Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it. –Helen Keller When a man looks at his life and at the lives of others, it is clear that pain is part of life. We cannot escape this tragic truth; our growth and our wholeness must include it becauseContinue reading “Overcoming Suffering – Touchstone Reflection June 19th”
Category Archives: Tolerance
Enduring Loss; Reclaiming Joy – A Spiritual Principle A Day June 16th
“We come to understand that happiness is an inside job, a spiritual experience that can get stronger with recovery. We find that no matter what happens on the outside, joy can still live within us.” Living Clean, Chapter 7, “Love” As far as spiritual principles go, joy is uncomplicated. It can be elusive, however. InContinue reading “Enduring Loss; Reclaiming Joy – A Spiritual Principle A Day June 16th”
The Faint Ember – Grapevine Article July 1997 Bg Cathy L.
The first time I walked into an AA meeting, I had that eerie experience so many newcomers seem to have: the speakers were telling my story. Secrets and feelings I thought were uniquely mine were being revealed to a room of a hundred people. After I got over the feeling that it was all aContinue reading “The Faint Ember – Grapevine Article July 1997 Bg Cathy L.”
Unacceptable – Grapevine Article October 2022 By Allen B.
I stood there in line growing more and more impatient. After all, I had important things to do. I didn’t have the time to stand in line waiting for their social hour to end. My journey in recovery started in 1971. I returned from combat in Vietnam with an alcohol and drug problem. I’m gratefulContinue reading “Unacceptable – Grapevine Article October 2022 By Allen B.”
Releasing Expectations & Soaring – Touchstones May 13th
As long as you keep a person down, some part of you has to be down there to hold him down, so it means you cannot soar as you otherwise might. –Marion Anderson Because of our resentments we sometimes get tense. We say we aren’t going to have contact with our parents until they doContinue reading “Releasing Expectations & Soaring – Touchstones May 13th”
What Matters Most – Grapevine Article September 2021 By Kristin S.
Sometimes the results of our efforts to make amends take years. Sometimes they come after a lot of painful rejection. God’s timing is often mysterious, but it’s perfect. My dad and I had a rocky relationship while I was drinking. He kicked me out and had very little to do with me near the end.Continue reading “What Matters Most – Grapevine Article September 2021 By Kristin S.”
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.”
Freed Prisoners – As Bill Sees It #234
Letter to a prison group: Every A.A. has been, in a sense, a prisoner. Each of us has walled himself out of society; each has known social stigma. The lot of you folks has been even more difficult: In your case, society has also built a wall around you. But there isn’t any really essentialContinue reading “Freed Prisoners – As Bill Sees It #234”
Finding Clarity & Practicing Patience – Each Day A New Beginning April 27th
So much to say. And so much not to say! Some things are better left unsaid. But so many unsaid things can become a burden. –Virginia Mae Axline The occasions are many when we’d like to share a feeling, an observation, perhaps even a criticism with someone. The risk is great, however. She might beContinue reading “Finding Clarity & Practicing Patience – Each Day A New Beginning April 27th”
Changing The Way We See In Our 4th Step – Practice These Principles Ray A.
How can we do an accurate inventory if our vision is distorted? And what if we began our inventory with a greater awareness and curiosity about how our disturbances like our resentments, fears, guilt and shame might be distorting our judgments of people, places, and things including ourselves? What if we were not all orContinue reading “Changing The Way We See In Our 4th Step – Practice These Principles Ray A.”