If I had to sum up in one word the name of the miracle that people everywhere are experiencing because they’re applying the 12 Steps to their lives, the word would be “grace.” It is the fundamental doctrine that underlies the entire process of recovery. Grace is the enabling power available to all ... Read More
Giving Up: Despair or Delight – Steps 1, 2, and 3
I often strive to the point of strife. This strife is always counterproductive. I never seem to be able to kick and scream my way to any kind of real and lasting progress. Math and especially science that involves math has always been a struggle for me. My high school chemistry teacher was my dad. ... Read More
Little League Soccer and Early Recovery/Change – Step 1 – Part 4 of 4
“When the going gets tough the tough get going!” Really? Ethan is a new boy on the soccer field this year, not new to soccer but new to a competitive, go fight win attitude I didn’t see in him last spring. As his mom sat on the sidelines Saturday she was a little shocked to suddenly hear Ethan ... Read More
Little League Soccer and Early Recovery/Change – Step 1 – Part 3
Early soccer and early recovery/change have a lot in common. This is the third thing I observed at last Saturday’s game. Which way did she go? Up and down the mini soccer field they ran. Their little legs, completely covered by what’s supposed to be a shin guard, were just a goin’. During the ... Read More
Little League Soccer and Early Recovery/Change – Step 1 – Part 2
Early soccer and early recovery/change have a lot in common. This is the second thing I observed at last Saturday’s game. Is there a plan here? What play are they running? What the strategy? The answer to these questions in early soccer is, “No! No! There isn’t any yet!” The hope is that the kids ... Read More
Little League Soccer and Early Recovery /Change – Step 1 – Part 1
Sometimes my Coach shows up at my grandkid's soccer games. I’m talking about the Coach that can’t be seen, the one who whispers in my ear or speaks to my heart. This fall I am the visiting grandma at the coed games, age 4/5 and 6/7. This last Saturday I saw that early soccer and early recovery have ... Read More
TEMPTATION, the Enemy’s First Shot – Step 1
A huge turning point in my recovery from addiction occurred at a support group speaker meeting. People struggling in many ways attended this meeting, but our speaker (someone who shares his or her recovery story with a group) was a recovering alcoholic. His experience, strength and hope have had a ... Read More
Living in the Wilderness – Step 1
In the opening scene of the Book of Mormon the Lord told Lehi He wanted him to take his family and leave Jerusalem. Lehi didn’t sit around wondering if this was a “command command” or just a divine suggestion. It was God’s will. That’s all he needed to know. They left Jerusalem and moved to an ... Read More