Weekly AA Thread - Week of July 20 - 26

[retteacher]

Hi Everyone: Whew! There was a lot in last week's thread...especially at the end. I agree that we have to look for the meetings that feed us spiritually. However, I get something out of all the meetings I attend...even the "bad" ones. With that meeting I attended last week where there was an altercation, I learned something about what AL does in terms of human relations. I never, ever want to go back there: where all those small resentments get blown way out of proportion. "How important is it?" is one of the slogans of AA that really applies.

DG: I think that choosing the right sponsor is incredibly important. I can see now how fortunate I was that God put the right person in my life right when I needed it. Currently, I'm working on step 8. I really couldn't do these action steps (8 & 9) wo/a spons. I know I'd completely chicken out of making amends...especially to my husb.

We went to an open-bar wedding Sat. There was loads of drinking, but somehow (God, again?) we were seated at a table where nobody drank at all. Strange how circumstances work out. We ended up leaving pretty early...just as people were really getting tanked. You all know how it is w/the whole free booze situation. The more, the merrier!

Love, Mary

[okydoky]

Weekly AA Thread - Week of July 20 - 26

Hello my Friends,
Wow...it's just now sinking in...I have 6 months!
The time has flown. I'm working on step 4 and love the fear prayer "Remove my fear and direct my attention to what you would have me be". What a relief.
I attended the annual picnic yesterday and feel so at home with my new friends and family.
I don't have much time but want to say thank you for sharing your experience, strength and hope. You are all a blessing.

[retteacher]

Weekly AA Thread - Week of July 20 - 26

Okey: Congrats on 6 months...that's half a year. I feel very proud of you, & I hope you feel the same. I too went to an AA picnic...the first time I've socialized w/the AAers. It felt good to do that.

Mary

[cpn1004]

Weekly AA Thread - Week of July 20 - 26

Great posts for the start of the week, thank you all for sharing.
Love and Peace,
Phil

[Winefree]

Weekly AA Thread - Week of July 20 - 26

Oky, congratulations that is wonderful. Just a dream for me at this point, but I'm on the right path and with the help of MWO and AA and my counselor I can see it happening.

Mary, that is BIG going to a wedding like that. Good for you, I don't think I could do it yet.

Hope everyone had a great Monday. ALfree is the way to go. It feels GREAT!

Winefree

[cuckoosnest83]

Weekly AA Thread - Week of July 20 - 26

Oky, a very big congratulations on 6 months. I'm so happy for you.

Mary, as you say there is something to be learned from every meeting.

I will be forever grateful that my first AA meeting was the one it was. The people at that meeting truly seem to live the line "There but for the grace of God".

Wishing everyone a sober, safe, and happy Tuesday.

[retteacher]

Weekly AA Thread - Week of July 20 - 26

Everyone: Tomorrow we're going on a family vacation w/all kids & g-kids. It'll be fun but tiring at times. I'll be back when we return. Mary

[cpn1004]

Weekly AA Thread - Week of July 20 - 26

Mary, good luck on your trip. This weekend my wife's sister and her entire family is visiting our house, an additional 9 people! Yikes!!!!!!

[cuckoosnest83]

Weekly AA Thread - Week of July 20 - 26

Mary and Phil, hope you both enjoy your time with the extended family.

[Winefree]

Weekly AA Thread - Week of July 20 - 26

At a Beginners meeting tonight the topic of discussion was the promises noted in the Big Book. I've been doing a lot of alternative reading lately, so haven';t been in the BB for a bit.
I do believe some of the promises are already coming true for me and am anxious to read more about them. Things are sometimes happening and changing for unexplained reasons at times lately. I believe it's the higher power working to assist in the changes in my life as I let my higher power run my life.
Several other AA's also mentioned the promises as well and noted changes in their lives.

Have any of you had any of the promises come true yet?

Even someone in the rooms a long time stated she didn't realize there are promises in other areas of the book, such as on pages 85 and 86

Winefree

[okydoky]

Weekly AA Thread - Week of July 20 - 26

I hear ya Winefree. Things happening for unexplained reasons....can only be my HP working in my life. Pretty amazing I'd say!

[Doggygirl]

Weekly AA Thread - Week of July 20 - 26

Hello to everyone! Mary thank you for starting the thread this week and I hope you are enjoying your vacation!

I need to post more later to everyone here and also an update on my own "week in AA" which has been an active one for learning and step work. (yeah!) But a longer post will have to wait. But....


:yougo::yougo:Congratulations Okey on 6 Months of Continuous Sobriety!!!:yougo::yougo:


I am so glad we have this thread for sharing. WF, I love the main section of promises and feel I have started to see change already in my life long before I'm "half way through." I didn't look at pages 85 and 86 in that way though - it sounds like you have hooked up with a good meeting for BB study! Hope you will share more of what you learn!

Good things are happening in my life and I am grateful....I don't feel I understand what is going on but I wouldn't knowingly trade it for anything - especially not for AL.

Until later....

DG

[Doggygirl]

Weekly AA Thread - Week of July 20 - 26

Hi everyone. It's been a long but good week. Many changes. My original sponsor and I are parting ways in terms of the official sponsor / sponsee thing. I am relieved.

DG

[Doggygirl]

Weekly AA Thread - Week of July 20 - 26

Hello all - hope everyone is having a good weekend. It sure is quiet this week! Mary - we miss your energy and hope you are having a great vacation.

Tomorrow my step / BB coach and his wife are coming over to grill burgers and just visit. The underlying purpose of this get together is to make sure our respective spouses are comfortable with him and I working together. The step work does involve intensely personal stuff and I do understand the AA recommendation that in general, girl/girl boy/boy works best for this stuff. Mr. Doggy and I thankfully have a very solid marriage as I believe my coach does too - they will be celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary this fall. So I hope his wife isn't suspicious or anything. LOL - I feel like I'm getting ready for a site visit to adopt a baby or something!

When my brain flairs up with it's normal abnormal crap, I am reminding myself that things will work out the way they are supposed to. Serenity prayer. Asking for knowledge of HP's will and the strength to carry it out. I'm also starting to "get" the Big Book in a new and better way. I'm now understanding why some folks say that sometimes just randomly open it to a page a read to get a good and relevant and timely tid bit.

I re-read Chapter 4 to the Agnostic yesterday with a fresh pair of eyes. The phrases involving willingness and open mindedness kept leaping off the page at me. I also spent some time contemplating the question: Who am I to say there is NOT God? That is really an interesting one when you think about it. I am certainly not qualified to assure anyone that there IS God, but I am equally unqualified to say there is not. So I am open to the possibility, and am willing to take some actions on faith.

My next step when I work with coach will be a review of Step 3 and discussion of Step 4. Reading assignment currently is pages 60 - 72 which is the "How it works" section.

He also suggested I be thinking about who I want to take the 5th step with. He suggested it should be a woman. We talked about the pros and cons of an AA person, religious person, etc. I will eventually have another female sponsor, but don't right now and don't plan to rush into anything - especially if coach continues to work with me. I want the next one to be a better fit. Mean time, I was thinking yesterday about a woman who has many many years of sobriety. I don't see her all that often as she now lives in a neighboring town so only comes to meetings occassionally at the club where I go. She has been very kind to me (as she is to everyone) since I've been going to AA. She is a nun. I am not Catholic nor do I intend to be. But I figure she knows something about AA as a long term member. And she also knows something about confessions both from the AA perspective and also an additional perspective. And if this were the Abbercize thread, I might also mention that she has early Alzheimers which in consideration of Step 5 seems somewhat appealing. :H Anyway...low and behold she walked in the room this morning for the meeting I attended. That seemed a bit like fate to me so I asked if she would work with me on that and she said yes. I feel good about that.

My former sponsor sent me an e-mail yesterday which sort of had my mind reeling. I started to post about it here which was my instinct - to find a safe place to vent about it. But a voice in my head kept telling me that wasn't the right thing to do - that I needed to be quiet and listen. So I deleted all that I had written which believe me - was a LOT more than I ended up posting yesterday! What I think I learned as I pondered the situation is that we can study these steps and principles a LOT and have good intentions about practicing them in our day to day affairs. But it's not always easy and we are going to make many mistakes. I have no business criticizing anyone else considering the messes ahead of me on my own side of the street that need cleanup. So instead of mounting my broom and flying off to exact some revenge, I got out the Big Book and tried to do some sweeping.

Today I feel very good and I think in part it's from believing that all is working out as it is supposed to, and that I am grateful I kept my mouth (and fingers) silent for a change.

Baby steps.

I will be doing more BB reading in the sauna today...I'm actually looking forward to it.

I hope everyone who posts here and also anyone reading / lurking is having a great sober day. Please do post if you have comments or questions about specifics being discussed or in general about AA. I have found AA to be a good addition to MWO for my own sobriety. I am learning and growing, and most importantly staying sober. Life is good.

Strength and hope to anyone who is suffering today.

DG

[Winefree]

Weekly AA Thread - Week of July 20 - 26

Thanks DG for your post. I too find AA is being extremely helpful with my sobriety. I'm not really sure why so many seem opposed to it. This is coming from someone who was NEVER going to AA and now boy am I glad I did. Haven't started the steps yet and no sponsor, but learning just the same and staying sober, which is the goal.

Winefree