When we finish our amends, most of us feel closer to our Higher Power than ever before. ~ Anon
Here we are in September already. This month, we will be working on step #9 and tradition #9. Step #9 reads: “made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.” The key word for this step is unconditional love. Many of us never knew what that felt like to be unconditionally loved and accepted. In AA we learn for the first time to love and be loved without reservations. Isn’t that powerful and healing? When I first came in, it hurt to be hugged, and I was suspicious of others’ intentions toward me. It was hard to feel anything at all, let alone unconditional love and acceptance.
I had spent my whole life feeling that I was too much of some things and not enough of other things. So, I had a whole litany of reasons why I did not trust your love and acceptance of me. “You must be crazy!” was my first thought and reaction. The hugs hurt. But, I let you say those things and give those hugs reluctantly. Now, you can’t keep from the hugs, and I am the first to offer them. Funny how love will do that to people. It melts away the prejudice and fear. It cures all. In step #9, we can learn to extend that unconditional love and acceptance to those from our past. One person and one day at a time, we can heal the past hurts and live in the present through the AA program of life. Such a deal we have here.
Party Line 