Sharp as a Tack in a Haystack

09.11.25

Today was a good day. Work went well, then tonight I went to the meeting and it turned out to be just what I needed. A friend with 25+ years of sobriety is now chairing the Thursday night meeting, and it felt so good to see him right at home, sharp as a tack in a haystack, doing what he was meant to do. He was happy, alive, comfortable in his element. I could tell, and it gave me this deep sense of reassurance — like watching someone who’s lived this thing long enough to embody it.

The Third Step Prayer is still hard for me. I can’t keep the exact wording straight in my head, but a friend shared Dr. Bob’s version, and it hits different. It’s raw and honest, not polished, almost messy in a way that feels human. It’s about admitting the mess, asking for help, letting go even when I don’t want to, and trusting that something bigger can fill the emptiness I’ve carried. That resonates.

Dr. Bob’s Third Step Prayer
Dear God, I’m sorry about the mess I’ve made of my life. I want to turn away from all the wrong things I’ve ever done and all the wrong things I’ve ever been. Please forgive me for it all. I know you have the power to change my life and can turn me into a winner. Thank You, God for getting my attention long enough to interest me in trying it your way. God, please take over the management of my life and everything about me. I am making this conscious decision to turn my will and my life over to your care and am asking you to please take over all parts of my life. Please, God, move into my heart. However you do it is your business, but make Yourself real inside me and fill my awful emptiness. Fill me with Your love and Holy Spirit and make me know Your will for me. And now, God, help Yourself to me and keep on doing it. I’m not sure I want You to, but do it anyhow. I rejoice that I am now a part of Your people, that my uncertainty is gone forever and that You now have control of my will and my life. Thank You and I praise Your name. Amen.

I don’t have it all figured out, and maybe I never will, but tonight I felt connected — to the people, to the program, and to my Higher Power.