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Daily Recovery Readings - September
September 1
Daily Reflections WILLINGNESS TO GROW If more gifts are to be received, our awakening has to go on. As Bill Sees It, p.8 Sobriety fills the painful "hole in the soul" that my alcoholism created. Often I feel so physically well that I believe my work is done. However, joy is not just the absence of pain; it is the gift of continued spiritual awakening. Joy comes from ongoing and active study, as well as application of the principles of recovery in my everyday life, and from sharing that experience with others. My Higher Power presents many opportunities for deeper spiritual awakening. I need only to bring into my recovery the willingness to grow. Today I am ready to grow. ************************************************** ********* Twenty-Four Hours A Day A.A. Thought For The Day Be careful not to brand new prospects as alcoholics. Let them draw their own conclusion. But talk to them about the hopelessness of alcoholism. Tell them exactly what happened to you and how you recovered. Stress the spiritual feature freely. If they are agnostics or atheists, make it emphatic that they do not have to agree with your concept of God. They can choose any concept they like, provided it makes sense to them. The main thing is that they be willing to believe in a power greater than themselves and that they live by spiritual principles." Do I hold back too much in speaking of the spiritual principles of the program? Meditation For The Day "I will never leave or forsake thee." Down through the centuries, thousands have believed in God's constancy, untiringness, and unfailing love. God has love. Then forever you are sure of His love. God has power. Then forever you are sure, in every difficulty and temptation, of His strength. God has patience. Then always there is One who can never tire. God has understanding. Then always you will understand and be understood. Unless you want Him to go, God will never leave you. He is always ready with power. Prayer For The Day I pray that I may feel that God's love will never fail. I pray that I may have confidence in His unfailing power. ************************************************** ********* As Bill Sees It Morning Thoughts, p.243 On awakening, let us think about the twenty-four hours ahead. We ask God to direct our thinking, especially asking that it be divorced from self-pity and from dishonest or self-seeking motives. Free of these, we can employ our mental faculties with assurance, for God gave us brains to use. Our thought-life will be on a higher plane when our thinking begins to be cleared of wrong motives. If we have determined which of two courses to take, we ask God for inspiration, an intuitive thought, or a decision. Then we relax and take it easy, and we are often surprised how the right answers come after we have tried this for a while. We usually conclude our meditation with a prayer that we be shown all through the day what our next step is to be, asking especially for freedom from damaging self-will. Alcoholics Anonymous, pp. 86-87 ************************************************** ********* Walk In Dry Places Are we victimizing ourselves? Finding the New Happiness Some believe that people create their own trouble by attracting the wrong conditions and people in their lives. This may not be entirely true, but we can find that some element of it was at work with us. Time and time again during our drinking, we set ourselves up for abuse and rejection, though our motives seemed right. Why did we do this? Supposedly to punish ourselves, the theory has it. If this is true, then we should now call a halt to the process immediately. If we've emerged from the terrors of alcoholism, we've had all the punishment anybody needs. We can change our bad patterns by looking carefully at the people and situations we seem to attract. Without resentment or condemnation, we can part company with any problems these have been bringing us. We can start building new relationships and attracting better conditions that will be immensely successful in terms of happiness and well-being.<br> I'll remember today that in the new life I'm seeking, there's no need for punishment. I will not go out of my way to attract people or conditions that create problems in my life. ************************************************** ********* Keep It Simple Made direct amends to such people wherever possible . . . ---First half of Step Nine In our illness, we harmed people. In Step Nine, we are to make amends. Making amends is about asking people we have harmed what we need to do to set things right. But making amends is more than saying, “I'm sorry.” If you ran a store and someone had stolen five dollars, you wouldn't want them to just say, ”I'm sorry.” You'd want the person to pay back the money. The same is true with amends. Many people we've harmed ask only that we don't repeat our mistakes. Respect their wishes. Step Nine has healed many wounds. Step Nine allows us to grow up. Step Nine help us regain faith in ourselves. Remember, the best amend we make to all is to stay sober. Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, give me courage. Help me face the trouble caused by my disease. Make me ready to help other heals from the harm I've caused. Action for the Day: Today, I'll pray that those I've harmed will heal. I will be responsible for my actions. ************************************************** ********* Each Day a New Beginning Success can only be measured in terms of distance traveled. --Mavis Gallant We are forever moving from one experience to another, one challenge to another, and one relationship to another. Our ability to handle confidently all encounters is a gift of the program, and one that accompanies us throughout every day, providing we humbly express gratitude for it. Success is ours when we are grateful. We are not standing still. No matter how uneventful our lives may seem, we are traveling toward our destiny, and all the thrills and tears, joys and sorrows, are contributing to the success of our trip. Every day, every step, we are succeeding. We can reflect on yesterday, better yet, on last week or even last year. What were our problems? It's doubtful we can even remember them. We have put distance between them and us. They were handled in some manner. We have succeeded in getting free of them. We have succeeded in moving beyond them. How far we have come! And we will keep right on traveling forward. As long as we rely on the program, we are assured of success. I can do whatever I need to do, today, with success, when I humbly accept the program's gifts. ************************************************** ********* Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition WE AGNOSTICS We know how he feels. We have shared his honest doubt and prejudice. Some of us have been violently anti-religious. To others, the word “God” brought up a particular idea of Him with which someone had tried to impress them during childhood. Perhaps we rejected this particular conception because it seemed inadequate. With that rejection we imagined we had abandoned the God idea entirely. We were bothered with the thought that faith and dependence upon a Power beyond ourselves was somewhat weak, even cowardly. We looked upon this world of warring individuals, warring theological systems, and inexplicable calamity, with deep skepticism, We looked askance at many individuals who claimed to be godly. How could a Supreme Being have anything to do with it all? And who could comprehend a Supreme Being anyhow? Yet, in other moments, we found ourselves thinking, when enchanted by a starlit night, “Who, then, make all this?” There was a feeling of awe and wonder, but it was fleeting and soon lost. pp. 45-46 ************************************************** ********* Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions Step Ten - "Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it." Disagreeable or unexpected problems are not the only ones that call for self-control. We must be quite as careful when we begin to achieve some measure of importance and material success. For no people have ever loved personal triumphs more than we have loved them; we drank of success as of a wine which could never fail to make us feel elated. When temporary good fortune came our way, we indulged ourselves in fantasies of still greater victories over people and circumstances. Thus blinded by prideful self confidence, we were apt to play the big shot. Of course, people turned away from us, bored or hurt. pp. 91-92 ************************************************** ********* God brings peace to me, all I need do is ask. --Shelley The peace that I feel in my life is growing richer every day. As I continue to walk on my spiritual path to recovery, I let myself be guided by truth and love. Conflict is leaving, making more and more room for charity, serenity and usefulness. --Ruth Fishel Treat every person with kindness and respect, even those who are rude to you. Remember that you show compassion to others not because of who they are, but because of who you are. --Andrew T. Somers Today I know my Higher Power is guiding me through the changes I choose to make in my life. I have all the energy I need today to make these changes as easily and effortless as I wish. --Ruth Fishel Today, I will stop forcing things to happen. Instead, I will allow things to happen naturally. If I catch myself trying to force events or control people, I will stop and figure out a way to detach. --Melody Beattie *********************************************** Father Leo's Daily Meditation OPTIMISM "Optimism is a kind of heart stimulant -- the digitalis of failure." -- Elbert Hubbard Today I am an optimist. I believe in life, and more importantly, I believe in me. I know that God cares and this brings me hope. But when I was drinking I had a negative and destructive attitude in all areas of life; nothing pleased me, people were not to be trusted, everybody had a price, God seemed to be "out for lunch" and life had lost its meaning. I was a sad man. I was a lonely man. I was an angry man. When I was told to put down the drink and follow some new directions, I halfheartedly agreed. I met people who laughed, shared their pain and lived in the realistic "now". I began to listen. Slowly I changed. Peace was within my grasp. Today I wonder at my halfhearted risk that started it all -- and thank God. ************************************************** ********* Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever. Psalm 125:1 Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the LORD!" Psalm 27:14 "Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content." Philippians 4:11 ************************************************** ********* Daily Inspiration Get outside of yourself and be outgoing for others. Lord, help me to act in a heartwarming manner so that Your presence in me lights an entire room. Are you too busy wishing away your day to get what you really want? Lord, help me set goals and find the means to achieve what is important to me. |
Relationships make or break you. Principle 1.) Choose your battles Some battles aren't worth fighting for. Choose your battles over something important not something small. Forgiveness. Pursue friendships…
W.O.W 101;) |
September 2
Daily Reflections FINDING "A REASON TO BELIEVE" The willingness to grow is the essence of all spiritual development. As Bill Sees It, p.171 A line from a song goes, ". . . and I look to find a reason to believe . . ." It reminds me that at one time I was not able to find a reason to believe that my life was all right. Even though my life had been saved by coming to A.A., three months later I went out and drank again. Someone told me: "You don't have to believe. Aren't you willing to believe that there is a reason for your life, even though you may not know yourself what that reason is, or that you may not sometimes know the right way to behave?" When I saw how willing I was to believe there was a reason for my life, then I could start to work on the Steps. Now when I begin with, "I am willing. . . ," I am using the key that leads to action, honesty, and openness to a Higher Power moving through my life. ************************************************** ********* Twenty-Four Hours A Day A.A. Thought For The Day "Outline the program of action to new prospects, explaining how you made a self appraisal, how you straightened out your past, and why you are now endeavoring to help them. It is important for them to realize that your attempt to pass this on to them plays a vital part in your recovery. The more hopeless they feel, the better. They will be more likely to follow your suggestions. Tell them about the fellowship of A.A. and if they show interest, lend them a copy of the Big Book." Can I tell the A.A. story to another alcoholic? Meditation For The Day You should try to stand aside and let God work through you. You should try not to block Him off by your own efforts, or prevent His spirit working through you. God desires your obedient service and your loyalty to the ideals of the new life you are seeking. If you are loyal to God, He will give you protection against mistakes. His spirit will plan for you and secure for you a sufficiency of all spiritual help. You will have true victory and real success, if you will put yourself in the background and let God work through you. Prayer For The Day I pray that I may not interfere with the working of God's spirit in me and through me. I pray that I may give it full rein. ************************************************** ********* As Bill Sees It Toward Maturity, p.244 Many oldsters who have put our A.A. "booze cure" to severe but successful tests still find they often lack emotional sobriety. To attain this, we must develop real maturity and balance (which is to say, humility) in our relations with ourselves, with our fellows, and with God. ******************************** Let A.A. never be a closed corporation; let us never deny our experience, for whatever it may be worth, to the world around us. Let our individual members heed the call to every field of human endeavor. Let them carry the experience and spirit of A.A. into all these affairs, for whatever good they may accomplish. For not only has God saved us from alcoholism; the world has received us back into its citizenship. 1. Grapevine, January 1958 2. A.A. Comes Of Age, pp. 232-233 ************************************************** ********* Walk In Dry Places Going with the Flow Problem solving. It's surprising how many problems solve themselves when we're willing to turn them over to our Higher Power. This isn't a self-fulfilling prophecy brought about by suspicious beliefs we can actually find proof of this seemingly providential activity in our lives. We don't have to convince anybody except ourselves that this process works. What we can prove is that some of our best opportunities come about by what we would call chance or coincidence. Indeed, the first meeting of two AA founders could be called such a chance event. We need to believe that our Higher Power is working ceaselessly for the upward development of the human race, and Twelve Step programs can be essential forces in this upward development. In our own lives, we can go with this flow of ever-increasing good, as we continue to feel ourselves a part of it. I will not wrestle with every problem today. Some problems will be dealt with later and some will seem to solve themselves. I will know that I am part of an upward development that is continuing. ************************************************** ********* Keep It Simple … except when to do so would injure them or others. ---Second half of Step Nine We have to be careful when we make amends. We must think about people’s well being. Can we help heal by being direct with them? Or would it hurt them again? At times, this means not making direct amends. Sometimes, it’s better to make some other kind of amend. If you’re not sure how to make amends to someone, ask for advice from your sponsor and your group. And pray. Over time, you’ll know if making direct amends is the right thing to do. Remember, Step Nine means we’re responsible for our actions. In recovery, our actions can be healing. Healing takes place when we love ourselves and others. And love is what heals us. Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, I’ve hurt people in the past. Please use me now to help those people heal. Give me good judgment, courage, and good timing. Action for the Day: I will never be able to make direct amends to some people. I will think of amends I can make to them. I can pray daily for their healing. ************************************************** ********* Each Day a New Beginning If I had to describe something as divine it would be what happens between people when they really get it together. There is a kind of spark that makes it all worthwhile. When you feel that spark, you get a good feeling deep in your gut. --June L. Tapp How lucky we are, that we can experience that divine spark with one another, and with all recovering women. The program offers us the chance, every moment of our lives from this day forward, to experience divinity. All we are asked to do is be there, for one another, to share fully who we are. Vulnerability gets easier as we learn that we can trust each other, that we can share pain, that it's okay to pull and prod and follow, first you and then me and then her. What a thrill it is to leave our competition behind! The program bonds us together, and the bond will strengthen each of us, but it can elude us, too. It often does when we forget to be there, in one another's presence, when the opportunity comes. I need these sparks to nurture my growth, singly and collectively. I will be part of a divine experience today. ************************************************** ********* Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition WE AGNOSTICS Yes, we of agnostic temperament have had these thoughts and experiences. Let us make haste to reassure you. We found that as soon as we were able to lay aside prejudice and express even a willingness to believe in a Power greater than ourselves, we commenced to get results, even though it was impossible for any of us to fully define or comprehend that Power, which is God. Much to our relief, we discovered we did not need to consider another’s conception of God. Our own conception, however inadequate, was sufficient to make the approach and to effect a contact with Him. As soon as we admitted the possible existence of a Creative Intelligence, a Spirit of the Universe underlying the totality of things, we began to be possessed of a new sense of power and direction, provided we took other simple steps. We found that God does not make too hard terms with those who seek Him. To us, the Realm of Spirit is broad, roomy, all inclusive; never exclusive or forbidding to those who earnestly seek. It is open, we believe, to all men. p. 46 ************************************************** ********* Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions Step Ten - "Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it." Now that we're in A.A. and sober, and winning back the esteem of our friends and business associates, we find that we still need to exercise special vigilance. As an insurance against "big-shot-ism" we can often check ourselves by remembering that we are today sober only by the grace of God and that any success we may be having is far more His success than ours. p. 92 ************************************************** ********* Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be. --Abraham Lincoln "The truth of the matter is that you always know the right thing to do. The hard part is doing it." --General H. Norman Schwarzkopf "I didn't learn humility with my head. I learned humility with my heart." --Unknown For all my good intentions, there are days when things go wrong or I fall into old habits. When things are not going well, when I'm grumpy or mad, I'll realize that I've not been paying attention to my soul and I've not been following my best routine. --Robert Fulghum When you recover or discover something that nourishes your soul and brings joy, care enough about yourself to make room for it in your life. --Jean Shinoda Bolen *********************************************** Father Leo's Daily Meditation MEMORY "Every man's memory is his private literature." -- Aldous Huxley What it was like. What happened. What it is like today. Memory. If I am to stay sober, I need to remember. I need to remember on a daily basis. I must never forget. My life is reflected in my memory. The "writing on the wall" is really in my head, but am I prepared to see it and acknowledge it? For years I chose not to remember. I lived in a world of make-believe. People were exaggerating the facts! With denial at the center of my life I was able to forget the pain and drink again, only to awake to yesterday's pain again. My memory is the key to my recovery. Spirituality is about "seeing" -- seeing my life as it is, rather than how I imagined or hoped it would be. My pain belongs in my life because it is mine! Alcohol always works; but does it work for me or against me? My remembering helps me answer that question today and hopefully tomorrow. Thank You, God, for allowing my yesterdays to forge my tomorrows. ************************************************** ********* The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. Psalm 9:9 A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. Proverbs 15:1 I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and the Father are one." John 10:27-30 ************************************************** ********* Daily Inspiration Don't miss a single chance to enrich your life or the lives of others. Lord, Your blessings are countless. May I always be aware of Your presence in my life, share my blessings, and use my blessings to be a blessing to others. Never judge. The heart of each one of us is so different, so complex, with so many different circumstances and sufferings that only God is truly able to know it. Lord, may I reach out to others with compassion when they need my support. |
September 3
Daily Reflections BUILDING A NEW LIFE, p.255 We feel a man is unthinking when he says sobriety is enough. Alcoholics Anonymous, p.82 When I reflect on Step Nine, I see that physical sobriety must be enough for me. I need to remember the hopelessness I felt before I found sobriety, and how I was willing to go to any lengths for it. Physical sobriety is not enough for those around me, however, since I must see that God's gift is used to build a new life for my family and loved ones. Just as importantly, I must be available to help others who want the A.A. way of life. I ask God to help me share the gift of sobriety so that its benefit may be shown to those I know and love. ************************************************** ********* Twenty-Four Hours A Day A.A. Thought For The Day "Offer new prospects friendship and fellowship. Tell them that if they want to get well you will do anything to help. Burn the idea into the consciousness of new prospects that they can get well, regardless of anyone else. Job or no job, spouse or no spouse, they cannot stop drinking as long as they place dependence on other people ahead of dependence on God. Let no alcoholic say they cannot recover unless they have their family back. This just isn't so. Their recovery is not dependent upon other people. It is dependent on their own relationship with God." Can I recognize all excuses made by a prospect? Meditation For The Day The spiritual life depends upon the unseen. To live the spiritual life you must believe in the unseen. Try not to loose the consciousness of God's spirit in you and in others. As a child in its mother's arms, stay sheltered in the understanding and love of God. God will relieve you of the weight of worry and care, misery and depression, want and woe, faintness and heartache, if you will let Him. Lift up your eyes from earth's troubles and view the glory of the unseen God. Each day try to see more good in people, more of the unseen in the seen. Prayer For The Day I pray that I may rest and abide in the presence of the unseen God. I pray that I may leave my burdens in His care. ************************************************** ********* As Bill Sees It Singlehanded Combat, p.245 Few indeed are those who, assailed by the tyrant alcohol, have ever won through in singlehanded combat. It is a statistical fact that alcoholics almost never recover on their personal resources alone. ******************************** 'Way up toward Point Barrow in Alaska, a couple of prospectors got themselves a cabin and a case of Scotch. The weather turned bitter, fifty below, and they got so drunk they let the fire go out. Barely escaping death by freezing, one of them woke up in time to rekindle the fire. He was prowling around outside for fuel, and he looked into an empty oil drum filled with frozen water. Down in the ice cake he saw a reddish-yellow object. When thawed out, it was seen to be an A.A. book. One of the pair read the book and sobered up. Legend has it that he became the founder of one of our farthest north groups. 1. 12 & 12, p.22 2. A.A. Comes Of Age, pp. 82-83 ************************************************** ********* Walk In Dry Places What is Possible? Spiritual Power. With God, all things are possible, goes an old saying. Yet most of us haven't seen any evidence of doing the impossible. But through our program, we have truly accomplished things that we had considered nearly impossible at one time. No human power could have relieved our alcoholism, we read in the AA Big Book. How many more conditions are we accepting because no human power ..... particularly ours... can relieve them? As we grow in sobriety, we should continuously reinforce our belief that God is living and working in our lives. The impossible problems we'll need to work on will have roots in our own habits and feelings, but even if one of these deeply rooted problems has gone on for years, we need not despair of finding an answer. If we persist in prayer and in turning the problem over to our Higher power, an answer must come. It is never too late to find the changes we need and deserve. Even if I haven't solved all my problems, I'll take the position today that correct solutions exist in the mind of God. I'll be open to signs that changes are coming. ************************************************** ********* Keep It Simple You will not regret the past nor wish ti shut the door on it. . . --- Alcoholics Anonymous As we work the Steps, we fix our broken life. Many things in our new life have been painful. Our addiction to alcohol or drugs made it all worse. But if things hadn’t gotten so bad we might not have gotten into recovery. We have changed so much! We have learned so much about life, our Higher Power, and ourselves in order to fix our lives. We can’t act like nothing in the past matters. It does matter, because it brought us to this new life. And is better already! Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me face my past and heal the wounds---my wounds and others’ wounds. Action for the Day : Today, I’ll three things I’m ashamed of. How can I make amends for them when I work Step Nine? I will call my sponsor if I need help. ************************************************** ********* Each Day a New Beginning ... satisfaction is a lowly thing, how pure a thing is joy. --Marianne Moore Our perfectionism generally dashes all hopes of self-satisfaction. But the program is here to show us that we can make progress. We can learn to believe that we are doing any task as well as we need to do it, at this time. Our job is the effort. The outcome is part of a larger plan, one that involves more than ourselves. We'll find joy when we find acceptance of ourselves and our efforts and the belief that we are spiritual beings whose lives do have purpose and direction. The wisdom that accompanies spiritual growth offers us security, that which we have sought along many avenues. And when we feel secure, we can trust that the challenges confronting us are purposeful and to our advantage. One day at a time, one small prayer at a time, moves us even closer to spiritual security. We can look with glad anticipation at our many responsibilities and activities today. They are our opportunities for spiritual security. We can trust our growing inner resources by simply asking for guidance and waiting patiently. It will find us. I must exercise my prayers if I want the spiritual security where I can find joy. I will ask for guidance with every activity today. ************************************************** ********* Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition WE AGNOSTICS When, therefore, we speak to you of God, we mean your own conception of God. This applies, too, to other spiritual expressions which you find in this book. Do not let any prejudice you may have against spiritual terms deter you from honestly asking yourself what they mean to you. At the start, this was all we needed to commence spiritual growth, to effect our first conscious relation with God as we understood Him. Afterward, we found ourselves accepting many things which then seemed entirely out of reach. That was growth, but if we wished to grow we had to begin somewhere. So we used our own conception, however limited it was. p. 47 ************************************************** ********* Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions Step Ten - "Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it." Finally, we begin to see that all people, including ourselves, are to some extent emotionally ill as well as frequently wrong, and then we approach true tolerance and see what real love for our fellows actually means. It will become more and more evident as we go forward that it is pointless to become angry, or to get hurt by people who, like us, are suffering from the pains of growing up. p. 92 ************************************************** ********* I will take time today to stop and give a gift to someone needy, smile at a stranger or help a small child. I will take the time to do at least one thing that I usually find myself too busy to do, and I will inwardly smile at myself, taking the time to experience the feelings of my own kindness. --Ruth Fishel Just for today: I will strive to be an active listener. I will practice active listening when others share and when I share with others. --Just For Today Daily Meditation For us, if we neglect those who are still sick, there is unremitting danger to our own lives and sanity. --Twelve Steps And Twelve Traditions, p. 151 God, give me the courage and strength to see clearly. --Melody Beattie Tell your partner, your children, your parents: "I love you" frequently. Let them know the difference they make in your life. Miss no opportunities for loving. --Mary Manin Morrissey "Never ask a barber if he thinks you need a haircut." --Roy Rogers WHAT CAN I DO?" My child, I've often heard your question. This is my answer: You feel compassion for those who suffer pain, sorrow and despair ... and you ask, "What can I do?" - COMFORT ONE Your heart goes out to the lonely, the abused, and the imprisoned ... and you ask, "What can I do?" - LOVE ONE "What is oxygen to the lungs, such is hope to the meaning of life." --Unknown "Kindness pays most when you don't do it for pay." --Unknown *********************************************** Father Leo's Daily Meditation SOLITUDE "One of the greatest necessities in America is to discover creative solitude." -- Carl Sandburg I need to be alone. Being alone is not the same as being lonely. I need to be alone with me in order to love me, understand me, hear my needs and plan my day. Also solitude is a spiritual experience because it enables me to center on what God is doing and creating in my life. Solitude enables me to think and cooperate with His will for me in our world. As an addict I was always running around being "busy". Today I rest within myself in order to be more active and creative. Let me be still so that I can enjoy my world. ************************************************** ********* "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience." Colossians 3:12 "But you, keep your head in all situations..." 2 Timothy 4:5 "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus." Philippians 2:3-5 ************************************************** ********* Daily Inspiration Today be kind and loving and expect nothing in return. When you lift your consciousness above the darkness, you will understand that the life of Christ is the only enduring life. Lord, teach me to see You in my neighbor. Dear Lord, open our hearts to be able to see you anywhere, anytime, in all the ways that you choose to be present. Amen. |
September 4
Daily Reflections RECONSTRUCTION Yes, there is a long period of reconstruction ahead. . . . . ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS , p. 83 The reconstruction of my life is the prime goal in my recovery as I avoid taking that first drink, one day at a time. The task is most successfully accomplished by working the Steps of our Fellowship. The spiritual life is not a theory; it works, but I have to live it. Step Two started me on my journey to develop a spiritual life; Step Nine allows me to move into the final phase of the initial Steps which taught me how to live a spiritual life. Without the guidance and strength of a Higher Power, it would be impossible to proceed through the various stages of reconstruction. I realize that God works for me and through me. Proof comes to me when I realize that God did for me what I could not do for myself, by removing that gnawing compulsion to drink. I must continue daily to seek God's guidance. He grants me a daily reprieve and will provide the power I need for reconstruction. ************************************************** ********* Twenty-Four Hours A Day A.A. Thought For The Day "We must be careful never to show intolerance or hatred of drinking as an institution. Experience shows that such an attitude is no help to anyone. We are not fanatics or intolerant of people who can drink normally. Every prospect is relieved when he finds we are not witch burners. Temperate drinking is O.K., but we alcoholics can't get away with it. And no alcoholic likes to be told about alcohol by anyone who hates it. We shall be of little use if our attitude is one of bitterness or hostility." Do I have a tolerance for those who can drink normally? Meditation For The Day Do not become encumbered by petty annoyances. Never respond to emotional upsets by emotional upset. Try to keep calm in all circumstances. Try not to fight back. Call on the grace of God when you feel like retaliating. Look to God for the inner strength to drop these resentments that drag you down. If you are burdened by annoyances, you will lose your inward peace and the spirit of God will be shut out. Try to keep peaceful within. Prayer For The Day I pray that I may do the things that make for peace. I pray that I may have a mission of conciliation. ************************************************** ********* As Bill Sees It Instinct To Live, p.246 When men and women pour so much alcohol into themselves that they destroy their lives, they commit a most unnatural act. Defying their instinctive desire for self-preservation, they seem bent upon self-destruction. They work against their own deepest instinct. As they are progressively humbled by the terrific beating administered by alcohol, the grace of God can enter them and expel their obsession. Here their powerful instinct to live can cooperate fully with their Creator's desire to give them new life. ******************************** "The central characteristic of the spiritual experience is that it gives the recipient a new and better motivation out of all proportion to any process of discipline, belief, or faith. "These experiences cannot make us whole at once; they are a rebirth to a fresh and certain opportunity." 1. 12 & 12, p.64 2. Letter, 1965 ************************************************** ********* Walk In Dry Places What do We Deserve? Good Expectations We hear about people who snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Some of us do that even in sobriety, experiencing failure just as success seems imminent. At times, we may just be suffering from a bad situation that is all around us. But if we do seem to be having one bad break after another, we should look more carefully within ourselves for causes. We may be punishing ourselves, or pushing away our good simply because we do not feel worth of it. If we discover that this process is working in our lives, we must begin changing these false patterns immediately. Having forgiven ourselves and others, and having made amends, we need no punishment. We will work to succeed in all of our activities, with a reasonable expectation of success most of the time. We will expect and deserve the best. I'll carry with me today a belief that I deserve to succeed and will take all necessary action to earn my success. ************************************************** ********* Keep It Simple In my view, we of this world are pupils in great school of life. Bill W. Our addiction has taught me much. It has taught us how far we can get from ourselves, our Higher Power, and those who love us.. Hopefully, we've learned we can't go it alone. Do I allow myself to learn from the bad things that happened? Recovery has much to teach us too. We need to be students of life. We need to be open to learning. Our spirits can grow if we’re willing to do three things: First, we listen. Second, we think about what we've learned. Third, we turn what we've learned into action. Listening, combined with thought and action, will help us learn life’s best lessons. Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, You'll test me so I can learn. Help me accept the tasks You give me. And help me learn from them. Action for the Day: I will view today as a class. I will do three things---listen, think, act. ************************************************** ********* Each Day a New Beginning For all the sadness of closure, there is a new and joyful unfolding in the process of becoming. --Mary Casey We must let go of people, places, memories, and move on to new experiences. The doors of the past must be closed before we can enter those that are opening to us today. However, no experience is gone forever. All of our experiences are threaded together, each one contributing to the events that claim our attention now. Recovery has offered us a chance to be aware of our process of becoming. With each day, each experience, each new understanding, we are advancing along the path of personal growth. Let us remember that each of us has a particular path, like no other. Thus, our experiences are ours alone. We need not envy what comes to someone else. Life is unfolding for us. The pain of the present may be necessary for the pleasure of tomorrow. We can accept the unfolding. Our inner selves have a goal; experiences of the past must be left in the past; experiences at hand will lead us to our destination today. I am moving and changing and growing, at the right pace. The process can be trusted. What is right for me will come to me. I will let the joy of becoming warm me. ************************************************** ********* Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition WE AGNOSTICS We needed to ask ourselves but one short question. “Do I now believe, or am I even willing to believe, that there is a Power greater than myself?” As soon as a man can say that he does believe, or is willing to believe, we emphatically assure him that he is on his way. It has been repeatedly proven among us that upon this simple cornerstone a wonderfully effective spiritual structure can be built.* * Please be sure to read Appendix II on "Spiritual Experience." p. 47 ************************************************** ********* Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions Step Ten - "Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it." Such a radical change in our outlook will take time, maybe a lot of time. Not many people can truthfully assert that they love everybody. Most of us must admit that we have loved but a few; that we have been quite indifferent to the many so long as none of them gave us trouble; and as for the remainder--well, we have really disliked or hated them. Although these attitudes are common enough, we A.A.'s find we need something much better in order to keep our balance. We can't stand it if we hate deeply. The idea that we can be possessively loving of a few, can ignore the many, and can continue to fear or hate anybody, has to be abandoned, if only a little at a time. pp. 92-93 ************************************************** ********* Today is the blocks with which we build. --Henry Wadsworth Longfellow All of the animals except man know that the principal business of life is to enjoy it. --Samuel Butler Today I am letting go of all judgments. I am releasing all negative emotions. I am quietly going within and trusting my inner spirit and I will know what is right for me. --Ruth Fishel " Let us continue to search our own minds for the hidden places where we still deny love. Perhaps we learned loveless attitudes from our parents, or from experiences in the past. Wherever we picked up judgmental attitudes, they do not serve us now. They do not serve God or the creation of a new world, and serving God is our only goal. To serve God is to think with love. In prayerful request, let us give up all thoughts that are not of love. " --Marianne Williamson Someone once wrote: "Happiness is always a by-product. You don't make yourself happy by chasing happiness. You make yourself happy by being a good person." The happiest people I know are people who don't even think about being happy. They just think about being good neighbors, good people. And then happiness sort of sneaks in the back window while they're busy doing good. --Rabbi Harold Kushner *********************************************** Father Leo's Daily Meditation HUMILITY "Humility is to make a right estimate of one's self." -- Charles Haddon Spurgeon To see yourself as a good person is part of the program of humility. To see your gifts and recognize your achievements is what it is to be a humble person. "God does not make junk." Therefore, we should not act or behave towards ourselves in a way that would indicate anything other than that we are "special". All addicts and alcoholics need to accept this because for years we had felt guilty, lonely and ashamed. These attitudes helped to keep us sick. Sobriety and serenity is recognizing our God-given uniqueness that makes us "special". We can achieve great things as long as we continue to believe in ourselves. Thank You for loving me enough to become a part of me. ************************************************** ********* And be not fashioned according to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, and ye may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Romans 12:2 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. Psalm 119:105 ************************************************** ********* Daily Inspiration Believe in miracles because they do happen. Lord, I give You praise for the wonders that You are doing in my life. Give yourself more exercise than jumping to conclusions. Lord, grant me sincerity and wisdom in my daily life. |
Remember it when you're on the job, socializing with friends, running errands, mindlessly whiling away the hours, etc. God's perfect plan is revealed in EVERY moment you encounter. So just yield instead of fighting it - with grace and gratitude. Stride confidently about your God-ordered world, assured that He's got it in His hands. He's even planned for this very moment...
W.O.W 101;) |
September 5
Daily Reflections EMOTIONAL BALANCE Made direct amends to such people wherever possible,. . . . . TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS , p. 83 When I survey my drinking days, I recall many people whom my life touched casually, but whose days I troubled through my anger and sarcasm. These people are untraceable, and direct amends to them are not possible. The only amends I can make to those untraceable individuals, the only "changes for the better" I can offer, are indirect amends made to other people, whose paths briefly cross mine. Courtesy and kindness, regularly practiced, help me to live in emotional balance, at peace with myself. ************************************************** ********* Twenty-Four Hours A Day A.A. Thought For The Day One of the mottoes of A.A. is "First Things First." This means that we should always keep in mind that alcohol is our number-one problem. We must never let any other problem, whether of family, business, friends, or anything else, take precedence in our minds over our alcoholic problem. As we go along in A.A., we learn to recognize the things that may upset us emotionally. When we find ourselves getting upset over something, we must realize that it's a luxury we alcoholics can't afford. Anything that makes us forget our number-one problem is dangerous to us. Am I keeping sobriety in first place in my mind? Meditation For The Day Spiritual progress is the law of your being. Try to see around you more and more of beauty and truth, knowledge and power. Today try to be stronger, braver, more loving as a result of what you did yesterday. This law of spiritual progress gives meaning and purpose to your life. Always expect better things ahead. You can accomplish much good through the strength of God's spirit in you. Never be too discouraged. The world is sure to get better, in spite of setbacks of war, hate, and greed. Be part of the cure of the world's ills, rather than part of the disease. Prayer For The Day I pray that I may keep progressing in the better life. I pray that I may be a part of the forces for good in the world. ************************************************** ********* As Bill Sees It Have You Experimented?, p.247 "Since open-mindedness and experimentation are supposed to be the indispensable attributes of our 'scientific' civilization, it seems strange that so many scientists are reluctant to try out personally the hypothesis that God came first and man afterward. They prefer to believe that man is the chance product of evolution; that God, the Creator, does not exist. "I can only report that I have experimented with both concepts and that, in my case, the God concept has proved to be a better basis for living than the man-centered one. "Nevertheless, I would be the first to defend your right to think as you will. I simply ask this question: 'In your own life, have you ever really tried to think and act as though there might be a God? Have you experimented?'" Letter, 1950 ************************************************** ********* Walk In Dry Places Battles we've won or lost. Achievements. Even the continuous sobriety we're enjoying is no shield from traps we seem to set for ourselves. At times, we can find ourselves in the foolish game of continuing to fight battles we've won or lost. One losing battle is the attempt to win the approval of someone who has always disliked us. That person may be gone, but we still fight....and lose..... the same battle when we find ourselves in a similar situation. We also may have won some battles without knowing it. This can happen when we've set our goals unrealistically high. We may be fairly successful in our work, for example, but still feel that we have failed because a high goal we set eluded us. That goal, however, may have been all but impossible to attain, and while we mourn our perceived failure, we ignore the successes we many have achieved in the meantime. Consequently, we should never let any of these battles interfere with our plan for sobriety. We must stay sober at all costs. This day, I'll not strive to impress people who may always disapprove of me. I will also accept my successes even if they fall short of my highest dreams. ************************************************** ********* Keep It Simple I have never seen a greater monster or miracle than myself.----Montaigne We know we’ve hurt people. We’ve heard our family cry out from pain we’ve caused them. Because of alcohol and other drugs, we acted like monsters. But we now live surrounded with love. We now work to make this world better. Recovery is a miracle. The rebirth of our spirit is our miracle. It’s no wonder we love life the way we do! We’ve been given a second chance. Our joy is overflowing. Our Higher Power must love us very much. Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me with the monster that lives within me. I pray it will never again be let out. Action for the Day: Today, I’ll see myself as a miracle. I’ll be grateful for my new life. ************************************************** ********* Each Day a New Beginning Pity is the deadliest feeling that can be offered to a woman. --Vicki Baum We must move forward with confidence, trusting that the strength we need will be given us, having faith in our visions to guide us. Problems need not daunt us. Rather, they can spur us on to more creative activity. They challenge our capabilities. They insist that we not stand still. Pity from others fosters inaction, and passivity invites death of the soul. Instead, our will to live is quickened through others' encouragement. All else dampens the will. Pity feeds the self-pity that rings the death knell. We can give strokes wherever we are today and know that we are helping someone live. And each time we reach out to encourage another, we are breathing new life into ourselves, new life that holds at bay the self-pity that may appear at any moment. We can serve one another best, never by commiserating with sadnesses, but by celebrating life's challenges. They offer the opportunities necessary to our continued growth. Someone needs a word of encouragement from me. I will brighten her vision of the future. ************************************************** ********* Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition WE AGNOSTICS That was great news to us, for we had assumed we could not make use of spiritual principles unless we accepted many things on faith which seemed difficult to believe. When people presented us with spiritual approaches, how frequently did we all say, “I wish I had what that man has. I’m sure it would work if I could only believe as he believes. But I cannot accept as surely true the many articles of faith which are so plain to him.” So it was comforting to learn that we could commence at a simpler level. p. 47 ************************************************** ********* Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions Step Ten - "Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it." We can try to stop making unreasonable demands upon those we love. We can show kindness where we had shown none. With those we dislike we can begin to practice justice and courtesy, perhaps going out of our way to understand and help them. Whenever we fail any of these people, we can promptly admit it--to ourselves always, and to them also, when the admission would be helpful. Courtesy, kindness, justice, and love are the keynotes by which we may come into harmony with practically anybody. When in doubt we can always pause, saying, "Not my will, but Thine, be done." And we can often ask ourselves, "Am I doing to others as I would have them do to me--today?" p. 93 ************************************************** ********* I asked God for strength, that I might achieve... I was made weak, that I might learn humbly to obey. I asked for health, that I might do greater things... I was given infirmity, that I might do better things. I asked for riches, that I might be happy... I was given poverty, that I might be wise. I asked for power, that I might have the praise of men... I was given weakness, that I might feel the need for God. I asked for all things, that I might enjoy life... I got nothing that I asked for, but everything I hoped for. Almost despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered. I am among all men, richly blessed. --This prayer was found on an unidentified Civil War soldier SMILES A SMILE COSTS NOTHING, but gives much. It enriches those who receive, without making poorer those who give. It takes but a moment, but the memory of it sometimes lasts forever. None is so rich or mighty that he can get along without it, and none is so poor but he can be made rich by it. A smile creates happiness in the home, fosters goodwill in business, and is the countersign of friendship. It brings rest to the weary, cheer to the discouraged, sunshine to the sad, and it is natures' best antidote for trouble. Yet it cannot be bought, begged, borrowed or stolen, for it is something that it is of no value to anyone until it is given away. --Anonymous *********************************************** Father Leo's Daily Meditation NATURE "All are but parts of one stupendous whole. Whose body nature is and God the soul." -- Alexander Pope I belong to this world, this mighty universe -- but more importantly, it belongs to me. I have a responsibility in this world and to this world. No longer can I abrogate my responsibility. God created and is creating through me. What I say, what I do, how I feel is important. I am important. I am terrific -- because God made me and works through me. Sometimes I feel the one-ness. I stand on a mountain top and look at the rolling hills beyond and I feel noble. The birds sing, the streams murmur and I feel a tremendous sense of joy. But I also feel the pain of the world. The people suffering, the pointlessness of man's violence and the injustice of prejudice. All this I feel, too. Spirituality involves this mixture, the paradox of my being an angel in the dust! Thank You for including me in Your design for life. I tremble at the responsibility You have shared with me. ************************************************** ********* "Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light." Micah 7:8 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Galatians 5:1 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23 ************************************************** ********* Daily Inspiration To be completely at peace, avoid hurting anyone for any reason. Lord, I will act with kindness and when others are hurtful to me, I will focus on Your presence within them to give me courage to respond gently. If we spend time thanking God for the good things in our lives, we won't have time to do so much complaining. Thank You, Lord, for the gift of life and the many things that bring me joy. |
Naturally just before a fall one may become quite arrogant and confident enough in their own abilities that they don't think they need The Lord.
I believe I have obtained some wisdom in the last couple of years, but I have much wisdom yet to gain and I need The Lord to help me attain it. I cannot obtain it on my own. Lord I need you now and always. Words of wisdom 101:195: |
September 6
Daily Reflections REMOVING THREATS TO SOBRIETY . . . . except when to do so would injure them or others. . . . ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS , p. 59 Step Nine restores in me a feeling of belonging, not only to the human race but also to the everyday world. First, the Step makes me leave the safety of A.A., so that I may deal with non-A.A. people "out there," on their terms. It is a frightening but necessary action if I am to get back into life. Second, Step Nine allows me to remove threats to my sobriety by healing past relationships. Step Nine points the way to a more serene sobriety by letting me clear away past wreckage, lest it bring me down. ************************************************** ********* Twenty-Four Hours A Day A.A. Thought For The Day Another of the mottoes of A.A. is "Live and Let Live." This, of course, means tolerance of people who think differently than we do, whether they are in A.A. or outside of A.A. We cannot afford the luxury of being intolerant or critical of other people. We do not try to impose our wills on those who differ from us. We are not "holier than thou." We do not have all the answers. We are not better than other good people. We live the best way we can and we allow others to do likewise. Am I willing to live and let live? Meditation For The Day "And this is life eternal, that we may know Thee, the only true God." Learning to know God as best you can draws the eternal life nearer to you. Freed from some of the limitations of humanity, you can grow in the things that are eternal. You can strive for what is real and of eternal value. The more you try to live in the consciousness of the unseen world, the gentler will be your passing into it when the time comes for you to go. This life on earth should be largely a preparation for the eternal life to come. Prayer For The Day I pray that I may live each day as though it were my last. I pray that I may live my life as though it were everlasting. ************************************************** ********* As Bill Sees It We Need Outside Help, p.248 It was evident that a solitary self-appraisal, and the admission of our defects based upon that alone, wouldn't be nearly enough. We'd have to have outside help if we were surely to know and admit the truth about ourselves--the help of God and of another human being. Only by discussing ourselves, holding back nothing, only by being willing to take advice and accept direction could we set foot on the road to straight thinking, solid honesty, and genuine humility. ******************************** If we are fooling ourselves, a competent adviser can see this quickly. And, as he skillfully guides us away from our fantasies, we are surprised to find that we have few of the usual urges to defend ourselves against unpleasant truths. In no other way can fear, pride, and ignorance be so readily melted. After a time, we realize that we are standing firm on a brand-new foundation for integrity, and we gratefully credit our sponsors, whose advice pointed the way. 1. 12 & 12, p.59 2. Grapevine, August 1961 ************************************************** ********* Walk In Dry Places Change is sometimes necessary Improvement. Despite the fact that many of us live turbulent, chaotic lives, we may find in sobriety that we don't like change. This causes us to seek our security in familiar places, rather than reach out for the unknown that lies ahead. This may not be real security, however, because familiar places and situations also change. Our resistance to change may simply be the fear of trying something new. If we find that fear of change is causing us to put up with a situation that's become unsatisfactory, we need to adjust our attitude toward it. While we view change as risky, it may be the necessary route for improvement. Let's start by simply accepting the idea that change is sometimes necessary. After that, we can expect our Higher Power to guide us to the new situations that are right for us. Today I may find myself fearing change. I'll remind myself that nothing ever stays the same, and that only change can bring the true good I'm always seeking. ************************************************** ********* Keep It Simple Addiction is answering the spiritual calling inside us by going to the wrong address. ---Chris Ringer Where can we go to feel better, to feel spiritually alive? Not to alcohol or other drugs. Not to compulsive spending, gambling, or sex. Not to overeating or overworking. When we turn to these things to feel better, we’re trading one addiction for another, we’re going to the “wrong address.” What is the right address? Our inner needs. Our Higher Power. Our recovery program. Our friends. Soon, we become part of a network of “safe addresses.” Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, keep me on the right path. I don’t want to go to the wrong address anymore. Action for the Day: Today, I’ll make sure I have at least three “right address” in my wallet or purse. I’ll list names and day and evening phone numbers of people who will love and help. ************************************************** ********* Each Day a New Beginning We can build upon foundations anywhere if they are well and firmly laid. --Ivy Compton-Burnett Recovery is a process, one that rebuilds our lives. And the Twelve Steps provide the foundation to support our growth as healthy, productive women. But each Step must be carefully and honestly worked, or the whole foundation will be weakened. How lucky we are to have found this program and the structure it offers. We looked for structure in our past. We searched, maybe for years, running from one panacea to another, hoping to find ourselves. Booze--pills--food--lovers--causes; none gave us the security we longed for. We couldn't find ourselves because we hadn't defined ourselves. At last we've come home. Self-definition is the program's guarantee. Not only can we discover who we are, now, but also we can change, nurture those traits that we favor, diminish those that attract trouble. My actions today are the key. They tell who I am at this moment. Who I become is up to me. I will pick a Step and reflect before I move ahead. The strength of my foundation depends on it. ************************************************** ********* Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition WE AGNOSTICS Besides a seeming inability to accept much on faith, we often found ourselves handicapped by obstinacy, sensitiveness, and unreasoning prejudice. Many of us have been so touchy that even casual reference to spiritual things make us bristle with antagonism. This sort of thinking had to be abandoned. Though some of us resisted, we found no great difficulty in casting aside such feelings. Faced with alcoholic destruction, we soon became as open minded on spiritual matters as we had tried to be on other questions. In this respect alcohol was a great persuader. It finally beat us into a state of reasonableness. Sometimes this was a tedious process; we hope no one else will prejudiced for as long as some of us were. pp. 47-48 ************************************************** ********* Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions Step Ten - "Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it." When evening comes, perhaps just before going to sleep, many of us draw up a balance sheet for the day. This is a good place to remember that inventory-taking is not always done in red ink. It's a poor day indeed when we haven't done something right. As a matter of fact, the waking hours are usually well filled with things that are constructive. Good intentions, good thoughts, and good acts are there for us to see. Even when we have tried hard and failed, we may chalk that up as one of the greatest credits of all. Under these conditions, the pains of failure are converted into assets. Out of them we receive the stimulation we need to go forward. Someone who knew what he was talking about once remarked that pain was the touchstone of all spiritual progress. How heartily we A.A.'s can agree with him, for we know that the pains of drinking had to come before sobriety, and emotional turmoil before serenity. pp. 93-94 ************************************************** ********* Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves. --Carl Jung During his lifetime, an individual should devote his efforts to creating happiness and enjoy it. --Ch'enTu-hsiu "It takes less time to do things right than to explain why you did it wrong." --Henry Wadsworth Longfellow "Give to the world the best you have and the best will come back to you." --Madeline Bridges Understanding a person does not mean condoning; it only means that one does not accuse him as if one were God or a judge placed above him. --Erich Fromm *********************************************** Father Leo's Daily Meditation FEAR "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." -- Franklin Delano Roosevelt Fear is a killer. It is a killer because it drains us of life, energy and creativity. Fear petrifies the human spirit. I spent a lot of yesterdays afraid. Afraid of people finding out. Afraid of the telephone. Afraid of where it would all end. Afraid of me! I did not realize that I was feeding the fear with my behavior. I drank myself into fear. The day I stopped drinking alcohol was the day I stopped giving energy to my fear. Today I live my life without abnormal or unrealistic fears. Today I enjoy my life. I work through my problems. I am not afraid of my shadow. Today I love me. Lord may I always connect my unrealistic fears with my behavior -- and begin the change. ************************************************** ********* "I will turn their mourning into joy, I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow." Jeremiah 31:13 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28 Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him. Psalm 126:5-6 ************************************************** ********* Daily Inspiration In everything imitate God and you will come to know Him better and better. Lord, I ask Your help to come close to You in my thoughts and bring Your love to this earth. If you are prepared to die, you will also be prepared to live. Lord, You have given me life and made ready the Kingdom of Heaven. I dedicate myself to You. |
September 7
Daily Reflections "OUR SIDE OF THE STREET" We are there to sweep off our side of the street, realizing that nothing worth while can be accomplished until we do so, never trying to tell him what he should do. His faults are not discussed. We stick to our own. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, pp. 77-78 I made amends to my dad after I quit drinking. My words fell on deaf ears since I had blamed him for my troubles. Several months later I made amends to my dad again. This time I wrote a letter in which I did not blame him nor mention his faults. It worked, and at last I understood! My side of the street is all that I'm responsible for and--thanks to God and A.A.-- it's clean for today. ************************************************** ********* Twenty-Four Hours A Day A.A. Thought For The Day Another of the mottoes of A.A. is "Easy Does It." This means that we just go along in A.A. doing the best we can and not getting steamed up over problems that are in A.A. or outside of it. We alcoholics are emotional people and we have gone to excess in almost everything we have done. We have not been moderate in many things. We have not known how to relax. Faith in a Higher Power can help us to learn to take it easy. We are not running the world. I am only one among many. We are resolved to live normal, regular lives. From our A.A. experience we learn that "easy does it." Have I learned to take it easy? Meditation For The Day "The eternal God is thy refuge and underneath are the everlasting arms." Sheltering arms express the loving protection of God's spirit. Human beings, in their troubles and difficulties need nothing so much as a refuge, a place to relax where they can lay down their burdens and get relief from cares. Say to yourself: "God is my refuge." Say it until its truth sinks into your very soul. Say it until you know it and are sure of it. Nothing can seriously upset you or make you afraid, if God is truly your refuge. Prayer For The Day I pray that I may go each day to God as a refuge until fear goes and peace and security come. I pray that I may feel deeply secure in the Haven of His spirit. ************************************************** ********* As Bill Sees It God's Gifts, p.249 We see that the sun never sets upon A.A.'s Fellowship; that more than three hundred and fifty thousand of us have now recovered from our malady; that we have everywhere begun to transcend the formidable barriers of race, creed, and nationality. This assurance that so many of us have been able to meet our responsibilities for sobriety and for growth and effectiveness in the troubled world where we live, will surely fill us with the deepest joy and satisfaction. But, as a people who have nearly always learned the hard way, we shall certainly not congratulate ourselves. We shall perceive these assets to be God's gift, which have been in part matched by an increasing willingness on our part to find and do His will for us. Grapevine, July 1965 ************************************************** ********* Walk In Dry Places A New approach to Freedom Staying Sober Most of us discover that we've had mixed-up ideas about the nature of freedom. Real freedom is not simply doing exactly as one pleases; privileges would be the correct term for that. And desirable as political freedom is, it cannot give us what we're really seeking. We should approach freedom by recognizing that we're really seeking release from the bondage of self. This self-concern can be one of the worst tyrannies humans face. As we are released from the bondage of self, we learn that our choices begin to multiply. We make wise decisions instead of being driven to certain actions. We are truly free. Today I'll enjoy a freedom that is available to anybody who seeks it wholeheartedly. I'll know it as the freedom only God can offer. ************************************************** ********* Keep It Simple A lair needs a good memory. --- Quintilian Many of us wasted a lot of energy trying to keep track of whom we had told what. For example, we’d tell our boss one story and our family another. Then we’d work hard to make sure they never met. How wonderful to be done with that way of life! We now have a life based on honestly. We can now be ourselves where we go. Our program tell us that to get sober, we must live a life of strict honesty. Honesty is our rule to get and stay sober. Life is much more simple this way. We can relax and think of the happy details of life. Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me to live honestly. Being honest brings me closer to You. Help me become closer to You. Action for the Day: Today, I’ll read the first three pages of Chapter Five in Alcoholics Anonymous (Third Edition). Here, I’ll learn why honesty is so important to my recovery. ************************************************** ********* Each Day a New Beginning Remember your good memories, but live for today and keep the memories behind you. --Jodi K. Elliott The stuff of our memories comprises who we have become. Each recollection is akin to an ingredient in a simmering pot of stew. The full flavor of our lives is enhanced by each additional experience, whether it is painful or joyful. Our experiences have a way of dovetailing, of grouping themselves, perhaps even tailoring themselves, to provide us the best advantage. So human is our tendency to linger in thought on past times that we fail to take advantage, to be fully present in the moment, which is assuredly making a necessary contribution to the total panorama of our lives. Who are we to judge the value of any single experience? It's how all experiences have mingled, that we must trust. We can be certain in retrospect, that those situations that created the most inner turmoil also offered us the most as growing, developing women. The experiences offered today, in the 24 hours ahead, are significant because they are unique. I will cherish them for the addition they are making to my total person. ************************************************** ********* Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition WE AGNOSTICS The reader may still ask why he should believe in a Power greater than himself. We think there are good reasons. Let us have a look at some of them. The practical individual of today is a stickler for facts and results. Nevertheless, the twentieth century readily accepts theories of all kinds, provided they are firmly grounded in fact. We have numerous theories, for example, about electricity. Everybody believes them without a murmur of doubt. Why this ready acceptance? Simply because it is impossible to explain what we see, feel, direct, and use, without a reasonable assumption as a starting point. p. 48 ************************************************** ********* Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions Step Ten - "Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it." As we glance down the debit side of the day's ledger, we should carefully examine our motives in each thought or act that appears to be wrong. In most cases our motives won't be hard to see and understand. When prideful, angry, jealous, anxious, or fearful, we acted accordingly, and that was that. Here we need only recognize that we did act or think badly, try to visualize how we might have done better, and resolve with God's help to carry these lessons over into tomorrow, making, of course, any amends still neglected. p. 94 ************************************************** ********* Criticism, like rain, should be gentle enough to nourish one's growth without destroying one's roots. --Cited in The Best of BITS & PIECES When upon life's billows you are tempest tossed, When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost, Count your many blessings, name them one by one, And it will surprise you what God has done. --unknown "Whatever you are trying to avoid won't go away until you confront it." --Anonymous Serenity isn't freedom from the storm, it is peace within the storm. --unknown "We learn the magical lesson that making the most of what we have turns it into more." --Codependent No More Inner peace should not be determined by outward experiences. --unknown *********************************************** Father Leo's Daily Meditation WORK "Without work all life goes rotten." -- Albert Camus A spiritual discovery that I have made is that I work in order to be, not simply to exist. To work is human. Work opens the door to the meaning of life, and it stops life from being boring and dull. Work is creative. When I was drinking, I did not have this understanding of work and so it became a burden, something I had to get through, something I had to do for money or security. I missed the creative dynamic of work and how it could enable me to feel good about myself. In recovery I work, create and grow not only in my job, but also in my leisure hours. Indeed the distinction between the two often overlaps because the program I take into the office is the same program I take into the party or disco. Today God is to be found in everything. ************************************************** ********* "Happy are those...whose hope is in the Lord their God." Psalm 146:5 "Then he said to them all: 'If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.'" Luke 9:23 "I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me." Philippians 4:13 "Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations." Revelation 22:1-2 Let everyone be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God. James 1:19-20 "To You, O LORD, I lift up my soul." Psalm 25:1 ************************************************** ********* Daily Inspiration The way to freedom is the belief that we have the ability to choose. Lord, help me make good choices and never be blinded by the false idea that I am a victim of circumstances. The more difficult your burden, the stronger you are after you overcome it. Lord, bless me as You bring me to everlasting life. |
Pray big, ask God for the "impossible"
ask God for your big dreams and have faith, and always remember, God can do all things but fail. WOW 101:170: |
September 8
Daily Reflections "WE ASKED HIS PROTECTION" We asked His protection and care with complete abandon. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 59 I could not manage life alone. I had tried that road and failed. My "ultimate sin" dragged me down to the lowest level I have ever reached and, unable even to function, I accepted the fact that I desperately needed help. I stopped fighting and surrendered entirely to God. Only then did I start growing! God forgave me. A Higher Power had to have saved me, because the doctors doubted that I would survive. I have forgiven myself now and I enjoy a freedom I have never before experienced. I've opened my heart and mind to Him. The more I learn, the less I know - a humbling fact - but I sincerely want to keep growing. I enjoy serenity, but only when I entrust my life totally to God. As long as I am honest with myself and ask for His help, I can maintain this rewarding existence. Just for today, I strive to live His will for me - soberly. I thank God that today I can choose not to drink. Today, life is beautiful! ************************************************** ********* Twenty-Four Hours A Day A.A. Thought For The Day Another of the mottoes of A.A. is "But for the Grace of God." Once we have fully accepted the program we become humble about our achievement. We do not take too much credit for our sobriety. When we see another suffering alcoholic in the throes of alcoholism, we say to ourselves: "But for the Grace of God, there go I." We do not forget the kind of people we were. We remember those we left behind us. And we are very grateful to the grace of God which has given us another chance. Am I truly grateful for the grace of God? Meditation For The Day A consciousness of God's presence, as One who loves you makes all life different. The consciousness of God's love promotes the opening of your whole being to God. It brings wonderful relief from the cares and worries of our daily lives. Relief brings peace and peace brings contentment. Try to walk in God's love. You will have that peace which passes all understanding and a contentment that no one can take from you. Feel sure of God's unfailing love and care for you and for all His children. There is freedom and serenity in those who walk in God's love, held safe in His loving care. Prayer For The Day I pray that I may walk in God's love, I pray that, as I go, I may feel the caring of God's power in my steps and the joy of His love in my heart. ************************************************** ********* As Bill Sees It Prayer Under Pressure, p.250 Whenever I find myself under acute tensions, I lengthen my daily walks and slowly repeat our Serenity Prayer in rhythm to my steps and breathing. If I feel that my pain has in part been occasioned by others, I try to repeat, "God grant me the serenity to love their best, and never fear their worst." This benign healing process of repetition, sometimes necessary to persist with for days, has seldom failed to restore me to at least a workable emotional balance and perspective. Grapevine, March 1962 ************************************************** ********* Walk In Dry Places Admitting a Wrong Inventory. It is all but impossible for some people to make the simple admission, I was wrong. We might have a problem with such admissions because we tend to believe that they place us at a disadvantage. The reality is that the sooner we can admit a wrong, the more rapidly it can be corrected and put behind us. The refusal to admit a wrong, the more rapidly it can be corrected and put behind us. The refusal to admit a wrong means making more of the same mistakes, thus bringing further harm to ourselves and others. We may have trouble admitting a wrong because we once faced excessive punishments when we were found wrong. We can find our true course by realizing that admission of our wrongs is the route to well-being and improvement. I'll continue to take every opportunity to learn when I might be wrong, thus helping to avoid such mistakes in the future. ************************************************** ********* Keep It Simple I have an intense desire to return to the womb---Anybody’s ! ---Woody Allen Some days the world just doesn’t seem safe. Maybe a friend died and you are hurting. Maybe you argued with a loved one. You just want somebody to take care of you. You want to feel safe and warm. Turn to the spiritual part of the program. Let your Higher Power hold you with warm, loving care. Pray. Pray to feel the programs will find you. Why? Because you’ve opened your heart to recovery. To be loved, you have to open up to love. Prayer for the Day: I pray for an open heart. I pray that love of the program will find me and comfort me. Higher Power, I need Your love as a child needs the love of parents. Action for the Day: Today, I’ll list three times the world has felt unsafe. I’ll meditate on how things would have been different if I had turned to my Higher Power for comfort. ************************************************** ********* Each Day a New Beginning It's astonishing in this world how things don't turn out at all the way you expect them to! --Agatha Christie Probably every day of our lives, a plan goes awry. Often we have counted heavily on a particular outcome. We generally assume we have all things under control and know exactly what's best for us, and everyone else as well. But such is not the case. There is a bigger picture than the one we see. The outcome of that picture is out of our hands. Our vision is limited, and again divinely so. However, we are able to see all that we need to see, today. And more important, if we can trust our inner guidance regarding the events of today, we'll begin to see how each day fills in a shade more of the bigger picture of our lives. In retrospect we can see how all events have contributed, in important ways, to the women we are becoming. Where today's events are leading we can't know, for certain, but we can trust the divine plan. I will anticipate with faith what lies ahead today. All experiences carry me forward to fulfill my goal in life. I will be alert for the nudge. ************************************************** ********* Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition WE AGNOSTICS Everybody nowadays, believes in scores of assumptions for which there is good evidence, but no perfect visual proof. And does not science demonstrate that visual proof is the weakest proof? It is being constantly revealed, as mankind studies the material world, that outward appearances are not inward reality at all. To illustrate: The prosaic steel girder is a mass of electrons whirling around each other at incredible speed. These tiny bodies are governed by precise laws, and these laws hold true throughout the material world, Science tells us so. We have no reason to doubt it. When, however, the perfectly logical assumption is suggested that underneath the material world and life as we see it, there is an All Powerful, Guiding, Creative Intelligence, right there our perverse streak comes to the surface and we laboriously set out to convince ourselves it isn’t so. We read wordy books and indulge in windy arguments, thinking we believe this universe needs no God to explain it. Were our contentions true, it would follow that life originated out of nothing, means nothing, and proceeds nowhere. pp. 48-49 ************************************************** ********* Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions Step Ten - "Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it." But in other instances only the closest scrutiny will reveal what our true motives were. There are cases where our ancient enemy, rationalization, has stepped in and has justified conduct which was really wrong. The temptation here is to imagine that we had good motives and reasons when we really didn't. p. 94 ************************************************** ********* The world has a way of giving what is demanded of it. If you are frightened and look for failure and poverty, you will get them, no matter how hard you may try to succeed. Lack of faith in yourself, in what life will do for you, cuts you off from the good things of the world. Expect victory and you make victory. --Preston Bradley Today is a day of opportunities. I am open and ready to find them all, knowing that I am receiving all the guidance I need to be forward and be happy. --Ruth Fishel "By giving unconditional love ... we become more loving, and by sharing spiritual growth we become more spiritual." --Just For Today, p. 99 Today, I will remind myself as often as necessary that I am not a victim, and I do not need to be victimized by whatever comes my way. I will work hard to remove myself as a victim, whether that means setting and enforcing a boundary, walking away, dealing with my feelings, or giving myself what I need. God, help me let go of my need to feel victimized. --Melody Beattie "Sometimes the heart sees what is invisible to the eye." --H. Jackson Brown Jr. None of us has the power to make someone else love us. But we all have the power to give away love, to love other people. And if we do so, we change the kind of person we are, and we change the kind of world we live in. --Rabbi Harold Kushner, in Handbook for the Heart Wisdom cannot be taught. It can only be learned. --Source Unknown You cannot be lonely if you like the person you're alone with. --Wayne Dyer *********************************************** Father Leo's Daily Meditation LIES "A liar needs a good memory." -- Quintilian I lied to impress. I lied to hide my guilt and shame. I lied to cover my mistakes. I lied to bridge the silence. I lied to fantasize. I lied to hurt and destroy. I lied to hide the real me. Then I lied to cover the lies. Then I lied to cover the lies I told to cover the original lies! So it went on. Endless. Exhausting. Meaningless. A part of me always loathed the lies I told. Then I grew to hate myself. Today, because I understand spirituality to be based on truth, I try not to tell lies. When I do lie, I make an effort to correct myself and apologize. Today lying is painful for me. Today I try to use my mind, imagination and memory for better things. O God, who gave mankind the miracle of language and communication, let me not abuse Your gift with destructive deceit. ************************************************** ********* "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9 Unless the LORD had given me help, I would soon have dwelt in the silence of death. When I said, "My foot is slipping," your love, O LORD, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul. Psalm 94:17-19 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. Phillipians 3:20-21 ************************************************** ********* Daily Inspiration Those that meet you will most likely not forget you, but how you are remembered is your choice. Lord, may I live with kindness, mercy, and love in my heart. Our body is the temple of God and our soul is His image. It is the devil's work to make us forget that and feel useless, incapable and worthless. Lord, I will not deny Your existence in me. I am strong and capable because You live and work through me. |
God knows everything (1 John 3:20), and He knows you and me intimately (Ps. 139:1-10). He is aware of each temptation, each broken heart, each illness, each worry, each sorrow we face.
What a comfort to experience care from the One of whom it is said, “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!” (Rom. 11:33). From Our Our Daily Bread... Words of wisdom 101:195: |
September 9
Daily Reflections OPENING NEW DOORS They [the Promises] are being fulfilled among us - sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 84 The Promises talked about in this passage are slowly coming to life for me. What has given me hope is putting Step Nine into action. The Step has allowed me to see and set goals for myself in recovery. Old habits and behaviors die hard. Working Step Nine enables me to close the door on the drunk I was, and to open new avenues for myself as a sober alcoholic. Making direct amends is crucial for me. As I repair relationships and behavior of the past, I am better able to live a sober life! Although I have some years of sobriety, there are times when the "old stuff" from the past needs to be taken care of, and Step Nine always works, when I work it. ************************************************** ********* Twenty-Four Hours A Day A.A. Thought For The Day When an alcoholic is offered a life of sobriety by following the A.A. program, he will look at the prospect of living without alcohol and he will ask: "Am I to be consigned to a life where I shall be stupid, boring and glum, like some of the righteous people I see? I know I must get along without liquor, but how can I? Have you a sufficient substitute?" Have I found a more than sufficient substitute for drinking? Meditation For The Day In God's strength you conquer life. Your conquering power is the grace of God. There can be no complete failure with God. Do you want to make the best of life? Then live as near as possible to God, the Master and Giver of all life. Your regard for depending on God's strength will be sure. Sometimes the reward will be renewed power to face life, sometimes wrong thinking overcome, sometimes people brought to a new way of living. Whatever success comes will not be all your own doing, but largely the working out of the grace of God. Prayer For The Day I pray that I may try to rely more fully on the grace of God. I pray that I may live a victorious life. ************************************************** ********* As Bill Sees It Face the Music, p.251 "Don't be too discouraged about that slip. Practically always, we drunks learn the hard way. "Your idea of moving on to somewhere else may be good, or it may not. Perhaps you have got into an emotional or economic jam that can't be well handled where you are. But maybe you are doing just what all of us have done, at one time or another: Maybe you are running away. Why don't you try to think that through again carefully? "Are you really placing recovery first, or are you making it contingent upon other people, places, or circumstances? You may find it ever so much better to face the music right where you are now, and, with the help of the A.A. program, win through. Before you make a decision, weigh it in these terms." Letter, 1949 ************************************************** ********* Walk In Dry Places Compliance isn’t acceptance Honesty We are sometimes mystified when people come into the AA program, respond to its message for months or years, and then disappear, seemingly without a trace. Later, we may be shocked to learn that they’re drinking again. While we have no way of knowing the real reason, one possible explanation is that they were practicing compliance without really accepting the program. The danger of compliance is that it may simply be an outward show of working the program while leaving one’s real thoughts and feelings unchanged. At the same time, we often urge people to practice what is really only a form of compliance. We then the, for example, to “bring the body” to meetings in the belief that they heart will follow. This does little good if one’s heart does not follow! The only solution is to continue the difficult but rewarding search for honesty in all things. When we examine ourselves honestly, we will recognize when we are truly accepting and when we are merely complying. I’ll remember today that the real success of AA is not in the number of people who show up at meetings, but in how we truly accept the program. ************************************************** ********* Keep It Simple One of the best ways to persuade others is with your ears---by listening to them. ---Dean Rusk We hate being told what to think. We like to make up our own minds. It helps to talk things out with another person who, listens to us. Someone who care what we think. We can give this respect to others. We can listen their point of view. We can try to understand them and care about what they think. When we do this, others start to care what we think too. We share ideas. The ideas get a little more clear. They change a little. We get a little closer to agreement. We both feel good. Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me know when to listen and when to talk today. Work for me and though me. Thanks. Action for the Day: Today, I’ll look for chances to listen to others when I really want to talk. I’ll say, “Tell me more about that.” And I’ll listen. ************************************************** ********* Each Day a New Beginning I do not want to die . . . until I have faithfully made the most of my talent and cultivated the seed that was placed in me until the last small twig has grown. --Kathe Kollwitz There's so much to do before we rest . . . so much to do. We each are gifted with talents, similar in some respects to others' talents, but unique in how we'll be able to use them. Do we realize our talents? We need only to dare to dream, and there they'll be. It's so easy to fall into the trap of self-pity, thinking we have no purpose, fearing we'll take life nowhere, dreading others' expectations of us. But we can turn our thinking around at any moment. The choice is ours. We can simply decide to discover our talents, and nurture them and enrich the lives of others. The benefits will be many. So will the joys. We have a very important part to play, today, in the lives we touch. We can expect adventure, and we'll find it. We can look for our purpose; it's at hand. We can remember, we aren't alone. We are in partnership every moment. Our talents are God-given, and guidance for their full use is part of the gift. I will have a dream today. In my dream is my direction. ************************************************** ********* Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition WE AGNOSTICS Instead of regarding ourselves as intelligent agents, spearheads of God’s ever advancing Creation, we agnostics and atheists chose to believe that our human intelligence was the last word, the alpha and the omega, the beginning and end of all. Rather vain of us, wasn’t it? We, who have traveled this dubious path, beg you to lay aside prejudice, even against organized religion. We have learned that whatever the human frailties of various faiths may be, those faiths have given purpose and direction to millions. People of faith have a logical idea of what life is all about. Actually, we used to have no reasonable conception whatever. We used to amuse ourselves by cynically dissecting spiritual beliefs and practices when we might have observed that many spiritually-minded persons of all races, colors, and creeds were demonstrating a degree of stability, happiness and usefulness which we should have sought ourselves. p. 49 ************************************************** ********* Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions Step Ten - "Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it." We "constructively criticized" someone who needed it, when our real motive was to win a useless argument. Or, the person concerned not being present, we thought we were helping others to understand him, when in actuality our true motive was to feel superior by pulling him down. We sometimes hurt those we love because they need to be "taught a lesson," when we really want to punish. We were depressed and complained we felt bad, when in fact we were mainly asking for sympathy and attention. This odd trait of mind and emotion, this perverse wish to hide a bad motive underneath a good one, permeates human affairs from top to bottom. This subtle and elusive kind of self-righteousness can underlie the smallest act or thought. Learning daily to spot, admit, and correct these flaws is the essence of character-building and good living. An honest regret for harms done, a genuine gratitude for blessings received, and a willingness to try for better things tomorrow will be the permanent assets we shall seek. pp. 94-95 ************************************************** ********* Today, help me, God, to let go of my resistance to change. Help me to be open to the process. Help me believe that the place I'll be dropped off will be better than the place where I was picked up. Help me surrender, trust, and accept, even if I don't understand. --Melody Beattie We must be the change we wish to see in the world. --Mahatma Gandhi Today I will spend some time putting my own needs aside to help someone else. It is so good to know that I can be filled with such good feelings and I get so much when I give of myself. --Ruth Fishel God loves all of us, whether we walk away pain-free or not. Keep taking care of yourself, no matter what. God, transform my pain into compassion for others and myself. --Melody Beattie Never look down on anybody unless you're helping them up. --Jesse Jackson My philosophy is that not only are you responsible for your life, but doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment. --Oprah Winfrey "If you love somebody, let them go, for if they return, they were always yours. And if they don't, they never were." --Kahlil Gibran, "The Prophet" Don't wait for your ship to come in, swim out to meet it... --unknown The task before you is never greater than the power behind you... --unknown Always, He will watch over us and comfort us. --Ernest Holmes *********************************************** Father Leo's Daily Meditation RELIGION "Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind." -- Albert Einstein In the field of addiction we need to work together and listen to the professionalism we all bring: the answer will be in "the many". So often we divide ourselves up into "ghettos" of learning and miss what "the others" are saying -- and the disease wins! This is reminiscent of the old days in the church when science was seen as the enemy, the world was flat and the earth was the center of the universe. Pride and ego kept people sick, isolated and afraid -- and thousands suffered and died. However, people began to listen to each other and the world benefited from the shared wisdom. As addictionologists and recovering people we need to listen to each other. Help me to see You in the honest experience of every man. ************************************************** ********* Help me, O LORD my God; save me in accordance with your love. Let them know that it is your hand, that you, O LORD, have done it. Psalm 109:26-27 With my mouth I will greatly extol the LORD; in the great throng I will praise him. For he stands at the right hand of the needy one, to save his life from those who condemn him. Psalm 109:30-31 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. James 1:2-3 ************************************************** ********* Daily Inspiration If a part of your past continues to haunt you and rob you of your joy, forgive. Lord, I can not undo the past, but with Your help, I can let go by forgiving myself and everyone else that has hurt me. Do not let yourself be judged by others or ruled by approval or disapproval. Lord, may I always trust in myself and You and live each day accordingly. |
September 10
Daily Reflections RECOVERY BY PROXY? They [the Promises] will always materialize if we work for them. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS p. 84 Sometimes I think: "Making these amends is going too far! No one should have to humble himself like that!" However, it is this very humbling of myself that brings me that much closer to the sunlight of the spirit. A.A. is the only hope I have if I am to continue healing and gain a life of happiness, friendship and harmony. ************************************************** ********* Twenty-Four Hours A Day A.A. Thought For The Day Here are answers to the question of how a person can live without liquor and be happy: "The things we put in place of drinking are more than substitutes for it. One is the fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous. In this company, you find release from care, boredom, and worry. Your imagination will be fired. Life will mean something at last. The most satisfactory years of your existence lie ahead. Among other A.A.s you will make lifelong friends. You will be bound to them with new and wonderful ties." Does life mean something to me now? Meditation For The Day Do you want the full and complete satisfaction that you find in serving God and all the satisfactions of the world also? It is not easy to serve both God and the world. It is difficult to claim the rewards of both. If you work for God, you will still have great rewards in the world. But you must be prepared to sometimes stand apart from the world. You cannot always turn to the world and expect all the rewards that life has to offer. If you are trying sincerely to serve God, you will have other and greater rewards than the world has to offer. Prayer For The Day I pray that I may not expect too much from the world. I pray that I may also be content with the rewards that come from serving God. ************************************************** ********* As Bill Sees It Alone No More, p.252 Alcoholism was a lonely business, even though we were surrounded by people who loved us. But when our self-will had driven everybody away and our isolation became complete, we commenced to play the big shot in cheap barrooms. Failing even in this, we had to fare forth alone on the street to depend upon the charity of passers-by. We were trying to find emotional security either by dominating or by being dependent upon others. Even when our fortunes had not totally ebbed, we nevertheless found ourselves alone in the world. We still vainly tried to be secure by some unhealthy sort of domination or dependence. For those of us who were like that, A.A. has a very special meaning. In this Fellowship we begin to learn right relations with people who understand us; we don't have to be alone any more. 12 & 12, pp. 116-117 ************************************************** ********* Walk In Dry Places Watch those feelings Feelings. In AA's early years, there was very little talk about "feelings' or "emotions." The phrase "getting in touch with your feelings" had not been popularized, yet the AA pioneers knew that bitter and resentful feelings were destructive, while warm and optimistic feelings enhanced sobriety. Now we know that feelings are extremely are extremely important for groups as well as individuals. We know that some AA groups can give off feelings that make them more attractive than others. Some groups are considered "cold," while others are "warm." Such differences are rooted in the feelings of each member of the group. How can we be sure that our feelings will make our groups warm and inviting to others? We can "tune" our feelings by looking at our attitudes. If we are truly dedicated to our principles and want to share them with others, the feelings we project will be welcoming. Whatever we really feel will be expressed in our daily affairs and in our group activities. I'll check my attitude today for good feelings as I go about my work and activities. These feelings will, in turn, send out signals that everyone can understand and appreciate. ************************************************** ********* Keep It Simple If you want a thing done “right,” you have to do it yourself.---Anonymous We addicts can be very picky. We think there’s only one way to do things. It’s our way, But we call it the right way. When we think like this, three things happen. First, we put down other people. Second, we end up doing all the work. Third, everyone feels bad. The other person feels hurt that we don’t respect him or her. And we feel angry because we “had” to do all the work. We need to know that there are many ways to do things. It’s okay when others don’t do things our way. Their way probably works just fine for them. If they want your advice they’ll ask for it. Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me accept other people and their ways. Action for the Day: Today, I’ll watch how other people do things. Maybe I’ll learn a better way to do some things. ************************************************** ********* Each Day a New Beginning It isn't for the moment you are struck that you need courage, but for the long uphill climb back to sanity and faith and security. --Anne Morrow Lindbergh Most of us are on a long uphill climb at this moment. It is a climb we are making together, and yet a climb we can't do for each other. I can reach out my hand to you, and you can grasp my hand in return. But my steps are my own, just as you, too, can only take one-step at a time. For brief periods we skip, even run, along the uphill path. The rocks and the occasional boulder momentarily trip us up. We need patience and trust that the summit is still achievable. We can help one another have patience. We can remind one another to trust. We look back at the periods that devastated us so long ago. And now we are here. We have climbed this far. We are stronger, saner, and more secure. Each step makes easier the next step--each step puts us on more solid ground. I may run into some rocks or even a boulder today. I have stepped around them in the past. I will do so again. ************************************************** ********* Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition WE AGNOSTICS Instead, we looked at the human defects of these people, and sometimes used their shortcomings as a basis of wholesale condemnation. We talked of intolerance, while we were intolerant ourselves. We missed the reality and the beauty of the forest because we were diverted by the ugliness of some its trees. We never gave the spiritual side of life a fair hearing. p. 50 ************************************************** ********* Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions Step Ten - "Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it." Having so considered our day, not omitting to take due note of things well done, and having searched our hearts with neither fear nor favor, we can truly thank God for the blessings we have received and sleep in good conscience. p. 95 ************************************************** ********* Today, I will be open to growing in my understanding of my Higher Power. I will be open to letting go of old, limiting, negative beliefs about God. No matter how I understand God, I will be grateful that God understands me. --Melody Beattie We are enrolled in a full time, informal school called, "Life." Each day of this school, we have the opportunity to learn lessons. We may like the lessons or hate them, but they are part of the curriculum. The greatest lessons we learn are about love and fear, that every action is either an expression of love, or a call for love. And the great blessing is that every lesson repeats itself until we learn it. --Mary Manin Morrissey I have all the time in the world to do God's Will for me today. I trust that my Higher Power is filling me with all the energy that I need for these 24 hours. --Ruth Fishel Those who withhold forgiveness only withhold it from themselves." --Paul Ferrini Happiness is an inside job. --Unknown Do you want to be happy or do you want to be right? --Gerald Jampolsky *********************************************** Father Leo's Daily Meditation NEIGHBORS "The good neighbor looks beyond the external accidents and discerns those inner qualities that make all men human and, therefore, brothers." -- Martin Luther King, Jr. As a drunk I said cruel things about other people. My prejudices hid my fears and insecurities. I condemned in others what I saw in myself. I deflected attention from me by the name-calling others: sick manipulations. "Neighbor" was only a word that I could spell and interpret, useful for religious homilies or pretentious innuendoes but not something I really experienced. Today I am able to be the "good neighbor" to many people, known and unknown. My recovery has brought people into my life. Relationships mean something; friends are important; the world is one. Black, Asian, Hispanic -- all add a variety to my life that enable me to get in touch with buried feelings of my "difference". In the stranger I discover something of myself; the foreigner has become both friend and neighbor. God, I never cease to be amazed at the mystery and variety that is "me". ************************************************** ********* But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has?" Romans 8:24 "One man pretends to be rich, yet has nothing; another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth." Proverbs 13:7 ************************************************** ********* Daily Inspiration If a person or a situation causes you to feel insecure, you have forgotten who you really are. Lord, You are my Father. I am Your child. How can I ever feel like less. God gives abundantly to those who pass His gifts on to others. Lord, let Your blessings flow in to me and then out from me. I will neither be selfish nor let my gifts stagnate. |
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