With every sunset a new hope is born, and an old expectation dies. Noor Unnahar
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All articles filed in Hope
Come Together
Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success. —Henry Ford This is a bit of a mishmosh of thoughts, but it all ties together. First of all the image is just something I was toying around with. I combined three different photos I took of kids playing at the beach.…
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In This Moment (Trust)
Separating topics is not easy. Not on the blog, anyway. I did some tinkering and there is no logical way to do it. I think that going to regular A.A. meetings (and looking to be of service) was the real STEP that I needed to take, and I’m doing that. At least I’m gaining clarity! Anyway, it’s…
Read MoreDay One
I’m scrapping all of my old image ideas today. One year ago yesterday I was checking myself into the hospital, totally polluted. Today is the one year anniversary of my first day of sobriety, so I’m calling this day ONE.
Read MoreTGIF
Hello everyone!! I’ve been spending a massive amount of time experimenting on Photoshop and I almost hate to say it, but it’s really hard for me to come up for air. And I’m only in the beginning stages… I just love learning new things! I’ve mixed a Utah field, one of my many taken from a…
Read MoreA Tale of Redemption
A few things happened today that really moved me, but I’m only going to talk about one for now. Tonight was the meeting that I co-secretary for, and it turned out to be a pretty emotional meeting. There’s something that I’ve been wanting to talk about, but I was never sure if the time was right,…
Read MoreSigns of Change
Now that I’m back in the realm of randomness, I’m messing with alterations. This is a street sign by my old High School. Actually, it’s the street that I used to hang out on when I would cut classes, and do other experimental things. I’ve always said that I hated school. I really DID back then—but I thought…
Read MoreMake Yourself at Home
A house is made of bricks and beams. A home is made of hopes and dreams.
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Through the Storm
My mood today is Enduring Last week in my recovery class, our pastor talked about enduring temptation. When asked what temptation IS… he answered: Anything that takes us away from what we SHOULD be doing. The routines that we’ve become accustomed to through our recovery process. Slowly but surely, I’ve tiptoed away from the routine I…
Read MoreArt: A Great Read
I’m sharing someone else’s words today. “An old silent pond. Into the pond a frog jumps. Splash! Silence again.” It is perhaps the best known of all Japanese haiku. No subject could be more humdrum. No language could be more pedestrian. Basho, the poet, makes no comment on what he is describing. He implies no…
Read MoreConfessions: Part Seven
We had an interesting topic come up during our meeting last night. The enemy. Cunning, baffling and powerful. I decided that this subject would be a great opener for the final chapter. Why DO we believe negative things about ourselves, and where DO those thoughts come from in the first place? Why do we self-sabotage and…
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2016 Reflections
What a year! My cousin posted on Facebook that she was tired of hearing people talk about how bad 2016 has been—so she listed all of the good things that happened in her life throughout the year. It’s been one helluva year, that’s for sure! I have to say it’s been a good helluva year…
Read MoreJoy in Giving
My cousin is great at knitting and crocheting, among other crafts. She LOVES baseball, and LOVES the Giants, although we grew up with the Dodgers. As she sits through the season, she makes batches of scarves that are shipped out to women in shelters. She knew about my love of writing, so a few months ago…
Read MoreConversation with God
The Meeting Place (A Poem)
Read MoreFeeling Free
I took this on a Ferry in Texas a few years ago. I was going to crop out the stranger in the corner, but I decided that I liked the way her hair was blowing. It reminded me of freedom.
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A Child of God
Asking God to help me see my life from His perspective is what truly helped me. I went back forty years, to when I was lost in that awkward limbo between childhood and adulthood, and serious issues consumed my thoughts. I was convinced that no one would EVER understand what was going on in my head.…
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A Step Forward
There’s a term pink cloud that refers to a state of mind in early sobriety, characterized by extreme happiness and grandiosity, in spite of problematic conditions. The newly sober person feels high on life because they’re experiencing emotions that were previously numbed by alcohol. Once I read up on the subject, I knew it was time to…
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The Great Escape
It may seem odd that I always look on the bright side of things, but that’s how I roll. I’m an optimist ninety-eight percent of the time. I don’t enjoy writing the other two percent of the time, when I’m feeling down and out. I don’t even like thinking about the times when I wanted…
Read MoreFighting to Win
Never be afraid to tell your story because there’s somebody who needs to hear it. I have to keep telling myself that. I get those little twangs inside, telling me to just stop—that I’ve already said enough. But, I’m not going to let fear win. When I mentioned taking down the enemy in my last…
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A Sprinkle of Faith
There were a few things that were weighing heavy on my mind when I first reached out to my friend Gil. He’s the one that I wrote about in Hearing God’s Whisper. I had reached a point in my life—and in my drinking—where I knew that I was not only ready, but I NEEDED to…
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