The Gift of Hope
Chapter 6 - A New Way of Life Page 111 (Draft Version)
We have so much to offer. We are good listeners, and we know how to find the strength and
hope in our experience. We are on a path and are conscious of our journey. In our own way,
we are each loving, caring, and generous. NA is boot camp for caring: We can learn more
about empathy in our first year in NA than most people do in a lifetime. What we learn about
living in NA is applicable outside as well, and we can be good friends to others whether they
are in recovery or not. The tools and principles we learn here can serve others in and out of
the fellowship. When we venture out, we get to discover how useful we can be.
We learn from each other’s examples. Those who go before us clear the path we walk today;
we walk in one another’s footprints as we progress on our journey. We learn responsibility by
watching others be responsible. Telling the truth about ourselves doesn’t just set us free; our
example frees others. Even in our most painful moments, we can still be a vision of what is
possible. If we are willing to include the people we sponsor and draw them closer as we go
through an ordeal, they can offer support and reassurance we dearly need. We also give them
the chance to learn from our experiences—and our mistakes. We can be an example of
strength and perseverance for others, and we can look to others for hope as well.
When we find our place, we fit like a piece in a puzzle. It feels right. “Recovering in complete
creative freedom” means that we can listen to our heart and our Higher Power, and follow
that path wherever it leads. The first time we believe we can stay clean, we begin to
understand that we have choices about our lives. But living out our choices takes courage,
patience, and perseverance. We have to be willing to hang in there when it gets hard, and
keep going when we’re not sure we’re getting anywhere. We keep doing what’s necessary to
care for ourselves as we move forward. The same tools that brought us freedom in the
beginning can keep working if we continue to use them with the same willingness.
We are loved and our lives have meaning today. We do remarkable things with our lives—
sometimes by accomplishing big goals, and sometimes simply by being ourselves. A member
complained to her sponsor that as a homemaker she felt she wasn’t really doing enough with
her life or her time, that maybe she should have done something more important. Her
sponsor smiled. “Are you kidding? By breaking the cycle of addiction in your family, you’re
changing history!” Our greatest achievements may not be the things anyone else ever knows
about: The simple fact that we survive our own stories is monumental. That we go on to help
others and live lives we can be proud of is beyond our wildest dreams. Whatever we do, we
make a difference in the world because we are clean.
Author
dj1979
43 male