It is Saturday night, a little after 10:00 here on the East Coast! Tonight, I have done a lot of reading and not much writting! I have been deep in thought, or as deep as I am capable of going! I get a lot of slaps on the back here! I get a lot of hugs! I get a lot more recognition than I deserve! I do somethings to try to make this journey a little better and a little easier for all who care for my style of encouragement! I am happy to help anyone I can! It is hard, sometimes, to realize that I need the help that I get from you as well! I have a clock that is closing in on 478 days! I have this addiction beat! Maybe! The truth of the matter is that I still have my own demons! Some few, are nicodemons that I still run into, if I let my mind wander into bad neighborhoods! Some are the other demons that you encounter in life!
This is a time of year that we are all focused on words like: Resurrection, Savior. Risen, New beginning, Sacrifice, and Redeemer! It is a time to roll the stone away, and find Freedom! I salute all of you who have found your path to Freedom! I am proud to walk it with you! And if you tire, we can take the Freedom Train! With all the positive things that go on this time of year, it seems strange to admit that this is the hardest time of the year for me! Last year on the Saturday before Easter, I came with-in minutes of blowing my quit! I was litterally about to go get a carton of cigarettes! Not a pack, mind you, but a carton! That is where my head was! This year my quit has not been in jeopardy at all! But I have still had some demons to wrestle with! The way I handled that tonight was to sit back, like an old man, and just watch you kids at play! And it is good! You have reminded me of how often I have spoken of what I refer to as "Collateral Kindness"! Tonight I realized, without a doubt, that all of you, who give me the opportunity to help myself by helping you, have given me that strength, that I need, to get past the things that jump out at me sometimes! So I just wanted to Thank all of you who are helping yourselves while you are helping me! You all make my life better! And bearable! So thank you my friends for being my Friends! Have a Happy and Safe Easter!
Tommy
