Turning Point

Dear Reader, 

      Today I noticed an AA message I might have previously overlooked. It was titled simply, “Turning Point.” Curious, I read on—and discovered a message about those pivotal moments in life when we are called to choose: to step into joy or to slip back into darkness, maybe even disappear from the path entirely. 

      I asked myself if I’ve ever faced such a moment. The clearest one was the day I chose to call the Laguna Beach Alano Club. I was met not just with a cup of coffee—but with a glimmer of hope. Hope that I could live alcohol-free. Hope that the broken pieces of my life could be gathered into something whole again. 

      That day, I heard the simple truth: “We are a fellowship of alcoholics with a common purpose—to help other alcoholics achieve sobriety.” Little did I know then that I was being offered more than help—I was being handed a lifeline. A way of life where failures could become stepping stones, and loneliness could be replaced by friendship, purpose, and enduring fellowship through both joy and hardship. 

      The Daily Reflection goes further. It says: “Joy comes to me when my attitude concerning God and humility turns to one of desire rather than of burden.” It continues: “The darkness in my life changes to radiant light when I arrive at the realization that being truthful and honest in dealing with my inventory results in my life being filled with serenity, freedom, and joy.” 

      What a promise! Trusting in a loving Heavenly Father—a Higher Power—helps me see what truly matters. It allows me to embrace solid joys—joys rooted not in fleeting pleasures but in eternal truths and quiet contentment. 

      So I return to the theme: Turning Point. Life will offer us many. But when we reach out and grasp the brass ring with all our might—and choose to endure to the end—we find joy beyond anything we could have imagined. 

  Until then, let us fully experience the ride. 

 

I offer some supporting thoughts: 

“There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth—not going all the way, and not starting.” -- Gautama Buddha 

• “We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.” — T. S. Eliot, Four Quartets 

• 
  “What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning.”— T. S. Eliot 

  
  “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts...”  — 2_Corinthians 4:6 

   

  “Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope... and if ye shall press forward... ye shall have eternal life.” — 2 Nephi 31:20 

  
  “Men are that they might have joy.” — 2 Nephi 2:25 

  
  “Enduring to the end is a hallmark of true discipleship and a prelude to eternal life.” — Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf 

  
  “Each of us has moments in our lives when we have to decide whether to trust in God or to give in to fear.” — President Russell M. Nelson 

   “The joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives.” — President Russell M. Nelson