"At the end of the game, the king and the pawn go back in the box."

Liked the above so much had to google it. One Internet source called it an "ancient Eastern saying."
Found a link to a 1994 book by a Christian author named John Ortberg titled "It All Goes Back in the Box."
Here are a few words Ortberg said on the topic. (FYI - This blog is non-denominational. Take what you like and leave the rest.)

"All of this rushing and accumulating that our lives become oriented around involve a form of denial, Jesus is saying. And the fundamental reality that we all deny is that we're going to die.

"There is a simple, two-word question that people tend not to ask. The question is, 'Then what?' That's the question that the guy in Jesus' story never asks. When I finally have enough, when my barn is finally full, when I am financially secure, then what? You have to ask yourself, when you finally get the ultimate promotion, when you've made the ultimate purchase, when you've got the ultimate home, when you've stored up financial security, when you have climbed the ladder of success to the highest rung that it can be climbed and the thrill wears off--and it will wear off--you've got to ask yourself, 'Then what?' What do you do with a cold marriage or one that has failed altogether or with children that learned early on that they're not as important as a briefcase and a meeting and a barn full of stuff? What do you do with people who should be your close friends who don't even know you, not really? What do you do when you discover that your life has had no vision and no meaning? How important will all that stuff be then? 'Don't you know,' God asks, 'How quickly life passes? Don't you understand that it all goes back in the box?'"

This question is on page 43 in Blueprint for Progress*:

"What role does my Higher Power play in my sense of well-being?"*

Believing in a Higher Power keeps some Grateful Members from regretting things they haven't done yet in their lives and perhaps never will. It's a buffer against comparing and despairing. The role their Higher Power plays in their sense of well-being is it gives them perspective, hope, and a sense of destiny.

Ever wonder how Wikipedia defines "Higher Power?"  Wonder no more.

Higher power

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Higher power is a term used in a 12-step program, such as Alcoholics Anonymous, to describe "a power greater than yourself." Although many participants equate their higher power with God, a belief in God or in formal religion is not mandatory; the higher power is intended as a personal representation of the user looking outside themselves for help. Many AA members regard the meeting itself as their higher power, as described in the book Alcoholics Anonymous.

*Copyright Al-Anon Family Group Headquarters, Inc.

A Grateful Member says an old-timer in another fellowship told him something he never forgot.

"Action is the magic word."

Are you taking action?

If not, WHAT ABOUT NOW?

Today's reading at 7:30 a.m. began:   "Step Nine says I do need not make direct amends to those I have injured if, in doing so, I might cause further injury. How do I know whether to take action?"*

 A Grateful Member raised this question less than two months ago, sitting on a bench in Central Park with a sponsor while the GM was working the eighth step.  GM asked her about a direct amend GM wanted to make to someone GM knew 20 years ago. But GM wondered if it could cause more harm than good. When GM told her, she said she thought it would not be wise to approach this person directly.

 The sponsor said she likes to get creative with amends. Rather than approach someone directly, after you've ascertained that to do so would cause further injury, she finds another method. Give money to or volunteer for an organization that person supports. Say you wanted to make an amend to someone who was a child when you knew him or her and felt it was not appropriate to approach them directly after all these years. Do something positive for another child.

Get creative. Today's reading ended like this:

"The lure of the distant and the difficult is deceptive. The great opportunity is where you are." -- John Burroughs*

*Copyright Al-Anon Family Group Headquarters, Inc.

We've been up and running since Oct. 16, 2006 in Nice, France. We meet Monday through Friday from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. at the Holy Trinity Church, 11 rue de la Buffa, Nice. We're in the annex in the back. We've been so busy going to meetings and WORKING THE STEPS (literally and figuratively) we haven't gotten around to starting our blog until now. We hope you join us from time to time - and members of AA and other 12-step programs are always welcome. In fact, this meeting was co-founded by an AA member with almost 27 years of sobriety!

Some quick info on the little meeting that could...and does...and will...one day at time. (Some times we travel or leave the area for a few weeks, we'll let you know when and if we go on hiatus.)

We keep to a regular daily format and Al Anon approved literature:

Monday -- Courage to Change book
Tuesday - Blueprint for Progress manual
Wednesday - One Day at a Time book
Thursday - Hope for Today book
Friday - Step meeting ( we work on one step for a month and the step corresponds numerically to the month)

Questions? We hope so!  Email founding Grateful Members at the contact link on the left side of the blog. And KEEP COMING BACK!