A woman was asked by someone, "What is it like to be a recovering alcoholic ?

She replied, "It is like being a pumpkin. God picks you from the patch, brings you in and washes all the dirt off of you. Then He cuts off the top and scoops out all the yucky stuff. He removes the seeds of doubt, hate, greed, self loathing, etc. And then He carves you a new smiling face and puts His light inside of you to shine for all the world to see."

This was passed on to you from another pumpkin, Bill Z.

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Chuck N. on the occasion of his 3rd anniversary:

"It's not who you are, but what you are that counts"

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Contributions of Greg W. at the Saturday meeting on occasion of his 58th natal birthday!

Religion is for those who are afraid they may go to hell and Spirituality is for those that have been there!

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MAYONNAISE JAR and 2 CUPS OF COFFEE

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and 2 cups of coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls.

He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was. The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls.

He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was. The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else.

He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous "yes." The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. 

The students laughed."Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life".

"The golf balls are the important things - God, family, children, health, friends, and favorite passions -- things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full."

"The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, house, and car."

"The sand is everything else -- the small stuff."

"If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls."

The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. So...Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.

Play With your children. Take time to get medical checkups.Take your partner out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal.

Take care of the golf balls first -- the things that really matter. Set your priorities.The rest is just sand.

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."

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Contributions from Chuck N. at the Saturday meeting on the occasion of his 2nd anniversary:

"If you want to say the right thing at the right time, don't say anything most of the time."

Minnesota Steve (my sponsor).

"I came here because of my drinking - I stay here because of my thinking."

Unknown Woman at Wit's End meeting.

"People who expect instant results will certainly be disappointed. If you persist in practice, however, the many problems will gradually dissolve, and the many separate skills fuse into a simple and natural activity. There will come a time when the whole thing seems so easy that you will wonder what the fuss was all about. To the beginner, everything seems difficult, as all the required talents have to be developed at the same time. Sorry, but that is the way it is."

- Jan Fries, Helrunar

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From the May 1993 Grapevine, another point of view:

Flight Pattern

Next fall when you see geese heading south for the winter, flying along in a V formation, you might like to consider what science has discovered about why geese fly this way.

It has been learned that as each bird flaps its wings, it creates an uplift for the bird immediately following. By flying in a V formation, the whole flock adds at least seventy-one percent greater flying range than if each bird flew on its own.

People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going quicker and easier, because they are traveling on the uplift of one another.

When a goose falls out of formation, it immediately feels the drag and resistance of trying to go it alone, and quickly gets back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird immediately in front.

If we have as much sense as a goose, we will stay in formation with those who are headed the same way we are going.

When the lead goose gets tired, it rotates back in the formation and another goose flies point.

It pays to take turns doing hard jobs.

Geese honk from behind to encourage those up front to keep up their speed.

We too say something when we "honk from behind."

Finally (now I want you to get this), when a goose gets sick or is wounded by gunshots and falls out, two geese fall out of formation and follow it down to help and protect it. They stay with the ailing goose until it is either able to fly or until it dies; then they launch out on their own or with another formation to catch up with the group.

If we have the simple sense of a goose, we will stand by each other like that.

Anonymous
Surrey, British Columbia

The moral might be: Don't cook your goose, ask him to be your sponsor. Jim C.