[Fluttering]

It was President Roosevelt that was quoted as having said, "We have nothing to fear but fear itself." One of our founders said, "Fear is an evil, corroding thread; the fabric of our lives is shot through with it." There is of course a healthy fear, the one that tells us to remember where we were and where we came from. Then there is the fear that can paralyze us from growing because it blocks out the sunlight of the spirit, and it keeps us from movingforward.
Fear feeds on fear and is surely a bar to right thinking, to love, and of course it powers and fuels anger, vainglory, aggressio, ego and all the other nnegative aspects of our characters that we had made a commitment to go to any lengths to be rid of. Once we admit, acknowledge, and recognize the fear, we pick up the other things from our kit of spiritual tools to work and walk through it. Now fear becomes the stepping stone to new growth, to prudence and to a deeper respect for others. It teaches us what Cariol mentioned in terms of courage. Many of us walked into the rooms of AA so beaten down with no self confidence and many other ailments. Freedom from fear gives us the opportunity to allow faith to blossom and grow.
Faith being one of the corner stones in our spiritual foundation from which all other things are built upon. It also takes grace to walk through the fear. And here is where I must remind myself it is a we program. There is no "I" in the word "We". We share with others our fears and listen, really listen to how they walked through rheir fears. When we surrender in the second and third step of the program and turn everything over to our Higher Power, which I choose to call God, fear is a huge chunk of that everything. When we do that, and often times it is turning it over many many times, we learn just how Powerful our God is. Yes, this takes trust and faith.
However once done we have a power and a force that can move mountains with just a word. I like to tell ones I am working with no matter how powerful, how omnipotent, how loving, no matter how compassionate and forgiving you think God is--HE AIN"T! He is so much greater, more powerful, more forgiving, more loving, more comapssionate than our earthly bodies can even begin to imagine. So with God on your side, the AA groups, you have all that you need to walk through the fear and come out the other side a stronger better individual. and on that note I will shut up so others can share. Once again I'd like to say Thank You God, Thank You God, Thank You God for bringing me to the doors of AA and these fine people.