May 30 2012 | AA 12 Steps In Action | Step 5 Admit And Accept | Alcoholics Anonymous Today's AA daily reflection: "our primary purpose… To carry the message." What type of message? I need to remind myself that every single person who learns from experience, strength and hope of others and life experience will have their own unique way of sharing their truth. Their truth and my truth is as good as it gets just for today…
We are the broadest church when it comes to inclusion in our fellowship. The last chance saloon as I used to describe it. A place where people find redemption from being driven mad by life and alcohol. The insanity of not being able to stop and having developed an addiction for a substance called alcohol. Then in my case the realisation, once the alcohol stopped, I needed the experience strength and hope of everyone, even those still mad and holding very different opinions about life: to help me make sense of how to put twelve steps into action and learn how the traditions improve fellowship and my whole life a day at a time…
Carrying the message, giving it away to keep it and realising that our personal message is equal to anybody else sharing their message. We may be angry when we hear very different opinions and beliefs systems we would never adopt ourselves. But everyone has a right to express themselves. If we listen to one person in recovery, it won't work in my experience, I need every experience and listen for it in meetings and from friends. It is working just for today…
One day at a time as we carry the message, hopefully what works is shared and understood. Along the way we do meet people who appear to know everything, in the old days in the wild West they might be described as "medicine men" with their snake oil and smarmy charm. They become obvious over time. In my case the more I know, the less I know. From being gullible in my early days to being as sensible as I can be just one day at a time…
DonInLondon 2005-2011
Truth In The Moment Of Now... Truth moves on, we keep in step as we let go and open up to wisdom around us, enough fear to develop our faith and confidence, to listen, to feel life now, share be included... As we accept "life is difficult," together, we have courage to change...
Our Primary Purpose, "I must remember that A.A. has no monopoly on miracle making." Our miracle is sharing experience strength and hope, we learn what works and live. Fellowship and ..? The experience of many, each voice and presence as vital as the next, we find our path..
AA Daily Reflections ~ "OUR PRIMARY PURPOSE... The more A.A. sticks to its primary purpose, the greater will be its helpful influence everywhere. A.A. COMES OF AGE, p.109
It is with gratitude that I reflect on the early days of our Fellowship and those wise and loving “foresteppers” who proclaimed that we should not be diverted from our primary purpose, that of carrying the message to the alcoholic who still suffers.
I desire to impart respect to those who labor in the field of alcoholism, being ever mindful that A.A. endorses no causes other than its own. I must remember that A.A. has no monopoly on miracle-making and I remain humbly grateful to a loving God who made A.A. possible."
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AA Daily Reflection:
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May 30 2007
A reply to an email sent, one of a number today.
[ Hi and Thank You
a heartfelt thank you. Seems the world tells me and you in particular on this cloudy Wednesday morning, that it’s worth it to keep the blog going.
It gets quite rough sometimes and the strength of fellowship helps with most elements of life encountered. I appreciate beyond words what you say and the understanding you have from experiences over the years.
Some things you mention touch home and make me recognise the path some take is without conscious thought. I know my fate was sealed in early teenage years as I learned my living. There is no blame ever these days for how life has turned out, especially for family and the times lived. I see the door open in my mind's eye, the weight of life on my shoulders and already dependent, the halfhearted forgetfulness we have when we open the genie in the bottle.
No matter what anyone might have said, and the number of occasions in the 35 years of drinking I can count on one hand when anyone suggested I drank too much.. I was hiding my secret of course and like a man blind to self-knowledge I saw it in everyone else. And not me. A tough outside and broken inside. Coping as one can with extreme living, we need find the highest mountain to climb and fall into an abyss of exhaustion. Material success and so much more blighted the sensitive one inside me. And I guess in the final years where everyone expressed their concern, was when I had no power to stop. A cocktail of abject depression, drink and a strong desire for oblivion haunted every step. I had to lose everything material and anything spiritual to see the ghastly truth of ruin. Rock bottom.
Without doubt nothing stops the alcoholic or their behaviour. We are driven and in denial. Your resolute and open mind saw the danger, and accepted the warning. A gift indeed. And one I expect we all have. The choice of path I guess is what lies beneath truth and honesty.
Whether its nature or nurture is not the real issue for me or most who get to recovery. It’s simply how to live and love life, people places and all elements of our world.
For you to share and be kind and take the time to write says so much about you. And the good news is you and those close are gifted with love compassion and understanding learned from life. We may be powerless over everything, at the same time love helps the sensitive soul listen and recover their sensibilities. Hope is never lost, merely buried until eyes can open and clarity is sharp enough to accept truth.
I guess where children are concerned, I don't have any so I am guessing it can so frustrating. As we develop into adulthood, our capacity for risk is greatest as life opens Pandora's Box. Like any Treasure chest, life offers so much and we can be so easily beguiled by self-will and confidence which can be so easily turned to ego and fear, and of course secrets. Secrets keep us in the deep of silent endeavour to the good or less so.
We can share what we know and then as we humans are so designed we make choices through informed eyes or with filters as we push against the grand design of life and ego wins the day.
Hope is back, the only element not lost from the box of ancient times, for me and your words today will carry me along, so timely and so appreciated,
with best regard]
The Wonder of Silence
In silence lies the ability to listen; to listen to ourselves, to others and to God. Listening is a lost art. Without it we cannot communicate, we cannot relate to each other and so we cannot live life meaningfully. We need to learn to listen. Sitting in silence allows us to listen to ourselves and to understand. This silence can heal. The worries, the pain can be healed when we listen. Spiritual medicine is ever-present in the soul. Whenever we need it, to whatever extent we need it, we can find it within.
AA Official Site Daily Reflections
AA Official Online Site: Big Book And Twelve And Twelve
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"Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. Chapter 6, Into Action, Big Book From: Page 72 Thru: Page 75, the bottom of the page. 12 And 12 Step 5."
May ~ All About Step Five:" Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs"
Step 5 "Admit And Accept" Reading Video Link:
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May ~ Video Reading Chapter Six Into Action Link:
I do not speak for Alcoholics Anonymous I speak for myself. Alcoholics Anonymous is a fellowship of unique and authentic people who speak for themselves where they will to share experience, strength and hope about recovery on a daily basis. Anonymity affords
sanctuary to find how to live sober and be open, honest and willing to learn life day by day. For me "truth," "love" and "wisdom" offer the best spiritual experience by living reality today. Into the fabric of recovery from alcoholism are woven the Twelve Steps and the
Twelve Traditions, steps to be open, honest and willing to learn, traditions to live unity, service and recovery.
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Spiritual principles ~ Forgiveness Acceptance Surrender Faith Open-mindedness Honesty Willingness Moral-inventory Amends Humility Persistence Spiritual-growth Service
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