June 2, 2014 - Step by Step

Step by Step
Monday, June 2, 2014

"There may be some wrongs we can never fully right. We don't worry about them if we can honestly say to ourselves that we would right them if we could. Some people cannot be seen - we send them an honest letter. And there may be a valid reason for postponement in some cases. But we don't delay if it can be avoided. ...As God's people, we stand on our feet; we don't crawl before anyone."- Alcoholics Anonymous, 3rd Edition, 1976, Ch 6, p 83.

Today, I will not take for granted the weight of Step Nine when I consider to whom I must - and can - approach with my amends. As the Big Book points out, some wrongs may never be made fully right, and there may be no recourse if making an amend only to clear our conscience risks further injury or implicates an unknowing other person. In cases in which we can honestly conclude that direct amends are not possible, our actions rather than our words may be our only avenue of atonement, and our strongest action is to get and stay sober and continue to grow in sobriety. In those cases where we can and must make amends, however, we are cautioned not to "crawl before anyone," not to submit to being the proverbial doormat. In drunkenness, we lost our footing which, in turn, triggered the damage we inflicted; in sobriety, we must stand on our own feet to give integrity to our amends. And our common journey continues. Step by step. - Chris M., 2014