Today we were talking about what this program is all about. It’s about not drinking a day at a time. But more than that. The way we stay sober is what changes us, so that we don’t have to go back out again. And that’s these Twelve Steps in here. Changing how we live and how we think. But that’s not all.
One of the things, which always amazes me, is how the spiritual way of life came into mine. I think I have said this to myself over and over again, that, when I came in I was far from thinking about anything spiritual. And yet my sponsor, and others, finally got me to slowly change my mind. But they weren’t the only ones.
One of those was a spiritual person, who one day told me and others that there were three things I had to learn and then grab on and persevere with these in my life. The first thing I had to learn was hope. And the reason that hit home with me was that was what gave me the freedom from alcohol. Someone gave me hope and that led to the prayer, which helped me to surrender to my being powerless and my need for God’s help in my life. And it worked.
So hope opened the door to this program, as well as a spiritual awakening for me. And that led to the beginning of faith. And I began learning to hang onto the belief in my Higher Power. And as I have grown along spiritual lines in here, my faith has improved. And all of this is the result of gifts I have been given. The new freedom and happiness. The peace and serenity. And the evidence of love in my life in here. The restoration to sanity and the spiritual awakening.
And, of course, love. I really never thought I’d arrive there, but here it is. And it’s different. It all began back at the beginning of my arrival here. My sponsor and those old timers gave that to me. In time I began to learn what that all meant. Today I look back and realize how many I have come to know and love in here and their return of love for me. But that’s not all. There’s the Twelfth Step.
This all resulted in what those old timers freely gave to me. I learned I had to do the same to those who come here and want to get sober. We used to go around and pick drunks up, who had called for help. Now they have rehabs and we hardly get calls anymore. So we have to look at that Fifth Tradition and follow it. Always remember the long form, which states that the group ought to be a spiritual entity, which tells me more about why we are here. And to give our love to those who seek and need it.
Anyway, just stopping and thinking about why I am here and what it is that I need to do on a daily basis. To stay sober a day at a time. Not yesterday or tomorrow, but right now. I am so grateful for all I have been given and need to say thanks to my Higher Power and those alcoholics in here, who have helped me.