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Daily Recovery Readings - November
November 1
Daily Reflections I CANNOT CHANGE THE WIND It is easy to let up on the spiritual program of action and rest on our laurels. We are headed for trouble if we do, for alcohol is a subtle foe. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 85 My first sponsor told me there were two things to say about prayer and meditation: first, I had to start and second, I had to continue. When I came to A.A. my spiritual life was bankrupt; if I considered God at all, He was to be called upon only when my self-will was incapable of a task or when overwhelming fears had eroded my ego. Today I am grateful for a new life, one in which my prayers are those of thanksgiving. My prayer time is more for listening than for talking. I know today that if I cannot change the wind, I can adjust my sail. I know the difference between superstition and spirituality. I know there is a graceful way of being right, and many ways to be wrong. ************************************************** ********* Twenty-Four Hours A Day A.A. Thought For The Day I have hope. That magic thing that I had lost or misplaced. The future looks dark no more. I do not even look at it, except when necessary to make plans. I try to let the future take care of itself. The future will be made up of todays and todays, stretching out as short as now and as long as eternity. Hope is justified by many right nows, by the rightness of the present. Nothing can happen to me that God does not will for me. I can hope for the best, as long as I have what I have and it is good. Have I hope? Meditation For The Day Faith is the messenger that bears your prayers to God. Prayer can be like incense, rising ever higher and higher. The prayer of faith is the prayer of trust that feels the presence of God which it rises to meet. It can be sure of some response from God. We can say a prayer of thanks to God every day for His grace, which has kept us on the right way and allowed us to start living the good life. So we should pray to God with faith and trust and gratitude. Prayer For The Day I pray that I may feel sure of some response to my prayers. I pray that I may be content with whatever form that response takes. ************************************************** ********* As Bill Sees It Loving Advisers, p. 303 Had I not been blessed with wise and loving advisers, I might have cracked up long ago. A doctor once saved me from death by alcoholism because he obliged me to face up to the deadlines of that malady. Another doctor, a psychiatrist, later on helped me save my sanity because he led me to ferret out some of my deep-lying defects. >From a clergyman I acquired the truthful principles by which we A.A.'s now try to live. But these precious friends did far more than supply me with their professional skills. I learned that I could go to them with any problem whatever. Their wisdom and their integrity were mine for the asking. Many of my dearest A.A. friends have stood with me in exactly this same relation. Oftentimes they could help where others could not, simply because they were A.A.'s. Grapevine, August 1961 ************************************************** ********* Walk In Dry Places Do we have the free will? The question of a human being's free will has been argued for centuries by learned individuals. We can answer it for ourselves as a result of our experience in AA. Our freedom was lost while we were in the grip of alcohol. Once free of drink, we still realized that many things in life are controlled by other people and things, such as political and economic forces. If our employer closes the business, for example, we may have to choose less satisfactory employment. If a person threatens physical violence, we may have to go along with his or her wishes against our will. In all circumstances, our free will lies in the way we choose to think about what's happening. We always have the choice of turning to our Higher Power in thought, rather than reacting with fear and resentment. This is the only free will we can possibly have in the world, but it may be all we really need. If a difficult situation or problem arises, I'll remember that no human power could have relieved my alcoholism. This will remind me that the true source of power is always at hand. ************************************************** ********* Keep It Simple Sought through pray and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him. . . First half of Step Eleven Through Step Eleven, we develop a lasting, loving relationship with our Higher Power. Conscious contact means knowing and sensing God in our lives throughout the day. God is not just an idea. We talk with our Higher Power through prayer. As we meditate, we sense God’s love for us, and we get answers to our questions. When we pray and meditate, we become aware that God is always with us. Our Higher Power becomes our best friend. Our Higher Power is there for advice, support, celebration, comfort. Prayer for the Day: Dear Higher Power, I pray that our relationship grows stronger every day. I accept the friendship You offer me. Action for the Day: Today, I’ll seek out God through prayer and meditation. ************************************************** ********* Each Day a New Beginning For to be a woman is to have interests and duties, raying out in all directions from the central mother-core, like spokes from the hub of a wheel. --Anne Morrow Lindbergh It is sometimes easy to get overwhelmed by our duties, forgetting that our interests fit the scheme of our lives. They are inspired by our lives and flow from them. Our interests round us out; they beckon us to become our better selves. Our duties have their places as well. In our careers, with our families and friends, we have responsibilities. People need to be able to count on us for our part in completing their particular scheme for life. Finding the right balance between our duties and our interests takes daily attention. It is perhaps our greatest struggle. Feeling duty-bound is common among women; putting a low value on our interests is a familiar trick we play on ourselves. We need reminding that our interests will cull out our better, inner selves. We must stretch to become all we are meant to be. Our interests entice us to live up to God's expectations. Each day I need to pay heed to interests as well as duties. I will let no day go by without heeding an interest. ************************************************** ********* Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition Chapter 5 - HOW IT WORKS We reviewed our fears thoroughly. We put them on paper, even though we had no resentment in connection with them. We asked ourselves why we had them. Wasn’t it because self-reliance failed us? Self-reliance was good as far as it went, but it didn’t go far enough. Some of us once had great self-confidence, but it didn’t fully solve the fear problem, or any other. When it made us cocky, it was worse. p. 68 ************************************************** ********* 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." Upon entering A.A., these attitudes were sharply reversed, often going much too far in the opposite direction. The spectacle of years of waste threw us into panic. There simply wouldn't be time, we thought, to rebuild our shattered fortunes. How could we ever take care of those awful debts, possess a decent home, educate the kids, and set something by for old age? Financial importance was no longer our principal aim; we now clamored for material security. Even when we were well reestablished in our business, these terrible fears often continued to haunt us. This made us misers and penny pinchers all over again. Complete financial security we must have--or else. We forgot that most alcoholics in A.A. have an earning power considerably above average; we forgot the immense goodwill of our brother A.A.'s who were only too eager to help us to better jobs when we deserved them; we forgot the actual or potential financial insecurity of every human being in the world. And, worst of all, we forgot God. In money matters we had faith only in ourselves, and not too much of that. pp. 120-121 ************************************************** ********* Love and kindness are never wasted. They always make a difference. They bless the one who receives them, and they bless you, the giver. --Barbara De Angelis However long the night, the dawn will break. --African Proverb Let your anger set with the sun and not rise again. --Irish Proverb Gratitude is to thank God for all His infinite goodness with all our heart. --Ottokar Prohaszka Gods love, can heal all things. --Shelley *********************************************** Father Leo's Daily Meditation RISKS "Appeasers believe that if you keep on throwing steaks to tigers, the tiger will become a vegetarian." -- Heywood Broun Spirituality involves taking risks. But the risk has to be sensible, having the possibility of success. The risks I take today have a chance, usually a good chance, of succeeding and I always discuss "the risk" with a sponsor or recovering friend with some years of sobriety. Today I take risks on things and situations that have the possibility of working for me, rather than against me. God has given me freedom and He has taken a risk on how I exercise that freedom. God's love is revealed in the risk. But risk should have the possibility of success! I pray that I will continue to take sensible risks. ************************************************** ********* "I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness." John 12:46 "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind." Matthew 22:37 ************************************************** ********* Daily Inspiration The ordinary things we do each day are often taken for granted and make us feel unimportant. Lord, help me change my thinking so that I can happily see that the little things I do are very important and that I do make a very big difference. When you are troubled, comfort someone more troubled, when lonely, reach out to one that is lonelier and when unsure, give encouragement to the weary. To care for another makes us forget our own sorrows. Lord, You comfort me. Help me now to be a comforter. |
November 2
Daily Reflections KEEPING OPTIMISM AFLOAT The other Steps can keep most of us sober and somehow functioning. But Step Eleven can keep us growing. . . . THE LANGUAGE OF THE HEART, p. 240 A sober alcoholic finds it much easier to be optimistic about life. Optimism is the natural result of my finding myself gradually able to make the best, rather than the worst, of each situation. As my physical sobriety continues, I come out of the fog, gain a clearer perspective and am better able to determine what courses of action to take. As vital as physical sobriety is, I can achieve a greater potential for myself by developing an ever-increasing willingness to avail myself of the guidance and direction of a Higher Power. My ability to do so comes from my learning--and practicing--the principles of the A.A. program. The melding of my physical and spiritual sobriety produces the substance of a more positive life. ************************************************** ********* Twenty-Four Hours A Day A.A. Thought For The Day I have faith. That thing that makes the world seem right. That thing that makes sense at last. That awareness of the Divine Principle in the universe which holds it all together and gives it unity and purpose and goodness and meaning. Life is no longer ashes in my mouth or bitter to the taste. It is all one glorious whole, because God is holding it together. Faith--that leap into the unknown, the venture into what lies beyond our ken, that which brings untold rewards of peace and serenity. Have I faith? Meditation For The Day Keep yourself like an empty vessel for God to fill. Keep pouring out yourself to help others so that God can keep filling you up with His spirit. The more you give, the more you will have for yourself. God will see that you are kept filled as long as you are giving to others. But if you selfishly try to keep all for yourself, you are soon blocked off from God, your source of supply, and you will become stagnant. To be clear, a lake must have an inflow and an outflow. Prayer For The Day I pray that I may keep pouring out what I receive. I pray that I may keep the stream clear and flowing. ************************************************** ********* As Bill Sees It Single Purpose, p. 304 There are those who predict that A.A. may well become a new spearhead for a spiritual awakening throughout the world. When our friends say these things, they are both generous and sincere. But we of A.A. must reflect that such a tribute and such a prophecy could well prove to be a heady drink for most of us--that is, if we really came to believe this to be the real purpose of A.A., and if we commenced to behave accordingly. Our Society, therefore, will prudently cleave to its single purpose: The carrying of the message to the alcoholic who still suffers. Let us resist the proud assumption that since God has enabled us to do well in one area we are destined to be a channel of saving grace for everybody. A.A. Comes Of Age, p. 232 ************************************************** ********* Walk In Dry Places God's will and My will. False Gods" It is always risky to announce with certainty what we believe God's will to be, even for ourselves. It is rarely helpful to use one's material success as an example of God's grace. "Isn't God a millionaire?" a spiritual leader who quoted as saying in defense of his luxurious lifestyle. It is reasonable to believe that God will guide us to the right career and business opportunities that fit our needs. We can even believe that universal prosperity is part of God's plan, though we're far short of it now. We need not envy wealthy people, nor should we want to take what they have. The real danger of equating prosperity with God's will is that the material quickly becomes dominant. We might also fall into the trap of gauging spiritual progress by our bank balance. This can lead to selfishness and arrogance, which immediately drive out spiritual power. We already had the bitter experience of making a false god out of alcohol. We must not make new false gods out of material success. I'll accept any material success with gratitude, knowing that my real trust must be in God. ************************************************** ********* Keep It Simple Sought through pray and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him. . . First half of Step Eleven Through Step Eleven, we develop a lasting, loving relationship with our Higher Power. Conscious contact means knowing and sensing God in our lives throughout the day. God is not just an idea. We talk with our Higher Power through prayer. As we meditate, we sense God’s love for us, and we get answers to our questions. When we pray and meditate, we become aware that God is always with us. Our Higher Power becomes our best friend. Our Higher Power is there for advice, support, celebration, comfort. Prayer for the Day: Dear Higher Power, I pray that our relationship grows stronger every day. I accept the friendship You offer me. Action for the Day: Today, I’ll seek out God through prayer and meditation. ************************************************** ********* Each Day a New Beginning Love and the hope of it are not things one can learn; they are a part of life's heritage. --Maria Montessori Love is a gift we've been given by our Creator. The fact of our existence guarantees that we deserve it. As our recognition of this grows, so does our self-love and our ability to love others. High self-esteem, stable self-worth were not our legacies before finding this program. We sought both through means which led nowhere. These Steps and our present relationships are providing the substance and direction needed in our lives to discover our worthiness. Had we understood that we were loved, in all the years of our youth, perhaps we'd not have struggled so in the pain of alienation. We were always at the right hand of God, never apart, loved and watched over. But we didn't recognize the signs. The signs are everywhere present now. Each Step is a constant reminder. Every human contact is a message from God. Any desire we are eager to make manifest is a beckoning from God for growth. I will look for the signs of my benefactor today. They're present everywhere. ************************************************** ********* Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition Chapter 5 - HOW IT WORKS Perhaps there is a better way--we think so. For we are now on a different basis of trusting and relying upon God. We trust infinite God rather than our finite selves. We are in the world to play the role He assigns. Just to the extent that we do as we think He would have us, and humbly rely on Him, does He enable us to match calamity with serenity. p. 68 ************************************************** ********* 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." This all meant, of course, that we were still far off balance. When a job still looked like a mere means of getting money rather than an opportunity for service, when the acquisition of money for financial independence looked more important than a right dependence upon God, we were still the victims of unreasonable fears. And these were fears which would make a serene and useful existence, at any financial level, quite impossible. p. 121 ************************************************** ********* Life has a practice of living you if you don't live it. --Philip Larkin "The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes." --Marcel Proust GOOD DEEDS Do all the good you can, By all the means you can, In all the ways you can, At all the times you can, To all the people you can, As long as ever you can. --John Wesley It takes only a smile to make a bad day seem better. Think about this and smile at someone today. --unknown Teach me, my God and King, In all things thee to see, And what I do in anything, To do it as for thee. --George Herbert Even if you are on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there. --unknown If you pray for God to move a mountain, be prepared to wake up next to a shovel. --unknown *********************************************** Father Leo's Daily Meditation SOLITUDE "In solitude, be a multiple of thyself." -- Tibullus When I am alone and still, I get in touch with that side of me that is "the many". There are so many sides to me; the crazy and the sane; the extrovert and the introvert; the demanding and the submissive; the bigot and the compassionate; the religious and the skeptic; the happy and the sad; the comic and the tragedian; the child and the adult; the sick and the recovering. Today in the silence of solitude I experience the many sides of me that I must live with this is my spiritual reality. May I always use my multiple experiences to relate and understand others. ************************************************** ********* But now, O Lord, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You our potter; and all we are the work of Your hand. Isaiah 64:8 "Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing." 1 Thessalonians 5:11 "Seek the LORD and His strength; Seek His face evermore." 1 Chronicle 16:11 ************************************************** ********* Daily Inspiration Being overly critical of ourselves sabotages our ability to complete our tasks. Lord, bless me with the ability to see how capable I am. God's blessings enable us to go far beyond our natural abilities. Lord, You have created me and then unceasingly bless me with the strength to soar high. |
Protection
I AM SAFE AND SECURE IN THE LIGHT OF GOD. When we were children, we may have turned to the adults in our lives for safety and assurance. Trusted parents, grandparents, or teachers who loved and supported us were there to keep us safe and free from harm. As a child of God, I know I can turn to God for that same assurance. As I walk the path of life, I am never alone. God is with me and within me as my guiding light—a light that never dims or fades. If ever I feel anxious or worried, I turn within to the light of God and know that I am divinely guided and protected. I move forward in the assurance that the light of God illumines my path and keeps me safe and secure. W.O.W 101:) Do not fear, greatly beloved, you are safe. Be strong and courageous!—Daniel 10:19 |
November 3
Daily Reflections FOCUSING AND LISTENING There is a direct linkage among self-examination, meditation, and prayer. Taken separately, these practices can bring much relief and benefit. TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 98 If I do my self-examination first, then surely, I'll have enough humility to pray and meditate - because I'll see and feel my need for them. Some wish to begin and end with prayer, leaving the self-examination and meditation to take place in between, whereas others start with meditation, listening for advice from God about their still hidden or unacknowledged defects. Still others engage in written and verbal work on their defects, ending with a prayer of praise and thanksgiving. These three--self-examination, meditation and prayer-- form a circle, without a beginning or an end. No matter where, or how, I start, I eventually arrive at my destination: a better life. ************************************************** ********* Twenty-Four Hours A Day A.A. Thought For The Day I have charity, another word for love. That right kind of love which is not selfish passion but an unselfish, outgoing desire to help other people. To do what is best for the other person, to put what is best for him or her above my own desires. To put God first, the other person second, and myself last. Charity is gentle, kind, understanding, long-suffering, and full of desire to serve. A.A. has given me this. What I do for myself is lost; what I do for others may be written somewhere in eternity. Have I charity? Meditation For The Day "Ask what you will and it shall be done unto you." God has unlimited power. There is no limit to what His power can do in human hearts. But we must will to have God's power and we must ask God for it. God's power is blocked off from us by our indifference to it. We can go along our own selfish way without calling on God's help and we get no power. But when we trust in God, we can will to have the power we need. When we sincerely ask God for it, we get it abundantly. Prayer For The Day I pray that I may will to have God's power. I pray that I may keep praying for the strength I need. ************************************************** ********* As Bill Sees It From The Taproot, p. 305 The principle that we shall find no enduring strength until we first admit complete defeat is the main taproot from which our whole Society has sprung and flowered. << << << >> >> >> Every newcomer is told, and soon realizes for himself, that his humble admission of powerlessness over alcohol is his first step toward liberation from its paralyzing grip. So it is that we first see humility as a necessity. But this is the barest beginning. To get completely away from our aversion to the idea of being humble, to gain a vision of humility as the avenue to true freedom of the human spirit, to be willing to work for humility as something to be desired for itself, takes most of us a long, long time. A whole lifetime geared to self-centeredness cannot be set in reverse all at once. 12 & 12 1. pp. 21-22 2. pp. 72-73 ************************************************** ********* Walk In Dry Places Living with impossible dreams Hope and false hope. No matter how badly we managed our lives while drinking, many of us survived by holding on to the hope that some great stroke of luck would rescue us. Either we would find a windfall to pay off our debts, or a kind benefactor would appear to set things right. These are impossible dreams, but they helped sustain us in the miserable half-world of alcoholism. We could not see that drinking was the real problem. But we did have our great stroke of luck in finding AA. This helped us face our debts. At the same time, we found benefactors i the form of sponsors and other friends. We also found a Higher Power. Even in sobriety, we have to guard against the impossible dreams we nourished while drinking. Again and again, we must remind ourselves that sober living is based on reality. Even reality, however, can have its miracles. I'll keep my dreams alive today, but I'll make sure that they have a good foundation in reality. ************************************************** ********* Keep It Simple Words are the voice of the heart.---Confucius What does my heart have to say today? Am I happy ? Or I’m I troubled? We will find this out if we slow down and listen to our words. We can also hear our spirit in the tone of our words. We are to meditate. Meditation is about slowing down so we can hear what our spirit is trying to tell us. Meditation is listening. Our spirit is but a quiet whisper inside us. To hear we must quiet ourselves. Slowing down allows us to find our center. As we find our center we find our spirit and our Higher Power. Do I take the time needed to slow myself down? Do I take the time ot listen---to listen to my heart? Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, teach me to slow down. Teach me to hear Your whisper as well as Your yells. Action for the Day: Today, I will take a half hour to slow down and listen. I will find a place to relax and listen to my heart and my words. ************************************************** ********* Each Day a New Beginning It is the calm after the storm. I feel a rainbow where there once were clouds, and while my Spirit dances in gratitude, my mind speculates on the next disaster. Duality. --Mary Casey Our growth as women is contingent on our ability to flow with the dualities, the contradictions inherent in one's lifetime, not only to flow with them but to capitalize on them. We are not offered a painless existence, but we are offered opportunities for gathering perspective from the painful moments. And our perspectives are cushioned by the principles of the program. The rough edges of life, the storms that whip our very being, are gifts in disguise. We see life anew, when the storm has subsided. We can enjoy the calm, if that surrounds us today. We deserve the resting periods. They give us a chance to contemplate and make fully our own that which the recent storm brought so forcefully to our attention. We are powerless over the storm's onslaught. But we can gain from it and be assured that the storm gives all the meaning there is in the calm. I will be glad today for the clouds or the rainbows. Both are meant for my good. And without both, neither has meaning. ************************************************** ********* Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition Chapter 5 - HOW IT WORKS We never apologize to anyone for depending upon our Creator. We can laugh at those who think spirituality the way of weakness. Paradoxically, it is the way of strength. The verdict of the ages is that faith means courage. All men of faith have courage. They trust their God. We never apologize for God. Instead we let Him demonstrate, through us, what He can do. We ask Him to remove our fear and direct our attention to what He would have us be. At once, we commence to outgrow fear. p. 68 ************************************************** ********* 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." But as time passed we found that with the help of A.A.'s Twelve Steps we could lose those fears, no matter what our material prospects were. We could cheerfully perform humble labor without worrying about tomorrow. If our circumstances happened to be good, we no longer dreaded a change for the worse, for we had learned that these troubles could be turned into great values. It did not matter too much what our material condition was, but it did matter what our spiritual condition was. Money gradually became our servant and not our master. It became a means of exchanging love and service with those about us. When, with God's help, we calmly accepted our lot, then we found we could live at peace with ourselves and show others who still suffered the same fears that they could get over them, too. We found that freedom from fear was more important than freedom from want. pp. 121-122 ************************************************** ********* Lay hold of today's task, and you will not depend so much on tomorrow's. --Seneca The secret of life is not to do what you like, but to like what you do. --American Proverb A saddened heart is not made happier with a change of place. --Capt. Michael Hobson "Each day comes bearing its own gifts. Untie the ribbons." --Ruth Ann Schabaker Gods compass will lead me and give me direction. --Shelley *********************************************** Father Leo's Daily Meditation CHOICES "Another good reducing exercise consists in placing both hands against the table edge and pushing back." -- Robert Quillen I am an alcoholic and today I choose not to drink. When alcohol is offered, I say "no". I do not go into "wet places", spend time with drinkers or put myself in awkward situations. I assist my abstinence by the choices I make. The recovering gambler avoids Las Vegas. The drug addict avoids sick relationships. The compulsive overeater must exercise the spiritual power of choice around food. "No" must involve both hands! For the recovering addict, talk must be accompanied by action. Some people, places and things must be avoided. Spirituality is making my talk a visible reality. ************************************************** ********* "Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation." Psalm 25:4-5 "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." I Peter 5:7 ************************************************** ********* Daily Inspiration Be able to do more today by expanding your vision of what you can accomplish. Lord, help me realize that my limits are beyond what I think and fill me with motivation to reach higher. When you have faith in yourself and God, you will know that you are loved and safe and never alone. Lord, I am these things because You are always with me. |
November 4
Daily Reflections A DAILY DISCIPLINE , . . when they [self-examination, meditation and prayer] are logically related and interwoven, the result is an unshakable foundation for life. TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 98 The last three Steps of the program invoke God's loving discipline upon my willful nature. If I devote just a few moments every night to a review of the highlights of my day, along with an acknowledgment of those aspects that didn't please me so much, I gain a personal history of myself, one that is essential to my growth, or lack of it, and to ask in prayerful meditation to be relieved of those continuing shortcomings that cause me pain. Meditation and prayer also teach me the art of focusing and listening. I find that the turmoil of the day gets tuned out as I pray for His will and guidance. The practice of asking Him to help me in my strivings for perfection puts a new slant on the tedium of any day, because I know there is honor in any job done well. The daily discipline of prayer and meditation will keep me in fit spiritual condition, able to face whatever the day brings - without the thought of a drink. ************************************************** ********* Twenty-Four Hours A Day A.A. Thought For The Day I can do things that I never did before. Liquor took away my initiative and my ambition. I couldn't get up the steam to start anything. I let things slide. When I was drunk, I was too inert to even comb my hair. Now I can sit down and do something. I can write letters that need to be written, I can make telephone calls that should be made. I can work in my garden. I can pursue my hobbies. I have the urge to create something, that creative urge that was completely stifled by alcohol. Have I recovered my initiative? Meditation For The Day "In Thy presence is fullness of joy. At Thy right hand are pleasures forever." We cannot find true happiness by looking for it. Seeking pleasure does not bring happiness in the long run, only disillusionment. Do not seek to have this fullness of joy by seeking pleasure. It cannot be done that way. Happiness is a by-product of living the right kind of life. True happiness comes as a result of living in all respects the way you believe God wants you to live, with regard to your self and to other people. Prayer For The Day I pray that I may not always seek pleasure as a goal. I pray that I may be content with the happiness that comes when I do the right thing. ************************************************** ********* As Bill Sees It Is Happiness The Goal?, p. 306 "I don't think happiness or unhappiness is the point. How do we meet the problems we face? How do we best learn from them and transmit what we have learned to others, if they would receive the knowledge? "On my view, we of this world are pupils in a great school of life. It is intended that we try to grow, and that we try to help our fellow travelers to grow in the kind of love that makes no demands. In short, we try to move toward the image and likeness of God as we understand Him. "When pain comes, we are expected to learn from it willingly, and help others to learn. When happiness comes, we accept it as a gift, and thank God for it." Letter, 1950 ************************************************** ********* Walk In Dry Places The Gift of Sensitivity Facing reality Some of us complain about being too sensitive, or others may tell us so. This sets us up for all kinds of hurts, both real and imaginary. In drinking, we actually dulled any sensitivity, though we thought we were expressing more feelings. This dulling of our sensitive nature blinded us to the damage we were doing. In sobriety, we are learning that sensitivity is a gift that we can channel wisely. It can make us more aware of the feelings and needs of others. It can help us become a part of the group. Like all gifts, sensitivity has its downside. It can make us vulnerable to problems that do not belong to us, and it can lead us into the trap of worrying about things we can do nothing about. But sensitivity is generally good, and in sobriety we can become better people because of it. I 'll take great satisfaction today in the full use of my senses, including that part of me that perceives and expresses deep feelings. ************************************************** ********* Keep It Simple Each day comes bearing its gifts. Untie the ribbons. ---Ruth Ann Schabacker How full life can be! We can untie the ribbons on this gift by keeping our spirits open. Open to life. Open to how much our Higher Power love us. Who knows what the gifts the day may bring? Maybe it brings a solution to a problem. Maybe it brings the smile of a child. Maybe we’ll find a new friend. Whatever gifts the day brings, we must be able to receive them. How do we do this? We keep our spirit open and lively through prayer and meditation. Then we’ll be awake to see the beauty and the wonders life holds for us. Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, remind me to pray to You often. Remind me to stop and listen to You. Remind me that You love me very much. Action for the Day: At the end of the day, I’ll take time to list the gifts I’ve been given today. This will be first on my list: I am sober. ************************************************** ********* Each Day a New Beginning Beginnings are apt to be shadowy. --Rachel Carson When we embark on a new career, open an unfamiliar door, begin a loving relationship, we can seldom see nor can we even anticipate where the experience may take us. At best we can see only what this day brings. We can trust with certainty that we will be safely led through the "shadows." To make gains in this life we must venture forth to new places, contact new people, chance new experiences. Even though we may be fearful of the new, we must go forward. It's comforting to remember that we never take any step alone. It is our destiny to experience many new beginnings. And a dimension of the growth process is to develop trust that each of these experiences will in time comfort us and offer us the knowledge our inner self awaits. Without the new beginnings we are unable to fulfill the purpose for which we've been created. No new beginning is more than we can handle. Every new beginning is needed by our developing selves, and we are ready for whatever comes. I will look to my new beginnings gladly. They are special to the growth I am now ready for. ************************************************** ********* Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition Chapter 5 - HOW IT WORKS Now about sex. Many of needed an overhauling there. But above all, we tried to be sensible on this question. It’s so easy to get way off the track. Here we find human opinions running to extremes--absurd extremes, perhaps. One set of voices cry that sex is a lust of our lower nature, a base necessity of procreation. Then we have the voices who cry for sex and more sex; who bewail the institution of marriage; who think that most of the troubles of the race are traceable to sex causes. They think we do not have enough of it, or that it isn’t the right kind. They see its significance everywhere. One school would allow man no flavor for his fare and the other would have us all on a straight pepper diet. We want to stay out of this controversy. We do not want to be the arbiter of anyone’s sex conduct. We all have sex problems. We’d hardly be human if we didn’t. What can we do about them? pp. 68-69 ************************************************** ********* 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." Let's here take note of our improved outlook upon the problems of personal importance, power, ambition, and leadership. These were reefs upon which many of us came to shipwreck during our drinking careers. p. 122 ************************************************** ********* You can preach a better sermon with your life than with your lips. --Oliver Goldsmith If you judge people, you have no time to love them. --Mother Teresa May I love myself, as God loves me. May I love others, as God loves them. --Shelley As you walk through life, you are building your own reference material. This material is called a memory. Make the most of yours by making them mean something. --unknown Silence is the great revelation. --Lao Tzu "We need to build downtime into our lives, so that we can have solitude without feeling overcome with guilt." --Melody Beattie This is a great day to be sober, patient, tolerant, kindly and loving. --unknown C A R E = Comforting And Reassuring Each other. *********************************************** Father Leo's Daily Meditation TEACHING "I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand." -- Chinese Proverb I suppose the best way to learn a thing is to do it, practice it, demonstrate it, make it real in our lives. Spirituality needs to be experienced, not talked about. You cannot learn spirituality, get spirituality from a famous guru, read and acquire spirituality from a book--spirituality needs to be discovered in our lives. It needs to be found in body, sexuality, sweat, anger, morning exercise and kneeling in prayer and gratitude at the end of the day. God, may You be real in my life. ************************************************** ********* Proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 1 Peter 2:9 LORD, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. I will praise the LORD, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I have set the LORD always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay. You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. Psalm 16 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. James 1:17 ************************************************** ********* Daily Inspiration Be creative in what you have to do today to bring enjoyment to this moment and make your work will feel less like work. Lord, help me become inspirational in my ordinary responsibilities so that I am able to make my place more interesting and exciting. Those that least deserve your love are the ones that need it the most. Lord, may I have the humbleness of spirit to reach out even when my feelings may be hurt. |
Meditation
IN THE SILENCE, I FEEL MY ONENESS IN SPIRIT. Relaxing my body and mind, I enter the Silence and consciously connect with God. I turn away from the chatter of the external world and experience inner stillness. I listen with my mind and heart open to divine guidance and feel my oneness in Spirit. I am comforted. This is a sacred time when my soul is restored, my body is revitalized, and my mind is illumined. I am at peace, inwardly and outwardly. After this time of divine communion, my heart overflows with gratitude. I am aware of how Spirit is at work in my life. I continue my day’s activities with renewed confidence, strength, and purpose. Whenever you pray, go into your room … and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.—Matthew 6:6 From The Daily Word. W.O.W 101:170: |
November 5
Daily Reflections "THE QUALITY OF FAITH" This. . . has to do with the quality of faith. . . . In no deep or meaningful sense had we ever taken stock of ourselves. . . . We had not even prayed rightly. We had always said, "Grant me my wishes" instead of "Thy will be done." TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p.32 God does not grant me material possessions, take away my suffering, or spare me from disasters, but He does give me a good life, the ability to cope, and peace of mind. My prayers are simple: first, they express my gratitude for the good things in my life, regardless of how hard I have to search for them; and second, I ask only for the strength and the wisdom to do His will. He answers with solutions to my problems, sustaining my ability to live through daily frustrations with a serenity I did not believe existed, and with the strength to practice the principles of A.A. in all of my everyday affairs. ************************************************** ********* Twenty-Four Hours A Day A.A. Thought For The Day During our thoughts about the rewards that have come to us as a result of our new way of living, we find that we have new kinds of homes, new relationships with our spouses and with our children. Also, peace, contentment, hope, faith, charity, and new ambition. What are some of the things we have lost? Each one of us can answer this question in many ways. I have lost much of my fear. It used to control me; it was my master. It paralyzed my efforts. Fear always got me down. It made me an introvert, an ingrown person. When fear was replaced by faith, I got well. Have I lost some of my fears? Meditation For The Day The world would sooner be brought close to God. His will would sooner be done on earth, if all who acknowledge Him gave themselves unreservedly to being used by Him. God can use every human being as a channel for divine love and power. What delays the bringing of the world closer to God is the backwardness of His followers. If each one lived each day for God and allowed God to work through him, then the world would soon be drawn much closer to God, its Founder and Preserver. Prayer For The Day I pray that I may be used as a channel to express the Divine Love. I pray that I may so live as to bring God's spirit closer to the world. ************************************************** ********* As Bill Sees It Circle and Triangle, p. 307 Above us, at the International Convention at St. Louis in 1955, floated a banner on which was inscribed the then new symbol for A.A., a circle enclosing a triangle. The circle stands for the whole world of A.A., and the triangle stands for A.A.'s Three Legacies: Recovery, Unity, and Service. It is perhaps no accident that priests and seers of antiquity regarded this symbol as a means of warding off spirits of evil. << << << >> >> >> When, in 1955, we oldtimers turned over our Three Legacies to the whole movement, nostalgia for the old days blended with gratitude for the great day in which I was now living. No more would it be necessary for me to act for, decide for, or protect A.A. For a moment, I dreaded the coming change. But this mood quickly passed. The conscience of A.A. as moved by the guidance of God could be depended upon to insure A.A.'s future. Clearly my job henceforth was to let go and let God. A.A. Comes of Age 1. p. 39 2. pp. 46.48 ************************************************** ********* Walk In Dry Places No apologies for sobriety Attitude Now that we are sober, some of us are invited to social events where there is drinking. Now and then, we see raised eyebrows when others learn that we're having only soft drinks. Some of us may respond by explaining that we're alcoholics and cannot take even one drink. A few recovering alcoholics handle the situation by pretending that they're holding an alcoholic drink---- perhaps enlisting the bartender's aid in making the drink appear to contain liquor. While it may be useful to tell others about our alcoholism, we are under no obligation to do so, particularly in a drinking environment. At the same time, there's something wrong with pretending that one is still taking alcoholic drinks. Our best course is to remember that we never have to apologize for not drinking. In a world that makes so much fuss about the right to drink, we surely have a right not to drink, and we do not have to explain why we are not drinking. If I find myself in a drinking environment today, I'll handle it with dignity and cheerfulness, but I will not feel I must defend my sobriety to others. ************************************************** ********* Keep It Simple Acceptance and faith are capable of producing 100% sobriety. --Grapevine. Acceptance and faith are the most important parts of our recovery. If we boil down Steps One And Two, we'll find acceptance and faith. Acceptance means we see the world as it is, not as we want it to be. We start to see ourselves as humans, not as gods. We are good, and we are bad. We need to fit in the world, not run it. Acceptance also guides us toward faith. Faith is believing. We start to believe that someone or something will take care of us. Faith is about giving up control of outcomes. We learn to say to our Higher Power, “Thy will be done.” Prayer for the Day: Higher Power help me accept my illness. Give me the faith to know that You and I, together, will keep me sober. Action for the Day: Throughout the day, I'll think of the 11th step. I'll pray to my Higher Power, “Thy Will be done, not mine.” Amen. ************************************************** ********* Each Day a New Beginning The future is made of the same stuff as the present. --Simone Weil The only lessons that matter for our lives at this time will come to us today. Just as what we needed and were ready for yesterday came yesterday, tomorrow insures more of the same. Concerning ourselves with any other moment but the present prevents us from responding when "the teacher appears." In years gone by, we perhaps hung onto yesterday's problems. We may still struggle to hang onto them. Or perhaps we try to see too far ahead. But we are learning that there is a right time for all growth. A right time for all experiences. And the right time may not fit our timetable. What doesn't come our way today, will come when the time is right. Each day we are granted just what is needed. We need not worry about the future. It will offer us whatever rightly comes next, but it can't do so until we have experienced these 24 hours before us. There is wonder and joy awaiting me, each day. The growth I experience is just what is needed at this time. I am a student, and the teacher will appear. ************************************************** ********* Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition Chapter 5 - HOW IT WORKS We reviewed our own conduct over the years past. Where had we been selfish, dishonest, or inconsiderate? Whom had we hurt? Did we unjustifiably arouse jealousy, suspicion or bitterness? Where were we at fault, what should we have done instead? We got this all down on paper and looked at it. In this way we tried to shape a sane and sound ideal for our future sex life. We subjected each relation to this test--was it selfish or not? We asked God to mold our ideals and help us to live up to them. We remembered always that our sex powers were God-given and therefore good, neither to be used lightly or selfishly nor to be despised and loathed. p. 69 ************************************************** ********* 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." Practically every boy in the United States dreams of becoming our President. He wants to be his country's number one man. As he gets older and sees the impossibility of this, he can smile good-naturedly at his childhood dream. In later life he finds that real happiness is not to be found in just trying to be a number one man, or even a first-rater in the heartbreaking struggle for money, romance, or self-importance. He learns that he can be content as long as he plays well whatever cards life deals him. He's still ambitious, but not absurdly so, because he can now see and accept actual reality. He's willing to stay right size. p. 122 ************************************************** ********* When looking in the mirror you see the most important person in the world to you. If you can't look that person in the eye and say "I love you," change something. Your life depends on it. --NoMoGin I must empty myself, so God can fill me up. --Shelley God can make all things new - even you. --unknown Tart words make no friends; a spoonful of honey will catch more flies than a gallon of vinegar. --unknown The spiritual life is not a theory. We have to live it. --unknown I never imagined that the greatest achievement of my life would be peace of mind. --unknown Service is spirituality in action. --unknown *********************************************** Father Leo's Daily Meditation FEAR "The spirit of liberty . . . is the spirit which is not too sure it is always right." -- Judge Learned Hand I am free to make mistakes. It is okay for me to be wrong. I can say or do something that proves to be incorrect. I am not perfect. Part of the liberty of being a human being is not being perfect; I am not God. In a sense this is a relief. I do not have to take responsibility for the lives of others or the crises in the world. It is okay not to have all the answers. Indeed, sometimes the spiritual life is discovered in "not knowing" and the answer will forever remain in the question. It is human to ask "why are we like we are?" But the answer rests in God. God of Reason, let me be satisfied with discovering You in the questions. ************************************************** ********* So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10 "Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men, for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things." Psalm 107:8-9 For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building. 1 Corinthians 3:9 ************************************************** ********* Daily Inspiration When your energy levels are low and your spirit needs a boost, take a short walk or quiet break and use the time for a talk with God and a little healing meditation. Lord, help me to brighten my day, keep my spirit strong, and bring more laughter to my life. If you think success and really believe it will happen, you will perform in a manner that leads to success. Lord, may I always avoid negative thoughts and visualize myself in the manner that You intended for me. |
November 6
Daily Reflections GOING WITH THE FLOW Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him. . TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 96 The first words I speak when arising in the morning are, "I arise, O God, to do Thy will." This is the shortest prayer I know and it is deeply ingrained in me. Prayer doesn't change God's attitude toward me; it changes my attitude toward God. As distinguished from prayer, meditation is a quiet time, without words. To be centered is to be physically relaxed, emotionally calm, mentally focused and spiritually aware. One way to keep the channel open and to improve my conscious contact with God is to maintain a grateful attitude. On the days when I am grateful, good things seem to happen in my life. The instant I start cursing things in my life, however, the flow of good stops. God did not interrupt the flow; my own negativity did. ************************************************** ********* Twenty-Four Hours A Day A.A. Thought For The Day Fear and worry had me down. They were increased by my drinking. I worried about what I had done when I was drunk. I was afraid of what the consequences might be. I was afraid to face people because of the fear of being found out. Fear kept me in hot water all the time. I was a nervous wreck from fear and worry. I was a tied-up bundle of nerves. I had a fear of failure, of the future, of growing old, of sickness, of hangover, of suicide. I had a wrong set of ideas and attitudes. When A.A. told me to surrender these fears and worries to a Higher Power, I did so. I now try to think faith instead of fear. Have I put faith in place of fear? Meditation For The Day Spiritual power is God in action. God can only act through human beings. Whenever you, however weak you may be, allow God to act through you, then all you think and say and do is spiritually powerful. It is not you alone who produces a change in the lives of others! It is also the Divine Spirit in you and working through you. Power is God in action. God can use you as a tool to accomplish miracles in peoples' lives. Prayer For The Day I pray that I may try to let God's power act through me today. I pray that I may get rid of those blocks which keep His power from me. ************************************************** ********* As Bill Sees It A Way Out Of Depression, p. 308 "During acute depression, avoid trying to set your whole life in order all at once. If you take on assignments so heavy that you are sure to fail in them at the moment, then you are allowing yourself to be tricked by your consciousness. Thus you will continue to make sure of your failure, and when it comes you will have another alibi for still more retreat into depression. "In short, the 'all or nothing' attitude is a most destructive one. It is best to begin with whatever the irreducible minimums of activity are. Then work for an enlargement of these--day by day. Don't be disconcerted by setbacks--just start over." Letter, 1960 ************************************************** ********* Walk In Dry Places Dealing with worry Dealing with feelings There's nothing like a siege of worry to spoil our day. It matters little whether the worry is about a real problem or something we're imagining. In either case, worry makes us unhappy, depressed, and even fatigued. It doesn't help to be urged not to worry. We may even know worry is harmful, yet be unable to stop it. In fact, one of the things we may have sought in the bottle was an easing of worry. The best answer to worry is in the 12 Step program. If we have turned our will and lives over to our Higher Power, the real direction of our lives is out of our hands. We must think of ourselves as passengers in a divinely guided vehicle. Some will think this philosophy is preposterous and irresponsible, but in reality we are taking right actions in an orderly way, as our guidance continues. We need only prove to ourselves that our program works. Worry is merely a signal that we need to work our program. If I catch myself worrying, I'll remind myself that my Higher Power is in charge of all outcomes. I'll do my best and expect the best. ************************************************** ********* Keep It Simple That suit is best that best suits me.---John Clark How mush time do we spend trying to “fit in”? Many of us used to care to much what other people thought about us---our clothes, our ideas, our work. Did we drink the right brand, drive the right car, listen to the right music? In our program, we still have to watch out for fads and peer pressure. We have to ask ourselves if we’re really in touch with our Higher Power. Are we searching for a sponsor who has inner peace and direction? Or do we look for people who are like our old using friends? As we learn to find our own way of following our Higher Power, we need to be okay with being different. Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me be the best me I can be today. Action for the Day: Today, I’ll work to be me---honestly me---to everyone I meet. ************************************************** ********* Each Day a New Beginning Of course fortune has its part in human affairs, but conduct is really much more important. --Jeanne Detourbey Behaving the way we honestly and sincerely believe God wants us to behave eliminates our confusion. When we contribute in a loving manner to the circumstances involving us, we carry God's message; and that's all that's expected of us in this life. This recovery program has involved us in the affairs of many other people. We are needed to listen, to guide, to sponsor, to suggest. Each time we have an opportunity to make an impact on another person, it's to our benefit, and hers too, to let God direct our conduct. Too often God's message is missed due to our selfish concerns, but it's never too late to begin listening for it. God is forever at hand, awaiting our recognition. We can be mindful that the ease of our lives is directly proportional to the recognition we offer. Right conduct is never a mystery to us. We may not always choose to do it, but we never fail to know what should be done. I will trust my conscience to be my guide every moment. ************************************************** ********* Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition Chapter 5 - HOW IT WORKS Whatever our ideal turns out to be, we must be willing to grow toward it. We must be willing to make amends where we have done harm, provided that we do not bring about still more harm in so doing. In other words, we treat sex as we would any other problem. in meditation, we ask God what we should do about each specific matter. The right answer will come, if we want it. p. 69 ************************************************** ********* 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." But not so with alcoholics. When A.A. was quite young, a number of eminent psychologists and doctors made an exhaustive study of a good-sized group of so-called problem drinkers. The doctors weren't trying to find how different we were from one another; they sought to find whatever personality traits, if any, this group of alcoholics had in common. They finally came up with a conclusion that shocked the A.A. members of that time. These distinguished men had the nerve to say that most of the alcoholics under investigation were still childish, emotionally sensitive, and grandiose. pp. 122-123 ************************************************** ********* Gods grace is like the wind: I can't see the wind, but I can surely feel the effects of the wind. --John G. AA gives us an opportunity to recreate ourselves, with God's help, one day at a time. --Rufus K. When the solution is simple, God is answering. --Albert Einstein You can't lose if you stay in God's game plan. --unknown "Friends are quiet angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly." --Unknown *********************************************** Father Leo's Daily Meditation BELIEF "An atheist is a man who has no invisible means of support." -- John Buchanan The common cry of those who suffer from addiction is that they feel isolated. Not only isolated from self, family and friends but also from God. One reason for this feeling of isolation is teachings and attitudes that produced guilt, shame and fear. God was seen as a hammer with which society beat the addict. Today, in an atmosphere of love and fellowship, we begin to look at these old attitudes and, hopefully, begin to change them. God can be seen in the hug as well as the sacrament; in the doubt as well as the dogma. In the honest sharing of fellow addicts, God is made known. God needs to be given a human face. Teach me to grow in the virtues of tolerance and understanding. ************************************************** ********* "Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him." Psalm 62:5 "I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust." Psalm 91:2 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28 ************************************************** ********* Daily Inspiration Emotions can be dealt with by motion. Lord, when I feel controlled by feelings and complaints, help to get me up and get me moving to change my disposition even if it's something simple like stretching or organizing something or starting something I've been putting off. When you are troubled, comfort someone more troubled, when lonely, reach out to one that is lonelier and when unsure, give encouragement to the weary. To care for another makes us forget our own sorrows. |
I AM AT ONE WITH GOD.
Pain may be part of life, but suffering is optional. We suffer when we believe we are separate from God, when we feel unloved, unprotected, or perceive life as hostile. If I ever feel ruled by such thoughts, I turn to the Truth: There is only One Power and One Presence: God the Good. Anything to the contrary is untrue. During hard times, I seek God’s presence in me. In the Secret Place of the Most High, I build an internal fortress of Truth that withstands any fear, anxiety, or distress. In the Silence, I take refuge from any struggle or suffering. I abide in comfort, joy, and peace beyond any circumstances of the world. One with God, I am always protected. Protect me, O God, for in you I take refuge. I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.”—Psalm 16:1-2 W.O.W 101:170: |
November 7
Daily Reflections LET GO AND LET GOD . . . praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out. TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 96 When I "Let Go and Let God," I think more clearly and wisely. Without having to think about it, I quickly let go of things that cause me immediate pain and discomfort. Because I find it hard to let go of the kind of worrisome thoughts and attitudes that cause me immense anguish, all I need do during those times is allow God, as I understand Him, to release them for me, and then and there, I let go of the thoughts, memories and attitudes that are troubling me. When I receive help from God, as I understand Him, I can live my life one day at a time and handle whatever challenges that come my way. Only then can I live a life of victory over alcohol, in comfortable sobriety. ************************************************** ********* Twenty-Four Hours A Day A.A. Thought For The Day I have lost many of my resentments. I have found that getting even with people doesn't do any good. When we try to get revenge, instead of making us feel better, it leaves us frustrated and cheated. Instead of punishing our enemies, we've only hurt our own peace of mind. It does not pay to nurse a grudge, it hurts us more than anyone else. Hate causes frustration, inner conflict, and neurosis. If we give out hate, we will become hateful. If we are resentful, we will be resented. If we do not like people, we will not be liked by people. Revengefulness is a powerful poison in our systems. Have I lost my resentments? Meditation For The Day It is not so much you, as the grace of God that is in you, that helps those around you. If you would help even those you dislike, you have to see that there is nothing in you to block the way, to keep God's grace from using you. Your own pride and selfishness are the greatest blocks. Keep those out of the way and God's grace will flow through you into the lives of others. Then all who come in contact with you can be helped in some way. Keep the channel open, free from those things that make your life futile and ineffective. Prayer For The Day I pray that all who come in contact with me will feel better for it. I pray that I may be careful not to harbor those things in my heart that put people off. ************************************************** ********* As Bill Sees It Spiritual Axiom, p. 309 It is a spiritual axiom that every time we are disturbed, no matter what the cause, there is something wrong with us. If somebody hurts us and we are sore, we are in the wrong, too. But are there no exceptions to this rule? What about "justifiable" anger? If somebody cheats us, aren't we entitled to be mad? And shouldn't we be properly angry with self-righteous folks? For us of A.A. these adventures in anger are sometimes very dangerous. We have found that even justified anger ought to be left to those better qualified to handle it. 12 & 12, p. 90 ************************************************** ********* Walk In Dry Places Sincerity at the beginning Self-Honesty We were told at our first AA meeting that half-measures will avail us nothing. What's needed is a sincere desire to stop drinking and seek a new way of life. As we continue in the program, we learn that sincerity is an ingredient for success in everything we do. Quite often, we may find that we're failing in something simply because our heart isn't really in it. We can't force ourselves into a sincere posture. Instead, the answer is to know ourselves well enough to know just how we feel about everything we do. We'll learn to be careful about attempting to do something when our heart is not really in it. We may be doing something we dislike merely for the recognition and money it gives us. For real sincerity, we need more than that, and the truths of the program will help us find it. I'll be conscious today of the sincerity I have about things I am attempting to do. There may be some things I need to abandon or at least change. ************************************************** ********* Keep It Simple Telling the truth is a pretty hard thing.---ThomasWolfe. Often, we get scared to tell the truth. We wonder, “What will happen? Will I get in trouble? Will someone be mad at me?'” These things could happen. But good things could happen too. Sometimes we want to lie. We don't want anyone mad at us or unhappy with us. We want people off our back. So we lie. And it comes back to haunt us. We must believe that the best will happen in the long run if we tell the truth. Our program tells us that we can stay sober if we're honest. Telling the truth takes faith. We must have faint in the program. We must be honest. Our sobriety and our life depend on it. Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me remember that I'm doing things Your way when I tell the truth. Action for the Day: I will think about what I say today. I will be as honest as I can be. ************************************************** ********* Each Day a New Beginning . . . we will be victorious if we have not forgotten how to learn. --Rosa Luxemburg For most of us the struggle was long, painful and lonely to the place where we are now. But survive we have, and survive we will. The times we thought we could go no further are only dimly recalled. The experiences we were certain would destroy us fit ever so neatly into our book of memories. We have survived, and the program is offering us the means for continued survival. Step by Step we are learning to handle our problems, build relationships based on honesty, and choose responsible behavior. We are promised serenity if we follow the Steps. Gratitude for our survival is best expressed by working the program, setting an example for others, helping those women who haven't yet attained victory. We must give away what we have learned to make way for our own new growth. There are many victories in our future if we keep pressing forward, opening new doors, and trusting in the process of the program and its promises. I am still willing to learn or I wouldn't be here, now. There are victories in my future. I will look for a victory today. It's certain to accompany responsible action on my part. ************************************************** ********* Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition Chapter 5 - HOW IT WORKS God alone can judge our sex situation. Counsel with persons is often desirable, but we let God be the final judge. We realize that some people are as fanatical about sex as others are loose. We avoid hysterical thinking or advice. pp. 69-70 ************************************************** ********* Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions Step Seven - "Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings." How we alcoholics did resent that verdict! We would not believe that our adult dreams were often truly childish. And considering the rough deal life had given us, we felt it perfectly natural that we were sensitive. As to our grandiose behavior, we insisted that we had been possessed of nothing but a high and legitimate ambition to win the battle of life. p. 123 ************************************************** ********* Progress results from persistence with purpose. --Frank Tyger Remember--nothing will happen that you and God can't handle together. --Author Unknown I've never learned anything while I was talking. --Larry King "Believe that life is worth living, and your belief will help create the fact." --William James He who obtains has little. He who scatters has much. --Lao-Tzu Handle them carefully, for words have more power than atom bombs. --Pearl Strachan Hurd The written word can be erased - not so with the spoken word. --Unknown A blow with a word strikes deeper than a blow with a sword. --Robert Burton *********************************************** Father Leo's Daily Meditation FEAR "A good scare is worth more to a man than good advice." Ed Howe My fear of alcoholism helped me into treatment. My awareness of reality -- "I am an alcoholic," -- helped me towards recovery. I was scared into treatment! I must never forget my frightening yesterdays because that can so easily lead to minimization and tomorrow's denial. I need to remember my pain if I am to continue to gain. My car accident, my abuse of self and others, my suicidal behavior should be feared, on a daily basis, because it is only one drink away! God has given me memory -- I need to use it. My spiritual courage is in remembering my yesterdays so that I can continue to enjoy the sobriety of today. May I see that a healthy fear comes from God; it is part of God's love for me. ************************************************** ********* "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." I Thessalonians 5:16-18 "I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Psalm 27:13 ************************************************** ********* Daily Inspiration Fears cannot survive without your full attention. Lord, help me to face my fears, realize that they are not as big as I imagine and see that their main purpose is to stop me from action. Today is far too short to visit with all the friend you want to see, to read all that you want to read, to think all that you want to think, to do all that you want to do. Thank You, Lord, for this beautiful day and for the privelege of spending it as I choose. May I spend it wisely. |
Affirmations for month of November
from The Daily Word. Inner Peace I embody peace. Guidance I am guided by my inner light. Healing The life of God infuses my body. Prosperity I open my mind to plenty and receive with gratitude. World Peace I emanate peace to all the world. W.O.W 101:170: |
November 8
Daily Reflections AN INDIVIDUAL ADVENTURE Meditation is something which can always be further developed. It has no boundaries, either of width or height. Aided by such instruction and example as we can find, it is essentially an individual adventure, something which each one of us works out in his own way. TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 101 My spiritual growth is with God as I understand Him. With Him I find my true inner self. Daily meditation and prayer strengthen and renew my source of well-being. I receive then the openness to accept all that He has to offer. With God I have the reassurance that my journey will be as He wants for me, and for that I am grateful to have God in my life. ************************************************** ********* Twenty-Four Hours A Day A.A. Thought For The Day I have lost much of my inferiority complex. I was always trying to escape from life. I did not want to face reality. I was full of self-pity. I was constantly sorry for myself. I tried to avoid all responsibilities. I did not feel that I would handle the responsibilities for my family or my work. Owing to my inferiority complex, I was eager to be free of all responsibilities. I wanted to drift; I wanted to be "on the beach." A.A. showed me how to get over my feeling of inferiority. It made me want to accept responsibility again. Have I lost my inferiority complex? Meditation For The Day "One thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things that are before, I press onward toward the goal." We should forget those things which are behind us and press onward toward something better. We can believe that God has forgiven us for all our past sins, provided we are honestly trying to live today the way we believe He wants us to live. We can wipe clean the slate of the past. We can start today with a clean slate and go forward with confidence toward the goal that has been set before us. Prayer For The Day I pray that I may drop off the load of the past. I pray that I may start today with a light heart and a new confidence. ************************************************** ********* As Bill Sees It Learning To Trust, p. 310 Our entire A.A. program rests upon the principle of mutual trust. We trust God, we trust A.A., and we trust each other. Therefore, we trust our leaders in world service. The "Right of Decision" that we offer them is not only the practical means by which they may act and lead effectively, but it is also the symbol of our implicit confidence. << << << >> >> >> If you arrive at A.A. with no religious convictions, you can, if you wish, make A.A. itself or even your A.A. group of people your "Higher Power." Here's a large group of people who have solved their alcohol problem. In this respect they are certainly a power greater than you. Even this minimum of faith will be enough. Many members who have crossed the threshold just this way will tell you that, once across, their faith broadened and deepened. Relieved of the alcohol obsession, their lives unaccountably transformed, they came to believe in a Higher Power, and most of them began to talk of God. 1. Twelve Concepts, p. 16 2. 12 & 12, pp. 27-28 ************************************************** ********* Walk In Dry Places Proving God's existence. Belief. It surprised some of us to learn that the AA big book has as chapter about agnosticism. The agnostic is one who believes the existence of God cannot be proved: and indeed, some of us liked to explain this during profound barroom discussions. Our existence with a Higher Power does not really settle the questions about God or the purpose and meaning of life. We may still wonder why we are on Earth and what the universal system is all about. We can prove, however, that our lives can become dramatically different as a result of our belief in God. While some people scoff that our belief in a Higher Power is merely psychological, we still know that it is far more than that. This belief seems to be something that we need just as we require physical nourishment. It's not necessary to join the debating society that seems to prove or deny God's existence. For our purposes, it's only necessary to believe that God exists in our lives. I'll not concern myself with an general question about the existence or nonexistence of God. What's important is to know that my Higher Power is living and working in my sphere of activities. ************************************************** ********* Keep It Simple Any man may make a mistake; none but a fool will persist in it.---Cicero. The way we face life's challenges is what gives meaning to our lives. If we run from our mistakes, they follow us. If we stand up and work with them, we learn. Facing our mistakes teaches us wisdom and courage. Our self-respect grows. Spiritual growth means asking, “How would my Higher Power want me to deal with this mistake?” Then we listen for the answer and do what is needed. The better we get at facing our mistakes, the better we become at learning from them. Native American culture teaches us that all mistakes in life are gifts. The gift is that we are given a chance to learn. Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me face the mistakes of life and find the lessons that lie within them. Action for the Day: When I make a mistake, I'll stop and ask, "What does my Higher Power want me to learn from this?” ************************************************** ********* Each Day a New Beginning As in the physical world, so in the spiritual world, pain does not "last forever." --Katherine Mansfield Each of us struggles with pain and its repercussions; some of us more than others. At times pain seems unending. Sometimes we hang onto the pain in our lives, maybe because we fear even more what's on the other side. The unknown so easily controls us. Right at this moment, each of us can look back on other painful times and feel thankful for what they taught us. The puzzle pieces take on a deeper meaning when we enjoy the gift of perspective. The pain at this moment fits, too, in the bigger picture of our lives. And it will pass. It is passing. The wisdom of the past tells us that pain enriches us, prepares us to better serve others. We come to know who we are and the specialness of our gifts through the despair that at times encumbers us. An old, wise saying, is, "We are never given more than we can handle." My pain today is bringing me closer to the woman I'm meant to be. With each breath I'll remember that. ************************************************** ********* Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition Chapter 5 - HOW IT WORKS Suppose we fall short of the chosen ideal and stumble? Does this mean we are going to get drunk. Some people tell us so. But this is only a half-truth. It depends on us and on our motives. If we are sorry for what we have done, and have the honest desire to let God take us to better things, we believe we will be forgiven and will have learned our lesson. If we are not sorry, and our conduct continues to harm others, we are quite sure to drink. We are not theorizing. These are facts out of our experience. p. 70 ************************************************** ********* 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." In the years since, however, most of us have come to agree with those doctors. We have had a much keener look at ourselves and those about us. We have seen that we were prodded by unreasonable fears or anxieties into making a life business of winning fame, money, and what we thought was leadership. So false pride became the reverse side of that ruinous coin marked "Fear." We simply had to be number one people to cover up our deep-lying inferiorities. In fitful successes we boasted of greater feats to be done; in defeat we were bitter. If we didn't have much of any worldly success we became depressed and cowed. Then people said we were of the "inferior" type. But now we see ourselves as chips off the same old block. At heart we had all been abnormally fearful. It mattered little whether we had sat on the shore of life drinking ourselves into forgetfulness or had plunged in recklessly and willfully beyond our depth and ability. The result was the same--all of us had nearly perished in a sea of alcohol. pp. 123-124 ************************************************** ********* Every body can make it with a little help from a friend. --Rab5178 Don't let yesterday use up too much of today. --Will Rogers First keep the peace within yourself, then you can also bring peace to others. --Thomas A Kempis, 1420 Life is something like this trumpet. If you don't put anything in it you don't get anything out. And that's the truth. --W. C. Handy (1873-1958) Composer Take a walk with God. He will meet you at the Steps. --unknown F A I T H = Fantastic Adventures In Trusting Him. "If you keep on doing what you've always done, you'll keep on getting what you've always got." --W. L. Bateman *********************************************** Father Leo's Daily Meditation THOUGHT "There is no place in active life on which thought is negligible." -- T. S. Eliot It is not a crime to think. It is not a sin to have a brain. To think is human. However, so much of my past thinking was destructive and negative. The disease of addiction permeated every aspect of my life particularly my thoughts. For years my best ideas justified my addiction. Today I am open to a change of mind. I can choose to change my ideas. I am free to think differently. God is alive in my willingness to change. Lord, help my thinking to recover. ************************************************** ********* "What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?" Romans 8:31 "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity." Colossians 3:12-14 Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. James 1:12 ************************************************** ********* Daily Inspiration We are each a huge container of talents and abilities many of which we have not yet discovered and recognized. Lord, increase my ability to believe in myself and let the wonderful me burst out. We only have so much time and so much energy in a day. To use it grumbling leaves less time for enjoyment and accomplishment. Lord, may I focus on looking for Your blessings in every part of my life. |
Wisdom is Both: Wanting and Acting.
Wisdom has two steps:wanting and acting. One without the other is either a dream or a reaction. Spiritual wisdom is wanting to know God's will, and pursue it; wanting to please Him, and obey; wanting to be with Him for eternity, and live in His path. Lord, help me want it so much, that acting towards it becomes a second nature. W.O.W 101:170: |
November 9
Daily Reflections STEPPING INTO THE SUNLIGHT But first of all we shall want sunlight; nothing much can grow in the dark. Meditation is our step out into the sun. AS BILL SEES IT, p. 10 Sometimes I think I don't have time for prayer and meditation, forgetting that I always found the time to drink. It is possible to make time for anything I want to do if I want it badly enough. When I start the routine of prayer and meditation, it's a good idea to plan to devote a small amount of time to it. I read a page from our Fellowship's books in the morning, and say "Thank You, God." when I go to bed at night. As prayer becomes a habit, I will increase the time spent on it, without even noticing the foray it makes into my busy day. If I have trouble praying, I just repeat the Lord's Prayer because it really covers everything. Then I think of what I can be grateful for and say a word of thanks. I don't need to shut myself in a closet to pray. It can be done even in a room full of people. I just remove myself mentally for an instant. As the practice of prayer continues, I will find I don't need words, for God can, and does, hear my thoughts through silence. ************************************************** ********* Twenty-Four Hours A Day A.A. Thought For The Day I have learned to be less negative and more positive. I used to take a negative view of almost everything. Most people, in my estimation, were bluffing. There seemed to be very little good in the world, but lots of hypocrisy and sham. People could not be trusted. They would "take you " if they could. All church-goers were partly hypocrites. It seemed I should take everything "with a grain of salt." That was my general attitude toward life. Now I am more positive. I believe in people and in their capabilities. There is much love and truth and honesty in the world. I try not to run people down. Life now seems worthwhile and it is good to live. Am I less negative and more positive? Meditation For The Day Think of God as a Great Friend and try to realize the wonder of that friendship. When you give God not only worship, obedience, and allegiance, but also close companionship, then He can feel that He and you are working together. He can do things for you and you can do things for Him. Your prayers become more real to you when you feel that God counts on your friendship and you count on His. Prayer For The Day I pray that I may think of God as my Friend. I pray that I may feel that I am working for Him and with Him. ************************************************** ********* As Bill Sees It Telling the Worst, p. 311 Though the variations were many, my main theme was always "How godawful I am !" Just as I often exaggerated my modest attainments by pride, so I exaggerated my defects through guilt. I would race about, confessing all (and a great deal more) to whoever would listen. Believe it or not, I took this widespread exposure of my sins to be great humility on my part, and considered it a great spiritual asset and consolation! But later on I realized at depth that the great harms I had done others were not truly regretted. These episodes were merely the basis for storytelling and exhibitionism. With this realization came the beginning of a certain amount of humility. Grapevine, June 1961 ************************************************** ********* Walk In Dry Places Compliance isn't acceptance Honesty We are sometimes mystified when people come into AA program, respond to its message for months or years, and then disappear, seemingly without a trace. Later, we may be shocked to learn that they're drinking again. While we have no way of knowing the real reason, on possible explanation is that they were practicing compliance without really accepting the program. The danger of compliance is that it may simply be an outward show of working the program while leaving one's real thoughts and feelings unchanged. At the same time, we often urge people to practice what is really only a form of compliance. We tell them, for example, to "bring the body" to meetings in the belief that the heart will follow. This does little good if one's heart does not follow! The only solution is to continue the difficult but rewarding search for honesty in all things. When we examine ourselves honestly, we will recognize when we are truly accepting and when we are merely complying. I'll remember today that the real success of AA is not in the number of people who show up at meetings, but in how we truly accept the program. ************************************************** ********* Keep It Simple He who can take advice is sometimes superior to he who can give it. ---Karl von Knebel In recovery, we learn that we don’t know everything. We had stopped listening. Most of us had been asked by family, friends, doctors, and employers to stop drinking and using other drugs. But, we didn’t listen. If we had listened, we would’ve been in this program long ago. Addiction did something to how we listen. We heard only what we wanted to hear. Do I still hear only what I want? In recovery, we learn to listen. We listen to our groups. We listen to our sponsor. We listen as we read. The better we listen, the better our recovery. Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, open my ears and eyes to this new way of life. Allow me to hear Your wisdom in the Twelve Steps. Allow me to be someone who takes advice, not just gives it. Action for the Day: Today, I’ll try to listen. Today I’ll seek the advice to others. I’ll ask my sponsor how I may better my program. ************************************************** ********* Each Day a New Beginning On any journey, we must find out where we are before we can plan the first step. --Kathy Boevink Our lives in all aspects are a journey toward a destination, one fitting to our purpose, our special gifts, our particular needs as women. Each day contributes to our journey, carrying us closer to our destination. However, we often take a circuitous route. We get stranded or waylaid by our selfish desires, by the intrusion of our controlling ego. We can reflect on the progress we've made toward our destination, the steps we've taken that have unknowingly contributed to our journey. Our easiest steps have been the ones we took in partnership with God. It's in God's mind that our path is well marked. We are just where we need to be today. The experiences that we meet are like points on the map of our journey. Some of them are rest stops. Others resemble high-speed straight-aways. The journey to our destination is not always smooth, but the more we let God sit in the driver's seat, the easier will be our ride. I will plan my journey today with God's help, and my ride will be smooth. ************************************************** ********* Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition Chapter 5 - HOW IT WORKS To sum up about sex: We earnestly pray for the right ideal, for guidance in each questionable situation, for sanity, and for the strength to do the right thing. If sex is very troublesome, we throw ourselves the harder into helping others. We think of their needs and work for them. This takes us out of ourselves. It quiets the imperious urge, when to yield would mean heartache. p. 70 ************************************************** ********* 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." But today, in well-matured A.A.'s, these distorted drives have been restored to something like their true purpose and direction. We no longer strive to dominate or rule those about us in order to gain self-importance. We no longer seek fame and honor in order to be praised. When by devoted service to family, friends, business, or community we attract widespread affection and are sometimes singled out for posts of greater responsibility and trust, we try to be humbly grateful and exert ourselves the more in a spirit of love and service. True leadership, we find, depends upon able example and not upon vain displays of power or glory. p. 124 ************************************************** ********* Make failure your teacher, not your undertaker. We all make mistakes. The important thing is to learn from your mistakes. "When everything has to be right, something isn't." --Stanislaw Lec "Jealousy is all the fun you think they had." --Erica Jong "To cure jealousy is to see it for what it is, a dissatisfaction with self." --Joan Didion "As a moth gnaws a garment, so doeth envy consume a man." --St. John Chrysostom A person's worth is contingent upon who he is, not upon what he does, or how much he has. The worth of a person, or a thing, or an idea, is in being, not in doing, not in having. --Alice Mary Hilton *********************************************** Father Leo's Daily Meditation ACCEPTANCE "Adversity is the trial of principle. Without it a man hardly knows whether he is honest or not." -- Henry Fielding The acceptance of my disease has brought me into recovery. If I had not known and confronted the disease of addiction in my life, I would not know the joys of sobriety and serenity. Spirituality involves facing my disease. Today I believe that had I not seen my dishonesty, I could not fully appreciate honesty. If I had not recognized the lies and games in my life, I could never have appreciated the "openness" and freedom of sobriety. Owning my violence brought me to peace and tolerance. Facing my hell gave me a glimpse of paradise. The disease was not only my prison but when accepted, became the key to recovery. Spirituality, finding God in our lives, requires a "rigorous honesty" that uses the past pain to experience today's gratitude. God, it is through the acceptance of my failings that I can love the world. ************************************************** ********* "You are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love." Nehemiah 9:17 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13 ************************************************** ********* Daily Inspiration Everything in life is not logical, but we can enjoy the moment anyway. Lord, help me become spontaneous to the dreams that pass by. Rise above the little things. Lord,may I overlook pettiness and jealousies and be secure in myself and my actions. |
November 10
Daily Reflections A SENSE OF BELONGING Perhaps one of the greatest rewards of meditation and prayer is the sense of belonging that comes to us. TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 105 That's what it is -- belonging! After a session of meditation I knew that the feeling I was experiencing was a sense of belonging because I was so relaxed. I felt quieter inside, more willing to discard little irritations. I appreciated my sense of humor. What I also experience in my daily practice is the sheer pleasure of belonging to the creative flow of God's world. How propitious for us that prayer and meditation are written right into our A.A. way of life. ************************************************** ********* Twenty-Four Hours A Day A.A. Thought For The Day I am less self centered. The world used to revolve around me at the center. I cared more about myself, my own needs and desires, my own pleasure, my own way, than I did about the whole rest of the world. What happened to me was more important than anything else I could think of. I was selfishly trying to be happy and therefore I was unhappy most of the time. I have found that selfishly seeking pleasure does not bring true happiness. Thinking of myself all the time cut me off from the best in life. A.A. taught me to care less about myself and more about the other fellow. Am I less self-centered? Meditation For The Day When something happens to upset you and you are discouraged, try to feel that life's difficulties and troubles are not intended to arrest your progress in the spiritual life, but to test your strength and increase your determination to keep going. Whatever it is that must be met, you are to either overcome it or use it. Nothing should daunt you for long, nor should any difficulty overcome or conquer you. God's strength will always be there, waiting for you to use it. Nothing can be too great to be overcome, or if not overcome, then used. Prayer For The Day I pray that I may know that there can be no failure with God. I pray that with His help I may live a more victorious life. ************************************************** ********* As Bill Sees It Tolerance Keeps Us Sober, p. 312 "Honesty with ourselves and others gets us sober, but it is tolerance that keeps us that way. "Experience shows that few alcoholics will long stay away from a group just because they don't like the way it is run. Most return and adjust themselves to whatever conditions they must. Some go to a different group, or form a new one. "In other words, once an alcoholic fully realizes that he cannot get well alone, he will somehow find a way to get well and stay well in the company of others. It has been that way from the beginning of A.A. and probably always will be so." Letter, 1943 ************************************************** ********* Walk In Dry Places Honesty with another person Admitting wrongs. A good fifth Step in the program means being entirely hones with at least one person about the nature of our shortcomings. "A burden shared is a burden cut in half" is the principle behind this action. We can feel relieved that the 12 Step program specifically limits this sharing to "another person"___ though we can obviously add to that if we choose. However, we must be sure to share honestly with that one person, being careful not to gloss over this important Step. What is the result of this honest sharing? At the very least, it helps us lose the fear that people might know us as we really are. It helps us face the world with confidence and perhaps new humility. Morever, it can strengthen our ability to stay sober. All these gains are certainly reward enough. If I haven't been honest with at least one other person, I'll reread the Fifth Step today. This is something that should be done for my own future safety and well-being. ************************************************** ********* Keep It Simple Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.---Will Rogers The greatest adventure ever is recovery, and action is what’s important in recovery. That’s because the Twelve Steps are full of action. The whole world has now opened up to us. At times, this will scare us. But we aren’t alone. Our Higher Power is there to help us. All we have to ask ourselves is, “Would this action keep me in touch with my Higher Power?” If the answer is yes, then we take action. If the answer is no, then we don’t. In recovery, we’ll be busy. We admit our wrongs. We take inventories. We seek answers. We ask for help. We are to get as much as we can out of life. We can’t sit and watch; we have to get out and live life. Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, You gave me a second chance at life. Help me use it and not let my fear stop. Action for the Day: Today, I’ll five things I want to do but I’m afraid to try. I’ll talk to someone I trust about how I can do these things. ************************************************** ********* Each Day a New Beginning Because society would rather we always wore a pretty face, women have been trained to cut off anger. --Nancy Friday Anger is an emotion. Not a bad one, nor a good one; it simply exists when particular conditions in our lives are not met as we'd hoped. We can get free of our anger if we choose to take action appropriate to it. Anger can be a healthy prompter of action. But when no action is taken, anger turns inward, negatively influencing our perceptions of all experiences, all human interaction. We need to befriend all of our emotions. We need to trust that they all can serve us when we befriend them, learn from them, act in healthy concert with them. Our emotions reveal the many faces of our soul. And all are valid, deserving respect and acceptance. They are all representative of the inner self. Because we are less at home with anger, it becomes more powerful. When we deny it, it doesn't disappear. It surfaces in unrelated circumstances, complicating our lives in unnecessary ways. We can learn to enjoy our anger by celebrating the positive action it prompts. We can cherish the growth that accompanies it, when we take the steps we need to. It's okay for me to be angry today. It's growthful, if I use it for good. ************************************************** ********* Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition Chapter 5 - HOW IT WORKS If we have been thorough about our personal inventory, we have written down a lot. We have listed and analyzed our resentments. We have begun to comprehend their futility and their fatality. We have commenced to see their terrible destructiveness. We have begun to learn tolerance, patience and good will toward all men, even our enemies, for we look on them as sick people. We have listed the people we have hurt by our conduct, and are willing to straighten out the past if we can. p. 70 ************************************************** ********* 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." Still more wonderful is the feeling that we do not have to be specially distinguished among our fellows in order to be useful and profoundly happy. Not many of us can be leaders of prominence, nor do we wish to be. Service, gladly rendered, obligations squarely met, troubles well accepted or solved with God's help, the knowledge that at home or in the world outside we are partners in a common effort, the well-understood fact that in God's sight all human beings are important, the proof that love freely given surely brings a full return, the certainty that we are no longer isolated and alone in self-constructed prisons, the surety that we need no longer be square pegs in round holes but can fit and belong in God's scheme of things--these are the permanent and legitimate satisfactions of right living for which no amount of pomp and circumstance, no heap of material possessions, could possibly be substitutes. True ambition is not what we thought it was. True ambition is the deep desire to live usefully and walk humbly under the grace of God. pp. 124-125 ************************************************** ********* God is the source of all I need, and all others need. --Shelley "Call on God, but row away from the rocks." --Indian proverb "If you don't like something change it; if you can't change it, change the way you think about it." --Mary Engelbreit "Responsible persons are mature people who have taken charge of themselves and their conduct, who own their actions and own up to them--who answer for them." --William J. Bennett "Silence fertilizes the deep place where personality grows. A life with a peaceful center can weather all storms." --Norman Vincent Peale *********************************************** Father Leo's Daily Meditation FAITH "Faith is never identical with piety." -- Karl Barth Drugs make us artificial and unreal. They create a world of fantasy, rather than reality and teach us how to escape rather than live. Everything is exaggerated and dehumanized especially the practice of our religion. Often for the addict, religion becomes part of the escape, a ritual that becomes exaggerated and theatrical, expecting magic rather than miracle. Madonnas are kissed, promises are made, confessions become routine, prayers are mouthed and God is manipulated with the disease. Piety, the religious art of showmanship, keeps us a prisoner of the small "god". Faith takes seriously our pain and isolation and promises recovery only with change and accepted responsibility. We must walk our prayers and live our rosary! O God, build Your temple in my heart and Your altar in my daily sacrifice of love to self and others. ************************************************** ********* “I say this because I know what I am planning for you, not plans to hurt you. I will give you hope and a good future. Then you will call my name. You will come to me and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will search for me. And when you search for me with all your heart, you will find me.” Jeremiah 29:11-13 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding..." Proverbs 3:5 ************************************************** ********* Daily Inspiration Study who you are and follow your heart because it will often lead you to miracles. Lord, in knowing who I am, I will become better able to know and serve You. There is light behind every shadow. Lord, You are the light of the world. May I never forget to turn to You when my life fills with shadows. |
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. |
It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare; it is because we do not dare that they are difficult. —Seneca, Roman philosopher
Many meta-physicians have defined the word fear as an acronym: False Evidence Appearing Real. I have learned when I am afraid, my trust in God is little to nonexistent. Once I truly let go, I realized the very work I feared doing was what I was here to do. What we fear is often what takes us deeper, fuels our growth, and helps us shine. I thank God for giving me the courage to embrace who I came here to be. W.O.W 101;) |
November 21
Daily Reflections A CLASSIC PRAYER Lord, make me a channel for thy peace - that where there is hatred, I may bring love - that where there is wrong. I may bring the spirit of forgiveness - that where there is discord, I may bring harmony - that where there is error, I may bring truth - that where there is doubt, I may bring faith - that where there is despair, I may bring hope - that where there are shadows, I may bring light - that where there is sadness, I may bring joy. Lord, grant that I may seek rather to comfort than to be comforted - to understand, than to be understood - to love, than to be loved. For it is by self-forgetting that one finds. It is by forgiving that one is forgiven. It is by dying that one awakens to Eternal Life. Amen. TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 99 No matter where I am in my spiritual growth, the St. Francis prayer helps me improve my conscious contact with the God of my understanding. I think that one of the great advantages of my faith in God is that I do not understand Him, or Her, or It. It may be that my relationship with my Higher Power is so fruitful that I do not have to understand. All that I am certain of is that if I work the Eleventh Step regularly, as best I can, I will continue to improve my conscious contact, I will know His will for me, and I will have the power to carry it out. ************************************************** ********* Twenty-Four Hours A Day A.A. Thought For The Day I no longer waste money, but try to put it to good use. Like all of us, when I was drunk, I threw money around "like a drunken sailor." It gave me a feeling of importance--a millionaire for a day. But the morning after, with an empty wallet and perhaps some undecipherable checks to boot, was a sad awakening. One of the hardest things to face is the fact of wasted money. How could I have been such a fool? How will I ever make it up? Thoughts like these get you down. When we are sober, we spend our hard earned money as it should be spent. Although some of us could be more generous in our A.A. giving, at least we do not throw it away. Am I making good use of my money? Meditation For The Day You were meant to be at home and comfortable in the world. Yet some people live a life of quiet desperation. This is the opposite of being at home and at peace with the world. Let your peace of mind be evident to those around you. Men should see that you are comfortable, and seeing it, know that it springs from your trust in a higher power. The dull, hard way of resignation is not God's way. Faith takes the sting out of the winds of adversity and brings peace even in the midst of struggle. Prayer For The Day I pray that I may be more comfortable in my way of living. I pray that I may feel more at home and at peace with myself. ************************************************** ********* As Bill Sees It Groping Toward God, p. 323 "More than most people, I think, alcoholics want to know who they are, what this life is about, whether they have a divine origin and an appointed destiny, and whether there is a system of cosmic justice and love. "It is the experience of many of us in the early stages of drinking to feel that we have had glimpses of the Absolute and a heightened feeling of identification with the cosmos. While these glimpses and feelings doubtless have a validity, they are deformed and finally swept away in the chemical, spiritual, and emotional damage wrought by the alcohol itself. "In A.A., and in many religious approaches, alcoholics find a great deal more of what they merely glimpse and felt while trying to grope their way toward God in alcohol." Letter, 1960 ************************************************** ********* Walk In Dry Places Alcoholism in the workplace Employment Most of the personal stories in AA include troubles in the workplace. This is not surprising, because the disease itself almost guarantees that an active alcoholic is likely to make more mistakes, have higher absenteeism, and get into trouble with bosses and/or fellow employees. Who really wants a practicing alcoholic on the payroll? Who would want such a person as a manager or employer? Who wants to be treated by a doctor who is drunk or badly hung over. If our alcoholism created problems in the workplace, we have no moral right to blame others who held us accountable for this. Far from blaming others who were critical of us, we owe personal amends for any harm we caused employers or fellow workers. The good news is that recovery makes it possible for us to perform up to acceptable standards at work and carry out our responsibilities. In sobriety, we can write a new chapter and establish a good work history. In my work today, I'll keep in mind the wonderful advantages I have as a result of knowing and practicing the AA principles. As a recovering alcoholic, I can be a positive force in an organization. ************************************************** ********* Keep It Simple To love others, we must first learn to love ourselves.---Anonymous Sometimes we think our life would be fine if that dream person showed up. But loving someone isn’t easy. Our bad habits cause problems. We have to change. Sometimes we aren’t ready to have on especial person. We have to have a group of people---our recovery group---to love and help us get healthy. We must learn to trust, to be honest, to give help, and to love others. The truth is, no one person can make our life wonderful---except us. We hold happiness inside of us. It’s in our spirit. Look no further. Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me love myself Action for the Day: I’ll list five ways I will love myself today. ************************************************** ********* Each Day a New Beginning Continuous effort--not strength or intelligence--is the key to unlocking our potential. --Liane Cordes Perseverance may well be our greatest asset. As we forge ahead on a project, it loses its power over us. Our confidence and abilities grow in concert with our progress on the project, preparing us to tackle the next one too. We have something special, uniquely our own to offer in this life. And we also have the potential to offer it successfully. However, we don't always realize our potential. Many of us stifled our development with fears of failure, low self-worth, assumed inadequacies. The past need plague us no longer. Help is readily available for us to discover our capacities for success. Abilities stand ready to be tapped, goals and projects await our recognition. Any commitment we make to a task that draws our interest will be reinforced by God's commitment to our efforts. We have a partner. Our efforts are always doubled when we make them--truly make them. I will not back away from a project today. I will persevere and find completion. I'll feel completed. ************************************************** ********* Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition We pocket our pride and go to it, illuminating every twist of character, every dark cranny of the past. Once we have taken this step, withholding nothing, we are delighted. We can look the world in the eye. We can be alone at perfect peace and ease. Our fears fall from us. We begin to feel the nearness of our Creator. We may have had certain spiritual beliefs, but now we begin to have a spiritual experience. The feeling that the drink problem has disappeared will often come strongly. We feel we are on the Broad Highway, walking hand in hand with the Spirit of the Universe. p. 75 ************************************************** ********* Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions Tradition Two - "For our group purpose, there is but one ultimate authority - a loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience." Where does A.A. get its direction? Who runs it? This, too, is a puzzler for every friend and newcomer. When told that our Society has no president having authority to govern it, no treasurer who can compel the payment of any dues, no board of directors who can cast an erring member into outer darkness, when indeed no A.A. can give another a directive and enforce obedience, our friends gasp and exclaim, "This simply can't be. There must be an angle somewhere." These practical folk then read Tradition Two, and learn that the sole authority in A.A. is a loving God as He may express Himself in the group conscience. They dubiously ask an experienced A.A. member if this really works. The member, sane to all appearances, immediately answers, "Yes! It definitely does." The friends mutter that this looks vague, nebulous, pretty naive to them. Then they commence to watch us with speculative eyes, pick up a fragment of A.A. history, and soon have the solid facts. p. 132 ************************************************** ********* Life does not have to be perfect to be wonderful. --Annette Funicello Happiness is an inside job. --unknown "People are lonely because they build walls instead of bridges." --Joseph Fort Newton AA is not something you join, it's a way of life. --unknown I trust God's plan for me today. I know that I am being guided at all times. I know all I need to know in any given moment. --Ruth Fishel Don't stare at the steps of success - step up the stairs. --American Proverb *********************************************** Father Leo's Daily Meditation HEROES "Self-trust is the essence of heroism." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson In my recovery I have become my hero. It sounds egotistical but it is part of my program of self-love. I have many other heroes but today I respect myself. Today I believe that God is involved in my life; an aspect of divinity exists within me. I trust me with my life, and I am proud of the daily choices I make for my sobriety. Spirituality allows me to be my hero today because it is with my respect of self that I can truly respect others; the awareness of my dignity affords dignity to others; my personal healing brings healing to others. Today I am the center of my universe. Thank You for the awareness of the achievements and successes in my life; today I am my own winner. ************************************************** ********* "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in Heaven." Matthew 5:16 "As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us." Psalm 103:12 And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love. 2 John 1:6 The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:17-18 ************************************************** ********* Daily Inspiration Don't spoil what you already have by using up your time wanting what you don't have. Lord, may I live with gratitude and take back my life because my life is not and never will be in the hands of fate. When you feel anger, allow yourself no more than 5 minutes because after that, anger is self-indulging and turns quickly to hatred and rage. Lord, You are a forgiving God. Heal my hurts. |
November 22
Daily Reflections ONLY TWO SINS . . . . there are only two sins; the first is to interfere with the growth of another human being, and the second is to interfere with one's own growth. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 542 Happiness is such an elusive state. How often do my "prayers" for others involve "hidden" prayers for my own agenda? How often is my search for happiness a boulder in the path of growth for another, or even myself? Seeking growth through humility and acceptance brings things that appear to be anything but good, wholesome and vital. Yet in looking back, I can see that pain, struggles and setbacks have all contributed eventually to serenity through growth in the program. I ask my Higher Power to help me not cause another's lack of growth today - or my own. ************************************************** ********* Twenty-Four Hours A Day A.A. Thought For The Day I have got rid of most of my boredom. One of the hardest things that a new member of A.A. has to understand is how he can stay sober and not be bored. Drinking was always the answer to all kinds of boring people and boring situations. But once you have taken up the interest of A.A., once you have given it your time and enthusiasm, boredom should not be a problem to you. A new life opens up before you that can be always interesting. Sobriety should give you so many new interests in life that you shouldn't have time to be bored. Have I got rid of the fear of being bored? Meditation For The Day "If I have not charity, I am become as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal." Charity means to care enough about your fellow man to really want to do something for him. A smile, a word of encouragement, a word of love, goes winged on its way, simple enough it may seem, while the mighty words of an orator fall on deaf ears. Use up the odd moments of your day in trying to do some little thing to cheer up your fellow man. Boredom comes from thinking too much about yourself. Prayer For The Day I pray that my day may be brightened by some little act of charity. I pray that I may try today to overcome the self-centeredness that makes me bored. ************************************************** ********* As Bill Sees It Spirituality and Money, p. 324 Some of us still ask, "Just what is this Third Legacy business anyhow? And just how much territory does "service" take in?" Let's begin with my own sponsor, Ebby. When Ebby heard how serious my drinking was, he resolved to visit me. He was in New York; I was in Brooklyn. His resolve was not enough; he had to take action and he had to spend money. He called me on the phone and then got into the subway; total cost, ten cents. At the level of the telephone booth and subway turnstile, spirituality and money began to mix. One without the other would have amounted to nothing at all. Right then and there, Ebby established the principle that A.A. in action calls for the sacrifice of much time and a little money. A.A. Comes Of Age, pp. 140-141 ************************************************** ********* Walk In Dry Places Too smart to stay sober Humility "I've never seen anybody who's too dumb to stay sober. But I've met a few people who were too smart." These wise words by an older member sum up what we sometimes see.... people who feel turned off by the program because it seems to simple and involves so many people of ordinary education and backgrounds. Alcoholism is much like other diseases in the way it strikes all people. Diabetes, for example, victimizes people of all intelligence and education levels. We could never believe that being smart would give us an advantage in dealing with such an illness. In the same way, the very smart person, has no edge over others in gaining sobriety. In fact, pride in such gifts can be a stumbling block. It can be a barrier to the simple acceptance and surrender needed for success in the 12 Step Program. We do have many very smart people in AA. They are also wise enough to know that nobody can outsmart John Barleycorn. We can feel grateful for mental abilities and education that halp us get along in the world. Our sobriety, however, is a separate type of gift that we did not create. ************************************************** ********* Keep It Simple We are healed of a suffering only be experiencing it in full. ---Marcel Proust We must never forget our past. We need to remember the power that our illness has over us. Why? So we can remember how our recovery began. So we can remember we’re not cured. So we can tell our stories. We must remember how we acted. Why? So we don’t act and think like addicts. Most of us had a poor relationships with friends, family, and ourselves. We need to remember how lonely we felt. That way, we’ll make recovery grow stronger One Day at a Time. Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me always remember how my illness almost destroyed me. Help me face the pain of these memories. Action for the Day: I will talk about my past life with those who support my recovery. I will tell them what it is that I must remember about my past. ************************************************** ********* Each Day a New Beginning . . . as awareness increases, the need for personal secrecy almost proportionately decreases. --Charlotte Painter We hang onto secrets when we're unsure of ourselves and the role we're asked to play--secrets about our inner thoughts, our dreams and aspirations, our feared inadequacies. Because we strive for perfection, assume it's achievable, and settle for no less in all our activities, we are haunted by our secret fears of not measuring up. The more committed we become to this program, the greater is our understanding of the fallacy of this way of thinking. And as our awareness increases, the more accepting we become of our human frailty, and the less need we have to cover it up. Our mental health is measurable by the openness we offer to the world. Secrets belie good health and heighten the barriers to it. The program's Fourth and Fifth Steps are the antidotes to being stuck in an unhealthy state of mind. They push us to let go of our secrets, freeing us from the power they wield. Practicing the principles of the program offers the remedy we need for the happiness we deserve. I will share a secret today and be free of its power over my life. ************************************************** ********* Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition Chapter 6 - INTO ACTION Returning home we find a place where we can be quiet for an hour, carefully reviewing what we have done. We thank God from the bottom of our heart that we know Him better. Taking this book down from our shelf we turn to the page which contains the twelve steps. Carefully reading the first five proposals we ask if we have omitted anything, for we are building an arch through which we shall walk a free man at last. Is our work solid so far? Are the stones properly in place? Have we skimped on the cement put into the foundation? Have we tried to make mortar without sand? p. 75 ************************************************** ********* Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions Tradition Two - "For our group purpose, there is but one ultimate authority - a loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience." What are these facts of A.A. life which brought us to this apparently impractical principle? John Doe, a good A.A. moves - let us say - to Middletown, U.S.A. Alone now, he reflects that he may not be able to stay sober, or even alive, unless he passes on to other alcoholics what was so freely given him. He feels a spiritual and ethical compulsion, because hundreds may be suffering within reach of his help. Then, too, he misses his home group. He needs other alcoholics as much as they need him. He visits preachers, doctors, editors, policemen , and bartenders ... with the result that Middletown now has a group, and he is the founder. pp. 132-133 ************************************************** ********* A day of worry is more exhausting than a week of work. --Cited in The Best of BITS & PIECES We all have ability. The difference is how we use it. --Stevie Wonder Forgive yourself for your faults and your mistakes and move on. --Les Brown It is in the silence of the heart that God speaks. --Mother Teresa Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom. --Marcel Proust Gratitude is the heart's memory. --French proverb Real thanksgiving is thanks-living. --unknown We don't need more to be thankful for, we need to be more thankful. --unknown Life's little duties should never come before love. Make time for those you care about. --unknown *********************************************** Father Leo's Daily Meditation OBESITY "Obesity is really widespread." -- Joseph O. Kern II To be fat is to be lost. It is a self-imposed isolation that keeps people sad. The fat is the result of an addiction to a series of chemicals in food that society finds acceptable; the disease of bulimia is widespread. But it can be changed. People can and do get well from a compulsion around food by surrendering to the reality of their compulsion. The people-pleasing must be seen. The mask must be removed. The pain in the family must be talked about. Feelings that have been buried behind the food for years should be expressed. Feelings are to be felt! We need not remain fat, and recovery begins when we begin to have hope; we begin to love ourselves; we begin to believe in ourselves. O Lord, You hear the prayer of all Your children help me to hear my prayers, too! ************************************************** ********* "I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart." Psalm 9:1 "Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to him and bless his name." Psalm 100:4 ************************************************** ********* Daily Inspiration Make it your goal to be someone that you would like to spend the rest of your life with. Lord, help me approach my day interested in everything that happens so that my life will truly be an adventure. Through the power of God within me, I am stronger than any of my circumstances. Lord, I seek, I knock and I ask and You are always there and ready to give me the miracles that I need. |
Meditation like any spiritual practice, silent meditation has to be experienced, committed to and practiced over and over again. It is like learning to swim. We cannot learn to swim until we actually get into the water. When we get in the water for the first time, it might be scary, uncomfortable or awkward. The more time we spend there, the more we practice, the greater our sense of ease. We develop a skill set and ultimately it becomes as natural as breathing.
Just as learning to swim does not prevent the occasional experience of choppy waters, so too, in meditation, we may still experience disturbances in our lives. Our new practice creates the container and the method by which we navigate whatever may show up. The intention of silent meditation is conscious contact with God. We set aside the distractions of the world and connect deeply with the essence of our being. Practicing the Silence will not "get" us anything. It connects our conscious mind with God, the All-That-Is. As we align in consciousness, as we swim in the ocean of Silence, we develop a conscious inner awareness. We experience the Silence as the constant, abiding foundation of all that arises and falls away in this world. We see the play of consciousness for what it is and align with the Eternal. We see with new eyes, hear with new ears. We live what is described as "the peace that passes all understanding." How do you begin? It’s quite simple. Sit quietly in the Silence. If you need a focus, follow your breath. If your mind chatters, and it will, just gently return focus to your breath. Dissolve into the Silence and let the Silence reveal Itself to you. God is always present in every aspect of our lives. Practicing the Silence brings our consciousness into the direct experience of God. It is that simple. It is that profound. By Rev. Carolyne Mathlin. W.O.W101:170: |
November 23
Daily Reflections HOLD YOUR FACE TO THE LIGHT Believe more deeply. Hold your face up to the Light, even though for the moment you do not see. AS BILL SEES IT, p. 3 One Sunday in October, during my morning meditation, I glanced out the window at the ash tree in our front yard. At once I was overwhelmed by its magnificent, golden color! As I stared in awe at God's work of art, the leaves began to fall and, within minutes, the branches were bare. Sadness came over me as I thought of the winter months ahead, but just as I was reflecting on autumn's annual process, God's message came through. Like the trees, stripped of their leaves in the fall, sprout new blossoms in the spring, I had had my compulsive, selfish ways removed by God in order for me to blossom into a sober, joyful member of A.A. Thank you, God, for the changing seasons and for my ever-changing life. ************************************************** ********* Twenty-Four Hours A Day A.A. Thought For The Day I no longer refuse to do anything because I cannot do it to perfection. Many of us alcoholics use the excuse of not being able to do something perfectly to enable us to do nothing at all. We pretend to be perfectionists. We are good at telling people how a thing should be done, but when we come to the effort of doing it ourselves, we balk. We say to ourselves: I might make a mistake, so I'd better let the whole thing slide. In A.A. we set our goals high, but that does not prevent us from trying. The mere fact that we will never fully reach these goals does not prevent us from doing the best we can. Have I stopped hiding behind the smoke-screen of perfectionism? Meditation For The Day "In the world ye shall have tribulation. But be of good cheer. I have overcome the world." Keep an undaunted spirit. Keep your spirit free and unconquered. You can be undefeated and untouched by failure and all its power, by letting your spirit overcome the world; rise above the earth's turmoil into the secret chamber of perfect peace and confidence. When a challenge comes to you, remember that you have God's help and nothing can wholly defeat you. Prayer For The Day I pray that I may have confidence and be of good cheer. I pray that I may not fear the power of failure. ************************************************** ********* As Bill Sees It Humility Brings Hope, p. 325 Now that we no longer patronize bars and bordellos, now that we bring home the pay checks, now that we are so very active in A.A., and now that people congratulate us on these signs of progress--well, we naturally proceed to congratulate ourselves. Of course, we are not yet within hailing distance of humility. << << << >> >> >> We ought to be willing to try humility in seeking the removal of our other shortcomings, just as we did when we admitted that we were powerless over alcohol, and came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. If humility could enable us to find the grace by which the deadly alcohol obsession could be banished, then there must be hope of the same result respecting any other problem we can possibly have. 1. Grapevine, June 1961 2. 12 & 12, p. 76 ************************************************** ********* Walk In Dry Places The only reason to drink Staying sober "There's only one real reason I can ever have for taking a drink, and that's because I want to." This remark at a meeting sums up AA's position on why we drink. We never really drink because of pressures and troubles. We drink because we want to, because we feel like taking a drink. It's true that a serious crisis, like going into bankruptcy, may make us conscious of an urger to drink. But we know that we're also likely to have such urges in the face of good fortune. The alcoholic who would drink over a bankruptcy would also probably get drunk if he or she won the lottery. By refusing to accept all of these alleged "reasons" for drinking, AA simplified our problem so we can deal with it. We either want to drink or we don't want to drink, period. Even if we want to drink... and some members do.. AA can show us how to stay sober and eventually lose such desires. Nothing has the power to make me drink today. It is only my own willingness that can destroy my sobriety. ************************************************** ********* Keep It Simple Let me listen to me and not to them. ---Gertrude Stein Often we try to please everyone around us. But this may not make us happy, and so we get angry. We feel taken advantage of. We may be kind to others, but first we must love ourselves. How? By learning to listen to ourselves. To our dreams. To our higher power. By doing this we’ll be more happy. And those around us will probably be more happy too. As our AA medallions say, “To Thine Own Self Be True.” Prayer for the Day: I pray that I’ll listen to that gentle, loving voice inside me. Higher Power, help me make me make my “conscious contact” with You better. Action for the Day: I will write down why I need to be true to myself. ************************************************** ********* Each Day a New Beginning When you send out real love, real love will return to you. --Florence Scovel Shinn Real love is selfless love. It expects nothing in return. It is not conditional. It doesn't keep score. It is too seldom given. Many of us came into the program hurting, feeling unloved, looking desperately for love, unable to love selflessly. But we are learning. We are climbing the same mountain, all of us. Our particular paths will cross the paths of many others before reaching the top, where we will find full enlightenment. And any path we cross has a special contribution to make to our own progress. We can be grateful for all intersecting paths, no matter how adverse they seem at the time. We can offer all our fellow-travelers real love, and our own trip will benefit manyfold. We need not be ashamed of our desire for love. Nor need we feel shame that we've bargained for it. But we do need to understand that the kind of love we seek can only be gained when we quit searching for it and simply offer it to all the people in our midst. I will look into the hearts of all the people I encounter today and offer them love. I'll receive that which I give. ************************************************** ********* Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition Chapter 6 - INTO ACTION If we can answer to our satisfaction, we then look at Step Six. We have emphasized willingness as being indispensable. Are we now ready to let God remove from us all the things which we have admitted are objectionable? Can He now take them all--every one? If we still cling to something we will not let go, we ask God to help us be willing. When ready, we say something like this: “My Creator, I am now willing that you should have all of me, good and bad. I pray that you now remove from me every single defect of character which stands in the way of my usefulness to you and my fellows. Grant me strength, as I go out from here, to do your bidding. Amen.” We have then completed Step Seven. p. 76 ************************************************** ********* Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions Tradition Two - "For our group purpose, there is but one ultimate authority - a loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience." Being the founder, he is at first the boss. Who else could be? Very soon, though, his assumed authority to run everything begins to be shared with the first alcoholics he has helped. At this moment, the benign dictator becomes the chairman of a committee composed of his friends. These are the growing group's hierarchy of service - self-appointed, of course, because there is no other way. In a matter of months, A.A. booms in Middletown. p. 133 ************************************************** ********* Silence is also a form of speech. --West Africa Proverb Each day comes bearing its own gifts. Untie the ribbons. --Ruth Ann Schabacker Gratitude is our most direct line to God and the angels. If we take the time, no matter how crazy and troubled we feel, we can find something to be thankful for. The more we seek gratitude, the more reason the angels will give us for gratitude and joy to exist in our lives. --Terry Lynn Taylor "Our personal dispositions are as windowpanes through which we see the world either as rosy or dull. The way we color the glasses we wear is the way the world seems to us." --Bishop Fulton J. Sheen "Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation." --Brian Tracy You will get nothing out of life unless you make the decision to go after it. Persistence is the key to winning. --unknown *********************************************** Father Leo's Daily Meditation MEMORIES "History is the seed bed of the future." -- Leo Booth I talk about my drinking history, remembering the incidents and losses, because I believe "there is no gain without pain." To enjoy my sobriety I must share, on a daily basis, the reality of my disease. My pain is rooted in my history. I must live with my disease on a daily basis. I need to be aware of the disease process in my life. This awareness requires a "rigorously honest" inventory of my past attitudes and behaviors; ignorance is bliss for the disease of addiction! The acceptance and awareness of my past is my treatment for today. The more I understand about my yesterdays the better my recovery will be today. My life has a history and my spiritual program demands that I understand it. Teach me to face my past so that I can realistically live in my today. ************************************************** ********* "The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him." Lamentations 3:25 "And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." Colossians 3:17 And the Holy Spirit helps us in our distress. For we don't even know what we should pray for, nor how we should pray. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God's own will. Romans 8:26 -27 Fools think they need no advice, but the wise listen to others. A fool is quick-tempered, but a wise person stays calm when insulted. An honest witness tells the truth; a false witness tells lies. Some people make cutting remarks, but the words of the wise bring healing. Truth stands the test of time; lies are soon exposed. Deceit fills hearts that are plotting evil; joy fills hearts that are planning peace! Proverbs 12:15-20 ************************************************** ********* Daily Inspiration One of life's greatest pleasures is meeting and conquering our most difficult moments. Lord, teach me to trust myself and trust that You will never abandon me or my needs. See opportunity in your difficulties, not difficulty in your opportunities. Lord, I will focus on the goodness today brings to me and look for the many reasons I have to feel joy. |
November 24
Daily Reflections A UNIVERSAL SEARCH Be quick to see where religious people are right. Make use of what they offer. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 87 I do not claim to have all the answers in spiritual matters, any more than I claim to have all the answers about alcoholism. There are others who are also engaged in a spiritual search. If I keep an open mind about what others have to say, I have much to gain. My sobriety is greatly enriched, and my practice of the Eleventh Step more fruitful, when I use both the literature and practices of my Judeo-Christian tradition, and the resources of other religions. Thus, I receive support from many sources in staying away from the first drink. ************************************************** ********* Twenty-Four Hours A Day A.A. Thought For The Day Instead of being pretended perfectionists, in A.A. we are content if we are making progress. The main thing is to be growing. We realize that perfectionism is only a result of false pride and an excuse to save our faces. In A.A. we are willing to make mistakes and to stumble, provided we are always stumbling forward. We are not so interested in what we are as in what we are becoming. We are on the way, not at the goal. And we will be on the way as long as we live. No A.A. has ever "arrived." But we are getting better. Am I making progress? Meditation For The Day Each new day brings an opportunity to do some little thing that will help to make a better world, that will bring God's kingdom a little nearer to being realized on earth. Take each day's happenings as opportunities for something you can do for God. In that spirit, a blessing will attend all that you do. Offering this day's service to God, you are sharing in His work. You do not have to do great things. Prayer For The Day I pray that today I may do the next thing, the unselfish thing, the loving thing. I pray that I may be content with doing small things as long as they are right. ************************************************** ********* As Bill Sees It Welcome Criticism, p. 326 "Thanks much for your letter of criticism: I'm certain that had it not been for its strong critics, A.A. would have made slower progress. "For myself, I have come to set a high value on the people who have criticized me, whether they have seemed reasonable critics or unreasonable ones. Both have often restrained me from doing much worse than I actually have done. The unreasonable ones have taught me, I hope, a little patience. But the reasonable ones have always done a great job for all of A.A. and have taught me many a valuable lesson." Letter, 1955 ************************************************** ********* Walk In Dry Places Are there better paths to sobriety? Self-honesty Now that alcoholism recovery has been well established, alternatives to the AA program are being developed. These are designed to appeal to those who either will not or cannot accept AA. Nobody in AA should feel threatened by these new programs. We should, in fact, be delighted if ways are found to reach those whom we are unable to help. The need is so great that we should welcome anything that helps alcoholics. The only real test for any program is that it works. More important, it must work for us. No program is useful to us if we cannot apply it in our own lives. If we have found sobriety in AA, we have no need to look further. If AA was able to help us in our hour of desperate need, it can help us as the days unfold into the future. I'll be thankful today for the sobriety AA has given me. I'll also remember that my need for help in maintaining sobriety will never end. ************************************************** ********* Keep It Simple Freedom is not enough.---Lyndon B. Johnson We are free of alcohol and other drugs. We’ve been given a second chance or third chance. For that, we thank our Higher Power. We’ve started a new life. But to keep this life, we need to change. We need new friends. We need to let a Higher Power guide our hearts, minds, and bodies. We need new friends. We need to let a Higher Power guide our hearts, and bodies. We need to learn new values and how to stand up for them. We need to learn how to give and receive. Freedom from dependence is not enough. We also want to be happy, and to do something with our lives. So each day we keep learning, we keep growing. Each day without alcohol or other drugs is a gift, a gift from God. Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, You set me free. Now teach me to stay free. Guide me, for keeping my freedom is a big task Action for the Day: I will meditate on my freedom. I will take time to list all the ways I am now free. ************************************************** ********* Each Day a New Beginning "If onlys" are lonely. --Morgan Jennings The circumstances of our lives seldom live up to our expectations or desires. However, in each circumstance we are offered an opportunity for growth or change, a chance for greater understanding of life's heights and pitfalls. Each time we choose to lament what isn't, we close the door on the invitation to a better existence. We simply don't know just what's best for us. Our vision is limited. Less so today than yesterday, but limited still. The experiences we are offered will fail to satisfy our expectations because we expect so much less than God has planned for us in the days ahead. We get what we need, in the way of relationships, adventures, joys and sorrows, today and every day. Celebrating what we get and knowing there is good in it eases whatever trial we are undergoing. We are cared for, right now. We need not lament what we think we need. We do have what we need. We will always get what we need, when we need it. I will breathe deeply and relax. At this moment my every need is being attended to. My life is unfolding exactly as it should. ************************************************** ********* Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition Chapter 6 - INTO ACTION Now we need more action, without which we find that “Faith without works is dead.” Let’s look at Steps Eight and Nine. We have a list of all persons we have harmed and to whom we are willing to make amends. We made it when we took inventory. We subjected ourselves to a drastic self-appraisal. Now we go out to our fellows and repair the damage done in the past. We attempt to sweep away the debris which has accumulated out of our effort to live on self-will and run the show ourselves. If we haven’t the will to do this, we ask until it comes. Remember it was agreed at the beginning we would go to any lengths for victory over alcohol. p. 76 ************************************************** ********* Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions Tradition Two - "For our group purpose, there is but one ultimate authority - a loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience." Growing pains now beset the group. Panhandlers panhandle. Lonely hearts pine. Problems descend like an avalanche. Still more important, murmurs are heard in the body politic, which swell into a loud cry: "Do these oldtimers think they can run this group forever? Let's have an election!" The founder and his friends are hurt and depressed. They rush from crisis to crisis and from member to member, pleading; but it's no use, the revolution is on. The group conscience is about to take over. pp. 133-134 ************************************************** ********* You cannot do a kindness too soon, because you never know how soon it will be too late. --Cited in The Best of BITS & PIECES A light heart lives long. --Irish Proverb People are like stained glass windows: they sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light within. --Elizabeth Kubler-Ross There is no cosmetic for beauty like happiness. --Marguerite Gardiner Blessington Seven days without a meeting makes one weak. --unknown It takes only a moment to be kind, but the result can last a lifetime. --unknown *********************************************** Father Leo's Daily Meditation SHAME "If we are not ashamed to think it, we should not be ashamed to say it." -- Marcus Tullius Cicero I was afraid to tell you what I was thinking. I was afraid to speak or be noticed. I sat for hours silent and at times I wished I could vanish into the furniture. I was afraid of my shadow. This reveals not only my lack of confidence but my low self-esteem. I did not think I had anything to say, anything to offer, anything that might be considered interesting. I would laugh at stupid things to please people. Today I speak out. I do not hide what I am thinking. I believe I have something to offer in the celebration of life. And it feels good. My spiritual growth is proportionate to my willingness to let you know who I am and what I think. I celebrate my joy in living by sharing it. ************************************************** ********* Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends... I Corinthians 13 "Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:16 "For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations." Psalm 100:5 "Walk in love, as Christ also has loved us." Ephesians 5:2 ************************************************** ********* Daily Inspiration Much time is spent fearing that which isn't really there in the first place. Lord, help me conquer my fears and overcome my difficulties as they happen rather than giving up and letting my difficulties overcome me. Our thoughts have a powerful effect on our bodies. Lord, may my thoughts be wholesome and loving and bear good results on me and my life. |
There's some things I have to remember today. One of them is not to use no matter what. Every time I do that successfully, even when I screw something up or hurt someone, I can start over again if I haven't used Alcohol and all that goes with it on top of my shortcomings. Today, no matter what, I want to choose sobriety and peace in my life. Life happens, No matter what I don't pickup.
From the No Matter What Club of N.A. W.O.W 101:cool: |
November 25
Daily Reflections A POWERFUL TRADITION In the years before the publication of the book "Alcoholics Anonymous," we had no name. . .by a narrow majority the verdict was for naming our book "The Way Out." . . .One of our early lone members. . . found exactly twelve books already titled "The Way Out.". . . So "Alcoholics Anonymous" became first choice. That's how we got a name for our book of experience, a name for our movement and, as we are now beginning to see, a tradition of the greatest spiritual import. "A.A. TRADITION: HOW IT DEVELOPED." pp. 35-36 Beginning with Bill's momentous decision in Akron to make a telephone call rather than a visit to the hotel bar, how often has a Higher Power made itself felt at crucial moments in our history! The eventual importance that the principle of anonymity would acquire was but dimly perceived, if at all, in those early days. There seems to have been an element of chance even in the choice of a name for our Fellowship. God is no stranger to anonymity and often appears in human affairs in the guises of "luck", "chance," or "coincidence." If anonymity, somewhat fortuitously, became the spiritual basis for all of our Traditions, perhaps God was acting anonymously on our behalf. ************************************************** ********* Twenty-Four Hours A Day A.A. Thought For The Day I am not so envious of other people, nor am I so jealous of other people's possessions and talents. When I was drinking, I was secretly full of jealousy and envy of those people who could drink normally, who had the love and respect of their families, who lived a normal life and were accepted as equals by their friends. I pretended to myself that I was as good as they were, but I knew it wasn't so. Now I don't have to be envious any more. I try not to want what I don't deserve. I'm content to live with what I have earned by my efforts to live the right way. More power to those who have what I have not. At least, I'm trying. Have I got rid of the poison of envy? Meditation For The Day "My soul is restless till it finds its rest in Thee." A river flows on, until it loses itself in the sea. Our spirits long for rest in the Spirit of God. We yearn to realize a peace, a rest, a satisfaction that we have never found in the world or its pursuits. Some are not conscious of their need, and shut down the doors of their spirits against the spirit of God. They are unable to have true peace. Prayer For The Day I pray that I may feel the divine unrest. I pray that my soul may find its rest in God. ************************************************** ********* As Bill Sees It Three Choices, p. 327 The immediate object of our quest is sobriety--freedom from alcohol and from all its baleful consequences. Without this freedom, we have nothing at all. Paradoxically, though, we can achieve no liberation from the alcohol obsession until we become willing to deal with those character defects which have landed us in that helpless condition. In this freedom quest, we are always given three choices. A rebellious refusal to work upon our glaring defects can be an almost certain ticket to destruction. Or, perhaps for a time, we can stay sober with a minimum of self-improvement and settle ourselves into a comfortable but often dangerous mediocrity. Or, finally, we can continuously try hard for those sterling qualities that can add up to fineness of spirit and action--true and lasting freedom under God. Grapevine, November 1960 ************************************************** ********* Walk In Dry Places What ought to work-- but doesn't Understanding Alcoholism One of the old theories about alcoholism was that we drink because we had deep psychological problems. It followed that if we could clear up these problems, we would no longer need to drink excessively. Another theory was that staying dry for a long period of time would dislodge one's alcoholic tendencies. After a certain length of sobriety, we would be able to return to normal drinking. (NOT) Both theories sound plausible, but in practice neither has worked. Many of us came to grief trying to make these ideas work. What we eventually learn about psychological problems is that they may intensify our troubles, but they are not the real cause of our alcoholism. The cause may be rooted in some physical problem that enables us to achieve unusual highs from drinking. We also know that one drink acts as a trigger for more drinking--- at least for us. Our answer has been, first and foremost, to eliminate the first drink. Even if it doesn't square with theories, it works. No matter how long I've been sober, one drink would be deadly to me. Accepting that fact enabled me to get sober after finding that theories about my problem weren't working. ************************************************** ********* Keep It Simple Love is the reward of love.---Johann von Schiller When we used alcohol and other drugs, we shared little as possible. There was little love in our hearts. We had become selfish. This caused us to be lonely. Then something happened to change all of that. Remember the first time you walked into a meeting? You were met by people who shared. Maybe they shared a smile, their story, or just a cup of coffee with you. The sharing that goes on in a Twelve Step program is great. We learn that the more we give, the more we get. We get well by giving to others. Helping others is a great way to hold on to sobriety. Love is the reward of love. Prayer for the Day: I pray that I will be there when others need me. I pray that service will become a big part of my program. Action for the Day: Today, I’ll think of friends who could use my help. I’ll talk to them and offer to be there for them. ************************************************** ********* Each Day a New Beginning Change occurs when one becomes what she is, not when she tries to become what she is not. --Ruth P. Freedman Learning self-acceptance, and then loving the selves we are, present perhaps our two biggest hurdles to the attainment of emotional and spiritual health. Fortunately, they are not insurmountable hurdles. The program offers ready assistance. Women everywhere are making great strides in self-love and self-acceptance. We are learning self-love. And we are changing. The support we can give our sisters, and the support we receive, multiplies many times the healthy energy created--healthy energy that touches us all. Emotional and spiritual health are gifts promised by the program, when we work it. We must move beyond our perfectionism and relish our humanness. And the Steps are the way. We must learn humility and develop faith, and the Steps are the way. Learning to love all our parts, the qualities we like and the traits that discouragingly hang on, offers a new freedom. A freedom that invites change. A freedom that safeguards the emotional and spiritual well-being that we strive for. Confidence will come with my healthy self-acceptance. ************************************************** ********* Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition Chapter 6 - INTO ACTION Probably there are still some misgivings. As we look over the list of business acquaintances and friends we have hurt, we may feel diffident about going to some of them on a spiritual basis. Let us be reassured. To some people we need not, and probably should not emphasize the spiritual feature on our first approach. We might prejudice them. At the moment we are trying to put our lives in order. But this is not an end in itself. Our real purpose is to fit ourselves to be of maximum service to God and the people about us. It is seldom wise to approach an individual, who still smarts from our injustice to him, and announce that we have gone religious. In the prize ring, this would be called leading with the chin. Why lay ourselves open to being branded fanatics or religious bores? We may kill a future opportunity to carry a beneficial message. But our man is sure to be impressed with a sincere desire to set right the wrong. He is going to be more interested in a demonstration of good will than in our talk of spiritual discoveries. pp. 76-77 ************************************************** ********* Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions Tradition Two - "For our group purpose, there is but one ultimate authority - a loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience." Now comes the election. If the founder and his friends have served well, they may - to their surprise - be reinstated for a time. If, however, they have heavily resisted the rising tide of democracy, they may be summarily beached. In either case, the group now has a so-called rotating committee, very sharply limited in its authority. In no sense whatever can its members govern or direct the group. They are servants. Theirs is the sometimes thankless privilege of doing the group's chores. Headed by the chairman, they look after public relations and arrange meetings. Their treasurer, strictly accountable, takes money from the hat that is passed, banks it, pays the rent and other bills, and makes a regular report at business meetings. The secretary sees that literature is on the table, looks after the phone-answering service, answers the mail, and sends out notices of meetings. Such are the simple services that enable the group to function. the committee gives no spiritual advice, judges no one's conduct, issues no orders. Every one of them may be promptly eliminated at the next election if they try this. And so they make the belated discovery that they are really servants, not senators. These are universal experiences. Thus throughout A.A. does the group conscience decree the terms upon which its leaders shall serve. p. 134 ************************************************** ********* A recovering alcoholic without a sponsor is much like a ship without a rudder. --unknown "A positive attitude is like a fire: Unless you continue to add fuel, it goes out." --Alexander Lockhart We're all going to have winds and waves in our lives but nothing that happens can destroy your life unless you allow it to destroy what's in you. Work on building conscious contact with God that is stronger than anything in the world, so you don't look to the world as your guidance. Look within and you will find the power and love of God. --Mary Manin Morrissey "The sweetest of all sounds is praise." --Xenophon Start living now. Stop saving the good china for that special occasion. Stop withholding your love until that special person materializes. Every day you are alive is a special occasion. Every minute, every breath, is a gift from God. --Mary Manin Morrissey "If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans for the day." --unknown *********************************************** Father Leo's Daily Meditation IDEALISM "I am an idealist. I don't know where I am going but I'm on my way." -- Carl Sandburg Today I am on the move. I feel an energy in my life that gets excited each day. New people, new places, new ideas all give me "a spiritual charge" that help me enjoy my life. I don't have all the answers and sometimes I am confused but today I can live with this and enjoy it. God seems to reveal Himself more in the questions rather than the answers; it is the problems that produce the growth. The journey of my life is an adventure that is free and unchartered, even the pain and problems produce a benefit that can be used for my recovery. Nothing need be wasted. I am the Way. I am the Truth. I am the Light. ************************************************** ********* “Your heart will be where your treasure is.” Luke 12:34 A gentle answer turns away wrath, but harsh words stir up anger. The wise person makes learning a joy; fools spout only foolishness. The LORD is watching everywhere, keeping his eye on both the evil and the good. Gentle words bring life and health; a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit. Only a fool despises a parent's discipline; whoever learns from correction is wise. Proverbs 15:1-5 Therefore, since we have been made right in God's sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of highest privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God's glory. Romans 5:1-2 ************************************************** ********* Daily Inspiration If you worry a little each day, it eventually will add up to years. Lord, without Your strength it is so easy to let circumstances rob me of my joy. God is calling us to experience peace, satisfaction and joy as we have never experienced. Lord, I will follow You as You lift me to new levels of living. |
PEOPLE COME INTO YOUR LIFE FOR A REASON.
People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime. When you know which one it is, you will know what to do for that person. When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed. They have come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually. They may seem like a Godsend and they are. They are there for the reason you need them to be. Then, without any wrongdoing on your part or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end. Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away. Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand. What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled, their work is done. The prayer you sent up has been answered and now it is time to move on. Some people come into your life for a SEASON, because your turn has come to share, grow or learn. They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh. They may teach you something you have never done. They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy. Believe it, it is real. But only for a season. LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons, things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation. Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life. It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant . W.O.W101:170: |
"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 legs to run; or 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" Written by Father Pio.
W.O.W 101:170: |
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