Meditations on "Amends"

When we look back at our lives, we see that the road that took us down the path to addiction was strewn with flawed thinking and self-deception.

Seeking out those to whom we need to make amends can be intimidating.

Making a list of persons we have harmed is intimidating but becoming willing to make amends to all of them seems too much to ask.

In “How It Works” we read and hear the words read regularly in meetings: Rarely have we seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed our path.

In the Big Book of AA, we are advised to use discretion in knowing how much time and attention to give to any one situation in relation to others who might benefit in their desire to recover if given some time and support.

To be reconciled with someone who has wronged us is difficult.

Those who make steady progress in recovery and find one day becoming one month, one year, and then one decade, are those who remain focused and give careful attention each day to what works.

When we come to the point of making amends, fear can overwhelm us as we think about those we have harmed.

When we are trying to do what is right and live according to God’s principles, we will often experience comments from others who remind us of our past and the things we did.

Sadness is one of the most common human emotions and can be difficult to deal with.

Little by little as we walk with God and work the steps, we gain new information about ourselves and how we relate to other people.

The second promise found in the Big Book of AA tells us that if we diligently work the steps, “We will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it.