Note from the Delegate Chair

Dear Fellow SA Members:

I’m looking forward to the “Recovery on the River” Convention in July in Portland. My prayer is that many of you are too! What a wonderful spiritual experience it will be! We might even experience miracles in our lives while attending.

The decisions we make today will determine who we become tomorrow. As we trudge the happy road of sobriety (leading to a spiritual awakening in lust recovery), we will find peace and serenity, one day at a time. By moving forward in the Solution, “The crucial change in attitude [begins] when we [admit] we [are] powerless, that our habit had us whipped” (61). When I embrace the journey of recovery by abiding by Step One and being honest with myself, I will find joy. Step Two gives me hope that I will be able to feel joy each day. It is my choice to embrace this hope. Step Three tells me to trust God. “We discovered that the root of our problem is conscious separation from the Source of our lives; the solution is conscious union with that Source” (SA 93). Recovery is a process, not an event. I’ve heard members say “Directions will come, if I righteously seek them and listen to God’s spirit.” That is one of my favorite sayings.

“We have come to believe He would like us to keep our heads in the clouds with Him, but that our feet ought to be firmly planted on earth. That is where our fellow travelers are, and that is where our work must be done” (AA 130). We must take responsibility for our own sobriety. We cannot subscribe to the belief that this life is a vale of tears, though it once was for me. I made my own misery; neither my family, friends, nor coworkers caused my problems. Now I must insist on enjoying life each day. My sponsor used to allow me to wallow in the mire for 5 minutes a day. Any longer and I would start on that slippery slope, thinking I’m in control.

Each day, as I go out to face the world, I need to make the decision to let God direct my thoughts and actions. One way to begin the day is to look in the mirror and thank God for the person in the mirror, and to promise to love that person. Gratitude is contagious. The more we give, the more we get back. Today is a gift—let’s all make the most of it.