Momentous

At my first OA meeting, a kind soul offered to buy me a book of my choosing from the OA library. I had no idea what I was even doing there, and every piece of reading material looked foreign and, quite frankly, just weird. I rifled through the stacks of books, and one caught my eye like a beacon in the fog: Beyond Our Wildest Dreams. The vision on the cover of the lighthouse and the endless sea leapt into my soul, and I saw my hand reach out for this life-changing book about OA’s history. My choice was made

A short way into the book, I fell hopelessly in love with Rozanne. We all have many choices as we go through life, and Rozanne’s first choice was to help herself. Every choice she made thereafter was to help as many of us as she could, whatever our disorders. Her lifelong resolve to pursue freedom, her faith, and her genuine passion for herself and others is so powerful in these pages. Rozanne’s unconditional and endless love touches my very soul.

While I went to various OA meetings and read other OA literature, Beyond Our Wildest Dreams continued to help me understand this grand, powerful Fellowship, one of acceptance, mutual respect, safety, and love. OA is not perfect, but I believe it is the answer to my daily personal desire to be free. It works when I live in the moment, one day at a time. Most importantly, I have learned that I am not alone in my daily battle for emotional and physical freedom. I have begun to be reunited with the gift of listening, which I believe is the most giving gift of all. At every OA meeting, I get what I give.

As I sailed through the chronicles of Beyond Our Wildest Dreams, I learned about The Builders, the people who came together in our program’s beginning and worked tirelessly for years to put together a strong foundation for OA. I learned, too, that they could fall, that we are all human—just human and nothing else.

Now, I am learning the power of one day at a time—one hour at a time, one moment. This moment is all I have in my grasp, just this single moment. When I recite this to myself, over and over, I can know and feel that, in this moment, I can have freedom.

I am only just beginning my life’s next saving-and-mending process. I’m thankful to have found a goal I want to work toward every day in my life: learning to be a more accepting, generous, loving, and confident person, one day at a time. My heart is becoming full, and, many days, even my soul feels at peace. I am starting to feel freedom, one day at a time.

But I will not ever be free of my genuine love for Rozanne and this Fellowship.

So, just for today, I am living in the moment—one day, one hour, and one moment at a time.

— Annie R., Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania USA

Find the OA-Approved Literature List under “Guidelines” at oa.org/documents. You can order your books, pamphlets, and other resources at bookstore.oa.org