In the 4th step of the Twelve & Twelve on page 53, we are presented with this assertion: “The primary fact that we fail to recognize is our total inability to form a true partnership with another human being. Our egomania digs two disastrous pitfalls. Either we insist upon dominating the people we know, orContinue reading “Practicing Convey Not Convince – Reminders For Effective Conversations By Thom R.”
Category Archives: Sacrifice
Bless My Enemies – Recovery Poem/Prayers By Saint Nikolai Velimirovich
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”
Searching In The Shadows – Richard Rohr’s Daily Meditation May 28th
This meditation can be helpful in our ongoing Step 10 and Step 4 work of critical self examination and radical acceptance. It suggest a perspective change and supports the 10th step spiritual axiom that when I am disturbed there is something wrong (or off) within me. Jungian therapists Connie Zweig and Steve Wolf describe shadowContinue reading “Searching In The Shadows – Richard Rohr’s Daily Meditation May 28th”
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.”
Developing A New Way To Relate & Respond To Pain – Stephen Hayes
Do you feel stuck ? Are you constantly battling with your thoughts and the conflicting noises in your head? Think of this article and the related video as teaching us how to move from that rigidity of the quicksand of being stuck to find a flexible ‘way out’ that can move us in an entirelyContinue reading “Developing A New Way To Relate & Respond To Pain – Stephen Hayes”
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.”
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.”
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”
A New-Found Providence – As Bill Sees It #328
When dealing with a prospect of agnostic or atheistic bent, you had better use everyday language to describe spiritual principles. There is no use arousing any prejudice he may have against certain theological terms and conceptions, about which he may already be confused. Don’t raise such issues, no matter what your own convictions are. ‹‹Continue reading “A New-Found Providence – As Bill Sees It #328”
From Willfulness To Willingness – Practice These Principles By Ray A.
I believe our daily, moment by moment movement between willfulness and willingness is at the heart of the phrase used in the Big Book … the ‘proper use of the will’ (BB p.85). I also see this movement as having tremendous value in adding a new paradigm of ‘response ability’ to this way of livingContinue reading “From Willfulness To Willingness – Practice These Principles By Ray A.”