Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

STEP TWELVE

he stands at the edge of new mysteries, joys, and experi-
ences of which he had never even dreamed.

Practically every A.A. member declares that no satisfac-
tion has been deeper and no joy greater than in a Twelfth
Step job well done. To watch the eyes of men and women
open with wonder as they move from darkness into light,
to see their lives quickly fill with new purpose and mean-
ing, to see whole families reassembled, to see the alcoholic
outcast received back into his community in full citizen-
ship, and above all to watch these people awaken to the
presence of a loving God in their lives—these things are
the substance of what we receive as we carry A.A.'s mes-
sage to the next alcoholic.

Nor is this the only kind of Twelfth Step work. We sit
in A.A. meetings and listen, not only to receive something
ourselves, but to give the reassurance and support which our
presence can bring. If our turn comes to speak at a meeting,
we again try to carry A.A.'s message. Whether our audience
is one or many, it is still Twelfth Step work. There are many
opportunities even for those of us who feel unable to speak
at meetings or who are so situated that we cannot do much
face-to-face Twelfth Step work. We can be the ones who
take on the unspectacular but important tasks that make
good Twelfth Step work possible, perhaps arranging for the
coffee and cake after the meetings, where so many skeptical,
suspicious newcomers have found confidence and comfort
in the laughter and talk. This is Twelfth Step work in the
very best sense of the word. "Freely ye have received; freely
give..." is the core of this part of Step Twelve.

We may often pass through Twelfth Step experiences