Give me the reaching...

Step 2:  Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.

Koan: A student said to Yunmen, “I’m reaching for the light. Please help me.

Yunmen replied, “Forget about the light, give me the reaching.”

 “Came to believe…

Out of college, we moved to the Santa Cruz Mountains in August, 1970.  It was that summer when I saw that huckleberries were ripe, and nearby.  Sure, I had tasted huckleberries before, a few berries at a time; but now I wanted to bake a whole pie.

With a one-pound coffee can in hand I begin to pick berries.  They aren’t very large you know, the largest only a quarter inch or so in diameter.  Reaching for the berries, plink, plink, plink as they bounced off the bottom of the can. 

After a while I looked down at the can of huckleberries – geez, there’s only an inch of berries at the bottom, "It's going to take me a very long time to fill the can," I muttered.  But I kept on picking, reaching for the dark maroon-colored “orb-lets”, and of course sampling a few before they made it into the can. Slowly the can filled, only by my reaching for the next cluster.

"Came to believe that the can would eventually become filled.... 

Long story short, I filled the can and we had one great tasting huckleberry pie.

Now, about this reaching for a power greater than I,  and that I’m supposed to believe in?  What I’ve found:

•       Reading the Big Book is reaching
•       Working with a sponsor is reaching
•      Talking with friends is reaching
•    Being patient is reaching
•       Listening is reaching
•    Paying attention is reaching

Prayers and meditation are like this, too; even the feeblest ones…they are all reaching.  And if we continue the reaching, our lives will be full.

Dale told us he’s very fond of Step Two.  It’s not always about finding the Big Kahuna type higher power; it can be very practical in his daily life.  Being restored to sanity is the important part and reaching this place is the core of this Step.  "Reaching a level of sanity and being restored to a state of peace so I can go on with matters.  A person can say something that brings about a re-centering and my obstacle is gone. In this moment, that other person is a greater power.  The funny thing is that much of the time, that person has no idea how much they helped me."

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Nina from Oregon writes:

I love the koan you have chosen for step two.... and the mistaken idea that once you have god and he restores your sanity your problems are solved all is good   end of story. Faith is a relationship   malleable changeable.... we get peace serenity inner emotional maturity when we really work program are open to god's intention for us   and really work to live that plan god has made...and we also toss those things away when we decide to run our show ourselves.  Faith god serenity sanity    solid sobriety    all are things that have to be worked.... our sobriety is a lifelong process of   inviting god in to guide us   deciding to pay attention to what he tells us    and then either living by or not living by his plan.... its the reaching    that is important.... without reaching for god for faith for guidance for his intention     we are stuck in ourselves with our own small futile plans...and no sanity is possible....

Sanity might be one way god's grace (his working presence within us and in our lives) manifests...there are many other ways...

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Keep on reaching and you'll see that your "can of life" is filled to the brim.  The spiritual ways we work the 12 Steps (more reaching) are as varied as our finger prints.

Bill K.