Wowie! We just finished the first week of the new voyage of the DC 12-Step Flotilla. What an amazing crew we have!

Anyone who wants to join should still feel free to do so - it's not too late - you're welcome to get airlifted to the upper deck any time you want. but the sooner the better!!

Ashrei is an amazing tefillah. And it was made into the cornerstone of Pesukei D'Zimra, and required to be said thrice per day, because ONE of it's pesukim is of the most essential and largest praises of HKBH you could say. if i had my choice, i would have thought it was Einei Chol Eilecha Yisabeiru - "The eyes of all look to You with hope, and You give them their food in it's proper time." What bigger praise is there - that HKBH feeds the entire world, and coordinates all the diets and nourishments at their proper time of the day - by day for those awake then, by night for nocturnal animals, etc. Wowie!! None but The Boss could do THAT!!

But that's not the pasuk we are REQUIRED to concentrate in the most.

The winner is:

Poseiyach es Yadecha, U'masbiya L'chol Chai Ratzon.

"You open up your hand, and satisfy the desire of every living thing."

This pasuk is a bigger praise because of two reasons:

First, Hashem fulfills the DESIRE, the want and needs, of all living creatures. Not just their food, but He blessedly provides spouses, friends, teachers, clothing - whatever is needed, WANTED - (obviously if wanted for the right reasons...)

Second is the WAY He gives it, with an open hand. Not grudgingly. But more important, it is in his hand to give it, and He has it in His hand, and He opens His hand fully to provide it for us.

BUT HE DOESNT HAND IT TO US. We have to TAKE it!!

WE have to make an effort. We have to ask for it, and then get up off our keisters and DO something to get it.

And that's the GREATEST PRAISE that we can THANK Hashem for, in that HE WANTS A RELATIONSHIP WITH US. And he in His Goodness has created us with many a lack that need to be fulfilled. But under the condition that we take it from him. We need to do ACTION when he places our yeshua mamash right before us. And we have to take it FROM HIM - recognizing that it is Hashem, and not our own prowess, or mere chance, that brings it to us.

My friends, Hashem has provided a solution to our suffering that can help most if not all of us. He has placed it right in front of us. It only requires that your ACTIONS match your DESIRE. You can not afford to be lazy.

Reach out and take the 12-Step programs. Work them. They are Simple, but not Easy, but the quality of life you have been dreaming of CAN BE YOURS if you are willing and honest with yourself, and will work for it.

Have a GREAT Shabbos!!

Steve wrote on 29 Jul 2010 20:05:
With your devoted leadership, we will learn how to have a "Good" Shabbos!!!
:D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

*GROAN!!* OH NO, NOT ANOTHER LONG POST FROM STEVE AGAIN??!!    :o > :'(


We had a fantastic understanding on the call today. The difference between counting the days of sobriety, and living one's life in recovery.

We've all been there, in the beginning of amassing clean days, when we were "white knuckling" our way thru the days. Where does that moshul come from?

Didja ever ride or watch a rollercoaster? Are you fearless or fearful when you ride one?

What do the scared people do? They grab onto the bar in front of them for dear life, so hard their knuckles turn white. What are they afraid of? Well, they don't trust the ones who made and operate the train: "Maybe my car will fall off, maybe the seat belt will break, maybe I'll fall out, maybe the operator will be shmoozing on the cell phone and we'll crash into another train, etc."

But what do the confident people do with THEIR hands? They throw them in the air and scream with delight as they enjoy the ride!! Why aren't they afraid? Because they TRUST the designer and operator of the train that they know what they're doing: "The train is made well and safe, the speed is calculated for the centrifugal force to keep us in the seats when upside down, it's so safe I can put my hands in the air, not hold on, and enjoy the excitement and the rush of the wind by my ears!"

All of life is a rollercoaster. And Who built it? Hashem. Who runs the ride? Hashem. If we think it's all up to us, we can't accept it that we're not in control, then we hang on scared for dear life. But if we TRUST in Hashem, creator and operator of all of life, and the things which come our way, then we can relax and enjoy the ride.

Duvid Chaim put it VERY well, when he said that yaknow, we're all human, and many of us along our journey might slip and fall for a short moment. He said "I care less about the QUANTITY of days in sobriety before the fall; I care more about the QUALITY of the recovery before the fall."

Yes, it's important to build both consecutive and cumulative day counts of cleanliness and sobriety. But that's not where it should end, it's not where we're gonna find happiness. We must ask "what is the QUALITY of those days?" Am I going thru my life afraid, full of tension and RID, "white knuckling" my way from Modeh Ani until Hashkiveinu? Or am I living life with my hands in the air, enjoying my days by handling life's curveballs without the RID, a life of recovery where the Lust Urge is either on the fringe or not even on the radar, where I don't even have the DESIRE to Lust?

Kol HaKovod to all the brave men and women who have taken the bold steps to free themselves from their Lust, and valiantly push to get as many clean days under their belt as they can. Your strength and perseverance are amazing, and a testimony to the purity of your beautiful neshomos.

But that's not the final destination. And you know it.

To be truly free is to be living in Recovery. Contentment, and purpose in sharing and giving strength to other strugglers. Shaking off the Lust urges, which are now light taps on the shoulders, flicking them away like a pesky fly. Lifting your hands in the air with love of life, and beseeching Hashem for more life so you could be Davuk with Him.

The 12 Steps are a Program for Recovery from addiction. It offers promises of recovery which are REAL and ATTAINABLE, but we must WORK the STEPS with willingness and effort.

Love to all of youz guyz (n' galz), and best wishes for an AWESOME Shabbos!!

Steve

Good shabbos

Dropping in to say.  Hope all is well.  Knowing you I am sure it is.

KUTGW!!

Hi guys. thanx for the good wishes.

I had the amazing experience last nite of attending yet another chasunah in complete freedom, spiritually healthy, where I could exist without the lust urges and enjoy the simcha as it was meant to be enjoyed. Women were dressed the way they do at these things, so many knees in the chuppah room, yet lust just wasnt on my radar.

Better than saying "I haven't felt this way in years", and can truly say "I haven't FELT in years!" I was in tears at the chuppah. Here I was actually being able to feel the joy and beauty of a seeing my dear old friend of 30 years, with his wife who survived a stroke just a few years ago, walking their first child to the chuppah, their daughter I watched grow up from a baby. To share in this moment, connected to years of love and friendship, and I was actually able to FEEL my emotions. Unclouded by the fallout from lust. And I danced with abandon!

Of course, a few shots of Woodford helped to loosen my heart. But the main ingredient was my recovery.

Lest you think me an angel, believe me I have times when the YH tries to get at me. There's a pretty young woman at work that I have to be more "on guard" when I pass her. I'm not fooling myself into complacency or rationalization - I realize that if I allow myself the "pleasure" of looking and contemplating her body, I WILL start to slip BIG TIME. So I use the 12 steps tools, and have to reuse them somedays multiple times.

But at the wedding, I was so full of joy and contentment that THERE WAS NO NEED TO LUST, no need for my drug of choice. Joy and contentment replaced pain and anxiety, so that the "urge" wasn't there. The room was filled with PEOPLE, not objects. And BH I felt what I call the "blessed indifference" to any triggers that night.

The Freedom of Living in Recovery is a beautiful thing. May we all be zoche to experience it more and more!

it WAS the wooooferd

Wow...You express your feelings so beautifully. You're a true inspiration.

Yeah, I know. Isn't bardy great? He always expresses himself  perfectly.

Mazel tov my friend.  I am very proud of you.  That is the best news I got all week.

KUTGW!!

well done - you're a real inspiration!

beautiful piece, very moving, I am almost in tears. It is so true that when we lust we don't feel. So so so true.

Steve,

We miss your voice on this quite Friday morning. 

Now that you tasted Wooooferd - remember to make a Le'chaim after the fish.

Good Shabbos.

Oh, I always make a L'Chaim after the fish! Any excuse for a l'chaim!! But it's usually on wine, not woody.

And my whole family joins in the l'chaims - and we use the opportunity to bentch klal yisroel, every time. We sing out together:

"L'Chaim! L'Chaim! L'Chaim! L'Chaim! Sholom, Simcha, Beracha, Hatzlacha! Siman Tov U'Mazal Tov Y'Hei Lanu, u'LChol Yisroel, Amein!!"

We also have a minhag that I say "L'Kovod Shabbos Kodesh" before my first bite of each course (I saw that at the home of a choshuv and beloved Rov in town, and adopted it). And I couldn't believe it, my children on their own took on not to begin each course unless my wife and i have either taken our first bite of that course, or given our permission for them to begin first.

I hope that's a sign that their parents are doin' something right!

Have a GREAT Shabbos, my friend!! It was really something special to have gotten to meet you, and I can only hope that the kesher will grow stronger. KUTGW!!

Everybody, have a GREAT SHABBOS!! look for those A&W (Awe & Wonder) moments. It's not hard to do - you can find them in Anything  &  Everything!!  (hee hee - nice chop!!)

Hey guys. good Voch!!

Last night I wad some private time around 11pm, and I decided to call one of the chevra to touch base, say hello, etc. HKBH put it into my head to reach out to one particular guy, and it was amazing hashgacha "produce", as he was teetering at the edge of the proverbial cliff at the moment. B"H, just that little bit of connecting and getting out of isolation helped him get past the nisayon.

We can't underestimate the power of friendship and achdus! We all know we can reach out, call someone when we are in need of a chaver to hold onto us for just a few minutes. but we don't have to wait until WE are in an SOS or someone calls US in an SOS.

Think about guys who have called you in the past, PM'ed you, posted by you, bantered with you, or even ones who you have just enjoyed their posts from afar and to whom you feel a kesher. REACH OUT AND TOUCH THEM. Send out a call or a contact just to say a hello, how'r ya doin', jus' been thinkin' 'bout ja, etc. Even if you personally are feeling strong at the moment, maybe someone else is feeling weak just then, or could use a virtual hug right now as insurance for the future.

I cant tell you how many times it helped me to keep strong when I thought of my good friends here at GYE or in the 12-Step Program, rooting me on, caring and being there for me. That strength and encouragement is worth gold to me. And then when I actually get to SPEAK to one of you on the phone?! That chizuk, that connection can protect me for DAYS!!

A few of you guys shared your anonymous numbers (google voice, fr'instance) with me thru PMs, and our friensdships bloomed more that way.

So everybody, MAKE YOUR CONNECTIONS, take advantage of the PMs of the forum to get as close with each other as you can. Make it personal, and GO FOR IT!!

Have a GREAT DAY!!