Daily Reprieve

From Courage to Change of Jul 03:

Normally, our group welcomes newcomers in a particular way — we share what Al-Anon has done for us, introduce our literature, and offer a few Al-Anon slogans before getting on with the meeting. No one ever took a group conscience about this procedure, it’s just the way we’ve done it for some time.

One evening, the chairperson departed from the usual procedure. I completely forgot why I was at the meeting and spent the rest of the evening worrying about the newcomers. They weren’t hearing what they were supposed to hear! Would they be all right? Would they come back?

At the very end of the meeting, one of the newcomers timidly spoke up. I was on the edge of my seat with concern until he said hew grateful he was to have hear the words the chairperson spoke, because they were exactly what he needed to hear. Once again I was reminded that God works through our groups to make sure that we all get what we need. I certainly got what I needed that night.

Today’s Reminder

I do not know what is best for other people. Today I will remember that newcomers, and everyone else, are in the hands of a Power greater than myself.

“When I stopped dwelling on how things would probably work out, I was better able to pay attention to what I was doing.” ~ Living with Sobriety

END OF QUOTE—————————————

I have a strong inner manager. It loves predictability, order, and knowing exactly how things “should” go—especially when it comes to welcoming someone into the circle of recovery. There’s a kind of comfort in ritual, in structure. It feels like safety, like assurance that the message of hope will land exactly as it’s supposed to.

But recovery isn’t a script. And healing doesn’t always arrive in the package I expect.

I am not the architect of someone else’s recovery. I don’t control the message. I don’t carry the weight of another’s transformation. I am just one part of something much bigger—a channel, a witness, a companion on the path.

God moves in ways I cannot choreograph. And when I’m trying too hard to hold the steering wheel, I miss the beauty of the journey unfolding in front of me.

Today, I’m learning to loosen my grip. To trust that a Power greater than me is always at work, even when things go off-plan. Especially then.

I don’t have to know what’s best for others. I just have to keep showing up, being present, and letting grace move where it will.

This entry was posted on May 12, 2025 at 2:03 pm and is filed under Uncategorized with tags Addiction, Alcoholism, Courage to Change, faith, god, Journal, Life, mental-health, Personal, Recovery, Spirituality. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.