My father passed away this year, just two months before he would have celebrated thirty years in AA. As we cleared away his desk littered with stacks of Grapevines, notes for AA meetings, and dozens of Serenity Prayers, I am painfully saddened that he didn’t live to celebrate this milestone. Up until the day heContinue reading “An Unlikely Hero – Grapevine Article January 2001 By Hannah H.”
Category Archives: Comfort
The Joy Of Living By Rabbi Simon Jacobson
This short reflection is a great way to deepen our understanding of what Bill W in the Twelve & Twelve (p.106) describes as the theme of the Twelfth Step ‘the joy of living’. He also uses a phrase I love to describe our experience in this joy as ‘life is not a dead end, notContinue reading “The Joy Of Living By Rabbi Simon Jacobson”
Accepting Ourselves As Works In Progress – A Spiritual Principle A Day August 8th
“A spiritual understanding of self-acceptance is knowing that it is all right to find ourselves in pain, to have made mistakes, and to know that we are not perfect.” IP #19, Self-Acceptance, “The Twelve Steps are the solution” “Change is a process, not an event,” we often say–because we find it to be true! TheContinue reading “Accepting Ourselves As Works In Progress – A Spiritual Principle A Day August 8th”
Got A Pain In Your Feelings – Grapevine Article March 1950 By J.F.
Am I my own worst enemy? I’VE been in AA, and sober, for five years. But I still bruise easily–at times. Just when I think God is in heaven and the goose hangs high, something is said or done and–ouch!–I’ve got a pain in my feelings again! Ever have that happen to you, a painContinue reading “Got A Pain In Your Feelings – Grapevine Article March 1950 By J.F.”
What Is Happiness – Grapevine Article January 2017 By Edwin B.
A son’s question on an autumn day reminds a sober dad just how far he’s come This fall, I was raking the lawn and my 22-year-old son, Nico, was bagging leaves for me. At one point, he asked me, “Does raking make you happy?” My initial thought was, Just stuff the leaves in the freakingContinue reading “What Is Happiness – Grapevine Article January 2017 By Edwin B.”
Accepting The Hardship Of Anxiety As The Pathway To Peace By Stephen Hayes
I believe this article does a great job of exploring the phrase we hear in the rooms ‘what we resist persists’ specifically in the context of anxiety. The long version of the Serenity Prayer includes the verse “accepting hardship as the pathway to peace’. You can use this article to explore how to apply theContinue reading “Accepting The Hardship Of Anxiety As The Pathway To Peace By Stephen Hayes”
The Coming Of Faith – As Bill Sees It #51
In my own case, the foundation stone of freedom from fear is that of faith: a faith that, despite all worldly appearances to the contrary, causes me to believe that I live in a universe that makes sense. To me, this means a belief in a Creator who is all power, justice, and love; aContinue reading “The Coming Of Faith – As Bill Sees It #51”
Finding Security Within Us By Phil Stutz
At the heart of recovery is the principle of paying it forward. This article is a great illustration of how this principle, when combined with another key AA principle of anonymity, can build a resilient inner security in the face of incredible, and often unconscious, uncertainty in our lives. The reflection below is poignant forContinue reading “Finding Security Within Us By Phil Stutz”
God Doesn’t Create Junk – Grapevine Article By Linda P.
God Doesn’t Create Junk She had to give up perfectionism and learn to value herself I will always be amazed at the wisdom I find in the rooms of Alcoholics Anonymous. I once heard that it is not what you say that matters, but how you make someone feel that counts. I want to make a difference,Continue reading “God Doesn’t Create Junk – Grapevine Article By Linda P.”
An Alcoholic and a Child of God – Grapevine Article July 1995 By Rick D.
STEP 7: Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings “You ought to be ashamed of yourself.” This would have been a perfect epitaph for my headstone if my drinking had killed me before I got to AA. It was something I was constantly told; it was a feeling about myself that, although I didn’t likeContinue reading “An Alcoholic and a Child of God – Grapevine Article July 1995 By Rick D.”