lady Dorothy Nevill ♦ Restraint of tongue and pen is a spiritual principle that if practiced may keep us from unnecessary conflict. My friend “Sarge” the … Read more
June 23, 2013; It has been a full year since the passing of my friend, mentor and sponsor, Jack Jackson. I met Jack in Boquete Panama, when he would share at a mutual support meeting, I would sit on the edge of my seat. The more I heard the more I wanted to hear from … Read more
“The real art of conversation is not only to say the right thing at the right place, but to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment.” – Lady Dorothy Nevill ♦ Restraint of tongue and pen is a spiritual principle that if practiced may keep us from unnecessary conflict. My friend “Sarge” the … Read more
“We must remember that AA’s Steps are suggestions only. A belief in them as they stand is not at all a requirement for membership among us. This liberty has made AA available to thousands who never would have tried at all, had we insisted on the Twelve Steps just as written.” Bill Wilson, Alcoholics Anonymous … Read more
“The most potent weapon in the hands of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed.” — Steven Biko It is amazing how illogically we think before we begin to recover. If a child burns himself on the stove they do not put their hand on the stove again. I remember the first time I … Read more
I will vote “yes” to an idea even if “it’s impossible.” Dr. Robert Schuller In recovery we speak of open-mindedness in the recovery process. Yet, for many years I was open-minded about my recovery process yet closed off to any other suggestions that were not part of a self-help perspective. I believed I was sick … Read more
The Buddha was asked, “Where do our (fearful) thoughts come from?” He replied, “you are shot with an arrow, you have an arrow in your body but before you remove it from your body you need to know the particulars: who shot it, why did they shoot it or where did it come from?” We … Read more
“Unnecessary fear of a bad decision is a major stumbling block to good decisions.” — Jim Camp Fear often drives our decisions or lack thereof. Some folks indicate that fear of success is included in not making a proactive decision to change. For those of us that are recovering and those of us that are … Read more
“Nothing truly valuable arises from ambition or from a mere sense of duty; it stems rather from love and devotion towards men and towards objective things.” — Albert Einstein True genius lies in the recognition that there is more than what meets the eye than what meets the eye. I remember a story told by Bill … Read more
“It’s not how often you get off track that impacts your life. It’s how fast you notice you are off track and what you learn that determines where you end up.” – Marshall Sylver As I teach recovery principles to folks one of the principles I drum home is the idea that we can make … Read more