Sobriety: 33 years

Ich komme aus meinen Schwingen heim -by Rainier Maria Rilke

I come home from the soaring in which I lost myself.
I was song, and the refrain which is God
is still roaring in my ears.

Now I am still
and plain:
no more words.

To the others I was like a wind:
I made them shake.
I’d gone very far, as far as the angels,
and high, where light thins into nothing.

But deep in the darkness is God.


-from Rilke's Book of Hours – Love Poems to God



As I have since this blog's inception, on the day of my sobriety anniversary I publish this treasured Rilke poem, but with a new image each year.
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(I hope to join the blogging community again soon.  I have missed writing, and I have missed you.
.

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Sobriety: 32 years

Alone, young birdy


Ich komme aus meinen Schwingen heim -by Rainier Maria Rilke

I come home from the soaring in which I lost myself.
I was song, and the refrain which is God
is still roaring in my ears.

Now I am still
and plain:
no more words.

To the others I was like a wind:
I made them shake.
I’d gone very far, as far as the angels,
and high, where light thins into nothing.

But deep in the darkness is God.


-from Rilke's Book of Hours – Love Poems to God



As I have since this blog's inception, on the day of my sobriety anniversary I publish this treasured Rilke poem, but with a new image each year.
.

Sobriety: 31 years

Wind Moon, and Clouds by Cam Davis

Ich komme aus meinen Schwingen heim -by Rainier Maria Rilke

I come home from the soaring in which I lost myself.
I was song, and the refrain which is God
is still roaring in my ears.

Now I am still
and plain:
no more words.

To the others I was like a wind:
I made them shake.
I’d gone very far, as far as the angels,
and high, where light thins into nothing.

But deep in the darkness is God.

-from Rilke's Book of Hours – Love Poems to God

As I have since this blog's inception, on the day of my sobriety anniversary I publish this treasured Rilke poem, but with a new image each year.
 .

Sobriety: 30 years

Stillness by Michael Sprouse

Ich komme aus meinen Schwingen heim -by Rainier Maria Rilke

I come home from the soaring in which I lost myself.
I was song, and the refrain which is God
is still roaring in my ears.

Now I am still
and plain:
no more words.

To the others I was like a wind:
I made them shake.
I’d gone very far, as far as the angels,
and high, where light thins into nothing.

But deep in the darkness is God.


-from Rilke's Book of Hours – Love Poems to God



As I have since this blog's inception, on the day of my sobriety anniversary I publish this treasured Rilke poem, but with a new image each year.
.

Sobriety: 29 years

catmasutra-earth-5-elements by Paul Koh

Ich komme aus meinen Schwingen heim -by Rainier Maria Rilke

I come home from the soaring in which I lost myself.
I was song, and the refrain which is God
is still roaring in my ears.

Now I am still
and plain:
no more words.

To the others I was like a wind:
I made them shake.
I’d gone very far, as far as the angels,
and high, where light thins into nothing.

But deep in the darkness is God.


                                            -from Rilke's Book of Hours – Love Poems to God



As I have since this blog's inception, on the day of my sobriety anniversary I publish this treasured Rilke poem, but with a new image each year.
.

Sobriety: 28 years

photo credit: MarkGuitarPhoto via photopin cc


Ich komme aus meinen Schwingen heim -by Rainier Maria Rilke

I come home from the soaring in which I lost myself.
I was song, and the refrain which is God
is still roaring in my ears.

Now I am still
and plain:
no more words.

To the others I was like a wind:
I made them shake.
I’d gone very far, as far as the angels,
and high, where light thins into nothing.

But deep in the darkness is God.


                                            -from Rilke's Book of Hours – Love Poems to God



As I have since this blog's inception, on the day of my sobriety anniversary I publish this treasured Rilke poem, but with a new image each year.

.

Sobriety: 27 years

The Playful Existence by Brihte, via Imagekind

Ich komme aus meinen Schwingen heim by Rainier Maria Rilke

I come home from the soaring in which I lost myself.
I was song, and the refrain which is God
is still roaring in my ears.

Now I am still
and plain:
no more words.

To the others I was like a wind:
I made them shake.
I’d gone very far, as far as the angels,
and high, where light thins into nothing.

But deep in the darkness is God.


                                            -from Rilke's Book of Hours – Love Poems to God



As I have since this blog's inception, on the day of my sobriety anniversary I publish this treasured Rilke poem, but with a new image each year.


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Sobriety: 26 years

 













Càrn Mhuinge by Dougie Beck


Ich komme aus meinen Schwingen heim by Rainier Maria Rilke

I come home from the soaring in which I lost myself.
I was song, and the refrain which is God
is still roaring in my ears.

Now I am still
and plain:
no more words.

To the others I was like a wind:
I made them shake.
I’d gone very far, as far as the angels,
and high, where light thins into nothing.

But deep in the darkness is God.

 -from Rilke's Book of Hours – Love Poems to God

As I have since this blog's inception, on the day of my sobriety anniversary I publish this treasured Rilke poem, but with a new image each year.

.

The eve of.......date night at Mac's

I read in the paper yesterday that it was Barry McGuire's 75th birthday. Seventy-Five. He is bald now, as shown in photos at his website. I saw him onstage when I was a child when he was in a group called The Christy Minstrels, but I didn't know who he was until he was out on his own and he released The Eve of Destruction. He has the perfect voice for this song: gritty and somewhat untamed. I thought it was worth listening to again.

 :::

It is driving me crazy that a new Magpie prompt is out and I have yet to read the assortment of Magpies written by others last week. I am not going to allow myself to even look at this week's prompt until I catch up on ones written last week by the kind people who read and commented about mine. I am behind on a lot of things right now, so to those of you whose blogs I haven't visited and to those of you to whom I owe emails, thank you for being here and for not giving up on me! I will try to get myself organized asap.

:::

My 25th sobriety anniversary dinner at Mac's Place (see previous post) was great. Michael and I had a fun date night and I was glad I stayed in Silverton instead of going to the beach for my solo trip on this particular day. I enjoyed my excellent thin-crust Greek pizza, plus bites from Michael's assorted fish platter, while looking around the place where I had my last drink. Mac's was decorated for Halloween (Silverton has always gone all-out for Halloween). The room was full of good cheer and so was I, in spite of having The Eve of Destruction stuck in my mind.......

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Sobriety: 24 years

Image via Pinterest



Ich komme aus meinen Schwingen heim

- by Rainier Maria Rilke

I come home from the soaring in which I lost myself.
I was song, and the refrain which is God
is still roaring in my ears.

Now I am still
and plain:
no more words.

To the others I was like a wind:
I made them shake.
I’d gone very far, as far as the angels,
and high, where light thins into nothing.

But deep in the darkness is God.

-from Rilke's Book of Hours – Love Poems to God

The Rilke poem may look familiar to those of you who remember my post for my 23rd sobriety anniversary. It is the same. I can't imagine ever finding a poem that describes coming to sobriety better than this one does, so I'll probably publish it again for my 25th, and on. The photograph is a change from last year's art, and I may not change it in years ahead. It's perfect.

I'll be keeping to my tradition of taking a few days and nights in October to be at the Oregon coast alone, and will drive over this afternoon. What began in 2001 as a spiritual trip in my mother's memory (she died on October 27, 2000 and we scattered her ashes at sea from a boat out of Depoe Bay) has in more recent years become that and more: my time to connect with my Self.

This will be my first time coordinating the trip on my sobriety anniversary, and I think it will start a trend for the future.  It seems fitting.

When I made my room reservations on Tuesday afternoon the inn clerk said the weather at the coast is indeed what has been predicted: stormy, rainy, windy -- making another first in my October solo trips there. But bring on the storms. I'll be in a beautiful room with private beach access and a book, lots of memories, and maybe some new insights. I'm going unplugged and will look forward to responding to your comments when I return home.

cloud clipart via A Perfect World

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Sobriety: 23 years

Ich komme aus meinen Schwingen heim

I come home from the soaring in which I lost myself.
I was song, and the refrain which is God
is still roaring in my ears.

Now I am still
and plain:
no more words.

To the others I was like a wind:
I made them shake.
I’d gone very far, as far as the angels,
and high, where light thins into nothing.

But deep in the darkness is God.

– Rainier Maria Rilke
Rilke's Book of Hours – Love Poems to God

Artwork: Clipart.com paid subscription