Topic for the week: Voluntary “MUSTS”
I am grateful for this opportunity to lead our GROW weekly meeting. My name is Teresa, I am an alcoholic, gratefully recovering one day at a time. If you are new to this group or to AA, welcome! If you stay close to the program and the women who have recovered, you will be amazed and never regret the changes in your life. Thank you all for being here.
I am in the process of writing my fourth step under the guidance of my sponsor and my HP. I really believe that my HP/God guides her to guide me because she could not be that good on her own! 😉 She is an example of how the program works and reminds me that my disease is always waiting for me to fall into self pity, remorse, anger, or fear. When I “dwarf parts of our program to suit our (my) own distorted viewpoint” I can become just as physically, mentally and spiritually ill as I was when I started, 29 years ago.
Thus, the solution, for all of us: stay connected to our HP, whom I call God most of the time, go to meetings, and use the 12 Steps as a way of living each day of our lives. “It works if we live it.”
My topic comes from “The Little Red Book” , published in 1970 as a study of the 12 Steps of AA and a way to carry the message to other alcoholics. I will quote parts of page 172:
“We Don’t Have To…But!”
In desperation we joined AA for one purpose, namely: to get sober. …our 12 Step recovery program was entirely suggestive.
Living the 12 Steps was not compulsory, yet as we grew in understanding our new way of life, we realized that it embraced many voluntary “MUSTS”.
It is interesting to note the “musts” found in the Big Book, requisites for successful (sane, peaceful, free) sober living. These are some of my “musts”.
- I must remain spiritually connected to my HP
- I must pray and meditate every day
- I must make amends when I am wrong
- I must be grateful
- I must let go of old ways
- I must trust my HP to care for me, my family, friends, the world
- I must admit when I am wrong, promptly!
If you are inspired to share some of yours, I’m sure it will help me and others.
Thank you!
Teresa S. 12.21.93