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”
Category Archives: Comfort
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.”
Inside Out – Grapevine Article June 1995 By Fred H
Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character If Alcoholics Anonymous were a self-help program, Step Six might read something like this: “Became determined in our minds to overcome all our character defects.” Mercifully, this is not what we are asked to do in AA. In fact, no action at allContinue reading “Inside Out – Grapevine Article June 1995 By Fred H”
Where’s My Reward ? – Grapevine Article September 2005 By Christine P.
Sober twelve years, an AA wonders when she’ll get the big pay-off This coming October will mark my twelfth year of sobriety, but even with the passage of time, the inner demons of the alcoholic mind don’t roll over and die that easily. As my AA birthday draws near, a lot of old stuff hasContinue reading “Where’s My Reward ? – Grapevine Article September 2005 By Christine P.”
Noticing Synchronicity – May 4th Reflection
Things happen in our lives for a reason, even if that reason is not clear to you right away. When events appear to fit together perfectly in our lives it may seem at first that they are random occurrences, things that are the result of coincidence. These synchronous happenings, though, are much more than that,Continue reading “Noticing Synchronicity – May 4th Reflection”
Make Me A Channel – Grapevine Article November 2020 By Michael J.
How a sponsor’s suggestion to meditate on a prayer led him on a path to peace, love and a sense of belonging I remember when my sponsor gave me an assignment for Step Eleven. After we reviewed the Step in our book Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, he told me to read the Eleventh StepContinue reading “Make Me A Channel – Grapevine Article November 2020 By Michael J.”
Letting Go – Grapevine Article June 2017 By Lynne D.
When a defect arises, she tries to release it like a balloon and let it float up to the sky. It feels so much lighter when it’s gone For a long time I thought Step Six meant doing nothing, just waiting around and being ready. I wondered why it had to be a separate Step.Continue reading “Letting Go – Grapevine Article June 2017 By Lynne D.”
Receiving The Gift That Surrounds Us – Touchstone April 2nd
The universe is the primary revelation of the divine, the primary scripture, the primary focus of divine human communion. –Thomas Berry In this program we learn about being receptive. A person in search of conscious contact with a Higher Power can simply stand still and open his eyes and ears to creation. Forcing a spiritualContinue reading “Receiving The Gift That Surrounds Us – Touchstone April 2nd”
From Denial To Acceptance – Language Of Letting Go February 22nd
Many of us lived in situations where it wasn’t okay to identify, have, or talk about problems. Denial became a way of life and our way of dealing with problems. In recovery, many of us still fear problems. We may spend more time reacting to a problem than we do solving it. We miss theContinue reading “From Denial To Acceptance – Language Of Letting Go February 22nd”