For those of you that don't know much about recovering alcoholics -- well, now that Ray's obit has made it public that he was one of the group, it's okay to mention some of his comments. One thing he often told me was not how long it had been since he'd taken his last drink (I had no idea and never asked -- that really was unimportant to him and to most recovering alkies). He'd say that when he woke up this morning he gave thanks that he was alive and sober, and that he hoped to get to bed tonight without taking a drink. It didn't matter how many times he had done that already -- he wanted to do it today. One day at a time.
I miss you, Ray, and so do many of us.