Lila R. from Santa Monica at Santa Barbara September 14th 1997

My name is Lila and I'm an alcoholic.
It always takes a few moments for my dad to show up.
I've gotten used to it.
Silence doesn't bother me anymore, so I hope it doesn't bother you.
Thanks Jan.
Once I understand 10,000,010
being so kind
and I talked to him on the phone, I really didn't want to put another convention on my calendar. I'm sure you didn't. Santa Barbara. No.
Very, very kind and quiet way this weekend while I've been here.
Yeah. My son was gracious enough to call not too long ago. And there was my opportunity again, in the midst of a lot of problems in my life, to say no, I just didn't have the strength. But for some reason I didn't say that. So if all else fails, why, I'll just drive down on Sunday morning and I don't actually bother with the whole weekend
because you see, a lot of times I'm going to leave and that's life. And that's just the bride he is. That's about life.
Sometimes it's like the ocean, you know the way the bigger than usual.
Just recently, yeah,
my love Jane said to me the book she was reading about these random ways, and they called them crazy spontaneous ways. It just comes from all directions. And she said they're so big in the ocean that that they they can take the portal or seal windows right off on.
I'm afraid of water as it is, you know, but this is it. I know that it was parallel in my life
and if you want to tell me that the most dangerous job in the world. We talked about this this morning with commercial fishing. Imagine, I thought, those guys are just out there getting a tan and getting more core unfortunate fish and swapping around in ice buckets and delivering them as fresh and every restaurant in Santa Barbara.
But apparently not. And the light is everywhere.
I came here on Sunday. I mean, last Friday, and I didn't really have a good attitude, really telling the truth. I came because I was desperate to get away. I needed to rest. I was not physically doing very well. Since happened for Sunday to Sunday. And I know it's a few negative things. You know when you're tired and you're not going down and what happens to you, What happens to me is I do not see.
And what I sometimes see is unprotected and it's fearful. Things began to happen and I have come to believe when I need glasses,
I mean why we're a loss, that masses are also to become in the hand. I thought I was humble enough to be over that bullshit on the same time.
So don't worry Tim, I now know what time it is. I'll end in an hour.
But the little miracle began to happen that restored me. You see, I believe in miracles. I believe in miracles for the last 27 past years of my civilian and I expect them. And I believe that I show up. If I show up, if I just do the next indicator thing, then that's what's going to happen to me. That I will be healed, that I will be healed. And no matter how much is going on in my life, and believe me I was surprised myself,
no matter how much is going on, I will be healed and the healing will begin and the most settling kind and outside ways until I too then to the use of people and to the events of miracles will begin to open me up inside. And that great reality will again fill me up and I will be able to breathe my God, Breathe my God, breathe my God.
When I get fearful and too much happens and I don't sleep and the pain comes back in my heart, then I can assure you that I do not breathe my songs when I forget and I forget. I don't care how long they sold them.
There are days when you may forget. But the great thing about the consistency and the habit of sobriety, the habit of sobriety. I mean, I hope your habit of sobriety is as dedicated as the habit of drinking because you'll be safe then. And the habit of my to die is he is that if I can just stay going, if I can keep going, everything will be all right. And as we pulled into the parking places and Tim had arranged the room that we had requested and it was really nice because I have come to the Miramar to heal myself before and I was insane and same place and, and that we live in
environment at home, you know, which is really like a resource and we can hear the water and everything that's not like it's in there. I mean, it sounds on that church and it just washes your soul and your, you know, I don't know what happens to you when you hear that wall from pounds. But for me, it's a cleansing and and about all of the economy. We're taking the things into the room and one of the little vehicles, you know, with the guy and baskets combined as a young woman and her name is Dana. You know, the young tongue heroes at these conventions
and all these baskets. And I heard you say that, you know, that goes to bathroom and just for Ryan and I smiled myself and I was in one of those moons, you know, where he didn't want to talk any model.
I'm trying to haven't even closed the car door and found me to be on, you know,
and I sort of stood against the car for moments and I looked at her and I have a habit. I have a habit of sobriety
within me like reason. I couldn't help myself. My daughter took over my hand extended itself and I said, hello, my name is Lila. And she said my name is Dana and da da, da, da, da. And she was delightful. She was delightful and she had that sparkle in her eyes and and I thought, Oh my God, and she gave me enough strength to get up the stairs and to be grateful to be there and then in this basket. You know, I've done this contentions. And I must tell you that you did all kinds of interesting things. A lot of it's just
never using a full license. You know, the kind of stuff you find in the park and the people that are about 102 and different things and and why I look at the basket and it was very interesting and it had political paper and little, you know, little Stringer thing. And I thought, geez,
and a lovely little car in a tiny envelope seashells and the reactor and how kind and how much because no matter how many people are made-up in the world and they and there are those people here right in this room today born negative. I saw them some of them this weekend. And you know, but there's more people that are not, you know, they mean there's more people that are not. And it's my choice as to where I look and it is my will that will allow me to submit that decision
as long as I use that real commit room to garbage season seashells, seashells. And I'll see the cars. And I don't know what it is written as lost.
And then I looked again when Koppen in the cop, there were the pencils and a little bit. But you know, something that I should write with. And it was wonderful. And in fact, I did take that with Vulcan. I wrote down some of the good things that this young girl had mentioned to her. Did you do all these bastards and relation agreement? You know, yes,
let me tell you what you have in here. It was wonderful in my basket. Now I don't know about the other people fastest, but I'm just assuming mine is special.
This little tiny big book keeps falling. Do you think that means anything?
I'm sure it's the secret. After all, I should have figured back I have to wait the whole weekend.
The only good thing is I didn't get one of those flags so nobody knew it was me and I was delighted. OK, I have a big yellow rubber waft in my bathroom.
I mean one of those things like 8 feet long and you can slow it off and float around in the water. It was out so lutely delightful. It was delightful and trail mix and, and some wonderful coffee, you know, ground coffee and a back scratcher
and these little million little shells and actually a tiny little of starfish and, and the little note paper and 1000 other little things and a little soap in the shape of the sun. And I thought how gracious, how loving, how kind, how considerate she was to think of each and every one of these things, all of which put together a welcome that really heals me. And I forgot the most important thing at all.
Useless.
You're so tiny. Earplugs. Earplugs. It was marvelous.
Marvel, Marvel, you know, not that you need in here because because of this young girl's tiny healing, every time that train came by, why I rushed to the door, flung it open to see it, You know, she was able to restore me, to be able to have a little bit of fun, to become a child again.
It was wonderful. He was absolutely wonderful. Going her own way. I don't know how long Dana is so, but she exhibited more sobriety and strength and hope than I have that day.
The next day,
well, I wanted to play tennis. You know, I have the rackets and all that and they feel good on my shoulder. I like wearing the tennis shorts and, and I said well, I may not say well, but I look really good. And you know,
in fact, she won one of them and I went out with the attempt to play tennis, but I really, I was unable to and I didn't really feel
like dealing with impatience with some of the other players. So I thought, no, you know something, I'm not really don't have the strength for this tennis. But it was wonderful to spend 5 or so minutes talking with Mark and to find out that he's in his first year and here he is volunteering as a sports chairman of the event. And
later on, Jane said, oh, he was great. He came out smoking a cigarette just to make sure everybody playing tennis is doing all right.
We'd have to see this guy in 20 years while he's out there, you know, being the referee with us or whatever. But. And I wanted off to the Aleran luncheon. And again, I really didn't want to go and I didn't feel up to it. But I had the habit, the habit of sobriety, and I needed to go. And I used to be around people, even if I didn't know any of them, really.
When I walked into the room, I ran into Renee King's life. And I said, may I see that you take it? And then she took course and she told me. And then I was led by what is referred to in the 12:00 and 12:00 as the mature as. And it's got nothing to do with age and time on society, but it's a sense of serenity inside and sense of peace
and with the lady across the table that her name is Theresa. And we talked about Ruth in the International Convention or you just spoke there
and we shared some of our experiences at the International Convention and it's restored me and it's brought me back to the one during the magic and the blessing that I felt there had the opportunity to participate in that convention. And it was such an honor. It was one of the honors of my life. And and outside of there, I have as many successes, fantastic one of the business of them all under and we talked about that and she's sending me a teeth. I believe you have her here last year, and perhaps you heard the part that you've gone out in the International Convention and such a distressing thing.
And Theresa healed me by her kindness and her gentleness and God. I ran into two more times on performing and again yesterday. And she will not know how the language of the heart is not spoken in words that comes through the eye, comes through the heart. The opportunity to have on my rise a woman in Eve. And as I saw the woman before, have no idea about her, how long she sold her, anything about her, she will not know how much she feels. She heals me because she's gentle inside and I could see it in her eyes.
It was so that that next evening when I listened outside to the judgment speaking last night, No mistake. If she came and she sat beside me, I needed her. I needed her beside me more than I needed to anyone else. She was the perfect person to sit beside me. She healed me. She spoke the language in the heart. We did not talk. She has no idea what is going on in my life. She looked in my eyes. She understood. I did not have to explain that to her.
I am gracious to share my life with member of Alcoholics Anonymously Standing
who knows me. He loves me to wait for me, who understands this is a difficult time. It is a change in my life, a very big change. A lot has happened. Just felt that sickness does that.
Holding a whole thing goes does that
I don't be turning the last week to close my mother's house after 36 years before living there. And I walked into the bedroom when my brother died from our disease at 21 years of age. And I have to say goodbye to that room because I would never be back.
And he brought it all back, brought it all back.
I looked at the feebleness of my mother as she's moving into my building. And I had to put aside the horror. Have had a new mother two inches from you. And I thought, Oh my God, she goes and she sees well and she needs me now. And I have this thing
from Sunday to Sunday that this can happen in your life from Sunday to Sunday.
That's just the beginning. We won't even talk about the unrecovered
sober person, my sister, who is not untreated recovery, sobriety without the habits of how to learn stark raving man at any given moment.
Go to check for $470,000 and there's $2.00 from me. Get it in a weekend. Why visit it at home? Our sober environment, our our environments shared by God and all of the angels and all the love and all the people played on our couch. And we healed her after her operation for surgery in the hospital. And we fed her and we lit the fire and we did all the things that we would do for anybody and that we do for ourselves. Because you learn to nurture yourself in the program's alcoholic synonymous,
You don't. And you have manufactured the misery that it says in the book you did not do. Because healing can come from love and graciousness and kindness and nurturing to yourself just as well as pain.
TER on our college. And we took care of her and she felt that peace and she felt that love and she felt that feeling that is natural for us and she thought she could buy it.
My brother went in on Thursday for surgery anytime it could have been last second and it is no longer life setting on fire
and the brother went in next income to help you out. I don't think so. We don't know when if you passed away from counsel after six months. He's 27 years of age. So my other brother had another baby boy and he was born
and that's why. And it all happened from Sunday to Sunday. So it's time really it's for us to measure. But I think in the new spiritual universe, it is not measured at all.
And All in all, from Friday afternoon to Sunday morning, am I better? No Am I better than I was? Absolutely. Have I had a little fun news that I have. Have I had some good laugh? Yes. Have I felt that kindness and the love of my friends? Still Blender. She goes up and translator this morning,
Phil, he called my mother yesterday to find out she was doing all right. How do you get these people in your life?
April and SKP drove over here this morning, Judy. So I've shared rooms of meetings with the 20 something years. Do we talk? Do we really know about it? That applies to the and I not at all. I'm not sure I know what she does really
prior to my choosing to take some time and they're trying closing that business. I'm not sure she knew what the hell is. Has it ever affected us? I love to one another. It's a wonder of seeing her this morning. Can I tell you it healed me?
So I don't know if you'll get anything at all this morning. Not really my business results, but I'll tell you I have had more than I can measure.
And here's the great part. I expect even more.
You see, I'm an alcoholic. Just because I have self drinking doesn't mean that I don't want it all. I still want it all. I'm sold enough I can have it. I intend to feel as much as I possibly can, and I do not intend to wait for a golden lies in a magnificent experience to be follow me on my deathbed.
I want it now, I want it today, I want it this minute, I want it in size, I want it now.
And I can have it and I only have to do 2 things.
Too many stake over
they still remains not drink For me it means you nothing else
and mid room for loss. Well, that's all I have to do.
80 every ounce of energy that I have, not to say so
if I make room for God and I'm busy about that, I'm silver. If I make room for love and my spiritual condition is found, I'm not going to drift when I turn the hole on the ground in Huntington Park until the 1st 1969 to 60s. You know your convention is the 60s. I thought great. I have not a clue what they were like.
I mean, I can't tell you that I was conscious in the 60s at all,
not at all. And when I October 1969, when I did become sober to leave me out of it, not conscious. I was sober, but I was not conscious. I was absolutely frozen in my body, terrified of the thing called sobriety, hating the sensation of it. He imagined the emotion of it.
Never mind stop
the same spiritual balance. How about breathing?
I mean, I could not turn my head.
I came in with Alcoholics poisoning, my leg was already beginning to drag and I was 22 years big. I could not lose my hair. I was dying. Did it matter to me? Absolutely not.
Can you show me all the pictures of cirrhosis and livers and everything? OK, Because you see, I have come to understand that Alcoholics, alcoholism is more socially acceptable from the suicide we have in our country and in our world today. We just do it one day at a time
and that's what I will do it. I did not have the courage to kill myself, but I had the courage to do it slowly, gradually and in the face if anyone was lost in it.
And did I care that I would kill you by drilling my automobile? You are irrelevant to me.
You are my problem. You got in the way. It didn't matter to me. Didn't matter to me because the light was out. Practice, practice.
I'm so tired on the wall of the hole in the ground. And it said think, think, think. And I thought, I'm not saying an organization that requires me to sing because it is a result of his mind that I am as desperate as I am. His mind that had about 18 people talking to me while I was there and not me all talking. Being alcoholic, you're not an alcoholic talking to be like these people. You don't even look up and they got hair under their arms, out of their chin, big belt. How could you positive about these people who don't look like they found out that you dress well
aggressive immediately. You couldn't possibly be an alcoholic. You are an alcoholic. I mean, who cares if you guys I'd like to get out anyway. I just want to get out. You got to stay because there's something here, although there's.
What are they saying? I look at these lips moving at the podium, you know, at a table there and these guys would sit up there and do things, those guys and their listed moving and mumble on the what the hell are they talking about? What the hell are they saying? I try to listen, you know, I try to listen and every now and something would slip in there like
listed for the similarities and maniac, except they're talking. Maybe by the time I got through the judgment, you know, the guy was completely finished his talk and I let me go on in the hotel talk to this other one
similarities. And you know, and I just couldn't get it and couldn't get it, couldn't get it. And then trying to listen, trying to listen, you know, finally cut the conversation and try to listen.
And I felt something. I felt like one, you know, here he was off death row and out of the latest prison and looked like he came out like criminal peace and started speaking up and swear to God, he was blowing me there and Jesus. So, you know, showering now because I was sober and
my full time into the dry finger now and you know, my car along the rattles and stuff like that. So my life is becoming very manageable quickly. And
what the hell is this man? I can say I gotta get out of here. And he just looked up and I looked at him and I don't know what happened, but you know what? I knew he was an alcoholic, there's no doubt about it. And I knew I was an alcoholic. And I told you, maybe I can't get out of here as fast as I thought because you see, I was leaving in a couple of weeks. I was just going to stay an alcoholic synonymous until I got my scents back, until I could get back in the saddle. Because you see, I was on his alcohol. In the end the disease is potential and I had shown me
I was dying and almost killing myself one day and the next time in a thinking I got to get out of here. Because as soon as I pull myself back together, I mean I'll be better than before and I'll know what to do. I don't know what not to do. I'm learning a lot of tricks here and God I never knew about this one. She was saying this candy bar and all. Wow, that really got the headache. Oh boy, big Jelly Donuts. But they would work now I could see how it was 3:00 in the afternoon instead of a bottle of Vicks cock syrup. I could probably have a jolly done, right? And
because you see, I had a life that was run by alcohol. I had an alcoholic life. I had a whole series of events that didn't have people, places and things in them unless they related to alcohol, didn't have friends that didn't drink. They didn't have an apartment that was conducive to living and in the compartment that was conducive to drinking in an alcoholic apartment complex. I mean, you know, they're all over the place and you can find them.
And I don't know, now these people seem to come in, you know, alright, many, many years ago, I mean, we came in, there was very, very few places to go and we couldn't just talk yourself in and out of the hospital. You came in, you shook it out. You shook it out and, and you listen. His alcoholic apartment buildings, they were dying and it didn't matter. And one person went out walking the pool. Dude, shit, the guy said. Didn't look any different
then we'll handle it. I don't never say to the guy upstairs clip. I said she's like that. The guys did. I mean, somebody's done something to drink. We'll figure out what to do now. That's the kind of alcoholic that I want, you know, the kind of alcoholic with that tremendous Irish prize, you know, where I was pride to myself. I can get home, I can get home, I can get home. And then, you know, one day I lost the car and I couldn't get this is something worth it all. And then I would get the car. I would get as far as the the garage, you know, and I parked the car
progression of the disease, the progression of the thinking, the progression of the disease and and then I would get to the before the poll on our path out here by the step. What happened to that guy? She never adopted it. So he set parts. He like stepped into the pool and none of us heard him. It could be too drunk and he was drunk and he made that happen.
Didn't know. And I was like, OK, 'cause we're dead. And so I'm gonna do the dead inside. The only time I saw any energy, excitement and love and could fantasize and dream was when I had a bottle of Scotch without that sauce that is dead inside. And it's reactivated me. And they become alive and, and you know, then I would get to the pool and, and then one night I went one morning like 6:00 in the morning since the sun came out, and I would wake up on the doorstep
and then I would wake up half in the night. And I'll tell you that's what it was like.
That's what is lunch. And then I thought from him, so that's OK, because it was somebody else's fault. There's always somebody else's fault. And that was the progression of my disease. So when I got here, I was the kind of alcoholic that drank anything that was brown but would be brown. I drink anything with a squash presenting with swipe or drink anything at all. It really did not matter. Drugs did not match chores. I did smoke some marijuana and stuff. I got completely terminal and I cried like crazy. I did a hair needs it. I was right back.
My name is Jesus. It was a horrible paranoid producing situation. So I have no idea what all that drug thing is about. Don't have any understanding, don't really care one many or the other. If you haven't had enough of alcohol, then you did not know what the effect is after either. You and I have something to talk about. I can talk about that. I can address that unpredictability. I can address everything that comes with that package. That's all I know. That's all I know about
so here I know how to join alcoholic synonymous pouring this glide and also I've never had a boss. I dragged my Scotch in a warm glass and it's normal glass. I've never had a glass of smell anything. Is it cherry and toothpaste and olive? Stuff like that in the glasses, taking up the space of screws off the whole
I never had a cold.
Take a chance that my
sister is my 20th year that I stopped holding glass, my little finger underneath. You know that alcoholic cream
and I could move around and jump over a vehicle that never steal a drop of ice.
I know it's just not too long 6-8 years ago that I was no longer using that finger and I thought, Oh my, how about that
normal person? I don't drink it like I have to drink the whole ground.
Normal
thing about my drinking. And I'm sure that you can all relate if you're sitting in this room today and that is Stephen, I poured that drink. No, you're not even done before I pour the drink. When I began to think about having the drink, it began to work for me. You see, I understand the disease of his mind.
So it goes out and suddenly a big problem stops. Jumped out of the sky into their arms, flies down their throats. That does not happen. That's nonsense. What happens? You're going to sit here in this meeting and you're going to think you'll arrive out the door
way before you ever have a drink. You will become drunk
and then you look at alcohol to that mind and you'll be gone and you're lucky. You'll get back and maybe you will and maybe you won't. You won't go back.
When I was over the holy ground, they said to me essentially
the four things you have to do, please tell me this in the 1st 24 hours. Now I can tell you in the 1st 24 hours. The fact that I could hear was amazing,
but they were patient and they waited and they told me in simple statements and they told me and they waited for me to like finish. Because you see, when I got here, I was shaking and I was conspiring and I couldn't hold the cup of coffee. Somebody was gracious enough to be tiny. Want to understand them? The sick, suffering alcoholic. They never reported this whole cup of coffee. First of all, they never let us pour our own coffee because the coffee would go all over the floor. So they poured it for us and they poured it a little tiny amount so that when we shook like that when you could hold on. I mean, I don't care how good you are when you're drinking holding that glass, the minute you get sober it's gone.
What happened to them in fairy you can just barely make poor. There's a tiny drop of coffee, but I don't know if they making a coffee these days now. But as a result of the beginning of my surprise, they had to stop fricking coffee for a number of years. Actually ripped my stomach rise out of my body. That
was so sick. You know, if my mother would say about her cup of tea, you could stand a spoon in it and and they would say, I'll drink this coffee. And it was never too hot. It's never too hot. And they try not to put milk in it when we first got over because, you know, we were sensitive and we could get sick easily and they did not appreciate it. And throwing up on their shoes all the time.
For the reporters, anything, it's like coffee. And then they would say, now eat these Jelly Donuts. Come as many as you can possibly eat at 1:13. I go to meetings now, William Hill, Virgin callus sticks and all crap. And I think to myself, where is the drunk going to get the sugar needed to survive the first week of sobriety? You know, I don't know how that works now, but I don't
require people are still coming to a a. If they come to my house and they're drunk, they're getting a Jelly donut.
So I'll have my Jelly going on and I will start to shake a little less. And they told me these candy bars and all that kind of stuff that you have to do at the beginning
and all the newcomers and myself in this couple years, if I survive, he was running around going to doctors with severe hypothye to kill us. It didn't kill us. And they also told us we wouldn't die from lack of sleep. And and suddenly, before I knew it, I was swept up and I was no longer leaving in two weeks. So if you're sitting out there and you think it's just a matter of time, be careful. I mean, almost 28 years in a couple weeks. And you know, that can happen to you. And I hope it's gone and hope it does. They always say no, don't fit before you're a miracle. Not our miracle. We've had it. It's your miracle. You know, clean your own seats and after the
things, I mean, I sat in the same chair, you know, all the time and a long time somebody sat in my chair. I'll kill them. I'm going to go out there. And I said to do who the hell is in my chair? He said, maybe it's a newcomer. Better be more than they are. They're out of that chair. So, you know, you claim your place in Alcoholics Anonymous, rise away. And it's vocabulary supplies at the beginning that holds you in good step for the rest of your sobriety. Because I have gone over all over the world and said today he thinks that I can tell you there's only a chair for me because I know how to claim my chair.
Alcoholics Anonymous. I'm not afraid to awkward as you say, not afraid. The hell is begin right away. The first thing they told me is make sure that you put the cap on your toothpaste. Long distance and intellect suck Its mind that I have to be sitting here listening to these people telling me to put that cap on my toothpaste and I couldn't figure it out. And then he said, you know, no. Have you ever known a drunk that did put the cap on this?
No, probably not. And that. And that was the beginning. That was the beginning of a habit,
a habit of the bride is the simplest thing to go home as you know, to this day, every single solitary day. I put the cap on the toothache and it was in New York City. I was in, I don't know, somewhere in the mid teens of my society and doing well. And you know, on the car pick up at the hotel and we all pounding and I don't know what it's like in New York City in the morning. It's not like you can just drop it down the street at all one way or something. And
I got into the back of the car and I sat there and Oh my God, it happened to me. I realized I had not put that cap on the Tuesday.
Can you imagine? I was slipped out. I'm the chairman of a company and I'm left out in the back seat of the car. I said this guy and you know, I've got people with me in the car, you know, just count on me. And I said turn the car. Iraq.
I don't care how much they pay them. The guy turns on to take lady, are you crazy? You can't, I said. I don't care what the hell you have to do. Turns this car around. Well, you know, 20 minutes later, they turned it around and we went back and I jumped out of that car and I flew up to that hotel room and sure enough, I had left that cap off the toothpaste. Now, do you think I would have gotten drunk that day? Absolutely not.
But I'll tell you this, I would have broken a habit of sobriety. I would have broken a habit that developed into me being one of the most consistent people you're going to meet. I am consistent. I am neat. I am ordinary. My house is an orders. I will not under any circumstances and for any reason ever not put the cap on my toothpaste. It is a habit that has helped me in good stead. I will not throw it away now. I will not throw away the things that they told me at the beginning. I will not throw away the things that they told me
such as always remember living lessons EasyJet for the things first, but for the grace of God there's a lie. Think, think, think
through that dream.
If you just want to stay for two minutes, maybe you'll make a phone call that will save your life.
1000 slogans right there in the book. Interestingly enough, I think they're after the chance of the family afterwards where you're seeing came from. Live and let's live,
probably the greatest compassion to that I have seen evidenced in Alcoholics Anonymous or has grown up. We're asking the growth in the band, even in the times
compassion is in the houses and none of us, none of us has called me to leave alcohol. Phenomenal.
It's got an incredible thing and enjoyed incredible things.
I have learned to become excited on the program of alcohol and
going to believe in that. All from habits. Habits. The habit. Traveling to another country. And before I go. You see, when I drank, I knew where my bottle of sons was. You still had them in the car and the death store. I hadn't been to it. So now when I go somewhere, if you think I don't know what is a meeting. I have a habit of drunkenness. I have an equal habit of surprise. Yeah, I know where this needs is all over the place. I find out before I go. Maybe I'll go. Maybe I won't go. That's it to me. But I know where to go.
Crashing in and I have it more than I thought I could dance.
I was able to talk.
I don't know what it's like for, you know, you're healthier than I am, but it took me 27 years to cry like that.
It's a series of difficult. The ones where you first believe if you cry, you will in fact stop. You will not process.
You can just cry for the time you can call
the habit of knowing that is going to be around and learning the alcohol is known. I learned here and doesn't mean you don't have
never, ever
and nothing. Thanks for what? I haven't talked people that came before and as with Dana,
the people that come after me
when I went into the room,
they said there's four things now I don't 1st 24 hours of my I mean I've had actually too heavy with the guard some blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. You know, the little blue Congress might scare them. I don't give a damn.
You see my job here and believe me, over the years I've not always done it this way. But my job at this podium is to share my experience, mine, not what you think it should be, what it is for me. I'm not really interested in it. In fact, please don't debate anything with me after the meeting. I don't care. That's why you have sponsors.
So that's what I will do. It says in the big book that we do not, you know, we do not apologize for our call. I don't apologize for my God, nor do I apologize for myself, who I am, my life. I was listening to Jack McAllen speak at the Thursday practice meeting just a couple of weeks ago. And he says for the 1st 40 years over and he said for the 1st 20 something years of his sobriety, he said
who am I and where am I going? And he let you and the world determined that for him. And now he says, I know who I am and I know where I'm going.
And I can add to that
when I don't know that I know where to go and find out. I can call my friend. I can call the people and they can talk to me in the language of the heart and they will remind me, yes, Lila, this is who you are and this is where you're going. And I will say, oh, yes, thank you for bringing me back to this great reality people did put. The great reality for me is it has taken me a long time and if I'm really lucky it will take me the rest of my life.
But I am falling in love with me.
The more I love me, the more I'm inclined to want to love you. Some of you, I could not do that right now. You're still nothing or not interactive. I will save your life, but I don't have to like you,
I have been trained to save your life is a habit. I don't know how not to do it, but if you're going to hurt me, get out of my way.
An interesting thing, Can you determine the difference between sophisticated and given All through our book that talks about deceiving, deceiving, deceiving, receiving, and yet I hear so many people at the podium talk about giving and giving and giving and giving. And yet do they talk about God? Do they talk about the steps? They talk about how to do that? No. And when I was 20 something years sober, I thought, what are you doing? You're telling me stories that everybody wants to hear. For Christ's sake, they drank their beer.
Do they want to be to hear that? Maybe they like to hear about how you found your God.
Do I care what kind of dog you have? Absolutely no interest. Why? My experience has been that I've gone through a ton of them since I've been sober.
My God still is so vast. It's so big now must redefine itself. Does it matter to me that you have a Christian God or not Christian God? I don't care. What matters is that we pray. What matters is that we share the journey. What matters is that you respect my position and I respect yours.
If I have, one thing that's begun to bother me is that we say the Lord's Prayer. Now, why should that bother me? Because it's got nothing to do with Alcoholics Anonymous. For one, because the prayer is a sovereignty prayer. For two, because we are now in 174 countries and there's a whole world out there called the Middle East that needs us badly.
And it says on the page that you got this, that we are a non denominational and I am afraid of any limitations, be it even Christian. So when you say the serenity prayer, I mean the North prayer. I am beginning to say it is a wonderful and beautiful habit of Alcoholics Anonymous to do so.
But I will say the Serenity Prayer because nowhere in the literature has or have I read anything upon the Lord's Prayer. But I respect the kindness and the gentleness and passion of the people that didn't know how to end their meetings when there were no way to have a meeting in no format. And also that's what we will do. But you see, we're a big organization now.
We're all over the world. There are lots of God. There are lots of God.
When I got up here today morning is it early? And when we came back to the coffee, I saw two women take a blanket on the beach and put off all these things, talking more,
and we were looking at them.
And then we saw the ice bucket
on friends. They toasted each other with this toast. And I'm saying, you know, I don't think that's illustrious. And sure enough, 80 o'clock in the morning. Now, a couple of hours later, they polished off that bottle and I knew that it was alcohol. And somebody call it, you can tell what experience it is. And I thought, I wonder if they have any idea that 3 or 400 members of Alcoholics Anonymous that I walked in.
This is really important
and when I got up this morning I felt a little not too strong again and
and then lots of things were happening and I did what I do, the habit I have. You see, when I have a physical problem and an emotional problem, I know that if I address my spiritual problem, they will be taken care of. Ruth has said he was king of fifty 1000 times. Those are the same agents for all those years. She said to me,
there are no problems. Like every problem is a spiritual problem. Thus every solution is a spiritual solution. Ah, specifically why? So I did what I do and I've been doing it all weekend. I opened up that little 12:00 and 12:00 and I opened Mississippi. Before you have the physical strength, if you get there, you can stand up. It would be alright. I thought I have nothing to give. All the times I have spoken, I thought, oh, I have nothing to give. But today I felt empty. I mean, I completely felt empty. I was like, what can I possibly share
and I heard it
who you are like your experience, even though normal format number of years
you got off you're capable of crying, you're capable of laughing, you are charming Irish woman. You're a powerful soul or person. Share that there's a lot from someone that was wrapped around a toilet seat 27 pumps years ago unable to pray Hayden Golf clearly that sink and reaching up and coming onto the blackout saying God help me
and enraged that I would have prayed enraged that I would have prayed this God.
But you see it doesn't matter because in a state of semi unconsciousness. My prayers were answered and we're going to really remarkable story with a delicate time but a remarkable way I am wrong. It's a hole in the ground in Huntington Park where they told me these four things that I still have not told you. In case you want them what they want
and they told me within the 1st 24 hours,
I suggest to save
because I have never needed anything else
they said #1
You cannot drink again
for the rest of your life.
How can you say such a thing to be wimbling, trembling as a newcomer? I mean all they can do is a day at a time. How you do it is a day at a time. However, you cannot drink again for the rest of your life.
If you do not have that in your mind and you do not understand that and believe that about yourself, then you have a reservation and you cannot have any reservations whatsoever or don't even bother to talk about or work this program.
And that's what it means, wherever the steps are,
that you are powerless over alcohol, for you will never have that power back.
I don't care who dies this or what devastation shall be followed. You can never drink again for the rest of your life. If you're an alcoholic
now, maybe you'll stop going to meetings and convince yourself you're not.
But if you're here, that's the truth. That is my experience.
They told me that in my mind was saying that's very nice, I'm out of here in 10 days.
The number two thing is that I have to go Canadian for the rest of my life. I thought. I kind of believe they are saying that to him. I am only in this meeting now because I'm afraid I'm going to drink. I may not even be an alcoholic.
I'll sure also think it's Sunday 8th. State all your meetings so they're afraid they might drink. You know, show up at 8:00 every night, do all the stuff they're supposed to do because they're afraid they might have done
for the rest of my life. I said, why would I do that? Don't you get it? I mean, kind of like graduating, said, Oh no, he said.
Until you have the 24 hour memo.
I understood that because you don't forget
of alcohol, the spirit of that disease, the spirit of the mind of the alcoholic, The language of the booms is so powerful that it will begin to talk to you. And unless you're in front of us,
we will hear what you see if you go to meetings for the rest of your life.
In front of that voice will be the love and the care and the language of the host and alcohol salon. And you won't hear that calling.
So I cannot drink again for the rest of my life, even that eternal disease. And I have to go to meetings again for the rest of my life and what I lost. I know they said now you have to clean house.
I'd already cleaned my house with a toothbrush
and they claimed inside and explained all the ramifications of that. And if you knew, don't worry about that now. Get yourself a function and they will tell you what that means and you will begin. Sweep away the pain and secrets and the isolation and the desperation from loneliness and the sadness and this won't go away forever. Fires will come in layers and will tell a little, will go deeper and you can have from Sunday to Sunday
and by the time you have your Sunday to Sunday, you'll have to leave in there and you will know
hopefully never diminish and they will be somebody there to carry you from someday.
And they said you have to clean house for the rest of your life.
Little did I know that I would welcome that, that whenever I am troubled and whenever a long happens, as it says, I must put all of that and shortly and look at where am I, what do I have to do? I said to general such a cardiac experience. I'm closing the door of my life
and I knew then that is a huge spiritual experience. And her Celtic Irish humor. She sent me online. He is not a spiritual experience. This is a nightmare.
What you see when you're sober and you know how to play in the sandbox of AA, you just hide in the corner. The nightmares pass. You know somebody, I need to get angry with them. I'll take a little edge off,
somebody will be nice. And
I love the clean house. Now I love to look at my part of it because my job is to do the fourth thing. So the first thing is that I cannot drink for the rest of my life. The 2nd is that I must attend meetings of our colleagues in office for the rest of my life. The third is that I must clean house for the rest of my life as depth, of course, tell me how to do that. And the fourth thing is that I must make room for God. I must find God and I must make room for God for the rest of my life. This girl did I know that it would be come the peace of my life, my search, my quest, my question
about smuggle. This is it. I know that I would spend all of my sobriety and God willing, all of my remaining sober years because you see,
I do not intend to drink for the rest of my life. How can I make such a statement? Because I intend to go to meetings for the rest of my life. Because my spiritual condition is the first thing I address in the morning and the last thing I address at night and between there just in case I have a problem. Why? I have the habits of sobriety. I have those phone numbers and I know where to sit and I have my teeth and I know those newcomers and I can read that book and I can be here. I am protected. I am favor within the spirit of Alcoholics Anonymous. I get more power to
Anonymous and the God that protects me in order to be here than I ever did in the spirit of Scott. It took me a long time before the Spirit of God and the Spirit stop match each other. But if you want to face over and have a peaceful, serene life and have a God and understand that greatest reality deep within, then you will someday have a God is bigger than the booze you drank, and you will not be afraid
again.
And you will believe in miracles and you will expect them. Why shouldn't you?
It was many years before I knew and worked the steps with broken Alcoholics Anonymous and the order that they were released
1212. There was nothing wrong with all my efforts and my exercises before all that business made me ready.
Make me ready. Have the experience of practicing my program Mind
Alcoholics Anonymous. Is it true? How are you
today? If something goes wrong with me, I will say that I am powerless on the whatever you Sometimes it's big, sometimes it's as small as envy, sometimes it's little, sometimes it's late, sometimes it's a true day, sometimes it's an elephant. Whatever it is when I found out that I could be powerless over the smallest insignificant thing
I'm part of over everything. I spent maybe 15/18/18 actually years of my sobriety without being policy and I created all the things you need in life to make yourself safe.
But I have both things. Hazel Singh Habulton You don't have to be a missionary in China to research or believe.
And I wondered why I was dark.
I need to do that to find out it wasn't enough.
It wasn't it off. Thank God I stayed so over long enough to find out it's long enough
and that I had not been making room for God. I had been making room for Lionel. So I used God along the way because the sensor, great Band-Aid for all of us aren't going on
now. I'm tired of everything and then the question is wrong. Nothing. I created answers for all those you good at.
It terrifies me now that I might have an answer. In fact, if I give you an answer, I can guarantee you my life is unmanageable at that precise moment that I'm giving.
We admitted we were powerless over alcohol and that our lives had become unmanageable throughout the literature, throughout the big broken throughout the 12 and 12 and stopped talking about the disease of alcoholism rise away. It talks about living how's it live, How's it live. But if God could relieve you of the disease of algorithm could take away this obsession that drove you for all those years and perhaps
it's working with the problems in your life so have to coach. Perhaps it will. My experience is it does if you may bloom. It says clearly clearly in the sixth step in the 12 and 12 you have to cooperate with gone now. I think you're giving a reprieve in the first few years. I think it gets you anything you bloody Wellness to you can do anything you want longer somebody and they'll tell you what to do. You do exactly what they tell you. You know you have a question because they're going to start giving you the love that they were given and it doesn't really matter. And they'll tell you what's doing a lot of
tell you what to do so you won't have a problem finding somebody. There's no reason for. There's a college on belief. They'll tell you what to do. And that's a great and greatest thing, that there are people such as that because I am not one of them. But I was
leading because there's nasty people and I was one of those.
All the stuff I would never have done, I have told people to do. But I try to grow all of that now. But there's a lot of people there that said, we'll tell you what to do. And you have to do it because they will keep you sober until you can find through the steps The Walking tree buzzing into somebody you're working with and they haven't mentioned the steps. Go find somebody else. But there's somebody that you're working with and they haven't talked about, please find somebody else. Doesn't matter. It'll all work out anyway. But you might save yourself a little bit of time.
God, God, God, God. You don't tell me about God to miss a very basic bottom line of the entire program, which is this is a spiritual program. I know a ton of people, by the way, that don't talk about God and they have all their opinions about going to read the black stuff. I don't understand that crap about the black stuff.
I read this and it means whatever. I mean, me just need that day. That is my experience Tuesday. Based on where I am today, how I look at the set today, I can assure you it's different than last week, a year ago, and certainly in my first two years. So in the first year, I think you should do whatever somebody tells you to do. They'll tell you the right thing. They cannot make a mistake. You are covered under the grave of the gods of the Horse, anonymous, and that great God will protect you
in your fortune years. Don't worry about it.
All you have to do is not drink. Go to meeting, make some effort to do what they tell you to do and know that you're a woman for a dog is bigger than your Scotch. That's it, you'll be all alive. I understand the pin making people play golf on top. That was so intelligent of him. My God, I thought that is great. You know, maybe I could get him out in the tennis court at least. I'd get something out of the thing too,
you know, you learn from somebody every day, every day,
in all periods. I now say, I admit that I am powerless over alcohol. I am powerless over any event in my life that I feel that I am not doing in conjunction with God.
If I am alone in that adventure, I have forgotten my God. I can assure you I will be rendered close. My life will be unmanageable. You know you get sophisticated along your shoulders. You don't look like you have unmanageable lives. It just grabs your heart, makes you feel like you have a hard fashion. Nothing invisible. VD you know your leg won't move, but that's OK.
Sophisticated trouble or manageability?
You pay your bills all but you worry about the Hurricanes going to wipe your beach house right off. The bloody sand hasn't even come. That's a manageability.
Anything out of the moment, any judgment or any worry for me is unarmed ability and I am powerless over us all when it can happen in a minute. You know how many times even this weekend, I have looked at a couple of people and I thought I just like to look in their eyes. There's a hostility there. I am powerless over that. For two seconds I was unmanageable. I was about to say something to them or give them a very look.
I don't even know who the hell we are. They were distracted with their own crap. How do I know? Oh, like the way they looked at me.
I'm 20 something years over. Good thing I'm human. Good thing I had the habit of sobriety. Good thing I know that I'm tireless over all of it. Good thing I know that on the days when my fears be, when so much has happened to me that I'm out of balance and a little bit tired, that I don't have to react
with its eye and power. Now, you know, it's no surprise that the first step is the step of honesty. They say that the principle that exhibits itself from the first step is the step of honesty. It takes a very honest human being, humanitarian alcohol, and that they can offer it again for the rest of their life. It takes a very honest human being to say of myself, I am not, but if I have my God together we can do it.
It is a misconception if you think for one minute
only in this grace period of the beginning of your sobriety, but as soon as you hit that success, you better start cooperating. And I really big West,
they talk about God's will and you're willing, just willing, just willing. Don't do anything and blah blah blah,
fine, in your new grade period, do whatever you want, just don't drink. However, the day will come when you will realize that your own will don't keep you sober. You will realize that is your will that brings you into the meeting. You will realize it is your will that has come to believe and helps you come to believe that apart greater than yourself will enjoy your family. You realize it is your will to sit you in that chair is your will that makes you want to be a volunteer. It is your will to put the coffee out. It is your will to put out your hand. It is not thought coming out of the science thing. Sleep out your hand. It is your training habitual will of sobriety.
It's the most powerful God-given gifts we have been given back when we get the risk. Represent where I can look back and see myself, see myself on the bouncing floor and see myself today and save all my Lord, myself. I am nothing.
You carried me until I could find the God that was comfortable for me. And when I discarded those gods over the years of Michael Bryant and you carried me again. And when I argued about those gods, you carried me. And when I said look at all these words in the book and I got over that bullshit, you carried me then too. And what I wanted to change everything you said. I'll find their life ahead. You know, nothing changes in alcohol. It's anonymous. It hasn't changed in 60 something years. It's not going to change in my lifetime. Have a good time at the meetings because nothing's really going to change.
There's all these people to think they can affect change and their Eagles perceive them. But let me tell you, ultimately, I don't care what your own group is, who your sponsor is, or who they are at 3:00 in the morning, you will need a dog.
I'm calling someone an alcoholic, synonymous that will lead you there, that will carry you while you're looking for that dog. So when you discard your God and don't have one, they will say, I will take care of you and I will tell you what to do until you find that God. This is how you find that God. You get everything out of the way. How do I do that? When you admit that you are powerless over this, this, this, this this person.
Hey, same power, money, property, prestige one by one that has to be powerless over all of them. But it happened in a suite. No, it happened over a 27 year plus period of time. And it will happen for God living another authority on them, because it's going to be always ongoing.
There were six huge events from Sunday to Sunday. I needed help. It made me unmanageable. I could not take it.
I have come to believe that I will be restored to lost, to balance, but eventually I will get enough sleep and I rested this weekend, but eventually I will be able to eat food again, comfortably alive.
That I will become physically well, that I will get an emotional basket of serenity and that I will be seriously back in a great reality will come through me and I will feel the language of the spirit of the universe. The words in the book that have so comforted me and is creative intelligence will speak through you to me, through Dana, through a smile, through Judy walking in
to Phil and Melinda, to SK and April. To all of these people,
Denise and the gentleman of the smile, the timeless of the man I to a baby kicking around on the floor during one of the meetings with the love and energy of the Angel.
What are healed by that baby? I was directly in the light of God. How could I not have been here? Said baby had not taken it will yet and terrified itself
it will.
Pretty alcoholic family there. We might see that,
but there's a very good chance we won't.
I have come to believe that coming to meetings, reaching out, making the phone call, getting over myself, putting God first, making room for God, that I will be sore to. A sense of sound is all I care about now. If I'm out of balance, I can very easily go insane. I have two choices after the second step. It is no surprise that it's needed a second home to step up home. You have got to always have that hopefuls. Without that hope, you will not stay sober. You were given doses of that hope in the first two years. You lived on hope. You lived on nothing else but hope. Christ almost died in the coffee and the cigarettes in the doughnuts, because they're on the old. And we lived on the whole,
didn't have hope. You ran into another newcomer. And that's what we give each other. We give each other home. And then you come to believe that you can have it too. And then you comfortably to know that you have it, and then you give it away. You give it away. And that can happen within 24 hours
as you're given a big choice. Unless you've got to understand these steps, you see there's a responsibility, then you can no longer walk away and blame anybody else. Because if you want to stay in that position of sanity, if you want to stay balanced, you have to make a decision. You can make a decision, not make a decision of start raising math and eventually get back to it. If you don't drink or you can make a decision right in May wait you go to the third step
step of faith and you can make a decision to turn your well in your life over to Karen golf as you understand that God doesn't matter if you don't have one you somebody else for fear. I is huge age a giant flakes and you need to raise your wings. The Roman Catholics my own danger of romantic schools work for me. I mean, I wasn't telling everybody you had a 6th Angel stay awake for me.
But when I tell you I have one, you know, a few years later I had to, you know, dismiss a lot of the I still keep saying, Anthony, I do things every now and then is anybody I need to and now it's my God. It's God, as I understand this, God, all of it, Jesus, Mary, Joseph, Mohammed, all of us, everybody.
My brother, my nephew just went away. All of those people are there for me. That's a very big amount of information,
all of them. That's a lot to turn your care over to. I am safe then, and it doesn't require that I do anything else in the third step, just make the decision to turn it over. Turn it over. You know, at the beginning we need to walk on turning over major things, minor things, all kinds of turnovers. Never knew what the hell 'cause we turned it over. Turned over great beliefs, great faith. Only when I was about five or six years over does that begin to quench your mouth.
Then I spent the next 10 years questioning what worked, questioning my own face. Fine, no problem. Led me to a great valley of hope. But that's life
and then the great step of courage and the 4th step admitted to God. I mean of God made the same thing as fear of moral inventory. Oh my God, the books, the ways, the things take a yellow town or write it down. You're sick as your secrets. Your first inventory will be your grave. You won't remember a word. That's when you're 20 years old. But you do you have shouldn't
stuff in the past
to take that pad and white blood mask get it all out doesn't matter does it matter It's an effort. It's an honest open willingness to try. That's all we care about. Believe me, over the years you if you stay sober and have any time at all on a you will be presented with so many character details solid stop seeking Twitter us and dishonesty and examples of that. You know who would think of dishonesty is to steal someone's time who would think of
in consideration being disrespectful and turning you back. I mean you will go from the big huge giant defensive character into what the book calls is these little minor things that are the offshoot Senator then people get drunk over. So yes, you will have plenty of time with the right people to work through this step. Take your time. So beginning as soon as you can write out those secrets, write out those things. Get it out of your way. Make room for God, make room for God in the smallest way and God will meet you 3000 fold. That's what happened.
That's what happened. And you take this little piece of paper and you find somebody and you break down the wall of isolation, the great, great, great killer of Alcoholics.
A lot of an isolation, a killer of alcoholic towards sober. Don't just welcome the newcomer,
welcome off, welcome the old timers. Because you see, we die sober sometimes and we're in pain. Look at your hand to the guy that says a long time still showing up, taking their seat.
I'm glad there's newcomers. Let me know why this is life. They'll always be newcomers. They're better. The old timers. I'm in pink trouble. I have to know someones in front of me. I have to call Chris on the phone. And do we talk about the problems? No, we talk about God. We talk about our grace, where we are to feel. We talk about our soul. We talk about how it feels because we have made room for that kind of conversation.
So I am powerless and I get the power back in the second step and I make the decision to ask my God for help. And my God says fine, I will help you make room for me. And I make room in the fourth step. And then so that when I can go back to my God and not to go with 16 volumes of nonsense, I talked to another member. They said this is precisely your problem. And I go to God and I say this is precisely my problem. I am entirely ready. How do I know now as my experience that I am entirely ready? Because I accept myself as a lot of you do this again,
this is who you are. OK, I have come to understand. I accept myself. The minute I have accepted myself, the humility of the 7th step comes rushing in like a razing water. I cannot tell you. And immediately I feel the power of God. And immediately I know because while I have opened the door to that God by accepting myself, I accepted that I was an alcoholic and a drunken unconscious stage. Why do I have such a hard time accepting myself when I'm just as giant asshole? It's all so hard to me to reconcile them. So what? I can do that. And those defects have been,
and I say, yes, they're still there. I accepted it. OK, help me. Help me to do what? Well, you know, over the years I've had a year, right? They helped me to not be afraid. Help me to feel that I may not. This year I have chosen to say, help me to pause and believe that I will be protected. Be careful what you ask for because you will be given the experience that will solidify every organ in your body
and to your given that gift of prayer. The meditation is the answer to prayers questions.
So this is exactly what I did wrong. I talked to these people and this is will you help me and then God suggests course. I would like and I feel the peace. However, was there anybody in the way while you're acting insane out there and 8:00 and 9:00 come into view where I have to make an amendment and address myself. Sometimes it's just amending my own thinking. Sometimes I have to talk to somebody, sometimes I don't. I say was there anybody in the way while I today in my soul and life
let's havoc in such case, I recommend that and then I'm back to the staying sober one day at a time step
on back to 10. I continue to take personal inventory and stop myself because I'm well enough to do that now you see I was powerless over the incidents I've been given back the power and two I made a decision to hold on to that power. I cleared the way I work with an alcohol to sure I was being honest with myself. I said God, this is what I have done. Will you help me. I have cleared the path and apologizes amended my behavior and now I am back to 10. Here I am today. Will you help me today? And God, of course, my God.
Take a breath Lila, and you will know I am there. It is not a true Well, again, you can breathe and when you breathe, I am your breath.
And I can pray and I can meditate. And how do I pray? So I get up in the morning and I'm just grateful to be alive. And I say something and during the day I catch myself and I just address it. That is nice. The greatest night when the spiritual universe is at its busiest, I think, and I go to sleep. I write, Dear Great Spirit, it is September, whatever it is, 12/19/97
These are my questions. What do I do about my mother?
What do I do about the redirected pain of my brother?
What do I do about during surgery? What do I do about market cancer? What do I do about Tony's death? What do I do about this? What do I do about that? How do I handle this? What do I do about the fact that I left a dresser online? Do I talk to them? Should I don't spend where, how, and why? Thank you for my sobriety. Help me to maintain it. I need and love you, Lila. I take that piece of paper and I'm Polish in the trash and I sleep like a baby
most of the time.
Sometimes around 4:00 in the morning I take it also,
but that's OK. I have the habit of recovery and the habit of the I can write it all and do it again. And you know, many times through you, through the newspaper, through a person, through a phone call, through life to breathing it now to showing up and doing the next indicated thing. Because I am a solo person that is in the habit of doing such. I will get the answer. Somebody will come right away and say, Oh yes, Jerry's back is fine. Matthew, whatever.
Your mother now on past.
The house will be different when you see it the next time. All the answers will be present. Dating will give me a basket of delights. Me, do you understand? I have asked and I receive. I have made room for God. Little did I know in making room for God that I would receive so much.
And then it says that having had a spiritual awakening as a result of watch of the process, The process of admitting that I am powerless, that has made me unmanageable. That I want that power back. That I would like to be restored to balance. Making a decision that that is more important to me than anything else. Getting rid of focus in the way and looking at that, asking another person if I have been as honest as I possibly can be
so involved. This is one I have found out. Will you help me?
My bumper can help me on 7. Honey, it's got to be gone. Who's in the way? Have I heard them? I'm back to The Walking around step. I'm kind.
What do I need to do now? What questions do I have left about what disturbs my day? My day
make room to the answer. I have had a spiritual awakening. I don't know about you, but I can do this death in about 2 1/2 seconds anytime I want to during the day I can activate this spiritual awakening I did before I got up to this podium I was proud of. So for all of you 100 minds myself attached, I asked for that power. I had to make a decision that whatever is wrong by the channel forgotten. This is my job. This is my job because I made a commitment to have it a sobriety that I would do this.
I could look at my own little crap. There was no way that I wouldn't give a hospital talk
capable of it.
I have some good friends that I was able to talk to so they could keep me comforted until I got up here. I accepted myself within a short order of thing up here as being so different and so much more than when I was on the bathroom floor. And the minute I did that, I could feel it. I could feel that energy come in me. I could reach out and practically sense the tangibility of who's around you.
I don't know if you can see them, but they're there. I am surrounded by God. I am surrounded by those that have gone on. I am surrounded by my brother and my nephew and all of them. Why I even have James grandmother show up every now and then.
I need all the Irish people I can get.
Is that your belief? Doesn't matter. Will it be my belief on Monday morning? Don't know. I haven't lived today yet. It's only halfway through. Is that a spiritual awakening? To be aware that you have a whole day? I can do a lifetime from Sunday to Sunday. I can sure do a Sunday afternoon. That is a surgeon awakening
that you are sitting here as an A, a convention.
You ended up in the stuff in the 60s as you were last night. I'm up to say if I were to give prizes, the men would win hands down. They were great. They were great with the fest and the whole thing and fantastic. I found out there enjoyed everybody, everyone
that is a spiritual awareness. Being able to breathe is a spiritual awakening. Being able to take the book and say heal me to the spiritual awakening, having Dana give me a back run the rest spiritual awakening, being alive, being breathing, spiritual awakening. Sitting in your chair this morning is a promote profound miracle. You're going to have a whole lot and you haven't even finished today.
Can you imagine?
Can you imagine what the store for you? If you want to share your experience, strength and hope, then you will be given experience, strength and hope to share in the programs Alcoholics Anonymous. And in that experience you will be giving everything that life has to offer. And if you don't drink and you go to meeting and you clean house and you make room for God, you will never be given more than you can handle. The greatest God will never take you and the grace of God will not keep you. It is a promise.
So it is my dawn to carry this message to alcohol. What message is Sam? My message,
My message that I'm still here, that I'm still trying, that I'm still looking. Said I still expect more. So I'm grateful to be alive. That I could cry. That I could be so grateful that I can't even imagine how long my life is. That I'm less afraid now than I was when I saw this
my message. But the only way I know to live now to the steps of the program Downhall Tsunami.
But for the years that I had these habits of sobriety where I had my teeth and I went to meetings through this regularly and I read the book and I reached out and I talked to people on the phone. I was all those things,
all those things
I now and have practiced, practice in the membership. I don't know what that's how you work with them. I practice them. I practice and I practice them all the time. I'll be practicing then for the rest of my life. That is my message. My message is if you find yourself a sponsor and someone to talk to and another somebody along the way, discuss within a reasonable period of time of your sobriety so you can struggle through this together. Start working on those things. Start working on it right now. There's no way to do them wrong. Can't do them wrong. It's absolutely impossible. So it doesn't really matter. Don't look
saw now call us on to help you through the chances already to self access.
Come for a regular hard working guy, Look for a woman, look for someone who's going to meetings, look for the regular Joe sitting next to you. I can tell you right now that if you reach your hand to the person next to you, they can take you through the steps.
It is not a big, huge intellectual experience. It is a willingness to admit that your power,
a hope that God will come in and give you more and decision to work with that God. A willingness to take an inventory, work it out with somebody else. Accept who you are, and stop living in the misery of your life and in the love and the care and the gentleness that Alcoholics Anonymous teaches. Keep up this misery. Crown right after his pain at the touchstone of all humility later on. It says you do not have to be in pain in order to have a full life. You do not have to have these miserable things. You can only stay as long as you want to.
The staff will take you out of your pain, will take you into compassion, will take you out of your hurt, and will take you into gratitude.
Thank you for not having God leads you directly into the arms of God. It will take your feeling alone. And if you feel like you have one other person and now one other person in Alcoholics Anonymous will become two other people, three other people, and you'll never be alone again. Thank you.