One of the many gifts I’ve received from sobriety is recognizing the distortion of my all or nothing thinking. So much of what is revealed as true for me is beyond what I can express rationally … one is too many and a thousand not enough … we keep it by giving it away. ThereContinue reading “On Joy And Sorrow – Recovery Poem From “The Prophet” by Kahlil Gibran”
Category Archives: Joy
Relief From Outcomes Beyond Our Control – Richard Rohr Daily Meditation June 26th 2026
As we consider the basis for our hope, let us recall who God is…. The hope we have lies in the radical transcendence of God…. God’s transcendence—God’s power of creative, redeeming, and sustaining love—is closer to us than we are to ourselves. God is the milieu, the source, of power and love in which our world,Continue reading “Relief From Outcomes Beyond Our Control – Richard Rohr Daily Meditation June 26th 2026”
Don’t Hand Them the Steering Wheel – Take The 12 Blog June 2026 By Rick W
One of the greatest freedoms recovery offers is the ability to stop letting other people decide who we’re going to be. Most of us arrived in Alcoholics Anonymous with a long list of reasons why we drank, acted out, exploded, withdrew, lied, manipulated, or held resentments. We became experts at pointing to what someone elseContinue reading “Don’t Hand Them the Steering Wheel – Take The 12 Blog June 2026 By Rick W”
Now I Am Enough – Recovery Poem By Damon E December 2008
I love this short poem my friend Damon shared with me yesterday. I also love the Big Book’s variety in describing a Higher Power … unsuspected inner resource’ ( BBp.567/568) , ‘a position of neutrality’ (BB p.85)… even as ‘a new found Friend (BB p.13). Allen Berger in his writing and talks has shared theContinue reading “Now I Am Enough – Recovery Poem By Damon E December 2008”
The Gift Of Joy Within – Each Day A New Beginning June 28th
Joy fixes us to eternity and pain fixes us to time. But desire and fear hold us in bondage to time, and detachment breaks the bond. —Simone Weil We live both in the material realm and the spiritual. In our material dimension we seek material pleasures, inherent in which is pain. Our human emotions areContinue reading “The Gift Of Joy Within – Each Day A New Beginning June 28th”
Practicing The Twelve Steps And Finding Real Freedom – Epilogue ‘The Fix’ By Ian Morgan Cron
We’re on this earth to learn how to “bear the beams of love,” as William Blake wrote, to lean into the Spirit, to avail ourselves of healing, to ease the burdens of others, and not rely on overeating, drinking, drugging, watching porn, compulsively controlling people, or any other repetitive, self-medicating behaviors to escape reality andContinue reading “Practicing The Twelve Steps And Finding Real Freedom – Epilogue ‘The Fix’ By Ian Morgan Cron”
Drop The Rock – 3 Minute Hilarious Audio/ Transcript June 1976 Talk By Sandy B.
‘Drop the rock’ is a powerful way of imagining and working steps 6 and 7. I love Sandy B’s hilarious way of helping us see these steps more clearly in this very short, impactful talk – Bruce M. Transcript If there is anybody new here tonight—and I hope there are some new people—there’s one lastContinue reading “Drop The Rock – 3 Minute Hilarious Audio/ Transcript June 1976 Talk By Sandy B.”
You Are Accepted – Finding Our Way Home In An Age Of Anxiety June 2nd Daily Meditation By Henri Nouwen
Henri Nouwen is thought of as one of the greatest spiritual teachers and authors of the 20th century. I found this short extract from his book ‘Finding Our Way Home In An Age Of Anxiety’ to be relevant to the Toxic Shame and Emotional Sobriety sections of our website. I also believe the 3rd step and 7thContinue reading “You Are Accepted – Finding Our Way Home In An Age Of Anxiety June 2nd Daily Meditation By Henri Nouwen”
Holding Hope Close – Recovery Poem By Adam M.
My friend Big Adam shared this poem with me. His poem reminds me of this article from Henri Nouven about how hope so fundamentally differs from optimism. Nouven says “the person of hope lives in the moment with the knowledge and trust that all of life is in good hands” and “hope is the trustContinue reading “Holding Hope Close – Recovery Poem By Adam M.”
Finding True Agency & Empowerment ‘With God’ – April 24th 2026 Reflection By Bruce M.
I’ll begin with a couple of reminders. First, progress not perfection … that true agency is a North Star I set my compass toward not a possession I’m expecting to acquire or achieve … I navigate with this aspiration not delude myself that it’s mine. Second, the Twelve & Twelve assertion “the more we becomeContinue reading “Finding True Agency & Empowerment ‘With God’ – April 24th 2026 Reflection By Bruce M.”