It is 2011.

Do you see that little herd, running into the sunrise?  Isn't that awesome?  That was yesterday.  Do you know how hard it is to keep up a pace when you stop every couple of seconds to snap a photo?  Oh well, I just can't help myself.

Today I am watching my little eleven-month-and-one-day-old granddaughter.  At six-seventeen a.m., I had to step away from the television set, bundle her little footed pajama'd self into the car and drove to a meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous.  While I was driving, the phone rang.  It was a sponsee.  She was crying.  She asked "are you coming to the meeting?" I told her I was on my way.  She said, "Please sit by me, I need you today, the topic of the meeting is 9/11."  At which point, I lost it, and said "Are you f***ing kidding me?  I am bringing a baby to a meeting, which I don't even believe in, just so I can get away from this s**t. - Oh well, I will be there in a minute, and we will get through this together."

We sat in the back of the meeting and shared the baby between us.  I truly don't believe in bringing children to meetings (and if you would like to hear why, I would  be happy to share that with you), but when I saw faces light up that hadn't had a smile in years, it was a beautiful thing.  We got through that meeting, and I hope we will all get through today.  I know my sponsee and I will.

Thank God I have this beautiful child with me today.  But I truly wish my son were not in Afghanistan.  I wish his wife were not away wherever she is in her camouflage today.  I wish I had been lying to my daughter 10 years ago at just about this moment when I said "the whole world just changed."

But there are still babies.  And they still make cranky old people smile. There are still people getting sober in AA meetings.  The sun still comes up in the morning and it is still a beautiful thing.  And still if I ask God at night and thank him in the morning, the odds are I will stay sober that day.

And that is a good thing.  Beautiful even.

Here's some unsolicited advice for today:  turn off the television.  Go outside.  Take a walk.  Call someone you haven't talked to for a while.  If there's someone you know who is lonely, give them a call.  Think of what you are grateful for.  And then Thank God with all your heart.

I know I will.