Now that the holidays are over and all the store-bought gifts are given, we can focus on the “Real Gift.”
In recovery, it is important to continue to give of ourselves; with these gestures, we enrich our own lives. Stopping and helping a newcomer, or sometimes an old-timer; listening and sharing the principles of the program; or giving out our phone number or maybe a ride to a meeting and fellowship; these are all selfless acts of kindness. We alcoholics and addicts tend to be selfish, self-centered people. It is part of our problem – it’s the nature of the disease of addiction. So taking any opportunity to get out of ourselves is a good step in our recovery. There is a really good chance that we will remain sober today if we think about someone else’s needs rather than our own.
Working with our sponsors, going to lots of meetings, sharing our experience, strength and hope may help someone stay sober that we don’t even know. Here lies the “Real Gift.”
It usually happens like this: Someone approaches you after a meeting and says, “what you shared last year, last week or even last night, really helped me make it through another day sober and I just wanted to thank you!”
The tingling, that awesome feeling, is “the Real Gift,” which by the way we cannot create in ourselves. It was just given to us freely. I love that feeling! I am going to keep carrying the message and I encourage you to do the next right thing and carry the message also. You deserve the benefits of the “Real Gift.”
