Members Comments For The Readings - 2014

[MajestyJo]

November 14

Today's Thought:

Just because someone has their butt parked in a chair at an AA meeting doesn't mean they are working a good program or even that they are a decent human being for that matter. It's quality of sobriety I look for in a sponsor not how much "time" they have.

Submitted By:

Vicki
__________________

Found this to be very true, as they say quality not quantity can be seen in the rooms. There are people in the rooms that show me how not work my program and other who show me, that the program work when I work it. One person I met, relapsed every five years because he refused to do a complete 4th Step and as he told me, it was his Roman Catholic beliefs that got in his way. He died during his last relapse that never allowed him to make it back to try again. He had been around the program off and on again for 20 years.

[MajestyJo]

For me, that would read, the "yet agains."

I could stop, but couldn't stay stopped. My ex-husband stayed stopped for 9 months. It was good for him, after all he had the problem. I stopped to support him and encourage him and yet the words that came out of my mouth were, "Would it bother you dear if I had a glass a wine with my friend tonight dear?" The truth was, the one who couldn't stay stopped. I found out he had a drinking problem and was a drunk. I had a thinking problem and was the alcoholic.

[MajestyJo]

November 18


Today's Thought:

Personally, I don't care whether people are "real" alcoholics or not. What I care about is whether people with this affliction can be relieved of their suffering. I just today observed, very closely, some of that suffering and it's a very, very ugly and painful thing.

Submitted By:

Kevin

___________________

Had a friend who use to share about the fact that he was a real alcoholic. When he arrived at his first meeting he was decked out at his first meeting he wore, leather and studs, with lots of zippers and attitude and he would say things to shock me like the fact that he shot up alcoholic to get it to work faster. When he got his first year pin, he wore gray pants, a gray striped shirt, a small stud in his ear, and he was going around in later years and saying things like, "Take what you need, but take what you don't need and put it on a shelf, because you might find someone who may need it, and you can pass it on to them."

[MajestyJo]

November 22

Today's Thought:

It would be pretty unreasonable to think that somehow all that damage to myself was magically erased just because I didn't drink for awhile, right? Of course my "self esteem" was low. How could it be otherwise? The Steps were the answer for me. All 12 of them.

Submitted By:

Jeff
___________________

This reminds me of the guy from NA who repeatedly asked me what Step I was on. "Today is a good day, I only needed Steps 1, 2, and 3, some days I need all 12." I can't, God can, just for today, I choose to let Him.

[MajestyJo]

Fear of Giving

It is often the fear of rejection, which makes us afraid to give of ourselves. The person who is reluctant to share at a meeting may be holding back because of this fear. To share is to reveal who we are and where we are. If we feel inadequate, we do not want to expose this imagined inadequacy to other people.

If our self-image is too grand and inflated, we cannot possibly live up to it in reality. Expecting ourselves to be perfect sets us up for frustration and fear, since we know deep down that we do not measure up to our image of perfection.

With humility comes the willingness to give of what we have and what we are right now, without waiting until we are more eloquent or more accomplished. What we have to share is what someone else needs to receive. By focusing more on the needs of others and less on the imaginary concept of ourselves, which is our ego, we learn to overcome our fear of giving. What we have to give now is enough for today.

May I not be afraid to give.

Have had a real big fear of running out, especially of food, because I had a few very lean years. Thanks to the program, I have found that where there is enough for one, there is enough for two.