I WAS LOSING MY WAY

November 19

We in A.A. are people of action, finding joy in facing life head-on. Yet it’s easy to overlook the quiet power of prayer and meditation, dismissing them as optional rather than essential.

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 96

For a while, I drifted from the heart of the program. It wasn’t until a serious health crisis shook me to my core that I returned—especially to the Eleventh Step, which anchors me in our Fellowship. Even with fifteen years of sobriety and steady involvement, I realized my spiritual growth had stalled. A diagnosis of a malignant tumor, with only months to live, forced me to confront the truth. Later, strokes revealed further illness, and I kept asking myself: Why me?

In that darkness, I was given the gift of honesty and the willingness to learn again. That shift opened the door to miracles. Most importantly, I rediscovered the deep meaning of the Eleventh Step. Today, my health has improved far beyond what was expected, but even more valuable is the renewed spirit I almost lost. My illness is small compared to the joy of reclaiming my sobriety’s true quality.