This morning we got outside early. I cleaned up the garage and did yard work in preparation for Easter SUnday dinner tomorrow here at our home. I was pretty tired by afternoon and took a short nap while Christie and Bobby went to Stepping Stones.

Today was the 5th Birthday Party for Stepping Stones. I wished i could have helped more but we have our hands full with our family. I went there a little after 5 o'clock, Christie took Ivan and Eva around 4:30. Everyone was havin a great time eating barbecue, playing horseshoes, washers, badminton, and volleyball.

There were lots of folks I hadn't seen in a while and I felt sociable within a short time. A couple of times I got to talk to people who are struggling or that have family members struggling. I got to share a story about my struggles when our group got started.

The posterboard we made up a few years back was on the wall and it had the original yellow flyer for the first meeting. The original phone list was on the wall also and I noticed that it had my name on it. The funny thing about it was that I was not sober at the time it was made. I had been relapsing for a few months when it was made. I had tried to come back in several times and just could not stay clean. It got to the point where I was too ashamed and proud to come back to the same meetings.

my wife however kept working her program and stayed involved in the fellowship. One day I saw the bright yellow flyer for a new meeting on our table. I thought that no one would know me at that meeting so I could go try and get sober there.

When I got to the door the meeting was already getting started. I looked in and it was all the people I did not want to see me and I froze. Someone saw and welcomed me in. As I walked across the room my legs felt like rubber. I did not feel sociable at all and many people were greeting me. I stayed sober for 6 months again and relapsed one more time and then got sober and stayed sober. I am 4 1/2 years sober now and Stepping Stones is 5 years old. This group is a great part of my recovery.

Tonight I got angry at my wife for waiting until 8 o'clock to feed the kids.

After dinner and baths we watched the Holy Sunday mass from the National Shrine. During the rite of renewal of baptism I lit one of the baptismal candles and we renewed our baptismal vows together as a family.