Chevra:
You thought Hurricane Katrina was bad. Well, it ain't no comparison to the brutal forces we face when working the 4th Step Worksheets.
Our Crew has really come together. For perhaps the first time in their lives, we are hearing people, TALK, TRUST and FEEL!!
We are hearing about struggles recent, and struggles past - memories shared and memories stuffed away forever - painful digging and uplifting relief. Just getting it off our shoulders what we've been carrying for so long has given many of us a new lease on life. Like a huge weight has been lifted from us.
And we're beginning to realize just how much "space" we've been leasing all these Resentments and Fears in our head. And we didn't even charge rent.
And yet, the biggest eye-opener of all is the 4th Column; where we acknowledge and own up to how big of a Part we played in all this. The Big Book spells it out in B&W on page 70 - "We are not theorizing. These are the facts out of our experience. It depends on us and on our motives."
It doesn't take a genius to realize that if I bang my head against a wall and it hurts - that if I bang it again, it's still going to hurt.
Fortunately, G-d has blessed us with a Program that says - wake up and realize that it's time to get out of our old robotic patterns of behavior. And that if I wear the same "glasses" as before, that I am going to "see" life just the same as before. I am going to have the same feelings - the Resentments, the Fear AND the same Sex Conduct.
No more - Not this Crew - Not on Board this Ship. We are hoisting the sails aloft to take us to the Promised Land - to the land of freedom and recovery!
Looking FORWARD,
Duvid Chaim
PS - Please enjoy the Daily Lift from Rabbi Pliskin below - Just Pause
#732 Just Pause
Being impulsive causes many mistakes and errors. Doing things impulsively will cause loss, damage, and harm. Saying things impulsively will cause you to say things better left unsaid. Thinking before you speak will enable you to think of the best way to say something. Thinking before you take action will enable you to consider whether you should do something, and how to do it if you should.
The two words that will remind you to stop and think are, "Just pause." As you pause, think to yourself, "What is the wisest thing for me to say and do now?"
Practice building the association in your mind between, "Just pause," and, "What is the wisest thing for me to say and do now?" How do you build the association? It's quite easy. You just repeat these two sentences together a number of times. Repeat them with an upbeat tone of voice, or sing them with your own tune. Enjoy the process. This way you will access positive feelings when you recall this association in "real life."
(from Rabbi Zelig Pliskin's book: "Conversations With Yourself", p.150) [Artscroll.com])
