Page 417 - The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous

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406 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS
Fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous long enough to
find the program in the Big Book and to practice all
its principles in all my affairs on a daily basis.
The last big hurdle was closing the meeting with the
Lord’s Prayer. As a Jew, I was uncomfortable with it
and decided to talk to my sponsor about it. So I said,
“The Lord’s Prayer bothers me. I don’t like closing
with it.” “Oh,” he said, “what’s the problem?” “Well,
I’m Jewish and it’s not a Jewish prayer.” “Well then,”
he said “say it in Jewish.” I said, “It would still be the
Lord’s Prayer.” “Right,” he said. “Then say something
else that you like. Your Higher Power, whatever you
call it, is helping you, and you need to say thank you.”
That was a big step for me; I finally began to sepa-
rate the religious aspects of my life from A.A.’s spiri-
tual program. Now the big difference to me is that
religion is the ritual, and we all differ there, and spir-
ituality is the way we feel about what we do. It’s about
my personal contact with my personal Higher Power,
as I understand Him.
Everything has turned around. I found a new job,
which I then decided to leave. I opened my own busi-
ness. I was able to put my two sons through college at
large universities. My oldest son’s great passion was to
go on road trips to get away from home when it was
time to come home on school breaks; now he comes
home regularly and brings friends. The younger son
comes home often and calls regularly.
My marriage is no longer on the brink and is better
than ever. And the best is yet to come. All this and
more I owe to the Fellowship in the rooms and the
program in the book.