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Post Info TOPIC: Courage to Change (C2C) 8/18/16


~*Service Worker*~

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Courage to Change (C2C) 8/18/16


Today's daily reading is about Tradition Six which tells us that "Our Al-Anon Family Groups ought never endorse, finance or lend our name to any outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property and prestige divert us from our primary spiritual aim.  So often, we tend to focus on the steps in recovery.  What many don't realize is this program and fellowship work so well for so many because of the entirety of the program, as designed.

Today's reminder -- I come to Al-Anon to receive the spiritual benefit of the meetings, principles and fellowship.  I wish to do my part to see that we are not diverted from our primary aim.

Today's quote - from the Twelve Steps & Twelve Traditions for Alateen -- "We must always remember why we are here, and never use the group to promote our pet projects, or our personal interests in outside causes."

As individuals, we are free to participate in any cause we support.  As an Al-Anon member, I am free to send information about our fellowship to outside organizations.  However we cannot consider affiliating our group with outside enterprises, no matter how worthy they may be.  Doing so could divert us from the primary spiritual aim of the program which is to help families and friends of alcoholics recover from the effects of alcoholism.

I love the program, the traditions, the steps and the principles.  It took me a while to digest them and even longer to understand the purpose for each.  My perceptions change still as I grow in the program.  All I know in my small part of this great world is I was told early on that no matter where I came from, my job/professional status, my earnings, my religious beliefs, my (insert other here) when I arrive at a meeting, we are all equals.  We come together to work a spiritual program.  Those who arrived before me have no more/less power than those who arrived after me.  

We talk about ourselves, our challenges, our spiritual/emotional/perception issues.  We do not talk about our job, our qualifier, or outside issues.  We do not offer advice, we only share program suggestions to keep us focused.  We do not diagnose, judge, cross-talk - we listen and share our own ESH.  

There is a story about outside influences in recovery.  Way long time ago, when AA was just starting out, an outside influence wanted to donate a large sum of $$ to the recovery effort, not yet called AA.  The money would have been very beneficial in spreading the word and helping others.  The answers came to those in the fellowship that any outside influence might distract them from their primary purpose.  I view that 'answer' to have been a HP-given miracle....by keeping our focus on one primary purpose and not allowing outside influences in, we've become self-supporting and self-managing.

I am humbled and fascinated by the wisdom of those who designed our program.  The ability to keep us growing, moving forward and non-political has always amazed me.  There is no other organization I've ever been a part of that didn't have ego, power, control issues.  

Make it a great day everyone!  Happy Thursday!



__________________

Practice the PAUSE...Pause before judging.  Pause before assuming.  Pause before accusing.  Pause whenever you are about to react harshly and you will avoid doing and saying things you will later regret.  ~~~~  Lori Deschene

 

 



~*Service Worker*~

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The 12 step program really is a gift from God I believe. It is quite miraculous how the program has maintained itself all these years. It has stayed simple and is open to everyone who desires it.



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~*Service Worker*~

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Posts: 17196
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Each Tradition is an amazing principle. and it is so powerful to study them and embrace the underlying philosophy Tradition 6 does protect the powerful recovey program established by alanon founders from outside interference. We as individuals are permitted to investigate outside issues but we are not to being them into the room.
Thanks for your service

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Betty

THE HIGHEST FORM OF WISDOM IS KINDNESS

Talmud
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