Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2020
Today’s Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:
I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order. — John Burroughs
In the Twelve Steps, we see the term God several times. But from the program’s beginning, there have been atheists and agnostics using and valuing the Steps as their guide for life. Many men do not relate to a personal God. They do, however, experience the meaning and spirit of their group and the restoring powers of nature. That is why the founders of Alcoholics Anonymous included the phrase “God as we understood Him.”
Whether a personal God is real to us or not, nature is there for us as a healing and refreshing source. We don’t have to go on a major trip to the mountains or fishing in the wilderness to find this source. We find it in the sky, the clouds, and the magical moon; we find it in the intricate structure of a leaf, a massive tree in the park, or a wild bird on a window ledge. There is no more clear evidence of the generous gifts that come unbidden than in nature. And we can rest in the Power greater than ourselves shown in creation and the forces of nature.
Today, I will be soothed and healed by nature all around.
Hazelden Foundation
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