01.06.06

Use what talents you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang except those that sang best. --Henry Van Dyke

Today I am grateful...

• for small things like being able to work at my art table and chat on my new speaker phone
• that someone inadvertently caused me to realize that I had been selfish in not calling a spiritual brother
• for a certain very fierce Cajun
• that there are ways and means and prayers to guide me in making the choice
• for the freedom of sobriety

Acceptance and faith are capable of producing 100 percent sobriety. In fact, they usually do; and they must, else we could have no life at all. But the moment we carry these attitudes into our emotional problems, we find that only relative results are possible. Nobody can, for example, become completely free from fear, anger and pride.

Hence, in this life we shall attain nothing like perfect humility and love. So we shall have to settle, respecting most of our problems, for a very gradual progress, punctuated sometimes by heavy setbacks. Our old time attitude of "all or nothing" will have to be abandoned.~Bill Wilson, Grapevine, March 1962