Today was one of those days, when the group was reminded of gratitude. Each and everyone, who spoke, told about there need to practice being thankful for what they were given, as a result of their getting sober and staying sober.
I can never forget how my desire to kill myself was ruling me that last day. I was on my way to commit suicide, when I was stopped and they got a man, who had just heard about AA, and offered me a chance to go to my first meeting.
That gave me hope for the first time in a long long time. It helped me to pray to the God of my understanding and turn alcohol, and my life and will over to him. And the next day alcohol was gone and has never returned in all this time.
I went to that first meeting for me in AA, and heard a solution from all those in there, especially from and old timer, who read me the first paragraph in the Jan. 6 page in the 24 Hour a Day book, the day I was in there. I have never forgotten that and still go back and read it over and over again.
I have gone through a lot of stuff in this program since then. My first sponsor went back out and drank again, for a resentment he had. He got drunk and died. It woke me up, and my second sponsor helped me to change my life. He introduced me to the Second Step and the spiritual way of life in here, along with a concept of my Higher Power.
In all these years I have never ever drank again. I have learned a whole new way of life. I know I am to stay sober a day at a time. And that has kept me on this road, where my change in my way of life has made me so grateful. The spiritual awakening and my restoration to sanity, along with the gift of hope and gratitude, is part of the gifts I have been given in here. In fact the gift of hope was given to me along with faith and love.
I know that I am not a saint, but only a human alcoholic, who can find myself stumbling and bumbling and tumbling in here, over and over again and again. I learned that from the old timers, who told me that this would be this way until the day I die. But my Higher Power and this program, along with the people in it, can get me back on my feet and still keep me sober, each and every day. It all makes me so grateful, I need to be able to carry this message to everyone, who wants it.But my Higher Power and this program, along with the people in it, can get me back on my feet and still keep me sober, each and every day. It all makes me so grateful, I need to be able to carry this message to everyone, who wants it.