So I am back on the wagon again. It's been years since I have posted an update to the daily reflections.
A WIDE ARC OF GRATITUDE
And, speaking for Dr. Bob and myself, I gratefully declare that had it not been for our wives, Anne and Lois, neither of us could have lived to see A.A.'s beginning.
— THE A.A. WAY OF LIFE, p. 67
Am I capable of such generous tribute and gratitude to my wife, parents and friends, without whose support I might never have survived to reach A.A.'s doors? I will work on this and try to see the plan my Higher Power is showing me which links our lives together.
The value of the past
Page 101
"This firsthand experience in all phases of illness and recovery is of unparalleled therapeutic value. We are here to share it freely with any addict who wants to recover."
Basic Text, p. 10
A LIFETIME PROCESS
We were having trouble with personal relationships, we couldn't control our emotional natures, we were a prey to misery and depression, we couldn't make a living, we had a feeling of uselessness, we were full of fear, we were unhappy, we couldn't seem to be of real help to other people. . . .
— ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 52
Growing honestly
Page 100
"On a practical level, changes occur because what's appropriate to one phase of recovery may not be for another."
Basic Text, p. 105
TRUE BROTHERHOOD
We have not once sought to be one in a family, to be a friend among friends, to be a worker among workers, to be a useful member of society. Always we tried to struggle to the top of the heap, or to hide underneath it. This self-centered behavior blocked a partnership relation with any one of those about us. Of true brotherhood we had small comprehension.
— TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 53
Identification
Page 99
"Someone finally knew the crazy thoughts that I had and the crazy things I'd done."
CRYING FOR THE MOON
"This very real feeling of inferiority is magnified by his childish sensitivity and it is this state of affairs which generates in him that insatiable, abnormal craving for self-approval and success in the eyes of the world. Still a child, he cries for the moon. And the moon, it seems, won't have him!"
— THE LANGUAGE OF THE HEART, p. 102
Guarding our recovery
Page 98
"Remember that we... are ultimately responsible for our recovery and our decisions."
Basic Text, p. 103
ACCEPTING OUR HUMANNESS
We finally saw that the inventory should be ours, not the other man's. So we admitted our wrongs honestly and became willing to set these matters straight.
— AS BILL SEES IT, p. 222