Showing posts with label Alcoholics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Alcoholics. Show all posts

People That Oppose Brainwashing Sex Cults are In General, NOT Active Members. I Had a Different Viewpoint From the Inside.

I Met My Wife at Alcoholics Anonymous. While Many Members Found Help in the First 12 Steps, I Immediately Focused My Attention On The "13th Step." Fundamentally: Members are Allowed to Have Sex With Each Other if They Don't Drink... That Made Sense to Me as A Tradeoff... In AA I Couldn't Drink Alcohol but I Got to Meet a LOT of Women... So, I Chose Women as a More Interesting Way to Spend My Time...

Many People Marry Other Members and In General, Those Marriages are More Successful than "Normal" People... Many People Don't Marry... But... Everyone is an Adult and That's What People Do... 

Old Timers are Supposed to NOT "13th Step" Newcomers... Because New Members are Often Confused and Vulnerable... It's Considered Impolite or Forbidden but... Those Things Happen... But Not Me... I Always Dated Old Timers. 

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I Became a Homeless Person after getting Fired from my Job in San Jose, CA for Drinking On The Job and Stealing Money... So I Moved to Chico and Stayed at a Cheap Motel Until the Money Ran Out. I was waiting for my money from My Sale of Company Stock to Arrive... It was Summer and Living in Bidwell Park was EPIC... Riding My Bicycle Everywhere... Playing My Guitar and Singing on the Streets for Spare Change... Eating at the Jesus Center and Going to AA Meetings... I was Penniless for about 2 Months. Then I Got $6,000 and Soon Moved in With a Lady I Met at AA. Then we Got Married and 20 Years Later We are Still Friends.  So... The Lesson Learned was Steal Enough from the Corporation to Buy Stock... That Saved My Life! Being Homeless in the Winter Could be Fatal. 

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I'm SO GLAD Republicans Lost The House, The Senate and The White House. I Feel Like the ENTIRE COUNTRY Has PTSD from the Trauma Of Four Years of Czar Donald The INSANE! Everybody Sing! Happy Days are Here Again! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75V3H-FXf78

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We Used Limericks at Work to Prove that Our Data Encryption Machines Really Worked. At Trade Shows our salesforce would say Look... Here is a Plain Text Message... and Here is a Scrambled Message... and You Can't Tell It was a Limerick! AND... They Often Used OBSCENE Limericks to Get The Customers Attention! But Here is My Favorite Clean One...

There once was a Lady From Niger --

Who Smiled as She Rode on the Tiger --

They Returned from The Ride --

The Lady Inside --

And The Smile on the Face of The Tiger.


and Mary Said: One of my favorite limericks:

When Copernicus proved Earth was lowly --

Not Heaven's sweet center most holy --

Philosophers grumbled 

At theories crumbled. 

As one said, "I wish someone had Ptolemy."


Vincent Said:

Galileo’s careful you know

With Catholics you must go with the flow

The Pope makes up the rule

So you must play the fool

Or burn like Giordano Bruno


Chris Said:

There was a physicist so bright

He figured how to travel faster than light

He left just yesterday

In a relative way

And returned on the previous night


Q Said:

Software creators just always fail

To secure every private email

Encryption is too hard

And passwords are poor guards

So E-postcards hits it on the nail

Atomic Energy Symbol - for sale - printed on a plastic coaster - set of six - cork backs, Zazzle Gregvan Art Gallery Store gvan42
Link: Atomic Energy Symbol - for sale -set of six - 
printed on a plastic coaster with a cork back.
Zazzle gregvan Art Gallery Store gvan42


LINK: All My Coasters!

LINK: The Main Page of My Zazzle Webstore:
Everything! Coffee Cups, Buttons, Hats, T-Shirts... 




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On a Different Subject: Here is a Collection of Beautiful Nude Women Doing Topless Dancing - Animated GIFs

https://purple64ets.wordpress.com/2020/05/18/beautiful-nude-women-animated-gifs/ <--- LINK!


How to fix the Waiting for Edge Chat error in the Farmville Game. DELETE COOKIES, RESTART GAME. and tips for playing Farmville.

In Google Chrome: Delete History/Clear Browsing Data prevents the error message from appearing... I keep the Passwords only...

Be aware that you will have to sign in again to all the websites you like... but the passwords will be stored, so that's easy to do... be aware that this is a temporary fix... I have to do it every time I want to play Farmville... and I have read that this infection happens on all games.

I Check EVERYTHING except passwords... 

A simple way to avoid annoying error messages on the computer is to put a piece of paper over the location of the message... often while I play Farmville, it says "waiting for edge chat facebook com" ... because the game is failing to connect with something I don't care about... the message is always in the lower left hand corner of the screen... so, a piece of paper folded in half removes that message from my sight...

Optional: Run Disk Cleanup... Good to do Occasionally... 
When I run Disk Cleanup... I select My Files Only, 
Drive C: OK... OK... Are You Sure? Delete Files.
deleting unnecessary files from my computer. 



Sometimes the error message will re-appear days later... so once again I delete history in Google Chrome... everything except passwords and the message stops appearing...


 https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/32050?hl=en


Clear cache and cookies

Cookies, which are files created by websites you’ve visited, and your browser’s cache, which helps pages load faster, make it easier for you to browse the web.

Clearing your browser’s cache and cookies means that website settings (like usernames and passwords) will be deleted and some sites might appear to be a little slower because all of the images have to be loaded again.

How to clear cache and cookies in Google Chrome.
Open Chrome.
On your browser toolbar, click the Chrome menu Chrome menu.
Click More tools > Clear browsing data.
In the box that appears, click the checkboxes for "Cookies and other site and plug-in data" and "Cached images and files."
Use the menu at the top to select the amount of data that you want to delete. Choose beginning of time to delete everything.
Click Clear browsing data.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Waiting for:
0-edge-chat.facebook.com
1-edge-chat.facebook.com
2-edge-chat.facebook.com
3-edge-chat.facebook.com
4-edge-chat.facebook.com
5-edge-chat.facebook.com
6-edge-chat.facebook.com

~~~~~~ (~);-} ~~~~~~

My Journey to The Rainbow Gathering in Pennsylvania in the 1980's... Autobiography... and EPCOT in Florida, Niagara Falls, Canada...

This event really started at the Spectrum Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at a three day Grateful Dead concert. That's When I Got an Invitation to The gathering. A Card given to me by a Guy Who Believed I Was Worthy.

Free Clipart - Infinite Rainbow - gvan42


It eventually turned out to be a five month vacation traveling from Washington DC to Key West, Florida to Niagara Falls, Canada looking for the best beach on the East Coast. IMHO... It's Fernandina Beach In Florida Near the Northern Border. READ MORE:

https://gvan42.blogspot.com/2020/12/my-journey-to-rainbow-gathering-in.html


RAGE by Bob Woodward - PIRATED Screenshots of My Kindle eBook - So You Can Read It FOR FREE - Here is the Prolog and Chapter 1 and 2 - Of Course, You SHOULD Buy This Book! - I'm Glad I Did!

 REMEMBER: Click On The Pictures To See Them Bigger!

https://gvan42.blogspot.com/2020/09/rage-by-bob-woodward-screenshots-of-my.html

LINKS TO MORE BLOG POSTS:

Hello, I'm Greg and I'm an Alcoholic. I Have not Been to a Meeting for Months. Since the Start of Coronavirus...

Link to Online Meetings: Zoom or Email:  info@tecos.group

https://aa-intergroup.org/oiaa/meetings/ 

I Have Not Drank any Alcohol in the Last Few Years BUT... I'm Starting to Believe that I Could Drink Like a Gentleman,,, and Control my Drinking... That is a False Belief and My Action to Counteract That False Belief is to Go To a Meeting and HERE I AM!

I Was Watching a Movie on TV and the Characters Were Drinking Whiskey... and I Thought... Gee, I'd Like to Drink Some Whiskey... 

anyway... Just This Simple Act of Typing these Words into an email is Restoring Me to Sanity... Thanks For Being There in a Time of Need. 

I Created a Webpage with All the Words to All the Statements We Read Every Meeting: Most of the Actual Typing was Done by my Wife... and I Included a Photo of the Mom's AA Hall in Chico, CA... Our Home Group...

https://gvan42.blogspot.com/2017/07/moms-aa-chico-ca-meeting-hall-in-haven.html 

THE SERENITY PRAYER:
God Grant me the Serenity to Accept the things I cannot Change, Change the things I Can and the Wisdom to Know the Difference.

Photo of Mom's AA Meeting Hall in Chico, CA. 
Photo of Mom's AA Meeting Hall in Chico, CA. - gvan42 
 It Was in the Haven Motel.
It's Moved to a New Location.

But That Location is Closed until The Coronavirus is Over...


If You Can't Go To an AA Meeting, Here are All the Words We Read... "MEETING FORMAT", "The AA Preamble", "HOW IT WORKS", "MORE ABOUT ALCOHOLISM", "THE TWELVE TRADITIONS", "THE PROMISES" and Many Many More...

MEETING FORMAT
Hi everybody, welcome to the (day & time) meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous, ________ Group. I’m an alcoholic and my name is ______.
Shall we open the meeting with a moment of silence followed by the Serenity Prayer.
Read the preamble (What Is A.A.?), on the other side of this sheet.
Have someone read How It Works .
Have someone read The Twelve Traditions.
Have someone read More About Alcoholism.
Ask if there is anyone within their first 30 days who would like to introduce themselves
Any visitors from outside the area
Any birthdays
Anyone here for their first meeting ever.
Read The Announcements.
Ask if anyone has something to discusss, or suggest a topic. (If the meeting is large, ask that comments be kept relatively short.)
Pass the basket for our 7th Tradition around ½ hour to 45 minutes after the meeting has started.
Meetings are 1 ½ hours (ending at 1:30 PM, 7:00 PM and 9:30 PM ), but the group conscience can decide to allow the meeting to run longer.
To close, read or have someone read The Promises or other approved A.A. literature (such as page 164 of the Big Book).
Announce we will close the meeting in the usual manner.
Stand and recite The Lord’s or Serenity Prayer as a group.
Enter the amount of the 7th Tradition money collected, date, & time of meeting on the envelope. If there were book sales or H & I contributions, list separately. Turn in to the landlord.
Turn off coffee maker, fans, heater and lights. Make sure the hall is clean and ready for the next neeting. Confirm door is locked when you leave.

Keep Coming Back - Free Coloring Book Art by gvan42


The AA Preamble
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. There are no dues or fees for A.A. membership; we are self-supporting through our own contributions. A.A. is not allied with any sect, denomination, politics, organization or institution; does not wish to engage in any controversy; neither endorses nor opposes any causes. Our primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics to achieve sobriety.

One Day @ A Time - Free Coloring Book Art by gvan42

HOW IT WORKS:
Rarely have we seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed our path. Those who do not recover are people who cannot or will not completely give themselves to this simple program, usually men and women who are constitutionally incapable of being honest with themselves. There are such unfortunates. They are not at fault; they seem to have been born that way. They are naturally incapable of grasping and developing a manner of living which demands rigorous honesty. Their chances are less than average. There are those, too, who suffer from grave emotional and mental disorders, but many of them do recover if they have the capacity to be honest. Our stories disclose in a general way what we used to be like, what happened, and what we are like now. If you have decided you want what we have and are willing to go to any length to get it - then you are ready to take certain steps. At some of these we balked. We thought we could find an easier, softer way. But we could not. With all the earnestness at our command, we beg of you to be fearless and thorough from the very start. Some of us have tried to hold on to our old ideas and the result was nil until we let go absolutely. Remember that we deal with alcohol - cunning, baffling, powerful! Without help it is too much for us. But there is One who has all power - that One is God. May you find him now! Half measures availed us nothing. We stood at the turning point. We asked His protection and care with complete abandon.
Here are the steps we took, which are suggested as a program of recovery:
1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol - that our lives had become unmanageable.
2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible except when to do so would injure them or others.
10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.
Many of us exclaimed, “What an order! I can’t go through with it!” Do not be discouraged. No one among us has been able to maintain anything like perfect adherence to these principles. We are not saints. The point is that we are willing to grow along spiritual lines. The principles we have set down are guides to progress. We claim spiritual progress rather than spiritual perfection.
Our description of the alcoholic, the chapter to the agnostic, and our personal adventures before and after make clear three pertinent ideas:
(a) That we were alcoholic and could not manage our own lives.
(b) That probably no human power could have relieved our alcoholism.
(c) That God could and would if He were sought.


MORE ABOUT ALCOHOLISM:
Most of us have been unwilling to admit we were real alcoholics. No person likes to think he is bodily and mentally different from his fellows. Therefore, it is not surprising that our drinking careers have been characterized by countless vain attempts to prove we could drink like other people. The idea that somehow, someday he will control and enjoy his drinking is the great obsession of every abnormal drinker. The persistence of this illusion is astonishing. Many pursue it into the gates of insanity or death. We learned that we had to fully concede to our innermost selves that we were alcoholics. This is the first step in recovery. The delusion that we are like other people, or presently may be, has to be smashed. We alcoholics are men and women who have lost the ability to control our drinking. We know that no real alcoholic ever recovers control. All of us felt at times that were regaining control, but such intervals - usually brief - were inevitably followed by still less control, which led in time to pitiful and incomprehensible demoralization. We are convinced to a man that alcoholics of our type are in the grip of a progressive illness. Over any considerable period we get worse, never better. We are like men who have lost their legs; they never grow new ones. Neither does there appear to be any kind of treatment which will make alcoholics of our kind like other men. We have tried every imaginable remedy. In some instances there has been brief recovery, followed always by a still worse relapse. Physicians who are familiar with alcoholism agree there is no such thing as making a normal drinker out of an alcoholic. Science may one day accomplish this, but it hasn’t done so yet. Despite all we can say, many who are real alcoholics are not going to believe they are in that class. By every form of self-deception and experimentation, they will try to prove themselves exceptions to the rule, therefore nonalcoholic. If anyone who is showing inability to control his drinking can do the right-about-face and drink like a gentleman, our hats are off to him. Heaven knows, we have tried hard enough and long enough to drink like other people! Here are some of the methods we have tried: Drinking beer only, limiting the number of drinks, never drinking alone, never drinking in the morning, drinking only at home, never having it in the house, never drinking during business hours, drinking only at parties, switching from scotch to brandy, drinking only natural wines, agreeing to resign if ever drunk on the job, taking a trip, not taking a trip, swearing off forever (with or without a solemn oath), taking more physical exercise, reading inspirational books, going to health farms and sanitariums, accepting voluntary commitment to asylums - we could increase the list ad infinitum.


THE TWELVE TRADITIONS
1. Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends upon A.A. unity.
2. For our group purposes there is but one ultimate authority - a loving God as He may express himself in our group conscience. Our leaders are but trusted servants; they do not govern.
3. The only requirement for A.A. membership is a desire to stop drinking.
4. Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or A.A. as a whole.
5. Each group has but one primary purpose - to carry its message to the alcoholic who still suffers.
6. An A.A. group ought never endorse, finance, or lend the A.A. name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property, and prestige divert us from our primary purpose.
7. Every A.A. group ought to be full self-supporting, declining outside contributions.
8. Alcoholics Anonymous should remain forever nonprofessional, but our service centers may employ special workers.
9. A.A., as such, ought never be organized, but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve.
10. Alcoholics Anonymous has no opinion on outside issues; hence the A.A. name ought never be drawn into public controversy.
11. Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion; we need always maintain personal anonymity at the level of press, radio, and films.
12. Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities.

THE PROMISES
If we are painstaking in this phase of our developments, we will be amazed before we are half way through. We are going to know a new freedom and a new happiness. We will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it. We will comprehend the word serenity and we will know peace. No matter how far down the scale we have gone, we will see how our experience can benefit others. That feeling of uselessness and self-pity will disappear. We will lose interest in selfish things and gain interest is our fellows. Self-seeking will slip away. Our whole attitude and outlook upon life will change. Fear of people and economic insecurity will leave us. We will intuitively know how to handle situations which used to baffle us. We will suddenly realize that God is doing for us what we could not do for ourselves. Are these extravagant promises? We think not. They are being fulfilled among us - sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly. They will always materialize if we work for them. (pages 83 - 84)

THE SERENITY PRAYER:
God Grant me the Serenity to Accept the things I cannot Change, Change the things I Can and the Wisdom to Know the Difference.

Photo of Mom's AA Chico, CA. Meeting Hall...

This hall was closed by the city health department.
It was a miracle when it was alive... 
 It Was in the Haven Motel...

NEW LOCATION:
Mom's AA 
  • 2109 Esplanade Ste 110, Chico CA 95926 [MAP]
Mom's has meetings every day of the year... 
rain, sleet, snow, fire, heatwave, earthquake... 
they still have a meeting... 

AA Slogan - Free Coloring Book Art by gvan42

AA Slogan - Free Coloring Book Art by gvan42

A VISION FOR YOU
Abandon yourself to God as you understand God.
Admit your faults to Him and to your fellows.
Clear away the wreckage of your past.
Give freely of what you find and join us.
We shall be with you in the Fellowship of the Spirit,
and you will surely meet some of us
as you trudge the Road of Happy Destiny.
May God bless you and keep you - until then.
(page 164 of the book Alcoholics Anonymous)

Prayer of Saint Francis:

Lord, make me a channel of thy peace;
that where there is hatred, I may bring love;
that where there is wrong, I may bring the spirit of forgiveness;
that where there is discord, I may bring harmony;
that where there is error, I may bring truth;
that where there is doubt, I may bring faith;
that where there is despair, I may bring hope;
that where there are shadows, I may bring light;
that where there is sadness, I may bring joy.
Lord, grant that I may seek rather to comfort than to be comforted;
to understand, than to be understood;
to love, than to be loved.
For it is by self-forgetting that one finds.
It is by forgiving that one is forgiven.
It is by dying that one awakens to eternal life.
Amen.

Thank You! Free Coloring Book Art by gvan42
Thank You! Free Coloring Book Art by gvan42


MY MEDALLION
I always carry my medallion,
A simple reminder to me
Of the fact that I'm in recovery
No matter where I may be.
This little chip is not magic
Nor is it a good luck charm.
It isn't supposed to protect me
From every possible harm.
It's not meant for comparison,
Or for all the world to see,
It's simply an understanding
Between my Higher Power and me.
Whenever I doubt the cost
I paid for recovery,
I look at my medallion
To remember what used to be.
It reminds me to be thankful
For my blessings day by day,
And to practice the principles
In all I do and say.
It's also a daily reminder
Of the peace and comfort I share
With all who work the Program
And show they really care.
So I carry my medallion
To remind no one but me
That the Promises will unfold
If I let God work for me.
submitted by Roger... THANKX

Let us also remember to guard that erring member, the tongue and if we must use it, let us use it with kindness & consideration & tolerance.
Part of Dr. Bob's Farewell speech... Quoted from the book "Dr. Bob and the Good Oldtimers" a fine book.

"If you want that feeling of uselessness and self pity to disappear, quit being useless and pitiful." A favorite saying of Tom from Eureka...
The Touch of The Master's Hand...

'Twas battered and scarred, and the auctioneer
Thought it scarcely worth his while
To waste much time on the old violin,
But held it up with a smile.
"What am I bidden, good folks," he cried,
"Who will start bidding for me?
A dollar, a dollar" --then, "Two!" "Only two?
Two dollars, and who'll make it three?
Three dollars, twice;
"Going for three --" But no,
From the room, far back, a gray-haired man
Came forward and picked up the bow;
Then wiping the dust from the old violin,
And tightening the loose strings.
He played a melody pure and sweet
As sweet as a caroling angel sings.
The music ceased and the auctioneer
With a voice that was quiet and low,
Said what am I bidden for the old violin?
And he held it up with the bow.
A thousand dollars, and who'll make it two?
Two thousand! And who'll make it three?
Three thousand, once; three thousand twice;
And going, and gone!" said he.
The people cheered, but some of them cried,
"We do not quite understand
What changed its worth?" Swift came the reply:
"The touch of the master's hand.
And many a man with life out of tune,
And battered and scattered with sin,
Is auctioned off cheap to the thoughtless crowd,
Much like the old violin.
A "mess of pottage," a glass of wine;
A game -- and he travels on.
He's "going" once, and "going" twice,
He's "going" and "almost gone."
But the Master comes and the foolish crowd
Never quite understand
The worth of a soul and the change that's wrought
By the touch of the Master's hand.

One Day @ A Time - Free Art by gvan42

Thank YOU! - Free Coloring Book Art by gvan42

You Can Find MORE Free Coloring Book Art at Google Image Search - Keyword: "gvan42 free coloring book" Print as many Copies as You Like and Share With Friends... or People That ARE NOT Friends YET!



"Keep Coming Back" Embroidered Baseball Cap for sale.

All My Profits Donated using 
the 7th Tradition. 
You May Paint this White Hat with Acrylics or Permanent Felt Pens... GO WILD! Peace Signs, Yin Yang Symbols, The Triangle in a Circle... A Landscape of The Sun Setting Behind the Misty Mountains... 
Whatever Makes You BEATIFIC!

My Alcoholics Anonymous "Share" - "Hi, I'm Greg and I'm and Alcoholic..." Since We Can't Actually GO to a Meeting... I'll Do This Online...

I got into AA in 1999... I was Drinking Too Much and Spiraling Out of Control. "Just by Coincidence" I was Experiencing Many Bad Events... I Got Fired at Work, Got Evicted, Got Injured in a Fight... Became Homeless... and... Started Going to AA Meetings in Chico, California... It Truly Saved my Life. 

At AA I was able to Get Some Great Advice. One Lady Taught Me How to Apply for Federal Student Loans to Pay for College. FAFSA - Another Recommended Humboldt State University in Arcata. A Place I Had Never Heard Of But... IT'S MAGICAL! I Studied Computer Science for Four Years paid for by Student Loans and Graduated with a BS Degree. One of my Classmates was Also in AA and He Graduated a Year Before Me and Helped Me Get A Job... After Graduation, I was Immediately Hired at the County of Humboldt Working at The Welfare Office. USING MY COMPUTER SKILLS. I Worked there for Seven Years and Retired with a Pension.  

One Blessing of Being a Member of Mom's AA in Chico is that I Became Friends with Many American Indians. They often invited us to Pow Wows and I Got to Dance as a Member of the Tribe. I Had a String of Sleigh Bells That I Wore on My Ankle While Dancing and Those Bells Absorbed the Good Vibrations of the Pow Wow. I Used them for Many Years at The Office I Worked at to Signal the End of the Workday... Just Like Fred Flintstone Has a Whistle, I Rang the Bells and Said Loudly: "STOP WORKING!" - Another time we went to a FIVE DAY Christian Tent Meeting put on by the Tribe. It was a 206 Drum Ceremony. 200 Hand Held Frame Drums and SIX FATHER DRUMS. I Got to Play the BIG Father Drum with Six Other Men and... A Song Magically Appeared in my Head... Later That Night I Wrote Down the Words and Figured out Guitar Chords... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7uD_aWmymg


BIG MEDICINE SONG by Gregory Vanderlaan

Chorus: 
Awaken the giant within...(E,F,F#,F)
Awaken the giant within...(E,F,F#,F)

Verse:
Went down to the river (E,G,D,D*,D)
Went down to the sea (A,A*,A) 
Drank deep of the water of life (E,G,D,D*,D) 
and set my soul free,my soul free (A,A*,A,E,E)

Ya Way is the mountain 
the ocean and the sea 
may the four winds of the ancients 
become one with thee,one with thee 

...sing chorus here... 

Ya-way,your way (E,G,D) 
lead on mighty spirit (A,A*) 
Ya-way your way 
fill me with light 
Ya-way, your way 
the path is calling 
Ya-way, your way 
Rainbow warriors to the fight 
Ya-way use me 
make me a healer 
Ya-way, use me 
Big medicine is yours 
Ya-way, use me 
flowing waves of compassion 
Ya-way, use me 
My hands are your tools...

...sing chorus here...

The spirit of the buffalo (E,G,D,D*,D)
the spirit of the bear (A,A*,A) 
teach us to live in balance (E,G,D,D*,D)

mother eARTh we will share, we'll share (A,A*,A,E,E)

****** (~);-} ******

The Hall "Mom's AA" in Chico was in a Vacant Restaurant attached to an Old Motel... We had Four Meetings a Day Every Day... I Liked to Go Pay my Guitar and Sing at Times When We Were NOT Having a Meeting. For Example: Many of Us Ate Dinner at The Jesus Center Free Meal and The Walked Down the Street To The Hall. Where it was COOL... and We Served Free Coffee... So for an Hour we would sing Folk Songs, Then Have an Hour Long Meeting and then ANOTHER  hour of Folk Songs ANOTHER MEETING and Then Sing Until We Went Home... For People That DID NOT HAVE A HOME, they often spent the Night... I Do Remember Playing "THE TIME WARP" and Having Pretty Women Dance... THAT'S BIG FUN... and a LOT more fun than Drinking... 

****** (~);-} ******

Another Time I Rode the Greyhound Bus to RENO with the Goal of Going To The BURNING MAN Festival. I Did Not Own a Car so... the Last Few Miles were Going to be Tricky... I Went to an AA Meeting and During My "Share" Asked if anyone was Going to Burning Man and Could I Get a Ride. Everyone Recommended NOT GOING and They Suggested that I Go to an AA Convention at the Hilton in Sparks... I followed their Advice and Not only was there an AA Convention but there was a Bar-BQ Contest in the Parking Lot with a Janis Joplin Imitator Band that also Played Grateful Dead... I Had a Lot of Fun and DID NOT RISK MY LIFE FROM DYING OF THIRST IN THE DESERT... As Was Likely to Happen at Burning Man... Since I Did Not Have a Car Filled with 5 Gallon Jugs of Water, Food, Sunscreen, a Tent etc etc etc... Later I Saw that Same Band at the HYATT Incline Village on Lake Tahoe... 

One Blessing of Being an AA Member Was the Fact That we Had Many Wonderful Parties to Go To. I Remember a New Years Eve Pot Luck at the Recreation Center in Bidwell Park. Since we Had Two Large AA Groups in Chico and Another One in Paradise We Could Afford to Rent a Large Hall and Play Records... When I was Drinking I Drank Alone... All of a Sudden I Knew Many Women... and I Married One... Great!

The Other Advantage Was That Joining AA Helped Me Survive. When I was Drinking... I Just Happened to Have My Foot Run Over By a Small Truck While I was Leaving Madison Bear Garden at 2 AM... Ouch... I Had to Use my Bicycle as a Wheelchair for a Couple of Weeks.. 


Keep Coming Back - Free Coloring Book Art by gvan42

One Day at a Time - Free Coloring Book Art by gvan42

LINK! All the Words We Read at AA Meetings... "MEETING FORMAT", "The AA Preamble", "HOW IT WORKS", "MORE ABOUT ALCOHOLISM", "THE TWELVE TRADITIONS", "THE PROMISES" and Many More... https://gvan42.blogspot.com/2017/07/moms-aa-chico-ca-meeting-hall-in-haven.html

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