Without Reservation

 Service to others is not service if it’s transactional. What has been so freely given to me, I must, in turn, freely give to others.

I can naturally want to share the goodness I’ve found in sobriety with like-minded women. It’s genuine and easy. But what about those with whom I don’t feel a commonality? My continuing recovery isn’t very solid if I allow myself to be negatively influenced by my perception of our differences. That’s not to say that it isn’t an issue for me sometimes - I can be a very opinionated person, easily turned off by my own prejudices. 

I do understand, though - and have experience here - that when I look for what we do have in common, the rest falls away. We all get to express our preferences and live our lives as well as possible. It’s my privilege to connect with those who are unlike myself in so many ways but this: we all have admitted our fallibility, our lack of control, and our need for the guidance of a Power greater than ourselves. In this arena of honesty, I find the gift of giving.

In the freely given experience, strength, and hope offered to any who want to hear, I open myself up to being used by my Creator in the continuing growth of creation. One cannot put a price on such a treasure.