October 4

A NECESSARY PRUNING

. . . we know that the pains of drinking had to come before sobriety, and emotional turmoil before serenity.

— TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, pp. 94

When on the roller coaster of emotional turmoil, I remember that growth is often painful. My evolution in the A.A. program has taught me that I must experience the inner change, however painful, that eventually guides me from selfishness to selflessness. If I am to have serenity, I must STEP my way past emotional turmoil and its subsequent hangover, and be grateful for continuing spiritual progress.

From the book Daily Reflections | Copyright © 1990 by Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.