Even More Recovery Readings and Meditations - July

[bluidkiti]

July 30

Step by Step

Today, I realize the character defects identified in my Fourth Step probably existed before my drinking days and that alcohol simply developed them to their destructive zenith. My Sixth and Seventh steps of first admitting to God and then asking that He remove my defects assume paramount honesty in my recovery because I am likely to be challenged to release defects that have had a lifetime to take root - more so than those that those that were born of my drinking days. And if my defects are lifelong, simply not drinking will not give me the recovery and quality of sobriety for which I strive. Today, I am an alcoholic, and abstaining from drinking is not enough. I consider myself a part of AA and, today, as I talk the talk, I will walk the walk. And our common journey continues. Step by step. - Chris M.

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~ EASY DOES IT ~ (A Book of Daily 12 Step Meditations) ~

GIVING UP

There must be a beginning of any great matter but the continuing unto the end until it is fully finished yields the true glory.

~ Sir Francis Drake ~

It isn't a matter of stubbornness to persist in any effort. It is common sense. When we persist in taking our time and carefully consider how to handle a situation or give an answer, we usually discover the right solution. We spent most of our lives before the Program always "giving up."

It's easy to give up on a problem too quickly. A lengthy effort at finding a solution is sometimes painful and irritating. But the answers will come if we continue doing the research through study and prayer, one day at a time.

When we decide to begin a kind act, we may need bulldog determination to follow that act to its completion. We should enter into any action with a strong desire. There can be no hesitation or any thought of hanging back in taking the correct action toward answers.

The road may be long and hard before I find the answers. I will not give up too quickly.

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~ WISDOM TO KNOW ~ (More Daily Meditations For Men) ~

Everything I did in my life that was worthwhile I caught hell for.

~ Earl Warren ~

We have avoided conflict and sometimes taken the easier way when we should have stood up for what we believed in. We have procrastinated on difficult matters to keep the peace. Sometimes our fear of offending someone led us into dishonesty. We knew that if we said what we thought, or if we let others know our true feelings, we would have to deal with their reactions.

Great men do things that don’t please everyone all the time. When we have true definition as a man, our boundaries will give others a target if they are looking for one. Perhaps, at work or at home, we have something we feel needs to be said but we know it will displease others. Even our Twelve Step meetings take inventory on what is going well and what is not. So we learn to stand up for our beliefs and our principles. If no one ever gives us hell, we are probably not doing our best.

Today I will act on my true beliefs and express my honest feelings.

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~ A WOMAN’S SPIRIT ~ (More Meditations For Women) ~

We alone cannot heal the betrayals in our lives, but our inner spirit’s healing power can enter our souls and soothe our pain with understanding, acceptance, and love.

~ Rita Casey ~

Betrayal is a reality of our lives. Perhaps a parent or a spouse was the perpetrator. No one of us escaped it. And just as we were betrayed, we quite likely were betrayers too. We are not perfect human beings. We did the best we could with what we knew.

Now we know so much more. Had our betrayers had the information we now cherish, they’d likely have been quite different. Fortunately, we can look to our Higher Power (our inner spirit) to ease the pain that still lingers. With the strength of this spirit and our willingness to forgive our betrayers, we can find peace and feel love once again. What we know now convinces us that a forgiving heart heals.

I will reap wonderful rewards today if I let my inner spirit help me to forgive.

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~ TODAY I WILL DO ONE THING ~ (Daily Readings for Awareness and Hope) ~

It’s OK for me to have fun again

Recovering from a drug addiction and a mood disorder is a lot of work. Every week I see my therapist and attend two recovery meetings. Slowly I am changing my life. Recovery is a long-term process, but it is not the whole of my life. In fact recovery, too, calls for balance.

The other day I got inspired to hop on my dusty bike and take a ride around my neighborhood. I felt the speed and the wind and the freedom. Suddenly I realized I was smiling. I was having fun! I want more!

Today I will set aside at least ten minutes to do something fun.

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~ BODY, MIND, AND SPIRIT ~ (Inspiration and Support for Recovery) ~

My heart is a lonely hunter that hunts on a lonely hill.

~ Fiona Macleod ~

Recovery asks us to live each day responsibly, but defining responsibility can be difficult. Many of us knew little about mature, disciplined, fulfilling lifestyles. Our original families may have been damaged, our parents unavailable as sources of nurturing. How, then, do we choose a new path that seems so unfamiliar and unnatural? We begin by asking for help from our Higher Power when we are unsure or in pain. Next, we think through our choices, guided by the knowledge we’ve gained. And finally, we act.
We know, for instance, that we’ve returned to an active level of our illness when we recognize the ache of isolation. At that point, it is our responsibility to call someone, share our feelings, and ask advice. Next, we call on our spiritual growth to help us be honest and act on the advice we get.

When we do this, we are practicing self-love, we are growing, and we are taking control of what we can do to change our lives.

In doing these things, day by day our Higher Power will help us remove sadness and replace it with fellowship. We are giving up our isolation and becoming part of our world again.

Today let me take healthy action to eliminate one source of pain or sadness in my life.

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~ MORNING LIGHT ~ (Meditations to Begin Your Day) ~

Whatever there he of progress in life comes not through adaptation but through daring....

~ Henry Miller ~

When you were a child your parents may have measured your growth by drawing a pencil line on a wall above your head. Each time a line was added, you had a way of measuring your progress. When you started school, your report card showed your grades from term to term and provided a greater understanding of how you were advancing in your education. You had another way of measuring your progress.

There are many times in your life when you can mea-sure your progress quite clearly. But how do you measure your progress in recovery? You can certainly feel what it is like to be clean and sober. You can receive recognition for the amount of time you have accrued through key anniversary dates. And you can know where you are in your work on the Twelve Steps.

Rather than strive to see where you are, focus instead on how far you have come from the life you once lived and from the person you once were. Reflect on the quality of the relationships you have today. Consider all of the risks you have taken that you might never have undertaken. Then ask yourself, “Who do I like better: the person I once was, or the person I am now?”

Today I recognize and celebrate my progress.

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~ NIGHT LIGHT ~ (A Book Of Nighttime Meditations) ~

The error of the past is the success of the future. A mistake is evidence that someone tried to do something.

~ Anonymous ~

Remember our high school science fairs? There was always one entry that seemed to be everything the judges wanted: it was perfect, innovative, instructive. Yet there were other entries that would also win awards, and we may have wondered why they won. They seemed to be simplistic and maybe messy. So why did they win recognition?

Most often it was because of the effort someone put into the entry. Not every winner has to be the most perfect, most innovative, and most instructive. Some are winners because the person who did them made his or her best effort.

The important thing to know tonight is that it’s the effort that counts. We don't have to have all the answers, or act in the most mature way, or be the best friend ever. There is room for error in everything because nothing is gained in perfection the first time around. We can make mistakes because mistakes are sometimes the only way to reach perfection, and to measure how hard we've tried.

Have I made mistakes today? Tonight I can see my mistakes as valuable evidence of my efforts.

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~ DAY BY DAY ~ (Daily Meditations for Recovering Addicts) ~

Realizing the consequences

No matter who we are as individuals, we all bear the consequences of our lifestyle and behavior. High, we experience pain, suffering, grief, and eventually insanity or premature death. Clean and sober, we experience rewarding lives.

Getting clean and sober doesn’t mean that we suddenly become conformists. But whoever or whatever we become, we must practice kindness and tolerance. If we do, our lives will be meaningful in ways we can-not imagine.

Am I fully aware of the consequences of my choices?

Higher Power, help me become more thoughtful and patient.

Today I will take stock of my lifestyle by

God help me to stay clean and sober today!

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~ IF YOU WANT WHAT WE HAVE ~ (Sponsorship Meditations) ~

Why do birds sing in the morning?
It’s the triumphant shout:
"We got through another night.”

~ ENID BAGNOLD ~

Newcomer

I’ve heard the expression “The person who got up first this morning is the most sober person in the room.” But doesn’t time in recovery count for anything?

Sponsor

I have great respect, as most of us do, for the experience of those who’ve been in recovery for long periods; I’m always interested in their perspective on things. I figure that they must have been doing something right, if they’ve lived for a significant length of time without returning to addictive substances or behavior

But emphasis on seniority might foster the mistaken belief that we can expect to finish our process of recovery someday. The tools that helped me to stay sober at the beginning are helping me to stay sober today. I need to live in the present moment. A focus on today is a gift that recovery both offers and depends on.

A slogan like the one you’ve quoted reminds me of that. So does the way some people refer to their length of time in recovery by saying that they’ve been here for “a few twenty-four hours” rather than a specific number of years. It’s an act of humility.

I live and recover one day at a time.

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~ THE EYE OPENER ~

No pleasures of our drinking days ever compensated for those horrible nights of wakeful tossing. The interminable pacing the floor; those night sweats; the endless hours when we couldn't sleep and at the same time dreaded falling asleep. The hours that seemed to stretch into eternity as we lay in bed with remorse as a bedfellow. Then the Hell of the goof-balls that made our nights better and our days worse.

The physical pain we might have endured for many more years, but the anguish of the heart and soul was unendurable.

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~ The 12 STEP PRAYER BOOK ~ (A Collection of Favorite 12 Step Prayers and Inspirational Readings) ~

The Joy of Right Living

With bended knees, with hands outstretched,
I hope for the effective expression
Of Your Spirit working within me:
For this love and understanding, truth and justice,
For wisdom to know the false from the real
That I might lessen the sufferings of my fellows.
You are love, understanding, wisdom, and virtue.
Let us love one another,
Let us practice mercy and forgiveness,
Let us have peace, born of fellowship.
Let my joy be of right living, of doing good to others
Happiness is for us whose happiness flows to others.

~ Zoroastrian prayer ~

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~ AROUND THE YEAR WITH EMMET FOX ~ (A Book of Daily Readings) ~

WHAT MOSES MEANS TODAY

Read Exodus 19:6-20:20.

Moses was a man of extraordinary understanding of God and of man. He was also one of the great historical leaders of the human race. He was born in Egypt, which was in those days the most highly civilized country in the world. But at the time, the authorities gave orders to kill the male children of the Israelites, and Moses’ mother tried to save his life by placing him in a little basket and hiding it at the river's edge where Pharaoh's daughter could not help but see it when she came to the river to bathe. The sister of Moses was told to hide among the tall reeds to guard the baby. The king's daughter saw this little basket, opened it, and when the child cried, her heart was touched. She looked around, and out came the sister, and you know the rest of the story, how the sister was sent to fetch a woman to take care of the child, and brought Moses' own mother.

Now there is a remarkable text here. Pharaoh's daughter says to the woman: Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages (Exodus 2:9).

In the Bible sense you are the King's Daughters as soon as you reach out for the Truth. The infant Moses is that higher teaching that draws out your heart. Now, how do we nourish our infant Moses? By prayer and meditation. Otherwise the child will starve. However, if we take the child and nurse it, we shall get our wages, and our wages shall be freedom, peace of mind, harmony, understanding, and the fellowship of God Himself.

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~ A DEEP BREATH OF LIFE ~ (365 Daily Inspirations for Heart-Centered Living) ~

Turtles All the Way Down

There is only one question that all of science and philosophy seeks to answer: "Is the universe a friendly place?”

~ Albert Einstein ~

A king woke up his advisor late one evening, anxiously reporting, "I couldn't sleep because I began to fear that the world would fall into an abyss."

"Not to worry," comforted the advisor. "The earth is held up by a giant bear."

"Thank you," answered the king, breathing a sigh of relief. Half an hour later, the king knocked again. "What is holding up the bear?" he inquired.
“A great turtle," the sage answered. "He will not let the bear fall."

"That's good," responded the king.

The seer was not surprised when half an hour later, the king knocked again. The advisor opened the door and, just as the king was about to speak, he raised his hand and told the monarch, "It's turtles all the way down!"

If we begin to question our support, we can enter into an abysmal tailspin of worry. Eventually we come to the point where we either trust implicitly or doubt compulsively. lf we do not trust, we will find more and more reasons to fear, and if we trust, we shall confirm our vision of safety. We can short-circuit the experiment by practicing trust in the universe at every level, knowing that for every turtle we question, there is one below it.

I pray to have faith in things unseen, knowing Your loving hand sustains me.

I am always safe because God is always present.