A Prayer & Some Thoughts - April
 

April 1

Simple Prayer

God,
Please guide me as I walk through this life.
Help me not to act on my own wisdom,
but to seek Your will in every situation I am in.
Thank you, Lord.
Amen

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Just a Thought

A better way than judging people is to look for all the good in them.

If you look hard enough and long enough, you ought to be able to find some good in every person. In A.A., I learned that my job was to try to bring out the good, not criticize the bad. Every alcoholic is used to being judged and criticized. That has never helped anyone to get sober. In A.A. we tell people they can change. We try to bring out the best in them. We encourage their good points and ignore their bad points. People are not converted by criticism.

So ............

Do I look for the good in people?

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Just a Contemplation

Communication

Communication is much more than words. Words are merely fingers pointing the direction to understanding - they are not understanding itself. To really communicate with someone, we have to allow ourselves, just for a moment, to become that other person. When we do this, we begin to be able to see beyond the masks that hide what another person is really feeling.

When we take the time to really see others, we may discover they are frightened, timid people longing for understanding. When we get beyond reacting to their outward behavior and move toward viewing their inner selves, it is much easier to extend a hand of friendship, to say we care, and truly mean it.

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Responsibility

In the last analysis, as a recovering alcoholic I need only have two concerns. The first is to maintain my sobriety on a daily basis and to practice the program of AA one day at a time. The second is to ensure that what was here yesterday will be here tomorrow for the next alcoholic who walks through the doors of the Fellowship. And for that I am responsible.

"Thank You For Sharing" Page 181
(Thank You For Sharing: Sixty Years of Letters to AA Grapevine)

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A Hug

It's wondrous what a hug can do
A hug can cheer you when you're blue
A hug can say "I love you so"
Or "Gee, I hate to see you go."
A hug is "Welcome back again"
And "Great to see you, where've you been?"
A hug can smooth a small child's pain
And bring a rainbow after rain.
The hug: There's just no doubt about it
We scarcely could survive without it
A hug delights and warms and charms
It must be why God gave us arms
Hugs are great for fathers and mothers
Sweet for sisters, swell for brothers
And chances are your favorite aunts
Love them more than potted plants
Kittens crave them, puppies love them
Heads of state are not above them
A hug can break the language barrier
And make your travels so much merrier.
No need to fret about your store of 'em
So stretch those arms without delay
And give someone a hug today!

~ Dean Walley

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Just a Quote

"The place to start a positive attitude is with the little things. If you can learn to appreciate them and be grateful for them, you'll appreciate the big things as well as everything in between." ~ John Maxwell

April 2


Hoarding Prayer

Lord, the materialistic temptation to gather and hoard is in us all. Self-protectionism and the false narrative of scarcity make for a toxic brew that we quaff on any normal day.


Forgive our hoarding hearts that know too well the rhythmic patterns of wanting more, taking more, storing up more.


Help us release a hold on material things and grip tightly to the treasures of kindness, mercy, justice, reconciliation, acts of charity, and love for all. We pray for ourselves, for each other, and for the world.
Amen.

~ Justin Lind-Ayres

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Just a Thought

A.A. will lose some of its effectiveness if I do not do my share.

Where am I failing? Are there some things I do not feel like doing? Am I held back by self-consciousness or fear? Self-consciousness is a form of pride. It is a fear that something may happen to you. What happens to you is not very important. The impression you make on others does not depend so much on the kind of job you do as on your sincerity and honesty of purpose.

So ............

Am I holding back because I am afraid of not making a good impression?

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Just a Contemplation

Laughter

When I first heard recovering alcoholics laughing, I thought I was in the wrong place. I was angry that they treated the disease so lightly. Then slowly I began to see that laughter is part of joy --- a deep joy that comes from personal healing. Laughter is spiritual because it is a positive response to life. It is the noise of optimism.

And there is so much in life to laugh about --- not only the funny things we did, but also the "humor" that abounds in living. How funny is our self-righteousness! How amusing we are in courtship. How ridiculous we appear when we pretend to be serious and "in charge".

Laughter is the conversation of angels.

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Atmosphere of Grace

Those of us who have come to make regular use of prayer would no more do without it than we would refuse air, food, or sunshine. And for the same reason. When we refuse air, light, or food, the body suffers. And when we turn away from meditation and prayer, we likewise deprive our minds, our emotions, and our intuitions of vitally needed support. As the body can fail its purpose for lack of nourishment, so can the soul. We all need the light of God's reality, the nourishment of His strength, and the atmosphere of His grace. To an amazing extent the facts of A.A. life confirm this ageless truth.

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions Pages 97-98

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Just a Quote

“Forgiveness means it finally becomes unimportant that you hit back.” ~ Anne Lamott

April 3


Morning Prayer of the Optina Elders

O Lord, grant me to greet the coming day in peace, help me in all things to rely upon your holy will.
In every hour of the day reveal your will to me.
Bless my dealings with all who surround me.
Teach me to treat all that comes to throughout the day with peace of soul and with firm conviction that your will governs all.
In all my deeds and words, guide my thoughts and feelings.
In unforeseen events, let me not forget that all are sent by you.
Teach me to act firmly and wisely, without embittering and embarrassing others.
Give me strength to bear the fatigue of the coming day with all that it shall bring.
Direct my will, teach me to pray.
And you, yourself, pray for me.
Amen.

-- St. Philaret of Moscow
(This is the English Translation)

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Just a Thought

I can do things that I never did before.

Alcohol took away my initiative and my ambition. I couldn't get up the steam to start anything. I let things slide. When I was drunk, I was too inert to even comb my hair. Now I can sit down and do something. I can write letters that need to be written. I can make telephone calls that should be made. I can work in my garden. I can pursue my hobbies. I have the urge to create something, that creative urge that was completely stifled by alcohol. I am free to achieve again.

So ............

Have I recovered my initiative?

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Just a Contemplation

True Happiness

We cannot find true happiness by looking for it. Seeking pleasure does not bring happiness in the long run, only disillusionment. Do not seek to have this fullness of joy by seeking pleasure. It cannot be done that way. Happiness is a by-product of living the right kind of life. True happiness comes as a result of living in all respects the way you believe God wants you to live, with regard to yourself and to other people.

I should not always seek pleasure as a goal; I should be content with the happiness that comes when I do the right thing.

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Real Alcoholics

Despite all we can say, many who are real alcoholics are not going to believe they are in that class. By every form of self deception and experimentation, they will try to prove themselves exceptions to the rule, therefore nonalcoholic. If anyone who is showing inability to control his drinking can do the right about face and drink like a gentleman, our hats are off to him. Heaven knows, we have tried hard enough and long enough to drink like other people!

Alcoholics Anonymous Page 31

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Just a Quote

"I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do." -- Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)

April 4

Prayer For This Day

Lord, grant me tenacious winsome courage as I go through this day.
When I am tempted to give up, help me to keep going.
Grant me a cheerful spirit when things don't go my way.
And give me courage to do whatever needs to be done.
Your will. not mine be done.
Amen


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Just a Thought

Am I critical of other members of A.A. or of new prospects?

Do I ever say about other members: "I don't think they're sincere, I think they're bluffing, or I think they're taking a few drinks on the quiet?" Do I realize that my doubtful and skeptical attitude is hurting those members, if only in my attitude toward them, which they cannot help sensing? Do I say about new prospects: "They'll never make the program," or do I say: "They'll only last a few months?"

So ............

If I take this attitude, I am unconsciously hurting those prospects' chances. Is my attitude always constructive and never destructive?

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Just a Contemplation

Getting Well

Only a short time ago, we were very sick. Getting sober made us so much better. At first, when we stopped drinking, we thought we were fixed. Then we began to see that we were not all that well.

No doctor can fix us. To get well, we need to keep living by the Twelve Steps and the slogans of our program. We need to keep on trusting that our Higher Power will heal us. One Day at a Time, day after day, we get stronger and happier. And it never has to stop. Each day, we know ourselves a little better.

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Recovery Through Giving

For a new prospect, outline the program of action, explaining how you made a self-appraisal, how you straightened out your past, and why you are now endeavoring to be helpful to him. It is important for him to realize that your attempt to pass this on to him plays a vital part in your own recovery. Actually, he may be helping you more than you are helping him. Make it plain that he is under no obligation to you.

Alcoholics Anonymous Page 94

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Just a Quote

"Look for your miracles. Hope for the best. But when you can’t change what you’re going through, let the simple, quiet, daily miracle of acceptance find you." ~ Melody Beattie

April 5


To be Myself Prayer

Lord,
Why am I so unsatisfied? Why is it so hard for me to be me?
I reject myself even though you forgive me.
Help me accept myself for who I am, here, now.
Free me from my desire to copy others and please everyone else.
I want to be a better me.
Show me what’s really mine.
My faults, my virtues.
Then mold me, oh Lord, shape me and make me confident.
And may it all manifest in acts of kindness, mercy and love.
Let me always understand and do your will.
Amen

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Just a Thought

Do I have any hard feelings about other group members or for any other A.A. group?

So, am I critical of the way a group member thinks or acts? Do I feel that another group is operating in the wrong way and do I broadcast it? Or do I realize that all A.A. members, no matter what their limitations, have something to offer, some good, however little, that they can do for A.A. in spite of their handicaps? Do I believe that there is a place for all kinds of groups in A.A., provided they are following A.A. traditions, and that they can be effective even if I do not agree with their procedure?

So ............

Am I tolerant of people and groups?

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Just a Contemplation

Living Sober

The single goal of staying sober is so all-important in AA that side benefits are often overlooked. There is even a tendency to warn members about the hazards of attaching importance to anything except sobriety.

But we do have to become responsible people in all things, not just sober people. We can expect real sobriety to bring the confidence and well-being we expected from the bottle, but never received.

Sobriety is not likely to give us the equivalent of the euphoria we got from drinking, but a great sense of well-being based on realistic expectations is more satisfying than the ridiculous mental states we sought in drinking. Living the right kind of life will bring its own rewards.

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A Higher Power for Atheists

I have had many experiences with atheists, mostly good. Everybody in A.A. has the right to his own opinion. It is much better to maintain an open and tolerant society than it is to suppress any small disturbances their opinions might occasion. Actually, I don't know of anybody who went off and died of alcoholism because of some atheist's opinions on the cosmos.

But I do always entreat these folks to look to a 'Higher Power'--namely, their own group. When they come in, most of their A.A. group is sober, and they are drunk. Therefore, the group is a 'Higher Power.' That's a good enough start, and most of them do progress from there. I know how they feel, because I was once that way myself.

As Bill Sees It Page 276

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Just a Quote

"Our time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life." ~ Steve Jobs

April 6


Prayer for Comforting

Dear God,
Some days feel too hard. We’re hurting. Struggling.
Fighting fear and worry at every turn.
Thank you in the midst of it all, you haven’t left us to fend for ourselves.
Forgive us for doubting you are there.
Forgive us for thinking you’ve forgotten.
Forgive us for believing we somehow know the better way.
Amen

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Just a Thought

Is it my desire to be a big shot in A.A.?

Do I always want to be up front in the limelight? Do I feel that nobody else can do as good a job as I can? Or am I willing to take a seat in the back row once in a while and let somebody else carry the ball? Part of the effectiveness of any A.A. group is the development of new members to carry on, to take over, from the older members. Am I reluctant to give up authority? Do I try to carry the load for the whole group? If so, I am not being fair to the newer members. Do I realize that no one person is essential?

So ............

Do I know that A.A. could carry on without me, if it had to?

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Just a Contemplation

Truth

Working the Twelve Steps helps us learn the truth. As we struggle with Step Four, we learn the truth about ourselves. We learn even more about ourselves by doing Steps Eight and Ten. When we admit the truth about ourselves, things come into focus. Big changes happen.

As a result, we can see other people more clearly. We see bad sides in people we thought were prefect. We see good sides in people we hated. We start to know that everyone has to work hard to find what’s right for them. No one knows all the answers.
In short, we begin to trust others who also are looking for the truth.

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Dependency

Plainly, I could not avail myself of God's love until I was able to offer it back to Him by loving others as He would have me. And I couldn't possibly do that as long as I was victimized by false dependencies. For my dependency meant demand -- a demand for the possession and control of the people and the conditions surrounding me.

The Best of Bill Page 56

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Just a Quote

"I found power in accepting the truth of who I am. It may not be a truth that others can accept, but I cannot live any other way. How would it be to live a lie every minute of your life." ~ Alison Goodman

April 7


A Prayer to Slow Down

Slow me down, Lord. Ease the pounding of my heart by the quieting of my mind.
Steady my hurried pace with a vision of the eternal reach of time.
Give me amid the confusion of the day, the calmness of the everlasting hills.
Break the tension of my nerves and muscles with the soothing
music of the singing streams that live in memory.
Help me to know the magical, restoring power of sleep.
Teach me the art of taking minute vacations.. of slowing down to
look at a flower, chat with a friend, and read a few lines from a good book.
Remind me each day of the fable of the hare and the tortoise, that I
may know that life is not always to the swift.
That there is more to life than increasing its speed.
Let me look upward into the branches of the towering Oak and
know that it grew great and strong because it grew slowly and well.
Slow me down Lord, and inspire me to send my roots deep into
the soil of life’s enduring values that I may grow towards the stars of my greater destiny.

~ Author Unknown

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Just a Thought

In A.A. we must surrender, give up, and admit that we're helpless.

We surrender our lives to God and ask Him for help. When He knows that we're ready, He gives us by His grace the free gift of sobriety. And we can't take any credit for having stopped drinking, because we didn't do it by our own willpower. There's no place for pride or boasting. We can only be grateful to God for doing for us what we could never do for ourselves.

So ............

Do I believe that God has made me a free gift of the strength to stay sober?

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Just a Contemplation

Power

In my sobriety I still need to deal with fear. A fear of people, a fear of not being good enough, a fear of saying the wrong thing, a fear of not looking "good enough" --- fear still haunts me in sobriety.

However, my recovery also tells me that I am a child of God. I am a beautiful and powerful human being because God not only made me, but has shared something of His precious divinity with me. I am good enough. In Him I can afford to risk. Love must begin with the recognition of self.

I must remember that people are not "out to get me". I need not make myself the victim. People are much the same inside, and we all need each other to survive.

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Awakening

I think I have had a spiritual awakening, as undramatic as it may have been, and that it will go on and on as long as I continue to practice this program in my daily affairs. To me, there is no "spiritual side" to the program of Alcoholics Anonymous; the entire program is spiritual.

Came To Believe Page 48

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Just a Quote

“If you’re always racing to the next moment, what happens to the one you’re in? Slow down and enjoy the moment you’re in and live your life to the fullest.” ~ Nanette Mathews

April 8


Guidance Prayer

Good morning, Lord!
Today's a new day, a chance for a new start.
Yesterday is gone and with it any regrets, mistakes, or failures I may have experienced.
It's a good day to be glad and give thanks.
Thank you for today, a new opportunity to love, give, and be all that you want me to be.
Amen

~ Rebecca Barlow Jordan

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Just a Thought

Is there such a thing as being too loyal to any one group?

Do I feel put out when another group starts and some members of my group leave it and branch out into new territory? Or do I send them out with my blessing? Do I visit that new offshoot group and help it along? Or do I sulk in my own tent? A.A. grows by the starting of new groups all the time. I must realize that it's a good thing for a large group to split up into smaller ones, even it if means that the large group --my own group--becomes smaller.

So ............

Am I always ready to help new groups?

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Just a Contemplation

Our Actions

We like ourselves best when we like those around us. When we smile at them, they smile back; when we ask them, they tell us about themselves. When we scowl at people, they'll frown back; when we ignore them, they'll walk away.

It's true that we get back what we put into things, whether it's work, play, love, or gardening. We decide by the extent of our commitment how valuable or enjoyable or depressing an experience can be for us.

Our actions toward others come right back to us. When we smile at people, they smile back, and we feel good. Sometimes feeling good about ourselves depends on feeling good about others. When we send out that smile of ours, those who get it pass it on, and we have added power to the happiness of the world.

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Long-Term Hope

Since most of us are born with an abundance of natural desires, it isn't strange that we often let these far exceed their intended purpose. When they drive us blindly, or we willfully demand that they supply us with more satisfactions or pleasures than are possible or due us, that is the point at which we depart from the degree of perfection that God wishes for us here on earth. That is the measure of our character defects, or, if you wish, of our sins.

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions Page 65

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Just a Quote

"One of the weakness of our age is our apparent inability to distinguish our needs from our greeds." ~ Don Robinson

April 9


Life With Hope


Lord,
I have tried to control the uncontrollable for far too long.
I acknowledge that my life is unmanageable.
I ask for your care and guidance.
Grant me honesty, courage, humility, and serenity,
to face that which keeps me from you and others.
I give this life to you to do with as you will.

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Just a Thought

We must learn to think differently.

We must change from alcoholic thinking to sober thinking. We must reeducate our minds. We must try to help other alcoholics. We must cooperate with God by spending at least as much time and energy on the A.A. program as we did on drinking. We must follow the A.A. program to the best of our ability. Interacting with other A.A.’s often, especially before & after meetings helps develop new sober thinking.

So ............

Have I turned my alcoholic problem over to God and am I cooperating with Him?

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Just a Contemplation

Laughter

A hearty laugh can warm a cold room and make our spirits soar. But many of us are afraid to laugh, especially when we make mistakes. We think we're supposed to be perfect, and we don't allow ourselves to make mistakes. However, we're not a mold punched out by a machine. We're human beings, with all our wonderful flaws. It is those flaws that make our lives interesting and surprising. Who knows when we might accidentally bump into a chair or catch our sweater on a doorknob? We needn't feel self-conscious, it happens to many of us.

The ability to laugh at ourselves is a gift from God. All we need to do is grab it and use it. Then we will see how healthy and powerful laughter can be.

I can find the humor in my mistakes today.

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Opening Up to Change

Self-searching is the means by which we bring new vision, action, and grace to bear upon the dark and negative side of our natures. With it comes the development of that kind of humility that makes it possible for us to receive God's help. . . . we find that bit by bit we can discard the old life -- the one that did not work -- for a new life that can and does work under any conditions whatever.

As Bill Sees It Page 10

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Just a Quote

“Great opportunities to help others seldom come, but small ones surround us every day.” ~ Sally Koch

April 10


Prayer for Empathy

Lord,
You understood the needs of those impoverished in mind,
body, or spirit, and never shamed or shunned them.
May we come to recognize our own vulnerability
and our longing to be healed.
As we encounter our own pain,
let it deepen in us a capacity to feel for others.
Enlarge our souls, expand our minds,
and soften our hearts towards all who suffer.
Amen

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Just a Thought

We finally came to the bottom.

We did not have to be financially broke, although many of us were. But we were spiritually bankrupt. We had a soul-sickness, a revulsion against ourselves and against our way of living. Life had become impossible for us. We had to end it all or do something about it.

So ............

Am I glad I did something about it?

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Just a Contemplation

Trust

How much should we trust other people? This is an important question, because many of us have erred in both directions: we've trusted people too much or not enough.

We can find our answer in the spiritual side of the program. We do have a Higher Power in whom we can have absolute trust. We can have little doubt that the spiritual presence behind everything is infallible and supreme.

As human beings, we know that we can only be trusted in certain ways. We can work to develop our trustworthiness, but it is never high enough, even with the strongest souls. All of us have weaknesses that can keep us from being what we know to be our best.

In our 12 Step living, we should work to develop trust in both ourselves and others, but not be hurt or disappointed when things go wrong. Above all, our real trust should be in our Higher Power.

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Living In The Now

First, we try living in the now just in order to stay sober -- and it works. Once the idea has become a part of our thinking, we find that living life in 24 hour segments is an effective and satisfying way to handle many other matters as well.

Living Sober Page 7

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Just a Quote

"Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced." ~ James Baldwin

April 11


Prayer for Rest

Lord,
I am exhausted and weary beyond belief. I ask that You touch my mind and body and help me let go of these racing thoughts that keep me from relaxing and sleeping. So come to you with my burdens. May Your peace guard my heart and mind today and restore my soul.
Amen

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Just a Thought

Today, I am less sensitive and my feelings are less easily hurt.

I no longer take myself so seriously. It didn't take much to insult me, to feel that I had been slighted or left on the outside. What happens to me now is not so important. One cause of our drinking was that we couldn't take it, so we escaped the unpleasant situation. We have learned to take it on the chin if necessary and smile. When I am all wrapped up in A.A., I do not notice the personal slights so much. They do not seem to matter so much. I have learned to laugh at self-pity because it's so childish.

So ............

Am I less sensitive?

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Just a Contemplation

Enthusiasm

When enthusiasm is absent in our lives, no activity appears inviting. In fact, most situations foster fear. Enthusiasm will usually guarantee positive outcomes for our efforts, when we look to our God for the right attitude.

An open, trusting, sincere relationship with our higher power equals enthusiasm about life. But that relationship takes work on our part. When we've done our homework we discover that no lesson will baffle us. Prayer and meditation make all things understandable and guarantee that we will "pass the course" on life.

Begin this day, and every day, looking to God for the gift of zeal to live fully every moment. My attitude of gratitude will increase my happiness many fold; if I look to this day with zeal.

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Financial Recovery

Although financial recovery is on the way for many of us, we found we could not place money first. For us, material well-being always followed spiritual progress; it never preceded.

Alcoholics Anonymous Page 127

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Just a Quote

“Even the smallest shift in perspective can bring about the greatest healing.” ~ Joshua Kai

April 12


Prayer for Inner Healing

Lord,
I turn these feelings of hopelessness and distress over to You.
I ask for You to renew me inwardly. I know that what I’m going through is temporary.
Please help me to focus on the things that are unseen and eternal, rather than these things that are wearing me down because they are transient. Please restore, confirm, strengthen and establish me.
Amen

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Just a Thought

We alcoholics were on a merry-go-round, going round and round, and we couldn't get off.

That merry-go-round is a kind of hell on earth. In A.A. I got off that merry-go-round by learning to stay sober. I pray to that Higher Power every morning to help me to keep sober. And I get the strength from that Power to do what I could never do with my own strength. I do not doubt the existence of that Power. We're not speaking into a vacuum when we pray. That Power is there, if we will use it.

So ............

Am I off the merry-go-round of drinking for good?

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Just a Contemplation

Loving Truth

Since it is the truth that sets us free - free from crippling fear - we come to love this truth, even when it hurts. It was mainly our fear that kept us from recognizing the truth about ourselves.

We needed help and support from a Higher Power before we could face reality.
Our devotion to truth may bring us into conflict with those around us. What we need to remember is that we are not responsible for convincing anyone else of what we believe to be true. We are honest about where we are, but we do not expect or demand agreement from anyone else. Since each of us has a different perspective, we can only know the truth, as we each understand it. Loving truth means that we acknowledge it to be too big for any one of us to grasp completely.

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Real Alcoholics

Despite all we can say, many who are real alcoholics are not going to believe they are in that class. By every form of self-deception and experimentation, they will try to prove themselves exceptions to the rule, therefore nonalcoholic. If anyone who is showing inability to control his drinking can do the right-about-face and drink like a gentleman, our hats are off to him. Heaven knows, we have tried hard enough and long enough to drink like other people!

Alcoholics Anonymous Page 31

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Just a Quote

“Once you choose hope, anything’s possible.” ~ Christopher Reeve

April 13


Prayer for Guidance

Lord,
Everywhere I walk, let it be on your path. Everything I see, let it be through your eyes. Everything I do, let it be your will. Every hardship I face, let me place it in your hands. Every emotion I feel, let it be your spirit moving in me. Everything I seek, let me find it in your love. My dear God, I thank you for this day. I ask not to know where I am going, but only to know and feel in the depths of my heart and soul that you are with me. You are guiding me, and I am safe.
Amen

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Just a Thought

I have got rid of most of my inner conflicts.

I was always at war with myself. I was doing things that I did not want to do. I was waking up in strange places and wondering how I got there. I was full of recklessness when I was drunk and full of remorse when I was sober. My life didn't make sense. It was full of broken resolves and frustrated hopes and plans. I was getting nowhere fast. No wonder my nerves were all shot. I was bumping up against a blank wall and I was dizzy from it. A.A. taught me how to get organized and to stop fighting against myself.

So ............

Have I got rid of inner conflicts?

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Just a Contemplation

Self-Pity

Sometimes we get stuck in our own way of seeing things. We may feel as if everything that happens, happens to us or for us. If it rains, we may think about our ruined picnic and not about the dry fields that need the rain. We need to focus on the big picture. This keeps us from becoming self-centered. If it rains, we’ll gather indoors and be glad for the farmers. When we do our part, things go well. When we don’t we feel it. Everyone else feels it too. Self pity keeps us from doing our part.

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Greater Strength

It is now well established that willpower all by itself is about as effective a cure for alcohol addiction as it is for cancer....Most of us tried going it alone, hoping either to control our drinking or to stop, and we had no lasting success in either endeavor.

But we finally asked ourselves: Wouldn't it be more intelligent to seek out and tap a strength greater than our own than to persist in our futile solo efforts...?

Living Sober Page 73

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Just a Quote

"Peace is accepting today, releasing yesterday, and giving up the need to control tomorrow." ~ Lori Deschene

April 14


Prayer Against Depression

Lord,
Please strengthen our hearts, and remind us to encourage one another when the troubles of life start to overwhelm us.
Please guard our hearts from depression.
Give us the strength to rise up each day and fight against the struggles which seek to weigh us down.
Amen

~ John Barnett

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Just a Thought

Can I get well?

If I mean: "Can I ever drink normally again?" The answer is no. But if I mean, "Can I stay sober?" The answer is definitely yes. I can get well by turning my drink problem over to a Power greater than myself, that Divine Principle in the universe which we call God, and by asking that Power each morning to give me the strength to stay sober for the next twenty-four hours. I know from the experience of thousands of people that if I honestly want to get well, I can get well.

So ............

Am I faithfully following the A.A. program?

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Just a Contemplation

Sharing

Though it comes without a price, the sharing we undertake in the AA program has value without limits. When we share our experience, strength, and hope with others, we become both teachers and friends.

Sometimes we are led to believe that we should share our material goods with others, but all we learn is that this often fails to help anyone. Such sharing is not wrong, but it can be misused and misdirected.

In the form of sharing we practice, there can be only gain for all involved in the exchange. Our sharing of personal experience may be just what another person needs at the time. What also matters is that we need it and can benefit from it.

True sharing of this kid is one of the great secrets of AA's success. If our program isn't working well, perhaps we should do more of this sharing.

I'll seek to share my true feelings with others today, in the hope that this will help all of us.

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"Success" in Twelfth-Stepping

We now see that in twelfth-stepping the immediate results are not so important. Some people start out working with others and have immediate success. They are likely to get cocky. Those of us who are not so successful at first get depressed.

As a matter of fact, the successful worker differs from the unsuccessful only in being lucky about his prospects. He simply hits newcomers who are ready and able to stop at once. Given the same prospects, the seemingly unsuccessful person would have produced almost the same results. You have to work on a lot of newcomers before the law of averages commences to assert itself.

As Bill Sees It Page 165

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Just a Quote

“’Thank you’ is the best prayer that anyone could say. I say that one a lot. Thank you expresses extreme gratitude, humility, understanding.” ~ Alice Walker

April 15

The Prayer of St. Francis

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy;

O Divine Master,
Grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console;
To be understood as to understand;
To be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

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Just a Thought

In A.A. we have to re-educate our minds.

We have to learn to think differently. We have to take a long view of drinking instead of a short view. We have to look through the glass to see what lies beyond it. We have to look through the night before to the morning after. No matter how good liquor looks from the short view, we must realize that in the long run it is poison to us.

So ............

Have I learned to look through the bottle to the better life that lies ahead?

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Just a Contemplation

Gratitude

It's not only the experiences of our fellow AA members that can help us in recovery. We should also be able to see ourselves in stories about troubled people in the grip of alcoholism and anger. Quite often, if we're truly honest, we can even see ourselves in tragic accounts of alcoholics who harmed others during drunken rages or blackouts. We might have stopped short of such behavior, but could this have happened to us? We might read of a drunk driving accident, for example, and realize that we narrowly escaped one or might have caused one had we not found sobriety. Reading such accounts gives us deep pity and sympathy for all the people involved. These stories make us realize that alcoholism has many victims in addition to those who are afflicted with the same disease. And we should be grateful that sobriety enabled some of us to stay out of such news stores and not add to the world's problems.

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New Direction

Where my life had been full of mental turmoil there is now an ever-increasing depth of calmness. Where there was a hit or miss attitude toward living there is now new direction and force.

Experience, Strength and Hope Page 134

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Just a Few Quotes

“The deeds you do may be the only sermon some people will hear today.” ~ Francis of Assisi

“The only thing ever achieved in life without effort is failure.” ~ Francis of Assisi

April 16


After the Winter, God Sends the Spring

Springtime is a season
Of hope and joy and cheer.
There’s beauty all around us
To see and touch and hear.
So, no matter how downhearted
And discouraged we may be,
New hope is born when we behold
Leaves on a budding tree,
Or when we see a timid flower
Push through the frozen sod
And open wide in glad surprise
Its petaled eyes to God,
For this is just God saying,
“Lift up your eyes to Me,
And the bleakness of your spirit,
Like the budding Springtime tree,
Will lose its wintry darkness
And your heavy heart will sing” –
For God never sends the Winter
Without the joy of Spring.

by Helen Steiner Rice

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Just a Thought

The program of Alcoholics Anonymous involves a continuous striving for improvement.

There can be no long resting period. We must try to work at it all the time. We must continually keep in mind that it is a program not to be measured in years, because we never fully reach our goals nor are we ever cured. Our alcoholism is only kept in abeyance by daily living of the program. It is a timeless program in every sense. We live it day by day, or more precisely, moment by moment - now.

So ............

Am I always striving for improvement?

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Just a Contemplation

Err is Human

It’s okay to make mistakes. But we shouldn’t live a life of excuses. We shouldn’t slide over our mistakes; we should learn from them.

Excuses keep us apart from ourselves and others. People don’t trust us if we won’t admit and accept our mistakes. Relying on excuses dooms us to repeat the same mistakes. In recovery, we admit and accept our behavior. We do this by continuing to take an inventory of our lives. We do this so we can learn from our mistakes. “Owning” our mistakes helps us grow.

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Meeting Adversity

Our spiritual and emotional growth in A.A. does not depend so deeply upon success as it does upon our failures and setbacks. If you will bear this in mind, I think that your slip will have the effect of kicking you upstairs, instead of down.

We A.A.'s have had no better teacher than Old Man Adversity, except in those cases where we refuse to let him teach us.

As Bill Sees It Page 184

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Just a Quote

"The past is not always an indication of your future. Do not engross yourself in grief and shame over past deeds. Forgive yourself and move on." ~ Aulus Persius Flaccus (Roman writer & poet)

April 17


An Easter Prayer

Lord, today we remember the veil of darkness transforming to the brightest light.
The most dreadful end becomes the most beautiful beginning.
We remember with trembling hearts the depths of despair fading to reveal hope everlasting.
The curse of death defeated by eternal life.
Today we remember with thankfulness your willingness to be pierced for our sins.
We sing with the abounding joy of your miraculous rise, from death’s tomb to resplendent life.
Thank you for the promise of heaven and your generous invitation of eternal life for all.
Amen

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Just a Thought

I know the Fellowship of A.A. doesn’t offer any guarantees, but I also know that in the future I do not have to drink. I want to keep this life of peace, serenity, and tranquility that I have found. Today, I have found again the home I left and the woman I married when she was still so young. We have two more children, and they think their dad is an important man. I have all these wonderful things—people who mean more to me than anything in the world. I shall keep all that, and I won’t have to drink, if I remember one simple thing: to keep my hand in the hand of God.

Dave B., one of the founders of A.A. in Canada in 1944
(from: AA Big Book 4th Edition, "Gratitude In Action,” Page 199)

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The Jelly Bean Poem

Red is for the blood He gave.
Green is for the grass He made.
Yellow is for the sunflowers so bright.
Black is for the dark of night.
White is for the grace He gave.
Orange is for the sun He made.
Purple is for the hours of sorrow.
Pink is for our new tomorrow.
A bag full of jelly beans,
colorful and sweet.
It’s a prayer, a promise,
and a child’s treat.
~ Author Unknown

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Easter Grace Blessing

May the grace of our Lord be with us this day.
May this meal be blessed as we gather to celebrate together.
May your love be shared amongst us as we enjoy the gift of fellowship.
May we remember to give out the grace and forgiveness that you have freely given us,
And may we always give thanks for your love.
Amen

~ Author Unknown

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Just a Quote

“I'm not at all religious but I do love this holiday. As a recovering alcoholic in AA, for me it's a day to celebrate my own "resurrection" from the living death of alcoholism and reflect on how grateful I am to have been delivered from a hopeless, helpless state of mind, body and spirit by my higher power and the fellowship of AA. Thank you, one and all!” ~ Anonymous A.A.

April 18


Being a Better Person Prayer

I pray that I can become a much stronger individual and gain wisdom, hope, courage and understanding very soon in order to become a better person.

I pray that I continue to move forward and become a more responsible individual. That I gain the strength to move in a positive direction and that I become the best version of myself. I pray that I soon become more gracious, understanding and patient in all of my ways.
Amen

~ Thea Cooper

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Just a Thought

What am I going to do today for A.A.?

Is there someone I should call up on the telephone or someone I should go to see? Is there a letter I should write? Is there an opportunity somewhere to advance the work of A.A. which I have been putting off or neglecting? If so, will I do it today? Will I be done with procrastination and do what I have to do today? Tomorrow may be too late. How do I know there will be a tomorrow for me? How about getting out of my easy chair and getting going?

So ............

Do I feel that A.A. depends partly on me today?

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Just a Contemplation

Honest Desire

In the first bloom of sobriety, many recovering people confront drinking companions who also "need" the program. They're often surprised and disillusioned when efforts to help their friends are rejected... sometimes curtly.

We're truly limited to helping those who desire recovery, not those who we think need it. Though intervention methods can be effective, we're still largely helpless to assist those who don't desire recovery.

We regret that we really have no answers for the millions who perish from alcoholism, unaware of their problem. We also can hold out little hope that any future recovery attempts will succeed without the individual alcoholic's cooperation.

Desire..... a personal determination and decision.... is necessary for almost any kind of change. We have the freedom to choose in many areas of our lives, and alcoholics must eventually choose recovery in order to find and maintain it.

Though I'd love to see others recover, I must accept the fact that their personal desire and choice is necessary. I'll remember this if any opportunities arise today to carry the message.

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Emotional Sobriety

If we examine every disturbance we have, great or small, we will find at the root of it some unhealthy dependency and its consequent unhealthy demand. Let us, with God's help, continually surrender these hobbling liabilities.

Then we can be set free to live and love; we may then be able to twelfth-step ourselves, as well as others, into emotional sobriety.

As Bill Sees It Page 288

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Just a Quote

“Ask yourself if what you are spending your thoughts and energy on will matter in a week, a month, or a year.” ~ Robin Sharma

April 19


Prayer For An Alcoholic Family Members

Lord,
It is so hard when someone we love gets caught up in an addiction to alcohol.. and when it is a member of your own family it makes it even more hurtful to accept and more difficult to cope with.


Lord,
Alcoholism is such a disabling condition as it affects every area of life and is like a virus that spreads out of control, infecting everything that it touches – but we know that there is nothing that cannot be helped and healed by You.


So we lift them up to You in prayer and ask that You would convince them of their need to break free from alcohol and the grace to conquer this disabling disease.
Amen

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Just a Thought

Before we decide to quit drinking, most of us have to come up against a blank wall.

We saw that we were exhausted, that we had to quit. But we don't know which way to turn for help. There seems to be no door in that blank wall. A.A. opens the door that leads to sobriety. By encouraging us to honestly admit that we're alcoholics and to realize that we can't take even one drink, and by showing us which way to turn for help, A.A. opens the door in that blank wall.

So ............

Have I gone through that door to sobriety?

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Just a Contemplation

Growth in Maturity

Our drinking experience should have taught us that we'll continue to repeat old destructive behaviors until we change our attitudes.

In sobriety, we can take this idea a step further and apply it to other areas. If we have trouble with other people, for example, we should ask what we're doing to bring about unpleasant situations. This is not to say that we're responsible for everything that goes wrong, but we are getting a message ourselves if we continuously meet the same problem in different forms. Some people, for example, repeatedly become involved in bad relationships or find themselves working for abusive bosses.

Just as a changed attitude helped us recover from our drinking problem, so can a new attitude keep us from repeating other destructive situations.

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Progress Rather than Perfection

On studying the Twelve Steps, many of us exclaimed, "What an order! I can't go through with it." Do not be discouraged. No one among us has been able to maintain anything like perfect adherence to these principles. We are not saints.

The point is that we are willing to grow along spiritual lines. The principles we have set down are guides to progress. We claim spiritual progress rather than spiritual perfection.

Alcoholics Anonymous Page 60

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Just a Quote

"The trouble with most of us is that we would rather be ruined by praise than saved by criticism," ~ Norman Vincent Peale

April 20


Prayer to Release Control

Lord,
For too long I have wanted to be in control, tried to be in control and cherished the illusion that I am in control. I release myself and my illusions into Your hands. I surrender my need to feel in control, and embrace the truth that You are in control and that I can control only my inner life and not my outward circumstances—and certainly not other people. Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot control, courage to change the few things I can (my thoughts and actions) and wisdom to know the difference.
Amen

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Just a Thought

A new way of living.

When we alcoholics first come into A.A. and we face the fact that we must spend the rest of our life without alcohol, it often seems like an impossibility to us. So A.A. tells us to forget about the future and take it one day at a time. All we really have is now. We have no past time and no future time. As the saying goes: "Yesterday is gone, forget it; tomorrow never comes, don't worry; today is here, get busy." All we have is the present. The past is gone forever and the future never comes. When tomorrow gets here, it will be today.

So ............

Am I living one day at a time?

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Just a Contemplation

Pain of Change

When we learn something new, we see how it could have made our life better at an earlier time. We regret being stubborn, immature, or impulsive. Now we see our mistakes in a new light and it hurts. This is one of the pains of change. Some people turn away from growth because they refuse to tolerate the pain of honest hindsight.

We need to face these regrets, but not indulge in them. We take a bow to the past and move on to live in the only place we can - the present. We can acknowledge our guilt and remorse and then turn them over to the care of God. We can't change the past, but we can learn from it. Getting stuck in guilt over past deeds only repeats our mistakes by failing to use our learning today.

I need to acknowledge and let go of my grief and regrets so I can attend to life here and now.

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Pain-Killer or Pain-Healer

I believe that when we were active alcoholics we drank mostly to kill pain of one kind or another--physical or emotional or psychic. Of course, everybody has a cracking point, and I suppose you reached yours--hence, the resort once more to the bottle.

If I were you, I wouldn't heap devastating blame on myself for this; on the other hand, the experience should redouble your conviction that alcohol has no permanent value as a pain-killer.

As Bill Sees It Page 291

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Just a Quote

"With a bit of effort, I can smile at someone today, even though I'm frowning inside. We both will be better for it." ~ Karen Casey

April 21


Prayer For Courage

Lord,
I ask You to help me, with my battles over fear and worry. Most of all, I pray for courage.
Create in me a clean heart, God, and help me to have the faith and courage to overcome any fears.
Lord, there is so much uncertainty in life, but I trust that you will guide me and sustain me.
Please give me the courage to be the person, friend and loved one You created me to be.
Amen

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Just a Thought

When we were drinking, we used to be ashamed of the past.

Remorse is terrible mental punishment: ashamed of ourselves for the things we've said and done, afraid to face people because of what they might think of us, afraid of the consequences of what we did when we were drunk. In A.A., we forget about the past. Do I believe that God has forgiven me for everything I've done in the past, no matter how black it was, provided I'm honestly trying to do the right thing today?

So ........................

I have completed Steps 4 and 5?
Do I visit Step 10 on a daily basis?

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Just a Contemplation

Others Turmoil

We do not have to get caught in the middle of other people's issues, problems, or communication. We can let others take responsibility for themselves in their relationships. We can let them work out their issues with each other.

Being a peacemaker does not mean we get in the middle. We are bearers of peace by staying peaceful ourselves and not harboring turmoil. We are peacemakers by not causing the extra chaos created when we get in the middle of other people's affairs and relationships.

I will refuse to accept any invitations to jump in the middle of others' affairs, issues, and relationships. I will trust others to work out their own affairs, including the ideas and feelings they want to communicate to each other.

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A.A. Regeneration

Such is the paradox of A.A. regeneration: strength arising out of complete defeat and weakness, the loss of one's old life as a condition for finding a new one.

A thousand beatings by John Barleycorn did not encourage me to admit defeat. I believed it was my moral obligation to conquer my “enemy-friend.” At my first A.A. meeting I was blessed with a feeling that it was all right to admit defeat to a disease which had nothing to do with my “moral fiber.” I knew instinctively that I was in the presence of a great love when I entered the doors of A.A. With no effort on my part, I became aware that to love myself was good and right, as God had intended. My feelings set me free, where my thoughts had held me in bondage. I am grateful.

A.A. Comes Of Age Page 46

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Just a Quote

"It isn't "me" and "you" anymore; it's "we" and "us." I get drunk. We stay sober! It's a we program." ~ Saying in many A.A. Rooms

April 22


Simple Morning Prayer

God, please enlighten my mind with truth, inflame my heart with love, inspire my will with courage, enrich my life with service.
Pardon what I have been, sanctify what I am, and order what I shall be.
Amen

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Just a Thought

We're all looking for the power to overcome drinking.

When we alcoholics come into A.A., our first question is: "How do I get the strength to quit?" At first it seems to us that we will never get the necessary strength. We see older members who have found the power we are looking for, but we don't know the process by which they got it. This necessary strength comes in many ways.

So ............

Have I found all the strength I need?

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Just a Contemplation

Being a Victim

It's okay to have a good day. Really. It's okay to be doing okay and to feel like our life is manageable and on track. Many of us have learned, as part of our survival behaviors, that the way to get the attention and approval we want is to be victims. If life is awful, too difficult, unmanageable, too hard, unfair, then others will accept, like, and approve of us, we think.

We may have learned this from living and associating with people who also learned to survive by being a victim. We are not victims. We do not need to be victimized. We do not need to be helpless and out of control to get the attention and love we desire. In fact, the kind of love we are seeking cannot be obtained that way

We learn that we can stand on our own two feet, even though it sometimes feels good to lean a little. We learn that the people we are leaning on are not holding us up. They are standing next to us. We all have bad days -- days when things are not going the way we'd like, days when we have feelings of sadness and fear. But we can deal with our bad days and darker feelings in ways that reflect self-responsibility rather than victimization.

It's okay to have a good day too. We might not have as much to talk about, but we'll have more to enjoy.

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Realization

The number of times that you win or lose is not important. The only thing that matters is the number of times that you try. For several years I had tried to get someone else to solve my problem for me, but I had not realized I was doing so until that moment of insight. ... That you try. I was exhilarated. Now I knew that I was an alcoholic and that I had the only qualification for membership in A.A., a desire to stop drinking .

Came to Believe, 30th printing 2004, Page 50

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Just a Quote

“Owning our story can be hard but not nearly as difficult as spending our lives running from it.” ~ Brene Brown

April 24


Strength and Wisdom Prayer

Lord,
There are things happening around me right now that I do not understand.
Some of these things make me feel weak, helpless and afraid.
I ask you for strength and for wisdom that I would be able to endure the situation and
be able to handle it in a way that would fulfill your will.
Amen

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Just a Thought

I have learned how to be honest.

What a relief!
No more ducking or dodging. No more tall tales. No more pretending to be what I am not. My cards are on the table, for all the world to see. "I am what I am." I have had an unsavory past. I am sorry, yes. But it cannot be changed now. All that is yesterday and is done. But now my life is an open book. Come and look at it, if you want to. I'm trying to do the best I can. I will fail often, but I won't make excuses. I will face things as they are and not run away.

So ............

Am I really honest?

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Just a Contemplation

Harming Others

Even while drinking, few of us abused others physically or committed crimes. Yet we did harm others, even when we thought we were hurting only ourselves.

One way we harmed others.... and this applies to many alcoholic family relationships.. was by with-holding the love and support they needed. If we had a nasty disposition at times, this poisoned the atmosphere and made others uncomfortable and afraid.

Maybe we harmed others by not being productive at work. Our absenteeism, for example, may have put our boss in a bad light with superiors or caused the firm to lose a client.

Perhaps the worst harm was in being completely indifferent to what we were doing to others. Any willingness to admit wrong, then, can be a major step toward recovery and self-improvement.

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Fear

Fear has caused suffering when I could have had more faith. There are times when fear suddenly tears me apart, just when I'm experiencing feelings of joy, happiness and a lightness of heart. Faith -- and a feeling of self-worth toward a Higher Power -- helps me endure tragedy and ecstasy. When I choose to give all my fears over to my Higher Power, I will be free.

Daily Reflections Page 181

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Just a Quote

“Today I Will Remember Self-esteem OR self-satisfaction?” ~ Anonymous Author

April 24


Purpose on Life Prayer

Lord,
I believe there is so much that I can do with my Life and right now I find myself in a state of questioning.
I know that with Your assistance, absolutely anything is possible.
Help me to maintain a positive attitude and increase my confidence so that I can clearly feel You and hear You when You speak to my heart, knowing that You are working through me to fulfill Your Purpose.
Amen

-- Dr. Loretta Standley

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Just a Thought

Today, I am not so envious of other people, nor am I so jealous of other people's possessions and talents.

When I was drinking, I was secretly full of jealousy and envy of those people who could drink normally, who had the love and respect of their families, who lived a normal life and were accepted as equals by their friends. I pretended to myself that I was as good as they were, but I knew it wasn't so. Now I don't have to be envious any more. I try not to want what I don't deserve. I'm content with what I have earned by my efforts to live the right way. More power to those who have what I have not. At least, I'm trying.

So ............

Have I got rid of the poison of envy?

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Just a Contemplation

Awareness

When we first become aware of a problem, a situation, or a feeling, we may react with anxiety or fear. Awareness is the first step toward positive change and growth. It's the first step toward solving the problem, or getting the need met, the first step toward the future.

Awareness is how life, our God, gets our attention and prepares us for change. The process of becoming changed begins with awareness. Awareness, acceptance, and change - that's the cycle. We can accept the temporary discomfort from awareness because that's how we're moved to a better place.

I will try to display gratitude, peace, and dignity when life gets my attention. I will remember that it's okay to accept the temporary discomfort from awareness because I can trust that it's my God moving me forward.

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Resentments

It is plain that a life which includes deep resentment leads only to futility and unhappiness. To the precise extent we permit these, do we squander the hours that might have been worth while. But with the alcoholic, whose hope is the maintenance and growth of a spiritual experience, this business of resentment is infinitely grave. We found that it is fatal.

Alcoholics Anonymous Page 66

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Just a Quote

“The path to our destination is not always a straight one. We go down the wrong road, we get lost, we turn back. Maybe it doesn’t matter which road we embark on. Maybe what matters is that we embark.” -- Barbara Hall

April 25


A Gratitude Prayer

Lord,
We thank thee for food and remember the hungry.
We thank thee for health and remember the sick.
We thank thee for friends and remember the friendless.
We thank thee for freedom and remember the enslaved.
May these remembrances stir us to service,
that thy gifts to us may be used for others.
Amen

~ Abigail van Buren

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Just a Thought

I have learned to live one day at a time.

I have finally realized the great fact that all I have is now. This sweeps away all vain regret and it makes my thoughts of the future free of fear. Now is mine. I can do what I want with it. I own it, for better or worse. What I do now, in this present moment, is what makes up my life. My whole life is only a succession of nows. I will take this moment, which has been given to me by the grace of God, and I will do something with it. What I do with each now, will make me or break me.

So ............

Am I living in the now?

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Just a Contemplation

Powerlessness

While alcoholics have much in common, the personal stories heard at AA open meetings show that we took different routes to alcoholism. Some became out-of-control drinkers almost from the beginning. Others lost control slowly after years of seemingly moderate drinking.

These differences are underscored by the fact that we also differ in physical and emotional traits. Some alcoholics, for example, were so emotionally disturbed that they became problem drinkers from the very start. Some appeared to "have it all together," yet became alcoholics after retirement or some other change in life patterns.

Whatever the route taken, we share in common our individual powerlessness at the time we knocked on AA's door. And the solution for each of us was the same: sobriety in AA. The risk in listening to such different personal accounts is that some of us twist these differences into "proof" that we are not alcoholics. The reward of such sharing , however, is learning that we do have a common problem and that there is a solution that fits everyone, in spite of our differences.
I'll remember today that I came to AA because I was powerless over alcohol. That has not changed.

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Happy & Useful

Every day, I feel a little bit more useful, more happy, and more free. Life, including some ups and downs, is a lot of fun. I am part of AA which is a way of life. If I had not become an active alcoholic and joined AA, I might never have found my own identity or become a part of anything.

Alcoholics Anonymous Page 417, 3rd Edition

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Just a Quote

“There is a magnet in your heart that will attract true friends. That magnet is unselfishness, thinking of others first.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda

April 26


Change Life Prayer

Lord,
I look up to you in this time of change. Allow me to have the courage to change my life for the better. Allow all my burdens to be risen up to you as I know that You will see me through. Forgive those who have done evil and allow me to do the same. Teach me to love with an open heart and open spirit. Take time for me today to help with all the trials you have set out for me and allow me the strength and energy to follow you. Give me the blessing to keep my family together, and bless those who are away, may they be strong and know how much love is out there. Bless me with love, strength, wisdom, health, courage, forgiveness, and a willingness to learn.
Amen

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Just a Thought

Alcohol is poison to the alcoholic.

Poison is not too strong a word, because alcoholism leads eventually to the death of the alcoholic. It may be a quick death or a slow death. When we go by package stores and see various kinds of liquor all dressed up in fancy packages to make it look attractive, we should always make it a point to say to ourselves so we'll never forget it: "That stuff's all poison to me." And it is. Alcohol poisoned our lives for a long time.

So ............

Do I know that since I'm an alcoholic, that all alcohol is poison to me?

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Just a Contemplation

Freedom

We were not free. We were prisoners of our illness. What our illness wanted, we give it,our dignity, our self-respect, even our families. Our prison walls were made of denial, false pride, and self-will run riot. Now we know that brick walls don’t have to stop us. We don’t have to bang our heads on them.

Slowly, we’re learning about freedom. We’re learning that freedom. We’re learning that freedom comes from within. It comes when we think clearly and make our own choices. It comes when we follow a better way of life. It comes when we take care of ourselves. It comes when we take responsibility. The key to freedom is in loving our Higher Power.

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Progress

On studying the Twelve Steps, many of us exclaimed, "What an order! I can't go through with it." Do not be discouraged. No one among us has been able to maintain anything like perfect adherence to these principles. We are not saints.

The point is that we are willing to grow along spiritual lines. The principles we have set down are guides to progress. We claim spiritual progress rather than spiritual perfection.

Alcoholics Anonymous Page 60

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Just a Quote

“If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.” ~ Henry Ford

April 27


Worry Prayer

God,
Help me to live one day at a time.
Help me to not worry about tomorrow but instead focus on what you’re doing in my life right now.
I want to trust in your promise to take care of every one of my needs — financial, relational, physical, social, spiritual, and emotional.
Help me to trust you more and worry less.
Amen

~ Roger G.

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Just a Thought

Strength comes also from working with other alcoholics.

When you are trying to help a new prospect with the program, you are building up your own strength at the same time. You see the other person in the condition you might be in yourself and it makes your resolve to stay sober stronger than ever. Often, you help yourself more than the other person, but if you do succeed in helping the prospect to get sober, you are stronger from the experience of having helped another person.

So ............

Am I receiving strength from working with others?

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Just a Contemplation

Trust in Today

For many of us, to look forward to today with secure anticipation, to trust in what the future holds can be a challenge!
We can still remember, all too vividly perhaps, the darker periods in our lives, periods that seemed to hold no promise; a time when we dreaded the future, fearing it would only compound those awful times.

The fear and the dread are not gone completely. They hover about us, on occasion. They no longer need to darken all of a day, however. We can recognize their presence as parts of our whole, not all of it. How free we are, today! Our choices are many.

I can step toward today with assurance, reaching out to others along the way, trusting that my accumulated steps add stability to my future.

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Now

Now is the time, the only time there is.
And if we are not kind to ourselves right now, we certainly cannot rightfully expect respect or consideration from others. We have found we can enjoy, sober, every good thing we enjoyed while drinking -- and many, many more. It takes a little practice, but the rewards more than make up for the effort. . . Unless we cherish our own recovery, we cannot survive to become unselfish, ethical, and socially responsible people.

Living Sober Page 42

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Just a Quote

“Be gentle with yourself, learn to love yourself, to forgive yourself, for only as we have the right attitude toward ourselves can we have the right attitude toward others.” ~ Wilfred Peterson

April 28


Natural Beauty Prayer

Lord,
I know that every day may not be good, but there is good in every day.
Make this one the best day yet.
Let my eyes be open to the natural beauty in the commonplace things I see.
May my heart feel love for everyone I meet.
Encourage my heart to embrace each and every person I see with a genuine smile.
Show me the way to living well.
Thank You for the guidance and grace You have in store for me today.
Amen

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Just a Thought

Drinking cuts you off from God.

No matter how you were brought up, no matter what your religion is, no matter if you say you believe in God, nevertheless you build up a wall between you and God by your drinking. You know you're not living the way God wants you to. As a result, you have that terrible remorse. When you come into A.A., you begin to get right with other people and with God. A sober life is a happy life, because by giving up drinking we've got rid of our loneliness and remorse.

So ............

Do I have real fellowship with other people and with God?

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Just a Contemplation

The Chill

Our program and the Steps have warmed us from the inside out. Just as a bonfire warms those who stand around it, the Steps take away the chill we have felt for so long.

At Times, we’ll be tempted to move away from the Steps. At times, we’ll get tired of looking at our behavior and attitudes. We are by nature, controlling people. We’ll want to “prove our point” about something when our program tells us to let it go. We need to stay close to the Steps and the warmth they hold. Remember the chill of our disease.

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Down To Earth

Those of us who have spent much time in the world of spiritual make-believe have eventually seen the childishness of it. This dream world has been replaced by a great sense of purpose, accompanied by a growing consciousness of the power of God in our lives.

We have come to believe He would like us to keep our heads in the clouds with Him, but that our feet ought to be firmly planted on earth. That is where our work must be done. These are the realities for us. We have found nothing incompatible between a powerful spiritual experience and a life of sane and happy usefulness.

Alcoholics Anonymous Page 130

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Just a Quote

“Inner peace can be reached only when we practice forgiveness. Forgiveness is letting go of the past, and is therefore the means for correcting our misperceptions.” ~ Gerald G. Jampolsky

April 29


Prayer of Uncertainness

Lord,
Please be a place of refuge and a constant presence of love and support for all those experiencing fear, anxiety, and loneliness. Please care for the physical needs of those who are struggling to provide for their families. Bring peace and healing to those who have lost loved ones or are dealing with life-threatening illnesses.

Please help us come to you for hope and guidance during times of uncertainty. We ask for your peace in place of our anxiety.
Amen

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Just a Thought

The way of A.A. is the way of sobriety, fellowship, service, and faith.

Let us take up each one of these things and see if our feet are truly on the way. The first and greatest to us is sobriety. The others are built on sobriety as a foundation. We could not have the others if we did not have sobriety. We all come to A.A. to get sober, and we stay to help others get sober. We are looking for sobriety first, last, and all the time. We cannot build any decent kind of a life unless we stay sober.

So ............

Am I on the A.A. way?

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Just a Contemplation

Rights

In recovery, we regain our right to have choices, our right to have honest relationships. Do we claim these rights, or do we let them go by?

Sometimes, standing up for our rights will mean going against the crowd. It will mean turning down that drink when everyone else has one. It will mean telling your honest opinion when it's different from what others think. Being sober will mean, at times being different. Lots of times, we find being different hard. We want to fit in. This is normal.

But we don't stand alone. We have friends who will stand with us during hard times. We have a Higher Power who will guide and comfort us. We are people with rights. Let's work hard so nothing takes away our rights.

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Uniqueness

I just did not believe that AA would work for me as a black drunk. I genuinely believed I was different until much later, when I had what I now know to be my first spiritual awakening: that I was an alcoholic and I didn't have to drink! I also learned that alcoholism, as an equal opportunity illness, does not discriminate -- is not restricted to race, creed, or geography. At last I was released from the bondage of my uniqueness.

Alcoholics Anonymous Page 450

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Just a Quote

"So many times, when we are being of service to others, we find the answer or solution to our own problems." ~ Madisyn Taylor

April 30


Morning Prayer

Lord,
When evil darkens our world, give us light.
When despair numbs our souls, give us hope.
When we stumble and fall, lift us up.
When doubts assail us, give us faith.
When nothing seems sure, give us trust.
When ideals fade, give us vision.
When we lose our way, be our guide!
That we may find serenity in Your presence and purpose in doing Your will.

~ John D. Rayner

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Just a Thought

Before I met A.A., I was very dishonest.

I lied to my spouse constantly about where I had been and what I'd been doing. I took time off from my work and pretended I'd been sick or gave some other dishonest excuse. I was dishonest with myself, as well as with other people. I would never face myself as I really was or admit when I was wrong. I pretended to myself that I was as good as the next person, although I suspected I wasn't.

So ............

Am I now really honest?

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Just a Contemplation

Self-Pity

It requires very little effort - and no imagination - to start feeling sorry for ourselves. Often, it is easy to feel sorry for ourselves in our families. Instead of being inspired by the sports talents of an older brother, the popularity of a lovely sister, or the fame of a parent or relative, we often take the easier attitude: "I'm denied all that he or she has."

If we work hard at developing our own abilities so that we can excel, we will find ourselves proud of, and applauding, what others do. If a personal problem brings us self-pity, we must remind ourselves that all people have problems. We can cope as well as the best of people if we learn from them and think positively.

Who among those close to me can I be proud of today?

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Meditation

Aided by such instruction and example as we can find, it is essentially an individual adventure, something which each one of us works out in his own way.
But its object is always the same: to improve our conscious contact with God, with His grace, wisdom, and love. And let's always remember that meditation is in reality intensely practical. One of the first fruits is emotional balance.

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions Pages 101-102

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Just a Quote

”When you hold resentment toward another, you are bound to that person or condition by an emotional link that is stronger than steel. Forgiveness is the only way to dissolve that link and get free.” ~ Catherine Ponder