today's readings

May 19

Daily Reflections

GIVING WITHOUT STRINGS

And he well knows that his own life has been made richer, as an extra dividend of giving to another without any demand for a return. AS BILL SEES IT, p. 69

The concept of giving without strings was hard to understand when I first came into the program. I was suspicious when others wanted to help me. I thought, "What do they want in return?" But I soon learned the joy of helping another alcoholic and I understood why they were there for me in the beginning. My attitudes changed and I wanted to help others. Sometimes I became anxious, as I wanted them to know the joys of sobriety, that life can be beautiful. When my life is full of a loving God of my understanding and I give that love to my fellow alcoholic, I feel a special richness that is hard to explain

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Twenty-Four Hours A Day

A.A. Thought For The Day

Fellowship is a big part of staying sober. The doctors call it group therapy. We never go to an A.A. meeting without taking something out of it. Sometimes we don't feel like going to a meeting and we think of excuses for not going. But we usually end up by going anyway and we always get some lift out of every meeting. Meetings are part of keeping sober. And we get more out of a meeting if we try to contribute something to it. Am I contributing my share at meetings?

Meditation For The Day

"He brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock and established my goings." The first part, "He brought me up out of a horrible pit," means that by turning to God and putting my problems in His hands, I am able to overcome my sins and temptations. "He set my feet upon a rock" means that when I trust God in all things, I have true security. "He established my goings" means that if I honestly try to live the way God wants me to live, I will have God's guidance in my daily living.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that my feet may be set upon a rock. I pray that I may rely on God to guide my comings and goings.

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As Bill Sees It

Basis of All Humility, p. 139

For just so long as we were convinced that we could live exclusively by our own individual strength and intelligence, for just that long was a working faith in a Higher Power impossible.

This was true even when we believed that God existed. We could actually have earnest religious beliefs which remained barren because we were still trying to play God ourselves. As long as we placed self-reliance first, a genuine reliance upon a Higher Power was out of the question.

That basic ingredient of all humility, a desire to seek and do God's will, was missing.

12 & 12, p. 72

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Walk in Dry Places

Principles are Enduring Problem Solving We often emphasize -Principles before personalities-- in Twelve Step programs, sometimes without fully understanding what's involved. The real message of this slogan is that we should treat people equality while following certain guidelines in our own actions. While we are influenced by strong personalities, we cannot rely on them for complete guidance and direction. People can betrayus or simply fail us through no fault of their own. Principles, on the other hand, are enduring and will be with us long after personal relationships wither away. One unfailing principle for living is to live each day remembering that God is guiding and directing all actions and outcomes. While we will be grateful for the assistance and cooperation of others, we will not hold them responsible for our successor failures. I'll live today with the belief that God's good plan is working gin all people's lives. I will not expect too much or too little of others, but rather will deal wit them fairly and decently.

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Keep It Simple

The art of living is more like wrestling than dancing.---Marcus Aurelius The struggles of life teach us a lot. They challenge our beliefs. As we struggle, we come to believe that our friends, family, and Higher Power will be there for us in hard times. But we must do our part. We need to call and honestly let people know how we are doing. We need to pray and ask our Higher Power for help. If we do these things, we'll come to respect and learn from hard times. Prayer for the Day: I pray for the wisdom to see that struggles are part of live. Higher Power, I pray for Your help in not taking struggles too personally. Action for the Day: I'll list four times I've struggled and what I learned from each stuggle. I'll share this with a friend.

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Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

Women Suffer Too

Despite great opportunities, alcohol nearly ended her life. Early member, she spread the word among women in ourpioneeringperiod.

An active member of A.A. since 1939, I feel myself a useful member of the human raceat last. I havesomething to contributeto humanity, since I am peculiarly qualified, as a fellow-sufferer, to give aid and comfort to those who have stumbled and fallen over this business of meeting life. I get my greatest thrill of accomplishment from the knowledge that I have played a part in the new happiness achieved by countless others like myself. The fact that I can work again and earn my living, is important, but secondary. I believe that my once over-weening self-will has finally found its proper place, for I can say many times daily, "Thy will bedone,notmine" . . . and mean it.

p. 207

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Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Step Eight - "Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to makeamends to them all."

Steps Eight and Nine are concerned with personal relations. First, we take a look backward and try to discover where we have been at fault; next we make a vigorous attempt to repair the damage we have done; and third, having thus cleaned away thedebris ofthepast,we consider how, with our newfound knowledge of ourselves, we may develop the best possible relations with every human being we know.

p. 77

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An old timer had shared in the meeting about praying for something, and that God had answered her request. Someone asked her, "How do you know it was God who granted your request?" She replied..."I didn't ask anyone else." --unknown

"When someone does something well, applaud! You will make two people happy." --Samuel Goldwyn

"Take time for solitude. How else can you contemplate the blessings of recovery." --Abby Warman

Be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind. Talk health, happiness, and prosperity to every person you meet. Make all your friends feel there is something special in them. Look at the sunny side of everything. Think only of the best, work only for the best, and expect only the best. Be as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own. Forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future. Give everyone a smile. Spend so much time improving yourself that you have no time left to criticize others. Be too big for worry and too noble for anger. --Christian D. Larsen

Try to enjoy everything you do, Life is too short not to. --unknown

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Father Leo's Daily Meditation

MONEY

"Money is the symbol of duty. It is the sacrament of having done for mankind that which mankind wanted." --Samuel Butler

St. Paul said, "The laborer is worthy of his hire." In one sense money -how people pay us for the services we have performed - is symbolic of our value in the community. Of course, this is not always true and people can make money by dishonest and destructive methods.

However, in our society money is also a force behind much creativity and job satisfaction. The danger is to become a "snob". Thinking that we are better than others because we earn more money.

Spirituality is about discovering the "oneness" of mankind and incorporating our creative "difference" - we can all learn from each other. Pretentiousness is indicative of insecurities that need to be dealt within our recovery program.

O Lord, let my gratitude be seen in my relationship with others.

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"To you, O Lord, I called; to the Lord I cried for mercy: 'What gain is there in my destruction, in my going down to the pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it proclaim your faithfulness? Hear, O Lord, and be merciful to me; O Lord, be my help.' You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever." Psalm 30:8-12

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Daily Inspiration

It is far better to feel fulfilled than to feel important because you have taken on too much. Lord, help me eliminatetheunnecessary demands in my life which only cause stress.

We are powerless to change our past, but we can change how we look at it. Lord, help me to realize that my past has mademe a stronger person and show me that these experiences have taught me valuable life lessons.