Hello friends and fellow recovery people, it's been a while since i have blogged here. i am now 30 days away from celebrating 24 glorious years in Recovery. let me tell you a bit of my story. I started using in 1967 and did not stop until 7/11/89. i had the choice of going to jail for 85 days or to a treament center for 30. was not a hard choice. I came out of there and have not found a good enough reason to pick up again. I have told many a sponsees if you can find a good enough reason to go use I will even buy. i have not spent a penny in almost 24 years.

I have had plenty of reasons to go use but knew that was not the answer to my problem. so i lived in the solution and not the problem. with 6 yrs clean i became a full blown insulin dependent Diabetic. i live on an Insulin pump 24/7. I have had 4 heart attacks, i died on the operating table for 7 minutes during by pass surgery. it took 3 shots with the paddles to get me to come back. Proves that god was not done with me yet. in 2009 I had an Uncle Die from Cancer, a fellow 25 yr NA member murdered in cold blood, my 12 yr old German sheppard had cancer, my Dad passed away after living with me for 6 yrs. 23 days later my Mom died. the next month a 15 yr sponsee chose to use and died before the plunger hit bottom. it alll ended with my Aunt dying on Chritmas Eve from alcohol poisoning.

So how do I keep on keeping on in Recovery? I go to meeting, I am of service, I sponsor people and I give back what has so been given to me freely. My lovely wife and I just celebrated 10 yrs of marriage. she got a job in Hawaii. I am freaking living in Paradise. yes I am still 100% disabled but what a better place to be a guitar playing beach bum? I still own a Mobile DJ service and do alll kinds of parties except bachlorette parties because i am too old to take off my pants and my wife says i do not have that much to show off anyway.

Learn how to live just for today, yesterday has passed, you cna't change it, you can't re-do it, you can't forget it but you can forgive it. tomorrow has not happened yet so live in the present and enjoy it for the "GIFT" it is. another day clean. Remember Recovery is a Journey not a Destination and use the rest stops God provides along the way.

NA Hugs,

JJ