Valuing our friends, we come to value ourselves. Accepting & enjoying the goodness of special people in our lives is an adventure in getting to know the depth of our own hearts. Friends teach us about our own capacity to care for & love other human beings.
We stretch our own goodness by listening to a troubled friend when we’re tired. We grow when we go out of our way to give our friend a ride when their car breaks down. We cherish another & ourselves when we find a card to send on an anniversary. We learn acceptance when we love others in spite of their failings & remind them of their special value when they feel guilty or down.
For many of us, being vulnerable & receiving friendship might be the best gift we can give. It can also be the most difficult. As with other problems in recovery, though, we find patience can be the solution. When we extend our patience & tolerance to others, we find a new inner calm & serenity. And we feel more worthy of love. Learning to be a friend is a two-way street that challenges us to love & to let others love & care for us.
Today let me enjoy the wonder of friendship.
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Life is short..Live it sober to the fullest...One day at a time...
We hear it said that all progress in the Program can be boiled down & measured by just two words: humility & responsibility. It’s also said that our entire spiritual development can be precisely measured by our degree of adherence to those standards. As AA co-founder Bill W. once put it, “Ever deepening humility, accompanied by an ever greater willingness to accept & to act upon clear-cut obligations—these are truly our touchstones for all growth in the life of the spirit.” Am I responsible?
Today I Pray
I pray that of all the good words & catch phrases & wisps of inspiration that come to me, I will remember these two above all: humility & responsibility. These may be the hardest to come by—humility because it means shooing away my pride, responsibility because I am in the habit of using my addiction as a thin excuse for getting out of obligations. I pray that I may break these old patterns.
Today I Will Remember
First humility, then responsibility.
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Life is short..Live it sober to the fullest...One day at a time...
Friends are definitely few and far between. This is an area in life I struggle with. I don't know how to make friends. The friends I've made in the past have used me as a doormat. I guess I'm learning how to be a friend these days. Good friendships take time to develop. For now my friends are based soley in AA.
95 percent of the freinds I have today..are in AA or Alanon...
The reason being? We create true freindship bonds...with trust..love..and understanding...sharing experience..strength..and hope..
Any freinds that I have..outside the program...are ..shall we say? superficial...which in Canuck terms...means to me..."They dont have a clue" "Not on the same level at all eh?"
An AA freind is something like putting a rabbit beside a rabbit....they identify...
You put a cat beside a dog? Well..they might be freinds....but one goes Woof!! and one goes Meow!!
God!! I hope that made sense...hahaha
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Life is short..Live it sober to the fullest...One day at a time...
This hits a sore point with me because the people who have told me that they were my friends - were not - they would be there for me no matter what - but they were not. When I sobered up I realized who my true friends were - turned out I did have two - the others were only users - so this built yet another wall for me to break down (don't trust anyone). Since being in A.A. my fellowship with others has become true and honest - which is something that I have to get use to. I must say that the group of people I hang out with now are completely opposite than before I became sober. Just my two cents on this topic.
Later - Jeannie
-- Edited by jeannie at 15:28, 2006-03-31
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You only live once; but if you work it right, once is enough. There is nothing better than the encouragement of a good friend.
