I was reading some of my old posts, back in 2012. I didn't see any from 2013. I don't think I was here at all that year. I was busy, getting older and maybe wiser. In September of 2012, I was having a conversation on a popular social media site. I had left the recovery house I was working in, I had a job but I wanted a better one, and this guy I was chatting with said, "You should open your own house." At first I said I wouldn't have a clue how to do that. I knew how to work in one, but opening and running one, that's a whole other thing. But I looked into it. In October, me and 4 other like-minded individuals formed a non profit organization. In November of 2012 we were incorporated under the Societies Act. Our intention was to open a transition house for men in recovery from alcohol drugs gambling etc. The plan was for me to serve on the Board until the house opened, then I would resign from the board and take a position as Executive Director. It all looked good on paper.

But, I still had a few lessons left to learn. Probably the most important one was the difference between God's will and Bernie's will. I have a story I tell newcomers. If Nancy and I quit our jobs and moved to P.E.I. to plant potatoes for a living, that would be our will. But if we both lost our jobs and a rich uncle died and left us his potato farm, that might be gods will. I wanted everything done my way. I wasn't willing to take direction from anyone. And in the end, the bottom fell out, the wheels fell off and it all went south. We thought we ought to scrap the whole idea, chalk it up as a lesson learned and get on with our lives. And then, a newcomer said something to me that started a chain reaction.

Nancy and I do a lot of work with newcomers, in both AA and Alanon. We have a group that meets in our home, we do sponsorship workshops, we drive newcomers all over the province to meetings and conferences. We love it. I've often said that the most beautiful thing I've ever seen is the look in a newcomer's eyes when he or she realizes there is still hope that things can get better. This newcomer said to me, Why don't you guys find some way to incorporate what you already do into what you want to do?

Nancy likes to knit. She thought it would be a nice idea to knit scarves for the women in the recovery house in Halifax. So, she got together with another lady and they started to knit. By Christmas of 2013 they had knitted 40 scarves. We were able to give those scarves to two organizations so they could use them as gifts for their clients. Word of mouth and some media attention brought more knitters our way. We now have a committee of ten volunteer knitters. This coming Christmas we estimate our scarves will number in the hundreds which will allow us to help more people. Winters here are harsh. Staying warm is hard enough when you can afford to buy winter clothing. But people who are new in recovery can't always do that. So we help those who are unable at this time to help themselves.

We decided that opening a house was way beyond our means. So we modified our mission statement. After all, if you don't like the choices you've made you can always choose again. We are now a community outreach. We provide services to persons in recovery regardless of their gender, and regardless of what fellowship they are in. We feel we are doing what God has always wanted us to do. We bring them hope. It's never going to be a paying job, but part of the gift is not getting anything in return for what we do.

He died, by the way. The newcomer. He was clean and sober a year. 

So that's what we been up to. Among other things. Just thought I'd let you know how things worked out.