12th step

“Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure; having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his.” Timothy 2;19 If the meeting I was at last night was the first AA meeting I had ever been to, I am quite sure I would have ran out the back door and never returned. Perhaps I should lower my [...]

First of all, thank God for the steps! I wouldn’t be able to tell this story without them. I wouldn’t because I would be trapped in the story; sucked in to the familiar familial drama of the tree from which this nut fell. Last Friday night I had dinner with my sister and her two [...]

How could we make amends? So it’s one more round for experience And I’m on the road again And it’s going to take some time this time. -Carole King I am so relieved to finally have this chapter over with. Well, this part anyway. My relationship with the Department of Corrections is far from over, but the big [...]

Zach is intelligent, charming, good looking, cool - and he knows it. Young people from the end of the fabric he’s cut from have these shiny Tyvek exteriors reinforced by all the self confidence and self esteem that money can buy. I’m not really sure how it happened but I recently became [...]

“You will be bound to them with new and wonderful ties, for you will escape disaster together and you will commence shoulder to shoulder your common journey. Then you will know what it means to give of yourself that others may survive and rediscover life.” Alcoholics Anonymous, page 152-3 It is very strange to suddenly have [...]

I am a creature of habit. I am not as flexible as I imagine myself to be. I am not unique. Sometimes I am able don a guise of pliancy convincing enough to fool everyone, including me, but it is made of denial and pride. Underneath that guise I find myself [...]

We should learn just to stick our hand out and whoever it touches that is alone, engage them, in whatever way is helpful. There is joy to be had, in that. - Anonymous It’s not surprising that with the new year there are an unusual number of ‘newcomers’ in the rooms of AA and other [...]