Latest / Sober Readings / No One Denied Me Love
Transcript
- Scott Hayes: Welcome back to Sober Readings. Today is Tuesday, March 31st. Today's reading from Daily Reflections. No one denied me love. On the AA calendar it was year two. A newcomer appeared at one of these groups. He soon proved that he was a desperate case and that above all he wanted to get well. He said, since I am the victim of another addiction even worse stigmatized than alcoholism, you may not want me among you. That's from the 12 Steps and 12 Traditions pages 141 to 142. I came to you, a wife, mother, woman who had walked out on her husband, children, family. I was a drunk, a pillhead, 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 and 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 and Alcoholics Anonymous. Today's reading from 24 Hours. March 31, AA Thought for the Day. Since I've been in AA, have I made a start towards being more unselfish? Do I no longer want my own way in everything? When things go wrong and I can't have what I want, do I no longer sulk? Am I trying not to waste money on myself? And does it make me happy to see my wife have enough money for herself and the children? So ask yourself, am I trying not to be all get and no give? today's meditation for the day. Each day is a day of progress, steady forward progress, if you make it so. You may not see it, but God does. God does not judge by outward appearance, he judges by the heart. Let him see in your heart a simple desire always to do his will. Though you may feel that your work has been spoiled or tarnished, God sees it as an offering for him. When climbing up a steep hill, A man is often more conscious of the weakness of his stumbling feet than of the view, the grandeur, or even the upward progress. The Prayer for the Day. I pray that I may persevere in all good things. I pray that I may advance each day in spite of my stumbling feet. And the final reading for today is from As Bill Sees It. Today we're reading from page 267. As excuse makers and rationalizers, we drunks are champions. It is the business of the psychiatrist to find the deeper causes for our conduct. Though uninstructed in psychiatry, we can, after a little time in AA, see that our motives have not been what we thought they were, and that we have been motivated by forces previously unknown to us. Therefore, we ought to look with the deepest respect, interest, and profit upon the example set us by psychiatry. That's from AA Comes of Age, page 236. Spiritual growth through the practice of AA's 12 steps, plus the aid of a good sponsor, can usually reveal most of the deeper reasons for our character defects, at least to a degree that meets our practical needs. Nevertheless, we should be grateful that our friends in psychiatry have so strongly emphasized the necessity to search for false and often unconscious motivations. That's from letter written in 1966. Well, that's it for today's episode of Sober Readings with Scott. If you enjoyed the show, please do me a huge favor, hit that like button, share this episode with someone who might need it, drop a comment, and let me know what you thought. And make sure you're following or subscribed. so you never miss a new episode. And if you're someone who loves reading sober literature and would like to be a guest ⁓ reader on the show, I'd love to have you. Just shoot me an email at soberreadingswithscott at gmail.com and we'll make it happen. So thanks so much for listening. Stay sober, keep reading, and I'll see you in the next episode. Take care of yourselves and each other and remember just for today, don't drink, go to a meeting, and keep coming back. Have a great day. And as my friend Larry says, best day ever.