Author: Dennis W.

“When one door closes, another door opens”. 

I have heard that so many times. I hate hearing it, but it’s true.

I have hit dead-ends in my journey.  I want what I used to have, but I can’t have it anymore. It’s not within my power to change, so I have to accept it.

Sometimes I need to change course. Sometimes it’s humiliating. Sometimes it’s a sign from God.

Every time, another opportunity comes around. Every time, a new purpose for me emerges.

Finding the next open door is the challenge. It requires faith. God has not carried me this far to just abandon me.

God always has a Purpose for me. I just have to find it and get used to it.

God, please help me to be ok today. Thank You. Amen.

Every time I learn about someone committing suicide, it touches me personally. I don’t look at it from afar, but rather it brings me back because I was there.

For over ten years I had daily thoughts of killing myself. I felt inadequate, self-loathing, and not deserving of anything good.

Using alcohol and drugs suppressed those feelings, so much that I was physically incapable of following through.

Eventually, I came to the end. My soul was barren. I decided where, when, and how. I told no one.

Four days prior to my planned end, I got an unexpected phone call from an unexpected angel. What followed changed the course of my life.

I have learned that my life is worth something to God, that God will decide when He is ready for it to end.

We are each capable of accepting and receiving God’s Love.

God, please help me to be ok today. Thank You. Amen.

What’s not my fault is still my problem.

Life deals us circumstances that we don’t want. Our attitude determines the weight of that burden.

It doesn’t matter what causes the trouble. It could be anything or anyone.

What I choose to do next is up to me and no one else. I can turn any challenge into an opportunity to grow or an excuse to shrink.

Faith in God’s Care gives me the courage to face what life throws at me.

God, please help me to be ok today. Thank You. Amen.

Turning my will and my life over to the Care of God was a concept that I couldn’t easily understand.

What I simply needed to do was decide to do it. After the decision was made, I tried to not fight God’s Will and trust that I would be ok. My fate is in God’s Hands.

So far it has worked. So far I have been ok.

God, please help me to be ok today. Thank You. Amen.

I don’t know if I would ever have the opportunity to get sober again if I decided to resume drinking.

I was not inspired to stop drinking in the first place. I was desperate and saw little hope in continuing to live.

Now that I have been living a sober life, I still need to remember where I have been and how I got here. 

I need to remain desperate.

Asking for God’s Help, accepting His Will, trying to get better as a person, and helping others all keep me sober.

Daily practice keeps me sober.

God, please help me to be ok today. Thank You. Amen.

Making mistakes is part of my journey. Correcting my mistakes is also part of my journey.

As difficult as it may be when I am wrong, I must recognize and admit my mistakes. It’s the only way for me to move forward and learn.

I have to try to get better every day. Being honest with myself and with others is a requirement.

God, please help me to be ok today. Thank You. Amen.

Every day I have a choice – to move closer to God or move farther from God.

Although God is always with me, when I resist His Guidance the day tends to be more difficult. When I accept God’s Guidance the day tends to be easier.

Every day I continue on this journey. Every day I get to choose the path to take.

God, please help me to be ok today. Thank You. Amen.

When things slow down for me a bit I need to enjoy the peace that comes with it. I don’t want drama. I don’t want noise.

I’m sure that something will come along and get my attention, but in the meantime I will try to be calm and know that I deserve it.

This is the perfect time to thank God. This is the perfect time to reflect on what I have experienced and what it means.

This is the perfect time to ask God what he wants from me. Then I need to listen and wait.

The answer will come.

God, please help me to be ok today. Thank You. Amen.

When I got sober, I had no idea what was in store for me.

I was told to keep coming, keep showing up. I was told that I would get better and thus my life would get better.

No one could tell me what my life would be like. That was up to God to reveal to me over time.

They said things like “Beyond our wildest dreams”. I wasn’t so sure, but it sounded better than what I had been getting.

They were so right. The life I have been Blessed with is beyond what I ever could have imagined.

I can’t say it has been always easy. I can say it has been worth the price of admission.

God, please help me to be ok today. Thank You. Amen.

I cannot live my life to please everyone, nor for everyone to please me. Someone will be disappointed, someone will get a resentment, including me.

If I consistently try to treat others with respect and decency, that is the least I can do. If I go out of my way to help others get through difficulties, that is even better.

I must keep reasonable expectations of myself and of others.

I must let my conscious contact with God be my guide.

God, please help me to be ok today. Thank You. Amen.