October 29
Daily Reflections
OUR SURVIVAL
Since recovery from alcoholism is life itself to us, it is imperative that we preserve in full
strength our means of survival.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 177
The honesty expressed by the members of A.A. in meetings has the power to open my
mind. Nothing can block the flow of energy that honesty carries with it. The only obstacle
to this flow of energy is inebriation, but even then, no one will find a closed door if he or
she has left and chooses to return. Once he or she has received the gift of sobriety,
each A.A. member is challenged on a daily basis to accept a program of honesty. My
Higher Power created me for a purpose in life. I ask him to accept my honest efforts to
continue on my journey in the spiritual way of life. I call on Him for strength to know and
seek His will.
************************************************** *********
Twenty-Four Hours A Day
A.A. Thought For The Day
My relationships with my children have greatly improved. Those children who saw me
drunk and were ashamed, those children who turned away in fear and even loathing have
seen me sober and like me, have turned to me in confidence and trust and have forgotten
the past as best they could. They have given me a chance for companionship that I had
completely missed. I am their father or their mother now. Not just "that person the Mom
or Dad married and God knows why." I am a part of my home now. Have I found
something that I had lost?
Meditation For The Day
Our true measure of success in life is the measure of spiritual progress that we have
revealed in our lives. Others should be able to see a demonstration of God's will in our
lives. The measure of His will that those around us have seen worked out in our daily
living is the measure of our true success. We can do our best to be a demonstration each
day of the power of God in human lives, and example of the working out of the grace of
God in the hearts of men and women.
Prayer For The Day
I pray that I may so live that others will see in me something of the working out of the will
of God. I pray that my life may be a demonstration of what the grace of God can do.
************************************************** *********
As Bill Sees It
People Of Faith, p. 300
We who have traveled a path through agnosticism or atheism beg you
to lay aside prejudice, even against organized religion. We have
learned that, whatever the human frailties of various faiths may be,
those faiths have given purpose and direction to millions. People of
faith have a rational idea of what life is all about.
Actually, we used to have no reasonable conception whatever. We
used to amuse ourselves by cynically dissecting spiritual beliefs and
practices, when we might have seen that many spiritually-minded
persons of all races, colors, and creeds were demonstrating a degree
of stability, happiness, and usefulness that we should have sought for
ourselves.
Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 49
************************************************** *********
Walk In Dry Places
Diminishing returns are still beneficial
Getting better.
There's a "Cloud nine" effect that some of us had when we first found sobriety. Some call it the honeymoon stage. It includes a feeling of great joy and relief over having found, at last, an answer to drinking.
This gradually fades away, as it should under normal conditions. We then feel as though we're in stages of diminishing returns, where the benefits The experience we have in getting sober is like that of people who recovery from a terrible physical illness. At first, they feel remarkably better for the first time. But then their recovery becomes taken for granted, and "feeling better" isn't as remarkable as it was when they first recovered.
We should not expect it to be. Instead, we can focus on the contentment and well-being that living sober and steady improvement give us.
I may not have anything today like the excitement that accompanied early recovery. I'll be satisfied with the normal blessings of good living.
************************************************** *********
Keep It Simple
Each morning puts a man on trail and each evening passes judgment. Ray L. Smith
In many ways, the Tenth Step is very natural. We continue to take a personal inventory.
And when we’re wrong, we promptly admit it.
At the end of each day we ask ourselves, “How did my day go?” As we think about our day, we bring order to our life. The Tenth Step teaches us about order. It also teaches us how to correct mistakes. We do this by admitting our wrongs. This way, we have no backlog of guilt. It’s good to start each day fresh, free from quilt. Admitting our wrongs is a loving thing to do. It’s another way the program teaches us to love ourselves.
Prayer for the Day: Today, I’ll face many choices. Higher Power, be with me as I choose. When the day is done, remind me to think about how I lived today. This will help me learn.
Action for the Day: Tonight, I’ll list three choices I made today. Would I make the same choices again?
************************************************** *********
Each Day a New Beginning
Let your tears come. Let them water your soul. --Eileen Mayhew
Letting down our guard, releasing the tension that keeps us taut, often invites our tears, tears that soften us, melt our resistance, reveal our vulnerability, which reminds us that we are only human. So often we need reminding that we are only human.
Perfectionism may be our bane, as it is for so many of us in this program. We've learned to push, push harder, and even harder yet, not only ourselves but also those around us. We must be better, we think, and we tighten our hold on life. The program can teach us to loosen our grip, if we'll let it. The magic is that when we loosen our grip on this day, this activity, this person, we get carried gently along and find that which we struggled to control happening smoothly and naturally. Life is a series of ironies.
We should not hide from our tears. We can trust their need to be present. Perhaps they need to be present for someone else, as well as ourselves. Tears encourage compassion; maybe our assignment in life, today, is to help someone else experience compassion.
My tears will heal. And the wounded are everywhere.
************************************************** *********
Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition
THE PERPETUAL QUEST - This lawyer tried psychiatrists. biofeedback, relaxation exercises, and a host of other techniques to control her drinking. She finally found a solution, uniquely tailored, in the Twelve Steps.
I joined a downtown group that met near my office right after work at 5:15. (I would not have made it to 8:00 p.m.) Soon, I got into service. I was given bank books, notes of business meetings, and various other instructions and told to do whatever was necessary to keep the meeting going. I did that job for quite some time. I also instituted regular business meetings and found an eager newcomer to whom I eventually turned over the bank book and papers.
p. 395
************************************************** *********
Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions
Tradition Three - "The only requirement for A.A. membership is a desire to stop drinking."
At length the time came for him to speak in a meeting. We shivered, for we knew what was coming. He paid a fine tribute to the Fellowship; he told how his family had been reunited; he extolled the virtue of honesty; he recalled the joys of Twelfth Step work; and then he lowered the boom. Cried Ed, "I can't stand this God stuff! It's a lot of malarkey for weak folks. This group doesn't need it, and I won't have it! To he!! with it!"
A great wave of outraged resentment engulfed the meeting, sweeping every member to a single resolve: "Out he goes!"
p. 143
************************************************** *********
"Living just for today relieves the burden of the past and the fear of the future."
--unknown
You can be your best friend or your worst enemy. This is all determined by how you treat
yourself. Do you harshly judge yourself, or do you find yourself without any conviction?
--unknown
Perhaps the reason a person gets upset over a situation is simply because they have
preordained things in their own mind.
--unknown
"Love alone is capable of uniting living beings in such a way as to complete and fulfill
them, for it alone takes them and joins them by what is deepest in themselves."
--Pierre T. De Chardin
"Your past is always going to be the way it was. Stop trying to change it."
--Anonymous
"When thinking won't cure fear, action will."
--W. Clement Stone
A B C = Acceptance, Belief, Change.
AA is not something you join, it's a way of life.
***********************************************
Father Leo's Daily Meditation
RACISM
"I want to be the white man's
brother not his brother-in-law."
-- Martin Luther King, Jr.
Addiction is always about separation, ego, isolation and prejudice. The disease
makes us feel different, "less than" and we cover those feelings with false humility
or we assume an arrogant and bombastic manner. Pride and feelings of inferiority put
us on the defensive. It is not unusual for us to seek a scapegoat for our anger.
Drinking alcoholics can be vindictive and prejudicial in their attitude towards
minorities: Blacks, gays and Jews. It is a strange quirk of circumstance when a minority
seeks to victimize another minority --- because alcoholics are a minority group!
Sobriety is about a change in attitude and behavior. The spiritual acceptance of self
must lead inevitably to the acceptance of others. The false pride and arrogance of our
drinking days must give way to the vulnerable strength of sobriety. Now we are able
to embrace our brother, regardless of color, class or creed.
Lord, teach me to seek You in my fellow man and greet You in the stranger.
************************************************** *********
"As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who
trust in Him."
2 Samuel 22:31
"But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: "We ought to obey God rather
than men."
Acts 5:29
************************************************** *********
Daily Inspiration
Make more room for love in your life. Lord, may I love myself and what I do, may I love others, and how they better my life, and above all, may I love You more each day.
Peace comes not from having no problems, but from being able to deal with them. Lord, bless me with the confidence and wisdom to grow from life's challenges.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Saturday's Readings
October 29
Daily Reflections
OUR SURVIVAL
Since recovery from alcoholism is life itself to us, it is imperative that we preserve in full
strength our means of survival.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 177
The honesty expressed by the members of A.A. in meetings has the power to open my
mind. Nothing can block the flow of energy that honesty carries with it. The only obstacle
to this flow of energy is inebriation, but even then, no one will find a closed door if he or
she has left and chooses to return. Once he or she has received the gift of sobriety,
each A.A. member is challenged on a daily basis to accept a program of honesty. My
Higher Power created me for a purpose in life. I ask him to accept my honest efforts to
continue on my journey in the spiritual way of life. I call on Him for strength to know and
seek His will.
************************************************** *********
Twenty-Four Hours A Day
A.A. Thought For The Day
My relationships with my children have greatly improved. Those children who saw me
drunk and were ashamed, those children who turned away in fear and even loathing have
seen me sober and like me, have turned to me in confidence and trust and have forgotten
the past as best they could. They have given me a chance for companionship that I had
completely missed. I am their father or their mother now. Not just "that person the Mom
or Dad married and God knows why." I am a part of my home now. Have I found
something that I had lost?
Meditation For The Day
Our true measure of success in life is the measure of spiritual progress that we have
revealed in our lives. Others should be able to see a demonstration of God's will in our
lives. The measure of His will that those around us have seen worked out in our daily
living is the measure of our true success. We can do our best to be a demonstration each
day of the power of God in human lives, and example of the working out of the grace of
God in the hearts of men and women.
Prayer For The Day
I pray that I may so live that others will see in me something of the working out of the will
of God. I pray that my life may be a demonstration of what the grace of God can do.
************************************************** *********
As Bill Sees It
People Of Faith, p. 300
We who have traveled a path through agnosticism or atheism beg you
to lay aside prejudice, even against organized religion. We have
learned that, whatever the human frailties of various faiths may be,
those faiths have given purpose and direction to millions. People of
faith have a rational idea of what life is all about.
Actually, we used to have no reasonable conception whatever. We
used to amuse ourselves by cynically dissecting spiritual beliefs and
practices, when we might have seen that many spiritually-minded
persons of all races, colors, and creeds were demonstrating a degree
of stability, happiness, and usefulness that we should have sought for
ourselves.
Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 49
************************************************** *********
Walk In Dry Places
Diminishing returns are still beneficial
Getting better.
There's a "Cloud nine" effect that some of us had when we first found sobriety. Some call it the honeymoon stage. It includes a feeling of great joy and relief over having found, at last, an answer to drinking.
This gradually fades away, as it should under normal conditions. We then feel as though we're in stages of diminishing returns, where the benefits The experience we have in getting sober is like that of people who recovery from a terrible physical illness. At first, they feel remarkably better for the first time. But then their recovery becomes taken for granted, and "feeling better" isn't as remarkable as it was when they first recovered.
We should not expect it to be. Instead, we can focus on the contentment and well-being that living sober and steady improvement give us.
I may not have anything today like the excitement that accompanied early recovery. I'll be satisfied with the normal blessings of good living.
************************************************** *********
Keep It Simple
Each morning puts a man on trail and each evening passes judgment. Ray L. Smith
In many ways, the Tenth Step is very natural. We continue to take a personal inventory.
And when we’re wrong, we promptly admit it.
At the end of each day we ask ourselves, “How did my day go?” As we think about our day, we bring order to our life. The Tenth Step teaches us about order. It also teaches us how to correct mistakes. We do this by admitting our wrongs. This way, we have no backlog of guilt. It’s good to start each day fresh, free from quilt. Admitting our wrongs is a loving thing to do. It’s another way the program teaches us to love ourselves.
Prayer for the Day: Today, I’ll face many choices. Higher Power, be with me as I choose. When the day is done, remind me to think about how I lived today. This will help me learn.
Action for the Day: Tonight, I’ll list three choices I made today. Would I make the same choices again?
************************************************** *********
Each Day a New Beginning
Let your tears come. Let them water your soul. --Eileen Mayhew
Letting down our guard, releasing the tension that keeps us taut, often invites our tears, tears that soften us, melt our resistance, reveal our vulnerability, which reminds us that we are only human. So often we need reminding that we are only human.
Perfectionism may be our bane, as it is for so many of us in this program. We've learned to push, push harder, and even harder yet, not only ourselves but also those around us. We must be better, we think, and we tighten our hold on life. The program can teach us to loosen our grip, if we'll let it. The magic is that when we loosen our grip on this day, this activity, this person, we get carried gently along and find that which we struggled to control happening smoothly and naturally. Life is a series of ironies.
We should not hide from our tears. We can trust their need to be present. Perhaps they need to be present for someone else, as well as ourselves. Tears encourage compassion; maybe our assignment in life, today, is to help someone else experience compassion.
My tears will heal. And the wounded are everywhere.
************************************************** *********
Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition
THE PERPETUAL QUEST - This lawyer tried psychiatrists. biofeedback, relaxation exercises, and a host of other techniques to control her drinking. She finally found a solution, uniquely tailored, in the Twelve Steps.
I joined a downtown group that met near my office right after work at 5:15. (I would not have made it to 8:00 p.m.) Soon, I got into service. I was given bank books, notes of business meetings, and various other instructions and told to do whatever was necessary to keep the meeting going. I did that job for quite some time. I also instituted regular business meetings and found an eager newcomer to whom I eventually turned over the bank book and papers.
p. 395
************************************************** *********
Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions
Tradition Three - "The only requirement for A.A. membership is a desire to stop drinking."
At length the time came for him to speak in a meeting. We shivered, for we knew what was coming. He paid a fine tribute to the Fellowship; he told how his family had been reunited; he extolled the virtue of honesty; he recalled the joys of Twelfth Step work; and then he lowered the boom. Cried Ed, "I can't stand this God stuff! It's a lot of malarkey for weak folks. This group doesn't need it, and I won't have it! To he!! with it!"
A great wave of outraged resentment engulfed the meeting, sweeping every member to a single resolve: "Out he goes!"
p. 143
************************************************** *********
"Living just for today relieves the burden of the past and the fear of the future."
--unknown
You can be your best friend or your worst enemy. This is all determined by how you treat
yourself. Do you harshly judge yourself, or do you find yourself without any conviction?
--unknown
Perhaps the reason a person gets upset over a situation is simply because they have
preordained things in their own mind.
--unknown
"Love alone is capable of uniting living beings in such a way as to complete and fulfill
them, for it alone takes them and joins them by what is deepest in themselves."
--Pierre T. De Chardin
"Your past is always going to be the way it was. Stop trying to change it."
--Anonymous
"When thinking won't cure fear, action will."
--W. Clement Stone
A B C = Acceptance, Belief, Change.
AA is not something you join, it's a way of life.
***********************************************
Father Leo's Daily Meditation
RACISM
"I want to be the white man's
brother not his brother-in-law."
-- Martin Luther King, Jr.
Addiction is always about separation, ego, isolation and prejudice. The disease
makes us feel different, "less than" and we cover those feelings with false humility
or we assume an arrogant and bombastic manner. Pride and feelings of inferiority put
us on the defensive. It is not unusual for us to seek a scapegoat for our anger.
Drinking alcoholics can be vindictive and prejudicial in their attitude towards
minorities: Blacks, gays and Jews. It is a strange quirk of circumstance when a minority
seeks to victimize another minority --- because alcoholics are a minority group!
Sobriety is about a change in attitude and behavior. The spiritual acceptance of self
must lead inevitably to the acceptance of others. The false pride and arrogance of our
drinking days must give way to the vulnerable strength of sobriety. Now we are able
to embrace our brother, regardless of color, class or creed.
Lord, teach me to seek You in my fellow man and greet You in the stranger.
************************************************** *********
"As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who
trust in Him."
2 Samuel 22:31
"But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: "We ought to obey God rather
than men."
Acts 5:29
************************************************** *********
Daily Inspiration
Make more room for love in your life. Lord, may I love myself and what I do, may I love others, and how they better my life, and above all, may I love You more each day.
Peace comes not from having no problems, but from being able to deal with them. Lord, bless me with the confidence and wisdom to grow from life's challenges.
Share
Daily Reflections
OUR SURVIVAL
Since recovery from alcoholism is life itself to us, it is imperative that we preserve in full
strength our means of survival.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 177
The honesty expressed by the members of A.A. in meetings has the power to open my
mind. Nothing can block the flow of energy that honesty carries with it. The only obstacle
to this flow of energy is inebriation, but even then, no one will find a closed door if he or
she has left and chooses to return. Once he or she has received the gift of sobriety,
each A.A. member is challenged on a daily basis to accept a program of honesty. My
Higher Power created me for a purpose in life. I ask him to accept my honest efforts to
continue on my journey in the spiritual way of life. I call on Him for strength to know and
seek His will.
************************************************** *********
Twenty-Four Hours A Day
A.A. Thought For The Day
My relationships with my children have greatly improved. Those children who saw me
drunk and were ashamed, those children who turned away in fear and even loathing have
seen me sober and like me, have turned to me in confidence and trust and have forgotten
the past as best they could. They have given me a chance for companionship that I had
completely missed. I am their father or their mother now. Not just "that person the Mom
or Dad married and God knows why." I am a part of my home now. Have I found
something that I had lost?
Meditation For The Day
Our true measure of success in life is the measure of spiritual progress that we have
revealed in our lives. Others should be able to see a demonstration of God's will in our
lives. The measure of His will that those around us have seen worked out in our daily
living is the measure of our true success. We can do our best to be a demonstration each
day of the power of God in human lives, and example of the working out of the grace of
God in the hearts of men and women.
Prayer For The Day
I pray that I may so live that others will see in me something of the working out of the will
of God. I pray that my life may be a demonstration of what the grace of God can do.
************************************************** *********
As Bill Sees It
People Of Faith, p. 300
We who have traveled a path through agnosticism or atheism beg you
to lay aside prejudice, even against organized religion. We have
learned that, whatever the human frailties of various faiths may be,
those faiths have given purpose and direction to millions. People of
faith have a rational idea of what life is all about.
Actually, we used to have no reasonable conception whatever. We
used to amuse ourselves by cynically dissecting spiritual beliefs and
practices, when we might have seen that many spiritually-minded
persons of all races, colors, and creeds were demonstrating a degree
of stability, happiness, and usefulness that we should have sought for
ourselves.
Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 49
************************************************** *********
Walk In Dry Places
Diminishing returns are still beneficial
Getting better.
There's a "Cloud nine" effect that some of us had when we first found sobriety. Some call it the honeymoon stage. It includes a feeling of great joy and relief over having found, at last, an answer to drinking.
This gradually fades away, as it should under normal conditions. We then feel as though we're in stages of diminishing returns, where the benefits The experience we have in getting sober is like that of people who recovery from a terrible physical illness. At first, they feel remarkably better for the first time. But then their recovery becomes taken for granted, and "feeling better" isn't as remarkable as it was when they first recovered.
We should not expect it to be. Instead, we can focus on the contentment and well-being that living sober and steady improvement give us.
I may not have anything today like the excitement that accompanied early recovery. I'll be satisfied with the normal blessings of good living.
************************************************** *********
Keep It Simple
Each morning puts a man on trail and each evening passes judgment. Ray L. Smith
In many ways, the Tenth Step is very natural. We continue to take a personal inventory.
And when we’re wrong, we promptly admit it.
At the end of each day we ask ourselves, “How did my day go?” As we think about our day, we bring order to our life. The Tenth Step teaches us about order. It also teaches us how to correct mistakes. We do this by admitting our wrongs. This way, we have no backlog of guilt. It’s good to start each day fresh, free from quilt. Admitting our wrongs is a loving thing to do. It’s another way the program teaches us to love ourselves.
Prayer for the Day: Today, I’ll face many choices. Higher Power, be with me as I choose. When the day is done, remind me to think about how I lived today. This will help me learn.
Action for the Day: Tonight, I’ll list three choices I made today. Would I make the same choices again?
************************************************** *********
Each Day a New Beginning
Let your tears come. Let them water your soul. --Eileen Mayhew
Letting down our guard, releasing the tension that keeps us taut, often invites our tears, tears that soften us, melt our resistance, reveal our vulnerability, which reminds us that we are only human. So often we need reminding that we are only human.
Perfectionism may be our bane, as it is for so many of us in this program. We've learned to push, push harder, and even harder yet, not only ourselves but also those around us. We must be better, we think, and we tighten our hold on life. The program can teach us to loosen our grip, if we'll let it. The magic is that when we loosen our grip on this day, this activity, this person, we get carried gently along and find that which we struggled to control happening smoothly and naturally. Life is a series of ironies.
We should not hide from our tears. We can trust their need to be present. Perhaps they need to be present for someone else, as well as ourselves. Tears encourage compassion; maybe our assignment in life, today, is to help someone else experience compassion.
My tears will heal. And the wounded are everywhere.
************************************************** *********
Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition
THE PERPETUAL QUEST - This lawyer tried psychiatrists. biofeedback, relaxation exercises, and a host of other techniques to control her drinking. She finally found a solution, uniquely tailored, in the Twelve Steps.
I joined a downtown group that met near my office right after work at 5:15. (I would not have made it to 8:00 p.m.) Soon, I got into service. I was given bank books, notes of business meetings, and various other instructions and told to do whatever was necessary to keep the meeting going. I did that job for quite some time. I also instituted regular business meetings and found an eager newcomer to whom I eventually turned over the bank book and papers.
p. 395
************************************************** *********
Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions
Tradition Three - "The only requirement for A.A. membership is a desire to stop drinking."
At length the time came for him to speak in a meeting. We shivered, for we knew what was coming. He paid a fine tribute to the Fellowship; he told how his family had been reunited; he extolled the virtue of honesty; he recalled the joys of Twelfth Step work; and then he lowered the boom. Cried Ed, "I can't stand this God stuff! It's a lot of malarkey for weak folks. This group doesn't need it, and I won't have it! To he!! with it!"
A great wave of outraged resentment engulfed the meeting, sweeping every member to a single resolve: "Out he goes!"
p. 143
************************************************** *********
"Living just for today relieves the burden of the past and the fear of the future."
--unknown
You can be your best friend or your worst enemy. This is all determined by how you treat
yourself. Do you harshly judge yourself, or do you find yourself without any conviction?
--unknown
Perhaps the reason a person gets upset over a situation is simply because they have
preordained things in their own mind.
--unknown
"Love alone is capable of uniting living beings in such a way as to complete and fulfill
them, for it alone takes them and joins them by what is deepest in themselves."
--Pierre T. De Chardin
"Your past is always going to be the way it was. Stop trying to change it."
--Anonymous
"When thinking won't cure fear, action will."
--W. Clement Stone
A B C = Acceptance, Belief, Change.
AA is not something you join, it's a way of life.
***********************************************
Father Leo's Daily Meditation
RACISM
"I want to be the white man's
brother not his brother-in-law."
-- Martin Luther King, Jr.
Addiction is always about separation, ego, isolation and prejudice. The disease
makes us feel different, "less than" and we cover those feelings with false humility
or we assume an arrogant and bombastic manner. Pride and feelings of inferiority put
us on the defensive. It is not unusual for us to seek a scapegoat for our anger.
Drinking alcoholics can be vindictive and prejudicial in their attitude towards
minorities: Blacks, gays and Jews. It is a strange quirk of circumstance when a minority
seeks to victimize another minority --- because alcoholics are a minority group!
Sobriety is about a change in attitude and behavior. The spiritual acceptance of self
must lead inevitably to the acceptance of others. The false pride and arrogance of our
drinking days must give way to the vulnerable strength of sobriety. Now we are able
to embrace our brother, regardless of color, class or creed.
Lord, teach me to seek You in my fellow man and greet You in the stranger.
************************************************** *********
"As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who
trust in Him."
2 Samuel 22:31
"But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: "We ought to obey God rather
than men."
Acts 5:29
************************************************** *********
Daily Inspiration
Make more room for love in your life. Lord, may I love myself and what I do, may I love others, and how they better my life, and above all, may I love You more each day.
Peace comes not from having no problems, but from being able to deal with them. Lord, bless me with the confidence and wisdom to grow from life's challenges.
Share
Friday, October 28, 2011
TGIF Readings
October 28
Daily Reflections
AN UNBROKEN TRADITION
We conceive the survival and spread of Alcoholics Anonymous to be something of far
greater importance than the weight we could collectively throw back of any other cause.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 177
How much it means to me that an unbroken tradition of more than half a century is a
thread that connects me to Bill W. and Dr. Bob. How much more grounded I feel to be in
a Fellowship whose aims are constant and unflagging. I am grateful that the energies of
A.A. have never been scattered, but focused instead on our members and on individual
sobriety. My beliefs are what make me human; I am free to hold any opinion, but A.A.'s
purpose -- so clearly stated fifty years ago -- is for me to keep sober. That purpose has
promoted round-the-clock meeting schedules, and the thousands of intergroup and central
service offices, with their thousands of volunteers. Like the sun focused through a
magnifying glass, A.A.'s single vision has lit a fire of faith in sobriety in millions of hearts,
including mine.
************************************************** *********
Twenty-Four Hours A Day
A.A. Thought For The Day
What other rewards have come to me as a result of my new way of living? Each one of us
can answer this question in many ways. My relationship with my husband or my wife is on
an entirely new plane. The total selfishness is gone and more cooperation has taken its
place. My home is a home again. Understanding has taken the place of misunderstanding
recriminations, bickering, and resentment. A new companionship has developed which
bodes well for the future. "There are homes where fires burn and there is bread, lamps
are lit and prayers are said. Though people falter through the dark and nations grope,
with God Himself back of these little homes, we still can hope." Have I come home?
Meditation For The Day
We can bow to God's will in anticipation of the thing happening which will, in the long run,
be the best for all concerned. It may not always seem the best thing at the present time,
but we cannot see as far ahead as God can. We do not know how His plans are laid, we
only need to believe that if we trust Him and accept whatever happens as His will in a
spirit of faith, everything will work out for the best in the end.
Prayer For The Day
I pray that I may not ask to see the distant scene. I pray that one step may be enough for
me.
************************************************** *********
As Bill Sees It
Anonymity and Sobriety, p. 299
As the A.A. groups multiplied, so did anonymity problems.
Enthusiastic over the spectacular recovery of a brother alcoholic, we'd
sometimes discuss those intimate and harrowing aspects of his case
meant for his sponsor's ear alone. The aggrieved victim would then
rightly declare that his trust had been broken.
When such stories got into circulation outside of A.A., the loss of
confidence in our anonymity promise was severe. It frequently turned
people from us. Clearly, every A.A. member's name--and story,
too--had to be confidential, if he wished.
<< << << >> >> >>
We now fully realize that 100 per cent personal anonymity before the
public is just as vital to the life of A.A. as 100 per cent sobriety is to
the life of each and every member. This is not counsel of fear; it is the
prudent voice of long experience.
1. 12 & 12, p. 185
2. A.A. Comes Of Age, p. 293
************************************************** *********
Walk In Dry Places
The new problems in sobriety
Fortitude
Sometimes sobriety turns up problems that were never apparent during one's drinking days. Some people, for example, encounter marriage problems that lead to divorce. It almost appears that some things were better when we were drinking.
But there are good reasons why sobriety brings new problems. One is that we become aware of problems that were there all the time, although not acknowledged. It's possible, too, that sobriety brings more responsibility, along with risks of failure. At the same time, we might be more sensitive to the real problems of living.
We should never use such problems as an excuse for drinking. It is true, as many people say, that drinking can only make matters worse. Nothing can be improved by a return to drinking.
I must remember today that sobriety means living on a new basis. This includes facing problems and dealing with them... not running from them as I did in the past.
************************************************** *********
Keep It Simple
I wish you the courage to be warm when the world would prefer you to be cool.Robert A. Ward
Our program and the Steps have warmed us from the inside out. Just as a bonfire warms those who stand around it, the Steps take away the chill we have felt for so long.
At Times, we’ll be tempted to move away from the Steps. At times, we’ll get tired of looking at our behavior and attitudes. We are by nature, controlling people. We’ll want to
“prove our point” about something when our program tells us to let it go. We need to stay close to the Steps and the warmth they hold. Remember the chill of our disease.
Prayer for the Day: I need to member that the Steps and the fellowship of the program keep me sober, not me alone.
Action for the Day: Today, I’ll thank about what the Steps have done for me. I will think of how they have kept me warm.
************************************************** *********
Each Day a New Beginning
The most elusive knowledge of all is self-knowledge. --Mirra Komarovsky
Discovering who we are is an adventure, one that will thrill and sometimes trouble us and will frequently occupy our thoughtful reflections. We are growing and changing as a result of our commitment to the program. And it's that process of commitment that heightens our self-awareness.
We learn who we are by listening to others, by sensing their perceptions of us, by taking an honest, careful inventory of our own behavior. The inner conversations that haunt us while we're interacting with others are poignant guidelines to self-knowledge, self-definition. Just when we think we've figured out who we are and how to handle our flaws, a new challenge will enter our realm of experiences, shaking up all the understandings that have given us guidance heretofore.
It is not an easy task to discover who we really are. It's an even harder job to love and accept the woman we discover. But too many years went by while we avoided or denied or, worse yet, denounced the only person we knew how to be. The program offers us the way to learn about and love fully the person within. Nor will we find the way easy every day. But there's time enough to let the process ease our investigation.
I will be soft and deliberate today as I listen to others and myself.
************************************************** *********
Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition
THE PERPETUAL QUEST - This lawyer tried psychiatrists. biofeedback, relaxation exercises, and a host of other techniques to control her drinking. She finally found a solution, uniquely tailored, in the Twelve Steps.
Late that night at home, there was a presence in the room with me, even though I lived alone. The next morning I knew I didn't have to drink. That night I went to a Step meeting where they discussed Step Two, "Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity," and I actually talked about God, the one who had abandoned me when I was very little, very frightened, and very hurt. In the weeks and months that followed, I did everything that was suggested to me. I went to a meeting every day, read the books and literature, and got a sponsor who told me to have quiet time every morning and to pray and meditate or at least sit still for a few minutes, before racing off for the day. Since I prided myself on adhering to the intellectual principle of not having contempt for anything prior to investigation, I tried to keep an open mind no matter what anyone said and how stupid I thought it was. That probably saved my life.
pp. 394-395
************************************************** *********
Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions
Tradition Three - "The only requirement for A.A. membership is a desire
to stop drinking."
Not long after the man with the double stigma knocked for admission,
A.A.'s other group received into its membership a salesman we shall call
Ed. A power driver, this one, and brash as any salesman could possibly
be. He had at least and idea a minute on how to improves A.A. These
ideas he sold to fellow members with the same burning enthusiasm with
which he distributed automobile polish. But he had one idea that wasn't
so salable. Ed was an atheist. His pet obsession was that A.A. could get
along better without its "God nonsense." He browbeat everybody, and
everybody expected that he'd soon get drunk - for at the time, you see,
A.A. was on the pious side. There must be a heavy penalty, it was
thought, for blasphemy. Distressingly enough, Ed proceeded to stay sober.
p. 143
************************************************** *********
As long as a man stands in his own way, everything seems to be in his way.
--Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 -1882)
Although we have been made to believe that if we let go we will end up with nothing,
life itself reveals again and again the opposite; that letting go is the path to real
freedom.
--Sogyai Rinpoche
This above all else: to your own self be true.
--unknown
Outstanding leaders go out of the way to boost the self-esteem of their personnel. If
people believe in themselves, it's amazing what they can accomplish.
--Sam Walton
The deeds you do today may be the only sermon some people will hear today.
--St. Francis of Assisi
Make big decisions in the calm.
--Dwight D. Eisenhower
***********************************************
Father Leo's Daily Meditation
ORATORY
"The finest eloquence is that
which get things done."
-- David Lloyd George
I know how to talk. I know how to sound good. I know how to convince a person of my
good intentions --- indeed that was part of my manipulation for years.
Today I try to walk the talk. I try to demonstrate what I say in the behavior I exhibit.
The bottom line is action. Talking never stopped me from drinking --- my physical refusal
of the first drink was the start of my recovery.
God is to be discovered not merely in pious sentiments, as attractive as they may
sound, but rather in the small steps of altered behavior.
Am I doing what I am saying? Lord give me the courage to live my words.
************************************************** *********
God blesses the people who patiently endure testing.
James 1:12
Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart.
Psalm 86:11
"Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you,
along with all malice. And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other,
just as God in Christ also has forgiven you."
Ephesians 4:31-32
************************************************** *********
Daily Inspiration
It is usually easier to start a project than to finish it. Lord, help me spend less time thinking about what I want to do, so that I can have the time to feel the gratification of completing what I started.
Pray even when your heart has no words rather than to pray words with no heart. Lord, You faithfully answer all prayers. I will trust in Your answers and never take Your love for granted.
Daily Reflections
AN UNBROKEN TRADITION
We conceive the survival and spread of Alcoholics Anonymous to be something of far
greater importance than the weight we could collectively throw back of any other cause.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 177
How much it means to me that an unbroken tradition of more than half a century is a
thread that connects me to Bill W. and Dr. Bob. How much more grounded I feel to be in
a Fellowship whose aims are constant and unflagging. I am grateful that the energies of
A.A. have never been scattered, but focused instead on our members and on individual
sobriety. My beliefs are what make me human; I am free to hold any opinion, but A.A.'s
purpose -- so clearly stated fifty years ago -- is for me to keep sober. That purpose has
promoted round-the-clock meeting schedules, and the thousands of intergroup and central
service offices, with their thousands of volunteers. Like the sun focused through a
magnifying glass, A.A.'s single vision has lit a fire of faith in sobriety in millions of hearts,
including mine.
************************************************** *********
Twenty-Four Hours A Day
A.A. Thought For The Day
What other rewards have come to me as a result of my new way of living? Each one of us
can answer this question in many ways. My relationship with my husband or my wife is on
an entirely new plane. The total selfishness is gone and more cooperation has taken its
place. My home is a home again. Understanding has taken the place of misunderstanding
recriminations, bickering, and resentment. A new companionship has developed which
bodes well for the future. "There are homes where fires burn and there is bread, lamps
are lit and prayers are said. Though people falter through the dark and nations grope,
with God Himself back of these little homes, we still can hope." Have I come home?
Meditation For The Day
We can bow to God's will in anticipation of the thing happening which will, in the long run,
be the best for all concerned. It may not always seem the best thing at the present time,
but we cannot see as far ahead as God can. We do not know how His plans are laid, we
only need to believe that if we trust Him and accept whatever happens as His will in a
spirit of faith, everything will work out for the best in the end.
Prayer For The Day
I pray that I may not ask to see the distant scene. I pray that one step may be enough for
me.
************************************************** *********
As Bill Sees It
Anonymity and Sobriety, p. 299
As the A.A. groups multiplied, so did anonymity problems.
Enthusiastic over the spectacular recovery of a brother alcoholic, we'd
sometimes discuss those intimate and harrowing aspects of his case
meant for his sponsor's ear alone. The aggrieved victim would then
rightly declare that his trust had been broken.
When such stories got into circulation outside of A.A., the loss of
confidence in our anonymity promise was severe. It frequently turned
people from us. Clearly, every A.A. member's name--and story,
too--had to be confidential, if he wished.
<< << << >> >> >>
We now fully realize that 100 per cent personal anonymity before the
public is just as vital to the life of A.A. as 100 per cent sobriety is to
the life of each and every member. This is not counsel of fear; it is the
prudent voice of long experience.
1. 12 & 12, p. 185
2. A.A. Comes Of Age, p. 293
************************************************** *********
Walk In Dry Places
The new problems in sobriety
Fortitude
Sometimes sobriety turns up problems that were never apparent during one's drinking days. Some people, for example, encounter marriage problems that lead to divorce. It almost appears that some things were better when we were drinking.
But there are good reasons why sobriety brings new problems. One is that we become aware of problems that were there all the time, although not acknowledged. It's possible, too, that sobriety brings more responsibility, along with risks of failure. At the same time, we might be more sensitive to the real problems of living.
We should never use such problems as an excuse for drinking. It is true, as many people say, that drinking can only make matters worse. Nothing can be improved by a return to drinking.
I must remember today that sobriety means living on a new basis. This includes facing problems and dealing with them... not running from them as I did in the past.
************************************************** *********
Keep It Simple
I wish you the courage to be warm when the world would prefer you to be cool.Robert A. Ward
Our program and the Steps have warmed us from the inside out. Just as a bonfire warms those who stand around it, the Steps take away the chill we have felt for so long.
At Times, we’ll be tempted to move away from the Steps. At times, we’ll get tired of looking at our behavior and attitudes. We are by nature, controlling people. We’ll want to
“prove our point” about something when our program tells us to let it go. We need to stay close to the Steps and the warmth they hold. Remember the chill of our disease.
Prayer for the Day: I need to member that the Steps and the fellowship of the program keep me sober, not me alone.
Action for the Day: Today, I’ll thank about what the Steps have done for me. I will think of how they have kept me warm.
************************************************** *********
Each Day a New Beginning
The most elusive knowledge of all is self-knowledge. --Mirra Komarovsky
Discovering who we are is an adventure, one that will thrill and sometimes trouble us and will frequently occupy our thoughtful reflections. We are growing and changing as a result of our commitment to the program. And it's that process of commitment that heightens our self-awareness.
We learn who we are by listening to others, by sensing their perceptions of us, by taking an honest, careful inventory of our own behavior. The inner conversations that haunt us while we're interacting with others are poignant guidelines to self-knowledge, self-definition. Just when we think we've figured out who we are and how to handle our flaws, a new challenge will enter our realm of experiences, shaking up all the understandings that have given us guidance heretofore.
It is not an easy task to discover who we really are. It's an even harder job to love and accept the woman we discover. But too many years went by while we avoided or denied or, worse yet, denounced the only person we knew how to be. The program offers us the way to learn about and love fully the person within. Nor will we find the way easy every day. But there's time enough to let the process ease our investigation.
I will be soft and deliberate today as I listen to others and myself.
************************************************** *********
Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition
THE PERPETUAL QUEST - This lawyer tried psychiatrists. biofeedback, relaxation exercises, and a host of other techniques to control her drinking. She finally found a solution, uniquely tailored, in the Twelve Steps.
Late that night at home, there was a presence in the room with me, even though I lived alone. The next morning I knew I didn't have to drink. That night I went to a Step meeting where they discussed Step Two, "Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity," and I actually talked about God, the one who had abandoned me when I was very little, very frightened, and very hurt. In the weeks and months that followed, I did everything that was suggested to me. I went to a meeting every day, read the books and literature, and got a sponsor who told me to have quiet time every morning and to pray and meditate or at least sit still for a few minutes, before racing off for the day. Since I prided myself on adhering to the intellectual principle of not having contempt for anything prior to investigation, I tried to keep an open mind no matter what anyone said and how stupid I thought it was. That probably saved my life.
pp. 394-395
************************************************** *********
Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions
Tradition Three - "The only requirement for A.A. membership is a desire
to stop drinking."
Not long after the man with the double stigma knocked for admission,
A.A.'s other group received into its membership a salesman we shall call
Ed. A power driver, this one, and brash as any salesman could possibly
be. He had at least and idea a minute on how to improves A.A. These
ideas he sold to fellow members with the same burning enthusiasm with
which he distributed automobile polish. But he had one idea that wasn't
so salable. Ed was an atheist. His pet obsession was that A.A. could get
along better without its "God nonsense." He browbeat everybody, and
everybody expected that he'd soon get drunk - for at the time, you see,
A.A. was on the pious side. There must be a heavy penalty, it was
thought, for blasphemy. Distressingly enough, Ed proceeded to stay sober.
p. 143
************************************************** *********
As long as a man stands in his own way, everything seems to be in his way.
--Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 -1882)
Although we have been made to believe that if we let go we will end up with nothing,
life itself reveals again and again the opposite; that letting go is the path to real
freedom.
--Sogyai Rinpoche
This above all else: to your own self be true.
--unknown
Outstanding leaders go out of the way to boost the self-esteem of their personnel. If
people believe in themselves, it's amazing what they can accomplish.
--Sam Walton
The deeds you do today may be the only sermon some people will hear today.
--St. Francis of Assisi
Make big decisions in the calm.
--Dwight D. Eisenhower
***********************************************
Father Leo's Daily Meditation
ORATORY
"The finest eloquence is that
which get things done."
-- David Lloyd George
I know how to talk. I know how to sound good. I know how to convince a person of my
good intentions --- indeed that was part of my manipulation for years.
Today I try to walk the talk. I try to demonstrate what I say in the behavior I exhibit.
The bottom line is action. Talking never stopped me from drinking --- my physical refusal
of the first drink was the start of my recovery.
God is to be discovered not merely in pious sentiments, as attractive as they may
sound, but rather in the small steps of altered behavior.
Am I doing what I am saying? Lord give me the courage to live my words.
************************************************** *********
God blesses the people who patiently endure testing.
James 1:12
Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart.
Psalm 86:11
"Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you,
along with all malice. And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other,
just as God in Christ also has forgiven you."
Ephesians 4:31-32
************************************************** *********
Daily Inspiration
It is usually easier to start a project than to finish it. Lord, help me spend less time thinking about what I want to do, so that I can have the time to feel the gratification of completing what I started.
Pray even when your heart has no words rather than to pray words with no heart. Lord, You faithfully answer all prayers. I will trust in Your answers and never take Your love for granted.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Thursday's Readings
October 27
Daily Reflections
GLOBAL SHARING
The only thing that matters is that he is an alcoholic who has found a key to sobriety.
These legacies of suffering and of recovery are easily passed among alcoholics, one to
the other. This is our gift from God, and its bestowal upon others like us is the one aim
that today animates A.A.'s all around the globe.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 151
The strength of Alcoholics Anonymous lies in the desire of each member and of each
group around the world to share with other alcoholics their suffering and the steps taken
to gain, and maintain, recovery. By keeping a conscious contact with my Higher Power, I
make sure that I always nurture my desire to help other alcoholics, thus insuring the
continuity of the wonderful fraternity of Alcoholics Anonymous.
************************************************** *********
Twenty-Four Hours A Day
A.A. Thought For The Day
Seventh, I can help other alcoholics. I am of some use in the world. I have a purpose in
life. I am worth something at last. My life has a direction and a meaning. All that feeling
of futility is gone. I can do something worthwhile. God has given me a new lease on life so
that I can help other alcoholics. He has let me live through all the hazards of my alcoholic
life to bring me at last to a place of real usefulness in the world. He has let me live for
this. This is my opportunity and my destiny. I am worth something! Will I give as much of
my life as I can to A.A.?
Meditation For The Day
All of us have our own battle to win, the battle between the material view of life and the
spiritual view. Something must guide our lives. Will it be wealth, pride, selfishness, greed
or will it be faith, honesty, purity, unselfishness, love and service? Each one has a choice.
We can choose good or evil. We cannot choose both. Are we going to keep striving
until we win the battle? If we win the victory, we can believe that even God in His heaven
will rejoice.
Prayer For The Day
I pray that I may choose the good and resist the evil. I pray that I will not be a loser in the
battle for righteousness.
************************************************** *********
As Bill Sees It
A Mighty Beginning, p. 298
Even the newest of newcomers find undreamed rewards as he tries to
help his brother alcoholic, the one who is even blinder than he. This is
indeed the kind of giving that actually demands nothing. He does not
expect his brother sufferer to pay him, or even to love him.
And then he discovers that through the divine paradox of this kind of
giving he has found his own reward, whether or not his brother has yet
received anything. His own character may still be gravely defective,
but he somehow knows that God has enabled him to make a mighty
beginning, and he senses that he stands at the edge of new mysteries,
joys, and experiences of which he had never before dreamed.
12 & 12, pp. 109-110
************************************************** *********
Walk In Dry Places
Is your opinion of me important?
Inventory
A statement that is often quoted at AA meetings is Your opinion of me is not important. The purpose of this saying, apparently, is to wean us away from being people pleasers.
But the truth is that we all have legitimate interest in the opinions others hold of us. They may like or dislike us for the wrong reasons, but it is helpful for us to know this and accept it.
More important, the opinions of others can be useful in helping us take personal inventory and correct wrong behavior and attitudes. There may be a good reason why someone has a low opinion of us, and we should become aware of it.
It is true, however, that our opinions count the most in shaping our lives. If we're thinking badly about others, that can be more damaging to us than to them. Surprisingly, they may think better of us as we change our opinions about them.
I doubt that I can go through the day without being affected by other people's opinions of me. However, my main work will be in seeing that my own opinions aren't being destructive in my life.
************************************************** *********
Keep It Simple
An excuse is worst and more terrible than a lie.---Alexander Pope
Excuses. They’re lies. We use excuses to hide from ourselves. Maybe we don’t want to be honest about our anger. So we say someone else made us angry. Maybe we don’t want to admit how mean we can be. So we pretend we have no part in what happens.
Excuses keep us from ourselves. They keep us from our High Power. A lot of our program is about looking at ourselves. Steps Four, Five, and Ten tell us to be honest about our excuses. We can be honest because we are good people. We are loved.
Prayer for the day: Today, I’ll say the serenity Prayer: God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.
Action for the Day: I’ll list my five most often excuses. Then, I’ll share them with my friends, family, and sponsor. I’ll ask them to tell me when I make excuses.
************************************************** *********
Each Day a New Beginning
Problems have only the size and the power that you give them. --S. H.
We will not be free from all difficulties today, or during any period of our lives. But we have the personal power to eliminate the threat, the sting of any challenge. But it's our vision of circumstances that gives them their interpretation.
At this moment, we are defining our experience. We are labeling events good or bad, valuable or meaningless. And our growth, particularly this day, is greatly influenced by the value judgments we attach to our experiences.
As we grow stronger emotionally and spiritually, we learn that all difficulties are truly opportunities for exceptional growth and increased awareness of the truth of existence. All experiences can be taken in stride if we are trustful of their intended blessing.
We are sharing this life, every moment of it, with a power greater than ourselves. We need not worry about any circumstance. Always we are watched over. We never need struggle alone.
We can let go of our problems. It's ourselves and that attitude we have cultivated that makes any situation a problem. We can turn it loose and therein discover the solution.
I will not make mountains out of the molehills of my life.
************************************************** *********
Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition
THE PERPETUAL QUEST - This lawyer tried psychiatrists. biofeedback, relaxation exercises, and a host of other techniques to control her drinking. She finally found a solution, uniquely tailored, in the Twelve Steps.
I don't know what happened during those two hours, but close to eight o'clock, I leaped up, jumped into my clothes, and raced off to a meeting I'd had no intention of attending. It was a bit like getting a rap on the head with an invisible hammer and having my brain flip over, because the meeting seemed to be radically different from the last time I had been there. The people looked animatedly alive, the weirdos who had been attending before were absent that night, and the books on display, actually looked interesting. I bought the book Alcoholics Anonymous, listened intently, and then, for the first time, I went for coffee with those people, and listened some more.
p. 394
************************************************** *********
Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions
Tradition Three - "The only requirement for A.A. membership is a desire to stop drinking."
Overjoyed, the newcomer plunged into Twelfth Step work. Tirelessly he laid A.A.'s message before scores of people. Since this was a very early group, those scores have since multiplied themselves into thousands. Never did he trouble anyone with his other difficulty. A.A. had taken its first step in the formation of Tradition Three.
p. 142
************************************************** *********
Real joy comes not from ease or riches or from the praise of others, but from doing
something worthwhile.
--Wilfred Grenfell
If you can hold someone's hand, hug them or even touch them on the shoulder...you
are blessed because you can offer healing touch.
--unknown
"Never let yesterday use up today."
--Richard H. Nelson
LETTING GO
I feel so scared
Let go
I am so worried
Just let go
I am so angry
Please let go
My insanity keeps growing
I beseech thee to just let go
I am so peaceful
Thank you, you let it go
--Deborah Ann Smith
Forgiveness means letting go of the past.
--Gerald Jampolsky
***********************************************
Father Leo's Daily Meditation
JUSTICE
"Justice is truth in action."
Benjamin Disraeli
It is not enough for me to believe that a thing is true, it is important for me to live out
my beliefs. For too long I had a thousand beliefs that only kept me silent. A fear of
displeasing others played a large part in my silence.
Today I understand justice to be part of what I mean by spirituality: I need to be seen
to walk as I talk! I am comfortable when I remain silent in the face of injustice. As a
recovering alcoholic, this uncomfortability is dangerous because it can so easily lead
to low self-esteem, anger, resentments and relapse.
Today I know I can have a slip without taking a drink. I slip from where I want to be
in my life. My personal integrity combines a justice that can be seen in my lifestyle.
O God of justice, teach me never again to hide in the lie of silence.
************************************************** *********
"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly
lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."
James 1:17
"Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the
breastplate of righteousness in place."
Ephesians 4:14
************************************************** *********
Daily Inspiration
It is the little bits of kindness and love that make this world happy. Lord, may I do my part to make today happy for someone.
There is no personal problem that you cannot solve. Lord, Your presence within me is all power. You are my help in every need.
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Daily Reflections
GLOBAL SHARING
The only thing that matters is that he is an alcoholic who has found a key to sobriety.
These legacies of suffering and of recovery are easily passed among alcoholics, one to
the other. This is our gift from God, and its bestowal upon others like us is the one aim
that today animates A.A.'s all around the globe.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 151
The strength of Alcoholics Anonymous lies in the desire of each member and of each
group around the world to share with other alcoholics their suffering and the steps taken
to gain, and maintain, recovery. By keeping a conscious contact with my Higher Power, I
make sure that I always nurture my desire to help other alcoholics, thus insuring the
continuity of the wonderful fraternity of Alcoholics Anonymous.
************************************************** *********
Twenty-Four Hours A Day
A.A. Thought For The Day
Seventh, I can help other alcoholics. I am of some use in the world. I have a purpose in
life. I am worth something at last. My life has a direction and a meaning. All that feeling
of futility is gone. I can do something worthwhile. God has given me a new lease on life so
that I can help other alcoholics. He has let me live through all the hazards of my alcoholic
life to bring me at last to a place of real usefulness in the world. He has let me live for
this. This is my opportunity and my destiny. I am worth something! Will I give as much of
my life as I can to A.A.?
Meditation For The Day
All of us have our own battle to win, the battle between the material view of life and the
spiritual view. Something must guide our lives. Will it be wealth, pride, selfishness, greed
or will it be faith, honesty, purity, unselfishness, love and service? Each one has a choice.
We can choose good or evil. We cannot choose both. Are we going to keep striving
until we win the battle? If we win the victory, we can believe that even God in His heaven
will rejoice.
Prayer For The Day
I pray that I may choose the good and resist the evil. I pray that I will not be a loser in the
battle for righteousness.
************************************************** *********
As Bill Sees It
A Mighty Beginning, p. 298
Even the newest of newcomers find undreamed rewards as he tries to
help his brother alcoholic, the one who is even blinder than he. This is
indeed the kind of giving that actually demands nothing. He does not
expect his brother sufferer to pay him, or even to love him.
And then he discovers that through the divine paradox of this kind of
giving he has found his own reward, whether or not his brother has yet
received anything. His own character may still be gravely defective,
but he somehow knows that God has enabled him to make a mighty
beginning, and he senses that he stands at the edge of new mysteries,
joys, and experiences of which he had never before dreamed.
12 & 12, pp. 109-110
************************************************** *********
Walk In Dry Places
Is your opinion of me important?
Inventory
A statement that is often quoted at AA meetings is Your opinion of me is not important. The purpose of this saying, apparently, is to wean us away from being people pleasers.
But the truth is that we all have legitimate interest in the opinions others hold of us. They may like or dislike us for the wrong reasons, but it is helpful for us to know this and accept it.
More important, the opinions of others can be useful in helping us take personal inventory and correct wrong behavior and attitudes. There may be a good reason why someone has a low opinion of us, and we should become aware of it.
It is true, however, that our opinions count the most in shaping our lives. If we're thinking badly about others, that can be more damaging to us than to them. Surprisingly, they may think better of us as we change our opinions about them.
I doubt that I can go through the day without being affected by other people's opinions of me. However, my main work will be in seeing that my own opinions aren't being destructive in my life.
************************************************** *********
Keep It Simple
An excuse is worst and more terrible than a lie.---Alexander Pope
Excuses. They’re lies. We use excuses to hide from ourselves. Maybe we don’t want to be honest about our anger. So we say someone else made us angry. Maybe we don’t want to admit how mean we can be. So we pretend we have no part in what happens.
Excuses keep us from ourselves. They keep us from our High Power. A lot of our program is about looking at ourselves. Steps Four, Five, and Ten tell us to be honest about our excuses. We can be honest because we are good people. We are loved.
Prayer for the day: Today, I’ll say the serenity Prayer: God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.
Action for the Day: I’ll list my five most often excuses. Then, I’ll share them with my friends, family, and sponsor. I’ll ask them to tell me when I make excuses.
************************************************** *********
Each Day a New Beginning
Problems have only the size and the power that you give them. --S. H.
We will not be free from all difficulties today, or during any period of our lives. But we have the personal power to eliminate the threat, the sting of any challenge. But it's our vision of circumstances that gives them their interpretation.
At this moment, we are defining our experience. We are labeling events good or bad, valuable or meaningless. And our growth, particularly this day, is greatly influenced by the value judgments we attach to our experiences.
As we grow stronger emotionally and spiritually, we learn that all difficulties are truly opportunities for exceptional growth and increased awareness of the truth of existence. All experiences can be taken in stride if we are trustful of their intended blessing.
We are sharing this life, every moment of it, with a power greater than ourselves. We need not worry about any circumstance. Always we are watched over. We never need struggle alone.
We can let go of our problems. It's ourselves and that attitude we have cultivated that makes any situation a problem. We can turn it loose and therein discover the solution.
I will not make mountains out of the molehills of my life.
************************************************** *********
Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition
THE PERPETUAL QUEST - This lawyer tried psychiatrists. biofeedback, relaxation exercises, and a host of other techniques to control her drinking. She finally found a solution, uniquely tailored, in the Twelve Steps.
I don't know what happened during those two hours, but close to eight o'clock, I leaped up, jumped into my clothes, and raced off to a meeting I'd had no intention of attending. It was a bit like getting a rap on the head with an invisible hammer and having my brain flip over, because the meeting seemed to be radically different from the last time I had been there. The people looked animatedly alive, the weirdos who had been attending before were absent that night, and the books on display, actually looked interesting. I bought the book Alcoholics Anonymous, listened intently, and then, for the first time, I went for coffee with those people, and listened some more.
p. 394
************************************************** *********
Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions
Tradition Three - "The only requirement for A.A. membership is a desire to stop drinking."
Overjoyed, the newcomer plunged into Twelfth Step work. Tirelessly he laid A.A.'s message before scores of people. Since this was a very early group, those scores have since multiplied themselves into thousands. Never did he trouble anyone with his other difficulty. A.A. had taken its first step in the formation of Tradition Three.
p. 142
************************************************** *********
Real joy comes not from ease or riches or from the praise of others, but from doing
something worthwhile.
--Wilfred Grenfell
If you can hold someone's hand, hug them or even touch them on the shoulder...you
are blessed because you can offer healing touch.
--unknown
"Never let yesterday use up today."
--Richard H. Nelson
LETTING GO
I feel so scared
Let go
I am so worried
Just let go
I am so angry
Please let go
My insanity keeps growing
I beseech thee to just let go
I am so peaceful
Thank you, you let it go
--Deborah Ann Smith
Forgiveness means letting go of the past.
--Gerald Jampolsky
***********************************************
Father Leo's Daily Meditation
JUSTICE
"Justice is truth in action."
Benjamin Disraeli
It is not enough for me to believe that a thing is true, it is important for me to live out
my beliefs. For too long I had a thousand beliefs that only kept me silent. A fear of
displeasing others played a large part in my silence.
Today I understand justice to be part of what I mean by spirituality: I need to be seen
to walk as I talk! I am comfortable when I remain silent in the face of injustice. As a
recovering alcoholic, this uncomfortability is dangerous because it can so easily lead
to low self-esteem, anger, resentments and relapse.
Today I know I can have a slip without taking a drink. I slip from where I want to be
in my life. My personal integrity combines a justice that can be seen in my lifestyle.
O God of justice, teach me never again to hide in the lie of silence.
************************************************** *********
"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly
lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."
James 1:17
"Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the
breastplate of righteousness in place."
Ephesians 4:14
************************************************** *********
Daily Inspiration
It is the little bits of kindness and love that make this world happy. Lord, may I do my part to make today happy for someone.
There is no personal problem that you cannot solve. Lord, Your presence within me is all power. You are my help in every need.
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Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Today's readings
October 26
Daily Reflections
ONE ULTIMATE AUTHORITY
For our group purpose there is but one ultimate authority—a loving God as He may
express Himself in our group conscience.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 132
When I am chosen to carry some small responsibility for my fellows, I ask that God grant
me the patience, open-mindedness, and willingness to listen to those I would lead. I must
remind myself that I am the trusted servant of others, not their "governor," "teacher,"
or "instructor." God guides my words and my actions, and my responsibility is to heed
His suggestions. Trust is my watchword, I trust others who lead. In the Fellowship of
A.A., I entrust God with the ultimate authority of "running the show."
************************************************** *********
Twenty-Four Hours A Day
A.A. Thought For The Day
Sixth, I have A.A. meetings to go to, thank God. Where would I go without them?
Where would I be without them? Where would I find the sympathy, the understanding, the
fellowship, the companionship? Nowhere else in the world. I have come home. I have
found the place where I belong. I no longer wander alone over the face of the earth. I am
at peace and at rest. What a great gift has been given me by A.A.! I do not deserve it.
But it is nevertheless mine. I have a home at last. I am content. Do I thank God
everyday for the A.A. Fellowship?
Meditation For The Day
Walk all the way with another person and with God. Do not go part of the way and then
stop. Do not push God so far into the background that He has no effect on your life. Walk
all the way with Him. Make a good companion of God, by praying to Him often during the
day. Do not let your contact with Him be broken for too long a period. Work all the way
with God and with other people, along the path of life, wherever it may lead you.
Prayer For The Day
I pray that I may walk in companionship with God along the way. I pray that I may keep
my feet upon the path that leads upward.
***************************************
OCTOBER 26
THE PATH TO SELF-ACCEPTANCE
"The most effective means of achieving self-acceptance is through applying the Twelve Steps of recovery."
IP No.19, "Self-Acceptance"
Our addiction has been a source of shame to many of us. We have hidden ourselves from others, sure that if anyone got to know who we really were they would reject us. NA helps us learn self-acceptance.
Many of us find a great deal of relief just from attending meetings, hearing fellow addicts share their stories, and discovering that others have felt the same way we feel about ourselves. When others share honestly with us who they are, we feel free to do the same. As we learn to tell others the truth about ourselves, we learn to accept ourselves.
Self-disclosure, however, is only the beginning. Once we've shared the things that make us uncomfortable with our lives, we need to find a different way to live - and that's where the steps come in. We develop a concept of a Higher Power. We inventory our lives, in detail, and discuss our inventory with our sponsor. We ask the God of our understanding to remove our character defects, the shortcomings that are the source of our troubles. We take responsibility for the things we've done and make amends for them. And we incorporate all these disciplines into our daily lives, "practicing these principles in all our affairs."
By working the steps, we can become people we are proud to be. We can freely tell the truth about ourselves, for we have nothing to hide.
Just for today: I will walk the path to self-acceptance. I will show up, tell the truth, and work the steps.
pg. 312
***************************************
As Bill Sees It
A VISION OF THE WHOLE, p. 297
"Though many of us have had to struggle for sobriety, never yet
has this Fellowship had to struggle for lost unity. Consequently,
we sometimes take this one great gift for granted. We forget that,
should we lose our unity, the millions of alcoholics who still 'do not
know' might never get their chance.
********************************
"We used to be skeptical about large A.A. gatherings like conventions,
thinking they might prove too exhibitionistic. But, on balance, their
benefit is huge. While each A.A.'s interest should center principally in
those about him and upon his own group, it is both necessary and
desirable that we all get a larger vision of the whole.
"The General Service Conference in New York also produces this
effect upon those who attend. It is a vision-stretching process."
1. Letter, 1949
2. Letter, 1956
************************************************** *********
Walk In Dry Places
Who is an Alcoholic?
AA's mission
Though AA's avowed mission is to carry its message to alcoholics, the fellowship does not really have a one-size-fits-all definition of alcoholism. This has created some confusion when nonalcoholics inadvertently show up at meetings that are supposed to be for alcoholics only, or when people with other addictions seek AA's help. A few groups even insist that people must declare themselves alcoholics in order to participate in a "closed" meeting.
But who is an alcoholic? The AA pioneers were not insistent that people should immediately declare themselves alcoholics in order to receive help. Newcomers were invited to attend meetings and then decide for themselves if they were alcoholics and needed the program. In today's environment, we have the added factor that troubled people might be addicted to both drugs and alcohol. Such cross-addiction, in fact, seems to be a strong trend. We also know that any alcoholic can easily become cross-addicted if he or she uses other drugs.
Our best course is to keep the door open for any person who comes to AA sincerely desiring help. If people find their answer in AA, they probably belong in the fellowship.
I'll be grateful today that I was able to admit that I had a problem and needed AA's help. I'll accept others just as I was accepted. To stay sober and grow in the program. I do not need to define alcoholism for anybody other myself.
************************************************** *********
Keep It Simple
Nobody give you freedom. Malcolm X
We were not free. We were prisoners of our illness. What our illness wanted, we give itour dignity, our self-respect, even our families. Our prison walls were made of denial,
false pride, and self-will run riot. Now we know that brick walls don’t have to stop us. We don’t have to bang our heads on them.
Slowly, we’re learning about freedom. We’re learning that freedom. We’re learning that freedom comes from within. It comes when we think clearly and make our own choices.
It comes when we follow a better way of life. It comes when we take care of ourselves. It comes when we take responsibility. The key to freedom is in loving our Higher Power.
Do you choose freedom?
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, show me how to walk away from a wall or go around it. But teach me to stop and think when I get to a wall. Maybe it’s there for my safety.
Today’s Action: Today I’ll think about all the freedom I have given myself by living a sober way of life.
************************************************** *********
Each Day a New Beginning
My life has been a tapestry of rich and royal hue, an everlasting vision of the ever-changing view. --Carole King
Every event of our lives is contributing a rich thread to our personal tapestry. Each of us is weaving one unique to ourselves, but all of our tapestries are complementary. We need others' rich designs in order to create our own.
We seldom have the foresight to understand the worth, the ultimate value of a particular circumstance at its beginning. But hindsight offers us clarity. It's good to reflect on the many circumstances that failed to thrill us; in all cases we can now see why we needed them. As our trust in God and the goodness of all experiences grows, we'll more quickly respond with gladness when situations are fresh. No experience is meant for harm. We are coming to understand that, even though on occasion we forget.
Practicing gratitude will help us more fully appreciate what has been offered us. Being grateful influences our attitude; it softens our harsh exterior and takes the threat out of most new situations.
If I greet the day, glad to be alive, I will be gladdened by all the experiences in store for me. Each is making a necessary contribution to my wholeness.
************************************************** *********
Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition
THE PERPETUAL QUEST - This lawyer tried psychiatrists. biofeedback, relaxation exercises, and a host of other techniques to control her drinking. She finally found a solution, uniquely tailored, in the Twelve Steps.
The first difference between that night and all the others was that I did not immediately go directly to a bar to get lubricated or home with my regular giant weekend supply of booze. Instead I went to my club to swim, where strangely enough I also did not drink. I was so hungover that I had to give up trying to swim and instead wrapped myself in a bathrobe and sat in a dark corner of the locker room lounge for two hours, feeling desperately sorry for myself.
p. 394
************************************************** *********
Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions
Tradition Three - "The only requirement for A.A. membership is a desire to stop drinking."
At first the elders could look only at the objections. "We deal," they said, "with alcoholics only. Shouldn't we sacrifice this one for the sake of the many?" So went the discussions while the newcomer's fate hung in the balance. Then one of the three spoke in a very different voice. "What we are really afraid of," he said, "is our reputation. We are much more afraid of what people might say than the trouble this strange alcoholic might bring. As we've been talking, five short words have been running through my mind. Something keeps repeating to me, "What would the Master do?" "Not another word was said. What more indeed could be said?
p. 142
************************************************** *********
"Don't limit a child to your own learning, for he was born in another time."
--Rabbinical Saying
It's amazing how well I feel when I'm not thinking about myself.
--Bob Y
"Appreciate people. Nothing gives more joy than appreciation."
--Ruth Smeltzer
"When someone does something well, applaud! You will make two people happy."
--Samuel Goldwyn
And when you have reached the mountain top, then you shall begin to climb.
--Kahlil Gibran
************************************************** *********
Father Leo's Daily Meditation
KINDNESS
"Kindness in words creates
confidence. Kindness in thinking
creates profoundness. Kindness
in giving creates love."
-- Lao-tzu
It costs me nothing to say "hello" and yet it might make all the difference to my
neighbor. It costs me nothing to give a hug and yet that hug might make all the
difference to a friend. It costs me nothing to listen to anothers pain and yet the
listening might make all the difference to another person.
Love is to be found in the small, ordinary acts of kindness as well as in the
extravagant gesture. I need to seek God in the everyday happenings of life alongside
the "religious". Spirituality is in the smile that is real!
Today I know that I give only what I received --- and I received a great deal. People
loved me enough to be patient, they cared enough to telephone, they encouraged me
with the gentle word of hope: I am in the flow.
Lord, You have created this wondrous patterned fabric of life --- may I find You in its
smallest detail.
************************************************** *********
Pleasant words are a honeycomb sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.
Proverbs 16:24
“Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for
the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.”
1 Timothy 4:12
"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is
the gift of God..."
Ephesians 2:8
************************************************** *********
Daily Inspiration
You have the choice to do or not to do and realizing this allows you to accomplish more than you thought possible. Lord, help me make wise decisions with my time and not allow the pressures of life to drain my effectiveness.
Often times that which we find difficult is that which teaches. Lord, may I always be able to see the good that comes from even my trials.
Daily Reflections
ONE ULTIMATE AUTHORITY
For our group purpose there is but one ultimate authority—a loving God as He may
express Himself in our group conscience.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 132
When I am chosen to carry some small responsibility for my fellows, I ask that God grant
me the patience, open-mindedness, and willingness to listen to those I would lead. I must
remind myself that I am the trusted servant of others, not their "governor," "teacher,"
or "instructor." God guides my words and my actions, and my responsibility is to heed
His suggestions. Trust is my watchword, I trust others who lead. In the Fellowship of
A.A., I entrust God with the ultimate authority of "running the show."
************************************************** *********
Twenty-Four Hours A Day
A.A. Thought For The Day
Sixth, I have A.A. meetings to go to, thank God. Where would I go without them?
Where would I be without them? Where would I find the sympathy, the understanding, the
fellowship, the companionship? Nowhere else in the world. I have come home. I have
found the place where I belong. I no longer wander alone over the face of the earth. I am
at peace and at rest. What a great gift has been given me by A.A.! I do not deserve it.
But it is nevertheless mine. I have a home at last. I am content. Do I thank God
everyday for the A.A. Fellowship?
Meditation For The Day
Walk all the way with another person and with God. Do not go part of the way and then
stop. Do not push God so far into the background that He has no effect on your life. Walk
all the way with Him. Make a good companion of God, by praying to Him often during the
day. Do not let your contact with Him be broken for too long a period. Work all the way
with God and with other people, along the path of life, wherever it may lead you.
Prayer For The Day
I pray that I may walk in companionship with God along the way. I pray that I may keep
my feet upon the path that leads upward.
***************************************
OCTOBER 26
THE PATH TO SELF-ACCEPTANCE
"The most effective means of achieving self-acceptance is through applying the Twelve Steps of recovery."
IP No.19, "Self-Acceptance"
Our addiction has been a source of shame to many of us. We have hidden ourselves from others, sure that if anyone got to know who we really were they would reject us. NA helps us learn self-acceptance.
Many of us find a great deal of relief just from attending meetings, hearing fellow addicts share their stories, and discovering that others have felt the same way we feel about ourselves. When others share honestly with us who they are, we feel free to do the same. As we learn to tell others the truth about ourselves, we learn to accept ourselves.
Self-disclosure, however, is only the beginning. Once we've shared the things that make us uncomfortable with our lives, we need to find a different way to live - and that's where the steps come in. We develop a concept of a Higher Power. We inventory our lives, in detail, and discuss our inventory with our sponsor. We ask the God of our understanding to remove our character defects, the shortcomings that are the source of our troubles. We take responsibility for the things we've done and make amends for them. And we incorporate all these disciplines into our daily lives, "practicing these principles in all our affairs."
By working the steps, we can become people we are proud to be. We can freely tell the truth about ourselves, for we have nothing to hide.
Just for today: I will walk the path to self-acceptance. I will show up, tell the truth, and work the steps.
pg. 312
***************************************
As Bill Sees It
A VISION OF THE WHOLE, p. 297
"Though many of us have had to struggle for sobriety, never yet
has this Fellowship had to struggle for lost unity. Consequently,
we sometimes take this one great gift for granted. We forget that,
should we lose our unity, the millions of alcoholics who still 'do not
know' might never get their chance.
********************************
"We used to be skeptical about large A.A. gatherings like conventions,
thinking they might prove too exhibitionistic. But, on balance, their
benefit is huge. While each A.A.'s interest should center principally in
those about him and upon his own group, it is both necessary and
desirable that we all get a larger vision of the whole.
"The General Service Conference in New York also produces this
effect upon those who attend. It is a vision-stretching process."
1. Letter, 1949
2. Letter, 1956
************************************************** *********
Walk In Dry Places
Who is an Alcoholic?
AA's mission
Though AA's avowed mission is to carry its message to alcoholics, the fellowship does not really have a one-size-fits-all definition of alcoholism. This has created some confusion when nonalcoholics inadvertently show up at meetings that are supposed to be for alcoholics only, or when people with other addictions seek AA's help. A few groups even insist that people must declare themselves alcoholics in order to participate in a "closed" meeting.
But who is an alcoholic? The AA pioneers were not insistent that people should immediately declare themselves alcoholics in order to receive help. Newcomers were invited to attend meetings and then decide for themselves if they were alcoholics and needed the program. In today's environment, we have the added factor that troubled people might be addicted to both drugs and alcohol. Such cross-addiction, in fact, seems to be a strong trend. We also know that any alcoholic can easily become cross-addicted if he or she uses other drugs.
Our best course is to keep the door open for any person who comes to AA sincerely desiring help. If people find their answer in AA, they probably belong in the fellowship.
I'll be grateful today that I was able to admit that I had a problem and needed AA's help. I'll accept others just as I was accepted. To stay sober and grow in the program. I do not need to define alcoholism for anybody other myself.
************************************************** *********
Keep It Simple
Nobody give you freedom. Malcolm X
We were not free. We were prisoners of our illness. What our illness wanted, we give itour dignity, our self-respect, even our families. Our prison walls were made of denial,
false pride, and self-will run riot. Now we know that brick walls don’t have to stop us. We don’t have to bang our heads on them.
Slowly, we’re learning about freedom. We’re learning that freedom. We’re learning that freedom comes from within. It comes when we think clearly and make our own choices.
It comes when we follow a better way of life. It comes when we take care of ourselves. It comes when we take responsibility. The key to freedom is in loving our Higher Power.
Do you choose freedom?
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, show me how to walk away from a wall or go around it. But teach me to stop and think when I get to a wall. Maybe it’s there for my safety.
Today’s Action: Today I’ll think about all the freedom I have given myself by living a sober way of life.
************************************************** *********
Each Day a New Beginning
My life has been a tapestry of rich and royal hue, an everlasting vision of the ever-changing view. --Carole King
Every event of our lives is contributing a rich thread to our personal tapestry. Each of us is weaving one unique to ourselves, but all of our tapestries are complementary. We need others' rich designs in order to create our own.
We seldom have the foresight to understand the worth, the ultimate value of a particular circumstance at its beginning. But hindsight offers us clarity. It's good to reflect on the many circumstances that failed to thrill us; in all cases we can now see why we needed them. As our trust in God and the goodness of all experiences grows, we'll more quickly respond with gladness when situations are fresh. No experience is meant for harm. We are coming to understand that, even though on occasion we forget.
Practicing gratitude will help us more fully appreciate what has been offered us. Being grateful influences our attitude; it softens our harsh exterior and takes the threat out of most new situations.
If I greet the day, glad to be alive, I will be gladdened by all the experiences in store for me. Each is making a necessary contribution to my wholeness.
************************************************** *********
Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition
THE PERPETUAL QUEST - This lawyer tried psychiatrists. biofeedback, relaxation exercises, and a host of other techniques to control her drinking. She finally found a solution, uniquely tailored, in the Twelve Steps.
The first difference between that night and all the others was that I did not immediately go directly to a bar to get lubricated or home with my regular giant weekend supply of booze. Instead I went to my club to swim, where strangely enough I also did not drink. I was so hungover that I had to give up trying to swim and instead wrapped myself in a bathrobe and sat in a dark corner of the locker room lounge for two hours, feeling desperately sorry for myself.
p. 394
************************************************** *********
Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions
Tradition Three - "The only requirement for A.A. membership is a desire to stop drinking."
At first the elders could look only at the objections. "We deal," they said, "with alcoholics only. Shouldn't we sacrifice this one for the sake of the many?" So went the discussions while the newcomer's fate hung in the balance. Then one of the three spoke in a very different voice. "What we are really afraid of," he said, "is our reputation. We are much more afraid of what people might say than the trouble this strange alcoholic might bring. As we've been talking, five short words have been running through my mind. Something keeps repeating to me, "What would the Master do?" "Not another word was said. What more indeed could be said?
p. 142
************************************************** *********
"Don't limit a child to your own learning, for he was born in another time."
--Rabbinical Saying
It's amazing how well I feel when I'm not thinking about myself.
--Bob Y
"Appreciate people. Nothing gives more joy than appreciation."
--Ruth Smeltzer
"When someone does something well, applaud! You will make two people happy."
--Samuel Goldwyn
And when you have reached the mountain top, then you shall begin to climb.
--Kahlil Gibran
************************************************** *********
Father Leo's Daily Meditation
KINDNESS
"Kindness in words creates
confidence. Kindness in thinking
creates profoundness. Kindness
in giving creates love."
-- Lao-tzu
It costs me nothing to say "hello" and yet it might make all the difference to my
neighbor. It costs me nothing to give a hug and yet that hug might make all the
difference to a friend. It costs me nothing to listen to anothers pain and yet the
listening might make all the difference to another person.
Love is to be found in the small, ordinary acts of kindness as well as in the
extravagant gesture. I need to seek God in the everyday happenings of life alongside
the "religious". Spirituality is in the smile that is real!
Today I know that I give only what I received --- and I received a great deal. People
loved me enough to be patient, they cared enough to telephone, they encouraged me
with the gentle word of hope: I am in the flow.
Lord, You have created this wondrous patterned fabric of life --- may I find You in its
smallest detail.
************************************************** *********
Pleasant words are a honeycomb sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.
Proverbs 16:24
“Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for
the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.”
1 Timothy 4:12
"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is
the gift of God..."
Ephesians 2:8
************************************************** *********
Daily Inspiration
You have the choice to do or not to do and realizing this allows you to accomplish more than you thought possible. Lord, help me make wise decisions with my time and not allow the pressures of life to drain my effectiveness.
Often times that which we find difficult is that which teaches. Lord, may I always be able to see the good that comes from even my trials.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Tuesday's readings
Recovery Readings
October 25
Daily Reflections
A.A.'s HEARTBEAT
Without unity, the heart of A.A. would cease to beat; . . . .
AS BILL SEES IT, p. 125
Without unity I would be unable to recover in A.A. on a daily basis. By practicing unity
within my group, with other A.A. members and at all levels of this great Fellowship, I
receive a pronounced feeling of knowing that I am a part of a miracle that was divinely
inspired. The ability of Bill W. and Dr. Bob, working together and passing it on to other
members, tells me that to give it away is to keep it. Unity is oneness and yet the whole
Fellowship is for all of us.
************************************************** *********
Twenty-Four Hours A Day
A.A. Thought For The Day
Fifth, I have learned to live one day at a time. I have finally realized the great fact that all
I have is now. This sweeps away all vain regret and it makes my thoughts of the future
free of fear. Now is mine. I can do what I want with it. I own it, for better or worse. What I
do now, in this present moment, is what makes up my life. My whole life is only a
succession of nows. I will take this moment, which has been given to me by the grace of
God, and I will do something with it. What I do with each now, will make me or break me.
Am I living in the now?
Meditation For The Day
We should work at overcoming ourselves, our selfish desires and our self-centeredness.
This can never be fully accomplished. We can never become entirely unselfish. But we
can come to realize that we are not at the center of the universe and that everything does
not revolve around us at the center. I am only one cell in a vast network of human cells. I
can at least make the effort to conquer the self-life and seek daily to obtain more and
more of this self-conquest. "He that overcomes himself is greater than he who conquers a
city."
Prayer For The Day
I pray that I may strive to overcome my selfishness. I pray that I may achieve the right
perspective of my position in the world.
********************************************* *********
PRINCIPLES BEFORE PERSONALITIES
"Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities."
Twelfth Tradition
"Principles before personalities." Many of us chant these words along with the reader whenever the Twelve Traditions are read. The fact that these words have become a cliche of sorts doesn't make them any less important, either in service or in our lives. These words are an affirmation: "We listen to our conscience and do what's right, no matter who's involved." And that principle serves as one of the cornerstones of recovery as well as our traditions.
What does "principles before personalities" really mean? It means we practice honesty, humility, compassion, tolerance, and patience with everyone, whether we like them or not. Putting principles before personalities teaches us to treat everyone equally. The Twelfth Step asks us to apply principles in all our affairs; the Twelfth Tradition suggests we apply them to our relations with everyone.
Practicing principles doesn't stop with our friends or when we leave a meeting. It's for every day, for everyone… in all areas of our lives.
Just for today: I will listen to my conscience and do what's right. My focus will be on principles, not on people's personalities.
************************************************
As Bill Sees It
Daily Inventory, p. 296
Often, as we review each day, only the closest scrutiny will reveal
what our true motives were. There are cases where our ancient
enemy rationalization has stepped in and has justified conduct which
was really wrong. The temptation here is to imagine that we had
good motives and reasons when we really hadn't.
We "constructively criticized" someone who needed it, when our
real motive was to win a useless argument. Or, the person concerned
not being present, we thought we were helping others to
understand him, when in actuality our true motive was to feel
superior by pulling him down.
We hurt those we loved because they needed to be "taught a
lesson," but we really wanted to punish. We were depressed and
complained we felt bad, when in fact we were mainly asking for
sympathy and attention.
12 & 12, p. 94
************************************************** *********
Walk In Dry Places
Different routes to alcoholism
Understanding powerlessness
While alcoholics have much in common, the personal stories heard at AA open meetings show that we took different routes to alcoholism. Some became out-of-control drinkers almost from the beginning. Others lost control slowly after years of seemingly moderate drinking.
These differences are underscored by the fact that we also differ in physical and emotional traits. Some alcoholics, for example, were so emotionally disturbed that they became problem drinkers from the very start. Some appeared to "have it all together," yet became alcoholics after retirement or some other change in life patterns.
Whatever the route taken, we share in common our individual powerlessness at the time we knocked on AA's door. And the solution for each of us was the same: sobriety in AA.
The risk in listening to such different personal accounts is that some of us twist these differences into "proof" that we are not alcoholics. The reward of such sharing , however, is learning that we do have a common problem and that there is a solution that fits everyone, in spite of our diffences.
I'll remember today that I came to AA because I was powerless over alcohol. That has not changed.
************************************************** *********
Keep It Simple
Love thy neighbor as thyself, but choose your neighbor.---Louise Beal
In our program, we learn a lot about loving ourselves. Then we start to see how this helps us love our neighbors. We learn to love ourselves honestly, seeing our strengths and our weaknesses. We learn to see others honestly . We learn how much to trust ourselves and when to get extra help. We learn how much to trust others too. We learn to love ourselves with a love that’s honest and challenging. We learn to love others this way too. We learn to care about others without losing our common sense. We learn to protect our spirits from harm.
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me see others clearly. Help me love them. But help me choose carefully who I trust.
Action for the Day: Today, I’ll list three people I trust the most, and I’ll write down why.
************************************************** *********
Each Day a New Beginning
Love has the quality of informing almost everything--even one's work. --Sylvia Ashton-Warner
We are changed through loving and being loved. Our attitudes are profoundly and positively affected by the presence of love in our lives. Each time we offer a loving response to a friend, co-worker, even a stranger, we powerfully influence the dynamics of the interaction between us.
Every response we make to someone changes us while it informs him or her. When we treat others with disdain, we invite the same. When we express only criticism of others, our self-assessment is equally negative. The beauty of a loving posture is that it calls forth love in response. The more love we give away, the more we receive.
Any task before us is lessened when we carry love in our hearts. Love is more powerful than fear. Love helps to open the channel to God, assuring us of the strength, the understanding, and the patience needed to complete any assignment confronting us.
God loves me, unconditionally. And I will experience the reality of that love the more I give it away. Love wants to change me--and it can.
************************************************** *********
Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition
THE PERPETUAL QUEST - This lawyer tried psychiatrists. biofeedback, relaxation exercises, and a host of other techniques to control her drinking. She finally found a solution, uniquely tailored, in the Twelve Steps.
My last hangover was on a Friday before a long summer weekend. I had struggled through the day feeling small and hopeless, hiding the trembling of my hands when I had to sign documents, and desperately working to wrap my tongue around words during meetings. Later that Friday night, after an agonizingly long workday, I was dragging myself up the deserted street thinking that the whole world, except for me, had someplace to go on that long weekend, and what's more, they all had someone to go with.
pp. 393-394
************************************************** *********
Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions
Tradition Three - "The only requirement for A.A. membership is a desire to stop drinking."
A newcomer appeared at one of these groups, knocked on the door and asked to be let in. He talked frankly with that group's oldest member. He soon proved that his was a desperate case, and that above all he wanted to get well. "But," he asked, "will you let me join your group? Since I am the victim of another addiction even worse stigmatized than alcoholism, you may not want me among you. Or will you?"
There was the dilemma. What should the group do? The oldest member summoned two others, and in confidence laid the explosive facts in their laps. Said he, "Well, what about it? If we turn this man away, he'll soon die. If we allow him in, only god knows what trouble he'll brew. What shall the answer be - yes or no?"
pp. 141-142
************************************************** *********
"Be the change you want to see in the world."
--Mohandas Ghandi
Who has never tasted what is bitter does not know what is sweet.
--German Proverb
It doesn't take a lot of effort to know the needs of another person. By helping others you
are helping yourself.
--unknown
Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.
--Abraham Lincoln
In just two days, tomorrow will be yesterday.
--unknown
Learn to enjoy little things; there are so many of them!
--unknown
***********************************************
Father Leo's Daily Meditation
FLEXIBILITY
"Better bend than break."
-- Scottish Proverb
Dis-ease: to be controlling, stiff, uncomfortable and unbending.
Sobriety: being relaxed, comfortable and flexible in my personal life and my interaction
with others.
Life: not a race but an experience; it is not an exercise but an adventure.
Before I accepted my alcoholism, I went through periods of "dryness" --- when I was
rigid, stiff and unbending. It was awful! Everything became a test, a job, a
premeditated act behind a mask of cheerfulness. I was angry, resentful and in pain. My
problem was that I stopped drinking to please other people, rather than accept the
true nature of my disease. Dryness is controlled denial.
Today the sobriety I have gained from an acceptance of self has overflowed into an
acceptance of life on life's terms --- and I am happy.
Let the wind of experience continue to bend me in the knowledge of Your love.
************************************************** *********
"From the rising of the sun to its going down the Lord's name is to be praised."
Psalms 113:3
So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things
grow. The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be
rewarded according to his own labor. For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's
field, God's building.
1 Corinthians 3:7-9
"Trust in the LORD, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight
yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart."
Psalm 37:3-4
The LORD opens the eyes of the blind. The LORD lifts the burdens of those bent
beneath their loads. The LORD loves the righteous. The LORD protects the foreigners
among us. He cares for the orphans and widows, but he frustrates the plans of the wicked. The
LORD will reign forever.
Psalm 146:8-10
************************************************** *********
Daily Inspiration
Treat your family as you would treat a best friend. Lord, help me to treasure my family with all of their imperfections as well as my own and cherish the time we have together.
There is no real happiness without God and no peace when we separate ourselves from Him. Lord, You said, "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you". I give you my troubled heart.
Share
October 25
Daily Reflections
A.A.'s HEARTBEAT
Without unity, the heart of A.A. would cease to beat; . . . .
AS BILL SEES IT, p. 125
Without unity I would be unable to recover in A.A. on a daily basis. By practicing unity
within my group, with other A.A. members and at all levels of this great Fellowship, I
receive a pronounced feeling of knowing that I am a part of a miracle that was divinely
inspired. The ability of Bill W. and Dr. Bob, working together and passing it on to other
members, tells me that to give it away is to keep it. Unity is oneness and yet the whole
Fellowship is for all of us.
************************************************** *********
Twenty-Four Hours A Day
A.A. Thought For The Day
Fifth, I have learned to live one day at a time. I have finally realized the great fact that all
I have is now. This sweeps away all vain regret and it makes my thoughts of the future
free of fear. Now is mine. I can do what I want with it. I own it, for better or worse. What I
do now, in this present moment, is what makes up my life. My whole life is only a
succession of nows. I will take this moment, which has been given to me by the grace of
God, and I will do something with it. What I do with each now, will make me or break me.
Am I living in the now?
Meditation For The Day
We should work at overcoming ourselves, our selfish desires and our self-centeredness.
This can never be fully accomplished. We can never become entirely unselfish. But we
can come to realize that we are not at the center of the universe and that everything does
not revolve around us at the center. I am only one cell in a vast network of human cells. I
can at least make the effort to conquer the self-life and seek daily to obtain more and
more of this self-conquest. "He that overcomes himself is greater than he who conquers a
city."
Prayer For The Day
I pray that I may strive to overcome my selfishness. I pray that I may achieve the right
perspective of my position in the world.
********************************************* *********
PRINCIPLES BEFORE PERSONALITIES
"Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities."
Twelfth Tradition
"Principles before personalities." Many of us chant these words along with the reader whenever the Twelve Traditions are read. The fact that these words have become a cliche of sorts doesn't make them any less important, either in service or in our lives. These words are an affirmation: "We listen to our conscience and do what's right, no matter who's involved." And that principle serves as one of the cornerstones of recovery as well as our traditions.
What does "principles before personalities" really mean? It means we practice honesty, humility, compassion, tolerance, and patience with everyone, whether we like them or not. Putting principles before personalities teaches us to treat everyone equally. The Twelfth Step asks us to apply principles in all our affairs; the Twelfth Tradition suggests we apply them to our relations with everyone.
Practicing principles doesn't stop with our friends or when we leave a meeting. It's for every day, for everyone… in all areas of our lives.
Just for today: I will listen to my conscience and do what's right. My focus will be on principles, not on people's personalities.
************************************************
As Bill Sees It
Daily Inventory, p. 296
Often, as we review each day, only the closest scrutiny will reveal
what our true motives were. There are cases where our ancient
enemy rationalization has stepped in and has justified conduct which
was really wrong. The temptation here is to imagine that we had
good motives and reasons when we really hadn't.
We "constructively criticized" someone who needed it, when our
real motive was to win a useless argument. Or, the person concerned
not being present, we thought we were helping others to
understand him, when in actuality our true motive was to feel
superior by pulling him down.
We hurt those we loved because they needed to be "taught a
lesson," but we really wanted to punish. We were depressed and
complained we felt bad, when in fact we were mainly asking for
sympathy and attention.
12 & 12, p. 94
************************************************** *********
Walk In Dry Places
Different routes to alcoholism
Understanding powerlessness
While alcoholics have much in common, the personal stories heard at AA open meetings show that we took different routes to alcoholism. Some became out-of-control drinkers almost from the beginning. Others lost control slowly after years of seemingly moderate drinking.
These differences are underscored by the fact that we also differ in physical and emotional traits. Some alcoholics, for example, were so emotionally disturbed that they became problem drinkers from the very start. Some appeared to "have it all together," yet became alcoholics after retirement or some other change in life patterns.
Whatever the route taken, we share in common our individual powerlessness at the time we knocked on AA's door. And the solution for each of us was the same: sobriety in AA.
The risk in listening to such different personal accounts is that some of us twist these differences into "proof" that we are not alcoholics. The reward of such sharing , however, is learning that we do have a common problem and that there is a solution that fits everyone, in spite of our diffences.
I'll remember today that I came to AA because I was powerless over alcohol. That has not changed.
************************************************** *********
Keep It Simple
Love thy neighbor as thyself, but choose your neighbor.---Louise Beal
In our program, we learn a lot about loving ourselves. Then we start to see how this helps us love our neighbors. We learn to love ourselves honestly, seeing our strengths and our weaknesses. We learn to see others honestly . We learn how much to trust ourselves and when to get extra help. We learn how much to trust others too. We learn to love ourselves with a love that’s honest and challenging. We learn to love others this way too. We learn to care about others without losing our common sense. We learn to protect our spirits from harm.
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me see others clearly. Help me love them. But help me choose carefully who I trust.
Action for the Day: Today, I’ll list three people I trust the most, and I’ll write down why.
************************************************** *********
Each Day a New Beginning
Love has the quality of informing almost everything--even one's work. --Sylvia Ashton-Warner
We are changed through loving and being loved. Our attitudes are profoundly and positively affected by the presence of love in our lives. Each time we offer a loving response to a friend, co-worker, even a stranger, we powerfully influence the dynamics of the interaction between us.
Every response we make to someone changes us while it informs him or her. When we treat others with disdain, we invite the same. When we express only criticism of others, our self-assessment is equally negative. The beauty of a loving posture is that it calls forth love in response. The more love we give away, the more we receive.
Any task before us is lessened when we carry love in our hearts. Love is more powerful than fear. Love helps to open the channel to God, assuring us of the strength, the understanding, and the patience needed to complete any assignment confronting us.
God loves me, unconditionally. And I will experience the reality of that love the more I give it away. Love wants to change me--and it can.
************************************************** *********
Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition
THE PERPETUAL QUEST - This lawyer tried psychiatrists. biofeedback, relaxation exercises, and a host of other techniques to control her drinking. She finally found a solution, uniquely tailored, in the Twelve Steps.
My last hangover was on a Friday before a long summer weekend. I had struggled through the day feeling small and hopeless, hiding the trembling of my hands when I had to sign documents, and desperately working to wrap my tongue around words during meetings. Later that Friday night, after an agonizingly long workday, I was dragging myself up the deserted street thinking that the whole world, except for me, had someplace to go on that long weekend, and what's more, they all had someone to go with.
pp. 393-394
************************************************** *********
Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions
Tradition Three - "The only requirement for A.A. membership is a desire to stop drinking."
A newcomer appeared at one of these groups, knocked on the door and asked to be let in. He talked frankly with that group's oldest member. He soon proved that his was a desperate case, and that above all he wanted to get well. "But," he asked, "will you let me join your group? Since I am the victim of another addiction even worse stigmatized than alcoholism, you may not want me among you. Or will you?"
There was the dilemma. What should the group do? The oldest member summoned two others, and in confidence laid the explosive facts in their laps. Said he, "Well, what about it? If we turn this man away, he'll soon die. If we allow him in, only god knows what trouble he'll brew. What shall the answer be - yes or no?"
pp. 141-142
************************************************** *********
"Be the change you want to see in the world."
--Mohandas Ghandi
Who has never tasted what is bitter does not know what is sweet.
--German Proverb
It doesn't take a lot of effort to know the needs of another person. By helping others you
are helping yourself.
--unknown
Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.
--Abraham Lincoln
In just two days, tomorrow will be yesterday.
--unknown
Learn to enjoy little things; there are so many of them!
--unknown
***********************************************
Father Leo's Daily Meditation
FLEXIBILITY
"Better bend than break."
-- Scottish Proverb
Dis-ease: to be controlling, stiff, uncomfortable and unbending.
Sobriety: being relaxed, comfortable and flexible in my personal life and my interaction
with others.
Life: not a race but an experience; it is not an exercise but an adventure.
Before I accepted my alcoholism, I went through periods of "dryness" --- when I was
rigid, stiff and unbending. It was awful! Everything became a test, a job, a
premeditated act behind a mask of cheerfulness. I was angry, resentful and in pain. My
problem was that I stopped drinking to please other people, rather than accept the
true nature of my disease. Dryness is controlled denial.
Today the sobriety I have gained from an acceptance of self has overflowed into an
acceptance of life on life's terms --- and I am happy.
Let the wind of experience continue to bend me in the knowledge of Your love.
************************************************** *********
"From the rising of the sun to its going down the Lord's name is to be praised."
Psalms 113:3
So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things
grow. The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be
rewarded according to his own labor. For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's
field, God's building.
1 Corinthians 3:7-9
"Trust in the LORD, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight
yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart."
Psalm 37:3-4
The LORD opens the eyes of the blind. The LORD lifts the burdens of those bent
beneath their loads. The LORD loves the righteous. The LORD protects the foreigners
among us. He cares for the orphans and widows, but he frustrates the plans of the wicked. The
LORD will reign forever.
Psalm 146:8-10
************************************************** *********
Daily Inspiration
Treat your family as you would treat a best friend. Lord, help me to treasure my family with all of their imperfections as well as my own and cherish the time we have together.
There is no real happiness without God and no peace when we separate ourselves from Him. Lord, You said, "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you". I give you my troubled heart.
Share
Monday, October 24, 2011
Monday's readings.... Off to jury duty today, I hope your day is peacecful!
▼
Recovery Readings October 24
OCTOBER 24
Daily Reflections
"BY FAITH AND BY WORKS"
On anvils of experience, the structure of our Society was hammered out. . . . Thus has
it been with A.A. By faith and by works we have been able to build upon the lessons
of an incredible experience. They live today in the Twelve Traditions of Alcoholics
Anonymous, which - God willing - shall sustain us in unity for so long as He may need us.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 131
God has allowed me the right to be wrong in order for our Fellowship to exist as it does
today. If I place God's will first in my life, it is very likely that A.A. as I know it today will
remain as it is.
************************************************** *********
Twenty-Four Hours A Day
A.A. Thought For The Day
I have turned to a Power greater than myself. Thank God, I am no longer at the
center of the universe. All the world does not revolve around me any longer. I am
only one among many. I have a Father in Heaven and I am only one of His children
and a small one at that. But I can depend on Him to show me what to do and to give me
the strength to do it. I am on the Way and the whole power of the universe is behind
me when I do the right thing. I do not have to depend entirely on myself any longer. With
God, I can face anything. Is my life in the hands of God?
Meditation For The Day
The grace of God is an assurance against all evil. It holds out security to the believing
soul. The grace of God means safety in the midst of evil. You can be kept unspotted
by the world through the power of His grace. You can have a new life of power. But
only in close contact with the grace of God is its power realized. In order to realize it
and benefit from it, you must have daily quiet communion with God, so that the
power of His grace will come unhindered into your soul.
Prayer For The Day
I pray that I may be kept from evil by the grace of God. I pray that henceforth I will try to
keep myself more unspotted by the world.
****************************************RESPONSIBILITY
"We are not responsible for our disease, only for our recovery. As we begin to apply what we have learned, our lives begin to change for the better."
Basic Text, p.88
The further we go in recovery, the less we avoid responsibility for ourselves and our actions. By applying the principles of the Narcotics Anonymous program, we are able to change our lives. Our existence takes on new meaning as we accept responsibility and the freedom of choice responsibility implies. We do not take recovery for granted.
We take responsibility for our recovery by working the Twelve Steps with a sponsor. We go to meetings regularly and share with the newcomer what was freely given to us: the gift of recovery. We become involved with our home group and accept responsibility for our part in sharing recovery with the still-suffering addict. As we learn how to effectively practice spiritual principles in all areas of our lives, the quality of our lives improves.
Just for today: Using the spiritual tools I've gained in recovery, I am willing and able to make responsible choices.
pg. 310
********** *********
As Bill Sees It
Praying Rightly, p.295
We thought we had been deeply serious about religious practices.
However, upon honest appraisal we found that we had been most
superficial. Or sometimes, going to extremes, we had wallowed in
emotionalism and had also mistaken this for true religious feeling.
In both cases, we had been asking something for nothing.
We had not prayed rightly. We had always said, "Grant me my
wishes," instead of "Thy will be done." The love of God and man
we understood not at all. Therefore, we remained self-deceived,
and so incapable of receiving enough grace to restore us to sanity.
12 & 12, p. 32
************************************************** *********
Walk In Dry Places
Light for Dark corners
Honesty
Newspaper writers know that there's usually a future story in the "dark side" of any person who is being lavishly praised in the media. That's because almost every person has a "dark side" or secrets that are carefully guarded.
We should look for such dark corners in our own lives. Most of us are not public figures fearing exposure, but recovering people seeking to stay sober and healthy.
We can begin to illuminate our dark corners by discussing our secrets with others. This does not necessarily eliminate whatever shortcoming is involved, but our honesty is a step in the right direction.
False pride may also play a part in keeping dark secrets from others, causing fear that others might see us as we really are. Thus, learning to confront and confess our dark sides can lead to victory over both fear and pride.
I'll strive today to be honest about any weaknesses or wrongs that I've been concealing. Under the light of such honesty, my dark secrets can be transformed
************************************************** *********
Keep It Simple
Sin has many tools, but a lie is the handle that fits them all.---Oliver Wendell Homes
Lying, above anything else, brings us close to getting crazy again. Lying is what addicts do.
In our addiction, our whole life was a lie.
Lying creates danger because it creates secrets. Secrets keep us from others. To stay sober, we need to stay close to people. We can't make it on our own.
Lying creates danger because it creates shame. A lie, like a drink, may make us feel good for the moment. But in the long run, it creates shame.
Do we still lie to deal with the world? Lies are like drinks---one leads to another.
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me to live today free of lies.
Action for the Day: For the next twenty-four hours, I will tell no lies. If I do I’ll go back and do Step Ten. I will remember that lies can lead to relapse.
************************************************** *********
Each Day a New Beginning
The universal human yearning [is] for something permanent, enduring, without shadow of change. --Willa Cather
The specter of change builds dread in most of us. We fear the effects on our personal lives. We lack faith that the impending change will benefit us. Only time can assure us of that. And it will, just as every change we've survived up to now has done.
Changes are gifts, really. They come as hallmarks to our present attainments. They signify successful growth. How we struggle to understand this, and how quickly we forget it once we have adapted to the change. The struggle is then repeated the next time change visits us.
We long for permanence, believing it guarantees security, not realizing the only real security available to us comes with our trust in God, from whom all change comes as a blessing on the growth we've attained. If we were to experience total lack of change, we'd find death. Life is challenge, continued change, always endurable and growth-enhancing. We can reflect on what's gone before, and trust that which faces us now.
Change means I am progressing, on course.
************************************************** *********
Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition
THE PERPETUAL QUEST - This lawyer tried psychiatrists. biofeedback, relaxation exercises, and a host of other techniques to control her drinking. She finally found a solution, uniquely tailored, in the Twelve Steps.
My first meeting back at A.A. was on an unseasonably hot June night, but there was not a cool drink in sight in that church basement. The smoke could have choked a horse (today, it is much improved), and a fanatical woman with smiling bright eyes eagerly explained to me that they had this important book I should buy. Thinking that they were doing the book promotion because they needed money, I said firmly, "I'll give you the money, but I don't want your book!" Which about sums up my attitude and explains why, for the next few months, I continued to get drunk in spite of dragging my body to meetings every few days. I would stare at the large vodka bottle in my kitchen cupboard and say, "You won't get me!" but it did; I always lost the battle and ended up drunk.
p. 393
************************************************** *********
Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions
Tradition Three - "The only requirement for A.A. membership is a desire to stop drinking."
As group after group saw these possibilities, they finally abandoned all membership regulations. One dramatic experience after another clinched this determination until it became our universal tradition. Here are two examples:
On the A.A. calendar it was Year Two. In that time nothing could be seen but two struggling, nameless groups of alcoholics trying to hold their faces up to the light.
p. 141
************************************************** *********
"Every moment is an opportunity for those who are ready to seize it."
--unknown
Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an
honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a
life around.
--Leo Buscaglia
Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant.
--Robert Louis Stevenson
It is easy to sit up and take notice. What is difficult is getting up and taking action.
--Al Batt
Nature gave men two ends - one to sit on and one to think with. Ever since then man's
success or failure has been dependent on the one he used most.
--George R. Kirkpatrick
"Worry drives us to prayer and prayer drives away the worry."
--Eliz McJunkin
A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.
Contentment comes from making the most of what you have and going
with it.
--unknown
***********************************************
Father Leo's Daily Meditation
CYNICS
"A cynic is a man who, when he
smells flowers, looks around for
a coffin."
-- H. L. Mencken
There was a time when I always felt that life was out to get me. I always looked on the
"black" side of life. I was forever being negative and pessimistic I would always be
surrounded by sick and destructive human beings. Whenever people offered hope or
tried to help me, I turned away and rejected them. For years I created the pain
and misery in my life.
Then a close friend forced himself into my life and gave me a dose of "tough love". He
made me see that I was wallowing in self-pity. He cared enough to intervene and tell
me what I did not want to hear.
Today I have some years of recovery from alcoholism and I carry the message.
I pray that I may always love myself and others enough to take a risk.
************************************************** *********
"For we walk by faith, not by sight."
2 Corinthians 5:7
The LORD is righteous in everything he does; he is filled with kindness.
The LORD is close to all who call on him, yes, to all who call on him sincerely. He fulfills
the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cries for help and rescues them. The
LORD protects all those who love him, but he destroys the wicked. I will praise the
LORD, and everyone on earth will bless his holy name forever and forever.
Psalm 145:17-21
My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.
1 John 3:18
************************************************** *********
Daily Inspiration
Do not be discouraged if it seems that there is no response to your prayers at this time. God always responds. Lord, Your wisdom always responds to my needs with unceasing peace and love and when I listen and give thanks I am blessed with results that bring goodness to me in better ways than I expect.
Through the power of God within me, I am stronger than any of my circumstances. Lord, I seek, I knock and I ask and You are always there and ready to give me the miracles that I need.
Recovery Readings October 24
OCTOBER 24
Daily Reflections
"BY FAITH AND BY WORKS"
On anvils of experience, the structure of our Society was hammered out. . . . Thus has
it been with A.A. By faith and by works we have been able to build upon the lessons
of an incredible experience. They live today in the Twelve Traditions of Alcoholics
Anonymous, which - God willing - shall sustain us in unity for so long as He may need us.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 131
God has allowed me the right to be wrong in order for our Fellowship to exist as it does
today. If I place God's will first in my life, it is very likely that A.A. as I know it today will
remain as it is.
************************************************** *********
Twenty-Four Hours A Day
A.A. Thought For The Day
I have turned to a Power greater than myself. Thank God, I am no longer at the
center of the universe. All the world does not revolve around me any longer. I am
only one among many. I have a Father in Heaven and I am only one of His children
and a small one at that. But I can depend on Him to show me what to do and to give me
the strength to do it. I am on the Way and the whole power of the universe is behind
me when I do the right thing. I do not have to depend entirely on myself any longer. With
God, I can face anything. Is my life in the hands of God?
Meditation For The Day
The grace of God is an assurance against all evil. It holds out security to the believing
soul. The grace of God means safety in the midst of evil. You can be kept unspotted
by the world through the power of His grace. You can have a new life of power. But
only in close contact with the grace of God is its power realized. In order to realize it
and benefit from it, you must have daily quiet communion with God, so that the
power of His grace will come unhindered into your soul.
Prayer For The Day
I pray that I may be kept from evil by the grace of God. I pray that henceforth I will try to
keep myself more unspotted by the world.
****************************************RESPONSIBILITY
"We are not responsible for our disease, only for our recovery. As we begin to apply what we have learned, our lives begin to change for the better."
Basic Text, p.88
The further we go in recovery, the less we avoid responsibility for ourselves and our actions. By applying the principles of the Narcotics Anonymous program, we are able to change our lives. Our existence takes on new meaning as we accept responsibility and the freedom of choice responsibility implies. We do not take recovery for granted.
We take responsibility for our recovery by working the Twelve Steps with a sponsor. We go to meetings regularly and share with the newcomer what was freely given to us: the gift of recovery. We become involved with our home group and accept responsibility for our part in sharing recovery with the still-suffering addict. As we learn how to effectively practice spiritual principles in all areas of our lives, the quality of our lives improves.
Just for today: Using the spiritual tools I've gained in recovery, I am willing and able to make responsible choices.
pg. 310
********** *********
As Bill Sees It
Praying Rightly, p.295
We thought we had been deeply serious about religious practices.
However, upon honest appraisal we found that we had been most
superficial. Or sometimes, going to extremes, we had wallowed in
emotionalism and had also mistaken this for true religious feeling.
In both cases, we had been asking something for nothing.
We had not prayed rightly. We had always said, "Grant me my
wishes," instead of "Thy will be done." The love of God and man
we understood not at all. Therefore, we remained self-deceived,
and so incapable of receiving enough grace to restore us to sanity.
12 & 12, p. 32
************************************************** *********
Walk In Dry Places
Light for Dark corners
Honesty
Newspaper writers know that there's usually a future story in the "dark side" of any person who is being lavishly praised in the media. That's because almost every person has a "dark side" or secrets that are carefully guarded.
We should look for such dark corners in our own lives. Most of us are not public figures fearing exposure, but recovering people seeking to stay sober and healthy.
We can begin to illuminate our dark corners by discussing our secrets with others. This does not necessarily eliminate whatever shortcoming is involved, but our honesty is a step in the right direction.
False pride may also play a part in keeping dark secrets from others, causing fear that others might see us as we really are. Thus, learning to confront and confess our dark sides can lead to victory over both fear and pride.
I'll strive today to be honest about any weaknesses or wrongs that I've been concealing. Under the light of such honesty, my dark secrets can be transformed
************************************************** *********
Keep It Simple
Sin has many tools, but a lie is the handle that fits them all.---Oliver Wendell Homes
Lying, above anything else, brings us close to getting crazy again. Lying is what addicts do.
In our addiction, our whole life was a lie.
Lying creates danger because it creates secrets. Secrets keep us from others. To stay sober, we need to stay close to people. We can't make it on our own.
Lying creates danger because it creates shame. A lie, like a drink, may make us feel good for the moment. But in the long run, it creates shame.
Do we still lie to deal with the world? Lies are like drinks---one leads to another.
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me to live today free of lies.
Action for the Day: For the next twenty-four hours, I will tell no lies. If I do I’ll go back and do Step Ten. I will remember that lies can lead to relapse.
************************************************** *********
Each Day a New Beginning
The universal human yearning [is] for something permanent, enduring, without shadow of change. --Willa Cather
The specter of change builds dread in most of us. We fear the effects on our personal lives. We lack faith that the impending change will benefit us. Only time can assure us of that. And it will, just as every change we've survived up to now has done.
Changes are gifts, really. They come as hallmarks to our present attainments. They signify successful growth. How we struggle to understand this, and how quickly we forget it once we have adapted to the change. The struggle is then repeated the next time change visits us.
We long for permanence, believing it guarantees security, not realizing the only real security available to us comes with our trust in God, from whom all change comes as a blessing on the growth we've attained. If we were to experience total lack of change, we'd find death. Life is challenge, continued change, always endurable and growth-enhancing. We can reflect on what's gone before, and trust that which faces us now.
Change means I am progressing, on course.
************************************************** *********
Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition
THE PERPETUAL QUEST - This lawyer tried psychiatrists. biofeedback, relaxation exercises, and a host of other techniques to control her drinking. She finally found a solution, uniquely tailored, in the Twelve Steps.
My first meeting back at A.A. was on an unseasonably hot June night, but there was not a cool drink in sight in that church basement. The smoke could have choked a horse (today, it is much improved), and a fanatical woman with smiling bright eyes eagerly explained to me that they had this important book I should buy. Thinking that they were doing the book promotion because they needed money, I said firmly, "I'll give you the money, but I don't want your book!" Which about sums up my attitude and explains why, for the next few months, I continued to get drunk in spite of dragging my body to meetings every few days. I would stare at the large vodka bottle in my kitchen cupboard and say, "You won't get me!" but it did; I always lost the battle and ended up drunk.
p. 393
************************************************** *********
Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions
Tradition Three - "The only requirement for A.A. membership is a desire to stop drinking."
As group after group saw these possibilities, they finally abandoned all membership regulations. One dramatic experience after another clinched this determination until it became our universal tradition. Here are two examples:
On the A.A. calendar it was Year Two. In that time nothing could be seen but two struggling, nameless groups of alcoholics trying to hold their faces up to the light.
p. 141
************************************************** *********
"Every moment is an opportunity for those who are ready to seize it."
--unknown
Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an
honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a
life around.
--Leo Buscaglia
Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant.
--Robert Louis Stevenson
It is easy to sit up and take notice. What is difficult is getting up and taking action.
--Al Batt
Nature gave men two ends - one to sit on and one to think with. Ever since then man's
success or failure has been dependent on the one he used most.
--George R. Kirkpatrick
"Worry drives us to prayer and prayer drives away the worry."
--Eliz McJunkin
A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.
Contentment comes from making the most of what you have and going
with it.
--unknown
***********************************************
Father Leo's Daily Meditation
CYNICS
"A cynic is a man who, when he
smells flowers, looks around for
a coffin."
-- H. L. Mencken
There was a time when I always felt that life was out to get me. I always looked on the
"black" side of life. I was forever being negative and pessimistic I would always be
surrounded by sick and destructive human beings. Whenever people offered hope or
tried to help me, I turned away and rejected them. For years I created the pain
and misery in my life.
Then a close friend forced himself into my life and gave me a dose of "tough love". He
made me see that I was wallowing in self-pity. He cared enough to intervene and tell
me what I did not want to hear.
Today I have some years of recovery from alcoholism and I carry the message.
I pray that I may always love myself and others enough to take a risk.
************************************************** *********
"For we walk by faith, not by sight."
2 Corinthians 5:7
The LORD is righteous in everything he does; he is filled with kindness.
The LORD is close to all who call on him, yes, to all who call on him sincerely. He fulfills
the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cries for help and rescues them. The
LORD protects all those who love him, but he destroys the wicked. I will praise the
LORD, and everyone on earth will bless his holy name forever and forever.
Psalm 145:17-21
My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.
1 John 3:18
************************************************** *********
Daily Inspiration
Do not be discouraged if it seems that there is no response to your prayers at this time. God always responds. Lord, Your wisdom always responds to my needs with unceasing peace and love and when I listen and give thanks I am blessed with results that bring goodness to me in better ways than I expect.
Through the power of God within me, I am stronger than any of my circumstances. Lord, I seek, I knock and I ask and You are always there and ready to give me the miracles that I need.
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