What counts is what we learn after we know it all I NO LONGER believe in coincidences! Last fall, when I had been sober almost twelve years, an AA friend dropped by just at a time when I needed help and didn’t know exactly what was going on inside of me. I had received twoContinue reading “Late-blooming Character Defects – Grapevine Article October 1984 By E.F.”
Category Archives: Isolation
Staying In Your Own Business – Loving What Is By Bryon Katie
I can find only three kinds of business in the universe: mine, yours, and God’s. For me, the word God means “reality.” Reality is God, because it rules. Anything that’s out of my control, your control, and everyone else’s control — I call that God’s business. Much of our stress comes from mentally living out of our own business.Continue reading “Staying In Your Own Business – Loving What Is By Bryon Katie”
Faith And Action – As Bill Sees It #212
Your prospect’s religious education and training may be far superior to yours. In that case, he is going to wonder how you can add anything to what he already knows. But he will be curious to learn why his convictions have not worked and yours seem to work so well. He may be an exampleContinue reading “Faith And Action – As Bill Sees It #212”
The Case Of The Inflated Ego – Grapevine Article August 2001 By Jacklyn S.
Only Step Seven–humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings–mentions humility specifically, yet all of the Steps seem to have an element of it. Some Steps require a big helping of humility to get going on the Step in the first place (for example, admitting we are powerless or that we are insane). Or, as aContinue reading “The Case Of The Inflated Ego – Grapevine Article August 2001 By Jacklyn S.”
The Masks Have To Go – Just For Today July 24th
“…we covered low self-esteem by hiding behind phony images that we hoped would fool people. The masks have to go.” Basic Text, p. 33 ❖ Over-sensitivity, insecurity, and lack of identity are often associated with active addiction. Many of us carry these with us into recovery; our fears of inadequacy, rejection, and lack of directionContinue reading “The Masks Have To Go – Just For Today July 24th”
Practicing Principles Of Hospitality & Welcoming – Touchstone Reflection July 18th
How should one live? Live welcoming to all.—Mechthild of Magdeburg Welcoming is a spiritual practice we met when we came to this program. We may recall our first meetings and how welcome we felt in this group of fellow sufferers. The group gave us hope when we felt desperate and continues to provide us withContinue reading “Practicing Principles Of Hospitality & Welcoming – Touchstone Reflection July 18th”
Step 1 Understanding What Is Unmanageable – Recovery The Sacred Art By Rami Shapiro
If I’m in control, I’m not powerless. If I’m not powerless, my life is not unmanageable; I am only refusing to manage it. The error here is to assume that life’s unmanageability stems from our powerlessness. On the contrary, the unmanageability of our lives is not caused by powerlessness; powerlessness is a symptom of life’sContinue reading “Step 1 Understanding What Is Unmanageable – Recovery The Sacred Art By Rami Shapiro”
Finding Happiness Within – Each Day A New Beginning July 13th
The trouble is not that we are never happy–it is that happiness is so episodical. –Ruth Benedict Happiness is our birthright. The decision to be happy is ours to make, every day, when confronted with any experience. Too many of us grew up believing that life needed to be a certain way for us toContinue reading “Finding Happiness Within – Each Day A New Beginning July 13th”
A Circle Of Friends – Grapevine Article December 1992 By Jim D.
I was a loner all my life. I was always scared and ashamed. I was poor, I lived in a dilapidated house, and my alcoholic father put my family through hell. I never had any friends. I despised alcohol for dealing me such a rotten break in life. As an adult, I vowed never toContinue reading “A Circle Of Friends – Grapevine Article December 1992 By Jim D.”
Our Secrets Keep Us Stuck – Each Day A New Beginning June 30th
. . . in silence might be the privilege of the strong, but it was certainly a danger to the weak. For the things I was prompted to keep silent about were nearly always the things I was ashamed of, which would have been far better aired . . . –Joanna Field It has beenContinue reading “Our Secrets Keep Us Stuck – Each Day A New Beginning June 30th”