Daily Recovery Readings - February

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February 24

Daily Reflections

A THANKFUL HEART

I try to hold fast to the truth that a full and thankful
heart cannot entertain great conceits. When brimming
with gratitude, one's heartbeat must surely result in
outgoing love, the finest emotion that we can ever know.
AS BILL SEES IT, p. 37

My sponsor told me that I should be a grateful alcoholic
and always have "an attitude of gratitude"--that
gratitude was the basic ingredient of humility, that
humility was the basic ingredient of anonymity, and that
"anonymity was the spiritual foundation of all our
Traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before
personalities." As a result of his guidance, I start
every morning on my knees, thanking God for three things:
I'm alive, I'm sober, and I'm a member of Alcoholics
Anonymous. Then I try to live an "attitude of gratitude"
and thoroughly enjoy another twenty-four hours of the
A.A. way of life. A.A. is not something I joined; it's
something I live.

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Twenty-Four Hours A Day

A.A. Thought For The Day

When we came to our first A.A. meeting, we looked up at
the wall at the end of the room and saw the sign: " But
for the Grace of God." We knew right then and there that
we would have to call on the grace of God in order to get
sober and get over our soul-sickness. We heard speakers
tell how they had come to depend on a Power greater than
themselves. That made sense to us and we made up our minds
to try it. Am I depending on the grace of God to help keep me
sober?

Meditation For The Day

Share your love, your joy, your happiness, your time, your
food, your money gladly with all. Give out all the love you
can with a glad, free heart and hand. Do all you can for
others and back will come countless stores of blessings.
Sharing draws others to you. Take all who come as sent by
God and give them a royal welcome. You may never see the
results of your sharing. Today they may not need you, but
tomorrow may bring results from the sharing you did today.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that I may make each visitor desire to return. I pray
that I may never make anyone feel repulsed or unwanted.

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As Bill Sees It

Seeking Guidance, p. 55

"Man is supposed to think, and act. He wasn't made in God's image
to be an automation.

"My own formula along this line runs as follows: First, think through
every situation pro and con, praying meanwhile that I be not
influenced by ego considerations. Affirm that I would like to do
God's will.

"Then, having turned the problem over in this fashion and getting no
conclusive or compelling answer, I wait for further guidance, which
may come into mind directly or through other people or through
circumstances.

"If I feel I can't wait, and still get no definite indication, I repeat the
first measure several times, try to pick out the best course, and then
proceed to act. I know if I am wrong, the heavens won't fall. A
lesson will be learned, in any case."

Letter, 1950

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Walk In Dry Places

Selfishness____Self-improvement
We're told again and again that we have to be selfish about our own recovery, but this seems to be in conflict with the fact that selfishness is the root of our problem. How can selfishness be both good and bad?
The selfishness we need for recovery is a devotion to self-improvement, rather than the selfish indulgence that made us sick. One is a giving of ourselves, the other is frantic taking that leads to destruction. The person who seeks self-improvement is competing only against his or her former self. The sick brand of selfishness, on the other hand, is usually involved in unhealthy competition with others.
There is no easy way to test whether our selfishness is the right kind. If our conduct leads to long-term happiness and higher self-esteem, it is probably right. If it harms us or others, something is wrong. We can correct this by getting back to the basics of the program and pursing self-improvement rather than self-indulgence.
Just for today, I will take part in that which will obviously benefit everyone.

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Keep It Simple

Failure is impossible. ---Susan B. Anthony
Failure is an attitude. Having an attitude of failure can't help us. It can only hurt us. If we're not careful, it can grow into a way of life. So, when we feel like failures, we better look at our attitudes.
An attitude of failure often comes from making mistakes. But we can learn to see our mistakes as lessons. This turns mistakes into gains, not failures. Sometimes, we try to do things that just can't be done.
When we act like we know everything, we're going to fail. if we try to act like God, we're going to fail.
We can't control others. We can't know everything. We're not God. We're human. If we act human, we've already won.
Prayer for the Day: Higher power, help me to learn from my attitudes. Whatever the outcome, help me learn.
Action for the Day: Facing our past "failures" is the first step to learning from them. I'll talk to my sponsor about a past "failure" and the good that came from it.

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Each Day a New Beginning

The beauty of the world has two edges, one of laughter, one of anguish, cutting the heart asunder. --Virginia Woolf
Anguish is undoubtedly more familiar to us than is the beauty of laughter. We feel anguish over our failings; we feel anguish over our losses; we feel anguish over the attempts to succeed that beckon to us.
Anguish comes of fear. And we so hope to avoid it. However, it seasons us as women; it enriches us even while it momentarily diminishes us. It is a major contributor to the sum and substance of our lives. The anguish we experience prepares us to help others experience their own particular anguish.
Our laughter, too, must be savored and shared. And laughter builds more laughter. Laughter lends a perspective on our anguish. Life is made richer, fuller, by the ebb and flow, the laughter and the anguish in concert.
If only we could remember, when the anguish is present, that it is making our Spirits whole. That it, along with laughter, is a healer of the soul. That it lifts our load at the same time that it burdens us. That it prepares us to better receive life's other gifts.
I can help another face anguish. It brings us together. It softens me. And it makes way for the laughter soon to come.

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Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

Chapter 8 - TO WIVES

If this kind of approach does not catch your husband’s interest, it may be best to drop the subject, but after a friendly talk your husband will usually revive the topic himself. This may take patient waiting, but it will be worth it. Meanwhile you might try to help the wife of another serious drinker. If you act upon these principles, your husband may stop or moderate.

p. 112

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Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition Stories

EMPTY ON THE INSIDE - She grew up around A.A. and had all the answers--except when it came to her own life.

My father joined Alcoholics Anonymous when I was seven. Many of my childhood Friday nights were spent at open A.A. meetings because we couldn't afford a babysitter (I was the kid sitting over in the corner with a book). What effect did it have? I knew that being an alcoholic meant you couldn't drink any more and that you had to go to A.A. As my drinking career began, I was always careful not to utter the "A" word in connection with my name. At my house I would have been handed a meeting schedule. Besides, I knew that A.A. was all old guys that drank coffee, smoked, and ate donuts--I had been there. (Looking back, I'm sure most of those "old guys" were barely thirty.) So no A.A. for me. That would mean not drinking. And when I drank, life changed.

pp. 512-513

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Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Tradition Four - "Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or A.A. as a whole."

When A.A. was still young, lots of eager groups were forming. In a town we'll call Middleton, a real crackerjack had started up. The townspeople were as hot as firecrackers about it. Stargazing, the elders dreamed of innovations. They figured the town needed a great big alcoholic center, a kind of pilot plant A.A. groups could duplicate everywhere. Beginning on the ground floor there would be a club; in the second story they would sober up drunks and hand them currency for the back debts; the third deck would house an educational project - quite noncontroversial, of course. In imagination the gleaming center was to go up several stories more, but three would do for a start. This would all take a lot of money - other people's money. Believe it or not, wealthy townsfolk bought the idea.

p. 147

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If I linger with half truths, alibis, excuses, I will reap the
consequences.

Hold your head high. Rise above the situation.
A new day is dawning. Look forward to a better time.
You have done your best. Forget the rest.
This is growth. We struggle, we learn, we overcome.
--Author Unknown

Words you speak can be your best attribute or your worst weapon.
It's up to you on how you decide to use them. Remember though,
it only takes once to say the wrong thing forever.

A smile is a gift you give to someone else.

We all have a "bad" day every once in a while. Your strength is determined by whether
or not you let that "bad" day ruin your day.

Being thoughtful only takes a moment of your time.
Being thoughtless will require more in explanations and apologies.

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Father Leo's Daily Meditation

SELF

"Wherever two people meet,
there are really six people
present. There is each man as he
sees himself, each man as the
other person sees him, and each
man as he really is."
-- William James

Part of my spiritual journey involves the discovery of "self". For
years I pretended to be what I was not; for years I pretended to be
what I imagined myself to be; for years I pretended to be what you
wanted me to be --- always my real "self" eluded me.

Today I am beginning to know myself. I know my needs. I understand
my strengths. I accept my weaknesses and I live with my confusions.
>From the time I decided to put down the glass of alcohol, it
progressively got better --- but there is still a great deal I do not
understand. Man's inhumanity to man, the daily violence and
suffering, my own personal greed, cowardice and arrogance --- where
does it come from? I don't know and today that is okay. However, I
still search; my suspicion is that the answer lies within my own
insecurities.

In Your time, Master, may I grow in my understanding of self.

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"Truly, I say to you, whoever says to the mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,'
and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be
done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have
received it and it will be yours."
Mark 11:23-24

"No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful;
he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted,
he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it."
I Corinthians 10:13

"See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and
that is what we are.... Beloved, we are God's children now."
1 John 3:1-2

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Daily Inspiration

When you follow God's way, your life will flourish according to His great plan for you. Lord, guide me and make me aware of the ways You are working in my life.

Use the power of positive images in your mind to bring about good experiences. Lord, I will let my faith in You nourish my thoughts so that I can develop a healthy and joyful reality.

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NA Just For Today

A New Influence

"Personality change was what we really needed. Change from self-destructive patterns of life became necessary."
Basic Text, p. 15

In early life, most of us were capable of joy and wonder, of giving and receiving unconditional love. When we started

using, we introduced an influence into our lives that slowly drove us away from those things. The further we were

pushed down the path of addiction, the further we withdrew from joy, wonder, and love.

That journey was not taken overnight. But however long it took, we arrived at the doors of NA with more than just a

drug problem. The influence of addiction had warped our whole pattern of living beyond recognition.

The Twelve Steps work miracles, its true, but not many of them are worked overnight. Our disease slowly influenced

our spiritual development for the worse. Recovery introduces a new influence to our lives, a source of fellowship and

spiritual strength slowly impelling us into new, healthy patterns of living.

This change, of course, doesn't "just happen." But if we cooperate with the new influence NA has brought to our lives,

over time we will experience the personality change we call recovery. The Twelve Steps provide us with a program for

the kind of cooperation required to restore joy, wonder, and love to our lives.

Just for today: I will cooperate with the new influence of fellowship and spiritual strength NA has introduced to my life, I

will work the next step in my program.

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You are reading from the book Today's Gift.
Thoughts--just mere thoughts--are as powerful as electric batteries--as good for one as sunlight is, or as bad for one

as poison. --Frances Hodgson Burnett
The truck was in mud to its axles. Three lumberjacks sat in stony silence in the cab. There they were, stuck in the

woods on their way to the cutting site. The first man slammed the steering wheel, cursed, and stormed out of the

truck. The second thought the early morning woods inviting, and said he'd just crawl under a pine to nap until

someone came along to pull them out. The third man, left alone, grabbed an axe and a saw and set about cutting

wood to slide under the wheels. Within an hour he managed to pull the truck out of its muddy bath and they got on

their way.
We can choose how we respond to an obstacle. As with the three men, our response may be to curse and give up, to

sit back and wait for someone else to help us, or to set to work fearlessly to try to overcome it ourselves. The event

itself isn't important; how we think about it is.
Is there an obstacle in my way today


You are reading from the book Touchstones.
It doesn't happen all at once.... You become. It takes a long time. --Margery Williams
Our spiritual awakening is partly a process of becoming real. We're moving from the external controls of image and

others' opinions to the internal controls of honesty, listening to our inner voice, and having true relationships. We are

shedding the games that maintained our old style of life - "macho" or "hero" or "poor me."
In place of the old phony surface, we are developing a real relationship with ourselves. We are becoming more aware

- of emotions, of need for rest, of violations of our values. Sometimes change comes in a flash of insight or a moment

of sudden, piercing awareness, but more often it comes a little bit at a time. As we work the Steps, as we are true to

our inner voice, as we keep returning to conscious contact with our Higher Power, as we get closer to our friends, we

become more real to ourselves.
As I grow, I see that I was always real. I was just looking at the outside.


You are reading from the book The Language Of Letting Go.
Recognizing Feelings
Experiencing feelings can be a challenge if we've had no previous experience or permission to do that. Learning to

identify what we're feeling is a challenge we can meet, but we will not become experts overnight. Nor do we have to

deal with our feelings perfectly.
Here are some ideas that might be helpful as you learn to recognize and deal with feelings.
Take out a sheet of paper. On the top of it write, "If it was okay to feel whatever I'm feeling, and I wouldn't be judged as

bad or wrong, what would I be feeling?" Then write whatever comes to mind. You can also use the favorite standby of

many people in discovering their feelings: writing or journaling. You can keep a diary, write letters you don't intend to

send, or just scribble thoughts onto a note pad.
Watch and listen to yourself as an objective third person might. Listen to your tone of voice and the words you use.

What do you hear? Sadness, fear, anger, happiness?
What is your body telling you? Is it tense and rigid with anger? Running with fear? Heavy with sadness and grief?

Dancing with joy?
Talking to people in recovery helps too. Going to meetings helps. Once we feel safe, many of us find that we open up

naturally and with ease to our feelings.
We are on a continual treasure hunt in recovery. One of the treasures we're seeking is the emotional part of

ourselves. We don't have to do it perfectly. We need only be honest, open, and willing to try. Our emotions are there,

waiting to share themselves with us.
Today, I will watch myself and listen to myself as I go through my day. I will not fudge myself for what I'm feeling; I will

accept myself.


I am growing in my ability to trust what feels good and right. Today I can look with and wait until I know with my heart. -

-Ruth Fishel

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Journey to the Heart

There Is Power in Stillness

Our miracles and life’s magic don’t appear when we’re restless and frantic. The miracles and magic happen when

we’re still, quiet, calm, and trusting.

Each of us has favorite items and places that help to calm and quiet us. What stills our mind? A walk in the park, a

special place in the city, a quiet room? An old chenille robe? A rock, a cross, a picture, a lit candle?

Use these places and things to find that place of stillness in yourself. Find the power in stillness. It’s a power that

comes gently, like the morning sunrise or the evening stars.

Take time each day to seek out stillness, to find that sacred spot. Let your mind and soul be at ease. Don’t grasp and

grab for the magic and miracles. When you reside in that place of stillness, the joy, miracles, and magic you’re

seeking will find you.

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More Language Of Letting Go

Seek the adventure in your life

...adventure is not made up of distant lands and mountaintops, rather it lies in one's readiness to exchange the

domestic hearth for an uncertain resting place.
--Reinhold Messner, Free Spirit

It isn't necessary for us to travel the world in search of the next high mountain or wild, desolate place to find an

adventure. Adventure lies in our perspective and in our attitude. It is our approach to life, rather than the actual

circumstances of it, that determines how much adventure we have. Adventure for one person may mean seeking out

a dream that has been long neglected. Perhaps adventure for another means losing weight, changing an outgrown

image, getting sober, learning to be in a love relationship, or simply experiencing joy.

It's good to make ourselves comfortable, but don't get so comfortable in front of that hearth that you never want to

grow or change. Water that never moves become stagnant and poisoned; so it is with the human spirit. We are given

life to live.

Look at your life and see if there is some area where you,too, can seek out an uncertain resting place. Maybe work,

love, or an area of spiritual growth? Some new or long forgotten lesson is waiting to be discovered or rediscovered by

you.

Say woohoo. Be uncomfortable for a while. It's never too late to learn and experience something new.

God, instill in me a spirit of adventure as I pursue my life.

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A Day At A Time

Reflection For The Day

I can banish fear by realizing the truth. Am I afraid to be alone? This fear can be banished by the realization that I am

never alone, that god is always with me wherever I am and whatever I do. Am I afraid that I won’t have enough money

to meet my needs? this fear can be banished by the realization that god is my inexhaustible, unfailing resource, now

and always. Today I have the power to change fear into faith. Can I say with confidence, “I will trust, and will not be

afraid..”?

Today I Pray

That I may fear no evil, for God is with me. that I may learn to turn to my Higher Power when I am afraid. I pray

diligently that my faith in god and trust in what He has in store for me is strong enough to banish the fears that

undermine my courage.

Today I Will Remember

Turn fear into Faith.

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One More Day

The future is like heaven — everyone exalts it but no one wants to go there now.
– James Baldwin

There are people called futurist who specialize in studying trends and attitudes and who then form theories as to what

the future will hold. Having a reasoned opinion about future needs is important for business, education, and industry.

It’s probably not so important for us. We work harder to understand today and to discover what this day can hold for

us.

We aren’t scientist or researchers; we are more like explorers who face uncharted territory. Each morning we’re

unaware of all teh events and surprises that lie ahead, but we are the only ones who can choose the direction this day

will take. We don’t want to and we don’t need to worry about the future because right now we have this gift of time to

use for ourselves and for those who are close to us.

I will glory in this day and fill it with living.

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One Day At A Time

~ ANIMAL TEACHERS ~

For perhaps if the truth were known, we’re all a little blind,
a little deaf, a little handicapped, a little lonely, a little less than perfect.
And if we can learn to appreciate and utilize the dog’s full potential,
we will, together, make it in this life on earth.
Charlotte Schwartz

So many times it feels that what we are being asked is too great. We can barely care for ourselves so how can we possibly reach out our hand to another? How many times have we cried out for someone else to please “handle it” because we just weren't able?

There are so many lessons that come by working with animals. They know nothing of dishonesty. They can't lie. They force us to be honest with ourselves. They depend on us completely, even when we feel we have nothing to give. And our reward? Unconditional love. There is something extra special about a rescued animal. It is as though they know that their life was in darkest peril and they have been saved. The gratitude shows in their eyes, their kisses of devotion, their entire being. Any kindness shown is rewarded. I think this is no different than a member of OA, especially the new members. Any kindness, and the gratitude flows. These newbies know they too have been saved. So perhaps the next time you feel you have nothing to offer, and that what you have been asked is too great, take a moment to reflect on the moment you were ‘saved’. How did you feel the first time someone reached out to you?

One day at a time...
I can use the memory of my first encounters with OA to find the strength to reach out one more time. I know the rewards will be infinite.
~ Mary W. ~

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AA 'Big Book' - Quote

We do not want to be the arbiter of anyone's sex conduct. We all have sex problems. We'd hardly be human if we didn't. - Pg. 69 - How It Works

Hour To Hour - Book - Quote

For awhile, you will have to adjust to every new day without your beloved and betrayed drug of choice. You will sometimes wonder, 'Will I ever get used to this?'

Each dawn heralds a new day and I must reinvest with new people and new principles. It is not easy but I emerge from the dark through the dawn of the 12 steps.

Inner Cleansing

I am in a process of healing. I am taking the time to allow my body to become clean and whole and as I do that, my mind seems to heal, too. Thoughts arise, thoughts I have blocked out during normal waking hours. They scare me, sometimes. Where are they coming from. Me? But as I allow them to come forward a curious thing happens. They become less threatening. They are, after all, just thoughts. They only really have power when I fear them and push them away. If I welcome them into the sun lit rooms of my mind, they sort of spread out and relax. They are just fears. Anxieties. Parts of me I don't want to know about. But today I understand that I cannot really keep secrets from me. Today I let these thoughts have room to breathe and as they do, a curious thing happens. They dissipate.

I awaken to my inner life

- Tian Dayton PhD

Pocket Sponsor - Book - Quote

Our disease had so much control over our lives, that it not only made us do things we did not want to do, but would not let us do things that we wanted to.

My disease used to make my choices. Now I do.

"Walk Softly and Carry a Big Book" - Book

If you fail to change the person you were when you came in, that person will take you out!

Time for Joy - Book - Quote

I am growing in my ability to trust what feels good and right. Today I can look with and wait until I know with my heart.

Alkiespeak - Book - Quote

If I'd known I was going to live this long I'd have taken better care of myself.' - Unknown origin.