You'll never have to negotiate your way into a heart that wants you there.
Presence
I have finally found a place to live just like I never could before. And I know I don’t have much to give, but soon I’ll open any door. Everybody knows the secret, everybody knows the score. I have finally found a place to live in the presence of the lord.
-Eric Clapton – In the Presence of the Lord
Step 12 says, “Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps …” This is the only promise in the Steps. But what a promise it is! For some, this awakening was sudden and dramatic. For me, it was gradual and almost unnoticed, until in working Step 12, I was forced to look back. Then I saw how my life had changed; how my relationships with others had changes; and most dramatically, how my understanding of and connection with a power greater than myself had grown and flowered. I know that I am in the presence of my higher power whenever I walk into a meeting. The feeling of serenity, peace, and connectedness that I get comes directly from God.
No Substitute
Al‑Anon has turned out to be the very best thing I have ever done for myself. Although I knew that I didn’t cause the drinking, I can’t control it, and I can’t cure it, the disease of alcoholism in our family was destroying all of us. I had already gone to individual counseling and read many self-help books, but I didn’t find any hope from them. I couldn’t recover and have a good life until I started going to Al‑Anon meetings. It wasn’t easy, and it didn’t happen overnight, but I started feeling better from the very first meeting. Today there are more drinkers in our family than ever, but my husband and I have a good life; we are happy and fully self-supporting. We give most of the credit for that to this wonderful program. By Jill K., Florida January, 2019
Reprinted with permission of The Forum Al-Anon Family Groups Incorporated, Virginia Beach, VA
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