Singleness of Purpose…

I have a new dog. I have named the puppy Sam. I drove out spring road yesterday afternoon on my usual ride for photo opportunities. I wanted to get pictures of the many cows in the pastures, but they were far a flung in the remote pastures off the side of the road. As I neared where the road turns to dirt and gravel, a small dog that looked like a miniature golden retriever was wandering on the dirt portion of the road. I parked, got out, and called for it. It immediately came to me and hopped into the car. I brought it home and Maggie immediately was taken to it. The dog is currently sleeping in front of my heater which is on high and has made himself at home.

For those of you wanting to know about the kitten, the kitten only stayed a few days. Maggie was entirely too rough with it and would carry it around in her mouth like a stuffed toy. The kitten stayed continually wet from dog saliva. I had to find it a home due to fears that Maggie would hurt it.

Last night, I again wandered over to the A.A. meeting hall after dusk. We have two distinct A.A. groups that meet over at the meeting hall. One is very liberal and is dying due to lack of membership. I think one reason it is dying is that the group is so small and they put a lot of pressure on newcomers to talk. This makes me immensely uncomfortable when I go.

Last night, was the extremely conservative A.A. group which is thriving. It is filled with A.A. goers with years and years of sobriety. I find them a very close minded and stodgy group of fellows with only a scattering of females. The whole group consisted of pertaining to talk only about alcohol and the use thereof. Many people spoke of the “singleness of purpose” of A.A. I have found through my own travels of recovery that drinking was just a symptom of a greater sickness of the soul. I drank to hide my failings and to cover up these imperfections of my spirit. These are the things I needed to talk about. It is not allowed in last night’s group as they are very vocal about this “singleness of purpose” and sticking to it. I still go though as I find the social aspects to be beneficial although I mainly just sit there and listen.