Once again the thought of acceptance was promoted and made me go back and think about what it is that promotes and helps me to accept. And what is that? It’s the Serenity Prayer over and over again and again.
It took me a long time in here to help me to learn how to accept. Not easy, when one is convinced the way I was. I mean I thought I was so often in control that it was difficult for me to finally come to believe that I wasn’t in charge. I had to learn from my old sponsor and those old timers that I wasn’t even close to be able to run this world the way I wanted to.
The truth is that all these changes in me came about, as the result of beginning to put that Second Step into practice in my life. Coming to believe in a Power greater than myself and entering into a spiritual way of life. That was a start. And then, like I heard in a Third Step meeting one night, that my God’s will for me were the other nine Steps. And that really opened the door for me.
Talking to others in this program, who at times are struggling the way I used to, I have to tell them that all of this takes time. It’s not an overnight event. It’s just a day at a time. And all of us, I have found out, have a lot of things, which are hard letting go of. Things we consciously hang onto and those we have, which are down there in our unconscious mind. However, I learned the more I surrender my resistance to change the better I get. But it’s not easy.
When I finally reached that point where I could accept that there are a lot of things I cannot change. I had to give the thought I could up. I had to ask my Higher Power to help me to accept that. And then I had to learn to change what I could. And that was myself. Up to that point I didn’t have the “wisdom” to know what it was I had to do. And when I finally arrived at that point I had to ask my Higher Power, and those in here, who were willing to help me. And I’m grateful that there were many who did.
Anyway, as I was sitting here thinking about staying sober a day at a time, the thought of acceptance was right there in front of me. Especially since I heard others talking about this today. It put living a sober life right there in front of me. That’s why I need to go to meetings and talk and share with alcoholics like myself. Makes me grateful once again that I’m given the help I need, whether I’m thinking I need it or not.