Had a lot of thoughts today. And a lot of thoughts were shared with me. All of this made me stop and go back and let them all go through me. Amazing.
What always makes me stop and go back and think about all of this are the gifts I have been given in here. Not only did I feel given a lot of sharing today, but I was also given a gift by someone I enjoy talking to. He told me how he enjoyed being open and sharing and learning about this program.
I guess that’s where my mind was going during the meeting. We were talking about the Third Step and that phase of the Third Step, which really opens the door to the rest of this program and our sobriety and new way of living. I couldn’t help but go back and think about working with others in here.
I know I had to share how I was confused and bogged down by this Third Step. For some reason I couldn’t get out of the questions in my mind. And of course that’s when I heard someone tell another that God’s will for them were the other nine Steps. And that simplified my thinking all of a sudden. It opened the door to the rest of this program.
One of the things I learned in here and know that I must understand, is how to accept the imperfections I will go through in this program. I learned from my old sponsor, those old timers, and the BB, that the only Step I can work perfectly is the First. All that is required is a total surrender to accepting my willingness to stop drinking alcohol for the rest of my life. And of course giving up the life I was living. That worked perfectly for me when I asked my Higher Power for help and my willingness to surrender.
The rest of these Steps are going to be imperfect. That’s because, as I was thinking, I’m totally imperfect. A human being. I suffer from what we all have. Over sized egos. Stumbling over my old defects and faults. However being willing to admit my imperfections in my life. To pick myself up and ask for help. To surrender once again and dedicating myself to staying sober a day at a time. Asking for help, sharing, freely giving, and freely receiving. And trying to grow along spiritual lines.
Anyway, I did have to stop and think about all of this. I definitely never ever want to drink alcohol again. To do this program a day at a time. To go to meetings on a regular basis and share at meetings and with others outside the meetings. To have an open mind and heart. To be grateful for all I have been given. And that I am.