✦ Daily Reflection · April 11 ✦
A WORD TO DROP: "BLAME"
To see how erratic emotions victimized us often took a long time. We could perceive them quickly in others,- but only slowly in ourselves. First of all, we had to admit that we had many of these defects, even though such disclosures were painful and humiliating-. Where other people were concerned, we had to drop the word "blame" from our speech and thought.
--TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 47
When I did my Fourth Step, following the Big Book guidelines, I noticed that my grudge list was filled with my prejudices and my blaming others for my not being able to succeed and to live up to my potential. I also discovered I felt different because I was black. As I continued to work on the Step, I learned that I always had drunk to rid myself of those feelings. It was only when I sobered up and worked on my inventory, that I could no longer blame anyone.