Thinking about what this program has done for me and so many others today I had a thought. The thought was this. That through the Twelve Steps, the meetings, my old sponsor, those old timers I once knew back then, the good folks around me, and the great friends I have grown to love, that I have undergone a miraculous change. And that change has brought something into my life that I always wanted to have, but alcohol prevented that.
What was it? Just one word, which probably could be broken down into a lot of other words. That word is simple. Kindness.
What made me think of this was our two dogs. I had to stay home and take care of them today. As I watched them and let them in and out into the cold and back again and fed them, I realized what I was doing. I was being kind to them.
That made me stop and think about others in my life. My children, my grandchildren, others in my family, my friends in the program and my fellow acquaintances, people I meet. I suddenly realized that I try to be kind to everyone. Does it always work? Mostly. Sometimes my old thinking, my old defects, sometimes my emotions, my feelings, find me not acting so kindly. And, when I realize this, I try to go back and work through the changes again. Far from sainthood. Still human and full of defects.
Then I thought about what the Twelfth Step says about practicing these principles in all of our affairs. And there it was.
In a very real sense it’s part of the Ninth Step of this program. What it was that brought about the spiritual awakening in my life. At least one of them. The restoration to sanity.
And that brought my thinking into the spiritual way of life. My Higher Power and all I have been given. And then one of the words kindness brings to mind immediately came to mind. Love. That’s what I have received, which in turn brings out kindness for all others.
I’ll stop this meditation here. Once again it relates directly to my staying sober. And all I can do is be grateful for all I have been given.