“I took the one not traveled by/And that has made all the difference.”
For some reason, I keep going back to the poem by Robert Frost, “The Road Not Taken”. Somehow it seems to relate to the program. The fact that we were put upon this path and have been following ever since, and others have not. And it has made all the difference.
We can think of all of the millions who have gone up this road and the many millions who have not. I can keep asking myself why and still not come up with an answer. It’s probably not important. At least to me. All I know is that I did and am happy beyond words that I did.
Only a few times, very few, have I been tempted to stop and turn back. But by the grace of God and the help of so many I have stuck with it. I often think it’s in spite of myself. How fortunate we all are that we’re still here, still following this road and receiving so many benefits to which I know I have contributed little. All I have brought to the table is willingness to commit myself to what was so freely given to me. Someone, God, I believe, pointed the direction and in desperation I followed.
Today, I just had to go back and think of how fortunate I was that I was given the opportunity to find this way. How much gratitude I owe to God and the people who were here before me.
Especially my sponsor, his wife, who now has fifty five years, and all the other old timers, who showed me how this program works and directed my feet along the way.
I was thinking of old Wyatt Brown. That old man, who has long ago passed on, who gave me those words; AA does not add years to my life, but it does add life to my years. That’s what I have been able to experience for so long, life to my years. But it also has added years to my life, because I should have long ago been dead from the alcohol and the life I was enduring. I’m no longer “enduring”. I’m really living because of this program.
I got up today, and despite being so long in the tooth, I could remember where I was and where I had been. A far cry from my former life. Being given a second chance at life is truly a miracle beyond words.
Anyway, I just needed to express my gratitude for these blessings I have been able to share with all the members of this fellowship. It’s another great day.
Moody friends. Drama queens. Your life? Nope! – their life, your story.