PETA Says: Iditarod is Dog Cruelty - More than 150 dogs have died running the race - The Humans might be Enthusiastic About Winning a Big Cash Prize BUT... What's In It For The Dogs? Also: 30 Racehorses Die at Santa Anita. #TariffsAreTaxes

Are the Dogs Having Fun Running and Running and Running thru the Ice and Snow? Pointlessly? 

Alaska’s Iditarod dog-sled race is nothing short of a nightmarish ordeal for the dogs who are forced to run approximately 1,000 miles while pulling a heavy sled in some of the most grueling conditions on Earth. More than 150 dogs have died running the race—not counting those who suffered and died while chained up outside during the off-season or who were killed because they lacked the speed or stamina to make the grade. 

https://www.peta.org/action/tell-gci-stop-powering-iditarod/

https://www.peta.org/blog/2022-iditarod-to-mark-50-years-of-running-dogs-to-their-deaths/

The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, is an annual long-distance sled dog race run in early March. It travels from Anchorage to Nome, entirely within the US state of Alaska. Mushers and a team of between 12 and 14 dogs, of which at least 5 must be on the towline at the finish line,^[1] cover the distance in 8–15 days or more. The Iditarod began in 1973 as an event to test the best sled dog mushers and teams but evolved into today's highly competitive race.
Teams often race through blizzards causing whiteout conditions, sub-zero temperatures and gale-force winds which can cause the wind chill to reach −100 °F (−73 °C).

There has been 30 Horse Deaths at the Santa Anita Racetrack. That's Insane! Are the Horses Having Fun? I've seen Wild Horses Running Free in the Meadows in Northern California and It Seems to Me That THOSE Horses Have a Better Life... Just Running for Fun and Eating Plants and Sex... A Complete Life...

https://www.peta.org/issues/animals-in-entertainment/animals-used-entertainment-factsheets/horseracing-industry-drugs-deception-death/

The Horseracing Industry: Drugs, Deception and Death...

Racehorses are the victims of a multibillion-dollar industry that is rife with drug abuse, injuries, and race fixing, and many horses’ careers end in slaughterhouses.

https://www.courier-journal.com/story/sports/columnists/c-l-brown/2023/06/05/churchill-downs-horse-deaths-2023-santa-anita-park-louisville/70196656007/

Santa Anita Park in California had a rash of 30 horse deaths from December 2018 to June 2019 that rocked the state's horse racing industry. The track's ratio of 3.01 fatalities per 1,000 starts in ‘19, according to Equine Injury Database compiled by The Jockey Club, was double the national average.

Headline: Alarming spate of racehorse deaths draws scrutiny of industry safety practices. 

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/alarming-spate-of-racehorse-deaths-draws-scrutiny-of-industry-safety-practices

According to a group that opposes horse racing as inhumane, 901 thoroughbreds died in 2022 — more than two a day. 

Headline: Churchill Downs to suspend racing after 12 horse deaths at racetrack.

https://www.foxnews.com/sports/churchill-downs-to-suspend-racing-amid-12-horse-deaths-at-racetrack

<~~~~~~ (~);-} ~~~~~~>

Speaking of Mad Dogs... Have You heard of Elon Musk and his MAD DOGE attack on America?

MASSIVE DOGE FAIL - IRS EMPLOYEES FIRED - Cheat On Your Taxes? This is Your Year! - TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS WILL NOT BE PAID TO THE US GOVERNMENT! Will Anyone Be Left to do Audits?


Click Here to buy a TELEPORT MUSK button



July 13, 2024: The IRS is catching wealthy tax cheats — and Republicans are furious...
Donald Trump would love to bury the Biden White House’s IRS success story.
https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/irs-tax-cheats-revenue-inflation-reduction-act-rcna161541



How the Trump Organization cheated on taxes...
https://www.reuters.com/legal/how-trump-organization-cheated-taxes-2022-12-07/

TRUMP CAUSED HIGHER PRICES & MASSIVE UNEMPLOYMENT... His economy is a disaster! Republicans are experiencing buyers remorse as America is being turned into a third world sh*thole... Go to the White House and Protest!



I keep expecting a global economic collapse... Trump has had a lot of success in declaring bankruptcy so he doesn't have to pay his bills so why wouldn't he declare the United States bankrupt so we don't have to pay interest on the national debt? Well I'll tell you why... Global economic collapse and the starvation of about 3 billion people... Everyone who depends on grocery stores to get food will die... The people that live in rural areas and grow their own food will survive... Hunters and gatherers have a better chance than City dwellers...


FYI: Jobs Protest at White House - FIRED BY TRUMP? It's Time to do a January 6th Style "Love Fest" - Drive "He Who Shall Not Be Named" OUT!



Trump says: YOU'RE FIRED! That's the same slogan he used on the TV show! And he's expecting it to work in real life? What a Retard! Will parks close? Not enough Rangers?

MAD DOGE ATTACK! A Friend had her Social Security Payment CUT $150 dollars a month... Retroactive to the first of the year... So this month's check is $600 less... So who gets that money? Is it being used to pay for the Boeing F-47 airplane? A Rocket to Mars?



I see on TV commercials that cat food is now marketed as "human grade" - does that mean that cats are going to be eating better?

Or does that mean that the people who make cat food understand that old people are eating cat food because everyone is so poor now... And they want to market their product to old people...

DOGE SHOULD SHUT DOWN SPACE FORCE - "It's Unlikely that Earth Will be Invaded by Aliens in Flying Saucers. Total Waste of Money!"

Remember: Extraterrestrials Have Been Visiting for Thousands of Years without any Harm to Humans. ---AND--- They Have Vastly Superior Technology and Would Win any War. Let's NOT Make 'em Angry!





CONTACT Your Senators:
https://www.senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm


CONTACT Your Representative in the House:
https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative


CONTACT Space Aliens!
https://gvan42.blogspot.com/2021/08/ce5-protocol-extraterrestrials-come-on.html


The Entire Reason Trump Started the Space Force is that He Thought He Was Under Attack by Space Aliens! That's a Symptom of Schizophrenia.

We Waste about 10 Billion Dollars a Year on Trump's Paranoid Fantasies...


Defund the space force... It's unlikely that we're going to be invaded by aliens and flying saucers... Trump's idea is crazy.

LINK to Buy This Christmas Ornament


LINK to All My Outer Space Merchandise.

The GOP House Wants to Cut US Government Spending... Here's a Way to Save a Fortune!

Yes, UFOs are Real BUT they Have Shown No Danger to Earth. They Just Fly Around Doing Whatever They Do... and Ignoring Humans...

There WAS One Instance When Aliens Prevented the US Military from Being Able to Launch Atom Bombs on Missiles... THANKS! The Last Thing We Want to Do is Nuclear War... That's CRAZY!

The Malmstrom AFB UFO/Missile Incident...
http://www.cufon.org/cufon/malmstrom/malm1.htm


LINK: UFO - decorated gifts on Zazzle Gregvan

UFOs Are Real - The US Navy Film is Absolute Proof... and The Phoenix Lights Were Seen by Thousands... Including the Governor. --- and--- The 1952 Washington, D.C. UFO incident...

and the Recent "Disclosure" by The US Military is Being Used to Justify Spending on the Space Force... We don't know what these UFOs are But they Might be Dangerous... Better Fund the Military to Fight Aliens!

Real UFO Film by the US Navy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkPn-YMp9vI

We All Ought To Live More Like Star Trek. Many Different Races Working Together to Accomplish Great Things. A Year Ago, The President of the United States Was selling Hate... That ERA is OVER... Now, We all ought to Honor our Trekkie Roots...
https://gvan42.blogspot.com/2018/09/we-all-ought-to-live-more-like-star.html

Korean Dog News: They Have decided to Stop Eating Dogs... Headline: No more breeding and stealing dogs for meat in South Korea! Animal welfare campaigners hail decision as ‘historic victory’ after years of pressure at home and abroad...

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/jan/09/south-korea-votes-to-ban-production-and-sale-of-dog-meat

MY OPINION:I Eat Meat. Every Day... and If I Was Served Dog, I would eat it.... But here in the USA We don't do that... perhaps because we have the option of not eating dog... Maybe in Korea they face Severe hunger... and eating Dog is a Solution... I voluntarily choose to eat Cows, Pigs, deer, chickens and turkey... and every type of fish... but we don't eat dogs, horses, cats or pretty small birds... and we do not eat humans... how these cultural norms are decided I do not know... and what they do in Korea... is their own business...not mine...


Obituary for a Good Dog in California: LM Said:Fare-thee-well to Millie the Hound Dog. She was 15, our most long lived canine companion. Came to us as a three year old escape artist from Red Bluff. She continued her wandering ways in Manton and could clear a standard four foot field fence like a blue ribbon high jumper. Also sailed through the air at head height to snag tennis balls. The girl could fly. Eventually she realized she was living in doggy paradise and stopped running away.
She was a pure bred Blue Tick Coon Hound without a lot of the usual speckles or barking. A quiet hound who was good with people, but particular about other dogs. The first time she met the dynamic duo of Artie and Danny (lab crosses who were about her age) she tried to crawl over Liz in the car to attack them. It didn't take her long to figure out they were more useful as her soldiers than enemies. The three of them made up our Best Pack Ever for several years.
Millie was one of the healthiest dogs we've known, rarely needing any vet care beyond annual shots. She aged gracefully, slowing down but always moving - that's a clue, humans. She went on the twice a day field walk every day until last month. At the end she could still climb stairs, eat a full meal, let us know she needed to go outside, and even bark warnings at the new girl Lucky, who quickly learned that Grandma Millie meant business. She was low maintenance, high energy, and a lot of bluster. She tolerated cats, but let them know she wasn't their buddy. She looked like a baby dragon with velociraptor feet when she coiled up to sleep and was stingy with her soft kisses. She could be aloof, but she loved her pack and made us laugh with all her seriousness. We miss you already Sweet Millie. Run, Jump, Fly Good Girl! We'll see you on the Other Side.

How to Prevent Nightmares:

Try Prayer: "Dear Lord, Please Let Me Sleep Peacefully Thru the Night." - Say That Right Before You Go to Bed... Might Work!

One thing that causes a lot of nightmares is watching the TV NEWS... They broadcast bad news, hate speech and danger - danger... All about subjects that you can't do anything about and don't really affect your life personally... For example: There's a horrible war going on in the Middle East... How is it important to me? It's crazy what those people over there are doing to each other... But there's nothing I can do about it... And knowing what's going on, watching them... Has no benefit to my life. 

Local news has some value but National is just crazy talk... Especially Fox News! Also CNN & MSNBC - they are all in the infotainment business... And we'll say whatever is needed to attract market share...

We've started watching gentle instrumental Christmas Carol music on the TV while they're showing pictures of houses all decorated with Christmas lights... I can watch that for hours... It's very peaceful... 

On a related subject... Quite often something on TV will trigger a memory of some horrible event in my past... And then when I realized that I'm reliving that event, I force myself to remember a pleasant event... Focus my attention on those good times... 

Step One: realize that I'm reliving a horrible event from the past. 

Step Two: think about something else... A Fun time!

Disclaimer: I'm an atheist 99% of the time but... During an earthquake I'm of True Believer! "Please Lord Make It Stop!" My brother said: "There are no atheists in foxholes." - and I replied: "That's mainly because they're packed with foxes! And they'll bite you if you get in their hole!" [FYI: a foxhole was a defensive hole in the ground used during World War I and World War II... You could prevent bullets from hitting your body if you had a bunch of dirt protecting it.]

THE MAYO CLINIC SAYS: 

If nightmares are a problem for you or your child, try these strategies:

1. Establish a regular, relaxing routine before bedtime. A consistent bedtime routine is important. Do quiet, calming activities — such as reading books, doing puzzles or soaking in a warm bath — before bed. Meditation, deep breathing or relaxation exercises may help, too. Also, make the bedroom comfortable and quiet for sleep.

2. Offer reassurances. If your child is struggling with nightmares, be patient, calm and reassuring. After your child awakens from a nightmare, respond quickly and soothe your child at the bedside. This may prevent future nightmares.

3. Talk about the dream. Ask your child to describe the nightmare. What happened? Who was in the dream? What made it scary? Then remind your child that nightmares aren't real and can't hurt you.

4. Rewrite the ending. Imagine a happy ending for the nightmare. Encourage your child to draw a picture of the nightmare, "talk" to the characters in the nightmare or write about the nightmare in a journal. Sometimes a little creativity can help.

5. Put stress in its place. If stress or anxiety is an issue, talk about it. Practice some simple stress-relief activities, such as deep breathing or relaxation. A mental health professional can help, if needed.

6. Provide comfort measures. Your child might feel more secure if he or she sleeps with a favorite stuffed animal, blanket or other comfort object. Leave your child's door open at night so that he or she won't feel alone. Leave your door open, too, in case your child needs comfort during the night.

7. Use a night light. Keep a night light on in your child's room. If your child wakes up during the night, the light may be reassuring.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/nightmare-disorder/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20353520

Christmas fireplace at home:

Go into the light mandala by gvan42

for sale as a Christmas ornament!

Click on the link above!

A friend of mine was suffering from PTSD caused by his time in Vietnam. He went to a sweat lodge with his tribe and ate peyote. During his meeting with Mescalito, he realized that it was not really his fault that the men under his command died... The real fault was with Lyndon Johnson... Because none of them would have been in Vietnam at all if it weren't for the insanity of the United States President... Did You Know? JFK got us into Vietnam but he set a date for leaving in 1965. Then he was assassinated and so we did not leave... I think one group of people that had a motive and opportunity is the Military Industrial Complex... Specifically: Monsanto and Bell Helicopter... They made a fortune selling Agent Orange, Napalm and Huey Helicopters... And if we had ended of the war in Vietnam in 1965 they would have missed out in all that profit... 

When I'm watching TV I always mute the sound during commercials... Because they are annoying and I never have a need to know what they say... Especially frightening are the medicines that have horrible side effects spoken about by a voice-over announcer while they're showing film of people dancing... And doing other fun things... Playing with their children... Marching in a parade... While the voice-over announcer is talking about the side effects like Suicidal Thoughts... I don't need to hear that crap! It's like pouring poison right in your brain...

Rainbow Infinity Sign in the forest by gvan42

LINK to All My Rainbow Gifts on Zazzle Gregvan

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JET SETTERS: When Will They Ever Learn? Flying causes Climate Change... Records were broken for travel on Thanksgiving, 2024 as the vast majority of Americans just don't get it!
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Mother's Day Share: What I said at an Alcoholics Anonymous Meeting Outdoors in Bidwell Park, Chico. "I'm Greg and I'm an Alcoholic..."

To set the stage: We are at a meeting at the Campfire Council Ring with about 50 people on a Hot Summer Sunday Morning. People Come from All Over Butte County... Much Wisdom There from Old Timers That Work Full Time and Go to One Meeting a Week. I had listened to Many People Talking About How They Had Become Friends With Their Mom Again... 

I said:"My Mom was an Alcoholic and She Drank Herself to Death. I'm not sure when she died because I was Drinking a Lot that Decade. I didn't go to her Funeral. I missed that event. Thankfully, I'm at an AA Meeting... and I Will Not Drink Myself to Death."

The words I spoke made everyone sad and it was silent for a while. Then the Next Speaker started telling her story of reunification with her own mother... and many other people told their own sad stories... and happy stories... 

[Looking Back, I Realize that Mom was in Constant Pain and She Was Self Medicating Using Alcohol. Certainly Her Choice. I Support Freedom of Choice. It's Sad That Her Doctor Didn't Prescribe Oxycontin... However, It's All History Now... I Feel Certain that Marijuana Would Have NOT Had Enough Pain Killing Effect to Be A Valid Prescription.]

At one of those Meetings in the Park someone spoke of the similarity between Ran Dass' - "Be Here Now" and Bill Wilson's - "One Day At A Time." I had the realization that it's really easy to "Be Here Now" when in a Marvelous Park with Friends but it's a bit more difficult to "Be Here Now" while doing something Unpleasant, Like going to the dentist... However, It's ALL Just "Grist for the Mill." If the World was ALREADY Perfect in Every Way there would be no Motivation to Go to Heaven. It's wonderful to listen to people who have an opinion about Ram Dass... So often People I meet are total experts at Professional Football or other subjects that are totally unimportant...

I have found some Great Advice at Meetings. One time I went to a Meeting in Reno, Nevada on the way to the Burning Man Event. I did not own a Car and I got to Reno on the Greyhound Bus. After the meeting I was asking if anyone was going to Burning Man and If I Could Get a Ride... Many People Recommended that I NOT GO. They said I should go to the Alcoholics Anonymous Convention at the Nugget Hotel in Sparks. I attended that convention and There was a Bar B-Q Cook-off with a Janis Joplin Imitator singing... They also Played Grateful Dead Songs... I liked them so mush that I asked them where they were going to play next and they said "Tonight at Hyatt Incline North Shore Lake Tahoe." So I went there too... They were in the Room with a lot of Gambling Tables... Two Great Concerts for Free. I have never gone to Burning Man and Most Likely will never go. I guess it's designed for people that are much younger than I AM. It Sounds Like a Survival Test while Stoned on MDMA and 2C or other PHIKALS... With me walking, I probably wouldn't have brought enough water to survive and I would be trapped in a Psychedelic Nightmare World.  

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.

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.

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... 

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

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.

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!

"Keep Coming Back" Embroidered Baseball Cap
by gregvan

"One Day at a Time" Embroidered Baseball Cap
by gregvan

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