Today's Thought - March
 

March 1

Never be afraid to sit awhile and think.

~Lorraine Hansberry

Those of us who have experienced cravings and compulsions have at times felt we had no choice but to use an addictive substance or behavior. Resolutions, promises, plans, others' needs, our own dreams and desires - nothing could stop us from acting on our compulsion. Guilt and shame followed, as we knew they would. Sometimes remorse slowed down our using for a while - until the next time.

Recovery offers tools that enable us to stop and think through the consequences of an action we may feel tempted to take. Whether it's picking up our primary addiction or engaging in behavior that feels out of sync with our lives in recovery - telling lies, keeping secrets, indulging in character assassination - we don't have to act instantly. We can call a trusted friend or sponsor, attend a meeting, read recovery literature, share with others, or pray. The same is true when the prospect of something positive arises. We needn't rush into a new job or relationship. We can give ourselves time to test the waters, see how we feel, and think through the consequences of our actions.

Today, I'm not in a rush to take actions or make commitments. I can allow myself time to think.

Today's reading is from the book Glad Day

March 2

Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.

~Step Three

Care. This is what we turn our will and lives over to: the care of our Higher Power. What peace follows! We see our Higher Power as caring, as loving. We turn everything over to this Higher Power, who can take better care of us than we can by ourselves.

Care can guide us. If we want to do something, we can ask ourselves, "Would my Higher Power see this as an act of care?" If the answer is yes, then we go ahead. If the answer is no, we don't do it. If we can't be sure, we wait and talk it over with our friends and sponsor. We wait until we know whether it would be an act of care or not. What wonderful guidance!
Prayer for the Day

Higher Power, I give to You my will. I give to You my life. I gladly jump into Your loving arms.
Action for the Day

Today I'll care about others. I'll find as many ways as I can to care for others.

Today's reading is from the book Keep it Simple: Daily Meditations for Twelve Step Beginnings and Renewal*

March 3

Everything comes at its appointed moment.

~Joseph R. Sizoo

Timing can be frustrating. We can wait and wait for something to happen, and it seems to be forever until it comes to pass. Or, suddenly, an event or circumstance is thrust upon us, catching us by surprise. Believing that things happen too slowly or too quickly is an illusion. Timing is perfect.

Today, I will trust and work with Divine Order. I will accept the timing in my life today and in my past as being perfect.

Today's reading is from the book The Language of Letting Go: Daily Meditations on Codependency*

March 4

The great, good God looked down and smiled and counted each His loving child, for monk and Brahmin, Turk and Jew, loved Him through the gods they knew.

~Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Sharing with another human being is called communication. Sharing with God is called prayer. There are different manners of praying, different times of praying, and different names used for the Higher Power. We don't all need to pray the same way - but we all need prayer.

Prayer works. An endless river of examples flows through our meetings and reflects that truth: Prayer works. At a tense time, a fearful time, a hard or a confused time, a time of celebration or thanksgiving - someone prayed. God was sought, the mental and spiritual doors were opened with a simple, "Help me; be with me," and that presence was there.

As feeble and hesitant as our efforts at conscious contact may be, God will bring the party to us if we only invite Him.

Today's reading is from the book Days of Healing, Days of Joy: Daily Meditations for Adult Children*

March 5

We do not remember days, we remember moments.

~Cesare Pavese

I'll never forget peeling potatoes very early one morning preparing for the arrival of twenty-five guests. "We're not just making breakfast," said my friend. "We're making memories."

I don't remember the rest of that day, but I do remember making hash browns and chatting with my friend while the morning was still dark. Laughter filled our crowded cabin as our friends arrived at dawn.

The friendships we develop in recovery change our lives. We can have parties, plan adventures, and take healthy risks with our safe friends. We can make memories with the people we love, too.

In recovery, our wild and fun days are far from over, but now we will remember them!
Prayer for the Day

Higher Power, help me be lively and share the fun of life with others. I want to make happy memories with my family and friends.
Today's Action

I will think of a happy moment I shared with someone, and I will reach out to say, “Remember the time…?”

Today's reading is from the book God Grant Me: More Daily Meditations from the Authors of Keep It Simple*

March 6

God alone can finish.

~John Ruskin

We may have been brought up with the idea that we always had to finish something once begun - a meal, a painting, a task, a project, a letter. In many cases this went along with our notions of perfectionism: if something is going to be done, it must be done perfectly - the way Dad does it or the teacher or God. And so, especially if we liked to experiment a bit or dream, we felt we really didn't measure up.

But many of the greatest artists - Leonardo, Cézanne, Picasso - left work unfinished, as if to show the margin between impossible perfection and their own striving. What mattered was the effort and the process and the struggle. Each viewer of an unfinished picture could, by responding to the work’s creative urging with her his imagination, fulfill the process.

Our lives are never finished - at least until we can no longer add any final touches. We are always in a process of change and becoming. That is why we keep taking the Steps in our program over and over - to remind us that our lives are journeys, always in the act of unfolding.

I feel relaxed when I view my life as an ongoing creative process rather than as a perfect work of art.

Today's reading is from the book Answers in the Heart

March 7

Act as If...

In the arena of human life the honours and rewards fall to those who show their good qualities in action.

~Aristotle

The only way to get what we need is to "Act as if" we have it. The key word for us is act.

We have discovered that knowledge often follows action rather than vice versa. When we fake it in our early days, we find ourselves making it in later days.

In the beginning, we are asked to "Act as if" we are following instructions, trusting the program, listening to sponsors, and coming to believe. The amazing thing is that soon we were doing those very things.

We were never able to think our way into recovery. Our minds created a tremendous amount of trouble for us. We needed to turn our minds down (not off). We soon discovered the difference between doing and thinking.

The key to "Acting as if" is faith. With faith, the promises will come true for me. The way to faith is through my fears. I turn fears over to my faith and simply "Act as if."

Today's reading is from the book Easy Does It: A Book of Daily Twelve Step Meditations*

March 8

God insists that we ask, not because He needs to know our situation, but because we need the spiritual discipline of asking.

~Catherine Marshall

An omniscient God must know what we desire before we ask. God knows that what we really need most is reliance on God. And how do we develop reliance? Like most other things, by practicing.

If it weren't for the need to remind ourselves daily or hourly that all power flows from our Creator, we could just say a quick prayer at the beginning of each week, or each year, and be done with it. Surely God could fill our requests a year ahead of time. But getting our wishes granted isn’t the purpose of prayer. Getting to know God is the purpose.

I need to be in touch with my Creator every hour of the day.

Today's reading is from the book In God's Care: Daily Meditations on Spirituality in Recovery*

March 9

People have always wanted to talk to me about their problems. I guess I'm a good listener. Maybe I have something to contribute after all.

~JoAnn Reed

No one is without value in this life. Maybe we haven't discovered our unique purpose or special gifts, but we each have a place in the universe, or we wouldn't be here. Each of us can offer friends a valuable gift every day - we can listen. Messages from our Higher Power often come through the words of others. We perform a wonderful service for our companions by listening and by sharing our own experience and advice.

Rapt attention - giving it and receiving it - is perhaps the most valuable contribution any of us can make. Let's never underestimate the sacredness of listening.

I will keep my own mind quiet if a friend wants to share her concerns today. That way, my heart may be able to offer her the wisdom she needs.

Today's reading is from the book A Woman's Spirit: More meditations for Women*

March 10

All life is an experiment.

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

When we take a trip, we might plan it pretty carefully. We have expectations for what we will see, who we will visit, and what we will do. But the real purpose of a trip is to experience what happens while we follow our plans. We leave our routine of controlled and predictable days to enter another space where we will find novelty and the unpredictable. In fact, our whole life, from beginning to end, is a trip.

Once we accept that much of life is outside of our control, we can step aside. We make plans and work toward our highest goals. We take great pleasure in working toward our achievements. At the same time, the substance of life is not in controlling the outcomes but in responding to what happens along the way.

Today, I will be open and respond to what happens while I follow my plans.

Today's reading is from the book Stepping Stones: More Daily Meditations for Men*

March 11

AA Thought for the Day

Sometimes we try too hard to get this program. It is better to relax and accept it. It will be given to us, with no effort on our part, if we stop trying too hard to get it. Sobriety can be a free gift of God, which He gives us by His grace when He knows we are ready for it. But we have to be ready. Then we must relax, take it easy, and accept the gift with gratitude and humility. We must put ourselves in God's hands. We must say to God: "Here am I and here are all my troubles. I've made a mess of things and can't do anything about it. You take me and all my troubles and do anything you want with me." Do I believe that the grace of God can do for me what I could never do for myself?
Meditation for the Day

Fear is the curse of the world. Many are our fears. Fear is everywhere. I must fight fear as I would a plague. I must turn it out of my life. There is no room for fear in the heart in which God dwells. Fear cannot exist where true love is or where faith abides. So I must have no fear. Fear is evil, but "perfect love casteth out all fear." Fear destroys hope, and hope is necessary for all of humanity.
Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may have no fear. I pray that I may cast all fear out of my life.

Today's reading is from the book Twenty-Four Hours a Day: A Spiritual Resource with Practical Applications for Daily Life*

March 12

From harmony, from heavenly harmony,
This universal frame began...

~John Dryden

Our family is like a small orchestra. Each of us has an important part to play. To achieve harmony we tune in to how others are sounding. We recognize that every orchestra needs a conductor, a center for direction. We rely on our Higher Power for this support and guidance, and we realize that our family's music exists in time. It changes, it passes, and we begin a new song. Our music comes and goes. It is not carved in marble. It is a free expression of family love.

No one of us has to play alone, because we are an ensemble. The time for soloing comes later. Today we rejoice that we can play together.

How can my music add to the family's symphony today?

Today's reading is from the book Today's Gift: Daily Meditations for Families*

March 13
Hatred is never anything but fear - if you feared no one, you would hate no one.

~Hugh Downs

On those occasions when we find the bigger man within, we are more generous in spirit toward others. But sometimes we think too much about what is wrong with others and how they ought to change. That is a form of hate. If we are searching for what we have power to change in our families, in our friendships, in the world, we can learn to be big enough to set aside our fears.

Do we bear ill will toward someone today? When we are honest with ourselves, do we feel a sense of fear in relation to this person? What are we really afraid of? Perhaps the same person fears us. When we can do something about our fear, the hatred melts with no further effort. Then we are in touch with the bigger man within.

I have the inner strength to face my fears today. I will not send them outward as hatred.

Today's reading is from the book Touchstones: A Book of Daily Meditations for Men*

March 14

Honesty

Until I got honest about my addiction to drugs and alcohol, my codependency, my workaholism, there was no hope that I would recover from any of these things. Honesty about the things that are harming us can come in fits and starts for some of us.

It starts with self-honesty, the inner knowing, sometimes accompanied by a sinking feeling, that the jig is up, coupled with the inner knowing that something has got to give, go, or change. Maybe you remember when that moment was for you. The moment that you got honest with yourself.

The other moment, equally powerful, is when we speak our truth aloud to someone else. Sometimes we get honest with a partner, another family member, a friend, a physician, or a therapist. Other times we share in a meeting full of strangers. Who did you get honest with, for the first time? It's also possible that you haven't had either of these moments of honesty yet. That's okay. Each in our own time.

Getting honest with ourselves and then getting honest with others are big steps.

Today's reading is from the book She Recovers Every Day: Meditations for Women*

March 15

Debating the program

In school we may have joined in debates. They went on and on, and nobody ever had any answers. In our personal training grounds, the world of the streets, we often heard or participated in lengthy debates about the evils of our society. Of course, nothing ever changed.

Some people get clean and sober and then start debating about the Twelve Steps. The "answers" come to those who live the program, but such debate is of little value.

Am I living the program?

Higher Power, grant me the courage to take action and thus truly live the program.

Today I will put the Steps into action by...

Today's reading is from the book Day by Day: Daily Meditations for Recovering Addicts*

March 16
Fear Factor

For me, the motivating factor for not telling people I was in recovery was fear. I didn't know what that was going to be like. I was always afraid, not only about how I was going to be perceived but also of whether it would be held against me. Would it limit me? Would I be different? So I never let my superiors know, because I wasn't going to give them an opportunity to treat me differently. I'm not saying they would, but that was my way of protecting myself from the unknown.

Sometimes I met with people outside of my command. One such person was a Navy counselor on a ship; we would meet for lunch. The neat thing was - he was in recovery. Talking to somebody like me was a lot easier than somebody who's judging me based on my education or training. Who better to go see on the other side of the desk?

Today I will have a spirit of discernment when sharing my recovery with others.

~Joe H., U.S. Navy, 1988–2015

Today's reading is from the book Leave No One Behind: Daily meditations for Military Service Members and Veterans in Recovery*

March 17

Reflection for the Day

The program enables us to discover two roadblocks that keep us from seeing the value and comfort of the spiritual approach: self-justification and self-righteousness. The first grimly assures me that I'm always right. The second mistakenly comforts me with the delusion that I'm better than other people - "holier than thou." Just for today, will I pause abruptly while rationalizing and ask myself, "Why am I doing this? Is this self-justification really honest?"
Today I Pray

May I overcome the need to be "always right" and know the cleansing feeling of release that comes with admitting, openly, a mistake. May I be wary of setting myself up as an example of self-control and fortitude and give credit where it is due - to a Higher Power.
Today I Will Remember

To err is human, but I need to admit it.

Today's reading is from the book A Day at a Time: Daily Reflections for Recovering People*

March 18

Compassion doesn't mean taking care of people.

Feeling compassion for a friend in pain is a loving way to respond. It softens the harsh edges of reality for the sufferer as well as for ourselves. Trying to take away the pain, however, is not appropriate. Each of us is on a journey of experiences and opportunities that will help us grow and fulfill God's plan for our lives. What we learn from the difficult steps we have to take is part of the plan.

It's not always easy to draw the line between showing compassion and trying to solve a friend's problem. Some of us have made it a practice to intrude on other people's lives. Neither they nor we have been helped by it. Learning how to maintain healthy boundaries between ourselves and others is part of our journey today. Practicing this kind of compassion will give us growth.

I will show compassion today by maintaining healthy boundaries and not intruding on other people's lives.

Today's reading is from the book A Life of My Own: Meditations on Hope and Acceptance*

March 19

With each sunrise, we start anew.

~Anonymous

Like a tree, our life depends on new growth. There are many ways to bring new ideas and growth into our lives. We can attend Twelve Step retreats. We can study books and other literature on spirituality. We can attend different Twelve Step meetings.

But our spiritual newness may not just come from the Twelve Steps. We can do volunteer work or be active in other types of groups. We need to invite new ideas into our lives. We need to stay open to change. It doesn't matter what renews our spiritual growth. What matters is that we keep our spiritual lives fresh and growing.
Prayer for the Day

Higher Power, spring is one of the four seasons. Help me feel like spring. Help me to be strong but not stuck. Help me be firm yet open to spiritual growth.
Action for the Day

Today I'll try to do something new. When I get stuck or stubborn, I'll see that it's due to my fear of trying new ideas.

Today's reading is from the book Keep it Simple: Daily Meditations for Twelve Step Beginnings and Renewal*

March 20

If I'm standing in line in the supermarket...I ask, how can I spend my time there without just being impatient? And the way to do it is by paying attention to the environment.

~John Cage

Truly paying attention to what is in front of us can be a meditation. It is a way of being alive in the moment and appreciating reality, instead of having an attitude of impatience or boredom. If we engage actively with what we see and hear - noticing what is, not just our judgments about it - we will find the unexpected.

When we have tasks to perform, we can give them our whole attention, instead of simply hurrying to finish. Cooking for ourselves, caring for a sick friend, and even paying our bills needn't be tedious experiences if we don't resist them. When we cook, for example, we can take time to appreciate the color, texture, smell, and taste of the food we're preparing. We can give thanks for the gift of nourishment and eat with gratefulness. Whatever we are engaged in doing, we can live each moment as if it were created for us, meant to allow us to pause and be refreshed.

Today, I bring my full attention to whatever I do.

Today's reading is from the book Glad Day

March 21

Religious Freedom

"…a Power greater than ourselves." "God as we understood Him." These words introduce spirituality in the Twelve Steps. They are the first two references to God, and they are worded that way for a reason.

We each have the freedom to define, and understand, our Higher Power - God - as we choose.

That means we do not bring our religious affiliation into our recovery groups. It means that we do not try to impose our religious beliefs, or our understanding of God, on anyone else. We do not use our groups or meetings as a soap box to gain religious converts. We do not try to force the particulars of our religious beliefs on others.

We give ourselves, and each person, the right to a personal understanding of a Higher Power.

Today, I will respect other people's understanding of God, as well as my own. I will not allow others' judgment of my beliefs to cause me anxiety and distress. I will seek to grow spiritually in recovery, with or without the assistance of a particular religion or denomination.

Today's reading is from the book The Language of Letting Go: Daily Meditations on Codependency*

March 22

'Tis peace of mind, lad, we must find.

~Theocritus

What could be more valuable than peace of mind? With it, no other valuables are necessary. Without it, all the valuables in the world aren't enough. Truly, no human condition is more desirable.

All languages have words for the profound sense of serenity that is peace of mind. Liberians talk about peace of mind in words that literally mean "My heart sits down." In other parts of Africa, peace of mind is called a "body song" or "where the cool water runs." In any tongue, the sentiment is the same.

Peace of mind isn't something we go out and get. It's the result of something we do and keep on doing. Peace is the reward for turning our lives and our wills over to the care of God as we understand Him, so we can do what is necessary. When our response to shame is not a food binge, the afterglow is peace of mind; when we want to run from a relationship but don't, we have earned the sensation of peace; when we want to hide but we extend a heart and hand, we have won peace.

Today, I will prepare myself to receive peace of mind. I will thank God in advance for giving it to me.

Today's reading is from the book Days of Healing, Days of Joy: Daily Meditations for Adult Children*

March 23

Caring is the greatest thing; caring matters most.

~Friedrich von Hügel

The Third Step clearly asks us to turn our wills and lives over to the care of our Higher Power. Care is to become our guide when we choose our actions. Is it caring for an alcoholic to drink? No. Is it caring for an addict to turn to drugs instead of people? No. Is it caring for us to not seek help when we need it? No. Whenever we are at a crossroad, let us stop and look for the caring path. If we can't find the caring path, we ask our sponsors or those who have gone before to help us find the way.

Care is the path of our Higher Power; it is the path of recovery. We will learn in recovery that care is the greatest and best guide we could ever have. It is our Higher Power’s gift to us.
Prayer for the Day

Higher Power, help me to seek out and find the caring path. Help me to care again for others and myself. Let my last words of the day, and especially my actions, be those of care.
Today's Action

I will list five ways I can act in caring ways toward myself and others today. Then I will put this list into action.

Today's reading is from the book God Grant Me: More Daily Meditations from the Authors of Keep It Simple*

March 24

The purpose of freedom is to create it for others.

~Bernard Malamud

If we are fortunate enough to enjoy freedom, we know we must be vigilant and protect it for ourselves. Freedom implies responsibility, and we willingly assume it because we know that in freedom we have the chance to grow and thrive. It gives us the opportunity to make the best of our lives.

We also need to be attentive to the deprivations and desires of others. There are many who are not free and who, like us, prize freedom above all else. How can we help them? What can we do?

Our Twelfth Step asks us to reach out to others and carry the message of our program to those in need. Addiction denies people the freedom to be fully themselves and fully alive. People cannot be free and sane if their lives are ruled by addiction. By carrying our program to others, we can help them return to sanity and growth and freedom.

I want to be free and help others find freedom from their addictive behavior.

Today's reading is from the book Answers in the Heart

March 25

The Eleventh Promise

We will suddenly realize that God is doing for us what we could not do for ourselves.

~Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous

When we are new in recovery and survive a major problem or make progress, we try to explain it by saying we have been saved by coincidence. Then our new friends are quick to tell us that there are no coincidences in recovery, only miracles. God is doing for us what we could not do for ourselves.

As we meditate on this promise, we must practice patience, belief, and trust in our Higher Power. God always lets us know that miracles come in His time, not ours.

This promise tells us we must accept God's help, not merely be resigned to it. We must let go of our problems personally and turn them over to God with faith.

When I drank or used, my Higher Power was the substance I was using. I seldom admitted it. The eleventh promise tells me I have found a Higher Power that can and will do great things for me in spite of myself.

Today's reading is from the book Easy Does It: A Book of Daily Twelve Step Meditations*

March 26

Let us work as if success depended upon ourselves alone; but with heartfelt conviction that we are doing nothing and God everything.

~St. Ignatius Loyola

It's a spiritual paradox that the more successful we feel in this program, the more convinced we are that it is not our doing. Our success depends on our Higher Power. None of us can say, "I did it." As the quality of our life improves, though - as we grow calmer and more self assured - it is only natural for us to feel we’ve done something right.

We most assuredly have done something right if we are working the Twelve Steps of this program, for it is a stairway to communion with God, a stairway to serenity. The more time we spend on the Steps, the more time we spend with God. It's that simple. So it is true that we work for our own success, and it is just as true that it comes from God.

My success depends on the effort I make in putting myself in the hands of God.

Today's reading is from the book In God's Care: Daily Meditations on Spirituality in Recovery*

March 27

Choices are not irrevocable… They can be remade.

~Julie Riebe

Knowing that we can make choices about every circumstance in our lives fills us with awe at the breadth of our personal power. For decades, perhaps, we felt we had none. Life was bleak, and we were at its mercy. How thrilled we are to understand, finally, where our power begins!

We are learning so much from this program. At times we wonder how we survived for so long on so little understanding. Our condition felt hopeless, and because we took no responsibility for changing our circumstances, nothing changed.

That's true no more. Every day we intentionally make choices about what's happening in our lives. Some choices, like changing a job or confronting a friend, are big. Others, like deciding whether to exercise today or tomorrow, are small. Large or small, our choices allow us to decide who we are, and none of our choices are without significance. That's exciting!

I will choose carefully today. If a change of mind is in my best interest, then I can change my mind.

Today's reading is from the book A Woman's Spirit: More meditations for Women*

March 28

Anger is a great energizer if you don't get stuck in it.

~Lavonne Stewart

Many of us have to face up to our anger and the negative ways we have handled it. For most men, the real problem is not anger itself, but how we express it. Some of us never express it; others of us get abusive when we express it. Either way calls for more growth. Often, people confuse anger with abuse. They may say, "I just have to express my feelings, and when I’m angry, I have to let it out." Other people say, "Anger is so hurtful. I will avoid it at all costs."

Healing requires that we look to see the sources of our anger, how we have expressed it or failed to, and then learn how to say our feelings honestly and with respect. When we see what we are actually angry about, it gives us energy, it motivates us. It's a life force. There is no rule that we have to show our anger in destructive ways. We can be flat?out angry at someone we love and still maintain the respect we hold for that person. It is possible to learn to look at a friend and say, "I feel angry about this, and I'm here to tell you about it because I care about our friendship."

Today, I will accept my angry feelings as a source of life energy, and I will find honest, respectful ways to show them.

Today's reading is from the book Stepping Stones: More Daily Meditations for Men*

March 29

AA Thought for the Day

In AA we forget about the future. We know from experience that as time goes on, the future takes care of itself. Everything works out well, as long as we stay sober. All we need to think about is today. When we get up in the morning and see the sun shining in the window, we thank God that He has given us another day to enjoy because we're sober, a day in which we may have a chance to help somebody. Do I know that this day is all I have and that with God's help I can stay sober today?
Meditation for the Day

All is fundamentally well. That does not mean that all is well on the surface of things. But it does mean that God's in His heaven and that He has a purpose for the world, which will eventually work out when enough human beings are willing to follow His way. "Wearing the world as a loose garment" means not being upset by the surface wrongness of things, but feeling deeply secure in the fundamental goodness and purpose in the universe.
Prayer for the Day

I pray that God may be with me in my journey through the world. I pray that I may know that God is planning that journey.

Today's reading is from the book Twenty-Four Hours a Day: A Spiritual Resource with Practical Applications for Daily Life*

March 30

Home is the place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in.

~Robert Frost

Our home is a place of roots, a place where we can always turn in time of need. Some of us may have had the experience of being away from home and not being able to make it on our own. We know what a relief it was to reach out at last and call our family, who we knew would take us in.

We became people in our homes, we learned to eat and walk and talk there. We feel comfortable there, safe from the pressures of the outside world. It is up to us to keep it safe and healthy by growing in love and generosity there.

Home is a place to really give of ourselves and put our best into making it happy and secure. It will affect our futures more than almost anything else in our lives, It deserves our prayers of blessing. It is our foundation, the source of our first feelings for others. May we treasure our home and the people who make up our family.

What small thing can I do right now to make home a better place?

Today's reading is from the book Today's Gift: Daily Meditations for Families*

March 31

The loneliness each man feels is his hunger for life itself. It is the yearning that makes fulfillment possible.

~Ross Mooney

Many different journeys have been taken by the men who finally entered this program in search of hope. Most of us have known our own brand of desperation, but we have one thing in common - the loneliness we felt. Some of us felt left out of our families and other groups. We were appalled by what was happening in our lives, alone with our secrets, as if no one truly knew us. Some of us even romanticized our loneliness as a form of heroism.

As we gave up our controlling behaviors, false pride, over competitiveness, and striving for power, we made our weak spots and secrets more obvious. We became more accessible to friends. As we count the blessings of recovery, high on our list is that we are no longer lonely.

In part, what kept me going and led me to this program was my hunger for life. I'm grateful for the friends who truly know me now and still accept me.

Today's reading is from the book Touchstones: A Book of Daily Meditations for Men*