It is very comforting and supportive coming here and reading the ESH which my recovery often stands on.  John's share of needing a break and (on the Al-Anon board) Paris's share with her husbands response to her reaction and ILD's growth.  Actually all of it is supportive to my program.  I get to read these growths with my eyes like I get to listen to them at my meetings also with my ears.  This morning before my home group meeting at bay side I was outside with the pups helping them do what they do each morning without commands.  I stood and looked up at the early morning sky which was alive with storm and rain clouds.  It has been raining for about 3 days straight and often its all dramatic like this morning as I saw rain clouds moving at me at high speed both on the right and on the left.  Watching the sheets of rain smoke out the atmosphere was kinda sorta a dare and still they moved at me and then split in front of me to the right and left and went by and as they went by I got the softest and tiniest of drops that hit me on the nose and that reminded me that it was all dramatic and real and that there were a gazillion gallons of rain all around me and it was by some act of devine providence that I was standing their dry and actually in sun light some while all around me was getting drenched...I love metaphors and this metaphor was "it's all very real and just not totally for you right now".  I left the house for my meeting and drove thru a storm to get there.  I made a stop and then continued down the block where a man at 7:30 in the morning was having trouble standing straight up.  He was holding on to a fire hydrant for support and motioned for me to go around first and I felt "there but for the grace of God..." and I went around.  He left the safety of the fire hydrant and crossed the street for where ever.  When I got to the meeting one of our guests was speaking about how she left our area just over three years ago and went to the West Coast where she relapsed and had the most difficult of times getting back.  Today she received her 3rd year anniversay coin and as she was telling about her journey a rainbow appeared off shore right in front of her line of vision and she got the meaning of it.  She listened with her eyes and she heard that beauty and assurance and HP's love can often be heard with your eyes.  When the meeting was over HP gave us the rain.  Rains good...that's where green comes from.   (((((hugs)))))