Forgiveness- TRY IT

Been on Vacation this week taking time to unwind and Smell the Roses. Even though my trip to the Rose Bowl was a loss for the Ducks a lot was gained. Rest, insight and peace just to name three blessings of my week in Southern Cal. I usually stress out in the L.A. area because of the freeway driving! I hate it... this time I took the train and got caught up on my reading. It really made a difference.

One night I was channel surfing after a day at Disneyland and settled on a bio of the old Mama’s and the Papa’s musical group. It was an interesting and entertaining story of sex, drugs and 60’s culture. It was followed by an interview with Mackenzie Phillips, the daughter of (Papa) John Phillips. This was an Aha! moment for me.

Mackenzie is a 49 year old recovering heroin addict who recently wrote a book about her life entitled “High on Arrival” She spent 10 years clean and sober and then re-lapsed when her dad passed away. I haven’t read her book yet but it’s on my list now.

The aha! moment I had was about her statement of how she got over her re-lapse. Its now big news that she came out on Oprah that she and her dad had, not only done drugs together, but had an incestual relationship. This was the key to her need to escape back into drugs. She had never dealt with this. “ I had never forgiven him for what he did. As soon as I did it was like a key that unlocked the door of my peace”

As Christians we are familiar with forgiveness, at least our own. God loves us and forgives us no matter what. This is the lead we need to take as addicts. Forgiveness of others. This is one of the keys to our sobriety.

When we get to

Step 4: We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.

Step 4 is where we face our past; we take inventory of, The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

“Happy are the pure in heart.” (Matthew 5:8)

This should include every event in our life NO MATTER WHAT our peace depends on it

STEVE