August 30
Daily Reflections
THE ONLY REQUIREMENT. . .
"At one time. . .every A.A. group had many membership rules. Everybody was scared witless that something or somebody would capsize the boat. . .The total list was a mile long. If all those rules had been in effect everywhere, nobody could have possibly joined A.A. at all. . ." TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 139-40
I'm grateful that the Third Tradition only requires of me a desire to stop drinking. I had been breaking promises for years. In the Fellowship I didn't have to make promises, I didn't have to concentrate. It only required my attending one meeting, in a foggy condition, to know I was home. I didn't have to pledge undying love. Here, strangers hugged me. "It gets better," they said, and "One day at a time, you can do it." They were no longer strangers, but caring friends. I ask God to help me to reach out to people desiring sobriety, and to, please, keep me grateful!
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Twenty-Four Hours A Day
A.A. Thought For The Day
"Practical experience shows that nothing will so much insure immunity from drinking as extensive work with other alcoholics. Carry the message to other alcoholics. You can help when no one else can. You can secure their confidence when others fail. Life will take on new meaning for you. To watch people recover, to see them help others in turn, to watch loneliness vanish, to see a fellowship grow about you, to have a host of friends, this is an experience you must not miss." Am I always ready and willing to help other alcoholics?
Meditation For The Day
One secret of abundant living is the art of giving. The paradox of life is that the more you give, the more you have. If you loose your life in the service of others, you will save it. You can give abundantly and still live abundantly. You are rich in one respect – you have a spirit that is inexhaustible. Let no mean or selfish thought keep you from sharing this spirit. Of love, of help, of understanding, and of sympathy, give and keep giving. Give your personal ease and comfort, your time, your money, and most of all, yourself. And you will be living abundantly.
Prayer For The Day
I pray that I may live to give. I pray that I may learn this secret of abundant living.
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As Bill Sees It
Middle of the Road, p.241
"In some sections of A.A., anonymity is carried to the point of real absurdity. Members are on such a poor basis of communication that they don't even know each other's last names or where each lives. It's like the cell of an underground.
"In other sections, we see exactly the reverse. It is difficult to restrain A.A.'s from shouting too much before the whole public, by going on spectacular 'lecture tours' to play the big shot.
"However, I know that from these extremes we slowly pull ourselves onto a middle ground. Most lecture-giving members do not last too long, and the superanonymous people are apt to come out of hiding respecting their A.A. friends, business associates, and the like. I think the long-time trend is toward the middle of the road--which is probably where we should be."
Letter, 1959
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Walk In Dry Places
THE MASKS ARE FALLING Openness Individuals and families can be quite successful at masking personal problems and feelings. This doesn't always work very well with alcoholics, though some of us did manage to conceal our problem for long periods before our lives began to break down. However, it is becoming more acceptable to admit to such problems, and it is no longer surprising to read that a prominent person is being treated for an addiction. This new openness has also made it possible to abandon the masks we've been wearing to hide our feelings. When people learn they can be more open with their problems and need for help, it also becomes easier to admit that they are angry. fearful. unhappy, or even frightened. Removing our masks and letting others see us as we are is only the first phase in the real honesty we're seeking. After expressing ourselves authentically, do we find we like who we are? Now that we know and admit the truth about ourselves, what are we going to do to make needed changes? I will face who and what I really am today. I will use my strengths and not let any shortcomings keep me from being effective.
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Keep It Simple
Love is something if you give away, you end up having more. --- Malvina Reynolds Service is how we give love away. It’s the “self” of self-help. Service is not a duty; a gift that’s been given to us. We help ourselves by helping others. It’s how we make sure the program will be here tomorrow. We “carry the message.” It’s just one way we see how important we are to others. The world needs us. The world needs our love. Prayer for the Day: I pray for help in making service a big part of my program. Higher Power, help me to “carry the message.” Action for the Day: Which people could use a kind word and a little love? I will go visit them or give them a call.
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Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition
The Man Who Mastered Fear
He spent eighteen years in running away, and then found he didn't have to run. So he started A.A. in Detroit.
This office job brought me face to face with a problem that I had sidestepped all my adult life, lack of training. This time I did something about it. I enrolled in a correspondence school that taught nothing but accounting. With this specialized training, and a liberal business education in the school of hard knocks, I was able to set up shop some two years later as an independent accountant. Seven years of work in this field bright an opportunity to affiliate myself actively with one of my clients, a fellow A.A. We complement each other beautifully, as he is a born salesman and my taste is for finance and management. At long last I am doing the kind of work I have always wanted to do but never had the patience and emotional stability to train myself for. The A.A. program showed me the way to come down to earth, start from the bottom, and work up. This represents another great change for me. IN the long ago past I used to start at the top as president or treasurer and end up with the sheriff breathing down my neck.
p. 255
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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
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"When anger spreads through the breast, guard thy tongue from barking idly." --Sappho
Give to the world the best you have and the best will come back to you. --Madeline Bridges
Words are powerful, may I use them wisely. --Shelley
Today I will do all that I am capable of doing at this time of my life to free myself of past mistakes. And then I will let go and live in my now...fully enjoying today. --Ruth Fishel
Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it." -- Lou Holtz
We alcoholics are undisciplined. So we let God discipline us . . .
Sobriety is a gift, not a right.
AA is not something you join, it's a way of life.
Life didn't end when I got sober -- it started.
While it isn't always easy, if I keep it simple, it works.
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Father Leo's Daily Meditation
LISTENING
"If other people are going to talk, conversation becomes impossible." -- James McNeill Whistler
Part of my addiction was never listening to what people were saying. This was part arrogance, part denial, part fear, part control, part ego --- the bottom line was that I did not listen. I was bored and unhappy with my life because I was a prisoner of my own thoughts.
My spiritual awakening --- which I consider a process rather than an event, a process that is still going on in my life on a daily basis --- was in allowing some new information into my life that led to admittance and acceptance. The day that I was able to admit that I was an alcoholic was the day I took a step towards acceptance.
Today I receive immense help and comfort from other people, especially recovering alcoholics. Two people experiencing an honest conversation are part of God's promised love for His world.
Let the words I hear be acceptable in Your sight
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"The earth is the Lord's, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein." Psalms 24:1
"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." Deuteronomy 31:6
He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:29-31
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9
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Daily Inspiration
The best things in life aren't really things at all. Lord, thank You for all that I am and for all that I am able to be and thank You for my family, my friends, and for all those that touch my life in a special way.
Spend less time trying to change and more time making the best of who you are. Lord, help me daily to put Your words into action.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
today's readings
August 29
Daily Reflections
I CHOOSE ANONYMITY
We are sure that humility, expressed by anonymity, is the greatest safeguard that Alcoholics Anonymous can ever have. 12 & 12, p.187
Since there are no rules in A.A. I place myself where I want to be, and so I choose anonymity. I want my God to use me, humbly, as one of His tools in this program. Sacrifice is the art of giving of myself freely, allowing humility to replace my ego. With sobriety, I suppress that urge to cry out to the world, "I am a member of A.A." and I experience inner joy and peace. I let people see the changes in me and hope they will ask what happened to me. I place the principles of spirituality ahead of judging, fault-finding, and criticism. I want love and caring in my group, so I can grow.
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Twenty-Four Hours A Day
A.A. Thought For The Day
"We cannot get along without prayer and meditation. On awakening, let us think about the 24 hours ahead. We consider our plans for the day. Before we begin, we ask God to direct our thinking. Our thought lives will be placed on a much higher plane when we start the day with prayer and meditation. We conclude this period of meditation with a prayer that we will be shown through the day what our next step is to be. The basis of all our prayers is: Thy will be done in me and through me today." Am I sincere in my desire to do God's will today?
Meditation For The Day
Breathe in the inspiration of goodness and truth. It is the spirit of honesty, purity, unselfishness, and love. It is readily available if we are willing to accept it wholeheartedly. God has given us two things – His spirit and the power of choice – to accept or not, as we will. We have the gift of free will. When we choose the path of selfishness and greed and pride, we are refusing to accept God's spirit. When we choose the path of love and service, we accept God's spirit and it flows into us and makes all things new.
Prayer For The Day
I pray that I may choose the right way. I pray that I may try to follow it to the end.
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As Bill Sees It
Hard On Ourselves, Considerate Of Others, p. 240
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 skins at their expense.
Such damaging parts of our story we tell to someone else who will understand, yet be unaffected. The rule is, we must be hard on ourselves, but always considerate of others.
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Good judgment will suggest that we ought to take our time in making amends to our families. It may be unwise at first to rehash certain harrowing episodes. While we may be quite willing to reveal the very worst, we must be sure to remember that we cannot buy our own peace of mind at the expense of others.
1. Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 74 2. 12 & 12, p. 84
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Walk In Dry Places
Giving The Right Support Carrying the Message We're surrounded by people who need help-financial and otherwise. It is sometimes tempting to believe that we can and should reach out to improve the conditions of their lives. This is not always an easy thing to do, or even a right thing to do. The early AA members who tried this finally decided to limit most of their help simply to carrying the 1Welve Step message. While this seemed callous, it was really the only practical approach to a difficult problem. Many people are able to solve their own financial problems when they really understand and practice the twelve Step program. If they still need other assistance, it is then given and received in ways that work. In any case, we should always seek guidance and direction from our Higher Power when considering or offering any kind of assistance. We'll then know that any support we give will be the right kind. I'll be willing today to assist others in any way I can. I will not, however, take responsibility for running their lives.
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Keep It Simple
This day I choose to spend in perfect peace. --- A Course in Miracles Today, let’s be gentle and kind. Lets talk to ourselves with love and respect. Let’s be gentle with others too. Today, let’s be clear in how we think, speak, and act. And if we start to get mixed up, let’s stop thinking and listen for our Higher Power’s voice. Today, we know that we have just a small job to do. It is to live today with love in our heart. We can’t take care of every problem in the world. But we make our actions today part of the answer instead of the part of the problem. Let's Keep It Simple. Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me find Your calmness and peace in my heart today. Action for the Day: Do I believe that peace starts with me? Today, I’ll listen to the simple voice of peace inside of me. And I’ll Keep It Simple.
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Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition
The Man Who Mastered Fear
He spent eighteen years in running away, and then found he didn't have to run. So he started A.A. in Detroit.
Within a year of my return to Detroit, A.A. was a definitely established little group of about a dozen members, and I too was established in a modest but steady job handling an independent dry-cleaning route of my own. I was my own boss. It took five years of A.A. living, and a substantial improvement in my health, before I could take a full-time office job where someone else was boss.
pp. 254-255
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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
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"God's strength behind you, His concern for you, His love within you, and His arms beneath you are more than sufficient for the job ahead of you." --William Arthur Ward
Each day comes bearing its gifts. Untie the ribbons. --Ruth Ann Schabacker
"Realize that true happiness lies within you. Waste no time and effort searching for peace and contentment and joy in the world outside. Remember that there is no happiness in having or in getting, but only in giving. Reach out. Share. Smile. Hug. Happiness is a perfume you cannot pour on others without getting a few drops on yourself." --Og Mandino
People do not grow old; When they cease to grow, They become old. --Ralph Waldo Emerson
"Successful people are always looking for opportunities to help others. Unsuccessful people are always asking, "What's in it for me?" --Brian Tracy
God knows what He's about. If He has you sidelined, out of the action for a while, He knows what He's doing. You just stay faithful--stay flexible--stay available--stay humble. --Growing Strong In The Seasons Of Life, p.531
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Father Leo's Daily Meditation
EDUCATION
"The university exists only to find and communicate the truth." -- Robert Maynard Hutchins
Today in my recovery I know I am a student of Truth and will hopefully be so until the day that I die. No longer do I search for the cheap thrill or the quick fix --- now I desire lasting truths.
Spirituality is about finding God in things that are true and honest, good and wholesome, creative and positive.
I battle daily with that sick side of me that is greedy, selfish and dishonest --- I'm not perfect. Today I know that the sick and dishonest way of living does not work. My history teaches me that it does not work. I was never truly happy knowing that the gains came at the expense of others. Now I am a student in the "university of life", and I enjoy learning something new about me every day. Today I am able to listen --- listen to those who are wiser than I. I know that I do not have all the answers --- and with this knowledge comes freedom.
God, who lives in and through Truth, continue to radiate and illuminate my life.
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"The earth is the Lord's, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein." Psalms 24:1
"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." Deuteronomy 31:6
He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:29-31
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9
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Daily Inspiration
Count on God for what you lack. Would you not do the same for someone that you loved? Lord, I know that whatever I am doing, You can and will help.
Mistakes give us experience. Without them going forward is almost impossible. Lord, may I always look for the good and use it to make tomorrow better.
1 comments
Daily Reflections
I CHOOSE ANONYMITY
We are sure that humility, expressed by anonymity, is the greatest safeguard that Alcoholics Anonymous can ever have. 12 & 12, p.187
Since there are no rules in A.A. I place myself where I want to be, and so I choose anonymity. I want my God to use me, humbly, as one of His tools in this program. Sacrifice is the art of giving of myself freely, allowing humility to replace my ego. With sobriety, I suppress that urge to cry out to the world, "I am a member of A.A." and I experience inner joy and peace. I let people see the changes in me and hope they will ask what happened to me. I place the principles of spirituality ahead of judging, fault-finding, and criticism. I want love and caring in my group, so I can grow.
************************************************** *********
Twenty-Four Hours A Day
A.A. Thought For The Day
"We cannot get along without prayer and meditation. On awakening, let us think about the 24 hours ahead. We consider our plans for the day. Before we begin, we ask God to direct our thinking. Our thought lives will be placed on a much higher plane when we start the day with prayer and meditation. We conclude this period of meditation with a prayer that we will be shown through the day what our next step is to be. The basis of all our prayers is: Thy will be done in me and through me today." Am I sincere in my desire to do God's will today?
Meditation For The Day
Breathe in the inspiration of goodness and truth. It is the spirit of honesty, purity, unselfishness, and love. It is readily available if we are willing to accept it wholeheartedly. God has given us two things – His spirit and the power of choice – to accept or not, as we will. We have the gift of free will. When we choose the path of selfishness and greed and pride, we are refusing to accept God's spirit. When we choose the path of love and service, we accept God's spirit and it flows into us and makes all things new.
Prayer For The Day
I pray that I may choose the right way. I pray that I may try to follow it to the end.
************************************************** *********
As Bill Sees It
Hard On Ourselves, Considerate Of Others, p. 240
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 skins at their expense.
Such damaging parts of our story we tell to someone else who will understand, yet be unaffected. The rule is, we must be hard on ourselves, but always considerate of others.
********************************
Good judgment will suggest that we ought to take our time in making amends to our families. It may be unwise at first to rehash certain harrowing episodes. While we may be quite willing to reveal the very worst, we must be sure to remember that we cannot buy our own peace of mind at the expense of others.
1. Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 74 2. 12 & 12, p. 84
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Walk In Dry Places
Giving The Right Support Carrying the Message We're surrounded by people who need help-financial and otherwise. It is sometimes tempting to believe that we can and should reach out to improve the conditions of their lives. This is not always an easy thing to do, or even a right thing to do. The early AA members who tried this finally decided to limit most of their help simply to carrying the 1Welve Step message. While this seemed callous, it was really the only practical approach to a difficult problem. Many people are able to solve their own financial problems when they really understand and practice the twelve Step program. If they still need other assistance, it is then given and received in ways that work. In any case, we should always seek guidance and direction from our Higher Power when considering or offering any kind of assistance. We'll then know that any support we give will be the right kind. I'll be willing today to assist others in any way I can. I will not, however, take responsibility for running their lives.
************************************************** *********
Keep It Simple
This day I choose to spend in perfect peace. --- A Course in Miracles Today, let’s be gentle and kind. Lets talk to ourselves with love and respect. Let’s be gentle with others too. Today, let’s be clear in how we think, speak, and act. And if we start to get mixed up, let’s stop thinking and listen for our Higher Power’s voice. Today, we know that we have just a small job to do. It is to live today with love in our heart. We can’t take care of every problem in the world. But we make our actions today part of the answer instead of the part of the problem. Let's Keep It Simple. Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me find Your calmness and peace in my heart today. Action for the Day: Do I believe that peace starts with me? Today, I’ll listen to the simple voice of peace inside of me. And I’ll Keep It Simple.
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Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition
The Man Who Mastered Fear
He spent eighteen years in running away, and then found he didn't have to run. So he started A.A. in Detroit.
Within a year of my return to Detroit, A.A. was a definitely established little group of about a dozen members, and I too was established in a modest but steady job handling an independent dry-cleaning route of my own. I was my own boss. It took five years of A.A. living, and a substantial improvement in my health, before I could take a full-time office job where someone else was boss.
pp. 254-255
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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
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"God's strength behind you, His concern for you, His love within you, and His arms beneath you are more than sufficient for the job ahead of you." --William Arthur Ward
Each day comes bearing its gifts. Untie the ribbons. --Ruth Ann Schabacker
"Realize that true happiness lies within you. Waste no time and effort searching for peace and contentment and joy in the world outside. Remember that there is no happiness in having or in getting, but only in giving. Reach out. Share. Smile. Hug. Happiness is a perfume you cannot pour on others without getting a few drops on yourself." --Og Mandino
People do not grow old; When they cease to grow, They become old. --Ralph Waldo Emerson
"Successful people are always looking for opportunities to help others. Unsuccessful people are always asking, "What's in it for me?" --Brian Tracy
God knows what He's about. If He has you sidelined, out of the action for a while, He knows what He's doing. You just stay faithful--stay flexible--stay available--stay humble. --Growing Strong In The Seasons Of Life, p.531
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Father Leo's Daily Meditation
EDUCATION
"The university exists only to find and communicate the truth." -- Robert Maynard Hutchins
Today in my recovery I know I am a student of Truth and will hopefully be so until the day that I die. No longer do I search for the cheap thrill or the quick fix --- now I desire lasting truths.
Spirituality is about finding God in things that are true and honest, good and wholesome, creative and positive.
I battle daily with that sick side of me that is greedy, selfish and dishonest --- I'm not perfect. Today I know that the sick and dishonest way of living does not work. My history teaches me that it does not work. I was never truly happy knowing that the gains came at the expense of others. Now I am a student in the "university of life", and I enjoy learning something new about me every day. Today I am able to listen --- listen to those who are wiser than I. I know that I do not have all the answers --- and with this knowledge comes freedom.
God, who lives in and through Truth, continue to radiate and illuminate my life.
************************************************** *********
"The earth is the Lord's, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein." Psalms 24:1
"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." Deuteronomy 31:6
He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:29-31
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9
************************************************** *********
Daily Inspiration
Count on God for what you lack. Would you not do the same for someone that you loved? Lord, I know that whatever I am doing, You can and will help.
Mistakes give us experience. Without them going forward is almost impossible. Lord, may I always look for the good and use it to make tomorrow better.
1 comments
Sunday, August 28, 2011
today's readings
August 28
Daily Reflections
LIGHTENING THE BURDEN
Showing others who suffer how we were given help is the very thing which makes life seem so worth while to us now. . . . the dark past is . . . the key to life and happiness for others. Alcoholics Anonymous, p.124
Since I have been sober, I have been healed of many pains: deceiving my partner, deserting my best friend, and spoiling my mother's hopes for my life. In each case someone in the program told me of a similar problem, and I was able to share what happened to me. When my story was told, both of us got up with lighter hearts.
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Twenty-Four Hours A Day
A.A. Thought For The Day
"We must continue to take personal inventory and continue to set right any new mistakes as we go along. We should grow in understanding and effectiveness. This is not an overnight matter; it should continue for our lifetime. Continue to watch for selfishness, dishonesty, resentment, and fear. When these crop up, we ask God at once to remove them. We must not rest on our laurels. We are headed for trouble if we do. We are not cured of alcoholism. What we really have is a daily reprieve, contingent on the maintenance of our spiritual condition." Am I checking my spiritual condition daily?
Meditation For The Day
Happiness cannot be sought directly; it is a byproduct of love and service. Service is a law of our being. With love in your heart, there is always some service to other people. A life of power and joy and satisfaction is built on love and service. Persons who hate or are selfish are going against the law of their own being. They are cutting themselves off from God and other people. Little acts of love and encouragement, of service and help, erase the rough places of life and help to make a path smooth. If we do these things, we cannot help having our share of happiness.
Prayer For The Day
I pray that I may give my share of love and service. I pray that I may not grow weary in my attempts to do the right thing.
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As Bill Sees It
When And How To Give, p.239
Men who cry for money and shelter as a condition of their sobriety are on the wrong track. Yet we sometimes do provide a new prospect with these very things--when it becomes clear that he is willing to place his recovery first.
It is not whether we shall give that is the question, but when and how to give. Whenever we put our work on a material plane, the alcoholic commences to rely upon alms rather than upon a Higher Power and the A.A. group. He continues to insist that he cannot master alcohol until his material needs are cared for.
Nonsense! Some of us have taken very hard knocks to learn this truth: that, job or no job, wife or no wife, we simply do not stop drinking so long as we place material dependence upon other people ahead of dependence on God.
Alcoholics Anonymous, p.98
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Walk In Dry Places
No Prayer Goes Unanswered Guidance. It would be nearly impossible to do an accounting of the results of prayer. Sometimes there seems to be no answer , and at other times, an answer seems to be the result of coincidence. It's too easy to dismiss these results as things that would have happened even if we hadn't prayed. Yet those of us who believe in prayer feel that it is indeed a way of communicating with our Higher Power. It takes many forms. Even thinking about God is a type of prayer. The best answers to prayer come in the new ways we begin to feel about ourselves and others. If prayer brings us to a realization of being in tune with our Higher Power, we are working in the right way. The proper changes will come into our lives as needed. We should not try to measure results, because this tends to bring doubt into the process. Our only responsibility is to pray then let God's work take place in our lives. I will pray regularly to day, thinking often about God and asserting to myself and others that this Higher Power is in charge.
************************************************** *********
Keep It Simple
The saints are the sinners who kept going.---Robert Louis Stevenson The saints are what our program calls the “winner.” We’re told to “stick” with the winners. Saints are just proven winners. They keep on believing in their Higher Power even when things get hard. There will be times when we’ll want to give up. We may want to stop going to meetings. We may want to get high. We may want to stop working the Steps. To be winners in this program, we need to follow the example of the saints. This means we live a spiritual life. We need to keep on going. One day at a time. Prayer for the Day: I pray that I’ll be a winner in this program. Higher Power, be with me in the easy times and the hard times. Help me keep going. Action for the Day: I’ll list people who are winners in this program. I’ll ask one of the how he or she keeps going in tough times.
************************************************** *********
Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition
The Man Who Mastered Fear
He spent eighteen years in running away, and then found he didn't have to run. So he started A.A. in Detroit.
During the first three months, I carried on all these activities without a car, depending entirely on buses and streetcars---I, who always had to have a car at my immediate command. I, who had never made a speech in my life and who would have been frightened sick at the prospect, stood up in front of Rotary groups in different parts of the city and talked about Alcoholics Anonymous. I, carried away with the desire to serve A.A., gave what was probably one of the first radio broadcasts about A.A., living through a case of mike fright and feeling like a million dollars when it was all over. I lived through a week of the fidgets because I had agreed to address a group of alcoholic inmates in one of our state mental hospitals. There it was the same---exhilaration at a mission accomplished. Do I have to tell you who gained the most out of all this?
p. 254
************************************************** *********
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
************************************************** *********
Grace strikes us when we are in great pain and restlessness. . . Sometimes at that moment a wave of light breaks into our darkness, and it is as though a voice were saying: "You are accepted." --Paul Tillich
"Life didn't promise to be wonderful." --Teddy Pendergrass
Today I do not need to say the first thing that comes into my head, or react to what others say about me. Today I can practice restraint of tongue and pen...think before I speak...and say kind things or nothing at all. --Ruth Fishel
One of the first things to do, is to love everybody ... with love, all things are possible ... and the one who has learned to love all people will find plenty of people who will return that love. --Ernest Holmes
Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has many -- not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some. --Charles Dickens
Sit down with a pen and paper and write your thoughts down. It frees your mind. --unknown
God's answers are always wiser than your prayers...
***********************************************
Father Leo's Daily Meditation
CHARACTER
"A man never discloses his own character so clearly as when he describes another's." -- Johann Paul Richter
I was always so perceptive when it came to assessing the character faults of others. I could offer the best therapy and treatment to others; the best advice in the world. I was excellent at "pulling the covers" on a con-man --- but always I missed me! I never really heard my insights. I never followed my advice. I always minimized my character faults.
Usually what I saw in others was reflected in my own personality. The things I loathed in others existed in me. The anger and resentments came from a denial of self.
In sobriety I hear the advice of others. I don't always like it but I hear it. I give criticism and today I am growing in my acceptance of criticism.
In relationships may I see clearly my own reflection.
************************************************** *********
"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience." Colossians 3:12
"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God." Colossians 3:16
"Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another." John 13:34
"The LORD preserves the simple; I was brought low, and He saved me." Psalms 116:6
************************************************** *********
Daily Inspiration
If you are too easily offended and become upset too quickly, you are taking life far too seriously. Lord, help me avoid looking for things to complain about.
Never underestimate the power of your presence nor your ability to comfort and encourage. Lord, thank You for my opportunities to do Your work.
Daily Reflections
LIGHTENING THE BURDEN
Showing others who suffer how we were given help is the very thing which makes life seem so worth while to us now. . . . the dark past is . . . the key to life and happiness for others. Alcoholics Anonymous, p.124
Since I have been sober, I have been healed of many pains: deceiving my partner, deserting my best friend, and spoiling my mother's hopes for my life. In each case someone in the program told me of a similar problem, and I was able to share what happened to me. When my story was told, both of us got up with lighter hearts.
************************************************** *********
Twenty-Four Hours A Day
A.A. Thought For The Day
"We must continue to take personal inventory and continue to set right any new mistakes as we go along. We should grow in understanding and effectiveness. This is not an overnight matter; it should continue for our lifetime. Continue to watch for selfishness, dishonesty, resentment, and fear. When these crop up, we ask God at once to remove them. We must not rest on our laurels. We are headed for trouble if we do. We are not cured of alcoholism. What we really have is a daily reprieve, contingent on the maintenance of our spiritual condition." Am I checking my spiritual condition daily?
Meditation For The Day
Happiness cannot be sought directly; it is a byproduct of love and service. Service is a law of our being. With love in your heart, there is always some service to other people. A life of power and joy and satisfaction is built on love and service. Persons who hate or are selfish are going against the law of their own being. They are cutting themselves off from God and other people. Little acts of love and encouragement, of service and help, erase the rough places of life and help to make a path smooth. If we do these things, we cannot help having our share of happiness.
Prayer For The Day
I pray that I may give my share of love and service. I pray that I may not grow weary in my attempts to do the right thing.
************************************************** *********
As Bill Sees It
When And How To Give, p.239
Men who cry for money and shelter as a condition of their sobriety are on the wrong track. Yet we sometimes do provide a new prospect with these very things--when it becomes clear that he is willing to place his recovery first.
It is not whether we shall give that is the question, but when and how to give. Whenever we put our work on a material plane, the alcoholic commences to rely upon alms rather than upon a Higher Power and the A.A. group. He continues to insist that he cannot master alcohol until his material needs are cared for.
Nonsense! Some of us have taken very hard knocks to learn this truth: that, job or no job, wife or no wife, we simply do not stop drinking so long as we place material dependence upon other people ahead of dependence on God.
Alcoholics Anonymous, p.98
************************************************** *********
Walk In Dry Places
No Prayer Goes Unanswered Guidance. It would be nearly impossible to do an accounting of the results of prayer. Sometimes there seems to be no answer , and at other times, an answer seems to be the result of coincidence. It's too easy to dismiss these results as things that would have happened even if we hadn't prayed. Yet those of us who believe in prayer feel that it is indeed a way of communicating with our Higher Power. It takes many forms. Even thinking about God is a type of prayer. The best answers to prayer come in the new ways we begin to feel about ourselves and others. If prayer brings us to a realization of being in tune with our Higher Power, we are working in the right way. The proper changes will come into our lives as needed. We should not try to measure results, because this tends to bring doubt into the process. Our only responsibility is to pray then let God's work take place in our lives. I will pray regularly to day, thinking often about God and asserting to myself and others that this Higher Power is in charge.
************************************************** *********
Keep It Simple
The saints are the sinners who kept going.---Robert Louis Stevenson The saints are what our program calls the “winner.” We’re told to “stick” with the winners. Saints are just proven winners. They keep on believing in their Higher Power even when things get hard. There will be times when we’ll want to give up. We may want to stop going to meetings. We may want to get high. We may want to stop working the Steps. To be winners in this program, we need to follow the example of the saints. This means we live a spiritual life. We need to keep on going. One day at a time. Prayer for the Day: I pray that I’ll be a winner in this program. Higher Power, be with me in the easy times and the hard times. Help me keep going. Action for the Day: I’ll list people who are winners in this program. I’ll ask one of the how he or she keeps going in tough times.
************************************************** *********
Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition
The Man Who Mastered Fear
He spent eighteen years in running away, and then found he didn't have to run. So he started A.A. in Detroit.
During the first three months, I carried on all these activities without a car, depending entirely on buses and streetcars---I, who always had to have a car at my immediate command. I, who had never made a speech in my life and who would have been frightened sick at the prospect, stood up in front of Rotary groups in different parts of the city and talked about Alcoholics Anonymous. I, carried away with the desire to serve A.A., gave what was probably one of the first radio broadcasts about A.A., living through a case of mike fright and feeling like a million dollars when it was all over. I lived through a week of the fidgets because I had agreed to address a group of alcoholic inmates in one of our state mental hospitals. There it was the same---exhilaration at a mission accomplished. Do I have to tell you who gained the most out of all this?
p. 254
************************************************** *********
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
************************************************** *********
Grace strikes us when we are in great pain and restlessness. . . Sometimes at that moment a wave of light breaks into our darkness, and it is as though a voice were saying: "You are accepted." --Paul Tillich
"Life didn't promise to be wonderful." --Teddy Pendergrass
Today I do not need to say the first thing that comes into my head, or react to what others say about me. Today I can practice restraint of tongue and pen...think before I speak...and say kind things or nothing at all. --Ruth Fishel
One of the first things to do, is to love everybody ... with love, all things are possible ... and the one who has learned to love all people will find plenty of people who will return that love. --Ernest Holmes
Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has many -- not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some. --Charles Dickens
Sit down with a pen and paper and write your thoughts down. It frees your mind. --unknown
God's answers are always wiser than your prayers...
***********************************************
Father Leo's Daily Meditation
CHARACTER
"A man never discloses his own character so clearly as when he describes another's." -- Johann Paul Richter
I was always so perceptive when it came to assessing the character faults of others. I could offer the best therapy and treatment to others; the best advice in the world. I was excellent at "pulling the covers" on a con-man --- but always I missed me! I never really heard my insights. I never followed my advice. I always minimized my character faults.
Usually what I saw in others was reflected in my own personality. The things I loathed in others existed in me. The anger and resentments came from a denial of self.
In sobriety I hear the advice of others. I don't always like it but I hear it. I give criticism and today I am growing in my acceptance of criticism.
In relationships may I see clearly my own reflection.
************************************************** *********
"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience." Colossians 3:12
"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God." Colossians 3:16
"Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another." John 13:34
"The LORD preserves the simple; I was brought low, and He saved me." Psalms 116:6
************************************************** *********
Daily Inspiration
If you are too easily offended and become upset too quickly, you are taking life far too seriously. Lord, help me avoid looking for things to complain about.
Never underestimate the power of your presence nor your ability to comfort and encourage. Lord, thank You for my opportunities to do Your work.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
today's readings
August 27
Daily Reflections
CENTERING OUR THOUGHTS When World War II broke out, our A.A. dependence on a Higher Power had its first major test. A.A.'s entered the services and were scattered all over the world. Would they be able to take the discipline, stand up under fire, and endure . . . ? As Bill Sees It, p.200
I will center my thoughts on a Higher Power. I will surrender all to this power within me. I will become a soldier for this power, feeling the might of the spiritual army as it exists in my life today. I will allow a wave of spiritual union to connect me through my gratitude, obedience and discipline to this Higher Power. Let me allow this power to lead me through the orders of the day. May the steps I take today strengthen my words and deeds, may I know that the message I carry is mine to share, given freely by this power greater than myself.
************************************************** *********
Twenty-Four Hours A Day
A.A. Thought For The Day
"We must be willing to make amends to all the people we have harmed. We must do the best we can to repair the damage done in the past. When we make amends, when we say: ‘I'm sorry,' the person is sure at least to be impressed by our sincere desire to set right the wrong. Sometimes people we are making amends to admit their own faults, so feuds of long standing melt away. Our most ruthless creditors will sometimes surprise us. In general, we must be willing to do the right thing, no matter what the consequences may be for us." Have I made a sincere effort to make amends to the people I have harmed?
Meditation For The Day
The grace of God cures disharmony and disorder in human relationships. Directly you put your affairs, with their confusion and their difficulties, into God's hands. He begins to effect a cure of all the disharmony and disorder. You can believe that He will cause you no more pain in the doing of it than a physician that knows how to effect a cure would cause a patient. You can have faith that God will do all that is necessary as painlessly as possible. But you must be willing to submit to His treatment, even if you cannot now see the meaning or purpose of it.
Prayer For The Day
I pray that I may willingly submit to whatever spiritual discipline is necessary. I pray that I may accept whatever it takes to live a better life.
************************************************** *********
As Bill Sees It
Maudlin Martyrdom, p. 238
"Self-pity is one of the most unhappy and consuming defects we know. It is a bar to all spiritual progress and can cut off all effective communication with our fellows because of its inordinate demands for attention and sympathy. It is a maudlin form of martyrdom, which we can ill afford.
"The remedy? Well, let's have a hard look at ourselves, and a still harder one at A.A.'s Twelve Steps to recovery. When we see how many of our fellow A.A.'s have used the Steps to transcend great pain and adversity, we shall be inspired to try these life-giving principles for ourselves."
Letter, 1966
************************************************** *********
Walk In Dry Places
Finding Our Real Selves Building Self-esteem Many of us sold ourselves short while we were drinking. We wanted approval and acceptance, but often felt unworthy of it, even accepting the unfavorable opinions others had toward us. We resented such opinions, but secretly feared that our critics were right. In the Twelve Step program, however, we discover a higher and better self that hadn't found expression during active drinking. We no longer have to impress anybody, we no longer need applause, and we no longer crave the false camaraderie that passes for friendship among problem drinkers. We can, in many ways, become new people. When we experience such change and growth, we may come to wonder how we ever could have been so deluded by the sick self of our drinking years. We feel relief when we realize that we no longer have to live and think that way.... if we continue in the program and make sobriety our highest priority. We will realize too that the self we find in sobriety is the real self.... a person who was there all along but was crowded out and suppressed by the demands of our sick nature. This real self is what we were created to be, and sobriety brought its discovery. I'll go about my affairs today knowing that my real self is what God wants me to be. Being sober, I can now find answers and opportunities that were beyond my reach when I was still drinking.
************************************************** *********
Keep It Simple
Things do not change, we do. ---Henry David Thoreau There are still as many bars as there were when we were drinking. There are still lots of drugs around. The world hasn’t changed. What’s changed is that we now live a different way of life. We’ve learned that, for us, alcohol and other drugs are poison. For us, there are now two worlds: the world we left behind, and our new world of recovery. In our old world, we’d try to get everyone else to change. We had the right. In our new world, we look for ways we can change for the better. In our new life, we’re willing to change. Prayer for the Day: I pray that I may be like a mighty river, always changing. Action for the Day: I will list changes I need to make in my new life.
************************************************** *********
Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition
The Man Who Mastered Fear
He spent eighteen years in running away, and then found he didn't have to run. So he started A.A. in Detroit.
The Depression was still on, and jobs were scarce. My health was still uncertain. So I created a job for myself selling women's hosiery and men's made-to-order shirts. This gave me the freedom to do A.A. work and to rest periods of two or three days when i became too exhausted too carry on. There was more than one occasion when I got up in the morning with just enough money for coffee and toast and the bus fare to carry me to my first appointment. No sale---no lunch. During that first year, however, I managed to make both ends meet and to avoid ever going back to my old habit-pattern of borrowing money when I could not earn it. Here by itself was a great step forward.
pp. 253-254
************************************************** *********
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
************************************************** *********
"Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all." --Dale Carnegie
Sometimes lack of thought is a very good sign. It means you are totally relaxed and have control of your mind. --unknown
Getting the job done requires doing your work, not just talking about it. --unknown
When we take things for granted we forget life is a gift. --unknown
Love is a gift to your self. --unknown
In quiet meditation I listen to my own Higher Power. I connect with my personal spirituality in my own time and place. --Ruth Fishel
***********************************************
Father Leo's Daily Meditation
PURPOSE
"I have never doubted that God created man for great purposes . . . " -- Preston Bradley
I am special today. I know that there is a purpose for my life and that it is essentially good and creative. I know that beauty is not just in things that I can see . . . beauty is also in me. Today I affirm my great purpose in this world . . . to be the best that I can be.
For too many years I gave my God-given power away; I gave it to alcohol, I gave it to people, I gave it to a belief system that did not make sense to me. Today I am discovering the power that God has given to me, and I feel good about myself. Today I reclaim my divinity.
Creator of this wonderful universe, make me an instrument of Your peace.
************************************************** *********
"If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit." Galatians 5:25
"On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." John 7:37-38
"I will praise the name of God with a song, And will magnify Him with thanksgiving." Psalm 69:30
But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light." 1 Peter 2:9
************************************************** *********
Daily Inspiration
When children speak, listen. They freely share the joys of life that we are often too preoccupied to remember. Lord, help me bring back those qualities that I had as a child that would allow me to be more lighthearted, more playful and more determined to live happy.
Enthusiasm keeps the mind young and the spirit growing. Lord, may I always see wonder in the ordinary happenings of my day.
0 comments
Daily Reflections
CENTERING OUR THOUGHTS When World War II broke out, our A.A. dependence on a Higher Power had its first major test. A.A.'s entered the services and were scattered all over the world. Would they be able to take the discipline, stand up under fire, and endure . . . ? As Bill Sees It, p.200
I will center my thoughts on a Higher Power. I will surrender all to this power within me. I will become a soldier for this power, feeling the might of the spiritual army as it exists in my life today. I will allow a wave of spiritual union to connect me through my gratitude, obedience and discipline to this Higher Power. Let me allow this power to lead me through the orders of the day. May the steps I take today strengthen my words and deeds, may I know that the message I carry is mine to share, given freely by this power greater than myself.
************************************************** *********
Twenty-Four Hours A Day
A.A. Thought For The Day
"We must be willing to make amends to all the people we have harmed. We must do the best we can to repair the damage done in the past. When we make amends, when we say: ‘I'm sorry,' the person is sure at least to be impressed by our sincere desire to set right the wrong. Sometimes people we are making amends to admit their own faults, so feuds of long standing melt away. Our most ruthless creditors will sometimes surprise us. In general, we must be willing to do the right thing, no matter what the consequences may be for us." Have I made a sincere effort to make amends to the people I have harmed?
Meditation For The Day
The grace of God cures disharmony and disorder in human relationships. Directly you put your affairs, with their confusion and their difficulties, into God's hands. He begins to effect a cure of all the disharmony and disorder. You can believe that He will cause you no more pain in the doing of it than a physician that knows how to effect a cure would cause a patient. You can have faith that God will do all that is necessary as painlessly as possible. But you must be willing to submit to His treatment, even if you cannot now see the meaning or purpose of it.
Prayer For The Day
I pray that I may willingly submit to whatever spiritual discipline is necessary. I pray that I may accept whatever it takes to live a better life.
************************************************** *********
As Bill Sees It
Maudlin Martyrdom, p. 238
"Self-pity is one of the most unhappy and consuming defects we know. It is a bar to all spiritual progress and can cut off all effective communication with our fellows because of its inordinate demands for attention and sympathy. It is a maudlin form of martyrdom, which we can ill afford.
"The remedy? Well, let's have a hard look at ourselves, and a still harder one at A.A.'s Twelve Steps to recovery. When we see how many of our fellow A.A.'s have used the Steps to transcend great pain and adversity, we shall be inspired to try these life-giving principles for ourselves."
Letter, 1966
************************************************** *********
Walk In Dry Places
Finding Our Real Selves Building Self-esteem Many of us sold ourselves short while we were drinking. We wanted approval and acceptance, but often felt unworthy of it, even accepting the unfavorable opinions others had toward us. We resented such opinions, but secretly feared that our critics were right. In the Twelve Step program, however, we discover a higher and better self that hadn't found expression during active drinking. We no longer have to impress anybody, we no longer need applause, and we no longer crave the false camaraderie that passes for friendship among problem drinkers. We can, in many ways, become new people. When we experience such change and growth, we may come to wonder how we ever could have been so deluded by the sick self of our drinking years. We feel relief when we realize that we no longer have to live and think that way.... if we continue in the program and make sobriety our highest priority. We will realize too that the self we find in sobriety is the real self.... a person who was there all along but was crowded out and suppressed by the demands of our sick nature. This real self is what we were created to be, and sobriety brought its discovery. I'll go about my affairs today knowing that my real self is what God wants me to be. Being sober, I can now find answers and opportunities that were beyond my reach when I was still drinking.
************************************************** *********
Keep It Simple
Things do not change, we do. ---Henry David Thoreau There are still as many bars as there were when we were drinking. There are still lots of drugs around. The world hasn’t changed. What’s changed is that we now live a different way of life. We’ve learned that, for us, alcohol and other drugs are poison. For us, there are now two worlds: the world we left behind, and our new world of recovery. In our old world, we’d try to get everyone else to change. We had the right. In our new world, we look for ways we can change for the better. In our new life, we’re willing to change. Prayer for the Day: I pray that I may be like a mighty river, always changing. Action for the Day: I will list changes I need to make in my new life.
************************************************** *********
Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition
The Man Who Mastered Fear
He spent eighteen years in running away, and then found he didn't have to run. So he started A.A. in Detroit.
The Depression was still on, and jobs were scarce. My health was still uncertain. So I created a job for myself selling women's hosiery and men's made-to-order shirts. This gave me the freedom to do A.A. work and to rest periods of two or three days when i became too exhausted too carry on. There was more than one occasion when I got up in the morning with just enough money for coffee and toast and the bus fare to carry me to my first appointment. No sale---no lunch. During that first year, however, I managed to make both ends meet and to avoid ever going back to my old habit-pattern of borrowing money when I could not earn it. Here by itself was a great step forward.
pp. 253-254
************************************************** *********
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
************************************************** *********
"Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all." --Dale Carnegie
Sometimes lack of thought is a very good sign. It means you are totally relaxed and have control of your mind. --unknown
Getting the job done requires doing your work, not just talking about it. --unknown
When we take things for granted we forget life is a gift. --unknown
Love is a gift to your self. --unknown
In quiet meditation I listen to my own Higher Power. I connect with my personal spirituality in my own time and place. --Ruth Fishel
***********************************************
Father Leo's Daily Meditation
PURPOSE
"I have never doubted that God created man for great purposes . . . " -- Preston Bradley
I am special today. I know that there is a purpose for my life and that it is essentially good and creative. I know that beauty is not just in things that I can see . . . beauty is also in me. Today I affirm my great purpose in this world . . . to be the best that I can be.
For too many years I gave my God-given power away; I gave it to alcohol, I gave it to people, I gave it to a belief system that did not make sense to me. Today I am discovering the power that God has given to me, and I feel good about myself. Today I reclaim my divinity.
Creator of this wonderful universe, make me an instrument of Your peace.
************************************************** *********
"If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit." Galatians 5:25
"On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." John 7:37-38
"I will praise the name of God with a song, And will magnify Him with thanksgiving." Psalm 69:30
But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light." 1 Peter 2:9
************************************************** *********
Daily Inspiration
When children speak, listen. They freely share the joys of life that we are often too preoccupied to remember. Lord, help me bring back those qualities that I had as a child that would allow me to be more lighthearted, more playful and more determined to live happy.
Enthusiasm keeps the mind young and the spirit growing. Lord, may I always see wonder in the ordinary happenings of my day.
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Friday, August 26, 2011
today's readings
Daily Reflections
THE GIFT OF BONDING
Relieve me of the bondage of self, that I may better do Thy will. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS , p. 63
Many times in my alcoholic state, I drank to establish a bond between myself and others, but I succeeded only in establishing the bondage of alcoholic loneliness. Through the A.A. way of life, I have received the gift of bonding - with those who were there before me, with those who are there now, and with those yet to come. For this gracious gift from God, I am forever grateful.
************************************************** *********
Twenty-Four Hours A Day
A.A. Thought For The Day
"Unless we discuss our defects with another person, we do not acquire enough humility, fearlessness, and honesty to really get the program. We must be entirely honest with somebody, if we expect to live happily in this world. We must be hard on ourselves, but always considerate of others. We pocket our pride and go to it, illuminating every twist of character and every dark cranny of the past. Once we have taken this step, withholding nothing, we can look the world in the eyes." Have I discussed all my defects with another person?
Meditation For The Day
Never yield to weariness of the spirit. At times, the world's cares and distractions will intrude and the spirit will become weak. At times like this, carry on and soon the spirit will become strong again. God's spirit is always with you, to replenish and renew. None ever sincerely sought God's help in vain. Physical weariness and exhaustion make a time of rest and communion with God more necessary. When you are overcome by temporary conditions that you cannot control, keep quiet and wait for the power of the spirit to flow back.
Prayer For The Day
I pray that I may not speak or act in the midst of emotional upheaval. I pray that I may wait until the tempest is past.
************************************************** *********
As Bill Sees It
Perfection--Only The Objective, p. 236
There can be no absolute humility for us humans. At best, we can merely glimpse the meaning and splendor of such a perfect ideal. Only God himself can manifest in the absolute; we human beings must needs live and grow in the domain of the relative.
So we seek progress in humility today.
********************************
Few of us can quickly or easily become ready even to look at spiritual and moral perfection; we want to settle for only as much development as may get us by in life, according, of course, to our various and sundry ideas of what will get us by. Mistakenly, we strive for a self-determined objective, rather than for the perfect objective which is of God.
1. Grapevine, June 1961 2. 12 & 12, p. 68
************************************************** *********
Walk In Dry Places
What should We accept? Acceptance Alcoholics usually have trouble accepting ordinary setbacks and limitations that other people live with all the time. Sometimes it seems much easier to just get drunk than to accept boredom and frustration. The irony of such behavior is that we then have to accept much more failure as a result of problems created by drinking. Our drinking brings far more pain than it removes. Learning acceptance in sobriety is part of the growing-up process. Along with learning to accept things we cannot change, however, we learn there are some things we don't have to accept. Living sober gives us the power and confidence to make such changes. I'll repeat the Serenity Prayer today if I begin to feel disturbed or threatened. I will face life realistically while knowing I have many opportunities for growth and change.
************************************************** *********
Keep It Simple
In every real man a child is hidden that wants to play.---Friedrick Nietzsche All of us have a child inside. We may see that child as a friend or as a enemy. Many of us were taught that growing up meant doing away with our inner child. It was as if being a child was bad and being an adult was good. If we try to be only an adult, the child cries, ”Let me run free and show you the beauty of the world.” If we try to be only a child, we find the adult in using us saying, “It’s time to grow up.” Let’s find a balance. Remember, the adult needs the wonder found in the eyes of the child. Remember, the child needs the loving care of the adult. The child lives where we find our spirit. Our Higher Power is the prefect balance of the two. Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me be both the child and the adult. I need both. Action for the Day: Today, I’ll make time to be a child and to be an adult.
************************************************** *********
Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition
The Man Who Mastered Fear
He spent eighteen years in running away, and then found he didn't have to run. So he started A.A. in Detroit.
Those three weeks left me completely exhausted, and I had to return to Akron for three more months of rest. While there, two or three more "cash customers" (as Dr. Bob used to call them---probably because they had so little cash) were shipped in to us from Detroit. When I finally returned to Detroit to find work and to learn to stand on my own feet, the ball was already rolling, however slowly. But it took six more months of work and disappointments before a group of three men got together in my rooming-house bedroom for their first A.A. meeting.
p. 253
************************************************** *********
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 are the creator of your own Serenity. It lives and breathes within your desire for Recovery. It is no mystery. It is a conscious choice. Serenity is born and flourishes, with the help of your Higher Power, through your own efforts to maintain order, stability and self-discipline within your everyday life. Serenity is a daily gift you give to yourself. Be generous! --Lumpy Karma
The routines of good rest, exercise, regular meal times, prayer, and meetings are the skeleton on which the body of our recovery program can grow. Each of these activities is a reward in itself, and serves to remind us of what our new lives have to offer. --unknown
"Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can." --John Wesley
"Look at everything as though you were seeing it for the first time or the last time. Then your time on earth will be filled with glory." --Betty Smith
"Happiness is a choice that requires effort at times." --Anonymous
If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them. --Thoreau
We would have much peace if we would not busy ourselves with the sayings and doings of others. --Thomas À Kempis
Many do not know that we are here in this world to live in harmony. --Buddha
***********************************************
Father Leo's Daily Meditation
TEMPER
"Your temper is the only thing that doesn't get better with age." -- Anonymous
I lost my temper when I was in the wrong and wanted to protect myself. My temper was closely associated with my ego and pride; I hated to admit I was in the wrong.
Today I know that I am not God. I make mistakes and apologize. I don't have to have an answer. It is okay to be imperfect and human. And you know what I am finding? I don't lose my temper so much!
I pray that I may express my anger and discomfort without having a selfish temper tantrum.
************************************************** *********
I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, My soul shall be joyful in my God; For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. Isaiah 61:10
"I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone-- for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth." I Timothy 2:2
************************************************** *********
Daily Inspiration
Many more things go right in a day than go wrong, but you will never notice if that one trying moment becomes your focus. Lord, help me make a conscious effort to see the richness of my life and live with gratitude for all of its wonders.
If you have more than you need, but still feel it isn't enough, then you are poor. Lord, may I take time to recognize and enjoy my blessings.
THE GIFT OF BONDING
Relieve me of the bondage of self, that I may better do Thy will. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS , p. 63
Many times in my alcoholic state, I drank to establish a bond between myself and others, but I succeeded only in establishing the bondage of alcoholic loneliness. Through the A.A. way of life, I have received the gift of bonding - with those who were there before me, with those who are there now, and with those yet to come. For this gracious gift from God, I am forever grateful.
************************************************** *********
Twenty-Four Hours A Day
A.A. Thought For The Day
"Unless we discuss our defects with another person, we do not acquire enough humility, fearlessness, and honesty to really get the program. We must be entirely honest with somebody, if we expect to live happily in this world. We must be hard on ourselves, but always considerate of others. We pocket our pride and go to it, illuminating every twist of character and every dark cranny of the past. Once we have taken this step, withholding nothing, we can look the world in the eyes." Have I discussed all my defects with another person?
Meditation For The Day
Never yield to weariness of the spirit. At times, the world's cares and distractions will intrude and the spirit will become weak. At times like this, carry on and soon the spirit will become strong again. God's spirit is always with you, to replenish and renew. None ever sincerely sought God's help in vain. Physical weariness and exhaustion make a time of rest and communion with God more necessary. When you are overcome by temporary conditions that you cannot control, keep quiet and wait for the power of the spirit to flow back.
Prayer For The Day
I pray that I may not speak or act in the midst of emotional upheaval. I pray that I may wait until the tempest is past.
************************************************** *********
As Bill Sees It
Perfection--Only The Objective, p. 236
There can be no absolute humility for us humans. At best, we can merely glimpse the meaning and splendor of such a perfect ideal. Only God himself can manifest in the absolute; we human beings must needs live and grow in the domain of the relative.
So we seek progress in humility today.
********************************
Few of us can quickly or easily become ready even to look at spiritual and moral perfection; we want to settle for only as much development as may get us by in life, according, of course, to our various and sundry ideas of what will get us by. Mistakenly, we strive for a self-determined objective, rather than for the perfect objective which is of God.
1. Grapevine, June 1961 2. 12 & 12, p. 68
************************************************** *********
Walk In Dry Places
What should We accept? Acceptance Alcoholics usually have trouble accepting ordinary setbacks and limitations that other people live with all the time. Sometimes it seems much easier to just get drunk than to accept boredom and frustration. The irony of such behavior is that we then have to accept much more failure as a result of problems created by drinking. Our drinking brings far more pain than it removes. Learning acceptance in sobriety is part of the growing-up process. Along with learning to accept things we cannot change, however, we learn there are some things we don't have to accept. Living sober gives us the power and confidence to make such changes. I'll repeat the Serenity Prayer today if I begin to feel disturbed or threatened. I will face life realistically while knowing I have many opportunities for growth and change.
************************************************** *********
Keep It Simple
In every real man a child is hidden that wants to play.---Friedrick Nietzsche All of us have a child inside. We may see that child as a friend or as a enemy. Many of us were taught that growing up meant doing away with our inner child. It was as if being a child was bad and being an adult was good. If we try to be only an adult, the child cries, ”Let me run free and show you the beauty of the world.” If we try to be only a child, we find the adult in using us saying, “It’s time to grow up.” Let’s find a balance. Remember, the adult needs the wonder found in the eyes of the child. Remember, the child needs the loving care of the adult. The child lives where we find our spirit. Our Higher Power is the prefect balance of the two. Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me be both the child and the adult. I need both. Action for the Day: Today, I’ll make time to be a child and to be an adult.
************************************************** *********
Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition
The Man Who Mastered Fear
He spent eighteen years in running away, and then found he didn't have to run. So he started A.A. in Detroit.
Those three weeks left me completely exhausted, and I had to return to Akron for three more months of rest. While there, two or three more "cash customers" (as Dr. Bob used to call them---probably because they had so little cash) were shipped in to us from Detroit. When I finally returned to Detroit to find work and to learn to stand on my own feet, the ball was already rolling, however slowly. But it took six more months of work and disappointments before a group of three men got together in my rooming-house bedroom for their first A.A. meeting.
p. 253
************************************************** *********
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 are the creator of your own Serenity. It lives and breathes within your desire for Recovery. It is no mystery. It is a conscious choice. Serenity is born and flourishes, with the help of your Higher Power, through your own efforts to maintain order, stability and self-discipline within your everyday life. Serenity is a daily gift you give to yourself. Be generous! --Lumpy Karma
The routines of good rest, exercise, regular meal times, prayer, and meetings are the skeleton on which the body of our recovery program can grow. Each of these activities is a reward in itself, and serves to remind us of what our new lives have to offer. --unknown
"Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can." --John Wesley
"Look at everything as though you were seeing it for the first time or the last time. Then your time on earth will be filled with glory." --Betty Smith
"Happiness is a choice that requires effort at times." --Anonymous
If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them. --Thoreau
We would have much peace if we would not busy ourselves with the sayings and doings of others. --Thomas À Kempis
Many do not know that we are here in this world to live in harmony. --Buddha
***********************************************
Father Leo's Daily Meditation
TEMPER
"Your temper is the only thing that doesn't get better with age." -- Anonymous
I lost my temper when I was in the wrong and wanted to protect myself. My temper was closely associated with my ego and pride; I hated to admit I was in the wrong.
Today I know that I am not God. I make mistakes and apologize. I don't have to have an answer. It is okay to be imperfect and human. And you know what I am finding? I don't lose my temper so much!
I pray that I may express my anger and discomfort without having a selfish temper tantrum.
************************************************** *********
I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, My soul shall be joyful in my God; For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. Isaiah 61:10
"I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone-- for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth." I Timothy 2:2
************************************************** *********
Daily Inspiration
Many more things go right in a day than go wrong, but you will never notice if that one trying moment becomes your focus. Lord, help me make a conscious effort to see the richness of my life and live with gratitude for all of its wonders.
If you have more than you need, but still feel it isn't enough, then you are poor. Lord, may I take time to recognize and enjoy my blessings.
today's readings
August 25
Daily Reflections
THE GIFT OF BONDING
Relieve me of the bondage of self, that I may better do Thy will. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS , p. 63
Many times in my alcoholic state, I drank to establish a bond between myself and others, but I succeeded only in establishing the bondage of alcoholic loneliness. Through the A.A. way of life, I have received the gift of bonding - with those who were there before me, with those who are there now, and with those yet to come. For this gracious gift from God, I am forever grateful.
************************************************** *********
Twenty-Four Hours A Day
A.A. Thought For The Day
"Unless we discuss our defects with another person, we do not acquire enough humility, fearlessness, and honesty to really get the program. We must be entirely honest with somebody, if we expect to live happily in this world. We must be hard on ourselves, but always considerate of others. We pocket our pride and go to it, illuminating every twist of character and every dark cranny of the past. Once we have taken this step, withholding nothing, we can look the world in the eyes." Have I discussed all my defects with another person?
Meditation For The Day
Never yield to weariness of the spirit. At times, the world's cares and distractions will intrude and the spirit will become weak. At times like this, carry on and soon the spirit will become strong again. God's spirit is always with you, to replenish and renew. None ever sincerely sought God's help in vain. Physical weariness and exhaustion make a time of rest and communion with God more necessary. When you are overcome by temporary conditions that you cannot control, keep quiet and wait for the power of the spirit to flow back.
Prayer For The Day
I pray that I may not speak or act in the midst of emotional upheaval. I pray that I may wait until the tempest is past.
************************************************** *********
As Bill Sees It
Perfection--Only The Objective, p. 236
There can be no absolute humility for us humans. At best, we can merely glimpse the meaning and splendor of such a perfect ideal. Only God himself can manifest in the absolute; we human beings must needs live and grow in the domain of the relative.
So we seek progress in humility today.
********************************
Few of us can quickly or easily become ready even to look at spiritual and moral perfection; we want to settle for only as much development as may get us by in life, according, of course, to our various and sundry ideas of what will get us by. Mistakenly, we strive for a self-determined objective, rather than for the perfect objective which is of God.
1. Grapevine, June 1961 2. 12 & 12, p. 68
************************************************** *********
Walk In Dry Places
What should We accept? Acceptance Alcoholics usually have trouble accepting ordinary setbacks and limitations that other people live with all the time. Sometimes it seems much easier to just get drunk than to accept boredom and frustration. The irony of such behavior is that we then have to accept much more failure as a result of problems created by drinking. Our drinking brings far more pain than it removes. Learning acceptance in sobriety is part of the growing-up process. Along with learning to accept things we cannot change, however, we learn there are some things we don't have to accept. Living sober gives us the power and confidence to make such changes. I'll repeat the Serenity Prayer today if I begin to feel disturbed or threatened. I will face life realistically while knowing I have many opportunities for growth and change.
************************************************** *********
Keep It Simple
In every real man a child is hidden that wants to play.---Friedrick Nietzsche All of us have a child inside. We may see that child as a friend or as a enemy. Many of us were taught that growing up meant doing away with our inner child. It was as if being a child was bad and being an adult was good. If we try to be only an adult, the child cries, ”Let me run free and show you the beauty of the world.” If we try to be only a child, we find the adult in using us saying, “It’s time to grow up.” Let’s find a balance. Remember, the adult needs the wonder found in the eyes of the child. Remember, the child needs the loving care of the adult. The child lives where we find our spirit. Our Higher Power is the prefect balance of the two. Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me be both the child and the adult. I need both. Action for the Day: Today, I’ll make time to be a child and to be an adult.
************************************************** *********
Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition
The Man Who Mastered Fear
He spent eighteen years in running away, and then found he didn't have to run. So he started A.A. in Detroit.
Those three weeks left me completely exhausted, and I had to return to Akron for three more months of rest. While there, two or three more "cash customers" (as Dr. Bob used to call them---probably because they had so little cash) were shipped in to us from Detroit. When I finally returned to Detroit to find work and to learn to stand on my own feet, the ball was already rolling, however slowly. But it took six more months of work and disappointments before a group of three men got together in my rooming-house bedroom for their first A.A. meeting.
p. 253
************************************************** *********
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 are the creator of your own Serenity. It lives and breathes within your desire for Recovery. It is no mystery. It is a conscious choice. Serenity is born and flourishes, with the help of your Higher Power, through your own efforts to maintain order, stability and self-discipline within your everyday life. Serenity is a daily gift you give to yourself. Be generous! --Lumpy Karma
The routines of good rest, exercise, regular meal times, prayer, and meetings are the skeleton on which the body of our recovery program can grow. Each of these activities is a reward in itself, and serves to remind us of what our new lives have to offer. --unknown
"Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can." --John Wesley
"Look at everything as though you were seeing it for the first time or the last time. Then your time on earth will be filled with glory." --Betty Smith
"Happiness is a choice that requires effort at times." --Anonymous
If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them. --Thoreau
We would have much peace if we would not busy ourselves with the sayings and doings of others. --Thomas À Kempis
Many do not know that we are here in this world to live in harmony. --Buddha
***********************************************
Father Leo's Daily Meditation
TEMPER
"Your temper is the only thing that doesn't get better with age." -- Anonymous
I lost my temper when I was in the wrong and wanted to protect myself. My temper was closely associated with my ego and pride; I hated to admit I was in the wrong.
Today I know that I am not God. I make mistakes and apologize. I don't have to have an answer. It is okay to be imperfect and human. And you know what I am finding? I don't lose my temper so much!
I pray that I may express my anger and discomfort without having a selfish temper tantrum.
************************************************** *********
I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, My soul shall be joyful in my God; For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. Isaiah 61:10
"I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone-- for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth." I Timothy 2:2
************************************************** *********
Daily Inspiration
Many more things go right in a day than go wrong, but you will never notice if that one trying moment becomes your focus. Lord, help me make a conscious effort to see the richness of my life and live with gratitude for all of its wonders.
If you have more than you need, but still feel it isn't enough, then you are poor. Lord, may I take time to recognize and enjoy my blessings.
Daily Reflections
THE GIFT OF BONDING
Relieve me of the bondage of self, that I may better do Thy will. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS , p. 63
Many times in my alcoholic state, I drank to establish a bond between myself and others, but I succeeded only in establishing the bondage of alcoholic loneliness. Through the A.A. way of life, I have received the gift of bonding - with those who were there before me, with those who are there now, and with those yet to come. For this gracious gift from God, I am forever grateful.
************************************************** *********
Twenty-Four Hours A Day
A.A. Thought For The Day
"Unless we discuss our defects with another person, we do not acquire enough humility, fearlessness, and honesty to really get the program. We must be entirely honest with somebody, if we expect to live happily in this world. We must be hard on ourselves, but always considerate of others. We pocket our pride and go to it, illuminating every twist of character and every dark cranny of the past. Once we have taken this step, withholding nothing, we can look the world in the eyes." Have I discussed all my defects with another person?
Meditation For The Day
Never yield to weariness of the spirit. At times, the world's cares and distractions will intrude and the spirit will become weak. At times like this, carry on and soon the spirit will become strong again. God's spirit is always with you, to replenish and renew. None ever sincerely sought God's help in vain. Physical weariness and exhaustion make a time of rest and communion with God more necessary. When you are overcome by temporary conditions that you cannot control, keep quiet and wait for the power of the spirit to flow back.
Prayer For The Day
I pray that I may not speak or act in the midst of emotional upheaval. I pray that I may wait until the tempest is past.
************************************************** *********
As Bill Sees It
Perfection--Only The Objective, p. 236
There can be no absolute humility for us humans. At best, we can merely glimpse the meaning and splendor of such a perfect ideal. Only God himself can manifest in the absolute; we human beings must needs live and grow in the domain of the relative.
So we seek progress in humility today.
********************************
Few of us can quickly or easily become ready even to look at spiritual and moral perfection; we want to settle for only as much development as may get us by in life, according, of course, to our various and sundry ideas of what will get us by. Mistakenly, we strive for a self-determined objective, rather than for the perfect objective which is of God.
1. Grapevine, June 1961 2. 12 & 12, p. 68
************************************************** *********
Walk In Dry Places
What should We accept? Acceptance Alcoholics usually have trouble accepting ordinary setbacks and limitations that other people live with all the time. Sometimes it seems much easier to just get drunk than to accept boredom and frustration. The irony of such behavior is that we then have to accept much more failure as a result of problems created by drinking. Our drinking brings far more pain than it removes. Learning acceptance in sobriety is part of the growing-up process. Along with learning to accept things we cannot change, however, we learn there are some things we don't have to accept. Living sober gives us the power and confidence to make such changes. I'll repeat the Serenity Prayer today if I begin to feel disturbed or threatened. I will face life realistically while knowing I have many opportunities for growth and change.
************************************************** *********
Keep It Simple
In every real man a child is hidden that wants to play.---Friedrick Nietzsche All of us have a child inside. We may see that child as a friend or as a enemy. Many of us were taught that growing up meant doing away with our inner child. It was as if being a child was bad and being an adult was good. If we try to be only an adult, the child cries, ”Let me run free and show you the beauty of the world.” If we try to be only a child, we find the adult in using us saying, “It’s time to grow up.” Let’s find a balance. Remember, the adult needs the wonder found in the eyes of the child. Remember, the child needs the loving care of the adult. The child lives where we find our spirit. Our Higher Power is the prefect balance of the two. Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me be both the child and the adult. I need both. Action for the Day: Today, I’ll make time to be a child and to be an adult.
************************************************** *********
Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition
The Man Who Mastered Fear
He spent eighteen years in running away, and then found he didn't have to run. So he started A.A. in Detroit.
Those three weeks left me completely exhausted, and I had to return to Akron for three more months of rest. While there, two or three more "cash customers" (as Dr. Bob used to call them---probably because they had so little cash) were shipped in to us from Detroit. When I finally returned to Detroit to find work and to learn to stand on my own feet, the ball was already rolling, however slowly. But it took six more months of work and disappointments before a group of three men got together in my rooming-house bedroom for their first A.A. meeting.
p. 253
************************************************** *********
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 are the creator of your own Serenity. It lives and breathes within your desire for Recovery. It is no mystery. It is a conscious choice. Serenity is born and flourishes, with the help of your Higher Power, through your own efforts to maintain order, stability and self-discipline within your everyday life. Serenity is a daily gift you give to yourself. Be generous! --Lumpy Karma
The routines of good rest, exercise, regular meal times, prayer, and meetings are the skeleton on which the body of our recovery program can grow. Each of these activities is a reward in itself, and serves to remind us of what our new lives have to offer. --unknown
"Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can." --John Wesley
"Look at everything as though you were seeing it for the first time or the last time. Then your time on earth will be filled with glory." --Betty Smith
"Happiness is a choice that requires effort at times." --Anonymous
If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them. --Thoreau
We would have much peace if we would not busy ourselves with the sayings and doings of others. --Thomas À Kempis
Many do not know that we are here in this world to live in harmony. --Buddha
***********************************************
Father Leo's Daily Meditation
TEMPER
"Your temper is the only thing that doesn't get better with age." -- Anonymous
I lost my temper when I was in the wrong and wanted to protect myself. My temper was closely associated with my ego and pride; I hated to admit I was in the wrong.
Today I know that I am not God. I make mistakes and apologize. I don't have to have an answer. It is okay to be imperfect and human. And you know what I am finding? I don't lose my temper so much!
I pray that I may express my anger and discomfort without having a selfish temper tantrum.
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I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, My soul shall be joyful in my God; For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. Isaiah 61:10
"I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone-- for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth." I Timothy 2:2
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Daily Inspiration
Many more things go right in a day than go wrong, but you will never notice if that one trying moment becomes your focus. Lord, help me make a conscious effort to see the richness of my life and live with gratitude for all of its wonders.
If you have more than you need, but still feel it isn't enough, then you are poor. Lord, may I take time to recognize and enjoy my blessings.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
today's readings
August 24
Daily Reflections
A RIDDLE THAT WORKS
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 how. AS BILL SEES IT, p. 313
I had a profound spiritual experience during an open A.A. meeting, which led me to blurt out. "I'm an alcoholic!" I have not had a drink since that day. I can tell you the words I heard just prior to my admission, and how those words affected me, but as to why it happened, I do not know. I believe a power greater than myself chose me to recover, yet I do not know why. I try not to worry or wonder about what I do not yet know; instead, I trust that if I continue to work the Steps, practice the A.A. principles in my life, and share my story, I will be guided lovingly toward a deep and mature spirituality in which more will be revealed to me. For the time being, it is a gift for me to trust God, work the Steps and help others.
************************************************** *********
Twenty-Four Hours A Day
A.A. Thought For The Day
"When we saw our faults, we listed them. We placed them before us in black and white. We admitted our wrongs honestly and we were willing to set these matters straight. We reviewed our fears thoroughly. We asked God to remove our fears and we commenced to outgrow fear. Many of us needed an overhauling in regard to sex. We came to believe that sex powers were God-given and therefore good, if used properly. Sex is never to be used lightly or selfishly, nor is it to be despised or loathed. If sex is troublesome, we throw ourselves the harder into helping others, and so take our minds off ourselves." Am I facing my sex problems in the proper way?
Meditation For The Day
Cling to the belief that all things are possible with God. If this belief is truly accepted, it is the ladder upon which a human soul can climb from the lowest pit of despair to the sublime heights of peace of mind. It is possible for God to change your way of living. When you see the change in another person through the grace of God, you cannot doubt that all things are possible in the lives of people through the strength that comes from faith in Him who rules us all.
Prayer For The Day
I pray that I may live expectantly. I pray that I may believe deeply that all things are possible with God.
************************************************** *********
As Bill Sees It
Looking for Lost Faith, p. 235
Any number of A.A.'s can say, "We were diverted from our childhood faith. As material success began to come, we felt we were winning at the game of life. This was exhilarating, and it made us happy.
"Why should we be bothered with theological abstractions and religious duties, or with the state of our souls, here or hereafter? The will to win should carry us through.
"But then alcohol began to have its way with us. Finally, when all our score cards read 'zero,' and we saw that one more strike would put us out of the game forever, we had to look for our lost faith. It was in A.A. that we rediscovered it."
12 & 12, pp. 28-29
************************************************** *********
Walk In Dry Places
Is Life Unfair? Justice The glib remark "Life is Unfair" is sometimes used to dismiss any concern about trouble or seeming injustice. This usually implies that all such matters are part of God's plan..... that somehow God couldn't create life without making it unfair. But nobody really knows whether life is unfair or not, since what we see is only a small part of it. We should know, however, that we can practice fairness ourselves. We will live better if we forget how unfair life can be and make the best of the opportunities we have. Some of us could even argue that life treated us unfairly by giving us a susceptibility to alcoholism. In the long run, this turned out to be an opportunity to live the Twelve Step program. Some of us even consider this to be outworking of divine justice that has proved to be eminently fair. As one AA member put it, It was a case of one of the worst things becoming one of the best that ever happened to me ! I'll not let any seeming unfairness or injustice keep me from doing my best today. My real belief is that there is an eternal justice underlying all things.
************************************************** *********
Keep It Simple
To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance. Oscar Wilde There’s a big difference between being self-centered and having self love. We’re self-centered when we think we don’t need people. We might think, “I’m more important than others.” Being self-centered ends up hurting us. It makes us lonely. It keeps us from our Higher Power. Addiction is about being self-centered. Recovery and the Twelve Steps are about self-love. If we love ourselves, we say, “We’re all equal and in need of each other.” Self-love includes having good relationships. It includes trusting that they we’ll do what is best, with the help of our Higher Power. We must believe in ourselves to trust others. Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me love myself as You love me. Help me take good care of myself. Action for the Day: Today, I’ll list three things I like about myself. I’ll talk with a friend and share these things. I’ll ask my friend what he or she likes about me.
************************************************** *********
Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition
The Man Who Mastered Fear
He spent eighteen years in running away, and then found he didn't have to run. So he started A.A. in Detroit.
The rest of my time was devoted to A.A. spadework. I wanted "ripe" prospects, and I didn't feel that I would get very far chasing individual drunks in and out of bars. So I spent much of my time calling on the people who I felt would logically come in contact with alcoholic caes---doctors, ministers, lawyers, and the personnel men in industry. I also talked A.A. to every friend who would listen, at lunch, at dinner, on street corners. A doctor tipped me off to my first prospect. I landed him and shipped him by train to Akron, with a pint of whiskey in his pocket to keep him from wanting to get off the train in Toledo! Nothing has ever to this day equaled to the thrill of that first case.
pp. 252-253
************************************************** *********
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
************************************************** *********
"My father gave me these hints on speech-making: Be sincere . . . be brief . . . be seated." --James Roosevelt
"Watch your manner of speech if you wish to develop a peaceful state of mind. Start each day by affirming peaceful, contented and happy attitudes and your days will tend to be pleasant and successful." --Norman Vincent Peale
You cannot always control what goes on outside. But you can always control what goes on inside. --Wayne Dyer
Not what we gain, but what we give measures the worth of the life we live. --Cited in BITS & PIECES
"Yesterday's home run doesn't win today's ball game." --Unknown
"Some people think that hanging in there shows great strength when the truth is 'letting go' is the real test of character." --Unknown
It is not God's will that makes me miserable. It is my resistance to God's will that makes me miserable. --unknown
Dear God, Please keep your arm around my shoulder, but keep your hand over my mouth! --unknown
***********************************************
Father Leo's Daily Meditation
LIMITATIONS
"Why would we kill off a good watchdog just because he could not fly?" -- Frank Mar
God has created this world with variety and we all have different gifts. Some people make music, others write stories and many are practical at home or in industry. We need to understand what gifts and skills we have and develop them.
It is both fruitless and negative to spend our time complaining that we are not like other people --- or are without their talents. Such an attitude stops us from discovering our own creative talents. We are so busy comparing ourselves with others that we miss our own uniqueness.
Today I enjoy discovering more about me and the abundant gifts that God has freely given to me. What about you?
I pray that I may be truly grateful for what I have.
************************************************** *********
In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: `It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” Acts 20:35
I will thank you, LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done. I will be filled with joy because of you. I will sing praises to your name, O Most High. Psalm 9:1-2
When you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father secretly. Then your Father, who knows all secrets, will reward you. Matthew 6:6
For as he thinks within himself, so he is. Proverbs 23:7
"Teach me, and I will be quiet; show me where I have been wrong." Job 6:24
************************************************** *********
Daily Inspiration
Frequently remind yourself of that which is important in your life. Lord, help me to treasure my family and friends, recognize how valuable they are and tell them often how happy that I am because they are in my life.
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.
Daily Reflections
A RIDDLE THAT WORKS
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 how. AS BILL SEES IT, p. 313
I had a profound spiritual experience during an open A.A. meeting, which led me to blurt out. "I'm an alcoholic!" I have not had a drink since that day. I can tell you the words I heard just prior to my admission, and how those words affected me, but as to why it happened, I do not know. I believe a power greater than myself chose me to recover, yet I do not know why. I try not to worry or wonder about what I do not yet know; instead, I trust that if I continue to work the Steps, practice the A.A. principles in my life, and share my story, I will be guided lovingly toward a deep and mature spirituality in which more will be revealed to me. For the time being, it is a gift for me to trust God, work the Steps and help others.
************************************************** *********
Twenty-Four Hours A Day
A.A. Thought For The Day
"When we saw our faults, we listed them. We placed them before us in black and white. We admitted our wrongs honestly and we were willing to set these matters straight. We reviewed our fears thoroughly. We asked God to remove our fears and we commenced to outgrow fear. Many of us needed an overhauling in regard to sex. We came to believe that sex powers were God-given and therefore good, if used properly. Sex is never to be used lightly or selfishly, nor is it to be despised or loathed. If sex is troublesome, we throw ourselves the harder into helping others, and so take our minds off ourselves." Am I facing my sex problems in the proper way?
Meditation For The Day
Cling to the belief that all things are possible with God. If this belief is truly accepted, it is the ladder upon which a human soul can climb from the lowest pit of despair to the sublime heights of peace of mind. It is possible for God to change your way of living. When you see the change in another person through the grace of God, you cannot doubt that all things are possible in the lives of people through the strength that comes from faith in Him who rules us all.
Prayer For The Day
I pray that I may live expectantly. I pray that I may believe deeply that all things are possible with God.
************************************************** *********
As Bill Sees It
Looking for Lost Faith, p. 235
Any number of A.A.'s can say, "We were diverted from our childhood faith. As material success began to come, we felt we were winning at the game of life. This was exhilarating, and it made us happy.
"Why should we be bothered with theological abstractions and religious duties, or with the state of our souls, here or hereafter? The will to win should carry us through.
"But then alcohol began to have its way with us. Finally, when all our score cards read 'zero,' and we saw that one more strike would put us out of the game forever, we had to look for our lost faith. It was in A.A. that we rediscovered it."
12 & 12, pp. 28-29
************************************************** *********
Walk In Dry Places
Is Life Unfair? Justice The glib remark "Life is Unfair" is sometimes used to dismiss any concern about trouble or seeming injustice. This usually implies that all such matters are part of God's plan..... that somehow God couldn't create life without making it unfair. But nobody really knows whether life is unfair or not, since what we see is only a small part of it. We should know, however, that we can practice fairness ourselves. We will live better if we forget how unfair life can be and make the best of the opportunities we have. Some of us could even argue that life treated us unfairly by giving us a susceptibility to alcoholism. In the long run, this turned out to be an opportunity to live the Twelve Step program. Some of us even consider this to be outworking of divine justice that has proved to be eminently fair. As one AA member put it, It was a case of one of the worst things becoming one of the best that ever happened to me ! I'll not let any seeming unfairness or injustice keep me from doing my best today. My real belief is that there is an eternal justice underlying all things.
************************************************** *********
Keep It Simple
To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance. Oscar Wilde There’s a big difference between being self-centered and having self love. We’re self-centered when we think we don’t need people. We might think, “I’m more important than others.” Being self-centered ends up hurting us. It makes us lonely. It keeps us from our Higher Power. Addiction is about being self-centered. Recovery and the Twelve Steps are about self-love. If we love ourselves, we say, “We’re all equal and in need of each other.” Self-love includes having good relationships. It includes trusting that they we’ll do what is best, with the help of our Higher Power. We must believe in ourselves to trust others. Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me love myself as You love me. Help me take good care of myself. Action for the Day: Today, I’ll list three things I like about myself. I’ll talk with a friend and share these things. I’ll ask my friend what he or she likes about me.
************************************************** *********
Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition
The Man Who Mastered Fear
He spent eighteen years in running away, and then found he didn't have to run. So he started A.A. in Detroit.
The rest of my time was devoted to A.A. spadework. I wanted "ripe" prospects, and I didn't feel that I would get very far chasing individual drunks in and out of bars. So I spent much of my time calling on the people who I felt would logically come in contact with alcoholic caes---doctors, ministers, lawyers, and the personnel men in industry. I also talked A.A. to every friend who would listen, at lunch, at dinner, on street corners. A doctor tipped me off to my first prospect. I landed him and shipped him by train to Akron, with a pint of whiskey in his pocket to keep him from wanting to get off the train in Toledo! Nothing has ever to this day equaled to the thrill of that first case.
pp. 252-253
************************************************** *********
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
************************************************** *********
"My father gave me these hints on speech-making: Be sincere . . . be brief . . . be seated." --James Roosevelt
"Watch your manner of speech if you wish to develop a peaceful state of mind. Start each day by affirming peaceful, contented and happy attitudes and your days will tend to be pleasant and successful." --Norman Vincent Peale
You cannot always control what goes on outside. But you can always control what goes on inside. --Wayne Dyer
Not what we gain, but what we give measures the worth of the life we live. --Cited in BITS & PIECES
"Yesterday's home run doesn't win today's ball game." --Unknown
"Some people think that hanging in there shows great strength when the truth is 'letting go' is the real test of character." --Unknown
It is not God's will that makes me miserable. It is my resistance to God's will that makes me miserable. --unknown
Dear God, Please keep your arm around my shoulder, but keep your hand over my mouth! --unknown
***********************************************
Father Leo's Daily Meditation
LIMITATIONS
"Why would we kill off a good watchdog just because he could not fly?" -- Frank Mar
God has created this world with variety and we all have different gifts. Some people make music, others write stories and many are practical at home or in industry. We need to understand what gifts and skills we have and develop them.
It is both fruitless and negative to spend our time complaining that we are not like other people --- or are without their talents. Such an attitude stops us from discovering our own creative talents. We are so busy comparing ourselves with others that we miss our own uniqueness.
Today I enjoy discovering more about me and the abundant gifts that God has freely given to me. What about you?
I pray that I may be truly grateful for what I have.
************************************************** *********
In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: `It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” Acts 20:35
I will thank you, LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done. I will be filled with joy because of you. I will sing praises to your name, O Most High. Psalm 9:1-2
When you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father secretly. Then your Father, who knows all secrets, will reward you. Matthew 6:6
For as he thinks within himself, so he is. Proverbs 23:7
"Teach me, and I will be quiet; show me where I have been wrong." Job 6:24
************************************************** *********
Daily Inspiration
Frequently remind yourself of that which is important in your life. Lord, help me to treasure my family and friends, recognize how valuable they are and tell them often how happy that I am because they are in my life.
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.
Monday, August 22, 2011
today's readings
August 23
Daily Reflections
BRINGING THE MESSAGE HOME
Can we bring the same spirit of love and tolerance into our sometimes deranged family lives that we bring to our A.A. group? TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS , pp. 111 -112
My family members suffer from the effects of my disease. Loving and accepting them as they are - just as I love and accept A.A. members - fosters a return of love, tolerance and harmony to my life. Using common courtesy and respecting other's personal boundaries are necessary practices for all areas of my life.
************************************************** *********
Twenty-Four Hours A Day
A.A. Thought For The Day
"We who have accepted the A.A. principles have been faced with the necessity for a thorough personal housecleaning. We must face and be rid of the things in ourselves that have been blocking us. We therefore take a personal inventory. We take stock honestly. We search out the flaws in our make-up that caused our failure. Resentment is the number one offender. Life that includes deep resentment leads only to futility and unhappiness. If we are to live, we must be free of anger." Am I free of resentment and anger?
Meditation For The Day
Keep in mind the goal you are striving for, the good life you are trying to attain. Do not let little things divert you from the path. Do not be overcome by the small trials and vexations of each day. Try to see the purpose and plan to which all is leading. if, when climbing a mountain, you keep your eyes on each stony or difficult place, how weary is your climb. But if you think of each step as leading to the summit of achievement from which a glorious landscape will open out before you, then your climb will be endurable and you will achieve your goal.
Prayer For The Day
I pray that I may realize that life without a goal is futile. I pray that I may find the good life worth striving for.
************************************************** *********
As Bill Sees It
Freed Prisoners, p. 234
Letter to a prison group:
"Every A.A. has been, in a sense, a prisoner. Each of us has walled himself out of society; each has known social stigma. The lot of you folks has been even more difficult: In your case, society has also built a wall around you. But there isn't any really essential difference, a fact that practically all A.A.'s now know.
"Therefore, when you members come into the world of A.A. on the outside, you can be sure that no one will care a fig that you have done time. What you are trying to be--not what you were--is all that counts to us."
************************************************** *********
Walk In Dry Places
Planning for others. Letting Go. There are times when we think we see perfectly what others ought to be doing. It pains and disturbs us when loved ones..... our children, perhaps... do not heed our advice. In planning for others, we can easily fall into the trap of enabling. An enabler is a person who supports others in an unhealthy addiction or dependency. We must not plan the lives of others, no matter how dear they are to us or how attached we become to them. They must have the freedom to live without obligation or the belief that they could not have succeeded without our help. Freedom of choice is a precious right that includes the freedom to make mistakes. I'll release any tendency I have to plan for others. At all times, my responsibility is to keep on the right track and let others be free.
************************************************** *********
Keep It Simple
Where there is no vision, a people perish.---Ralph Waldo Emerson Working our program teaches us to see things more clearly. We learn to look at who we really are. At first, we’re scared to see ourselves. But it turns out okay, even though were not perfect. We also begin to see others more clearly. We see good in people we don’t like. And we see faults in people we thought we’re prefect. But we don’t judge people anymore. Nobody is perfect. Just as our program friends accept us as we are, we learn to accept others. Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, sometimes I don’t like what I see. Help me to believe Your way will for me. Help me have a vision. Action for the Day: I will use my new way of seeing thing to avoid trouble today.
************************************************** *********
Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition
The Man Who Mastered Fear
He spent eighteen years in running away, and then found he didn't have to run. So he started A.A. in Detroit.
During my first few months in Akron. I was quite sure that I never wanted to see my hometown again. Too many economic and social problems would beset me there. I would make a fresh start somewhere else. After six months of sobriety, I saw the picture in a different light: Detroit was the place I had to return to, not only because I must face the mess I had made there, but because it was there that I could be of the most service to A.A. In the spring of 1939, Bill stopped off in Akron on his way to Detroit on business. I jumped at the suggestion that I accompany him. We spent two days there together before he returned to New York. Friends invited me to stay on for as long as I cared to. I remained with them for three weeks, using part of the time in making many amends, which I had had no earlier opportunity of making.
p. 252
************************************************** *********
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
************************************************** *********
Action may not always bring happiness; but there is no happiness without action. --Benjamin Disraeli
Even if you are on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there. --Will Rogers
First keep the peace within yourself, then you can also bring peace to others. --Thomas A. Kempis
There is only one you for all time. Fearlessly be yourself. --Anthony Rapp
I can repeat the past, or I can create new and better experiences. --Shelley
Today I will take enough time to do something good for myself only. I will buy myself a gift or spend worthwhile time doing something pleasant and fulfilling. I have enough time today and I deserve this time for myself. --Ruth Fishel
"Children stand more in need of example than criticism." --Joseph Joubert
What is not love is fear. Anger is one of fear's most potent faces. And it does exactly what fear wants it to do. It keeps us from receiving love at exactly the moment when we need it most. -- Marianne Williamson
The spiritual path is not one of attainment, but return. --Alan Cohen
***********************************************
Father Leo's Daily Meditation
CONFIDENCE
"There is no sort of work that could ever be done well if you minded what fools say." -- George Eliot
Part of the risk in my recovery is arousing the displeasure of others. I know that I cannot please all the people --- and yet my disease tells me that I must! For years I missed life's opportunities because I listened to negative and frightened people. Today I choose to shout my "yes" to life, and I ignore the fools. The fools are rarely friends. Rather, they seek to keep me in the same prison as themselves. If they truly loved me, they would encourage me to be imaginative and creative.
Today I have a joyride "letting go and letting God" because God is a great risk-taker!
I pray that I may always listen to the advice of others, but never miss my power of decision.
************************************************** *********
The Lord watches over you..... The Lord is your shade at your right hand. Psalm 121 : 5
"Judge not according to the appearance." John 7: 24
"Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit." Psalm 51:12
"No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us." I John 4:12
************************************************** *********
Daily Inspiration
Life has a way of working itself out if you simply make the best of this moment, one moment at a time. Lord, You have given me this moment. Grant me the wisdom to live it in a way that will make a difference for me and for those around me.
No one has ever asked of God and not received an answer. Lord, bless me with quiet resolve to hear You and wisdom to accept Your Will.
Daily Reflections
BRINGING THE MESSAGE HOME
Can we bring the same spirit of love and tolerance into our sometimes deranged family lives that we bring to our A.A. group? TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS , pp. 111 -112
My family members suffer from the effects of my disease. Loving and accepting them as they are - just as I love and accept A.A. members - fosters a return of love, tolerance and harmony to my life. Using common courtesy and respecting other's personal boundaries are necessary practices for all areas of my life.
************************************************** *********
Twenty-Four Hours A Day
A.A. Thought For The Day
"We who have accepted the A.A. principles have been faced with the necessity for a thorough personal housecleaning. We must face and be rid of the things in ourselves that have been blocking us. We therefore take a personal inventory. We take stock honestly. We search out the flaws in our make-up that caused our failure. Resentment is the number one offender. Life that includes deep resentment leads only to futility and unhappiness. If we are to live, we must be free of anger." Am I free of resentment and anger?
Meditation For The Day
Keep in mind the goal you are striving for, the good life you are trying to attain. Do not let little things divert you from the path. Do not be overcome by the small trials and vexations of each day. Try to see the purpose and plan to which all is leading. if, when climbing a mountain, you keep your eyes on each stony or difficult place, how weary is your climb. But if you think of each step as leading to the summit of achievement from which a glorious landscape will open out before you, then your climb will be endurable and you will achieve your goal.
Prayer For The Day
I pray that I may realize that life without a goal is futile. I pray that I may find the good life worth striving for.
************************************************** *********
As Bill Sees It
Freed Prisoners, p. 234
Letter to a prison group:
"Every A.A. has been, in a sense, a prisoner. Each of us has walled himself out of society; each has known social stigma. The lot of you folks has been even more difficult: In your case, society has also built a wall around you. But there isn't any really essential difference, a fact that practically all A.A.'s now know.
"Therefore, when you members come into the world of A.A. on the outside, you can be sure that no one will care a fig that you have done time. What you are trying to be--not what you were--is all that counts to us."
************************************************** *********
Walk In Dry Places
Planning for others. Letting Go. There are times when we think we see perfectly what others ought to be doing. It pains and disturbs us when loved ones..... our children, perhaps... do not heed our advice. In planning for others, we can easily fall into the trap of enabling. An enabler is a person who supports others in an unhealthy addiction or dependency. We must not plan the lives of others, no matter how dear they are to us or how attached we become to them. They must have the freedom to live without obligation or the belief that they could not have succeeded without our help. Freedom of choice is a precious right that includes the freedom to make mistakes. I'll release any tendency I have to plan for others. At all times, my responsibility is to keep on the right track and let others be free.
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Keep It Simple
Where there is no vision, a people perish.---Ralph Waldo Emerson Working our program teaches us to see things more clearly. We learn to look at who we really are. At first, we’re scared to see ourselves. But it turns out okay, even though were not perfect. We also begin to see others more clearly. We see good in people we don’t like. And we see faults in people we thought we’re prefect. But we don’t judge people anymore. Nobody is perfect. Just as our program friends accept us as we are, we learn to accept others. Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, sometimes I don’t like what I see. Help me to believe Your way will for me. Help me have a vision. Action for the Day: I will use my new way of seeing thing to avoid trouble today.
************************************************** *********
Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition
The Man Who Mastered Fear
He spent eighteen years in running away, and then found he didn't have to run. So he started A.A. in Detroit.
During my first few months in Akron. I was quite sure that I never wanted to see my hometown again. Too many economic and social problems would beset me there. I would make a fresh start somewhere else. After six months of sobriety, I saw the picture in a different light: Detroit was the place I had to return to, not only because I must face the mess I had made there, but because it was there that I could be of the most service to A.A. In the spring of 1939, Bill stopped off in Akron on his way to Detroit on business. I jumped at the suggestion that I accompany him. We spent two days there together before he returned to New York. Friends invited me to stay on for as long as I cared to. I remained with them for three weeks, using part of the time in making many amends, which I had had no earlier opportunity of making.
p. 252
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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
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Action may not always bring happiness; but there is no happiness without action. --Benjamin Disraeli
Even if you are on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there. --Will Rogers
First keep the peace within yourself, then you can also bring peace to others. --Thomas A. Kempis
There is only one you for all time. Fearlessly be yourself. --Anthony Rapp
I can repeat the past, or I can create new and better experiences. --Shelley
Today I will take enough time to do something good for myself only. I will buy myself a gift or spend worthwhile time doing something pleasant and fulfilling. I have enough time today and I deserve this time for myself. --Ruth Fishel
"Children stand more in need of example than criticism." --Joseph Joubert
What is not love is fear. Anger is one of fear's most potent faces. And it does exactly what fear wants it to do. It keeps us from receiving love at exactly the moment when we need it most. -- Marianne Williamson
The spiritual path is not one of attainment, but return. --Alan Cohen
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Father Leo's Daily Meditation
CONFIDENCE
"There is no sort of work that could ever be done well if you minded what fools say." -- George Eliot
Part of the risk in my recovery is arousing the displeasure of others. I know that I cannot please all the people --- and yet my disease tells me that I must! For years I missed life's opportunities because I listened to negative and frightened people. Today I choose to shout my "yes" to life, and I ignore the fools. The fools are rarely friends. Rather, they seek to keep me in the same prison as themselves. If they truly loved me, they would encourage me to be imaginative and creative.
Today I have a joyride "letting go and letting God" because God is a great risk-taker!
I pray that I may always listen to the advice of others, but never miss my power of decision.
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The Lord watches over you..... The Lord is your shade at your right hand. Psalm 121 : 5
"Judge not according to the appearance." John 7: 24
"Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit." Psalm 51:12
"No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us." I John 4:12
************************************************** *********
Daily Inspiration
Life has a way of working itself out if you simply make the best of this moment, one moment at a time. Lord, You have given me this moment. Grant me the wisdom to live it in a way that will make a difference for me and for those around me.
No one has ever asked of God and not received an answer. Lord, bless me with quiet resolve to hear You and wisdom to accept Your Will.
Sunday, August 21, 2011
today's readings
August 22
Daily Reflections
SEEKING EMOTIONAL STABILITY, p.243
When we developed still more, we discovered the best possible source of emotional stability to be God Himself. We found that dependence upon His perfect justice, forgiveness, and love was healthy, and that it would work where nothing else would. If we really depended upon God, we couldn't very well play God to our fellows nor would we feel the urge wholly to rely on human protection and care. 12 & 12, p.116
All my life I depended on people for my emotional needs and security, but today I cannot live that way anymore. By the grace of God, I have admitted my powerlessness over people, places and things. I had been a real "people addict"; wherever I went there had to be someone who would pay some kind of attention to me. It was the kind of attitude that could only get worse, because the more I depended on others and demanded attention, the less I received. I have given up believing that any human power can relieve me of that empty feeling. Although I remain a fragile human being who needs to work A.A.'s Steps to keep this particular principle before my personality, it is only a loving God who can give me inner peace and emotional stability.
************************************************** *********
Twenty-Four Hours A Day
A.A. Thought For The Day
"Those who do not recover are people who are constitutionally incapable of being honest with themselves. There are such unfortunates. They are not at fault. They seem to have been born that way. They are naturally incapable of grasping and developing a manner of living which demands rigorous honesty. Their chances are less than average. There are those, too, who suffer from grave emotional and mental disorders, but many of them do recover, if they have the capacity to be honest." Am I completely honest with myself and with other people?
Meditation For The Day
You can make use of your mistakes, failures, losses, and sufferings. It is not what happens to you so much as what use you make of it. Take your sufferings, difficulties, and hardships and make use of them to help some unfortunate soul who is faced with the same troubles. Then something good will come out of your suffering and the world will be a better place because of it. The good you do each day will live on, after the trouble and distress have gone, after the difficulty and the pain have passed away.
Prayer For The Day
I pray that I may make good use of my mistakes and failures. I pray that some good may result from my painful experiences.
************************************************** *********
As Bill Sees It
Everyday Living, p. 233
The A.A. emphasis on personal inventory is heavy because a great many of us have never really acquired the habit of accurate self-appraisal.
Once this heavy practice has become a habit, it will prove so interesting and profitable that the time it takes won't be missed. For these minutes and often hours spent in self-examination are bound to make all the other hours of our day better and happier. At length, our inventories become a necessity of everyday living, rather than something unusual or set apart.
12 & 12, pp. 89-90
************************************************** *********
Walk In Dry Places
Whose experience is important? Sharing. In the Twelve Step movement, we often feature outstanding speakers at large anniversary meetings. In some ways, this makes celebrities of them..... their personal stories seem to be deemed more important that those of others. We should accept such large meetings for what they are: Part entertainment, part socialization, and part celebration. The real work of our fellowship, however, lies in ordinary, continuous activity in the groups. The most important experience to be shared is not the dramatic or humorous account heard at the large meeting. What really works to keep us sober is the experience we share with each other. This can survive long after the powerful speech is forgotten. I'll remember today that I can find help and growth in talking with different people I meet at regular meetings.
************************************************** *********
Keep It Simple
It’s a rare person who wants to hear what we doesn’t want to hear.---Dick Cavett We want only to hear good thins. That we’re nice people. That our loved ones are healthy. That we did a good job. We don’t want to hear that anyone is angry with us, or that we made a mistake. We don’t want to hear about illness or troubles. But life isn’t just happy news. Bad things happen. We can’t change that. As we live our recovery program, we learn to handle the addiction. We choose the path of life. We need to know all the news, good, and bad. Then we can deal with life as it really is. Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me listen---even when I don't want to. Gently help me deal with both the good and bad. All the help I need is mine for the asking. Action for the Day: I will ask my sponsor and three friends to tell me about my blind spots.
************************************************** *********
Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition
The Man Who Mastered Fear
He spent eighteen years in running away, and then found he didn't have to run. So he started A.A. in Detroit.
Poor health and a complete lack of money necessitated my remaining with Dr. Bob and Anne for very close to a year. It would be impossible for me to pass over this without mentioning my love for, and my indebtedness to, these two wonderful people who are no longer with us. They made me feel as if I were a part of their family, and so did their children. The example they and Bill W., whose visits to Akron were fairly frequent, set for me of service to their fellow men imbued me with a great desire to emulate them. Sometimes during that year I rebelled inwardly at what seemed like lost time and at having to be a burden to these good people whose means were limited. Long before I had any real opportunity to give, I had to learn the equally important lessons of receiving graciously.
pp. 251-252
************************************************** *********
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
************************************************** *********
"Holding resentment is like eating poison and then waiting for the other person to keel over." --Unknown "Would you rather be right, or happy?" --A Course in Miracles
"Keep love in your heart. A life without it is like a sunless garden, where the flowers are all dead. The consciousness of loving and being loved brings a warmth and richness to life that nothing else can bring." --Oscar Wilde
Ask a question and you're a fool for three minutes; do not ask a question and you're a fool for the rest of your life. --Chinese Proverb
Giving is the highest expression of our power. --Vivian Greene
What lies before us and what lies behind us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us. --Oliver Wendell Holmes
***********************************************
Father Leo's Daily Meditation
INDIFFERENCE
"The worst sin towards our fellow creatures in not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them. That's the essence of inhumanity." -- George Bernard Shaw
For years I was indifferent to family and friends. And the tragedy was that because of my alcoholism I did not know it! For too long I was unaware of my disease and its multiple implications.
Today I am not indifferent. Spirituality teaches me that I am not a spectator but a participant. I am involved in my life and, ultimately, in the lives of others. Today I seek to practice the principles of sobriety in every area of my life. I not only seek to be sober on a daily basis, but I also seek to be honest, open and tolerant with other people.
The spiritual goal of sobriety and abstinence has placed me at the center of the universe and I know today that I make a difference to my fellow man.
Remove from me all attitudes of indifference and apathy. Make me a worthy steward in Your vineyard.
************************************************** *********
If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13
"As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you." Isaiah 66:13
"Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:16
************************************************** *********
Daily Inspiration
Each day offers many opportunities to smile when others don't and be more patient when others aren't. Lord, may I be an example of Your presence within me and a reminder to others that You are there for them too.
Each day there are lessons to learn and lives to touch. Lord, You have done so much for me. Help me to repay You
Daily Reflections
SEEKING EMOTIONAL STABILITY, p.243
When we developed still more, we discovered the best possible source of emotional stability to be God Himself. We found that dependence upon His perfect justice, forgiveness, and love was healthy, and that it would work where nothing else would. If we really depended upon God, we couldn't very well play God to our fellows nor would we feel the urge wholly to rely on human protection and care. 12 & 12, p.116
All my life I depended on people for my emotional needs and security, but today I cannot live that way anymore. By the grace of God, I have admitted my powerlessness over people, places and things. I had been a real "people addict"; wherever I went there had to be someone who would pay some kind of attention to me. It was the kind of attitude that could only get worse, because the more I depended on others and demanded attention, the less I received. I have given up believing that any human power can relieve me of that empty feeling. Although I remain a fragile human being who needs to work A.A.'s Steps to keep this particular principle before my personality, it is only a loving God who can give me inner peace and emotional stability.
************************************************** *********
Twenty-Four Hours A Day
A.A. Thought For The Day
"Those who do not recover are people who are constitutionally incapable of being honest with themselves. There are such unfortunates. They are not at fault. They seem to have been born that way. They are naturally incapable of grasping and developing a manner of living which demands rigorous honesty. Their chances are less than average. There are those, too, who suffer from grave emotional and mental disorders, but many of them do recover, if they have the capacity to be honest." Am I completely honest with myself and with other people?
Meditation For The Day
You can make use of your mistakes, failures, losses, and sufferings. It is not what happens to you so much as what use you make of it. Take your sufferings, difficulties, and hardships and make use of them to help some unfortunate soul who is faced with the same troubles. Then something good will come out of your suffering and the world will be a better place because of it. The good you do each day will live on, after the trouble and distress have gone, after the difficulty and the pain have passed away.
Prayer For The Day
I pray that I may make good use of my mistakes and failures. I pray that some good may result from my painful experiences.
************************************************** *********
As Bill Sees It
Everyday Living, p. 233
The A.A. emphasis on personal inventory is heavy because a great many of us have never really acquired the habit of accurate self-appraisal.
Once this heavy practice has become a habit, it will prove so interesting and profitable that the time it takes won't be missed. For these minutes and often hours spent in self-examination are bound to make all the other hours of our day better and happier. At length, our inventories become a necessity of everyday living, rather than something unusual or set apart.
12 & 12, pp. 89-90
************************************************** *********
Walk In Dry Places
Whose experience is important? Sharing. In the Twelve Step movement, we often feature outstanding speakers at large anniversary meetings. In some ways, this makes celebrities of them..... their personal stories seem to be deemed more important that those of others. We should accept such large meetings for what they are: Part entertainment, part socialization, and part celebration. The real work of our fellowship, however, lies in ordinary, continuous activity in the groups. The most important experience to be shared is not the dramatic or humorous account heard at the large meeting. What really works to keep us sober is the experience we share with each other. This can survive long after the powerful speech is forgotten. I'll remember today that I can find help and growth in talking with different people I meet at regular meetings.
************************************************** *********
Keep It Simple
It’s a rare person who wants to hear what we doesn’t want to hear.---Dick Cavett We want only to hear good thins. That we’re nice people. That our loved ones are healthy. That we did a good job. We don’t want to hear that anyone is angry with us, or that we made a mistake. We don’t want to hear about illness or troubles. But life isn’t just happy news. Bad things happen. We can’t change that. As we live our recovery program, we learn to handle the addiction. We choose the path of life. We need to know all the news, good, and bad. Then we can deal with life as it really is. Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me listen---even when I don't want to. Gently help me deal with both the good and bad. All the help I need is mine for the asking. Action for the Day: I will ask my sponsor and three friends to tell me about my blind spots.
************************************************** *********
Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition
The Man Who Mastered Fear
He spent eighteen years in running away, and then found he didn't have to run. So he started A.A. in Detroit.
Poor health and a complete lack of money necessitated my remaining with Dr. Bob and Anne for very close to a year. It would be impossible for me to pass over this without mentioning my love for, and my indebtedness to, these two wonderful people who are no longer with us. They made me feel as if I were a part of their family, and so did their children. The example they and Bill W., whose visits to Akron were fairly frequent, set for me of service to their fellow men imbued me with a great desire to emulate them. Sometimes during that year I rebelled inwardly at what seemed like lost time and at having to be a burden to these good people whose means were limited. Long before I had any real opportunity to give, I had to learn the equally important lessons of receiving graciously.
pp. 251-252
************************************************** *********
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
************************************************** *********
"Holding resentment is like eating poison and then waiting for the other person to keel over." --Unknown "Would you rather be right, or happy?" --A Course in Miracles
"Keep love in your heart. A life without it is like a sunless garden, where the flowers are all dead. The consciousness of loving and being loved brings a warmth and richness to life that nothing else can bring." --Oscar Wilde
Ask a question and you're a fool for three minutes; do not ask a question and you're a fool for the rest of your life. --Chinese Proverb
Giving is the highest expression of our power. --Vivian Greene
What lies before us and what lies behind us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us. --Oliver Wendell Holmes
***********************************************
Father Leo's Daily Meditation
INDIFFERENCE
"The worst sin towards our fellow creatures in not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them. That's the essence of inhumanity." -- George Bernard Shaw
For years I was indifferent to family and friends. And the tragedy was that because of my alcoholism I did not know it! For too long I was unaware of my disease and its multiple implications.
Today I am not indifferent. Spirituality teaches me that I am not a spectator but a participant. I am involved in my life and, ultimately, in the lives of others. Today I seek to practice the principles of sobriety in every area of my life. I not only seek to be sober on a daily basis, but I also seek to be honest, open and tolerant with other people.
The spiritual goal of sobriety and abstinence has placed me at the center of the universe and I know today that I make a difference to my fellow man.
Remove from me all attitudes of indifference and apathy. Make me a worthy steward in Your vineyard.
************************************************** *********
If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13
"As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you." Isaiah 66:13
"Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:16
************************************************** *********
Daily Inspiration
Each day offers many opportunities to smile when others don't and be more patient when others aren't. Lord, may I be an example of Your presence within me and a reminder to others that You are there for them too.
Each day there are lessons to learn and lives to touch. Lord, You have done so much for me. Help me to repay You
Saturday, August 20, 2011
today's readings
August 21
Daily Reflections
WE JUST TRY, p.242
My stability came out of trying to give, not out of demanding that I receive. The Best Of Bill, pp. 46-47
As long as I try, with all my heart and soul, to pass along to others what has been passed along to me, and do not demand anything in return, life is good to me. Before entering this program of Alcoholics Anonymous I was never able to give without demanding something in return. Little did I know that, once I began to give freely of myself, I would begin to receive, without ever expecting or demanding anything at all. What I receive today is the gift of "stability," as Bill did: stability in my A.A. program; within myself; but most of all, in my relationship with my Higher Power, whom I choose to call God.
************************************************** *********
Twenty-Four Hours A Day
A.A. Thought For The Day
"Who are you to say there is no God? This challenge comes to all of us. Are we capable of denying that there is a design and purpose in all of life as we know it? Or are we willing to admit that faith in some kind of Divine Principle is a part of our makeup, just as much as the feeling we have for a friend? We find a great Reality deep down within us, if we face ourselves as we really are. In the last analysis, it is only there that God may be found. When we find this Reality within us, we are restored to our right minds." Have I found the great reality?
Meditation For The Day
"Behold, I make all things new." When you change to a new way of life, you leave many things behind you. It is only the earth-bound spirit that cannot soar. Loosen somewhat the strands that tie you to the earth. It is only the earthly desires that bind you. Your new freedom will depend on your ability to rise above earthly things. Clipped wings can grow again. Broken wings can regain a strength and beauty unknown before. If you will, you can be released and free.
Prayer For The Day
I pray that I may be freed from things that hold me down. I pray that my spirit may soar in freedom.
************************************************** *********
As Bill Sees It
The Value of Human Will, p. 232
Many newcomers, having experienced little but constant deflation, feel a growing conviction that human will is of no value whatever. They have become persuaded, sometimes rightly so, that many problems besides alcohol will not yield to a headlong assault powered only by the individual's will.
However, there are certain things which the individual alone can do. All by himself, and in the light of his own circumstances, he needs to develop the quality of willingness. When he acquires willingness, he is the only one who can then make the decision to exert himself along spiritual lines. Trying to do this is actually an act of his own will. It is the right use of this faculty.
Indeed, all of A.A.'s Twelve Steps require our sustained and personal exertion to conform to their principles and so, we trust, to God's will.
12 & 12, p. 40
************************************************** *********
Walk In Dry Places
Meeting needs in the Right Way. Self-Understanding. Bizarre as it is, the bad behavior of drunkenness has an underlying logic when it's really understood. Why, for example, would people squander money buying drinks for total strangers when their families are going without? This is an insane way of meeting needs for intimacy and approval. It's true that these needs will never be met in this fashion, but try telling that to a person who is still drinking! In recovery, we can more easily forgive ourselves for past actions when we realize they came out of a misguided attempt to meet basic needs. A starving person will seek out garbage. Starved as we were for necessities of life, we sought a form of garbage. The good news in AA recovery is that sobriety will help us meet basic needs in the right way. I'll keep in mind today that as a human being I have certain needs that should be met in proper ways.
************************************************** *********
Keep It Simple
Beauty is not caused. It is.--- Emily Dickinson Probably, there have been many times when we thought we weren’t beautiful. We thought we were ugly. We thought we were bad people. This is a natural part of addiction. Our program tells us we’re good, we’re beautiful. Do we believe this? Do we accept this part of the program? Beauty is an attitude, just as self-hate is an attitude. We need to keep the attitude that we’re beautiful. We owe it to ourselves and to those around us. And, yes, it’s true that you must love yourself before you can love others. Remember, ours is a selfish program. We have to love and see ourselves as beautiful, before we can give it to others. Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me claim my beauty. Help me to see that, sometimes, I have to be selfish to grow. Action for the Day: Today, I’ll work at falling in love with myself.
************************************************** *********
Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition
The Man Who Mastered Fear
He spent eighteen years in running away, and then found he didn't have to run. So he started A.A. in Detroit.
It is well over sixteen years since I came back to life. I have never had a drink since. This alone is a miracle. It is, however, only the first of a series of miracles that have followed one another as a result of my trying to apply to my daily life the principles embodied in our Twelve Steps. I would like to sketch for you the highlights of these sixteen years of a slow but steady and satisfying upward climb.
p. 251
************************************************** *********
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."
Where the possession of money and material things was concerned, our outlook underwent the same revolutionary change. With a few exceptions, all of us had been spendthrifts. We threw money about in every direction with the purpose of pleasing ourselves and impressing other people. In our drinking time, we acted as if the money supply was inexhaustible, though between binges we'd sometimes go to the other extreme and become almost miserly. Without realizing it we were just accumulating funds for the next spree. Money was the symbol of pleasure and self-importance. When our drinking had become much worse, money was only an urgent requirement which could supply us with the next drink and the temporary comfort of oblivion it brought.
p. 120
************************************************** *********
Don't worry about what's ahead. Just go as far as you can go - from there you can see farther. --unknown
Life's most difficult challenges, are our greatest teachers and an opportunity for growth. --unknown
Happiness is intrinsic, it's an internal thing. When you build it into yourself, no external circumstances can take it away. That kind of happiness is a twenty-four-hour thing. --Leo F. Buscaglia
Spirit is at work through me, I am led to do the right and loving thing. --Shelley
Stay committed to your growth process until you wake up one morning and ask yourself, What is that strange thing I am feeling? Then know what the answer is. The answer is joy. --Melody Beattie
We have to learn to be our own best friends because we fall too easily into the trap of being our own worst enemies. --Roderick Thorpe
***********************************************
Father Leo's Daily Meditation
HAPPINESS
"We are looking in the wrong places for happiness." -- Robert J. McCracken
I sought happiness in the bottle. Others looked for "good feelings" in drugs, food or other people. Today I know that nothing that is outside of me can make me acceptable --- acceptance must come from within.
I need to discover that spiritual place where I can be acceptable to me. Self-esteem is an essential part of my recovery and that can only be realized by making the spiritual journey within.
Today I seek to discover me. I want to know me --- because You created me.
************************************************** *********
"Our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you." Psalm 38:21-22
"Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven." Luke 6:37
"The Lord, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory; he will rejoice over you with gladness, he will renew you with his love." Zephaniah 3:17a
"You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory." Psalm 73:24
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Daily Inspiration
By being less judgmental of others, you will eliminate much frustration. Lord, I pray for the peace that comes from understanding and compassion.
Because Jesus is with you, you can survive the darkest moment and emerge a better and stronger person. Lord, I trust quietly that you are working things out according to Your plan for me.
Daily Reflections
WE JUST TRY, p.242
My stability came out of trying to give, not out of demanding that I receive. The Best Of Bill, pp. 46-47
As long as I try, with all my heart and soul, to pass along to others what has been passed along to me, and do not demand anything in return, life is good to me. Before entering this program of Alcoholics Anonymous I was never able to give without demanding something in return. Little did I know that, once I began to give freely of myself, I would begin to receive, without ever expecting or demanding anything at all. What I receive today is the gift of "stability," as Bill did: stability in my A.A. program; within myself; but most of all, in my relationship with my Higher Power, whom I choose to call God.
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Twenty-Four Hours A Day
A.A. Thought For The Day
"Who are you to say there is no God? This challenge comes to all of us. Are we capable of denying that there is a design and purpose in all of life as we know it? Or are we willing to admit that faith in some kind of Divine Principle is a part of our makeup, just as much as the feeling we have for a friend? We find a great Reality deep down within us, if we face ourselves as we really are. In the last analysis, it is only there that God may be found. When we find this Reality within us, we are restored to our right minds." Have I found the great reality?
Meditation For The Day
"Behold, I make all things new." When you change to a new way of life, you leave many things behind you. It is only the earth-bound spirit that cannot soar. Loosen somewhat the strands that tie you to the earth. It is only the earthly desires that bind you. Your new freedom will depend on your ability to rise above earthly things. Clipped wings can grow again. Broken wings can regain a strength and beauty unknown before. If you will, you can be released and free.
Prayer For The Day
I pray that I may be freed from things that hold me down. I pray that my spirit may soar in freedom.
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As Bill Sees It
The Value of Human Will, p. 232
Many newcomers, having experienced little but constant deflation, feel a growing conviction that human will is of no value whatever. They have become persuaded, sometimes rightly so, that many problems besides alcohol will not yield to a headlong assault powered only by the individual's will.
However, there are certain things which the individual alone can do. All by himself, and in the light of his own circumstances, he needs to develop the quality of willingness. When he acquires willingness, he is the only one who can then make the decision to exert himself along spiritual lines. Trying to do this is actually an act of his own will. It is the right use of this faculty.
Indeed, all of A.A.'s Twelve Steps require our sustained and personal exertion to conform to their principles and so, we trust, to God's will.
12 & 12, p. 40
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Walk In Dry Places
Meeting needs in the Right Way. Self-Understanding. Bizarre as it is, the bad behavior of drunkenness has an underlying logic when it's really understood. Why, for example, would people squander money buying drinks for total strangers when their families are going without? This is an insane way of meeting needs for intimacy and approval. It's true that these needs will never be met in this fashion, but try telling that to a person who is still drinking! In recovery, we can more easily forgive ourselves for past actions when we realize they came out of a misguided attempt to meet basic needs. A starving person will seek out garbage. Starved as we were for necessities of life, we sought a form of garbage. The good news in AA recovery is that sobriety will help us meet basic needs in the right way. I'll keep in mind today that as a human being I have certain needs that should be met in proper ways.
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Keep It Simple
Beauty is not caused. It is.--- Emily Dickinson Probably, there have been many times when we thought we weren’t beautiful. We thought we were ugly. We thought we were bad people. This is a natural part of addiction. Our program tells us we’re good, we’re beautiful. Do we believe this? Do we accept this part of the program? Beauty is an attitude, just as self-hate is an attitude. We need to keep the attitude that we’re beautiful. We owe it to ourselves and to those around us. And, yes, it’s true that you must love yourself before you can love others. Remember, ours is a selfish program. We have to love and see ourselves as beautiful, before we can give it to others. Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me claim my beauty. Help me to see that, sometimes, I have to be selfish to grow. Action for the Day: Today, I’ll work at falling in love with myself.
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Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition
The Man Who Mastered Fear
He spent eighteen years in running away, and then found he didn't have to run. So he started A.A. in Detroit.
It is well over sixteen years since I came back to life. I have never had a drink since. This alone is a miracle. It is, however, only the first of a series of miracles that have followed one another as a result of my trying to apply to my daily life the principles embodied in our Twelve Steps. I would like to sketch for you the highlights of these sixteen years of a slow but steady and satisfying upward climb.
p. 251
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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."
Where the possession of money and material things was concerned, our outlook underwent the same revolutionary change. With a few exceptions, all of us had been spendthrifts. We threw money about in every direction with the purpose of pleasing ourselves and impressing other people. In our drinking time, we acted as if the money supply was inexhaustible, though between binges we'd sometimes go to the other extreme and become almost miserly. Without realizing it we were just accumulating funds for the next spree. Money was the symbol of pleasure and self-importance. When our drinking had become much worse, money was only an urgent requirement which could supply us with the next drink and the temporary comfort of oblivion it brought.
p. 120
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Don't worry about what's ahead. Just go as far as you can go - from there you can see farther. --unknown
Life's most difficult challenges, are our greatest teachers and an opportunity for growth. --unknown
Happiness is intrinsic, it's an internal thing. When you build it into yourself, no external circumstances can take it away. That kind of happiness is a twenty-four-hour thing. --Leo F. Buscaglia
Spirit is at work through me, I am led to do the right and loving thing. --Shelley
Stay committed to your growth process until you wake up one morning and ask yourself, What is that strange thing I am feeling? Then know what the answer is. The answer is joy. --Melody Beattie
We have to learn to be our own best friends because we fall too easily into the trap of being our own worst enemies. --Roderick Thorpe
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Father Leo's Daily Meditation
HAPPINESS
"We are looking in the wrong places for happiness." -- Robert J. McCracken
I sought happiness in the bottle. Others looked for "good feelings" in drugs, food or other people. Today I know that nothing that is outside of me can make me acceptable --- acceptance must come from within.
I need to discover that spiritual place where I can be acceptable to me. Self-esteem is an essential part of my recovery and that can only be realized by making the spiritual journey within.
Today I seek to discover me. I want to know me --- because You created me.
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"Our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you." Psalm 38:21-22
"Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven." Luke 6:37
"The Lord, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory; he will rejoice over you with gladness, he will renew you with his love." Zephaniah 3:17a
"You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory." Psalm 73:24
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Daily Inspiration
By being less judgmental of others, you will eliminate much frustration. Lord, I pray for the peace that comes from understanding and compassion.
Because Jesus is with you, you can survive the darkest moment and emerge a better and stronger person. Lord, I trust quietly that you are working things out according to Your plan for me.
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