Hello everyone! It seems like an eternity since I have reached out to you!

2020 has been quite the year, hasn’t it! No one would have ever expected the COVID pandemic. No one would have expected such political divisiveness in our beautiful country. No one would have anticipated growing racism…on and on…

Addiction, suicide, opioid pandemic! We are secluded from one another. We are starving for connection with others. If you are like me my head is in a spin many days—what can I do to help others and myself? I go through my daily meditations, but sometimes I feel it’s just rote. I take early walks on the beach to try and clear my head and keep my body moving. I ache for all those who have lost their jobs, who have no idea what the next day will bring. There are no words are there?

I have no answers. But I do want you to know that I am HERE for you, I “SEE” you! I have been sober now for over 23 years, and I will be honest that for the first time in all these years the thought of “one “drink has sounded appealing. But luckily I still have my senses enough to KNOW I can NEVER pick up a drink again…my life would be over.

I want to encourage all of you that you don’t have to pick up that drink! You, all of us, WILL get through this. Remember “one day at a time”. Remember LIFE IS WORTH LIVING!!

Blessings to you all!
BA Austin

Today is my 65th birthday! What happened? Where did the time go? This age seemed so far away— 65 was old! Medicare? Who would have thought! Thoughts flood my mind—what have I done that is noteworthy?—where have I failed?—have I been a good, loving mom?—am I a good, loving Nana? Well, the truth is I have done good, and I have made mistakes. That’s simply the human condition…

This month is also my 22nd birthday of sobriety. 22 years ago as I was in rehab for thirty days, the thought of remaining sober for one year seemed daunting. But here I am, still living life “one day at a time”. To this day I never take it for granted. And if I had not gotten sober I would not have made it to 65. I am grateful, humbled. And I hope I am blessed for many more years! There is a lot I want to do!! Age is irrelevant. Growing older doesn’t mean quitting.

This leads me to my two great aunts, Alice and Ethel, who lived well to 103 and 109, and Grandma Moses, who lived to 101--all truly amazing women, true inspirations. Alice and Ethel, two hard-working women in a small town in Missouri, were cruising the world way into their 80s, and they always had a zest for life. Anna Mary Robertson Moses (September 7, 1860-December 13, 1961) was an American folk artist who began painting at the age of 78. Being a painter was a childhood dream, but her difficult farm life prohibited her from pursuing her dream. At age 92 she wrote, "I was quite small, my father would get me and my brothers white paper by the sheet. He liked to see us draw pictures, it was a penny a sheet and lasted longer than candy." It was her dad’s encouragement that fed her passion to paint. She never forgot that, and her dream came true.

The New York Times said of her: “The simple realism, nostalgic atmosphere and luminous color with which Grandma Moses portrayed simple farm life and rural countryside won her a wide following…”

Thank you Grandma Moses and Aunt Alice and Aunt Ethel for your gumption!

It's Always Darkest Just Before the Dawn

Dreams Never Grow Old