Hi. How you all doing? I haven't been here for a while. My sobriety date hasn't changed. I just haven't been to this site. It's nice to see not much has changed. I see a lot of new names, but many of the older members are still here, allowing the newer members to be where they're at long enough to figure out where they're at. I've been super busy out here, dong work with alcoholics (and others). 2016 was a year of miracles for us (my wife and I). My health hasn't been great. I won't bore ya with the details, but I will say this much. On xmas eve, I suffered a small stroke. It was my second one in three months.

I knew that meant I had to go to the Emergency Ward, but still I was thinking, But who will cook the turkey, and who will help put up the lights and decorate the house. I'm too busy to be sick. My wife, who is aslo a sober alcoholic, simplified matters for me. Either she would drive me or she would call an ambulance, because like it or not, I was going. By the time I got there, I could barely speak, my left arm and left leg were numb and my left cheek was doing the droop. I figured this was it. I would be admitted and probably be in the hospital forever. I made a quick decision. I put the matter in God's hands. What else could I do. I'm not a religious guy and I try not to preach anything, but I figured there were many times that god had done things for me that I was not able to do myself.

My wife brought me a few things that she knew I would need. One was my big book. The nurses in the ward felt certain I would be there a long time.  The following day I asked for a walker because I felt well enough to use it to go to the bathroom. Bedpans and commodes are great inventions, but I prefer to be a bit more independent. On Boxing Day, I felt even better and suggested they give the walker to someone who needed it, because I didn't. I spent the morning walking up and down the hall, getting my strength back. The following day, my doctor discharged me, calling me a christmas miracle. I guess God had other plans for me. I dont feel like running any cross-country marathons, but I can walk, talk, and do the things I need to do in order to be useful to God, to my group, and to the people around me.

The moral of the story? I could have let my pride and my fear take control, like I did when I was sleeping under the bridge. I could have tried to do things Bernie's way, ignoring that there was a problem, and refusing to sccept any help. But, you know, every time I do things Bernie's way, all I ever get are Bernie's results. Instead I tried something new. I let god decide what to do and then I did what I could to help carry that out. So far so good.

Sorry that took longer to say than I thought it would. Good to be here and hope everyone has whatever kind of day they choose to have.