THE KEYSTONE

  

Good Morning!!!

 

God grant me the Serenity

to accept the things

I cannot change;

Courage to change

the things I can;

and Wisdom

to know the difference.

Thy will, not mine, be done.

 

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*

 

March 14, 2024

 

THE KEYSTONE

 

He is the Father, and we are His children.

Most good ideas are simple,

and this concept was the keystone

of the new and triumphant arch

through which we passed to freedom.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 62

 

A keystone is the wedge-shaped piece

at the highest part of an arch

that locks the other pieces in place.

The “other pieces” are Steps One,

Two, and Four through Twelve.

In one sense this sounds like Step Three

is the most important Step,

which the other eleven depend on the third for support.

In reality however, Step Three is just one of twelve.

It is the keystone, but without eleven other stones

to build the base and the arms, keystone or not,

there will be no arch.

Through working of all Twelve Steps,

I find that triumphant arch waiting for me

to pass through to another day of freedom.

 

**********************************************

Renew your Effort

 

"Though I know how hurt and sorry

you must be after this slip,

please do not worry about

a temporary loss of your inner peace.

As calmly as you can,

just renew your effort in the A.A. program,

especially those parts of it which have to do

with meditation and self-analysis.

"Could I also suggest that you look

at excessive guilt for what it is?

Nothing but a sort of reverse pride;

a decent regret for what has happened is fine;

but guilt–no.

"Indeed, the slip could well have been

brought about by unreasonable feelings of guilt

because of other moral failures, so called.

Surely, you ought to look into this possibility.

Even here you should not blame yourself for failure;

you can be penalized only

for refusing to try for better things."

Letter, 1958