AA
**Pueo - such good news... you KNOW that you must be living
the 12 steps if someone is willing to go to an AA meeting with
you. In many ways, it is like saying that he wants what YOU
have! Which is just great! And YOU must work a good
program, the type where you "walk the walk" rather than
just "talk the talk." I can only add that I hope your friend
& our new member, finds as much joy and fulfillment in AA
as I have. I seldom get an opportunity to come across
a new member in the workplace, since I'm disabled with
rheumatoid arthritis, but there are plenty of newcomers in
our meetings here. We give out more white chips than
any other color (white is our beginner chip.)
***I'll never forget the day when one of my former work
partners - his name was Bill - came back here from his home
in Mississippi on a vacation. I had worked with Bill as a
pharmacist for Revco for at least 3 years and he WAS hell
to work with. He came in every single morning with the
shakes. And he was so mean, he would have the clerks in
tears after a few hours of HIS company. He yelled at them,
he slammed drawers, in general he behaved like a BIG baby.
They ALL wanted to work on my shift instead of his. He WAS
hard to get along with, not to mention he promised customers
that he would special order items for them and then forget to
do it. Then I'd come along the next day on my shift & have
to deal with all the irate customers because he forgot to send
in the order. But many years later, I had long since left Revco
when I heard a WalMart was coming to the island - holidays off,
close at 6PM like normal people do. So many years later he
came to see me at WalMart, at the pharmacy & he just wanted
to tell me that he was truly sorry that he had put me through
such a hard time when I worked with him & I could just tell
by his complexion, his demeanor, everything about him, that
Bill was sober and a member of our fellowship, making the
rounds and doing some amends. I told him he looked
wonderful and that I was SO glad that he was enjoying his
retirement, and that he had never been all THAT hard to get
along with after all - but that I did appreciate him coming
to see me to apologize over the old days. All that had been
long forgiven on my part. I was just happy to see him happy.
He didn't have to tell me that he was sober - it was obvious.
And it made ME extremely happy for him to know that he had
finally found the gift of sobriety. He looked & sounded like a
new man. And, I guess he really was. AA works miracles
every day.
pueo<
"A friend in need is a friend, indeed."
God bless you.
my friend has continued to attend the meetings everyday and has a sponsor. two other friends went with him friday, saturday, and sunday. i attendend the monday and tuesday meetings, and will attend tonight. my friend is comfortable with going to the meetings by himself now, but my other friends and i enjoy the meetings and will be stopping in now and then.
That's aloha nui loa, Pueo. And what williamhenry3 said.
pueo,
The only requirement for AA membership is the desire to stop drinking.
We claim progress, not perfection.
Principles before personalities!
Hadn't read out of the Little Red Book in a long time, thanks williamhenry3!
I distinctly remember the moment when I decided that I would
join AA, pick up a beginner chip (white) and give up my right
to use alcohol one day at a time. I was driving home after
meeting with my sponsor in AlAnon (she was also in AA)
& we had talked about my drinking(when I drank) but I
said to her, but that doesn't matter because I'm not drinking
now! To which she just laughed and said "So what do you
think all those people in AA are doing?" So, while on my way
driving home - I was trying to rationalize any good enough
reason for why I should be able to continue to drink. I heard
myself - for some unknown reason, and I saw how insane
I had become. I think it is described as one of those moments
of clarity...or grace, when we are given an insight that changes
us forever. Suddenly, guarding my right to try and control my
drinking whenever I chose to wasn't important anymore. What
WAS important was the fact that I could SEE myself trying to talk
myself out of joining AA - and I could see my own lies for once.
I knew then that it WAS a serious problem for me, as it always
had been all my life up till that point. First it was living with an
alcoholic mother, then an alcoholic husband,then me becoming
a binge drinker and out of control. Thanks for the reminder
WilliamHenry. Even though - as you surely know, Hazelden
literature is not AA approved literature and therefore not intended
for use in a REAL AA meeting. Though we can talk about whatever
we choose here, since we are not a "real" meeting, just a
discussion group.
I hope that we ALL have another wonderful glorious
sober day, for which we can be thankful at the end
of this day. May your day be full of the kind of
new wonder that AA gives us.
DAILY REFLECTION
June 23
TRUSTING OTHERS
But does trust require that we be blind to other people's motives or, indeed, to our own? Not at all; this would be folly. Most certainly, we should assess the capacity for harm as well as the capability for good in every person that we would trust. Such a private inventory can reveal the degree of confidence we should extend in any given situation.
AS BILL SEES IT, p. 144
I am not a victim of others, but rather a victim of my expectations, choices and dishonesty. When I expect others to be what I want them to be and not who they are, when they fail to meet my expectations, I am hurt. When my choices are based on self-centeredness, I find I am lonely and distrustful. I gain confidence in myself, however, when I practice honesty in all my affairs. When I search my motives and an honest and trusting, I am aware of the capacity for harm in situations and can avoid those that are harmful.
update: friend is doing fine, and is additionaly attending a wednesday night step study program.
they have a soft ball game set for this saturday against another a.a. group. i get to play if i show......
Great, pueo!! Give'em hell!
Heh! Be fair, give them a chance
Part of the triad, physical stuff is important - who's on first?
