Today I went to the BB and read the story I had read before. The “third member of AA”. Interesting. I started reading it and before I knew it I was deep into it and didn’t want to put it down. It had a lot of good things for me in there.
One of them was I related to what he was saying. In fact a reminder of how much I relate and have related to so many like myself. Alcoholics. I look back and I think of how amazing this program is for someone like me. I mean there I was owned by alcohol. I couldn’t stop drinking no matter how I tried. And here again was someone just like me. And like him I could identify with others just like me. Not anyone else.
Like him I surrendered totally. No questions. I went to my Higher Power and asked Him to take alcohol away from me and to help me to stop living the life I was living and I’d do anything He wanted me to do. The next day I woke up and alcohol was gone and really has never returned. Talk about a miracle. I never ever want to forget that moment in my life. It changed my life.
The reason I am thinking about this is because this is the time that a long time ago I stopped drinking. My anniversary. I am always amazed when I think about this time in my life. That’s because I never knew that we would celebrate this. All I knew is that I wasn’t drinking a day at a time. And when this came up I couldn’t remember the day. I knew the month and that was it. But an old timer read the Jan. 6 page of the Twenty-four Hours a Day book. It struck me back at my first meeting. So it was suggested I just pick this day and I do.
And like this man I certainly was struck by the God of my understanding in my life. It really happened, when my old sponsor got me to read and understand the Second Step. It opened the door to a spiritual way of life for me. It introduced me to my Higher Power. Up to that point I wasn’t really doing anything, other than maybe reading the BB. Otherwise I was just thinking I would never drink again and that was all. Now the door was open to this program.
So, here I am and I’m focused on what it is I’m supposed to be doing in here. Staying sober a day at a time. But also trying to practice these spiritual principles in here. And for me that is to be freely willing to give away to the suffering alcoholic what was so freely given to me. The Twelfth Step. To begin each and every day committing myself to this program, the God of my understanding, and the “we” of this program.
Anyway it made me grateful to read that story and relate to it.