This morning we got off to mass without a hitch.  My wife led the children's liturgy and I was grateful that we were able to serve as a family.  I was also grateful that we were able to sit in the sanctuary amongst our friends.  Our Gospel reading was a difficult one about entering the kingdom through the narrow gate.  The hymn "How great thou art" was sung and I took in the words intently for the first time ever.  I was deeply moved and had moments of overwhelming gratitude during which I could not sing.

After mass my wife and I had a nice little discussion about the teaching of the Gospel.  I was exceedingly grateful for this.  There was also a moment after mass when we took the walk through the path on the church grounds to the cross and statue of Mary.  I sat down on a bench and my two sons knelt before the cross and my youngest daughter kissed the statue.  It was a moment I wish that I had captured on film.

Today was my older daughter's birthday.  I was the one to wake her up and be the first to tell her happy birthday.  Looking back this is a huge deal for me because I have never been the first to remember anyone's birthday.  I got to have a great time celebrating her birthday with my brother-in-law and my mom.  I wish my dad could have made it.

I got to talk to a brother in sobriety today.  One of my sponsees had a chance encounter with him at a gas station when my brother saw that he had a big book.  It was a God moment for them both, and me too.

Today  and yesterday I thought a lot about my story and about the path of sobriety.  I thought about the absolute necessity of an attitude of humility.  I thought about how it is can be received through the humiliation of hitting bottom, or as an act of the will, by taking appropriate action.  I also thought about how I didn't get a chance to share about the spiritual experience the other night but then was asked to share my story that night. Then a guy talked to me about how a teacher of ours despised stories.  I thought perhaps this was my sign to make the spiritual experience the theme of my talk.

Tonight we all prepared to go back to school tomorrow.

I thought a bit about coaching little league baseball and found a new sense of confidence I had not previously had.

I have had so much thought about things in the past two days, I wish I could remember it all, but I trust that God will allow me to retrieve what I need when I need it.

Thanks be to God.