As Bill Sees It

We neither ran nor fought. But accept we did. And then we began to be free.

the willingness to accept these new facts of living.

nearly all of us suffered the feeling that we didn’t quite belong.

“Indeed, that was the essence of A.A. itself: trouble accepted, trouble squarely faced with calm courage, trouble lessened and often transcended. This was the A.A. story, and we became a part of it. Such demonstrations became our stock in trade for the next sufferer.” LETTER, 1966

“In short, we chose to ‘become willing,’ and no better choice did we ever make.”

pain has been the price of admission into a new life.

Then we shall need to find both the courage and the grace to deal constructively with whatever fears remain.

“Day by day, we try to move a little toward God’s perfection. So we need not be consumed by maudlin guilt for failure to achieve His likeness and image by Thursday next. Progress is our aim, and His perfection is the beacon, light-years away, that draws us on.”

To define the word “harm” in a practical way, we might call it the result of instincts in collision, which cause physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual damage to those about us.