Hello All,
Happy beginnings of the Holiday Season. It's interesting here in Sunny Southwest Florida.
They throw lights on everything.
I am waiting to see if things are going to change much
because of Hurricane Charlie. A lot of people are in trailers but
most of the trailers are just set up on the land the house is on; ie,.
driveways, in front of the front door, in the car port.
It will be a fascinating Christmas this year.

Our Relationship to AA
I was told that things in my life would come in an order now that I was in AA and that if I kept them in that order always, my chances of staying sober where good.
The order was:
God
My AA program
Me (yes me)
My family
Meetings and Service work.

Seem like an odd order?
Not really. In all of the early literature there was a topic we
don't discuss much anymore. The topic was balance.
If I always keep God at the top of my list everything else starts to fall
into place.
After that comes my program, I am not talking about going to meetings.
I am talking about getting up every morning and talking to my HP.
Asking him to watch out after my "will" for the day. Taking my inventory,
Making apologies when called for. Helping another suffering alcoholic when they
walk into my line of vision.

Next comes ME.
Odd you think?
No not really. I was told that if I wasn't taking care of myself then I couldn't take care of anyone else because, really, all in all, I would have nothing to give.

Then comes my family. In the beginning it's great to go to meetings because we need them, badly. BUT after a bit---6 months, a year, we have to learn to back off. To show our families the respect and spend the time with them we never did when we were drinking. Or like me, who had their family after she joined the program. I had to balance my time in meetings, with my AA friends, against the needs of a busy active family. Balance is the key. It takes work to find that balance. It takes constant vigilance. I was told early on that the only price I will ever pay for the gift of sobriety is "constant vigilance."

Last: Does this seem odd? Is my meetings and service.
Last because as I said, if I have learned nothing, if I am not improving in my
life, if I am not practicing my program---------I am not active in my sobriety.
Now, only after I have done the work do I reap the rewards. The joy of sitting in meetings and sharing. The rewards of actively helping another alcoholic. The fun that comes with serivce work.

"I have to point out here that "90 in 90" is a fabrication of the rehab's and is not an AA requirement, only a suggestion, albiet a good one, if you have a family they should be coming first. Or at least in balance to meeting attendance."

I was also told that spending all my time at AA meetings was hiding in AA, not using AA to live my life.

The point being BALANCE. If I keep these things in the order that I was told to keep them in, I seem to have HP on my side and a smooth running life.
If they get out of order, my life becomes disrupted and I have to work at getting them back in order. The balance is in my relationship with my Higher Power.
The rest falls into place
It's really very simple as long as I don't complicate it.
Keep It Simple
Hugs,
PamW