As we attempt to practice the willingness of Step 8 , we are confronted with this dilemma and challenge: “If we are now about to ask forgiveness for ourselves, why shouldn’t we start out by forgiving them, one and all?” – Twelve & Twelve p.78 I find this poem/prayer to be extremely helpful in openingContinue reading “Bless My Enemies – Recovery Poem/Prayers By Saint Nikolai Velimirovich”
Category Archives: Perseverance
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.”
Keeping Sobriety First – Grapevine Article January 2015 By Anonymous
In a rehab one night, a desperate young man almost gives up—until he hears a knock on the door. I remember sitting in a rehab in Austin, Texas. I had come in there broken and beaten; the bottle had done a good number on me this time. I had lost my job, my family, myContinue reading “Keeping Sobriety First – Grapevine Article January 2015 By Anonymous”
Don’t Let Yesterday Take Up Too Much Of Today – Coach John Wooden With A Poem By Vivian Laramore
A short reflection of how the hall of fame basketball coach John Wooden used a poem in his ‘Make Every Day Your Masterpiece’ philosophy. – Bruce M. DON’T LET YESTERDAY TAKE UP TOO MUCH OF TODAY This maxim represents the foundation of Coach Wooden’s approach as a teacher. He often reminded his players of this withContinue reading “Don’t Let Yesterday Take Up Too Much Of Today – Coach John Wooden With A Poem By Vivian Laramore”
Self Acceptance And The Twelve Steps
THE PROBLEM The lack of self-acceptance is a problem for many in recovery . This subtle defect is difficult to identify and often goes unrecognized. Many of us believed that our using was our only problem, denying the fact that our lives had become unmanageable. Even after we stop using, this denial can continue toContinue reading “Self Acceptance And The Twelve Steps”
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.”
The Shape Of Things To Come – Grapevine Article February 1961 By Bill W.
There is a timeless quality to what Bill W wrote that seems as relevant as AA approaches its 90th birthday as it was when he wrote this as the fellowship celebrated its 25 year anniversary. This relevance exists at both the personal recovery level and group collective. – Bruce M. AA’s FIRST quarter-century is nowContinue reading “The Shape Of Things To Come – Grapevine Article February 1961 By Bill W.”
Anxiety/Tension—All Bad? – Grapevine Article March 1969 By J.C.
An AA suggests that stress reminds us to plunge deeper into the program NO, SERENITY doesn’t mean a lack of any stress or tension. It means, instead, the inner security that enables us to bear these stresses and to use them as occasions for growth. I need not fear or shun anxiety, because there isContinue reading “Anxiety/Tension—All Bad? – Grapevine Article March 1969 By J.C.”
My Best Friend – Grapevine Article March 2025 By L.G.
Once alone and full of self-pity, she made a decision to let Step Three introduce her to a partner for life When I came into AA, my will was pretty much dead. I didn’t want to quit drinking and definitely didn’t want to be an alcoholic, but that was where I fit, on the bottomContinue reading “My Best Friend – Grapevine Article March 2025 By L.G.”
How Our Character Is Revealed By Our Emotions – Practice These Principles By Ray A.
Our moral inventory as laid out in the Big Book is an examination of our character flaws as they relate to three emotions. These are anger, resentment, and fear. We make a list of the people we are angry at and note next to each the “cause” of our resentments (our perception of what theyContinue reading “How Our Character Is Revealed By Our Emotions – Practice These Principles By Ray A.”