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When you are unable to take big steps on the path that leads to God, be content with little steps, patiently waiting until you have the legs to run; better still, wings to fly.
Be content with being, for now, a little bee, in a hive, which will soon become a big bee, capable of producing honey. W.O.W 101;) |
November 11
Daily Reflections SELF-ACCEPTANCE We know that God lovingly watches over us. We know that when we turn to Him, all will be well with us, here and hereafter. TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 105 I pray for the willingness to remember that I am a child of God, a divine soul in human form, and that my most basic and urgent life-task is to accept, know, love and nurture myself. As I accept myself, I am accepting God's will. As I know and love myself, I am knowing and loving God. As I nurture myself I am acting on God's guidance. I pray for the willingness to let go of my arrogant self-criticism, and to praise God by humbly accepting and caring for myself. ************************************************** ********* Twenty-Four Hours A Day A.A. Thought For The Day When I think of all who have gone before me, I realize that I am only one, not very important, person. What happens to me is not so very important after all. And A.A. has taught me to be more outgoing, to seek friendship by going at least half way; to have a sincere desire to help. I have more self-respect now that I have less sensitiveness. I have found that the only way to live comfortably with myself is to take a real interest in others. Do I realize that I am not so important after all? Meditation For The Day As you look back over your life, it is not too difficult to believe that what you went through was for a purpose, to prepare you for some valuable work in life. Everything in your way may well have been planned by God to make you of some use in the world. Each person's life is like the pattern of a mosaic. Each thing that happened to you is like one tiny stone in the mosaic, and each tiny stone fits into the perfected pattern of the mosaic of your life, which has been designed by God. Prayer For The Day I pray that I may not need to see the whole design of my life. I pray that I may trust the Designer. ************************************************** ********* As Bill Sees It In The Sunlight At Last, p. 313 When the thought was expressed that there might be a God personal to me, I didn't like the idea. So my friend Ebby made what then seemed a novel suggestion. He said, "Why don't you choose your own conception of God?" That statement hit me hard. It melted the icy intellectual mountain in whose shadow I had lived and shivered many years. I stood in the sunlight at last. << << << >> >> >> It may be possible to find explanations of spiritual experiences such as ours, but I have often tried to explain my own and have succeeded only in giving the story of it. I know the feeling it gave me and the results it has brought, but I realize I may never fully understand its deeper why and now. 1. Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 12 2. A.A. Comes Of Age, p. 45 ************************************************** ********* Walk In Dry Places The rewards of truth Seeking the truth "The punishment of the liar is that he cannot believe anyone else," wrote one shrewd philosopher. This is another way of saying that we reap what we sow, or that we tend to judge others by our own actions. But when we decide to be completely truthful, we are not immediately given the ability to discern whether others are lying or not. It's more important for us to realize that others' lies don't have the power to hurt us permanently if we persevere in the program. Some people would argue with this, pointing to lies that have hurt innocent people in the past. But having no way of knowing all the facts of these cases, we cannot be the judge. In our own experience, we'll find that God alone is the source of all truth and will give us the protection and care we need if we seek truthfulness in everything we do. Any fear of being victimized by lying, we'll learn, will melt away as we follow this conviction. I'll be as discreet as possible today, but I'll also be truthful. I'll find that this alone will lessen any fear of being victimized by a liar. ************************************************** ********* Keep It Simple Have the courage to live; anyone can die.---Robert Cody Living means facing all of life. Life is joy and sorrow. We used to be people who wanted the joy without the sorrow. But we can learn from hard times, maybe more than we do in easy times. Often, getting through hard times helps us grow. When things get tough, maybe we want to turn and run. Then, a gentle voice from within us say, “I am with you. You have friends who will help.” If we listen, we’ll hear our Higher Power. This is what is meant by “conscious contact” in Step eleven. As this conscious contact grows, our courage grows. And we find the strength to face hard times. Prayer for the Day: I pray for the strength and courage to live. I pray that I’ll never have to face hard time alone again. Action for the Day: I’ll list two examples of conscious contact” in my life. ************************************************** ********* Each Day a New Beginning Life has got to be lived--that's all there is to it. At 70 I would say the advantage is that you take life more calmly. You know that, "This, too, shall pass!" --Eleanor Roosevelt Wisdom comes with age, but also with maturity. It is knowing that all is well in the midst of a storm. And as our faith grows, as we trust more that there is a power greater than ourselves which will see us through, we can relax, secure that a better time awaits us. We will come to understand the part a difficult circumstance has played in our lives. Hindsight makes so much clear. The broken marriage, the lost job, the loneliness have all contributed to who we are becoming. The joy of the wisdom we are acquiring is that hindsight comes more quickly. We can, on occasion, begin to accept a difficult situation's contribution to our wholeness while caught in the turmoil. How far we have come! So seldom do we stay caught, really trapped, in the fear of misunderstanding. Life must teach us all we need to know. We can make the way easier by stretching our trust--by knowing fully that the pain of the present will open the way to the serenity of the future. I know that this too shall pass. ************************************************** ********* Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition Chapter 5 - HOW IT WORKS In this book you read again and again that faith did for us what we could not do for ourselves. We hope you are convinced now that God can remove whatever self-will has blocked you off from Him. If you have already made a decision, and an inventory of your grosser handicaps, you have made a good beginning. That being so you have swallowed and digested some big chunks of truth about yourself. pp. 70-71 ************************************************** ********* Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions Step Twelve - "Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs." These little studies of A.A. Twelve Steps now come to a close. We have been considering so many problems that it may appear that A.A. consists mainly of racking dilemmas and troubleshooting. To a certain extent, that is true. We have been talking about problems because we are problem people who have found a way up and out, and who wish to share our knowledge of that way with all who can use it. For it is only by accepting and solving our problems that we can begin to get right with ourselves and with the world about us, and with Him who presides over us all. Understanding is the key to right principles and attitudes, and right action is the key to good living; therefore the joy of good living is the theme of A.A.'s Twelfth Step. p. 125 ************************************************** ********* I can't have a better tomorrow if I am thinking about yesterday all the time. --unknown "You can clutch the past so tightly to your chest, that it leaves your arms too full to embrace the present." --Jan Glidewell Jesus is a friend who walks in when the world has walked out. --unknown When God leads, He provides. --unknown The times that are the most difficult for me are when God's answer is "wait" (rather than "yes" or "no"). I can even take His "You've got to be kidding!" or "You want WHAT??????" easier than "wait." --unknown You can choose to worry about something or you can realize that there are actually very few circumstances in life you can control, and just let things be. This is not an "I don't care" attitude, this is simply accepting what is. --unknown *********************************************** Father Leo's Daily Meditation PEACE "Peace without justice is tyranny." -- William Allen White Peace at any price! Not for me today. For years I sought a peace that was based upon the "no-talk" principle remaining quiet, rather than causing upset or risking embarrassment. Such a peace was unjust. It only fed the disease and helped to keep me sick. Today I seek a peace that involves discussing or confronting painful situations, often making me and others uncomfortable. Serenity is a peace that is arrived at after periods of pain but a necessary pain. In my life today I have the courage to speak out and make choices that are good for me; God is alive in my choice. May I forever search for the "peace" that is real. May I find "peace" in the justice of my lifestyle. ************************************************** ********* O Lord I say to you "You are my God" Hear O Lord my cry for mercy. Psalm 140:6 "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says." James 1:22 Jesus said, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28 "The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life." Proverbs 15:4 ************************************************** ********* Daily Inspiration Choose the direction of your day and then make a point of enjoying your choices. Lord, help me to do what I can when I can, but also, help me to know when doing nothing is the better choice. Take care of yourself so that you may give care to others. Lord, may I never totally ignore myself and my feelings for the sake of others and fit in time daily to refresh my spirit. |
November 12
Daily Reflections MORNING THOUGHTS Ask Him in your morning meditation what you can do each day for the man who is still sick. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 164 For many years I pondered over God's will for me, believing that perhaps a great destiny had been ordained for my life. After all, having been born into a specific faith, hadn't I been told early that I was "chosen"? It finally occurred to me, as I considered the above passage, that God's will for me was simply that I practice Step Twelve on a daily basis. Furthermore, I realized I should do this to the best of my ability. I soon learned that the practice aids me in keeping my life in the context of the day at hand. ************************************************** ********* Twenty-Four Hours A Day A.A. Thought For The Day I am less critical of other people, inside and outside of A.A. I used to run people down all the time. I realize now that it was because I wanted unconsciously to build myself up. I was envious of people who lived normal lives. I couldn't understand why I couldn't be like them. And so I ran them down. I called them sissies or hypocrites. I was always looking for faults in the other person. I loved to tear down what I called "a stuff shirt" or "a snob." I have found that I can never make a person any better by criticism. A.A. has taught me this. Am I less critical of people? Meditation For The Day You must admit your helplessness before your prayer for help will be heard by God. Your own need must be recognized before you can ask God for the strength to meet that need. But once that need is recognized, your prayer is heard above all the music of heaven. It is not theological arguments that solve the problems of the questing soul, but the sincere cry of that soul to God for strength and the certainty of that soul that the cry will be heard and answered. Prayer For The Day I pray that I may send my voiceless cry for help out into the void. I pray that I may feel certain that it will be heard somewhere, somehow. ************************************************** ********* As Bill Sees It High and Low, p. 314 When our membership was small, we dealt with "low-bottom cases" only. Many less desperate alcoholics tried A.A., but did not succeed because they could not make the admission of their hopelessness. In the following years, this changed. Alcoholics who still had their health, their families, their jobs, and even two cars in the garage, began to recognize their alcoholism. As this trend grew, they were joined by young people who were scarcely more than potential alcoholics. How could people such as these take the First Step? By going back in our own drinking histories, we showed them that years before we realized it we were out of control, that our drinking even then was no mere habit, that it was indeed the beginning of a fatal progression. 12 & 12, p. 23 ************************************************** ********* Walk In Dry Places The importance of maintenance. Fortitude In praising their success with AA, people sometimes overlook the importance of maintenance. AA not only helps us achieve sobriety, but it can also help us maintain our sobriety for a lifetime. Members often touch on this matter when they admit that they were able to sober up hundreds of times, but didn't know how to stay sober. It is staying sober that makes all the difference between life and death for us. Our tools for staying sober___ for maintaining our sobriety___ are the simple ones that put us back on our feet in the first place. We continue to admit that we're alcoholics and need the help of fellow members and our Higher Power. We also continue to attend meetings and to carry the message. We remind ourselves that we're never out of the woods permanently, no matter how much our lives improve. I'll take the routine steps today that are needed for the maintenance of my sobriety. Doing this will help protect me from the terrible consequences of returning to drinking. ************************************************** ********* Keep It Simple It may be those who do most, dream most.---Stephen Leacock Daydreaming gives us hope. It makes our world bigger. Daydreaming can be part of doing Step Eleven. As we meditate, we daydream. Through our daydreaming, we get to know ourselves, our spirit, and our Higher Power. What special work can we do? Our dreams can tell us. There is time to work and time to dream. Daydreaming helps us find the work our Higher Power wants us to do. Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, please speak to me through my daydreams. Action for the Day: I’ll set aside time to daydream. I will look into a candle flame, at picture, or out a window, and let my mind wander. ************************************************** ********* Each Day a New Beginning Fantasies are more than substitutes for unpleasant reality; they are also dress rehearsals, plans. All acts performed in the world begin in the imagination. --Barbara Grizzuti Harrison Our minds mold who we become. Our thoughts not only contribute to our achievements, they determine the posture of our lives. How very powerful they are. Fortunately, we have the power to think the thoughts we choose, which means our lives will unfold much as we expect. The seeds we plant in our minds indicate the directions we'll explore in our development. And we won't explore areas we've never given attention to in our reflective moments. We must dare to dream extravagant, improbable dreams if we intend to find a new direction, and the steps necessary to it. We will not achieve, we will not master that which goes unplanned in our dream world. We imagine first, and then we conceive the execution of a plan. Our minds prepare us for success. They can also prepare us for failure if we let our thoughts become negative. I can succeed with my fondest hopes. But I must believe in my potential for success. I will ponder the positive today. ************************************************** ********* Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition Chapter 6 - INTO ACTION HAVING MADE our personal inventory, what shall we do about it? We have been trying to get a new attitude, a new relationship with our Creator, and to discover the obstacles in our path. We have admitted certain defects; we have ascertained in a rough way what the trouble is; we have put our finger on the weak times in our personal inventory. Now these are about to be cast out. This requires action on our part, which, when completed, will mean that we have admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being, the exact nature of our defects. This brings us to the Fifth Step in the program of recovery mentioned in the preceding chapter. p. 72 ************************************************** ********* Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions Step Twelve - "Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs." With each passing day of our lives, may every one of us sense more deeply the inner meaning of A.A. simple prayer: God grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, Courage to change the things we can, And wisdom to know the difference. p. 125 ************************************************** ********* Apprehend God in all things, For God is in all things. Every single creature is full of God and is a book about God. Every creature is a word of God! If I spent enough time with the tiniest creature--even a caterpillar -- I would never have to prepare a sermon, so full of God is every creature. --Meister Eckhart "There is only one meaning of life: the act of living itself." --Erich Fromm "A day of worry is more exhausting than a day of work." --John Lubbock "When shall we live if not now?" --M. F. K. Fisher "With each sunrise, we start anew." --Anonymous "You never know what you can do till you try." --William Cobbett *********************************************** Father Leo's Daily Meditation RELIGION "It is the test of a good religion if you can joke about it." -- G. K. Chesterton Today I am able to joke with God and about God. I am able to laugh at me swinging incense at a candlestick and then swinging the incense at the Bishop! I smile at the determined seriousness of choirboys who receive communion while at the same time sticking chewing gum under the arm rail. I chuckle at the embarrassment of the baptism family when the baby pulls the plug out of the font and the holy water drains away. Today I am able to laugh at God and His Church it joyously reflects man's imperfection but at the same time reminds him of his glory. God, I contemplate You laughing at our pompous piety. ************************************************** ********* "Your Father knows what you need before you ask him." Matthew 6:8 Then I realized that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given him -- for this is his lot. Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work -- this is a gift of God. He seldom reflects on the days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart. Ecclesiastes 5:18-20 ************************************************** ********* Daily Inspiration Write down who you think you are and then write down who you want to be. Lord, help me realize that with little effort I can be who I want to be and give me the determination and will power to blossom. Prayer is the best preparation for the day. Lord, although I don't know all that I will need for today, give me clarity and wisdom and remove from my path that which I am yet not strong enough to bear. |
November 13
Daily Reflections LOOKING OUTWARD We ask especially for freedom from self-will, and are careful to make no requests for ourselves only. We may ask for ourselves, however, if others will be helped. We are careful never to pray for our own selfish ends. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 87 As an active alcoholic, I allowed selfishness to run rampant in my life. I was so attached to my drinking and other selfish habits that people and moral principles came second. Now, when I pray for the good of others rather than my "own selfish ends," I practice a discipline in letting go of selfish attachments, caring for my fellows and preparing for the day when I will be required to let go of all earthly attachments. ************************************************** ********* Twenty-Four Hours A Day A.A. Thought For The Day Who am I to judge other people? Have I proved by my great success in life that I know all the answers? Exactly the opposite. Until I came into A.A., my life could be called a failure. I made all the mistakes a man could make. I took all the wrong roads there were to take. On the basis of my record, am I a fit person to be a judge of my fellow men? Hardly. In A.A. I have learned not to judge people. I am so often wrong. Let the results of what they do judge them. It's not up to me. Am I less harsh in my judgment of people? Meditation For The Day In our time of meditation, we again seem to hear: "Come unto me, all ye that are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Again and again we seem to hear God saying this to us. "Come unto me" for the solution of every problem, for the overcoming of every temptation, for the calming of every fear, for all our need, physical, mental or spiritual, but mostly "come unto me" for the strength we need to live with peace of mind and the power to be useful and effective. Prayer For The Day I pray that I may go to God today for those things which I need to help me live. I pray that I may find real peace of mind. ************************************************** ********* As Bill Sees It Greater Than Ourselves, p. 315 If a mere code of morals or a better philosophy of life were sufficient to overcome alcoholism, many of us would have recovered long ago. But we found that such code and philosophies did not save us, no matter how much we tried. We could wish to be moral, we could wish to be philosophically comforted, in fact, we could will these things with all our might, but the power needed for change wasn't there. Our human resources, as marshaled by the will, were not sufficient; they failed utterly. Lack of power: That was our dilemma. We had to find a power by which we could live--and it had to be a Power greater than ourselves. Alcoholics Anonymous, pp. 44-45 ************************************************** ********* Walk In Dry Places The Boredom battle Acceptance and Patience. All of us have times when we don't enjoy our sobriety as much as we feel we should. Thought we're still grateful, we sometimes feel bored and depressed. What we have to remember at such times is our bleak history of using alcohol as a quick fix for boredom. However ruinous and false it proved to be, alcohol did temporarily bring the miraculous change we sought. We thought of alcohol as a means of uplifting our mood. We were very surprised to learn that it's really a depressant. Maybe it lifted us up by depressing our self-doubt and self-criticism. Whatever the nature of our drinking, we need to stay sober while fighting our battles with boredom. We can do that by accepting a bit of boredom without succumbing to it. Meanwhile, we can look for ways of easing boredom that don't get us into trouble or lead back to the bottle. I'll not feel guilty or unworthy if boredom strikes me now and then. Today I'll help manage my long-term boredom tendencies by practicing acceptance and patience for twenty-four hours. ************************************************** ********* Keep It Simple Write down the advice of him who loves you, though you like it not at present. ---Anonymous We addicts often learn things the hard way. In the past, we found it very hard to take advice from anyone. It’s still hard to take advice, but it’s getting easier every day. We know now that we can’t handle everything in life by ourselves. We’ve come to believe there is help of us. And we’re learning to ask for help and advice. Sometimes we don’t like the advice we get. We don’t have to use it. But if it comes from people who love and understand us, we can try to listen. Write it down. Think about it. It may make sense another day. Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, please work through people who love me. I need your advice. Help me listen to it. Action for the Day: I will make notes to myself, writing down things that seem important. I will read them once in a while. ************************************************** ********* Each Day a New Beginning My Declaration of Self-Esteem: I am me. In all the world there is no one else exactly like me. There are persons who have some parts like me, but no one adds up exactly like me. Therefore, everything that comes out of me is authentically mine because I alone chose it. --Virginia Satir Feeling special, feeling worthy and unique in the contribution we make to our surroundings is perhaps not a very familiar feeling to many of us in this recovery program. We may have recognized our differences from others, but not in a positive way. We may well have figured that to be our problem. "If only I were more like her . . ." To celebrate our specialness, the unique contribution we make to every situation we experience, is one of the gifts of recovery. It's spiritually moving to realize the truth of our authenticity. To realize that no other choice will ever be just like our choice--to realize that no other contribution will be just like our contribution. Our gift to life is ourselves. Life's gift to us is the opportunity to realize our value. Today, I will be aware of my gifts, I will offer them and receive them thankfully. ************************************************** ********* Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition Chapter 6 - INTO ACTION This is perhaps difficult--especially discussing our defects with another person. We think we have done well enough in admitting these things to ourselves. There is doubt about that. In actual practice, we usually find a solitary self-appraisal insufficient. Many of us thought it necessary to go much further. We will be more reconciled to discussing ourselves with another person when we see good reasons why we should do so. The best reason first: If we skip this vital step, we may not overcome drinking. Time after time newcomers have tried to keep to themselves certain facts about their lives. Trying to avoid this humbling experience, they have turned to easier methods. Almost invariably they got drunk. Having persevered with the rest of the program, they wondered why they fell. We think the reason is that they never completed their housecleaning. They took inventory all right, but hung on to some of the worst items in stock. They only thought they had lost their egoism and fear; they only thought they had humbled themselves. But they had not learned enough of humility, fearlessness and honesty, in the sense we find it necessary, until they told someone else all their life story. pp. 72-73 ************************************************** ********* Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions Tradition One - "Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends upon A.A. Unity." The unity of Alcoholics Anonymous it the most cherished quality our Society has. Our lives, the lives of all to come, depend squarely upon it. We stay whole, or A.A. dies. Without unity, the heart of A.A. would cease to beat; our world arteries would no longer carry the life-giving grace of God; His gift to us would be spent aimlessly. Back again in their caves, alcoholics would reproach us and say, "What a great thing A.A. might have been!" p. 129 ************************************************** ********* Friendship is like a bank account. You can't continue to draw on it without making deposits. --Cited in The Best of BITS & PIECES "Sometimes the most important thing in a whole day is the rest we take between two deep breaths, or the turning inwards in prayer for five short minutes." --Etty Hillesum You take people as far as they will go, not as far as you would like them to go. --Jeanette Rankin "There are no mistakes. The events we bring upon ourselves, no matter how unpleasant, are necessary in order to learn what we need to learn; whatever steps we take, they're necessary to reach the places we've chosen to go." --Richard Bach Don't mess up an amends with an excuse. --unknown S T E P S = Solutions To Every Problem in Sobriety. "Spirituality is an individual matter. I can tell you what it means to me, but it might be different for you." --Jake T. *********************************************** Father Leo's Daily Meditation MONEY "Money doesn't always bring happiness. People with ten million dollars are no happier than people with nine million dollars." -- Hobart Brown Today I understand that there is nothing intrinsically wrong with money. Wealth is not good or bad in itself it is what we do with it. As a famous comedian once said, "I've been rich and I've been poor and rich is better!" But in what sense is rich better? I suppose in the freedom that it affords us, not only to travel and buy comfortable "things" but also in the way we can help and contribute to the lives and well-being of others. But to hoard money, be "stingy" with yourself and others, make a "god" of possessions or become compulsive about the "making of money" produces the same pain as any other addiction. Money is to be used. It is usually one of the benefits of sobriety, part of what it means to say "it gets better". Why? Because we are more responsible and creative as sober people and this brings its rewards. Help me to be a responsible steward of the possessions You entrusted to me. ************************************************** ********* I call on the LORD in my distress, and he answers me. Psalm 120:1 My sheep recognize my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them away from me, for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. So no one can take them from me. The Father and I are one." John 10:27-30 ************************************************** ********* Daily Inspiration Refuse to be one of the many who go through life never knowing the limits of their abilities. Lord, You have blessed me with all that I need, but also with the ability to achieve all that I want. Help me to continue to strive and become all that I can. Forget the useless and unhealthy things of your past that clutter your mind so that you can live a life that is alive and vibrant. Lord, help me to discard all that clouds my day so that I am able to live the life that You intend me to live. |
November 14
Daily Reflections INTUITION AND INSPIRATION . . . . we ask God for inspiration, an intuitive thought or a decision. We relax and take it easy. We don't struggle. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 86 I invest my time in what I truly love. Step Eleven is a discipline that allows me and my Higher Power to be together, reminding me that, with God's help, intuition and inspiration are possible. Practice of the Step brings on self-love. In a consistent attempt to improve my conscious contact with a Higher Power, I am subtly reminded of my unhealthy past, with its patterns of grandiose thinking and false feeling of omnipotence. When I ask for the power to carry out God's will for me, I am made aware of my powerlessness. Humility and a healthy self-love are compatible, a direct result of working Step Eleven. ************************************************** ********* Twenty-Four Hours A Day A.A. Thought For The Day A better way than judging people is to look for all the good you can find in them. If you look hard enough and long enough, you ought to be able to find some good somewhere in every person. In A.A. I learned that my job was to try to bring out the good, not criticize the bad. Every alcoholic is used to being judged and criticized. That has never helped anyone get sober. In A.A. we tell people they can change. We try to bring out the best in them. We encourage their good points and ignore their bad points as much as possible. People are not converted by criticism. Do I look for the good in people? Meditation For The Day There must be a design for the world in the mind of God. We can believe that His design for the world is a universal brotherhood of men and women under the fatherhood of God. The plan for your life must also be in the mind of God. In times of quiet meditation you can seek for God's guidance, for the revealing of God's plan for your day. Then you can live this day according to that guidance. Many people are not making of their lives what God meant them to be, and so they are unhappy. They have missed the design for their lives. Prayer For The Day I pray that I may try to follow God's design for today. I pray that I may have the sense of Divine Intent in what I do today. ************************************************** ********* As Bill Sees It Our Protective Mantle, p. 316 Almost every newspaper reporter who covers A.A. complains, at first, of the difficulty of writing his story without names. But he quickly forgets this difficulty when he realizes that here is a group of people who care nothing for acclaim. Probably this is the first time in his life he has ever reported on an organization that wants no personalized publicity. Cynic though he may be, this obvious sincerity quickly transforms him into a friend of A.A. << << << >> >> >> Moved by the spirit of anonymity, we try to give up our natural desires for personal distinction as A.A. members, both among fellow alcoholics and before the general public. As we lay aside these very human aspirations, we believe that each of us takes part in the weaving of a protective mantle which covers our whole Society and under which we may grow and work in unity. 1. Grapevine, March 1946 2. 12 & 12, p. 187 ************************************************** ********* Walk In Dry Places No Respecter of People Carrying the message As human beings, we have to realize that some people are more attractive to us than others. Even in AA, we will likely be more interested in a person who has qualities we admire than one who annoys and repels us. This is a snobbish attitude that we ridicule when we see it practiced by others, but we may be practicing it in our own way by seeking out only those members we find interesting and attractive. Without realizing it, we can be making AA a popularity contest, which it's not supposed to be. We can compensate for such tendencies by making a special effort to express friendship to everyone at the meeting. This can even become a spiritual exercise. It doesn't hurt to admit that one has snobbish tendencies that can violate the spirit of AA. Just as alcohol is no respecter of people, so it is that the program should be open to all. Today, I'll try to make AA a welcoming haven for everyone. ************************************************** ********* Keep It Simple Make it a point to do something every day that you don’t want to do---Mark Twain Self-discipline is a key part of living sober life. We need it t get to our meetings regularly. We need it to understand the Steps. We need it to work the Steps. And we get much in return. With self-discipline, we learn to trust ourselves. We learn to do what is most loving and caring for ourselves. What a great relief! One of the worst parts of our illness was that we couldn’t count on ourselves. We didn’t know what we’d do next. Self-discipline heals this part of our illness. Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, You have given me much. It’s only right that I give You part of my day. I will pray and meditate on Your wonders. Action for the Day: I will list areas of my program where I lack self-discipline. I will share the list with my group and sponsor, and I’ll let them know in a month how I’m doing. ************************************************** ********* Each Day a New Beginning Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional. --Kathleen Casey Theisen How awesome is our power, personally, to choose our attitudes and our responses to any situation, to every situation. We will feel only how we choose to feel, no matter the circumstance. Happiness is as free an option as sorrow. Perceiving our challenges as opportunities for positive growth rather than stumbling blocks in our path to success is a choice readily available. What is inevitable--a matter over which we have no choice--is that difficult times, painful experiences will visit us. We can, however, greet them like welcome guests, celebrating their blessings on us and the personal growth they inspire. No circumstance demands suffering. Every circumstance has a silver lining. In one instance you may choose to feel self-pity; in the next, gladness. We do not always feel confident about our choices, even when we accept the responsibility for making them. How lucky for us that the program offers a solution! Prayer and meditation, guidance from our higher power, can help us make the right choice every time. I will relish my freedom to choose, to feel, to act. I and only I can take it away. ************************************************** ********* Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition Chapter 6 - INTO ACTION More than most people, the alcoholic leads a double life. He is very much the actor. To the outer world he presents his stage character. This is the one he likes his fellows to see. He wants to enjoy a certain reputation, but knows in his heart he doesn’t deserve it. p. 73 ************************************************** ********* Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions Tradition One - "Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends upon A.A. Unity." "Does this mean," some will anxiously ask, "that in A.A. the individual doesn't count for much? Is he to be dominated by his group and swallowed up in it?" We may certainly answer this question with a loud "No!" We believe there isn't a fellowship on earth which lavishes more devoted care upon its individual members; surely there is none which more jealously guards the individual's right to think, talk, and act as he wishes. No A.A. can compel another to do anything; nobody can be punished or expelled. Our Twelve Steps to recovery are suggestions; the Twelve Traditions which guarantee A.A.'s unity contain not a single "Don't." They repeatedly say "We ought . . ." but never "You must!" p. 129 ************************************************** ********* "The door of opportunity won't open unless you do some pushing." --Anonymous Just when I have learned the way to live, life changes. --Hugh Prather I AM MORE I am more than happy, I am JOYFUL. I am more than healthy, I am WHOLE. I am more than alive, I am RADIANT. I am more than successful, I am FREE. I am more than caring, I am LOVING. I am more than tranquil, I am PEACEFUL. I am more than interested, I am INVOLVED. I am more than adequate, I am TRIUMPHANT. I am more than fortunate, I am PROSPEROUS. I am more than human, I am a CHILD OF GOD. --William Arthur Things turn out best for the people who make the best out of the way things turn out. --Art Linkletter Life is available to anyone no matter what age. All you have to do is grab it. --Art Carney *********************************************** Father Leo's Daily Meditation LEISURE "It is seldom that an American retires from business to enjoy his fortune in comfort . . . He works because he has always worked, and knows no other way." -- Thomas Nichols For years I rushed around being busy and I missed me. I spent years trying to please people by doing things and I missed me. I was a workaholic, my value was seen only in what I could achieve and I missed me. Today I can relax in my sobriety; indeed sobriety has enabled me to relax. I can sit and do nothing and it is okay. Life is about "being" and not "doing". Spirituality is about taking time out for me because I am worth it. "Be still and know that I am God," said the psalmist. In the silence of self I have discovered the meaning of life and I have found God. Thank You, Lord, for creating the feelings of peace that come from leisure. ************************************************** ********* Grace be with you, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love. 2 John, 1:3 "May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us." Psalm 67:1 ************************************************** ********* Daily Inspiration When you choose to fight, be sure it is only for that which is right and fair. Lord, help me to see clearly when goodness is being violated and guide me in helping those who need my help. Nothing is ever quite as bad as it seems. Call on God and then practice expectancy and optimism and things will turn out better than you expect. Lord, thank You for tomorrow. |
November 15
Daily Reflections VITAL SUSTENANCE Those of us who have come to make regular use of prayer would no more do without it than we would refuse air, food, sunshine. And for the same reason. When we refuse air, light or food, the body suffers. And when we turn away from meditation and prayer, we likewise deprive our minds, our emotions, and our intuitions of vitally needed support. TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 97 Step Eleven doesn't have to overwhelm me. Conscious contact with God can be as simple, and as profound, as conscious contact with another human being. I can smile. I can listen. I can forgive. Every encounter with another is an opportunity for prayer, for acknowledging God's presence within me. Today I can bring myself a little closer to my Higher Power. The more I choose to seek the beauty of God's work in other people, the more certain of His presence I will become. ************************************************** ********* Twenty-Four Hours A Day A.A. Thought For The Day I am less sensitive and my feelings are less easily hurt. I no longer take myself so seriously. It didn't use to take much to insult me, to feel that I had been slighted or left on the outside. What happens to me now is not so important. One cause of our drinking was because we couldn't take it, so we escaped the unpleasant situation. We have learned to take it on the chin if necessary and smile. When I am all wrapped up in A.A., I do not notice the personal slights so much. They do not seem to matter so much. I have learned to laugh at self-pity, because it's so childish. Am I less sensitive? Meditation For The Day God's miracle-working power is as manifest today as it was in the past. It still works miracles of change in lives and miracles of healing in twisted minds. When a person trusts wholly in God and leaves to Him the choosing of the day and hour, there is God's miracle-working power becoming manifest in that person's life. So we can trust in God and have boundless faith in His power to make us whole again, whenever He chooses. Prayer For The Day I pray that I may be sure that there is nothing that God cannot accomplish in changing my life. I pray that I may have faith in His miracle-working power. ************************************************** ********* As Bill Sees It Vision Beyond Today, p. 317 Vision is, I think the ability to make good estimates, both for the immediate and for the more distant future. Some might feel this sort of striving to be heresy against "One day at a time." But that valuable principle really refers to our mental and emotional lives and means chiefly that we are not foolishly to repine over the past nor wishfully to daydream about the future. As individuals and as a fellowship, we shall surely suffer if we cast the whole job of planning for tomorrow onto a fatuous idea of providence. God's real providence has endowed us human beings with a considerable capability for foresight, and He evidently expects us to use it. Of course, we shall often miscalculate the future in whole or in part, but that is better than to refuse to think at all. Twelve Concepts, p. 40 ************************************************** ********* Walk In Dry Places The loss of choice Freedom Many alcoholics are vigorous defenders of free choice. We have to concede, however, that our choices are not always limited by the tyranny of others. Our own actions can take away from freedom of choice. Recovering people in AA have learned that taking even one drink will result in the loss of choice, and it is not just a temporary loss of sobriety that one faces. It's always possible that the person who drinks again may never recovery sobriety. In the same way, other actions represent loss of choice in our lives. other actions represent loss of choice in our lives. A person who cheats, for example, may learn that he or she has no choice over the unpleasant outcomes that follow. We can protect our freedom of choice by deciding only to take actions that will strengthen such freedom in the future. At no time should we make any choices that rob us of our precious right to choose. Every action I take today must help me keep favorable options open in the future. My right to choose was restored by AA, and I must help protect it. ************************************************** ********* Keep It Simple The best way to know God is to love many things.---Vincent Van Gogh Now that we're in recovery, we're learning to love people. We're learning to love nature. We're learning to love new ideas about life. The result? We love the way we feel now that we're taking care of ourselves. Is our Higher Power really so close? Can we really find our Higher Power just by loving many things? Yes! When we love, we wake up that part of us that is part of all creation---our spirit. We really come to life when we love! Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, remind me that You are near when I love someone or something. The energy of love come from You. Action for the Day: I will list three things I love that help me know my Higher Power is near me. ************************************************** ********* Each Day a New Beginning Zeal is the faculty igniting the other mind powers into the full flame of activity. --Sylvia Stitt Edwards When enthusiasm is absent in our lives, no activity appears inviting. In fact, most situations foster fear. With fear, we're ever so familiar. The program we're committed to relieves us of all fear, when we work it. And it offers us the enthusiasm that will guarantee positive outcomes for our efforts, when we look to our higher power for the right attitude. An open, trusting, sincere relationship with our higher power equals enthusiasm about life. But that relationship takes work on our part. When we've done our homework we discover that no lesson will baffle us. Prayer and meditation make all things understandable and guarantee that we will "pass the course" on life. I will begin this day, and every day, looking to God for the gift of zeal to live fully every moment, to give fully what I have to give, and to glory fully in all that I receive. My attitude of gratitude will increase my happiness manyfold. I will look to this day with zeal. ************************************************** ********* Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition Chapter 6 - INTO ACTION The inconsistency is made worse by the things he does on his sprees. Coming to his sense, he is revolted at certain episodes he vaguely remembers. These memories are a nightmare. He trembles to think someone might have observed him. As far as he can, he pushes these memories far inside himself. He hopes they will never see the light of day. He is under constant fear and tension--that makes for more drinking. p. 73 ************************************************** ********* Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions Tradition One - "Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends upon A.A. Unity." "Does this mean," some will anxiously ask, "that in A.A. the individual doesn't count for much? Is he to be dominated by his group and swallowed up in it?" We may certainly answer this question with a loud "No!" We believe there isn't a fellowship on earth which lavishes more devoted care upon its individual members; surely there is none which more jealously guards the individual's right to think, talk, and act as he wishes. No A.A. can compel another to do anything; nobody can be punished or expelled. Our Twelve Steps to recovery are suggestions; the Twelve Traditions which guarantee A.A.'s unity contain not a single "Don't." They repeatedly say "We ought . . ." but never "You must!" p. 129 ************************************************** ********* "Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned." --Buddha The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes. --Marcel Proust Today I am learning to think and act in a positive way that is healthy for my mind, body and spirit. --Ruth Fishel "The wisest person is not the one who has the fewest failures but the one who turns failures to best account." --Richard R. Grant "I don't stay clean on yesterday's recovery." --unknown "We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves strong. The amount of work is the same." --Carlos Castenada "It may be that one reason a dog is a good friend is his tail wags and not his tongue." --unknown Remember that God values you for who you are, not what you do. --unknown *********************************************** Father Leo's Daily Meditation COMFORT "No man knows of what stuff he is made until prosperity and ease try him." -- A. P. Gouthey I must be careful that I do not get too comfortable and self-confident. I must be careful that I do not plateau at this stage of my journey into sobriety and relax in past achievements. Sometimes I hear the disease of addiction saying to me, "You've done all you need now relax; take it easy." Sometimes the sick voice says, "Listen to the stupidity of these newly recovering people: avoid them!" "You don't need meeting now just sit and talk with your friends." Historically I know that when things are going well for me, that is when I need to be careful. A complacent and indulgent sobriety is dangerous. It leads to the disarming slip of arrogance and false pride. I need to remember the pain of my yesterdays; I need to hear the newly recovering; I need to hear the pain if I am to continue to gain. My disease will forever speak, but will I listen? Teach me to embrace a humility that enables me to enjoy a realistic sobriety. ************************************************** ********* "You hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel." Psalm 73:23-24 "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:9 "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man, who looks at his face in a mirror and after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. James 1:22-24 ************************************************** ********* Daily Inspiration If you give up and let things just happen to you, you will open the door to a helpless, passive existence and bring on needless sorrow. Lord, open my eyes to see that You and I can determine the outcome of my day and the direction of my life and that the result of refusing to let my environment control me is a tremendous inner strength , a joyful spirit and a constant reason to smile. Often times that which we find difficult is that which teaches. Lord, may I always be able to see the good that comes from even my trials. |
Powerlessness is powerful. It is an important and necessary starting point on our spiritual journey. It was never meant for us to pull over and park there, however. It was designed to create such a state of surrender that we stop trying to save and change our lives from our limited sense of power. Powerlessness opens a way for us to connect to the real power —the one power—God.
W.O.W 101:170: |
November 16
Daily Reflections A DAILY REPRIEVE What we really have is a daily reprieve contingent on the maintenance of our spiritual condition. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 85 Maintaining my spiritual condition is like working out every day, planning for the marathon, swimming laps, jogging. It's staying in good shape spiritually, and that requires prayer and meditation. The single most important way for me to improve my conscious contact with a Higher Power is to pray and meditate. I am as powerless over alcohol as I am to turn back the waves of the sea; no human force had the power to overcome my alcoholism. Now I am able to breathe the air of joy, happiness and wisdom. I have the power to love and react to events around me with the eyes of a faith in things that are not readily apparent. My daily reprieve means that, no matter how difficult or painful things appear today, I can draw on the power of the program to stay liberated from my cunning, baffling and powerful illness. ************************************************** ********* Twenty-Four Hours A Day A.A. Thought For The Day I have got rid of most of my inner conflicts. I was always at war with myself. I was doing things that I did not want to do. I was waking up in strange places and wondering how I got there. I was full of recklessness when I was drunk and full of remorse when I was sober. My life didn't make sense. It was full of broken resolves and frustrated hopes and plans. I was getting nowhere fast. No wonder my nerves were all shot. I was bumping up against a blank wall and I was dizzy from it. A.A. taught me how to get organized and to stop fighting against myself. Have I got rid of inner conflicts? Meditation For The Day "When two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them." The spirit of God comes upon His followers when they are all together at one time, in one place, and with one accord. When two or three consecrated souls are together at a meeting place, the spirit of God is there to help and guide them. Where any sincere group of people are together, reverently seeking the help of God, His power and His spirit are there to inspire them. Prayer For The Day I pray that I may be in accord with the members of my group. I pray that I may feel the strength of a consecrated group. ************************************************** ********* As Bill Sees It Forgiveness, p. 318 Through the vital Fifth Step, we began to get the feeling that we could be forgiven, no matter what we had thought or done. Often it was while working on this Step with our sponsors or spiritual advisers that we first felt truly able to forgive others, no matter how deeply we felt they had wronged us. Our moral inventory had persuaded us that all-round forgiveness was desirable, but it was only when we resolutely tackled Step Five that we inwardly knew we'd be able to receive forgiveness and give it, too. 12 & 12, pp. 57-58 ************************************************** ********* Walk In Dry Places Continuing to follow A child learning to ride a bicycle discovers that it only take gentle pedaling to keep the bike in motion. The more difficult task was getting on the bike and maintaining a straight course in the right direction. Staying sober in AA seems to be the same kind of thing. It may take a lot of effort and self-honesty to establish sobriety, but a routine of simple steps can keep it going on a daily basis. For most people, daily meditations and regular attendance at meetings are enough to maintain a straight course in the right direction. The danger comes when people become too lazy or careless to take even these simple steps. Then, like a bike losing forward momentum, they can wobble and fall. Even at the point of wobbling, one can get a bike up to speed again and gain stability. This is something to remember if we find our own sobriety becoming wobbly. Nothing can be so important today that it keeps me from doing the simple things needed for continuous sobriety. I'll remember the bike. ************************************************** ********* Keep It Simple Pray for powers equal to your task.---Phillips Brooks Our task is to stay sober and to help others who still suffer from addiction. We will need patience and understanding. We will need much love. Most of all, we’ll need to work a strong program. Pray that you come to know the Steps well. Pray that you’ll want to help others---always. Pray for these things, and you’ll have a strong program. In the program, we learn that prayer works. We see prayer change our lives and the lives of those around us. We came to know the power of prayer. Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, I pray for knowledge of Your will for me and the power to carry it out. Action for the Day: Today, I’ll admit my needs by praying for help from my Higher Power. ************************************************** ********* Each Day a New Beginning Rigidity is prevented most of the time as love and compassion mesh us into tolerant human beings. --Kaethe S. Crawford Looking outward with love, offering it freely to our friends and family, makes fluid, flowing, and fertile our existence. Each expression of love engenders more love, keeping tender our ties to one another, encouraging more ties. The more flexible our lives, the more easily we'll be attracted to an unexpected opportunity. And flexibility is fostered by a loving posture. As we approach the world, so it greets us. We are not mere recipients of life's trials and tribulations. We find what our eyes are wanting to see. When our focus is rigid and narrow, so are our opportunities. The Steps are leading us to be freer with our love, more tolerant in our expectations. The level of our compassion, fully felt and fully expressed, is the measure of our emotional health. Rigid attitudes, rigid behavior, rigid expectations of others recede as the level of our emotional health rises. Our approach to life changes and so do the results we meet. I will love others. It's my only assignment in life, and it guarantees the security I crave. ************************************************** ********* Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition Chapter 6 - INTO ACTION Psychologists are inclined to agree with us. We have spent thousands of dollars for examinations. We know but few instances where we have given these doctors a fair break. We have seldom told them the whole truth nor have we followed their advice. Unwilling to be honest with these sympathetic men, we were honest with no one else. Small wonder many in the medical profession have a low opinion of alcoholics and their chance for recovery! p. 73 ************************************************** ********* Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions Tradition One - "Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends upon A.A. Unity." To many minds all this liberty for the individual spells sheer anarchy. Every newcomer, every friend who looks at A.A. for the first time is greatly puzzled. They see liberty verging on license, yet they recognize at once that A.A. has an irresistible strength of purpose and action. "How," they ask, "can such a crowd of anarchists function at all? How can they possible place their common welfare first? What in Heaven's name holds them together?" pp. 129-130 ************************************************** ********* Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. --Dr. Albert Schweitzer (1875-1965) If I have the opportunity to help one person today, I'll have done something worthwhile if I've helped at least one person today. --RJabo3 Attitudes are contagious. Is yours worth catching? --unknown Joy isn't the absence of pain -- it's the presence of God. --unknown A B C = Acceptance, Belief, Change. "If you were walking back from a well, carrying a bucket of water & someone jostled you, there could be spilled from the bucket only that which it contained. As you walk along the way of life, people are constantly bumping into you. If your heart is full of ill nature, bad temper, and ugly disposition, only those things will be spilled from it. On the other hand, if it is full of love, you will spill a smile or pleasant remark. You can spill from your bucket only that which it contains." --Author Unknown *********************************************** Father Leo's Daily Meditation FRIENDSHIP "True friendship comes when silence between two people is comfortable." -- Dave Tyson Gentry Part of the spiritual life that awakens serenity is silence or stillness. "Be still and know that I am God." I believe that true friendship is divine. It is a special love that binds two hearts as one. It is a comfortableness that is the opposite of dis-ease. Friendship is necessary to recovery and it involves the sharing of feelings. Often the feelings are silent; unspoken emotions; cherished moments that exist in "word-less-ness". As a recovering alcoholic, I have a thousand friends who attest to the silent witness of love by simply being there. Thank You for the joy of friendship that grows in silence. ************************************************** ********* "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end." Lamentations 3:22 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Romans 14:17 ************************************************** ********* Daily Inspiration Life is a challenge so accept it for what it truly is. Lord, help me face what today brings with energy, determination and a joy that allows me to take control. Pray about every task that you take on today and don't take on those tasks which you have no time to pray about. Lord, tonight I will rest well because today You and I will accomplish many things. Thank You for Your constant blessings in my life. |
The more I surrender, the stronger my resolve. My surrender opens the door to the Devine power we each possess when we clean house and realize, when I'm my weakess, I become my strongest. The steps have offered me a new way... the channel between me and my Higer Power is clear, I know his will and I prayer for the strength to carry it out .
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November 17
Daily Reflections OVERCOMING LONELINESS Almost without exception, alcoholics are tortured by loneliness. Even before our drinking got bad and people began to cut us off, nearly all of us suffered the feeling that we didn't quite belong. AS BILL SEES IT, p. 90 The agonies and the void that I often felt inside occur less and less frequently in my life today. I have learned to cope with solitude. It is only when I am alone and calm that I am able to communicate with God, for He cannot reach me when I am in turmoil. It is good to maintain contact with God at all times, but it is absolutely essential that, when everything seems to go wrong, I maintain that contact through prayer and meditation. ************************************************** ********* Twenty-Four Hours A Day A.A. Thought For The Day Everyone has two personalities, a good and a bad. We are all dual personalities to some extent. When we were drinking, the bad personality was in control. We did things when we were drunk that we would never do when we were sober. When we sober up, we are different people. Then we wonder how we could have done the things we did. But we drink again, and again our bad side comes out. So we are back and forth, always in conflict with our other selves, always in a stew. This division of our selves is not good; we must somehow become unified. We do this by giving ourselves wholeheartedly to A.A. and to sobriety. Have I become unified? Meditation For The Day "Well done, thou good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of Thy Lord." These words are for many ordinary people whom the world may pass by, unrecognizing. Not to the world-famed, the proud, the wealthy, are these words spoken, but to the quiet followers who serve God unobtrusively yet faithfully, who bear their crosses bravely and put a smiling face to the world. "Enter into the joy of Thy Lord." Pass into that fuller spiritual life, which is a life of joy and peace. Prayer For The Day I pray that I may not desire the world's applause. I pray that I may not seek rewards for doing what I believe is right. ************************************************** ********* As Bill Sees It Two Authorities, p. 319 Many people wonder how A.A. can function under a seeming anarchy. Other societies have to have law and force and sanction and punishment, administered by authorized people. Happily for us, we found that we need no human authority whatever. We have two authorities which are far more effective. One is benign, the other malign. There is God, our Father, who very simply says, "I am waiting for you to do my will." The other authority is named John Barleycorn, and he says, "You had better do God's will or I will kill you." << << << >> >> >> The A.A. Traditions are neither rules, regulations, nor laws. We obey them willingly because we ought to and because we want to. Perhaps the secret of their power lies in the fact that these life-giving communications spring out of living experience and are rooted in love. 1. A.A. Comes Of Age, p. 105 2. A.A. Today, p. 11 ************************************************** ********* Walk In Dry Places Are we doing well enough? Success Sometimes we can get off the track by mixing AA with the world's ideas of success. In AA, success means staying sober while using the AA principles in our daily affairs. We can be successful people in all walks of life. We should never think that a person is unsuccessful merely because he or she holds a low-paying job or has not regained any business or professional stature that has been lost. One of our members, for example, had once been the senior member of a lucrative law partnership before drinking himself into the gutter. In his sober years, he found great satisfaction in a relatively low- paying judgeship. In worldly terms, he could be seen as less successful. In AA terms, however, this period was the truly successful part of his life. Our Higher Power will show us where our place in life should be. That should be success enough for any of us. I'll do my best today in whatever job I have, grateful for the sobriety that helps me stay self-supporting and happy. ************************************************** ********* Keep It Simple Mishaps are like knives that either serve us or cut us, as we grasp them by the blade or the handle. ---Herman Melville We have hung on in hard times. We made it through our addiction. Some of us have lived through abuse. We’ve felt like our hearts were broken. But we’ve proven we are survivors. Now we’re learning that we can heal. Being recovery doesn’t mean things will be easy. But we have a Higher Power to help us. We have friends who listen to us, care for us, and help us through the pain. Because of our recovery program, we’re able to keep hope and love in our lives---One Day at a Time. Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me through the hard times. Help me trust in Your love and care. Action for the Day: Today, I’ll plan ahead with my sponsor. What will I do now so that I’ll have strong support when hard times come? ************************************************** ********* Each Day a New Beginning I think happiness is like the effect on an audience (when acting), if you think of it all the time you will not get it, you must get lost in the part, lost in your purposes and let the effect be the criterion of your success. --Joanna Field Happiness is a gift that accompanies every instance of our lives if we approach each situation with gratitude, knowing that what's offered to us is special to our particular needs. The experiences we meet day to day are honing our Spirit, tempering our hard edges. For these we should offer gratitude. Our well-being is the gift. Deciding what will make us happy, in fact, what we must have to be happy, prevents us from grasping the unexpected pleasure of the "chance" events of the moment. When we intently look for what we think we need, we may well be blind to more beneficial opportunities God has chosen for us. Our self-centeredness hinders every breath we take. It prejudices every encounter. It stifles our creative potential. And most of all, it blocks any chance for a spontaneous reaction to the moment. Spontaneity is the breeding ground for creative living. And happiness is the byproduct. Happiness is my decision, every moment. ************************************************** ********* Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition Chapter 6 - INTO ACTION We must be entirely honest with somebody if we expect to live long or happily in this world. Rightly and naturally, we think well before we choose the person or persons with whom to take this intimate and confidential step. Those of us belonging to a religious denomination which requires confession must, and of course, will want to go to the properly appointed authority whose duty it is to receive it. Though we have no religious conception, we may still do well to talk with someone ordained by an established religion. We often find such a person quick to see and understand our problem. Of course, we sometimes encounter people who do not understand alcoholics. pp. 73-74 ************************************************** ********* Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions Tradition One - "Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends upon A.A. Unity." Those who look closely soon have the key to this strange paradox. The A.A. member has to conform to the principles of recovery. His life actually depends upon obedience to spiritual principles. If he deviates too far, the penalty is sure and swift; he sickens and dies. At first he goes along because he must, but later he discovers a way of life he really wants to live. Moreover, he finds he cannot keep this priceless gift unless he gives it away. Neither he nor anybody else can survive unless he carries the A.A. message. The moment this Twelfth Step work forms a group, another discovery is made - that most individuals cannot recover unless there is a group. Realization dawns that he is but a small part of a great whole; that no personal sacrifice is too great for preservation of the Fellowship. He learns that the clamor of desires and ambitions within him must be silenced whenever these could damage the group. It becomes plain that the group must survive or the individual will not. p. 130 ************************************************** ********* I like living. I have sometimes been wildly, despairingly, acutely miserable, racked with sorrow, but through it all I still know quite certainly that just to be alive is a grand thing. --Agatha Christie Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving. --W.T. Purkiser The source of love is deep in us, and we can help others realize a lot of happiness. One word, one action, one thought can reduce another person's suffering and bring that person joy. --Thich Nhat Hanh Never let the word "impossible" stop you from pursuing what your heart and spirit urge you to do. Impossible things come true every day. --Robert K. Cooper Nothing is impossible to the willing heart. --Thomas Heywood H O P E = Happy Our Program Exists. *********************************************** Father Leo's Daily Meditation EXPERIENCE "Experience is not what happens to a man. It is what a man does with what happens to him." -- Aldous Huxley Today I experience the joy of sobriety. Today I experience God in my world. Today I experience the peace and serenity that for years eluded me. Experience is the key. It locates all that is in my life. Experience allows me to appreciate what living is all about. Love is to be felt. Forgiveness is to be experienced. Humility is to be lived in action. Hope is to be recognized in the brightness of the eye. Life is to be experienced. That is spirituality. May the God that I experience be reflected in daily life. ************************************************** ********* "God will wipe away every tear from their eyes." Revelation 7:17 "I waited patiently for the Lord; He turned to me and heard my cry." Psalm 40:1 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee. Isaiah 26:3 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. James 3:17 ************************************************** ********* Daily Inspiration You will not create a new life by simply forgetting the old one. Lord, help me create new values and new goals so that I will become a peaceful spirit which will bring newness and freshness to my life and allow me to greet the day with enthusiasm. Never underestimate the power of your presence nor your ability to comfort and encourage. Lord, thank You for my opportunities to do Your work. |
Perhaps you are harboring a sense of guilt for something done or left undone in the past. Your past is retained only by your thought. It is not the incident but the memory of it that causes the effects of it today. The moment it is dropped from your consciousness, it is gone from the only place it ever existed.
This doesn't bespeak license, but liberty, freedom from the bondage of the past to which you have bound yourself. True forgiveness, perhaps the only kind of forgiveness, is self-forgiveness. God forgives as you forget and forgive, as you rise above the limited consciousness and walk on. What you have been is not important. All that counts in your life is what you are reaching for, what you are becoming. by Eric Butterworth W.O.W 101:170: |
November 18
Daily Reflections A SAFETY NET Occasionally. . . We are seized with a rebellion so sickening that we simply won't pray. When these things happen we should not think too ill of ourselves. We should simply resume prayer as soon as we can, doing what we know to be good for us. TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 105 Sometimes I scream, stomp my feet, and turn my back on my Higher Power. Then my disease tells me that I am a failure, and that if I stay angry I'll surely get drunk. In those moments of self-will it's as if I've slipped over a cliff and am hanging by one hand. The above passage is my safety net, in that it urges me to try some new behavior, such as being kind and patient with myself. It assures me that my Higher Power will wait until I am willing once again to risk letting go, to land in the net, and to pray. ************************************************** ********* Twenty-Four Hours A Day A.A. Thought For The Day I have got over my procrastination. I was always putting things off till tomorrow and as a result that never got done. "There is always another day" was my motto instead of "Do it now." Under the influence of alcohol, I had grandiose plans. When I was sober I was too busy getting over my drunk to start anything. "Some day I'll do that" -- but I never did it. In A.A. I have learned it's better to make a mistake once in a while than to never do anything at all. We learn by trial and error. But we must act now and not put it off until tomorrow. Have I learned to do it now? Meditation For The Day "Do not hide your light under a bushel. Arise and shine, for the light has come and the glory of the Lord has risen in thee." The glory of the Lord shines in the beauty of a man's character. It is risen in you, even though you can realize it only in part. "Now you see as in a glass darkly, but later you will see face to face." The glory of the Lord is too dazzling for mortals to see fully on earth. But some of this glory is risen in you when you try to reflect that light in your life. Prayer For The Day I pray that I may try to be a reflection of the Divine Light. I pray that some of its rays may shine in my life. ************************************************** ********* As Bill Sees It Running The Whole Show, p. 320 Most people try to live by self-propulsion. Each person is like an actor who wants to run the whole show and is forever trying to arrange the lights, the scenery, and the rest of the players in his own way. If his arrangements would only stay put, if only people would do as he wished, the show would be great. What usually happens? The show doesn't come off very well. Admitting he may be somewhat at fault, he is sure that other people are more to blame. He becomes angry, indignant, self-pitying. Is he not really a self-seeker even when trying to be useful? Is he not a victim of the delusion that he can wrest satisfaction and happiness out of this world if he only manages well? Alcoholics Anonymous, pp. 60-61 ************************************************** ********* Walk In Dry Places The old friends who dropped us. Personal relations. As our drinking progressed, most of us lost old friends. Sometimes it was our behavior that drove them away; at other times, it was because they didn't want to associate with "losers." In sobriety, some of our old friendships have been restored. These are real friendships based on trust and true affection. But sobriety can also give us a deeper and finer understanding of friendships. We may acquire a new set of values on this subject. We may find that some of those whom we considered friends were only fair-weather drinking acquaintances. Drinking acquaintances will probably ease away from us if we really means business in staying sober. This need not bother us if we're thinking rightly. The great news in all of this is that in the fellowship, we'll be making some of the best friends we can ever have. We'll also learn how to be great friends with ourselves. In my thinking about friendship today, I'll seek people I trust and like, not people I can use. ************************************************** ********* Keep It Simple Life is short: live it up. Nikita We won't stay sober long unless it's more fun than using chemicals. The truth is, using chemicals wasn't fun anymore. It was work. We just told ourselves it was still fun. So live it up! Try new things. Meet new friends. Try new foods. Taking risks and having adventures are a basic human need. So go for it. Sobriety is fun. Living a spiritual life is fun. Get out there and live! Prayer for the day: Higher Power ,teach me to play. Teach me to have fun. Teach me to live! Action for the day: Today is for fun. I'll try something new. I'll see how many people I can get to smile. And I'll celebrate the fact that I'm sober. ************************************************** ********* Each Day a New Beginning Do not compare yourself with others, for you are a unique and wonderful creation. Make your own beautiful footprints in the snow. --Barbara Kimball Comparisons we make of ourselves to other women do destruction far greater than our conscious minds are aware of. Positioning ourselves or her on the "beloved pedestal" prevents the equality of sisterhood that offers each woman the freedom to be solely herself. Comparisons in which we are the losers darken the moment, cut us off from the actual rhythms of that moment. The consequences can be grave. Within any moment might be the opportunity we've awaited, the opportunity to achieve a particular dream. We must not miss our opportunities. Each life is symbolized by a particular set of footprints in the snow. How wonderful and how freeing to know that we each offer something uniquely our own. We need never compete to be noticed. Each of us is guaranteed recognition for what we contribute, because it is offered by us alone. Envy eats at us; it interferes with all of our interactions. It possesses all of our thoughts, caging us, denying us the freedom to achieve that can be ours. I will look with love on my sisters. I will free them and myself to be all we are capable of becoming. ************************************************** ********* Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition Chapter 6 - INTO ACTION If we cannot or would rather not do this, we search our acquaintance for a close-mouthed, understanding friend. Perhaps our doctor or psychologist will be the person. It may be one of our own family, but we cannot disclose anything to our wives or our parents which will hurt them and make them unhappy. We have no right to save our own skin at another person’s expense. Such parts of our story we tell to someone who will understand, yet be unaffected. The rule is we must be hard on ourself, but always considerate of others. p. 74 ************************************************** ********* Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions Tradition One - "Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends upon A.A. Unity." So at the outset, how best to live and work together as groups became the prime question. In the world about us we saw personalities destroying whole peoples. The struggle for wealth, power, and prestige was tearing humanity apart as never before. If strong people were stalemated in the search for peace and harmony, what was to become of our erratic band of alcoholics? As we had once struggled and prayed for individual recovery, just so earnestly did we commence to quest for the principles through which A.A. itself might survive. on anvils of experience, the structure of our Society was hammered out. pp. 130-131 ************************************************** ********* "What makes humility so desirable is the marvelous thing it does to us; it creates in us a capacity for the closest possible intimacy with God." --Monica Baldwin What you are is God's gift to you, What you do with yourself is your gift to God. --White Buffalo Calf Woman Remember that your children are not your own, but are lent to you by the Creator. --Native American Proverb A baby is God's opinion that the world should go on. --Carl Sandburg Honesty is the best way to gain the trust of others. By being honest, feelings may or may not be hurt. Whichever the case you will end up respecting yourself more for it. --unknown *********************************************** Father Leo's Daily Meditation STRENGTH "All cruelty springs from weakness." -- Seneca My spiritual recovery means that I confront my disease and remember sick attitudes and behavior patterns. I would rather not talk about my disease because it is embarrassing and shameful particularly my cruelty to people and animals. My alcoholism made me lash out at the weak; yes, my weakness inflicted pain and cruelty on others. I remember this only to rejoice in today's strength that allows vulnerability. My past weaknesses made me act strong. Today my strength allows me to be weak. God, the recognition of my past cruelties enables me to forgive and understand others. ************************************************** ********* Set a guard over my mouth ,O Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips. Psalm 141:3 "You heavens above, rain down righteousness; let the clouds shower it down. Let the earth open wide, let salvation spring up, let righteousness grow with it; I, the LORD, have created it. Isaiah 45:8 No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it. 1 Corinthians 10:13 Discipline your son, for in that there is hope; do not be a willing party to his death. Proverbs 19:18 ************************************************** ********* Daily Inspiration Your life is yours to live as you choose with the results that you want. Lord, help me to be full of life, full of energy and greet my opportunities with a peaceful smile and a gentle gratitude. Faith grows by speaking daily with God. Lord, You teach me Your promises when times are good so that I will be able to trust in You when times are hard. |
Thought 4 2day. A wise man's heart guides his
mouth & his lips promote instruction. Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul & healing to the bones. W.O.W 101;) |
November 19
Daily Reflections "I WAS SLIPPING FAST" We A.A.'s are active folk, enjoying the satisfactions of dealing with the realities of life, . . . . So it isn't surprising that we often tend to slight serious meditation and prayer as something not really necessary. TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 96 I had been slipping away from the program for some time, but it took a death threat from a terminal disease to bring me back, and particularly to the practice of the Eleventh Step of our blessed Fellowship. Although I had fifteen years of sobriety and was still very active in the program, I knew that the quality of my sobriety had slipped badly. Eighteen months later, a checkup revealed a malignant tumor and a prognosis of certain death within six months. Despair settled in when I enrolled in a rehab program, after which I suffered two small strokes which revealed two large brain tumors. As I kept hitting new bottoms I had to ask myself why this was happening to me. God allowed me to recognize my dishonesty and to become teachable again. Miracles began to happen. But primarily I relearned the whole meaning of the Eleventh Step. My physical condition has improved dramatically, but my illness is minor compared to what I almost lost completely. ************************************************** ********* Twenty-Four Hours A Day A.A. Thought For The Day In A.A. we do not speak much of sex. And yet putting sex in its proper place in our lives is one of the rewards that has come to us as a result of our new way of living. The big book says that many of us needed an overhauling there. It also says that we subjected each sex relation to this test -- was it selfish or not? "We remembered always that our sex powers were God-given and therefore good, neither to be used lightly or selfishly, nor to be despised or loathed." We can ask God to mold our ideals and to help us to live up to them. We can act accordingly. Have I got my sex life under proper control? Meditation For The Day "I will lift up my eyes unto the heights whence cometh my help." Try to raise your thoughts from the depths of the sordid and mean and impure things of the earth to the heights of goodness and decency and beauty. Train your insight by trying to take the higher view. Train it more and more until distant heights become more familiar. The heights of the Lord, whence cometh your help, will become nearer and dearer and the false values of the earth will seem farther away. Prayer For The Day I pray that I may not keep my eyes forever downcast. I pray that I may set my sights on higher things. ************************************************** ********* As Bill Sees It Results of Prayer, p. 321 As the doubter tries the process of prayer, he should begin to add up the results. If he persists, he will most surely find more serenity, more tolerance, less fear, and less anger. He will acquire a quiet courage, the kind that isn't tension-ridden. He can look at "failure" and "success" for what these really are. Problems and calamity will begin to mean his instruction, instead of his destruction. He will feel freer and saner. The idea that he may have been hypnotizing himself by autosuggestion will become laughable. His sense of purpose and of direction will increase. His anxieties will commence to fade. His physical health will be likely to improve. Wonderful and unaccountable things will start to happen. Twisted relations in his family and on the outside will improve surprisingly. Grapevine, June 1958 ************************************************** ********* Walk In Dry Places Is there bondage in attending meetings? Sharing A few critics have noted scornfully that AA members can be as enslaved by the need for meetings as we were by the bottle. are we compulsively addicted to meetings. When we hear such remarks, we must remember that our survival insobriety is always the main issue. We might be going to more meetings that seems necessary , but we are the judges of our own needs. In addition, meeting attendance is a constructive activity, while drinking was destructive... at least for us. If we're gong to overdo something, at least it's an activity that helps us. We should never consider meeting attendance a form of bondage. There are many activities in life that are required for our peace and freedom. Meeting attendance is one of these things. We can be grateful for the opportunities meetings provide for sharing our personal experiences. No criticism should be allowed to intrude on this. I'll not let outside criticism interfere with any AA activity that is benefiting me and maintaining my sobriety. ************************************************** ********* Keep It Simple What we don't live, we cannot teach others.---Day By Day Remember - we don't carry the message to others until we get to Step Twelve. We must first learn to live in a sober way. Sobriety takes time. We have to stop using alcohol and other drugs, but this is only the start. Just as it takes time to build a home, it takes time to build a new way of life. We talk with friends and sponsors about the Steps. We try using them in out lives. Then we talk about how the Steps work for us. We talk about where we get stuck with the Steps. All this takes time. We aren't in a hurry. We have a lifetime ahead of us. Remember-the better we live our program, the better we help others. Prayer for the day: Higher Power, You'll let me know when I'm to carry the message. Until then, be with me as I build a new way of life, a spiritual way of life. Action for the day: I'll take time to think over where I'm with my program. I'll talk about it with a friend. ************************************************** ********* Each Day a New Beginning Do not compare yourself with others, for you are a unique and wonderful creation. Make your own beautiful footprints in the snow. --Barbara Kimball Comparisons we make of ourselves to other women do destruction far greater than our conscious minds are aware of. Positioning ourselves or her on the "beloved pedestal" prevents the equality of sisterhood that offers each woman the freedom to be solely herself. Comparisons in which we are the losers darken the moment, cut us off from the actual rhythms of that moment. The consequences can be grave. Within any moment might be the opportunity we've awaited, the opportunity to achieve a particular dream. We must not miss our opportunities. Each life is symbolized by a particular set of footprints in the snow. How wonderful and how freeing to know that we each offer something uniquely our own. We need never compete to be noticed. Each of us is guaranteed recognition for what we contribute, because it is offered by us alone. Envy eats at us; it interferes with all of our interactions. It possesses all of our thoughts, caging us, denying us the freedom to achieve that can be ours. I will look with love on my sisters. I will free them and myself to be all we are capable of becoming. ************************************************** ********* Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition Chapter 6 - INTO ACTION Notwithstanding the great necessity for discussing ourselves with someone, it may be one is so situated that there is no suitable person available. If that is so, this step may be postponed, only, however, if we hold ourselves in complete readiness to go through with it at the first opportunity. We say this because we are very anxious that we talk to the right person. It is important that he be able to keep a confidence; that he fully understand and approve what we are driving at; that he will not try to change our plan. But we must not use this as a mere excuse to postpone. pp. 74-75 ************************************************** ********* Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions Tradition One - "Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends upon A.A. Unity." Countless times, in as many cities and hamlets, we reenacted the story of Eddie Rickenbacker and his courageous company when their plane crashed in the Pacific. Like us, they had suddenly found themselves saved from death, but still floating upon a perilous sea. How well they saw that their common welfare came first. None might become selfish of water or bread. Each needed to consider the others, and in abiding faith they knew they must find their real strength. And as they did find, in measure to transcend all the defects of their frail craft, every test of uncertainty, pain, fear, and despair, and even the death of one. p. 131 ************************************************** ********* Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much. --Helen Keller I believe in God -- this is a fine, praiseworthy thing to say, but to acknowledge God wherever and however he manifest Himself, that in truth is heavenly bliss on earth. --Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Maximize your productive time by focusing on positive outcomes. --unknown Perseverance can tip the scales from failure to success. --unknown If you always do what you've always done, you will always be where you've always been. --unknown H O W = Honest, Open, Willing *********************************************** Father Leo's Daily Meditation FORGIVING "He that cannot forgive others breaks the bridge over which he must pass himself. For every man has need to be forgiven." -- Thomas Fuller My failings as an alcoholic help me to live with others today. The fact that I made and make mistakes helps me to have creative relationships today. Because I know what it is to fail, I can understand the failings of others. My weaknesses are a bridge to understanding my fellow man. By contrast when I was drinking, I thought I was perfect, always right and this led to judgments, arguments and a self-imposed alienation. Alcohol fed my arrogance and pride; sobriety helps develop humility and understanding. God, I understand that even my failings can be made to work for me in sobriety. ************************************************** ********* "The measure you give will be the measure you get back." Luke 6:38 "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Matthew 7:1-2 In my anguish I cried to the LORD, and he answered by setting me free. Psalm 118:5 Let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart." Galatians 6:9 "But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not grow faint." Isaiah 40:31 ************************************************** ********* Daily Inspiration Listen to hear and learn. Lord, help me to practice listening without judgment and interruption so that I fully benefit and truly comprehend the nature of what is being shared with me. Learn to be peaceful in all situations and trust that through all stages of our lives, God has a plan. Lord, may I have the wisdom to be able to turn my stumbling blocks into building blocks. |
November 20
Daily Reflections "THY WILL, NOT MINE" . . . when making specific requests, it will be well to add to each one of them this qualification. ." . . . if it be Thy will." TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, pp. 102-03 I ask simply that throughout the day God place in me the best understanding of His will that I can have for that day, and that I be given the grace by which I may carry it out. As the day goes on, I can pause when facing situations that must be met and decisions that must be made, and renew the simple request: "Thy will, not mine, be done." I must always keep in mind that in every situation I am responsible for the effort and God is responsible for the outcome. I can "Let Go and Let God" by humbly repeating: "Thy will, not mine, be done." Patience and persistence in seeking His will for me will free me from the pain of selfish expectations. ************************************************** ********* Twenty-Four Hours A Day A.A. Thought For The Day I no longer try to escape life through alcoholism. Drinking built up an unreal world for me and I tried to live in it. But in the morning light the real world was back again and facing it was harder than ever, because I had less resources with which to meet it. Each attempt at escape weakened my personality by the very attempt. Everyone knows that alcohol, by relaxing inhibitions, permits a flight from reality. Alcohol deadens the brain cells that preside over our highest faculties and we are off to the unreal world of drunkenness. A.A. taught me not to run away, but to face reality. Have I given up trying to escape life? Meditation For The Day In these times of quiet meditation, try more and more to set your hopes on the grace of God. Know that whatever the future may hold, it will hold more and more of good. Do not set all your hopes and desires on material things. There is weariness in an abundance of things. Set your hopes on spiritual things so that you may grow spiritually. Learn to rely on God's power more and more and in that reliance you will have an insight into the greater value of things of the spirit. Prayer For The Day I pray that I may not be overwhelmed by material things. I pray that I may realize the higher value of spiritual things. ************************************************** ********* As Bill Sees It Easy Does It--But Do It, p. 322 Procrastination is really sloth in five syllables. << << << >> >> >> "My observation is that some people can get by with a certain amount of postponement, but few can live with outright rebellion." << << << >> >> >> "We have succeeded in confronting many a problem drinker with that awful alternative, 'This we A.A.'s do, or we die.' Once this much is firmly in his mind, more drinking only turns the coil tighter. "As many an alcoholic has said, 'I came to the place where it was either into A.A. or out the window. So here I am!" 1. 12 & 12, p. 67 2. Letter, 1952 ************************************************** ********* Walk In Dry Places Estrangements Amends A number of alcoholics become estranged from members of their family. Sometimes these estrangements continue into sobriety and fester as a source of resentment. Where estrangements have occurred, we are always responsible for any wrongs on our part. We need to check carefully to make sure that pride and bitterness on our part aren't prolonging the estrangement. But some of these estrangements have been chosen by others. We need to accept them if we've done everything possible to correct the problem. Honesty will be our guide as we look carefully at any estrangements in our lives. All that's ever necessary is that we use our best principles in dealing with any estrangements. If I find today that an estrangement is bothering me or others in the program, I'll examine it carefully with the thought that either making amends or acceptance might be required. ************************************************** ********* Keep It Simple A man is too apt to forget that in this world he cannot have everything. A choice is all that is left him.---H. Mathews. Sobriety is about choice. Each day we choose to stay sober, we teach ourselves how to make better choices. Life is about choice. To be spiritual people, we must make spiritual choices. Honesty is a spiritual choice. And working the Steps is a spiritual choice. Our life is the sum total of our choices. We owe it to ourselves to choose wisely. We can do that now, thanks to the program. Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me choose a spiritual way of life. Help me to see choice as my way to a better relationship with you. Action for the Day: Today, I'll be aware of the many choices I make. At the end of the day, I'll think about all the choices I've made. Am I proud of my choices? ************************************************** ********* Each Day a New Beginning Experience is a good teacher, but she sends in terrific bills. --Minna Antrim It is not by chance but by design that the sorrows we experience throughout our lives are countered by equal servings of joy. One offsets the other. And we are strengthened by their combination. Our longing for only life's joys is human--also folly. Joy would become insipid if it were our steady diet. Joyful times serve us well as respites from the trying situations that push our growth and development as women. Laughter softens the cutting edges of the lessons we seek or are cornered by. It offers perspective when the outlook is bleak. And for those of us who are recovering, wallowing in the bleaker times used to be acceptable behavior. But no more. The reality is that each day will present both occasions for anguish and ones inviting easy laughter. Both are valuable. Neither should dominate. Joy and sorrow are analogous to the ebb and flow of the ocean tide. They are natural rhythms. And we are mellowed by their presence when we accept them as necessary to our very existence. Any pain today guarantees an equal amount of pleasure, if I willingly accept them both. ************************************************** ********* Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition Chapter 6 - INTO ACTION When we decide who is to hear our story, we waste no time. We have a written inventory and we are prepared for a long talk. We explain to our partner what we are about to do and why we have to do it. He should realize that we are engaged upon a life-and-death errand. Most people approached in this way will be glad to help; they will be honored by our confidence. p. 75 ************************************************** ********* Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions Tradition One - "Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends upon A.A. Unity." Thus has it been with A.A. By faith and by works we have been able to build upon the lessons of an incredible experience. They live today in the Twelve Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous, which - God willing - shall sustain us in unity for so long as He may need us. p. 131 ************************************************** ********* "Life's under no obligation to give us what we expect." --Margaret Mitchell "Faith is the only known cure for fear." --Lena K. Sadler The more anger towards the past you carry in your heart, the less capable you are of loving in the present. --Barbara De Angelis Love is the master key which opens the gates of happiness. --Oliver Wendell Holmes Sometimes we are so busy adding up our troubles that we forget to count our blessings. --unknown The right word spoken at the right time sometimes achieves miracles. --unknown Love is the only thing you get more of by giving it away. --Tom Wilson *********************************************** Father Leo's Daily Meditation YESTERDAYS "When I want to understand what is happening today or try to decide what will happen tomorrow, I look back." -- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. The writing is on the wall! My writing is on my wall and it is to be found in my life. My history of my life teaches me about my alcoholism. Alcoholism is a personal disease; it affects others through self. Sometimes I am tempted to forget the past. Why live in yesterday? Because the events of my yesterdays affect my today. The future is forged from the recognition of my past. My disease grew strong in my denial. My recovery began with the acceptance of reality my reality. Today does not exist in a vacuum and my tomorrows are determined by the decisions I make today. I also know and believe that my recovering life demands a true recognition of my yesterdays. Thank You for the historical progressiveness of my recovery. ************************************************** ********* He who guards his mouth preserves his life, but he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction. Proverbs 13:3 "This is the day the Lord has made; I will rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24 Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13-14 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:6-7 ************************************************** ********* Daily Inspiration Time is yours to use or lose. Lord, teach me to avoid all upsetting thoughts and create a heart that glories in my time as a peaceful gift from You. Begin each day with the certainty that today is the best day of your life and watch what happens. Lord, I celebrate my life and give thanks for everything because for everything there is a reason. |
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