Good afternoon!  My name is Lauren, and I'm a grateful, recovering alcoholic/addict.  There are so many times in my life that I try to deal with my problems and think that I know it all and can handle all that life throws at me, but when I just slow down...and pray...and give it to God...things ALWAYS seem to go better.  But the problem is...I always seem to forget that it is that easy to do that.  Me, and my selfish ways, think that I have to control everything and that I can handle everything.  But God CREATED us to need Him.  We are SUPPOSED to NOT be able to handle life by ourselves.  We are supposed to reach out to Him in our time of need and pray to Him. And obviously He is always there, in our time of rejoycing too and we shouldn't just pray when we need Him, but for this topic today I am talking about going to Him in our time of need.  He brings us peace, we just need to pray to Him.  That's all I have for today.  Have a great one!

Good afternoon!  My name is Lauren and I'm a grateful, recovering alcoholic/addict.  With all that's been going on the past few days with my nephew, it's hard to understand why things happen the way they do?  But then I need to stop and think, I have no idea what God's big plan is.  All I see is the small picture.  All I see is today.  I cannot see tomorrow, I cannot see 10 years from now.  God has a plan for everything.  He had a plan for me.  When I was in my addiction, I didn't see an end.  I didn't ever see myself getting sober, but God knew the big picture, He knew where I was going, where I would be, that I would get throught it, at least for today.  There are no guarantees, but I am happy now, and I know where I want to be and want to stay.  Today I have a purpose, and that purpose is to live for God, and when I do that, all things work out.  Maybe not in my timing, but always in God's timing.  That's all I have for today.  Have a great one!

Good morning!  My name is Lauren, and I'm a grateful, recovering alcoholic/addict.  Sometimes things in life happen, things we don't expect, things not in "our" plan.  But instead of questioning God or getting discourged, we should go to Him in prayer.  God is always with us, we just need to ask Him for his guidance and peace and strength.  He will always help us.  Please pray today for my nephew.  He was born spina bifida and will be having surgery today.  Pray for wisdom for the doctors, the surgeons hands directed by God.  Pray for his mom and dad, give them peace and strength during this difficult time of lots of questions.  Pray for the future of unknowns.  That's all I have for today Have a great one!  Thanks!

Good afternoon!  My name is Lauren, and I'm a grateful, recovering alcoholic/addict.  I used to always try to drink and use to escape reality.  I wanted to get away. Not that it was really that bad anyway.  I just didn't want to deal with anything.  I figured if I drank enough, things would go away, bills would go away, problems would go away, but they didn't, they just got bigger.  Bills went to collections, interest accumulated, and problems didn't go away, they just got stacked up in a corner to someday be brought up again.  I needed to deal with them and not just hide from them.  Today, I enjoy reaily, I make it everything I want it to be.  Not only because really that's all I can do, but why not.  Why not make the best of it?  It is a great thing to be able to have the opportunity to do what I want with my life instead of hide from it.  That's all I have for today.  Have a great one!

Good afternoon!  My name is Lauren, and I'm a grateful, recovering alcoholic/addict.  Since I have gotten sober there are a lot of things I like to do with my family that were previously taken advantage of, like cooking, and baking. When I do them with the right people there are a totally different experience.  I actually have fun with them now, and now I like to get the kids involved. I have also noticed that if I get the kids helping, they like what I cook for dinner.  :) I try to do things more as a family than isolate like I used to.  Everything is more fun when I do it with the right people, and a lot of times it is family.  And family doesn't have to be blood.  I have a lot more family today.  And I also have family in AA today.  That's all I have for today.  Have a great one!

Good morning!  My name is Lauren, and I'm a grateful, recovering alcoholic/addict.  This picture quote really was an eye opener.  I never really thought about all the people, all the "normal sinners", God used.  He took ordinary people, like me and you, with problems, with baggage and used them for His glory.  Some people have terrible stories we don't think anyone should know, some of us don't think God has any use for us.  But look at all of these amazing people in the Bible that He used in such ways that made history.  He took Noah, a drunk, and changed him, and he built an ark to keep the animals safe to save them during the flood.  Rahab, a prostitute, then helped the Israelite spies at the Battle of Jericho.  God took these sinners, forgave them, and gave them a reason to live.  Don't think that just because you have done things in your past that you have no hope.  Look at this list...and this is just a few. ​That's all I have for today.  Have a great one!

Good afternoon!  My name is Lauren, and I'm a grateful, recovering alcoholic/addict.  This weekend, I had someone reach out to me, they messaged me before they supposedly started drinking/using.  Then later that night went ahead and did.  But for a while I felt really guilty, like there was more I should have done. When in reality I had done what I could, talking to them and such, but when it comes down to it,  I only have control over if I drink or use or not.  I can't really stop anybody.  I can't save everyone.  I can only save myself.  I can only love them.  And that night, no matter what I said, made a difference.  That person was gonig to do what they wanted to do.  I have to worry about MY sobriety, and I can't let everyone's else's relapses get to me.  Yes, they suck.  But, I do understand why this one did so much though, because I was reached out to, I felt if I talked a little bit longer, or said something a little different, or whatever.  And I do know this person did reach out to other people as well too, so... that made me feel a little better.  But it wasn't me...this time.  That's all I have for today.  Have a great one!

Good afternoon!  My name is Lauren, and I'm a grateful, recovering alcoholic/addict.  Once I got sober, I realized the world didn't revolve around me.  I always cared for other people, but was always really selfish, because of my addiction.  That always came first.  But once I got sober, that all changed.  The caringness was there again, and was genuine.  It wasn't a flip-flop between alcohol and people.  I wasn't having to choose which was more important.  I just knew, and it wasn't me.  I wasn't having to play mind games, second-guessing myself, and making myself feel bad for decisions I made.  I could just makde the right decision the first time.  It is such a great feeling, a freeing feeling.  Sobriety has opened my eyes to so many things.  I am so grateful.  That's all for today.  Have a great one!

Good afternoon!  My name is Lauren, and I'm a grateful, recovering alcoholic/addict.  Today, being Veterans Day, I just want to stop and thank all the veterans that risked or continue to risk their lives for all of us.  Thank you to all the brave men and woman of our country that do their jobs every day, day in and day out, to keep our country free. Doing whatever it takes, selflessly, so my family can sleep sound at night.  So that my family and I can live in a free country.  It's sad to think that the other 364 days a year a lot of people don't think about the sacrifices you made, to yourself and your families.  But I do want to let you know that you were remembered today.  I will never be able to repay you for your duty, or thank you enough.  But I will thank you everytime I see you in the airport or anywhere else dressed in uniform.  That is the least I can do.  You deserve that.  So thank you.  That's all for today.  Have a great one!

Good afternoon!  My name is Lauren, and I'm a grateful, recovering alcoholic/addict.  Today I have 21 months clean and sober, but when it comes down to it, all I have is today.  We all get the same 24 hours.  I really like what Daniel Baldwin said,  "If you ask me if I think I will be sober in 24 hours time, I can say yes, but in two years, I can't tell you. I could be dead."  We don't know what tomorrow brings, there may be that one thing that pushes us over the edge.  It may be big, it may be small.  It may be something physical, or it may be something emotional.  It may even be a spiritual battle we have going on that we end up 'losing' that makes us go back.  But no matter what it is, we can always walk back through the doors.  Start a brand new day.  :)   Do what we can with those 24-hours.  We make time for what is important to us.  That's all I have for today.  Have a great one!