Bill H. on Steps 10, 11, 12 and the Mechanics of Maintenance

Oreos baby. Got to have the Oreos, baby. My name is Bill Allen, alcoholic. Hi. Hi. Dangerous term. What? Hi. Dangerous term around people like you. Hi. I can't handle it. I'm going to go get her. Hi. she is really picking me up I'm gonna go get okay my name is Bill I have an alcoholic can we get a little more enthusiasm in the hall can we afford to get and the answer is in closing if you want to keep it simple welcome back one year or no one week what are you yeah congrats you're the guy walking through the airport saying ha ha ha at the saloon right you're that guy I love it I wish I'd have thought to do it I'd love to have that as part of my story I went to a meeting at 1 30 this afternoon a meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous that I go to almost every Wednesday afternoon there's only 10 or 12 of us at the meeting and half of us are here tonight and I'm grateful for that and I heard some good things said and i'm going to start off my talk about step 10 11 and 12 with this one from my friend terry who saw it in the middle of his share and i am not even sure he remembers saying it but it is one of the most profound things i have ever heard now college anonymous and my sobriety dates march 18 1981 so i have heard a lot of stuff some of it has been helpful I've heard a lot of stuff in AA Perry said today I came in here and know it all are you with me so far when I knew it all whatever other people say is useless you may not like that but I think it's a pearl what's that got to do with step 10, 11 and 12 Well, we talked about the first nine steps the last few sessions. We talked about building our spiritual foundation in the first nine steps. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol. Now, I've been powerless over alchohol since the day I was born. Didn't know it. Didn't have to admit it because it never occurred to me. And I drank in 1960. I was in prison by 1966. and by January 67, I'd been diagnosed as an alcoholic. And I didn't disagree by that time. I had plenty of evidence on my side to prove, even to me, that I was an alcoholic, but I drank for 14 more years because I thought I could control it. So in step one, I admit I'm an alcoholic and I admit my life is unmanageable. So I'm starting to get over the delusion that even if i am an alcoholic i can manage it on my own which i cannot that was the beginning of the end of me being a normal but it was not the end and i can still be now this may surprise you hello whoever's on zoom i know it's going to shock some of you like al i can steal be a know-it-all Aren't you as surprised as I am? And the problem with being a know-it-all, I don't know I'm being a know- it-all when I'm bein' a know it all. Because self-will tells me I'm fine. I admitted I was powerless over alcohol. My life is unmanageable. I came to believe in a power greater than me that isn't me. And I made a decision and I got on my knees and I and I got a sponsor, and I took step three, and I stood up and I started writing the fourth step. And I got in touch with those resentments and those fears and that inconsiderate sexual behavior which turned out to affect all parts of all relationships, not just in the bedroom or the back seat. And I began to see that I had contributed somewhat to my problems. I had a small part to play, but I had an apartment plan. And I started to take responsibility for that, and I tried to stop doing some of the things that I discovered in my fifth step with the help of my sponsor. I tried not to do those on my own, just like I tried to stop drinking on my home. Another great thing said in the meeting today, my friend, oh yeah, Pat, said it. He said, I never had trouble stopping drinking, and agree with that. i stopped drinking how many times thousand times ten thousand times my problem was not stopping i couldn't stop starting now i want you to think about that for a moment there are people here tonight newly sober first week first month first year there are People here tonight with decades decades of not drinking that every one of us here tonight alcoholic well Alamance to all of it probably won't affect you so bad there's no guarantee it will stop started and that's why when I try to let go of some of those things like the resentments, the sarcasm, the fear, the overwhelming need for attention, the overwhelmingly need for control, the overwhelming need to be right. If you disagree with me and ask me to agree with you then we'd both be wrong. That kind of attitude. I started becoming willing to let go of that stuff in step six and I found out I couldn't do it. I could not learn to live without that stuff, without God's help and so I asked God to help me in step seven i made that list of people i harmed and ate and did pray over each of those names until i became willing to make amends to them one at a time and did those nine steps here we are in step 10. why let me page 84 in the big book this thought brings us to step 10 which suggests we continue a couple words later and continue a couple words letter and continued step 10 is the continue step it's not magic it says this thought what thought the thought that precedes it at the top of page 84 these promises we've just read the promises bottom of 83 top of 84. These promises will always materialize if we work with it. Now that's a promise about the promises. We've just read these promises, we're coming off the first nine steps, we've got a spiritual foundation in place, and we read. And we hear someone else read, or we hear someone say to me, you know, these promises keep coming true. As if that's the sentence. There is not one promise in the book or the program of The Twelve Steps of Our Politics Anonymous that is not conditional. You can talk about unconditional love all day, and I think it's wonderful. Only God can do it, but y'all can talk better. I'm not capable of unconditional love. I'm human. I'm imperfect. But every promise in The Big Book is conditional, and that's not a punishment. It's a fact. if I want something out of this deal I've got to be willing to put something in this deal and I've gotta be willing to put a lot more in this field than just stopping, starting if I think I'm here tonight in a meeting with Alcoholics Anonymous just so I can keep stop starting keep stop startin' that ought to be a country western song keep stop started get me a dog and a picked up truck and I'm gonna keep stop talking how am I doing so far you're not writing anything down I'm not doing too well these promises will always materialize if we work now I will tell you this it's a one day at a time program the only days that I need to work for these promises to keep growing in my life are the days that end and why. All you people are straight to me. Should never have started with I. Must have really distracted you. So do you want to know how to keep working, Bob? How to? Man. This thought brings us to step 10, which suggests we continue to take personal inventory of that's not a punishment it's not process for personal shaming it's not a process to use to beat up on myself it's just a kind of a streamlined version of steps four five six and seven eight nine step ten repackages the spiritual principles and the prayers of steps four five six seven eight nine into a neat little really two sets of four piece instructions on page 84 of the big book that allow me to continue to take personal inventory and when i do well admit it not brag about it but be grateful for it and when I'm wrong to promptly admit it let's read exactly what the book says because this is step 10. Step 10 is not, according to the big book, step 10 is NOT a nightly inventory. We're going to get to step 11 in a minute and the big book of Alcoholics Anonymous is the nightly inventories part of step 11 which really reviews how well I did step 10 throughout the day. If you want the promises in the big book my suggestion and my experience says do the work to the best of our ability the way the big book says to do it here's what it says on page 84. this thought continues to bring us to step 10 which suggests we continue to take personal inventory and continue to set right new mistakes as we go along the word suggests in that sentence in many other places in the book gives people like me trouble because i think it really is a well you can do it if you want but you don't have to my friend down in arkansas used to say suggest is in this context in the big book you're about to jump out of an airplane a perfectly good airplane that is flying smooth and well but you're going to jump off it at 10 000 feet because you want to take a ride on a parachute and we suggest after you jump out the airplane and get clear of the craft you pull the ripcord we suggest that you do that now do you have to do that no go ahead y'all jump out of the plane well i've got a parachute on i don't really like suggestions I don't really like people telling me what to do well they know anyway they're up an airplane I'm not I mean it's beautiful out here I'm sailing I'm floating to heck with their suggestion right and you're dead that's the context of the word suggests in the big book about college now is please don't let people lead you into believe in this stuff it's optional if you not only want to stop starting drinking but learn to live comfortable I mean really a piece most the time no matter the start you're living in if you really want to live peace we suggest continue to set right into new mistakes as we go along and we vigorously commence this way of living as we cleaned up the past that means you can start doing step ten summer between four and nine it's not cheating to read a happy book this is not an overnight matter it should continue for our lifetime. Here's the first set of four. Continue to watch for selfishness, dishonesty, resentment, and fear. So you turn on your radar in the morning. Start watching for selfishiness, dishonesty resentment, fear. If you're like me they're not going to be hard to find. Selfishness? I assume I wake up selfish. I ask God to help me not take a drink, help me be of service to others, help me now become part of their problem. First three things I do before I get out of bed. I start treating selfishness before I get out a bit. I assume it's there. I heard somebody say the other day, well you know self-will is my default position. Nonsense! You're human. Self-will is my primary setting. There's no default about it. So I just assume I'm gonna have to treat some selfishness all day long. dishonesty what's my biggest dishonesty i don't need help today that's a fraud i'm human i have self-will i have free will and without the help of you people like you people who understand me like people like you understand me and like i understand you without your help and out of my understanding that you led me to without that help i'll be dishonest and think i'm pure as the driven snow Resentment. Anybody rub you wrong today? Anybody misbehave out here in the parking lot when you were coming in and they damn near backed into you? It was their fault the sun was in my eyes. It's always their fault. And fear. And then it says, those are four things to watch for. Selfishness, dishonesty, resentment, and fear. That's all step 10 asks. Don't have to write it down all day long. Just be aware Be aware Of our shortcomings our limitations our need for help so we watch for those four things and it says this neat word I wish it said yes if these proper No, it's the big one when these crop up because they will Mrs. J they will crop up When they crop up, we do four things. Now watch this. We ask God at once. That doesn't say wait till tonight. If I want the promises in the big book to come true, I ought to do the work in the Big Book the way it says. Ask God at once to remove them. God help them. I say, God help me at least a hundred, maybe ten hundred times a day. Second thing we just step in the summit immediately, at least as soon as you can. Why? To see if I owe an amendment. I think a lot of things and catch myself now with God's help before I say or do. But I'm still not always sure if I've heard somebody or owned an amends, so I'll talk to somebody about it. And it says we discuss it immediately, which practically speaking, as soon as they can, make amends quickly if we've harmed anyone. So look at these. Ask God at once. Discuss them with someone immediately. Make amends quick. This is in the present right now. application of self-examination as part of my living spiritually one day at a time. That's what page 84 tells me to do. And then we resolutely turn our thoughts to someone we can help. Love and tolerance of others is our code. We have stopped fighting anyone or anything. Step 10 promises run on page 84 and 85, like we've stopped fighting anyone or anything we will this is astonishing we will react sanely and normally remember what we asked for in step two restoration of sanity we're getting it back in step 10 because we got nine steps under our belt and starting to repeat them one day at a time in step ten it doesn't say life doesn't still suck it doesn'T say we won't have things to react to or respond to or deal with if we always like no it says we deal with it sanely and normally we're not fighting it this is how we react so long as we keep in spiritual condition here's the step 10 caution the warning we are not killing you may not be drinking but we still have alcoholism ism myself me i'm dealing with self-will potential the self will run right every day I wake up I have the potential so take it over again leaving God out not caring what happens to you I'm not cured a self will remind and we have a daily reprieve attention on the maintenance of our spiritual condition page 84 just told me how to maintain take what page 84 does is keep me out of god's way enough to get god's help so that's why a little prayer in step on page 85 says i will excuse me madam thy will not by and be done the not mine is in parenthesis step 10 is the not mind step keep me enough out of God's way so I can still get help from God it's all it takes practice if you're not used to doing this it'll take practice to do it i sponsor a lot of men who started doing page 84 several years into their sobriety and fundamentally change their recovery let's look at step 11 turn the page instead we suggest prayer meditation using it constantly top of page 86 now watch this here it is again it works if we have the proper attitude and work at it what's proper attitude i need to learn to pray but i don't know how to pray we don't care i need to learn to pray which means ask god for help and i like to need to need learn to meditate listen to god's health pass and listen this is not complicated you don't have to learn eastern meditation you don't have to buy crystals down at the head shop You can if you want to, but don't buy the other crap that's in there. But those are not requirements. What are the requirements for what the book says? The book not only has our answers, the book has our questions. If I convince you of one thing in the last four sessions, the boat not only has the answers, it has the questions and here's an answer to an implied question. Page 86, when we retire at night, we constructively review our day, were it resentful, selfish, dishonest or afraid? It's a review of step 10. How well did I do step 10 throughout the day? The evening review or the end of the day if you work nights, the end your day could be 8 o'clock in the morning. This review how well did i do? Take credit for what you did well. resentful selfish dishonest or afraid he goes on a lot of other things to check after making our review after making a review we ask God's forgiveness do we ask God to forgive us because God has forgotten to forgive us no we asked God to give us the open ourselves to receive the forgiveness God has already given us this is not tapping god on the shoulder and say dude did you forget me can you forgive me no it's opening me to receive the forgiveness god's already trying to give me and that process started back on page 67 in the four-step inventory when i started to pray God saved me from being angry on awakening middle of page 86 step 11 continues we ask God to direct our thinking now watch this divorce my thinking from self-pity dishonest or self seeking motives we've gone below action we've got deeper than just thinking we've done deeper than just how we feel about it we're down to motives i only missed that word for 25 years i thought they snuck it in in step 11 i asked god to help me with my motives is it possible i might have a selfish motive uh-huh is it possible i may have a dishonest motive uh-oh is it impossible i don't know what they are you're learning see this stuff isn't that hard we ask god for inspiration and intuitive an intuitive thought or decision here's a step 11 promise this isn't our quiet time in the morning we relax and take it easy doesn't mean the butterflies still aren't floating around my head doesn't means I still don't have agitation and doubt, doesn't meant I'm not restless, irritable and discontent but I don't use booze to deal with it I ask God to help me deal our job is to ask not to get I hear people all the time well I try to pray and I try to meditate but I can't get comfortable quit trying to get that's control just ask if you go back through this book beginning with the step 3 prayer on page 63 when we kneel and ask God I offer myself to thee I'm not here to get i this becomes a program of giving in giving up giving over so we can receive this is not a program but getting except to get out of the way step 10 and 11 help me get me out of a way one day at a time so i can receive what God's trying to give so learn to pray and meditate as asking and opening relaxing so we can receive bottom of page 87 I just love this as we go through the day we pause how many people came in there really good Olympic style pauses a lot of people came in are willing to wait well don't wait at all we wait poorly pausing edutainment or doubtful and ask for the right thought or action that means work step 10. on my book there's a line from the bottom of page 87 back to page 84. step 10 and step 11 are a continuous 24-hour wheel of keeping me out of the way so god can come in He can be out of the way so God can come in and I'm always treating selfishness dishonesty resentment this year. Those are the four things And the prayer in 88 interestingly enough there on page 88 I Will be done The not mine is not there anymore not mine as step and I will be done as 11 and there's a warning there's step 11 caution on page 88 I didn't like this I didn' t even read this for years we alcoholics are undisciplined say it isn't so Martha so he goes on to say so we let God discipline us in this simple way this isn't discipline as punishment this is discipline as routine Anybody here go to the gym? Anybody here got a treadmill at home? Anybody here work out? Don't be shy. It's okay if the others envy you a little bit. They have a step for that. You go down and do your workouts, you're exercising a discipline. You're doing a routine. You're following a helpful set of instructions that are there to make you feel better do better be better that's all discipline means but it is a promise and the caution is we won't do that on our own let's talk for a little bit about step 12. having had interesting verb having had not over going on having had has been happening but it's still happening having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps there is all these steps is far more than stopping starting drinking or stopping picking up we're here for far more than not to drink we're here to have this spiritual awakening whatever that is same 12 steps different spiritual awakening in every person here every person on the zoom having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps the result everything else is bonus get along with the dog better get along with kids better how the kids talk to us again they let us stay with the grandkids alone who saw that come but the spiritual awakening is what happened it does does anybody's book say having had a spiritual graduation does your book say spiritual graduations anybody then we should stop treating it like that I heard a man say today he goes to four meetings a week. Three morning, early day meetings. But there's that night meeting. And he's been out helping the dog, doing his meditation, doing chores for his wife. He got a golf game in according to him when he shared the day. Came back home, did something else. Oh, I'm pretty tired, took a nap. Eh, I don't have to go to that meeting tonight. Been there, done that, eh? But if that's one of my four anchor meetings, as I call them, who there needs my help and I'm not there tonight, they don't get my help, and they don' t know it, and I don' T know it. Only God knows it. We'll never know what would have happened if I'd been there. not just what help I'm going to get who's going to need my somebody may just need to see me walk in the door and say my God if he can do it one more time I can do It One More Time we don't know to either know it all we don' t know how God is using our spiritual awakening today to help another alcoholic or just to help some citizen that doesn't know us from a box of rocks that they see us handle a really bad customer service but walmart not that that could happen i'm not picking on walmart if you work for walmart don't take it personal or if you want to talk to your sponsor and they see you handling grace and dignity you'll never know what they saw but you're a good example to another citizen we do not know how god is going to use our spiritual awakening and that's a good thing because if i did i'd screw it up i'm always trying to get in god's way anyway even with a good motive having had a spiritual awakening as he was off of these steps matters not how long it's been since we haven't learned god isn't done with us yet if he were we wouldn't be here we'd be upstairs somewhere and i don't mean what they're saying having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps should make us grateful and humble it makes me grateful and humbled every day there's two other parts to the step we try to carry this message to alcoholics well you're doing that tonight are showing up i'm doing it tonight by showing up but the verb is try we try to carry the message we do not try to carry the alcohol as tempting as it is because after all we know what's good but we can't afford that there's a whole chapter working with others if you have the handout i've got a brief little comment or two about pages 89 to 103 in the big book we tried to carry this message the alcoholic that chapter is divided into two parts it's called working with others the first half of the chapter pages 89 to 96 seven pages are all about getting ready for and having the first visit with a new car the first have that chapter chapter seventh is to prepare us tell us what to do and what not to do it's seven pages of do's and don'ts getting ready to have the first business with a newcomer and one of the things it says to be helpful is our only aim. Talk to him about the hopelessness of alcoholism because you know what it feels like and you offer a solution just like Bill did to Dr. Bob in May of 1935. Tell him exactly what happened to you including your spiritual awakening, the beginning of your relationship with the God of your understanding. He does not have to agree with your conception of god it says on page 83 it goes on to say the main thing is this is an italics in the big book on page the main is that he'd be willing to believe in a part greater than himself and that he lived by spiritual principles 12 steps 1 through 12. that's where our spiritual principles are outline the program of actions self-appraisal straighten out your past now endeavoring to be helpful to him the rest of the chapter pages 96-103 is basically a guide of ongoing sponsorship on the handout it puts sponsorship in quotes because yes the word sponsor is not in that chat so what neither is iceberg doesn't mean icebergs stay with me raul it doesn't mean like it doesn' t mean icebergs aren't real the whole chapter is about what we call today's sponsorship i get a kick out of it well the word sponsor written in the big book theater is iceberg doesn't make it not real you'll remember that won't you yes you will thank you i've done my job i'm leaving now if you can get through to Robbo you've had a hell of a day am I right or not and because you're an alcoholic you know I'm not picking on you you're loving the attention and it's going to be on the damn recording forever Robbo is famous finally I'm famous how am I doing so far Everybody said drink your rabble. I'm not sure about that. On Pate and Iyengar, the only condition is that he trusted God and his greenhouse. That's a one-sentence summary of the 12 steps in the spiritual awakening of alcoholics and honest. He says on page 100, both you and the new man must walk day by day in the path of spiritual progress. It's not spiritual graduation, it's ongoing spiritual awakening. And your job now is to be at the place where you may be of maximum healthfulness. That's on page 102 but it echoes the real purpose statement on page 77. Our real purpose is to fit ourselves to be of maximum service to God and the people about us. But then in the third part of step 12, when we try to practice these principles in all our affairs, the next four chapters are the big book, the wives and family afterward, two employers and a vision for you. I sometimes call the road less traveled. A lot of people in AA don't think we need to read those Most people in AA do not make their sponsees through those chapters. I recommend you do, because of one reason. There's lots of spiritual principle application to wives is about the marriage. call it to spouses all up to significant other what a terrible term that's my opinion significant other never have understood that but i digress pages 104 and 121 chapter to the wives is about active alcoholism in the marriage the alcoholic is still drinking there's four tremendous classifications of alcoholics in that chapter based on their relative desire to stop drinking category one two three and four fascinating reading but there is this piece of advice on page 104 that makes the whole chapter worth reading the Al-Anon program adopted this sentence as part of their literature no situation is too difficult no situation is too difficult and no unhappiness is too great to be overcome. The whole chapter is about getting God's help to make that true. When we read these chapters, we have to remember we're supposed to help the family get God's health as well. Family afterwards, about living with a newly sober alcoholic. The wives deals with the one still drinking. Family afterward deals with the one newly sober. New recovery in the family, spiritual solution, age 122, meet upon a common ground of tolerance understanding and love to employers lack of understanding in the workplace still brings up a spiritual solution and hank admits the guy who wrote this chapter had p i did not understand alcoholism we had to place recovery above everything and then of course the vision for you is just sensational it's about the fellowship summarizes the program brings god in the spiritual solution it has a few observations like escape disaster together commence your common journey and then on page 164 which I'm going to come back to tonight in a few minutes and close with that that God will constantly disclose more to you and to us that's a promise on page164 it's before the Dr. Bog story and all the other stories, it's for the appendices you've worked this whole program you've worked these 12 steps you've even slogged your way through chapter 7, 8 and 9 you've enjoyed the prose poem of chapter 11 The Vision for You because that's what it is some of the most beautiful writing in big books in a vision for you when you get to that page 164 here's a wonderful promise God will constantly disclose more to you than to us it does not say reveal a reveal is like a magic trick in fact in the magic business that's what they call it, a reveal but he didn't really cut her in two that's a reveal we say God will reveal now the word is disclose, big difference a disclosure is not a trick I only have to do one thing to participate in the disclosure and that's keep enough of me out of the way to receive I'm not here to get I'm here to receive the disclosure and let me guarantee you this no matter how long you've been in this field if you've be walking in the church since you were two years old that's wonderful You have a sensational relationship with God, that's wonderful. Or you think God sucks, that is wonderful. At least God is in the sentence. If you are so angry at God you can't stand the idea of I am making you sick just saying God 15 times in 30 seconds, at least that is a relationship. God will constantly, that means every minute of every day. God is trying to disclose something to us either from the inside of us or from the outside of us we don't know ever had an intuitive thought ever had a why didn't I think of that before talk to your sponsor and say yeah I think that's a good idea you might want to follow up on that, that's it I'll close with this my name is Bill I am an alcoholic and have been since the day I was born didn't know it until I was 30 well I knew it when I was 25 in the prison and then I drank for 14 more years anyway because I was kind of a know-it-all and if you're a know it all what other people say is useless and I quit a thousand times ten thousand times but I couldn't stop starting. And I finally got to Alcoholics Anonymous, and I finally had a sponsor, and I filed an order to stop starting, and I Finally Worked These 12 Steps. And even though I haven't had a drink in over 42 years, I still try to practice these spiritual principles of the 12 steps in every relationship, every day. Key word, try. I fall short every day how it works. We read it tonight. We seek spiritual progress. We claim spiritual progress, not spiritual perfection. Disregard Yoda. He told Luke, don't try, just do. Here's to you, Yoda. I love Yoda, but try matters. Try counts. Do the best you can. Be willing. These are my spiritual principles. This is what I got my application boiled down to today Be well today This is me speaking to me you get the eavesdrop, okay? This is just when you're being me and me right now, which is my favorite conversation We get on it's actually there's more than two of us we get all the meetings together Why do you think they thought of me team? Think about it it meant my powerlessness over a lot more than just alcohol not live in the delusion that i don't need help from you and god be honest about my need for god's health and then i need to seek god's help every day this isn't about want to this is about need to I can't afford to wait till I want to I get up each day and start doing it because I need to and you know what happens when you start doing what you need to one day you wake up and realize I do want and I want you tonight I want to be here I want to be sober. I want to be not picking up that first drink and I want to let you and God keep helping me grow my spiritual awakening. So my need to and my want to, at least in that area are in sync. Be open-minded to seek and receive spiritual help on God's terms and God's time. We don't wait well. I often think God is late. Dude, come on. I'm never late I'm often early God is never late continue daily self-exam to limit my selfishness dishonesty, resentments and fears and to guide me away to guide me away from self-will run riot toward God's will be responsible and accountable for admitting and amending my wrong words and deeds. Seek to keep God in the center of my life all day every day I will be done. Try to do it, I don't do it perfectly I miss some days a lot try to be of maximum service to God and the people about me often by saying nothing best service I can usually provide is not tell people what I'm thinking I want to read page 164. I know we're out of time, so let's at least tolerate this. It is just so good. Our book is meant to be suggestive on them. Pull the rip cord. That's what suggest means. We realize we know only a little. Know-it-all alcoholics put that in print. that's humility we realize we know a little God will constantly disclose more to you and us gotta ask gotta try to stay open to receive ask him in your morning meditation ask him don't tell him ask him in your morning meditation what you can do each day for the man who is still sick the answers will come if your own house is in order 10-11-12 keeps our house order obviously you cannot transmit something you haven't got, seek to it that your relationship with God is right that's the centerpiece the relationship with the God of my understanding that's the center piece great events will come to pass for you and countless others, this is the great fact for us abandon yourself to God as you understand God admit your faults to him and to your fellows, clear away the wreckage of your past, give freely of what you find and join us we shall be with you in the fellowship of the spirit and you will surely meet some of us as you trudge the road of happy destiny may God bless you and keep you until death. Amen and thank you A&A on the Rocks for this privilege. Thank you very much.