Daily Reflections-March 31

No one denied me love. On the AA calendar, it was Year Two. . . A newcomer appeared at one of these groups. . . . She soon proved that she was a desperate case, and that above all she wanted to get well. . . . [She said], "Since I am the victim of another addiction even worse stigmatized than alcoholism, you may not want me among you." - TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, PP. 141-142.

I came to you - a wife, mother, woman who had walked out on her husband, children, family. I was a drunk, a pill-head, a nothing. Yet no one denied me love, caring, a sense of belonging. Today, by God's grace and the love of a good sponsor and a home group, I can say that - through you in Alcoholics Anonymous - I am a wife, a mother, a grandmother, and a woman. Sober. Free of pills. Responsible.

Without a Higher Power I found in the Fellowship, my life would be meaningless. I am full of gratitude to be a member of good standing in Alcoholics Anonymous.

Daily Reflections-March 30

Our Group Conscience. "...sometimes the good is the enemy of the best." - Alcoholics Anonymous Comes Of Age, p. 101.
I think these words apply to every area of A.A.'s Three Legacies: Recovery, Unity and Service! I want them etched in my mind and life as I "trudge the Road of Happy Destiny" (Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 164). These words, often spoken by co-founder Bill W., were appropriately said to him as the result of the group's conscience. It brought home to Bill W. the essence of our Second Tradition: "Our leaders are but trusted servants; they do not govern."

Just as Bill W. was originally urged to remember, I think that in our group discussions we should never settle for the "good," but always strive to attain the "best." These common strivings are yet another example of a loving God, as we understand God, expressing Himself/Herself through the group conscience. Experiences such as these help me to stay on the proper path of recovery. I learn to combine initiative with humility, responsibility with thankfulness, and thus relish the joys of living my twenty-four hour program.