The first time I heard this, I was in an AA meeting. A young girl there shared that she had made recently met with her grandfather to make (9th Step) amends. She said that after she said what she had to say to her grandfather, he read this to her. She had written this down as he was reading it to her. This girl was about 18 years old, and had been sober for 1 year. She and her brother were both in the AA program, and he was about her age.
This is the sort of spiritual growth I often see in 12-step meetings. The personal spiritual growth I see in AA members is what "Keeps me Coming Back".
The passage below seems fitting for those of us who are searching for a new way of life.
People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered.
Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.
Be kind anyway.
If you are successful you will win some false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you.
Be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight.
Build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous.
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow.
Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough.
Give the world the best you've got anyway.
You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God.
It was never between you and them anyway.
-Author Unknown