I am absolutely thrilled to have been invited to present a workshop at the Bill Wilson House in East Dorset, VT. \u00a0For one thing, I have never been to VT. \u00a0And secondly, I think I can safely speak for any one in AA when I say that to present a program there, feels like a truly spiritual gift. \u00a0To walk around on the same floors and stairs that he and Lois walked on sends chills up my spine.<\/p>\n
Perhaps I have them on a pedestal. \u00a0I know they were mere mortals; however, we all know that without Bill and Bob and Lois too, millions of us would not be sober. \u00a0The program I am offering is about creating more peaceful relationships. \u00a0That’s been a main theme of mine these last few years. \u00a0The last few books I have written have at their core the subject of relationships and cultivating more peaceful ones.<\/p>\n
It’s been my observation that none of us who wander into the rooms of AA and Al-Anon are all that successful at relationships. \u00a0We get better. \u00a0Thank goodness, but not without work. \u00a0I have needed both AA and Al-Anon in order to understand how to live more peacefully. \u00a0And most of the people I have met over the years who also are “double winners” seem to function in relationships more successfully that those who opt to ignore Al-Anon.<\/p>\n
I have suggested to any number of people that they might want to consider Al-Anon and have at times been met with snarls. \u00a0And yet, I continue to suggest it. \u00a0I have simply seen the success of being a double winner too many times to not keep suggesting it. \u00a0One of my favorite friends in Naples, where I spend winters, also said “AA has taught me how to stay sober. \u00a0Al-Anon has taught me how to live with people.” \u00a0He was 40 years sober when he said that, and 8 years in Al-Anon. \u00a0All the double winners in the meeting knew exactly what he meant.<\/p>\n
I’m not headed to VT to pound Al-Anon in the heads of the participants, but I’m quite likely to share my own experiences with being a member in both programs. \u00a0I know my sobriety has been helped and is helped a little bit more every time I go to an Al-Anon meeting. \u00a0Give it a try if you never had. \u00a0You just might be surprised.<\/p>\n
May we all find the help, the love and the healing we need to be able to help others too.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I am absolutely thrilled to have been invited to present a workshop at the Bill Wilson House in East Dorset, VT. \u00a0For one thing, I have never been to VT. \u00a0And secondly, I think I can safely speak for any one in AA when I say that to present a program there, feels like a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[8,15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3289","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-karens-musings","category-your-experience-strength-and-hope"],"yoast_head":"\n