|
March 16, 2014
Daily Reflections AS WE UNDERSTAND HIM My friend suggested what then seemed a novel idea . . . "Why don't you choose your own conception of God?" That statement hit me hard. It melted the icy intellectual mountain in whose shadow I had lived and shivered many years. I stood in the sunlight at last. It was only a matter of being willing to believe in a Power greater than myself. Nothing more was required of me to make my beginning. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 12 I remember the times I looked up into the sky and reflected on who started it all, and how. When I came to A.A., an understanding of some description of the spiritual dimension became a necessary adjunct to a stable sobriety. After reading a variety of versions, including the scientific, of a great explosion, I went for simplicity and made the God of my understanding the Great Power that made the explosion possible. With the vastness of the universe under His command, He would, no doubt, be able to guide my thinking and actions if I was prepared to accept His guidance. But I could not expect help if I turned my back on that help and went my own way. I became willing to believe and I have had 26 years of stable and satisfying sobriety. ************************************************** ********* Twenty-Four Hours A Day A.A. Thought For The Day Before we decide to quit drinking, most of us have come up against a blank wall. We see that we're licked, that we have to quit. But we don't know which way to turn for help. There seems to be no door in that blank wall. A.A. opens the door that leads to sobriety. By encouraging us to honestly admit that we're alcoholics and to realize that we can't take even one drink, and by showing us which way to turn for help, A.A. opens the door in that blank wall. Have I gone through that door to sobriety? Meditation For The Day I must have a singleness of purpose to do my part in God's work. I must not let material distractions interfere with my job of improving personal relationships. It is easy to become distracted by material affairs, so that I lose my singleness of purpose. I do not have time to be concerned about the multifarious concerns of the world. I must concentrate and specialize on what I can do best. Prayer For The Day I pray that I may not become distracted by material affairs. I pray that I may concentrate on doing what I can do best. ************************************************** ********* As Bill Sees It Losing Financial Fears, p. 75 When a job still looked like a mere means of getting money rather than an opportunity for service, when the acquisition of money for financial independence looked more important than a right independence upon God, we were the victims of unreasonable fears. And these were fears which would make a serene and useful existence, at any financial level, quite impossible. But as time passed we found that with the help of A.A.'s Twelve Steps we could lose those fears, no matter what our material prospects were. We could cheerfully perform humble labor without worrying about tomorrow. If our circumstances happened to be good, we no longer dreaded a change for the worse, for we had learned that these troubles could be turned into great values, for ourselves and for others. 12 & 12, pp. 121-122 ************************************************** ********* Walk in Dry Places Anger…. A dangerous weapon Self-control One reason some of us have trouble overcoming anger is that we've used it too often as an offensive weapon. It can be employed as an excuse to leave the house, it can bring an argument to an explosive end, and it can make others fearful and defensive. In the past this brought results of a sort, and helped reinforce the idea that anger works. The trouble with anger, though, is that it's destructive. Once angry, we hurt ourselves and we hurt others. Terrible things said in anger leave wounds that never heal, creating problems that lead to more anger. The AA program can show us that there is virtually no justification for anger, under any and all circumstances. If we sense it coming on, we have the choice of taking charge of our feelings. If we're angry over another's behavior, we can remember that anger might be a way of reacting, but it's not necessary in our lives. I'll make it through this day without a trace of anger. I'll frequently remind myself that anger is destructive and that my real purpose is to build a better life. ************************************************** ********* Keep It Simple Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future.---Oscar Wilde We all change. We learn, and change, and grow. We once made alcohol or other drugs our Higher Power. Perhaps we had other higher powers too---like money, gambling, food, or sex. But, it's never too late to be in touch with a true Higher Power. Each day we follow a false higher power, we aren't. Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me put my life and will in Your hands today. Help me be a saint, just for today. Action for the Day: How have my ideas about saints and sinners changed since I got into a Twelve Step program? I'll talk with my sponsor about it today. ************************************************** ********* Each Day a New Beginning True intimacy with another human being can only be experienced when you have found true peace within yourself. --Angela L. Wozniak Intimacy means disclosure--full expression of ourselves to another person. Nothing held back. All bared. There are risks, of course: rejection, criticism, perhaps ridicule. But the comfort we feel within is directly proportional to the peace we've come to know. Each day we commit ourselves to recovery, we find a little more peace. Each conversation we have with our higher power brings us a little more security. Each time we turn our full attention to another person's needs, we feel our own burdens lightened. Peace comes in stages. As we continue to accept our powerlessness, the depth of our peace increases. Turning more often to a power greater than ourselves eases our resistance to whatever condition prevails. Forgiving ourselves and others, daily, heightens our appreciation of all life and enhances our humility. Therein lies peace. We each are a necessary part of the creative spirit prevailing in this world. The details of our lives are well in hand. We can be at peace. Who we are is who we need to be. Intimacy lets me help someone else also live a full and peace-filled life. I will reach out to someone today. ************************************************** ********* Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition Chapter 8 - TO WIVES You would suppose that men in the fourth classification would be quite hopeless, but that is not so. Many of Alcoholics Anonymous were like that. Everybody had given them up. Defeat seemed certain. Yet often such men had spectacular and powerful recoveries. p. 113 ************************************************** ********* Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions Tradition Twelve - "Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities." But it became apparent that the word-of-mouth method was too limited. Our work, as such, needed to be publicized. The A.A. groups would have to reach quickly as many despairing alcoholics as they could. Consequently, many groups began to hold meetings which were open to interested friends and the public, so that the average citizen could see for himself just what A.A. was all about. The response to these meetings was warmly sympathetic. Soon, groups began to receive requests for A.A. speakers to appear before civic organizations, church groups, and medical societies. Provided anonymity was maintained on these platforms, and reporters present were cautioned against the use of names or pictures, the result was fine. p. 186 ************************************************** ********* Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart... Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens." --Carl Jung No matter how long a room is dark, turn on a light and the room brightens. Today marks a new beginning. You can claim a clean slate with God. --Mary Manin Morrissey The principle we are working with today is STILLNESS. It is accomplished through the act of meditation, which is stilling of the physical/conscious mind to all external stimuli. Continuous, contemplative thought given to truth. A steady effort of the mind to know and hear the voice of God from within the being. The act of not doing in an attempt to expand the awareness of being. When we quiet the conscious mind to hear the Divine presence. --Iyalna Vanzant Is my way of handling anger pleasing to God? --Marilyn Watson I Am Responsible . . . When anyone, anywhere, reaches out for help, I want the hand of A.A. always to be there. And for that: I am responsible. --Declaration of 30th Anniversary International Convention, 1965 As Bill Sees It, p. 332 ************************************************** ********* Father Leo's Daily Meditation RISK "A free society is one where it is safe to be unpopular." -- Adlai Stevenson Tough love requires that at times I must say or do things that make me "unpopular". That is part of the spiritual risk of loving: to be popular is not always to be right! As an alcoholic I was a people-pleaser; concerned with saying what people wanted to hear, do what people expected, remain silent rather than cause upsets. I was afraid that if I said what I really thought, I might be rejected. My self-esteem was secondary to what other people thought of me. Today in my sobriety I love myself enough to say what I believe and do what I consider right. I refuse to remain silent when confronted with injustice or the addictions of others. My spiritual program risks the possibility of being unpopular. Teach me to always say and do what I believe to be true. ************************************************** ********* "For the word of the LORD is right and true; he is faithful in all he does." Psalm 33:4 Thine, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty. 1 Chronicles 29:11 Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger. Ephesians 4:26 ************************************************** ********* Daily Inspiration Prayer turns the attention from ourselves to God and helps us see His hand working in our lives. Lord, You give me reasons for a daily commitment to achieving a full and energetic life. Allow the power of God to work within you because He is able to accomplish far more than we can dream. Lord, Your spirit empowers me. May I do Your Will and always give glory to You. |
March 17, 2014
Daily Reflections MYSTERIOUS WAYS . . . out of every season of grief or suffering, when the hand of God seemed heavy or even unjust, new lessons for living were learned, new resources of courage were uncovered, and that finally, inescapably, the conviction came that God does "move in a mysterious way His wonders to perform." TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 105 After losing my career, family and health, I remained unconvinced that my way of life needed a second look. My drinking and other drug use were killing me, but I had never met a recovering person or an A.A. member. I thought I was destined to die alone and that I deserved it. At the peak of my despair, my infant son became critically ill with a rare disease. Doctors' efforts to help him proved useless. I redoubled my efforts to block my feelings, but now the alcohol had stopped working. I was left staring into God's eyes, begging for help. My introduction to A.A. came within days, through an odd series of coincidences, and I have remained sober ever since. My son lived and his disease is in remission. The entire episode convinced me of my powerlessness and the unmanageability of my life. Today my son and I thank God for his intervention. ************************************************** ********* Twenty-Four Hours A Day A.A. Thought For The Day A. A. also helps us to hang onto sobriety. By having regular meetings so that we can associate with other alcoholics who have come through that same door in the wall, by encouraging us to tell the story of our own sad experiences with alcohol, and by showing us how to help other alcoholics. A.A. keeps us sober. Our attitude toward life changes from one of pride and selfishness to one of humility and gratitude. Am I going to step back through that door in the wall to my old helpless, hopeless, drunken life? Meditation For The Day Withdraw into the calm of communion with God. Rest in that calm and peace. When the soul finds its home of rest in God, then it is that real life begins. Only when you are calm and serene can you do good work. Emotional upsets make you useless. The eternal life is calmness and when a man enters into that, then he lives as an eternal being. Calmness is based on complete trust in God. Nothing in this world can separate you from the love of God. Prayer For The Day I pray that I may wear the world like a loose garment. I pray that I may keep serene at the center of my being. ************************************************** ********* As Bill Sees It Only God Is Unchanging, p. 76 "Change is the characteristic of all growth. From drinking to society, from dishonesty to honesty, from conflict to serenity, from hate to love, from childish independence to adult responsibility--all this and infinitely more represent change for the better. "Such changes are accomplished by a belief in and a practice of sound principles. Here we must needs discard bad or ineffective principles in favor of good ones that work. Even good principles can sometimes be displaced by the discovery of still better ones. "Only God is unchanging; only He has all the truth there is." Letter, 1966 ************************************************** ********* Walk in Dry Places Is it Easy? Practicing principles There's no "softer, easier way," we're told. If so, why are we also urged to embrace the slogan "Easy Does it?" Which is right? Both are right, because they express two different ideas. The softer, easier way doesn't work because it grows out of self-deception and falls short of a thorough working of the program. "Easy Does it" works because it describes an approach to action that is relaxed, confident, and careful. The person seeking an easier, softer way usually avoids taking some of the steps that are considered necessary in maintaining sobriety. It's a way of trying to win without doing sufficient work. The person following the "Easy Does it" principle pays attention to every detail, but carries on without reasonable haste or excessive loafing. In a spiritual sense, "Easy Does it" also means letting the Higher Power carry the load. At all times, however, we must continue to make choices and bear responsibility for our actions. I'll be relaxed and confident while carrying on a full day's activity. There is always time to do things the right way. ************************************************** ********* Keep It Simple Skill to do comes of doing.---Ralph Waldo Emerson Often, we just want to sit and do nothing. And why not. We go to meetings, work the Twelve Steps, read, make new friends. All this takes energy and means taking risk. Haven't we earned the right to just sit and take it a break from it all? No! In the past, we avoided life. Now we're becoming people of action. We take risk. We're becoming people who get involved in life. We practice caring about people and caring about ourselves. At times, we may complain, but we do what is needed to stay sober. We gain skills by doing. why? We do it to save our lives. How? By trusting. We now trust that our Higher Power and friends will be there for us. They will help us push past our fears. As we practice daily how to stay sober, our skills grow. Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, Yours is a spirit of action. Allow me to become skilled at being active. Action for the Day: Today, I'll work at being active and alive. Maybe I'll start a new friendship or try a new meeting. ************************************************** ********* Each Day a New Beginning. A woman who is loved always has success. --Vicki Baum Being loved, and knowing that we are loved, assures us of our connection to the world outside of ourselves. It affirms us as participants in the bigger picture. And all of us need to know that we count--that what we say and do matters to others--that we are contributing in an important way. Often we feel unloved, however. And we search for love. We may have begged for love and still didn't feel it. We have probably become very self-centered in our search. Fortunately, the program helps us to give love to others; the paradox is that love is returned, tenfold. The wonders of love are many. Love is a healing balm for wounds. And it nurtures, both the one loving and the one loved. Love is an energizer. It spurs us on to successes in work and in play. Love multiplies. If we aren't feeling loved, we can love someone else--and love will visit us, too. We can help the women in our lives find the successes they deserve. The confidence to tackle new situations is packaged in the gift of love. We need to help one another count. My love of another is a contributing factor in her success. Her loving gratitude will enhance my own endeavors. I will take a moment, today, with a friend who needs my love. ************************************************** ********* Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition Chapter 8 - TO WIVES There are exceptions. Some men have been so impaired by alcohol that they cannot stop. Sometimes there are cases where alcoholism is complicated by other disorders. A good doctor or psychiatrist can tell you whether these complications are serious. In any event, try to have your husband read this book. His reaction may be one of enthusiasm. If he is already committed to an institution, but can convince you and your doctor that he means business, give him a chance to try our method, unless the doctor thinks his mental condition too abnormal or dangerous. We make this recommendation with some confidence. For years we have been working with alcoholics committed to institutions. Since this book was first published, A.A. has released thousands of alcoholics from asylums and hospitals of every kind. The majority have never returned. The power of God goes deep! p. 114 ************************************************** ********* Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions Tradition Twelve - "Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities." Then came our first few excursions into major publicity, which were breathtaking. Cleveland's Plain Dealer articles about us ran that town's membership from a few into hundreds overnight. The news stories of Mr. Rockefeller's dinner for Alcoholics Anonymous helped double our total membership in a year's time. Jack Alexander's famous Saturday Evening Post piece made A.A. a national institution. Such tributes as these brought opportunities for still more recognition. Other newspapers and magazines wanted A.A. stories. Film companies wanted to photograph us. Radio, and finally television, besieged us with requests for appearances. What should we do? pp. 186-187 ************************************************** ********* He who lives in harmony with himself lives in harmony with the universe. --Marcus Aurelius I have learned what a heart full of gratitude feels like. If you make yourself a doormat, you will be stepped on. --American Proverb The only real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes. --Marcel Proust The Way isn't something that can be put into words. You have to practice before you can understand. You can't force things, including practice. Understanding is something that happens naturally. It's different for everyone. The main thing is to reduce your desires and quiet your mind. --Master Hsueh Within man is the soul of the whole; the wise silence; the universal beauty; to which every part and every particle is equally related; the eternal One. --Ralph Waldo Emerson ************************************************** ********* Father Leo's Daily Meditation SAINTS "The saints are the sinners who keep on going." -- Robert Louis Stevenson At times I do not want to carry on; I do not want to fight anymore for truth and freedom; it seems so much easier to "give up " and agree with everybody --- but I know, deep inside myself, this is not true. At times the disease speaks to me and tells me to "give up" and everything will be okay --- perhaps have one drink, don't rush off to so many meetings, get what you can when you can! It all sounds so tempting, but I know that it does not work. Sobriety works! The struggle and pain to act responsibly in my life is paying off and it does get better. I am not going to give up. My life is worth more than a quick fix! Lord, let me know that true courage is working through the pain. ************************************************** ********* "Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved." Psalms 55:22 "Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You." Psalms 56:3 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. James 4:10 Jesus said, "Love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends." John 15:12-13 ************************************************** ********* Daily Inspiration We have been given a treasure of talents which should be accepted with responsibility and gratitude. Lord, may my gifts flourish in great faith and charity so that they may also benefit others. Love who you are, for who you are, God loves. Lord, help me to never abuse myself with self pity or excess, emotionally or physically, so that I may live my life to the fullest according to Your Will. |
March 18, 2014
Daily Reflections REAL INDEPENDENCE The more we become willing to depend upon a Higher Power, the more independent we actually are. TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 36 I start with a little willingness to trust God and He causes that willingness to grow. The more willingness I have, the more trust I gain, and the more trust I gain, the more willingness I have. My dependence on God grows as my trust in Him grows. Before I became willing, I depended on myself for all my needs and I was restricted by my incompleteness. Through my willingness to depend upon my Higher Power, whom I choose to call God, all my needs are provided for by Someone Who knows me better than I know myself - even the needs I may not realize, as well as the ones yet to come, bring me to be myself and to help me fill the need in someone else that only I am meant to fill. There never will be another exactly like me. And that is real independence. ************************************************** ********* Twenty-Four Hours A Day A.A. Thought For The Day When alcoholics first come into A.A. and we face the fact that we must spend the rest of our life without liquor, it often seems like an impossibility for us. So A.A. tells us to forget about the future and take it one day at a time. All we really have is now. We have no past time and no future time. As the saying goes: "Yesterday is gone, forget it; tomorrow never comes, don't worry; today is here, get busy." All we have is the present. The past is gone forever and the future never comes. When tomorrow gets here, it will be today. Am I living one day at a time? Meditation For The Day Persistence is necessary if you are to advance in spiritual things. By persistent prayer, persistent firm and simple trust, you achieve the treasures of the spirit. By persistent practice, you can eventually obtain joy, peace, assurance, security, health, happiness and serenity. Nothing is too great, in the spiritual realm, for you to obtain, if you persistently prepare yourself for it. Prayer For The Day I pray that I may persistently carry out my spiritual exercises every day. I pray that I may strive for peace and serenity. ************************************************** ********* As Bill Sees It R.S.V.P.--Yes or No?, p. 77 Usually, we do not avoid a place where there is drinking--if we have a legitimate reason for being there. That includes bars, night clubs, dances, receptions, weddings, even plain ordinary parties. You will note that we made an important qualification. Therefore, ask yourself, "Have I any good social, business, or personal reason for going to this place? Or am I expecting to steal a little vicarious pleasure from the atmosphere?" Then go or stay away, whichever seems better. But be sure you are on solid spiritual ground before you start and that your motive in going is thoroughly good. Do not think of what you will get out of the occasion. Think of what you can bring to it. If you are shaky, you had better work with another alcoholic instead! Alcoholics Anonymous, pp. 101-102 ************************************************** ********* Walk in Dry Places Should everybody like me? Personal Relations. In AA discussions, the term "people pleasers" doesn't fare very well. When people say they are people-pleasers, they're acknowledging that it's also a problem It's a problem because it reflects a desire to have everybody's acceptance and approval…… to be universally liked. But from what we know about human relationships, this is not possible. No matter how hard we work to be pleasant and likable, some people may still detest us for reasons we cannot understand. When that happens, we should not blame ourselves or step up our efforts to them and to avoid giving offense in any way, while accepting the fact that they do not like us. If our own behavior is mature and reasonable, even the people who don't like us will at least respect us. That may be the best we can hope for , and it is certainly far better than shameless people pleasing. In the end, people-pleasers don't please anybody and, as a famous comedian notes about himself, they "get no respect." I'll try hard to be pleasant and cordial to everyone I meet today. If some people do not respond in the same way. I'll accept this without feeling hurt or betrayed. ************************************************** ********* Keep It Simple Money cost to much.---Ross MacDonald Many people are poor and really need money to live better. But we're in trouble if we think money will solve all our problems. If money solved all problems, all rich people would be happy. Consider this: A man talks about his shortcomings in a Twelve Step meeting. He says his main shortcoming is to think being happy means having enough money. But then he says that he has over a million dollars! This man is lucky---not because he has money, but because he knows greed is a shortcoming. He knows he has a spiritual problem. He doesn't need money; he needs faith in a Higher Power. Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me to really believe I'll be given what I need. This will free me to get on with life. Action for the Day: Today, I'll read over the promises of the program. They are found at the bottom of page 83 at the top of the page of page 84 in the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous, Third Edition. ************************************************** ********* Each Day a New Beginning Noble deeds and hot baths are the best cures for depression. --Dodie Smith Depression feeds on itself. With attention it worsens, but there are places for our attention. We can move our focus to a woman who is close by, a woman who is struggling to determine her direction in life. We can offer our ears. Or we can observe attentively, today, all the women, children, and men we see on the streets. When we notice their expressions, we realize they, too, may be suffering. Doing something for someone else will lessen our own problems, no matter what the cause. In fact, just doing something will lift our spirits. Depression becomes habitual, and habits, even those that are detrimental, are easy to hang onto. When we take an action, even a small one, we can note the change: Action that benefits another is guaranteed to benefit us as well. Depression does get worse with self-pitying attention; however, attention to ourselves that is nurturing has its place. We can pamper ourselves, but not pity ourselves. Pampering reflects approval, caring, self-respect; three attitudes inconsistent with depression. Even more than inconsistent, pampering and depression are incongruent. Depression must be coddled to maintain it. It's my choice to move beyond it at any moment. I can put something besides my problem at my center today and enjoy the results. ************************************************** ********* Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition Chapter 8 - TO WIVES You may have the reverse situation on your hands. Perhaps you have a husband who is at large, but who should be committed. Some men cannot or will not get over alcoholism. When they become too dangerous, we think the kind thing to do is to lock them up, but of course a good doctor should always be consulted. The wives and children of such men suffer horrible, but not more than the men themselves. But sometimes you must start life anew. We know women who have done it. If such women adopt a spiritual way of life their road will be smoother. p. 114 ************************************************** ********* Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions Tradition Twelve - "Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities." As this tide offering top public approval swept in, we realized that it could do us incalculable good or great harm. Everything would depend upon how it was channeled. We simply couldn't afford to take the chance of letting self-appointed members present themselves as messiahs representing A.A. before the whole public. The promoter instinct in us might be our undoing. If even one publicly got drunk, or was lured into using A.A.'s name for his own purposes, the damage might be irreparable. At this altitude (press, radio, films, and television), anonymity--100 percent anonymity--was the only possible answer. Here, principles would have to come before personalities, without exception. p. 187 ************************************************** ********* Today, God, help me know I am being guided into what's good about life, especially when I feel confused and without direction. Help me trust enough to wait until my mind and vision are clear and consistent. Help me know that clarity will come. --Melody Beattie "The greatest good you can do for another is not just share your riches, but reveal to them their own." -- Disraeli I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship. -- Louisa May Alcott We can be whole persons, even if we are not physically healthy. --Bonnie Marie Tincher I am always willing to learn, however I do not always like to be taught. --Winston Churchill Faith and Love mixed with Works is so important for a person to not lose Hope. --Sprintin ************************************************** ********* Father Leo's Daily Meditation HUMOR "Humor may be defined as the kindly contemplation of the incongruities of life and the artistic impression thereof . . . The essence of humor is human kindliness." -- Stephen Leacock Humor for me is a key to balance. In the joke I am able to release some tension or frustration and cope with my disease of alcoholism. When I drank, I did not have a genuine sense of humor --- rather it was sarcasm, cruel "put-downs" or insane expressions of my manic personality. My fun was created at the expense of others. It was a form of violence. It kept people away from me and created a loneliness in my life. Today I seek to use humor as an expression of acceptance, tolerance, understanding and forgiveness. Humor is an aspect of my spiritual program. In humor I experience God. Give me the gift of humor that reflects the dignity and hope for us all. ************************************************** ********* In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me? Psalms 56:4 Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for in you my soul takes refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed. Psalms 57:1 Paul wrote, "I can do all things through [Christ] who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13 ************************************************** ********* Daily Inspiration When God answers prayer, He gives us the right answer. Lord, my greatest strength comes when I trust in You. Have the strength to do what is right regardless of the consequences. Lord, show me Your way so that I may walk in Your truth. |
March 19, 2014
Daily Reflections PRAYER: IT WORKS It has been well said that "almost the only scoffers at prayer are those who never tried it enough." TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 97 Having grown up in an agnostic household, I felt somewhat foolish when I first tried praying. I knew there was a Higher Power working in my life -- how else was I staying sober? -- but I certainly wasn't convinced he/she/it wanted to hear my prayers. People who had what I wanted said prayer was an important part of practicing the program, so I persevered. With a commitment to daily prayer, I was amazed to find myself becoming more serene and comfortable with my place in the world. In other words, life became easier and less of a struggle. I'm still not sure who, or what, listens to my prayers, but I'd never stop saying them for the simple reason that they work. ************************************************** ********* Twenty-Four Hours A Day A.A. Thought For The Day When we were drinking, we used to be ashamed of the past. Remorse is terrible mental punishment: ashamed of ourselves for the things we've said and done, afraid to face people because of what they might think of us, afraid of the consequences of what we did when we were drunk. In A.A. we forget about the past. Do I believe that God has forgiven me for everything I've done in the past, no matter how black it was, provided I'm honestly trying to do the right thing today? Meditation For The Day God's spirit is all about you all day long. You have no thoughts, no plans, no impulses, no emotions, that He does not know about. You can hide nothing from Him. Do not make your conduct conform only to that of the world and do not depend on the approval or disapproval of others. God sees in secret, but He rewards openly. If you are in harmony with the Divine Spirit, doing your best to live the way you believe God wants you to live, you will be at peace. Prayer For The Day I pray that I may always feel God's presence. I pray that I may realize this Presence constantly all through the day. ************************************************** ********* As Bill Sees It Clearing A Channel, p. 78 During the day, we can pause where situations must be met and decisions made, and renew the simple request "Thy will, not mine, be done." If at these points our emotional disturbances happens to be great, we will more surely keep our balance provided we remember, and repeat to ourselves, a particular prayer or phrase that has appealed to us in our reading or meditation. Just saying it over and over will often enable us to clear a channel choked up with anger, fear, frustration, or misunderstanding, and permit us to return to the surest help of all--our search for God's will, not our own, in the moment of stress. 12 & 12, pp. 102-103 ************************************************** ********* Walk in Dry Places Where is God? Guidance. AA members have always had a difficult time explaining the "God business". We didn't want to be considered religious, but at the same time we've always believed some contact with a Higher Power is necessary for real personal growth. There's nothing wrong… for our purposes… in simply visualizing God as a Higher Power that has always been within us and around us. "Before they call, I will answer," goes an old saying, and that was true even in our darkest days. Many of us also believe that a higher power helped bring AA into being and move it along to become a worldwide force for good. But God works in ways that can seem to come from change or coincidence. Quite often, we'll find that little events had far-reaching results in our lives. When we review how such things happened, we should not conclude that this happens only to certain "special" people. All human beings are part of God's creation and can avail themselves of guidance and direction. The more serious problem is that guidance and direction are sometimes ignored or rejected. I'll go about my affairs today with the knowledge that my Higher Power is making the important decisions in my life. I'll come out about where God wants me to be. ************************************************** ********* Keep It Simple Speak when you're angry and you'll make the best speech you'll ever regret. Lawrence J. Peter When we used alcohol or other drugs, most of us were hotheads. We thought we were right. If we were proven wrong, we may have made life hell for everyone. People knew enough to stay away from us. In recovery, things will still go badly at times. We'll get hurt. And we'll get angry. But now, we turn our anger to our Higher Power. In our groups, we talk about what makes us angry. Then we leave the anger behind when the meeting is over. We find that being at peace is now more important than getting even. Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, when I'm angry, help me slow down, Help me remember it's okay to be angry, but its not okay to abuse people. Action for the Day: I will remember a time when I turned anger, into rage and hurt someone. I will also remember a time I was angry in a respectful way. ************************************************** ********* Each Day a New Beginning I realized a long time ago that a belief which does not spring from a conviction in the emotions is no belief at all. --Evelyn Scott >From pillar to post we bounced, most of us not knowing what we actually believed about nearly any situation before getting to this program. Perhaps we believed what was most convenient at the time because of the people we were with. And maybe we jumped the fence quickly when in a new setting. Values were sometimes talked about but not defined, and certainly not adhered to. It's difficult to develop a strong sense of self, to have a very secure self-image when the parameters offered by a value system are lacking. Our values define who we are. They offer us direction when making choices. They quietly demand that we behave responsibly. Living in concert with our values brings peace to our souls. Gone are the days when we rode first one fence and then another, never knowing what side of any issue we honestly believed in. The program has offered us a plan for living, a plan that erases the many uncertainties, the inner turmoil of past years. ************************************************** ********* Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition Chapter 8 - TO WIVES If your husband is a drinker, you probably worry over what other people are thinking and you hate to meet your friends. You draw more and more into yourself and you think everyone is talking about conditions at your home. You avoid the subject of drinking, even with your own parents. You do not know what to tell your children. When your husband is bad, you become a trembling recluse, wishing the telephone had never been invented. pp. 114-115 ************************************************** ********* Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions Tradition Twelve - "Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities." These experiences taught us that anonymity is real humility at work. It is an all-pervading spiritual quality which today keynotes A.A. life everywhere. Moved by the spirit of anonymity, we try to give up our natural desires for personal distinction as A.A. members both among fellow alcoholics and before the general public. As we lay aside these very human aspirations, we believe that each of us takes part in the weaving of a protective mantle which covers our whole Society and under which we may grow and work in unity. We are sure that humility, expressed by anonymity, is the greatest safeguard that Alcoholics Anonymous can ever have. p. 187 ************************************************** ********* "All of us, at certain moments of our lives, need to take advice and to receive help from other people." -Alexis Carrel, Reflections on Life Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much. --Helen Keller "If you want to be respected by others, the great thing is to respect yourself." --Fyodor Dostoyevsky "A closed mouth gathers no feet." --Anon. We cannot think our way into sober living. We live our way into sober thinking. We in AA don't carry the alcoholic; we carry the message. Listening feeds the spirit. When I am too busy to pray - I am just too busy. ************************************************** ********* Father Leo's Daily Meditation MADNESS "Sanity is madness put to good use." -- George Santayana I heard the phrase "make the disease work for you". It made a great deal of sense to me and still does. I am a recovering alcoholic. My alcoholism is still within me and every day I take the necessary steps to stay sober. My disease is that "mad" part of me that wants to destroy my life, relationships and understanding of God. What I need to do is accept my "madness" and turn it around so that it works for me. My suffering is the key to my spiritual growth. My anger and manipulation helps me to understand the imperfections of others. My powerlessness over alcohol give me an understanding of humility that is based on reality. The acceptance of my "madness" keeps me sane! O God, give me the sanity to accept my imperfections so that I can grow into the "best" that I can be. ************************************************** ********* "From the end of the earth I will cry to You, when my heart is overwhelmed; lead me to the rock that is higher than I." Psalms 61:2 Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips. Psalms 141:3 Jesus said, "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. John 14:1 ************************************************** ********* Daily Inspiration When you meet God in prayer, everything becomes new. Lord, may I be humbly joyful in my faith. Take less for granted and you will become very busy enjoying all that you have. Lord, thank you for my blessings and for all those that I am able to share them with. |
March 20, 2014
Daily Reflections LOVE AND TOLERANCE Love and tolerance of others in our code. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 84 I have found that I have to forgive others in all situations to maintain any real spiritual progress. The vital importance of forgiving may not be obvious to me at first sight, but my studies tell me that every great spiritual teacher has insisted strongly upon it. I must forgive injuries, not just in words, or as a matter of form, but in my heart. I do this not for the other persons' sake, but for my own sake. Resentment, anger, or a desire to see someone punished, are things that rot my soul. Such things fasten my troubles to me with chains. They tie me to other problems that have nothing to do with my original problem. ************************************************** ********* Twenty-Four Hours A Day A.A. Thought For The Day When we were drinking, we used to worry about the future. Worry is terrible mental punishment. What's going to become of me? Where will I end up? In the gutter or the sanitarium? We can see ourselves slipping, getting worse and worse, and we wonder what the finish will be. Sometimes we get so discouraged in thinking about the future that we toy with the idea of suicide. In A.A. have I stopped worrying about the future? Meditation For The Day Functioning on a material plane alone takes me away from God. I must also try to function on a spiritual plane. Functioning on a spiritual plane as well as on a material plane will make life what it should be. All material activities are valueless in themselves alone. But all activities, seemingly trivial or of seemingly great moment, are all alike if directed by God's guidance. I must try to obey God as I would expect a faithful, willing servant to carry out directions. Prayer For The Day I pray that the flow of God's spirit may come to me through many channels. I pray that I may function on a spiritual plane as well as on a material plane. ************************************************** ********* As Bill Sees It Whose Responsibility?, p. 79 "An A.A. group, as such, cannot take on all the personal problems of its members, let alone those of nonalcoholics in the world around us. The A.A. group is not, for example, a mediator of domestic relations, nor does it furnish personal financial aid to anyone. "Though a member may sometimes be helped in such matters by his friends in A.A., the primary responsibility for the solutions of all his problems of living and growing rests squarely upon the individual himself. Should an A.A. group attempt this sort of help, its effectiveness and energies would be hopelessly dissipated. "This is why sobriety--freedom from alcohol--through the teaching and practice of A.A.'s Twelve Steps, is the sole purpose of the group. If we don't stick to this cardinal principle, we shall almost certainly collapse. And if we collapse we cannot help anyone." Letter, 1966 ************************************************** ********* Walk in Dry Places Think, Think, Think Prudence. It's hard to believe, but some AA members insist that newcomers shouldn't think. "Whoever said you should think?" some members are told. The newcomer is apparently supposed to suspend all thinking for several months until reaching a certain level of recovery. This is nonsense, and it also contradicts AA teaching. If we don't want people to use their heads, why do we have printed cards on meeting room walls that say, "Think, Think, Think"? We are always capable of thinking, even in moments of deep despair. Indeed, we could not keep from thinking. A constructive approach to thinking is to form complete sentences from the slogan on the wall: THINK what might happen if I take one drink. THINK of the wonderful new life that awaits me in sobriety. THINK about ways of improving myself and following a more satisfactory lifestyle. It's also important to remember that good thinking will drive out bad thinking…. But good thinking has to be cultivated. I'll keep my thinking centered today on the good things that can be done in life. I'll focus my attention only on matters that are under my control, and I know that better thinking will bring better conditions. ************************************************** ********* Keep It Simple You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years of trying to get other people interested in you. ---Dale Carnegie We wanted friends, but our addiction wanted all our attention. We had no time to be close to others. Well, stand aside, addiction! The program has taught us that others are important. Our purpose is to help others. People have become what’s important to us. Now we listen to others. We help them do what they want to do, not what we want them to do. We help people instead of use them. Friendship is now a way of life. And another promise of the program becomes a part of us. Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me to know that I’m here to help others, not just myself. Through others, I find myself. Today’s’ Action: Today I’ll help someone the way he or she wants to be helped. ************************************************** ********* Each Day a New Beginning There's a period of life where we swallow a knowledge of ourselves and it becomes either good or sour inside. --Pearl Bailey For too many of us, feelings of shame, even self-hatred, are paramount. No one of us has a fully untarnished past. Every man, every woman, even every child experiences regret over some action. We are not perfect. Perfection is not expected in the Divine plan. But we are expected to take our experiences and grow from them, to move beyond the shame of them, to celebrate what they have taught us. Each day offers us a fresh start at assimilating all that we have been. What has gone before enriches who we are now, and through the many experiences we've survived, we have been prepared to help others, to smooth the way for another woman, perhaps, who is searching for a new direction. We can let go of our shame and know instead that it sweetens the nuggets of the wisdom we can offer to others. We are alike. We are not without faults. Our trials help another to smoother sailing. I will relish the joy at hand. I can share my wisdom. All painful pasts brighten someone's future, when openly shared. ************************************************** ********* Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition Chapter 8 - TO WIVES We find that most of this embarrassment is unnecessary. While you need not discuss your husband at length, you can quietly let your friends know the nature of his illness. But you must be on guard not to embarrass or harm your husband. p. 115 ************************************************** ********* Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions Foreword Alcoholics Anonymous is a worldwide fellowship of more than one hundred thousand* alcoholic men and women who are banded together to solve their common problems and to help fellow sufferers in recovery from that age-old, baffling malady, alcoholism. *In 1998, it is estimated that nearly two million have recovered through A.A. p. 15 ************************************************** ********* "There is only one small letter between the words CAN and CAN'T...and that one letter will TOTALLY change your destiny." -–Doug Firebaugh Happiness is intrinsic, it's an internal thing. When you build it into yourself, no external circumstances can take it away. That kind of happiness is a twenty-four-hour thing. --Leo F. Buscaglia God, if I can't see the joy in life, help me look again. --Melody Beattie Now and then I like to lift my eyes up from the details of daily life and remember the bigger picture, and take a breath of God, and feel and remember that ultimately, it's all okay. --Dan Millman God wants us to give from the heart when we see a need. --Nancy Shelton ************************************************** ********* Father Leo's Daily Meditation APATHY "Science may have found a cure for most evils; but it has found no remedy for the worst of them all --- the apathy of human beings." -- Helen Keller I read today of a woman who ate herself to death. Friends and family when interviewed said, "She simply didn't seem to care." She had stuffed her feelings for so long that she had forgotten what they were; she had lost her spirituality. Apathy kills people. So long as people do nothing, the disease of addiction gets worse and more victims are claimed. Apathy feeds ignorance because it stops activity; apathy stops life. The antidote for apathy is spirituality. The spiritual person is alive with positive attitudes and creative hope --- he is infectious. People are challenged to discover a meaning to life in their own lives. Hope produces recovery; recovery produces a message that must be shared; in the message is the miracle of life. I pray that in the face of apathy I can discover hope. ************************************************** ********* "He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be greatly moved." Psalms 62:2 "For we walk by faith, not by sight." 2 Corinthians 5:7 When you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets. Matthew 6:2 ************************************************** ********* Daily Inspiration To run the life's race successfully we must run toward life, not away from it. Lord, bless me with the courage to meet my challenges as they happen and never allow fear to set up roadblocks. No one can live for himself alone for then he will have no purpose in life. To give of self is one of life's greatest joys and blesses us with a full and rich life. Lord, help me to be selfless and loving to those around me. |
March 21, 2014
Daily Reflections MATERIAL AND SPIRITUAL WELL-BEING Fear... of economic insecurity will leave us. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 84 Having fear reduced or eliminated and having economic circumstances improve, are two different things. When I was new in A.A., I had those two ideas confused. I thought fear would leave me only when I started making money. However, another line from the Big Book jumped off the page one day when I was chewing on my financial difficulties: "For us, material well-being always followed spiritual progress; it never preceded."(p. 127). I suddenly understood that this promise was a guarantee. I saw that it put priorities in the correct order, that spiritual progress would diminish that terrible fear of being destitute, just as it diminished many other fears. Today I try to use the talents God gave me to benefit others. I've found that is what others valued all along. I try to remember that I no longer work for myself. I only get the use of the wealth God created, I never have "owned" it. My life's purpose is much clearer when I just work to help, not to possess. ************************************************** ********* Twenty-Four Hours A Day A.A. Thought For The Day In A.A. we forget about the future. We know from experience that as time goes on, the future takes care of itself. Everything works out well, as long as we stay sober. All we need to think about is today. When we get up in the morning and see the sun shining in the window, we thank God that He has given us another day to enjoy because we're sober. A day in which we may have a chance to help somebody. Do I know that this day is all I have and that with God's help I can stay sober today? Meditation For The Day All is fundamentally well. That does not mean that all is well on the surface of things. But it does mean that God's in His heaven and that He has a purpose for the world, which will eventually work out when enough human beings are willing to follow His way. "Wearing the world as a loose garment" means not to be upset by the surface wrongness of things, but to feel deeply secure in the fundamental goodness and purpose in the universe. Prayer For The Day I pray that God may be with me in my journey through the world. I pray that I may know that God is planning that journey. ************************************************** ********* As Bill Sees It Debits and Credits, p. 80 Following a gossip binge, we can well ask ourselves these questions: "Why did we say what we did? Were we only trying to be helpful and informative? Or were we not trying to feel superior by confessing the other fellow's sins? Or, because of fear and dislike, were we not really aiming to damage him?" This would be an honest attempt to examine ourselves, rather than the other fellow. << << << >> >> >> Inventory-taking is not always done in red ink. It's a poor day indeed when we haven't done something right. As a matter of fact, the waking hours are usually well filled with things that are constructive. Good intentions, good thoughts, and good acts are there for us to see. Even when we tried hard and failed, we may chalk that up as one of the greatest credits of all. 1. Grapevine, August 1961 2. 12 & 12, p. 93 ************************************************** ********* Walk in Dry Places Living One Day at a Time Time management It's surprising that some alcoholics learn how to "live one day at a time" while drinking. It had to work that way, or their drinking life would have been even more intolerable. It was convenient to shut off thoughts of tomorrow if one had enough money to drink today. It was also convenient to blot out thoughts of yesterday, which only meant remorse. In sobriety, living one day at a time is an excellent way to focus our minds so we can pour our energies into the work at hand. In reviewing the wasted yesterdays, we can always find ways that we could have been more productive and effective. But we missed opportunities because we were still struggling with regrets or fearing what might happen in the future. It's never too late to change all that. We need neither regret the past nor fear the future. The AA secret is to make the best of today's challenges. It may mean just chipping away at a massive problem that seems insurmountable. Living just for today, we can do today's job well. I'll live comfortably and happily in the here and now. This means releasing the past and accepting the future as something I'll deal with at the proper time. ************************************************** ********* Keep It Simple With each sunrise, we start anew. ----Anonymous Like a tree, our life depends on new growth. There are many ways to bring new ideas and growth into our lives. We can attend Twelve Step retreats. We can study books and tapes on spirituality. We can attend different Twelve Step meetings. But our spiritual newness may not just come from the Twelve Steps. We can do volunteer work or be active in other types of groups. We need to invite new ideas into our lives. We need to stay open to change. It doesn’t matter what renews our spiritual growth. What matters is that we keep our spiritual lives fresh and growing. Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, spring is one of the four seasons. Help me feel like spring. Help me to be strong but not stuck Help me be firm yet open to spiritual growth. Action for the Day: Today, I’ll try to do something new. When I get stuck or stubborn, I’ll see that it’s due to my fear of trying new ideas. ************************************************** ********* Each Day A New Beginning Children are surely one of God's greatest gifts and truest challenges. To share your life with a child is to humble yourself so that you may learn from them and discover with them the beautiful secrets that are only uncovered in searching. --Kathleen Tierney Crilly Humility accompanies every experience wherein we let ourselves fully listen to others, to learn from them, to be changed by their words, their presence. Each opportunity we take to be fully present to another person, totally with them in mind and spirit, will bless us while it blesses them. Offering and receiving the gift of genuine attention is basic to the emotional growth of every human being. Before recovering, many of us so suffered from obsessive self-centered pity that we seldom noted the real needs or pain of the people close to us. We closed ourselves off, wallowing in our own selfish worries, and our growth was stunted. Some days we still wallow. But a new day has dawned. The Steps offer us new understanding. They are helping us look beyond ourselves to all the "children of God" in our daily lives. From each of them we have many secrets to learn. I will be joyous today. Many secrets about life are mine to learn if I will stay close to all the people who cross my path. I will be mindful they are there because they have something to give me. I will be ready to receive it. ************************************************** ********* Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition Chapter 8 - TO WIVES When you have carefully explained to such people that he is a sick person, you will have created a new atmosphere. Barriers which have sprung up between you and your friends will disappear with the growth of sympathetic understanding. You will no longer be self-conscious or feel that you must apologize as though your husband were a weak character. He may be anything but that. Your new courage, good nature and lack of self-consciousness will do wonders for you socially. p. 115 ************************************************** ********* Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions Foreword This book deals with the "Twelve Steps" and the "Twelve Traditions" of Alcoholics Anonymous. It presents an explicit view of principles by which A.A. members recover and by which their Society functions. p. 15 ************************************************** ********* Don't go through life, grow through life. --Eric Butterworth "You see what you choose to see, because all perception is a choice. And when you cease to impose your meanings on what you see, your spiritual eyes will open, and you will see a world free of judgment and shining in its endless beauty." --Paul Ferrini To gain that which is worth having, it may be necessary to lose everything else. --Bernadette Devlin God is the architect. I am the builder. "Stop talking about the problem and start thinking about the solution." -–Brian Tracy The highest reward for a man's toil is not what he gets for it but what he becomes by it. --John Ruskin ************************************************** ********* Father Leo's Daily Meditation BROTHERHOOD "I love my country better than my family; but I love humanity better than my country." -- Francois Fenelon We need to think "big". We need to escape from those little concepts that keep us small. Life is more than we can ever perceive. We need to see it in its totality. The nuclear family can be restrictive if taken as the center of our loyalty. Even our national citizenship needs to be placed in the context of the world. Our freedom rests in our universal humanity. Spirituality is about thinking "big". It is finding God in the richness of His creation. Our insistence on our shared humanity is the path to world peace and serenity. Divisions should not exist for the humanitarian who seeks acceptance for all men simply because they are men. May I seek to find the One in the many --- and the many in the One. ************************************************** ********* "We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed." 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 "For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord will give grace and glory; no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly." Psalms 84:11 ************************************************** ********* Daily Inspiration God not only answers prayer, but He has all the answers to the prayers that we haven't bothered to ask. Lord, when you said "ask and you shall receive", may I keep in mind that no request is too small. It is far wiser to ask God for what He thinks is good for us, than for what we think is good for us. Lord, Your Will not mine be done. |
March 22, 2014
Daily Reflections NO MORE STRUGGLE And we have ceased fighting anything or anyone -- even alcohol. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 84 When A.A. found me, I thought I was in for a struggle, and that A.A. might provide the strength I needed to beat alcohol. Victorious in that fight, who knows what other battles I could win. I would need to be strong, though. All my previous experience with life provided that. Today I do not have to struggle or exert my will. If I take those Twelve Steps and let my Higher Power do the real work, my alcohol problem disappears all by itself. My living problems also cease to be struggles. I just have to ask whether acceptance -- or change -- is required. It is not my will, but His, that needs doing. ************************************************** ********* Twenty-Four Hours A Day A.A. Thought For The Day We're all looking for the power to overcome drinking. A fellow comes into A.A. and his first question is: How do I get the strength to quit? At first, it seems to him that he will never get the necessary strength. He sees older members who have found the power he is looking for, but he doesn't know the process by which they got it. This necessary strength comes in many ways. Have I found all the strength I need? Meditation For The Day You cannot have a spiritual need which God cannot supply. Your fundamental need is a spiritual need, the need of power to lead the good life. The best spiritual supply is received by you when you want it to pass on to other people. You get it largely by giving it away. God gives you strength as you pass it on to another person. That strength means increased health; increased health means more good work, and more good work means more people helped. And so it goes on, a constant supply to meet all spiritual needs. Prayer For The Day I pray that my every spiritual need will be supplied by God. I pray that I may use the power I receive to help others. ************************************************** ********* As Bill Sees It "Selfish"?, p.81 "I can see why you are disturbed to hear some A.A. speakers say, 'A.A. is a selfish program.' The word 'selfish' ordinarily implies that one is acquisitive, demanding, and thoughtless of the welfare of others. Of course, the A.A. way of life does not at all imply such undesirable traits. "What do these speakers mean? Well, any theologian will tell you that the salvation of his own soul is the highest vocation that a man can have. Without salvation--however we may define this--he will have little or nothing. For us of A.A., there is even more urgency. "If we cannot or will not achieve sobriety, then we become truly lost, right in the here and now. We are of no value to anyone, including ourselves, until we find salvation from alcohol. Therefore, our own recovery and spiritual growth have to come first--a right and necessary kind of self-concern." Letter, 1966 ************************************************** ********* Walk in Dry Places Let Go and Let God Guidance. Though it came from outside AA, the idea of "letting go and letting God" has taken root in the fellowship. The trouble comes when we try to decide what it really means. We obviously need to continue working and we still have to make important decisions. SO how d o we let God take charge? Surrendering to God's will is a shift that takes place in our attitude. We take whatever actions seem reasonable and proper according to our view of things. We remember, however, that a better plan may be unfolding in every situation. In many cases, it can even be a case of wanting too little rather than too much. One member, for example, sought guidance in a business decision. He was disappointed when the deal feel through, but discovered, only a few weeks later, an even better opportunity that worked out perfectly. "Letting God" is really a form of working Step Eleven.. Seeking "Knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out." As we do that, our lives must become enriched and improved in every way. I'll approach the day with the idea that God is working it out for the highest good of everybody. Temporary setbacks won't bother me if I know that God's plan is unfolding in my life. ************************************************** ********* Keep It Simple If anything, we have tended to be people who wanted it all now. To hope is not Not to demand. --- On Hope Maybe we were a bit demanding. Maybe we were a bit impatient. Maybe that’s why we had such little hope. Hope is believing good will come even in bad time. Hope is knowing that “this, too, shall pass.” Hope is knowing that no matter how afraid we are, God will be with us. Hope is knowing we never have to be alone again. It is knowing that time that time is on our side. Hope is giving up control. Hope is knowing we never had control in the first place. Hope is believing in ourselves. Hope is what our program is all about. Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, in our program we share our experiences, our strengths, and our hopes. Thank you for giving all three of these to me to share. Action for the Day: I will share my hope for the future with myself, my Higher Power, and my friends. I also will share this with someone who has lost hope. ************************************************** ********* Each Day a New Beginning Reared as we were in a youth and beauty oriented society, we measured ourselves by our ornamental value. --Janet Harris Rare is the woman who doesn't long for a svelte body, firm breasts, pretty teeth, a smooth complexion. Rare is the woman who feels content, truly satisfied with her total person. We are often torn between wanting to be noticed and yet not wanting eyes to gaze upon us. We are all that we need to be today, at this moment. And we have an inner beauty, each of us, that is our real blessing in the lives of others. Our inner beauty will shine forth if we invite it to do so. Whatever our outer appearance, it doesn't gently touch or bring relief where suffering is--like our words which come from the heart, the home of our inner beauty. Perhaps a better mirror for reflecting our true beauty is the presence or absence of friends in our lives. We each have known stunning women who seemed to cast only cold glances our way and handsome men who arrogantly belittled others. It's our inner beauty that is valued by others. The surprise in store for each of us is discovering that the glow of our inner beauty transforms our outer appearance too. My beauty today will be enhanced by my gentle attention to the other people sharing my experiences. ************************************************** ********* Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition Chapter 8 - TO WIVES The same principle applies in dealing with the children. Unless they actually need protection from their father, it is best not to take sides in any argument he has with them while drinking. Use your energies to promote a better understanding all around. Then that terrible tension which grips the home of every problem drinker will be lessened. p. 115 ************************************************** ********* Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions Foreword A.A.'s Twelve Traditions apply to the life of the Fellowship itself. They outline the means by which A.A. maintains its unity and relates itself to the world about it, the way it lives and grows. p. 15 ************************************************** ********* God, please show me how to put ideas like fun and joy back into my life. Show me how to have more fun in work, in love, and in play. --Melody Beattie "There are lessons to be learned in every place. The mark of spiritual mastery is the ability to remember God wherever we go, and through whatever we experience." --Alan Cohen "A friend will see us at our worst, as well as our best. A friend will not close his or her heart when we have made a mistake. A friend will not condemn us but will compassionately support our return to a state of grace." --Marianne Williamson Someone's opinion of you does not have to become your reality. --Les Brown However I pray, God hears my prayers. --Katrina Cassel ************************************************** ********* Father Leo's Daily Meditation FORGIVENESS "God will forgive me; that's his business." -- Heinrich Heine It took me a long time to accept that God had forgiven the deeds done in my addiction. It took me a long time to comprehend that God is forgiveness, "forgiving love". Forgiveness unites us with God because it is His nature to forgive. When I am living the spiritual life, I can unite myself with Him by my acts of forgiveness. And when I forgive others, I am doing a kindness, an act of forgiveness, to myself. Hate used to drain me of energy and it still can if I get caught up in resentments. Forgiveness restores energy and peace. When I forgive, I am at one with God. In the forgiveness of others I discover me. ************************************************** ********* "But You, O GOD the Lord, Deal with me for Your name's sake; Because Your mercy is good, deliver me" Psalm 109:21 He that followeth after righteousness and mercy findeth life, righteousness, and honor. Proverbs 21:21 ************************************************** ********* Daily Inspiration Think often of your friends and seldom of your enemies and you will surround yourself with good thoughts, leaving little or no room for darkness. Lord, help me search for goodness so that it is goodness that I find. We take for granted so much of what God has planned for us. Lord, may I have sufficient preparation to meet the challenges of today and rejoice in the person that I am. |
March 23
Daily Reflections . . . AND NO MORE RESERVATIONS We have seen the truth again and again: "Once an alcoholic, always an alcoholic.". . . If we are planning to stop drinking, there must be no reservation of any kind, nor any lurking notion that someday we will be immune to alcohol. . . . To be gravely affected, one does not necessarily have to drink a long time nor take the quantities some of us have. This is particularly true of women. Potential female alcoholics often turn into the real thing and are gone beyond recall in a few years. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 33 These words are underlined in my book. They are true for men and women alcoholics. On many occasions I've turned to this page and reflected on this passage. I need never fool myself by recalling my sometimes differing drinking patterns, or by believing I am "cured." I like to think that, if sobriety is God's gift to me, then my sober life is my gift to God. I hope that God is as happy with His gift as I am with mine. ************************************************** ********* Twenty-Four Hours A Day A.A. Thought For The Day Strength comes from the fellowship you find when you come into A.A. Just being with men and women who have found the way out gives you a feeling of security. You listen to the speakers, you talk with other members, and you absorb the atmosphere of confidence and hope that you find in the place. Am I receiving strength from the fellowship with other A.A. members? Meditation For The Day God is with you, to bless and help you. His spirit is all around you. Waver not in your faith or in your prayers. All power is the Lord's. Say that to yourself often and steadily. Say it until your heart sings with joy for the safety and personal power that it means to you. Say it until the very force of the utterance drives back and puts to naught all the evils against you. Use it as a battle cry. All power is the Lord's. Then you will pass on to victory over all your sins and temptations and you will begin to live a victorious life. Prayer For The Day I pray that with strength from God I may lead an abundant life. I pray that I may lead a life of victory. ************************************************** ********* As Bill Sees It Trouble Becomes an Asset, p. 82 "I think that this particular General Service Conference holds promise and has been filled with progress--because it has had trouble. And it has converted that trouble into an asset, into some growth, and into a great promise. "A.A. was born out of trouble, one of the most serious kinds of trouble that can befall an individual, the trouble attendant upon this dark and fatal malady of alcoholism. Every single one of us approached A.A. in trouble, in impossible trouble, in hopeless trouble. And that is why we came. "If this Conference was ruffled, if individuals were deeply disturbed--I say, 'This is fine." What parliament, what republic, what democracy has not been disturbed? Friction of opposing viewpoints is the very modus operandi on which they proceed. Then what should we be afraid of?" Talk, 1958 ************************************************** ********* Walk in Dry Places Act As If Finding Direction Though it sounds like a game or a trick, there's great power in "acting as if." This means acting as if we've already succeeded, acting as if we expect everybody to cooperate with us, acting as if we've already reached whatever goal we're seeking. The principle behind this approach is that such acting helps focus our minds and energies on goals. It's also important to believe that our success is inevitable if we are truly on the right path. We should not employ this principle superstitously or assume it's a substitute for intelligent work and good judgment. It will be a substantial aid, however, in helping us eliminate the self-doubt and pessimism that dog so many alcoholics during their quest for sobriety. Too often, low self-esteem and a faulty belief that nothing will turn out right have led us to sabotage our own efforts. We should go into any venture with the idea that we've already succeeded.... that much good is going to come out of it, even if the exact outcome is somewhat different from what we had in mind. "Acting as if" is just what we might need to summon our powers for the duties ahead. An old saying affirms that "if God be for me, who can be against me?" I'll carry on today with the confidence that my Higher Power is guidnig all my efforts in the right direction. ************************************************* Keep It Simple If anything, we have tended to be people who have wanted it all now. To hope is not to demand. ---On hope Maybe we were a bit demanding. Maybe we were a bit impatient. Maybe that’s why we such little hope. Hope is believing good will, even in bad times. Hope is knowing that “this too, shall pass.” Hope is knowing that no mater how afraid we are, God will be with us. Hope is knowing we never have to be alone again. It is knowing that time is o our side. Hope is giving up control. Hope is knowing we never had control in the first place. Hope is believing in ourselves. Hope is what our program is all about. Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, in our program we share our experiences, our strengths, and our hopes. Thank you for giving all three of these to me to share. Action for the Day: I will share my hope for the future with myself, my Higher Power, and my friends. I also will share this with someone who has lost hope. ************************************************** ********* Each Day a New Beginning On occasion I realize it's easier to say the serenity prayer and take that leap of faith than it is to continue doing what I'm doing. --S.H. The pain of change is a reality. But so is the pain of no change--when change is called for. In spite of our desires, changing others will never be an option, whereas changing ourselves takes only a decision and is a choice always available. We can take an inventory for a moment. What are we presently doing that makes us ashamed or angry or fearful? We can let go of that behavior and responsibly choose a new tack. If strength is needed, or confidence to try a new behavior, we can simply ask that it be ours. The Third Step promises that our lives are in God's care and our needs are always being attended to--not always our wants, but in every instance our needs. Most of our struggles, today as in the past, are attached to persons and situations we are trying to forcibly control. How righteous our attitudes generally are! And so imposing is our behavior that we are met with resistance, painful resistance. Our recourse is now and always to "accept those things we cannot change, and willingly change that which we can." Our personal struggles will end when we are fully committed to the Serenity Prayer. The wisdom "to know the difference" is mine today. ************************************************** ********* Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition Chapter 8 - TO WIVES Frequently, you have felt obliged to tell your husband’s employer and his friends that he was sick, when as a matter of fact he was tight. Avoid answering these inquiries as much as you can. Whenever possible, let your husband explain. Your desire to protect him should not cause you to lie to people when they have a right to know where he is and what he is doing. Discuss this with him when he is sober and in good spirits. Ask him what you should do if he places you in such a position again. But be careful not to be resentful about the last time he did so. pp. 115-116 ************************************************** ********* Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions Foreword Though the essays which follow were written mainly for members, it is thought by many of A.A.'s friends that these pieces might arouse interest and find application outside A.A. itself. p. 15 ************************************************** ********* Don't point a finger - lend a hand. --Cited in Even More of...The Best of BITS & PIECES Inventory taking is not all in red ink. A recovering alcoholic without a sponsor is like a ship without a rudder. "Every great move forward in your life begins with a leap of faith, a step into the unknown." --Brian Tracy "The healthy and strong individual is the one who asks for help when he needs it." --Rona Barrett ". . . just to be alive is a grand thing." --Agatha Christie We cannot sink so low that God cannot lift us to freedom. --John Harrold ************************************************** ********* Father Leo's Daily Meditation SELF-LOVE "No matter how old you get, if you keep the desire to be creative, you're keeping the man-child alive." -- John Cassavetes When I was a child, I used to play in the sand and make castles. I would build a strong and firm fortress around the castle so that it could withstand the force of the sea. Today I also like to play in my life and I need to build strong and firm behavioral structures that will withstand pressure and stress. Today I need to build my life on a sure foundation --- and that foundation must be me! I need to take care of me so that I can enjoy my life. How do I take care of me? I watch what I drink. I am a recovering alcoholic, and so I choose not to drink alcohol. I drink soda, orange juice and milk --- but no alcohol. This is an important part of my self-love program. I exercise regularly. I watch what I eat and I avoid sugar and needless carbohydrates. I rest in the evenings and take walks in the fresh air. The child that is in me still lives, but today he is healthy. Help me to treat life responsibly, but not too seriously. ************************************************** ********* "We give thanks to You, O God, we give thanks! For Your wondrous works declare that Your name is near." Psalms 75:1 "In You, O Lord, I put my trust; let me never be put to shame." Psalms 71:1 Faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. Romans 10:17 Yes, you are very special in the eyes of God. But you are what you are by the grace of God. 1 Corinthians 15:10 ************************************************** ********* Daily Inspiration How foolish it is to focus on our weaknesses and troubles, thereby giving them more power than they deserve. Lord, I ask for your wisdom and guidance in what I put into my mind. You are good and beautiful and intelligent and loved. Lord, may I accept me for all that I am and focus on my goodness. |
March 24
Daily Reflections ACTIVE, NOT PASSIVE, p. 92 Man is supposed to think, and act. He wasn't made to God's image to be an automation. As Bill Sees It, p. 55 Before I joined A.A., I often did not think, and reacted to people and situations. When not reacting I acted in a mechanical fashion. After joining A.A., I started seeking daily guidance from a Power greater than myself, and learning to listen for that guidance. Then I began to make decisions and act on them, rather than react to them. The results have been constructive; I no longer allow others to make decisions for me and then criticize me for it. Today--and every day--with a heart full of gratitude, and a desire for God's will to be done through me, my life is worth sharing, especially with my fellow alcoholics! Above all, if I do not make a religion out of anything, even A.A., then I can be an open channel for God's expression. ************************************************** ********* Twenty-Four Hours A Day A.A. Thought For The Day Strength comes from honestly telling your own experiences with drinking. In religion, they call it confession. We call it witnessing or sharing. You give a personal witness, you share your past experiences, the troubles you got into, the hospitals, the jails, the break-up of your home, the money wasted, the debts, and all the foolish things you did when you were drinking. This personal witness lets out the things you had kept hidden, brings them out into the open, and you find release and strength. Am I receiving strength from my personal witnessing? Meditation For The Day We cannot fully understand the universe. The simple fact is that we cannot even define space or time, which we have manufactured by our own minds and on that depends all our so-called knowledge of the universe. The simple fact is that we can never know all things, nor are we made to know them. Much of our lives must be taken on faith. Prayer For The Day I pray that my faith may be based on my own experience of the power of God in my life. I pray that I may know this one thing above all else in the universe. ************************************************** ********* As Bill Sees It We Cannot Live Alone, p. 83 All of A.A.'s Twelve Steps ask us to go contrary to our natural desires; they all deflate our egos. When it comes to ego deflation, few Steps are harder to take than the Fifth. Scarcely any Step is more necessary to long-time sobriety and peace of mind. A.A. experience has taught us we cannot live alone with our pressing problems and the character defects which cause or aggravate them. If Step Four has revealed in stark relief those experiences we'd rather not remember, then the need to quit living by ourselves with those tormenting ghosts of yesterday gets more urgent than ever. We have to talk to somebody about them. << << << >> >> >> We cannot wholly rely on friends to solve all our difficulties. A good adviser will never do all our thinking for us. He knows that each final choice must be ours. He will therefore help to eliminate fear, expediency, and self-deception, so enabling us to make choices which are loving, wise, and honest. 1. 12 & 12, p. 55 ************************************************** ********* Walk in Dry Places This Too Shall Pass____ Fortitude Growing older in sobriety, w soon become aware of the fact that both good and bad experiences eventually pass on. No matter how beautiful or ugly a situation becomes, it must change in time. In discussions, we catch this idea by reminding ourselves that "This too shall pass." We are very fortunate that this is true. Were it otherwise, intolerable conditions would last forever. Our business is to make sure that our own thoughts and actions lead to betterment, for ourselves and others. While we should be willing to accept unpleasantness if the re is no way of avoiding it, we should always hope…. And work….. for improvement. When unpleasant experiences do pass on. We must also be careful not to resurrect them by brooding about how badly we were treated or trying to get even with others. This only prolongs the trouble. The good news in AA is that we can survive any experience and put it behind us. Whatever I'm facing today, I'll know that it is temporary and has no power to keep me from the deeper happiness and gratitude I have in the 12 step program. ************************************************** ********* Keep It Simple Love your enemy it will drive him nuts.Eleanor Doan Love you enemy. It’s a lot easier on you! Hating someone takes so much time and energy. Loving your enemy means, instead of trying to get even, you let your Higher Power handle that person. Of course, loving your enemy is also hard. It means giving up control. It means giving up self-will. We addicts naturally want to control things and people. This is where we turn to our program for help. We learn to love our enemies, not for some grand reason. We simply do it because hate can cause us to use alcohol or other drugs again. Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, watch over my family, friends, and my enemies. Take from me my desire to control. Take from me all reasons to get high. Action for the Day: Today, I’ll list all my enemies. I’ll say each of their names, and then I’ll read the Third Step out loud. ************************************************** ********* Each Day a New Beginning Love has a hundred gentle ends. --Leonora Speyer Letting go is a process that is seldom easy. For many, its meaning is elusive. How do we "let go"? Letting go means removing our attention from a particular experience or person and putting our focus on the here and now. We hang on to the past, to past hurts, but also to past joys. We have to let the past pass. The struggle to hang on to it, any part of it, clouds the present. You can't see the possibilities today is offering if your mind is still drawn to what was. Letting go can be a gentle process. Our trust in our higher power and our faith that good will prevail, in spite of appearances, eases the process. And we must let each experience end, as its moment passes, whether it is good or bad, love or sorrow. It helps to remember that all experiences contribute to our growth and wholeness. No experience will be ignored by the inner self who is charting our course. All are parts of the journey. And every moment has a gentle end, but no moment is forgotten. My journey today is akin to yesterday's journey and tomorrow's too. I will savor each moment and be ready for the next. ************************************************** ********* Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition Chapter 8 - TO WIVES There is another paralyzing fear. You may be afraid your husband will lose his position; you are thinking of the disgrace and hard times which will befall you and the children. This experience may come to you. Or you may already have had it several times. Should it happen again, regard it in a different light. Maybe it will prove a blessing! It may convince your husband he wants to stop drinking forever. And now you know that he can stop if he will! Time after time, this apparent calamity has been a boon to us, for it opened up a path which led to the discovery of God. p. 116 ************************************************** ********* Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions Foreword Many people, nonalcoholics, report that as a result of the practice of A.A.'s Twelve Steps, they have been able to meet other difficulties of life. They think that the Twelve Steps can mean more than sobriety for problem drinkers. They see in them a way to happy and effective living for many, alcoholic or not. pp. 15-16 ************************************************** ********* I keep my sobriety by giving it away. Humility does not mean you think less of yourself. It means you think of yourself less. --Ken Blanchard "Recovery is a path, not a sudden landing." --Sandra B "The two major sources of value today are time and knowledge. Find new ways every day to use them better." --Brian Tracy Action is the antidote to despair. --Joan Baez Even though our love may waiver, God's love for us never fails. --Howard Coop ************************************************** ********* Father Leo's Daily Meditation LANGUAGE "Language is the light of the mind." John Stuart Mill When I was drinking, I never really thought about how I behaved, how I dressed or the language I used. Today I believe I should be responsible for the whole of me. Language is important because it is my bridge to others; it is also the vehicle for understanding the ideas of others. Spirituality involves the concept of language because it is the means of growth, communication and relationship. My words help me to be known. My ability to understand the ideas and aspirations of others helps me to feel that I belong. God is perceived in this world and the gift of language is one of the ways God is revealed. My words are spiritual. May the light of God's eternal truth be manifested in the way I talk and relate to others. ************************************************** ********* Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:28-31 "Don't let the world around you squeeze you into its own mold, but let God remold your minds from within, so that you may prove in practice that the plan of God for you is good, meets all His demands, and moves toward the goal of true maturity." Romans 12:2 ************************************************** ********* Daily Inspiration A house becomes a home when it is filled with love and friendship. Lord, bless my life with laughter and many shared moments that I may in turn be a source of sunshine to others. Live as a responsible adult, but approach God as a child, full of faith and trust. You cannot help but perfect one by the other. Lord, You are my Father. Who else will so lovingly listen to me and care for my desires. |
March 25
Daily Reflections A FULL AND THANKFUL HEART I try hard to hold fast to the truth that a full and thankful heart cannot entertain certain conceits. When brimming with gratitude, one's heartbeat must surely result in outgoing love, the finest emotion that we can ever know. AS BILL SEES IT, p. 37 I believe that we in Alcoholics Anonymous are fortunate in that we are constantly reminded of the need to be grateful and of how important gratitude is in our sobriety. I am truly grateful for the sobriety God has given me through the A.A. program and am glad I can give back what was given to me freely. I am grateful not only for sobriety, but for the quality of life my sobriety has brought. God has been gracious enough to give me sober days and a life blessed with peace and contentment, as well as the ability to give and receive love, and the opportunity to serve others -- in our Fellowship, my family and community. For all of this, I have "a full and thankful heart." ************************************************** ********* Twenty-Four Hours A Day A.A. Thought For The Day Strength comes from coming to believe in a Higher Power that can help you. You can't define this Higher Power, but you can see how it helps other alcoholics. You hear them talk about it and you begin to get the idea yourself. You try praying in a quiet time each morning and you begin to feel stronger, as though your prayers were heard. So you gradually come to believe there must be a Power in the world outside of yourself, which is stronger than you and which you can turn to for help. Am I receiving strength from my faith in a Higher Power? Meditation For The Day Spiritual development is achieved by daily persistence in living the way you believe God wants you to live. Like the wearing away of a stone by steady drops of water, so will your daily persistence wear away all the difficulties and gain spiritual success for you. Never falter in this daily, steady persistence. Go forward boldly and unafraid. God will help and strengthen you, as long as you are trying to do His will. Prayer For The Day I pray that I may persist day by day in gaining spiritual experience. I pray that I may make this a lifetime work. ************************************************** ********* As Bill Sees It Benefits of Responsibility, p. 84 "Happily, A.A.'s per capita expenses are very low. For us to fail to meet them would be to evade a responsibility beneficial for us. "Most alcoholics have said they had no troubles that money would not cure. We are a group that, when drinking, always held out a hand for funds. So when we commence to pay our own service bills, this is a healthy change." << << << >> >> >> "Because of drinking, my friend Henry had lost a high-salaried job. There remained a fine house--with a budget three times his reduced earnings. "He could have rented the house for enough to carry it. But no! Henry said he knew that God wanted him to live there, and He would see that the costs were paid. So Henry went on running up bills and glowing with faith. Not surprisingly, his creditors finally took over the place. "Henry can laugh about it now, having learned that God more often helps those who are willing to help themselves." 1. Letter, 1960 2. Letter, 1966 ************************************************** ********* Walk in Dry Places Expect Miracles____Belief Some have claimed that there have been no miracles since the fourteenth century. This is a smug way of saying that miracles do not happen. Emmet Fox conceded that miracles don't happen in the sense of violating the perfect, universal system of law and order. But there is such a thing as appealing to a higher law, and this too is part of the constitution of the universe. Prayer is a means of doing this, and enough prayer will get you out of any difficulty, Fox insisted. People who have found sobriety in AA are actually modern miracles. They expect more miracles to continue happening" otherwise, there would be no point in continuing to work with newcomers. And while we're expecting miracles, let's remember that countless other human problems will yield to a spiritual approach. Life itself is miraculous when we study it: why shouldn't there be more miracles ahead? I'll keep an open mind on the subject of miracles. Since we still can glipmse only a fragment of the universe, it should follow that there's also much more to learn about the spiritual processes that rescued us from alcoholism. ************************************************** ********* Keep It Simple The artist who aims at perfection in everything achieves it in nothing.---Eugene Delacroix Trying to be prefect puts distance between us and our Higher Power. Trying to be perfect shows we're ashamed of being human. In recovery, we accept that we're human. We try to be the best human we can be. We used to get high to feel powerful and god-like. But God is not just power. God is also gentleness. Gentleness and love are the power we look for on recovery. We work to be human. We work to know the loving, gentle side of ourselves and our Higher Power. Remember, if we try to be god, we'll fail. If we try to be human, we'll win. Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me give up trying to be perfect. Help me always keep in mind that I'm human---which means, I'm not perfect. Action for the Day: Part of being human is making mistakes. Today, I'll see my mistakes as chances to learn. ************************************************** ********* Each Day a New Beginning When I slow down long enough to smell the roses, I usually see the beauty and all else that is ours to share. --Morgan Jennings We overlook so many joys, so many hidden treasures, when we hurry from place to place, person to person, experience to experience, with little attention anywhere. All that matters passes before us now, at this moment. And assuredly, we will not pass this way again. It has been said the greatest gift we can give one another is rapt attention; additionally, living life fully attentive to the breezes, the colors, the sorrows and the thrills as well, is the most prayerful response any of us can make in this life. Nothing more is asked of us. Nothing less is expected. We have just this one life to live, and each day is a blessing. Even the trials we shall understand as blessings in the months, the years ahead, as we can see now how the painful moments of the past played their part. Our attitude toward the lessons life has offered makes all the difference in the world. I will look closely at everything in my path today. The women and children, the trees and squirrels, the silent neighbors. I will never see them again as I see them today. I will be at attention. ************************************************** ********* Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition Chapter 8 - TO WIVES We have elsewhere remarked how much better life is when lived on a spiritual plane. If God can solve the age-old riddle of alcoholism, He can solve your problems too. We wives found that, like everybody else, we were afflicted with pride, self-pity, vanity and all the things which go to make up the self-centered person; and we were not above selfishness or dishonesty. As our husbands began to apply spiritual principles in their lives, we began to see the desirability of doing so too. p. 116 ************************************************** ********* Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions Foreword There is, too, a rising interest in the Twelve Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous. Students of human relations are beginning to wonder how and why A.A. functions as a society. Why is it, they ask, that in A.A. no member can be set in personal authority over another, that nothing like a central government can anywhere be seen? How can a set of traditional principles, having no legal force at all, hold the Fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous in unity and effectiveness? The second section of this volume, though designed for A.A.'s membership, will give such inquirers an inside view of A.A. never before possible. p. 16 ************************************************** ********* Nine requisites for contented living: Health enough to make work a pleasure. Wealth enough to support your needs. Strength to battle with difficulties and overcome them. Grace enough to confess your sins and forsake them. Patience enough to toil until some good is accomplished. Charity enough to see some good in your neighbor. Love enough to move you to be useful and helpful to others. Faith enough to make real the things of God. Hope enough to remove all the anxious fears concerning the future. --Johann von Goethe "The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." --Chinese proverb "All fortune belongs to him who has a contented mind." --The Panchatantra "If we lead good lives, the times are also good. As we are, such are the times." --St. Augustine Wise sayings often fall on barren ground; but a kind word is never thrown away." --Sir Arthur Helps ************************************************** ********* Father Leo's Daily Meditation PERSEVERANCE "I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by a conscious endeavor." -- Henry David Thoreau Life is exciting to me when I am creating, when I am pursuing a dream, when I am making miracles in my life. I suppose "perseverance" stems from a belief that things get better when we roll-up our sleeves and do something. Sobriety is about comprehending that in our lives we reflect the message. God has created man with the ability to make the dream come true; this is not to say it is easy . . . but it is harder not to dream! Teach us to wonder at the stars with a spade in our hands. ************************************************** ********* Oh, give thanks to the LORD! Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples! Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; Talk of all His wondrous works! Glory in His holy name; Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the LORD! Seek the LORD and His strength; Seek His face evermore. Psalm 105:1-4 My peace I give you ... Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27 ************************************************** ********* Daily Inspiration Things are not always what they seem, so take time to think before you react. Lord, grant me patience and resolve when I have the urge to assume the worst or jump to false conclusions. Knowing about God and knowing God are very different things. Lord, may I recognize Your workings in my life so that I may really know You. |
March 26
Daily Reflections THE TEACHING IS NEVER OVER Abandon yourself to God as you understand God. Admit your faults to Him and to your fellows. Clear away the wreckage of your past. Give freely of what you find and join us. We shall be with you in the Fellowship of the Spirit, and you will surely meet some of us as you trudge the Road of Happy Destiny. May God bless you and keep you -- until then. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 164 These words put a lump in my throat each time I read them. In the beginning it was because I felt, "Oh no! The teaching is over. Now I'm on my own. It will never be this new again." Today I feel deep affection for the A.A. pioneers when I read this passage, realizing that it sums up all of what I believe in, and strive for, and that -- with God's blessing -- the teaching is never over, I'm never on my own, and every day is brand new. ************************************************** ********* Twenty-Four Hours A Day A.A. Thought For The Day Strength comes also from working with other alcoholics. When you are trying to help a new prospect with the program, you are building up your own strength at the same time. You see the other person in the condition you might be in yourself and it makes your resolve to stay sober stronger than ever. Often, you help yourself more than the other person, but if you do succeed in helping the prospect to get sober, you are stronger from the experience of having helped another person. Am I receiving strength from helping others? Meditation For The Day Faith is the bridge between you and God. It is the bridge which God had ordained. If all were seen and known, there would be no merit in doing right. Therefore God has ordained that we do not see or know directly. But we can experience the power of His spirit through our faith. It is the bridge between us and Him, which we can take or not, as we will. There could be no morality without free will. We must make the choice ourselves. We must make the venture of belief. Prayer For The Day I pray that I may choose and decide to cross the bridge of faith. I pray that by crossing this bridge I may receive the spiritual power I need. ************************************************** ********* As Bill Sees It Life Is Not A Dead End, p. 85 When a man or a woman has a spiritual awakening, the most important meaning of it is that he has now become able to do, feel, and believe that which he could not do before on his unaided strength and resources alone. He has been granted a gift which amounts to a new state of consciousness and being. He has been set on a path which tells him he is really going somewhere, that life is not a dead end, not something to be endured or mastered. In a very real sense he has been transformed, because he has laid hold of a source of strength which he had hitherto denied himself. 12 & 12, pp. 106-107 ************************************************** ********* Walk in Dry Places I can't.... God can.... I think I'll let God Guidance One of the delusions that keep alcoholics in bondage is the belief in the power of the personal will. "I still think I'm strong enough to whip it," alcoholics have declared defiantly, just before heading out for another debacle. Willpower has a role in recovery, but only in making a decision to turn the problem over to Higher Power. This sets in motion powerful forces that come to our assistance. We don't know how and why this process works as it does. We do know that it has worked repeatedly for those who sincerely apply it in their lives. What's needed to start the process is an admission of defeat, a willingness to seek a Higher Power, and at least enough open-minded-ness to give it all a fair chance. The outcome can be very surprising. There's also no need to be apologetic about our Higher Power after we've found sobriety. Nobody had a better plan, and we can remember that other severe problems can be handled in the same way. I'll do my best today to solve every problem and meet every responsibility. If something is too much for me, I'll turn it over in the same way I did my drinking problem. ************************************************** ********* Keep It Simple We are here to add what we can to, not to get what we can get from, Life. Sir William Osler Service is a word we hear in our recovery program. Service means work we do for others. It's the backbone of our program. The reason is simple. Service to our Higher Power and to others breaks down our wanting to be self-centered. Service brings us back into the world. We really are part of the group when we pitch in to make coffee, set up chairs, or talk in meetings. We really feel like part of the family when we run errands and help with meals and housework. We really connect with our Higher Power when we pray, "Use me today to help others." Service breaks down the feeling of being alone that being self -centered brings. Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me to be of service to You and others. Show me what is needed. Action for the Day: Today will be a service day. I'll see how valued I am. I'll give to others, knowing that I, too, will receive. ************************************************** ********* Each Day a New Beginning To believe in something not yet proved and to underwrite it with our lives; it is the only way we can leave the future open. --Lillian Smith Today stands before us, ready for our involvement. And it will offer us opportunities for personal growth and occasions to help another make progress on her path to the future. Challenges are to be expected. They further our purpose. They foster our maturity. How different it is, for many of us, to look forward today with secure anticipation, to trust in what the future holds! We can still remember, all too vividly perhaps, the darker periods in our lives, periods that seemed to hold no promise; a time when we dreaded the future, fearing it would only compound those awful times. The fear and the dread are not gone completely. They hover about us, on occasion. They no longer need to darken all of a day, however. We can recognize their presence as parts of our whole, not all of it. How free we are, today! Our choices are many. I can step toward today with assurance, reaching out to others along the way, trusting that my accumulated steps add stability to my future. ************************************************** ********* Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition Chapter 8 - TO WIVES At first, some of us did not believe we needed this help. We thought, on the whole, we were pretty good women, capable of being nicer if our husbands stopped drinking. But it was a silly idea that we were too good to need God. Now we try to put spiritual principles to work in every department of our lives. When we do that, we find it solves our problems too; the ensuing lack of fear, worry and hurt feelings is a wonderful thing. We urge you to try our program, for nothing will be so helpful to your husband as the radically changed attitude toward him which God will show you how to have. Go along with you husband if you possibly can. p. 116 ************************************************** ********* Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions Foreword Alcoholics Anonymous began in 1935 at Akron, Ohio, as the outcome of a meeting between a well-known surgeon and a New York broker. Both were severe cases of alcoholism and were destined to become co-founders of the A.A. Fellowship. p. 16 ************************************************** ********* Like a tree blowing in the wind, friendships can bend and waver, yet they will both remain standing if they have strong roots. --Suzanne Long To the world you're just one person but to one person you could mean the world. --Anon There is light within a person of light, And it shines on the whole world. --The gospel of Thomas ". . . I saw people willing to compromise themselves, or change themselves, to acquire what they thought was important. I don't judge what other people do, many choices that may be right for others are definitely not right for me." --Kathy Ireland God is singing and Creation is the melody. --David Palmer Forgiveness restores us and our relationships. --J. Keith Brown ************************************************** ********* Father Leo's Daily Meditation TEACHING "The art of teaching is the art of assisting discovery." -- Mark Van Doren I have a need of a "sponsor" in my life. Somebody I turn to when I have problems, when I am confused or in pain, when I simply need to talk, when I feel lonely or when I am about to make a major change in my life. Every addict needs a sponsor; somebody to bounce ideas off, especially ideas that affect the living of my life because I truly understand that the disease of alcoholism lives in my life! My sponsor guides, suggests and gently leads me to where I need to go; he does not demand or dictate. My sponsor is a friend whom I can trust, and he makes a point of not being a "fixer" in my life. He will not allow me to escape into his life. He will not allow me to become addicted to him. O God, let me always be free enough to discover You in my life. ************************************************** ********* Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Phil. 4:6-7 "You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world." I John 4:4 A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed." Proverbs 11:25 Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding. Proverbs 3:13 "The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever." 1 John 2:17 ************************************************** ********* Daily Inspiration Trouble comes to everyone, but feeling miserable is no reason to make others miserable. Lord, may I never destroy another's happiness. With our blessings come responsibilities. Much is required of those to whom much has been given. Lord, may I use my blessings to be a blessing to others. |
March 27
Daily Reflections A.A.'s FREEDOMS We trust that we already know what our several freedoms truly are; that no future generation of AAs will ever feel compelled to limit them. Our AA freedoms create the soil in which genuine love can grow. . . . LANGUAGE OF THE HEART, p. 303 I craved freedom. First, freedom to drink; later, freedom from drink. The A.A. program of recovery rests on a foundation of free choice. There are no mandates, laws or commandments. A.A.'s spiritual program, as outlined in the Twelve Steps, and by which I am offered even greater freedoms, is only suggested. I can take it or leave it. Sponsorship is offered, not forced, and I come and go as I will. It is these and other freedoms that allow me to recapture the dignity that was crushed by the burden of drink, and which is so dearly needed to support an enduring sobriety. ************************************************** ********* Twenty-Four Hours A Day A.A. Thought For The Day You get the power to overcome drinking through the fellowship of other alcoholics who have found the way out. You get power by honestly sharing your past experience by a personal witness. You get power by coming to believe in a Higher Power, the Divine Principle in the universe which can help you. You get power by working with other alcoholics. In these four ways, thousands of alcoholics have found all the power they needed to overcome drinking. Am I ready and willing to accept this power and work for it? Meditation For The Day The power of God's spirit is the greatest power in the universe. Our conquest of each other, the great kings and conquerors, the conquest of wealth, the leaders of the money society, all amount to very little in the end. But one that conquers oneself is greater than one who conquers a city. Material things have no permanence. But God's spirit is eternal. Everything really worth while in the world is the result of the power of God's spirit. Prayer For The Day I pray that I may open myself to the power of God's spirit. I pray that my relationships with others may be improved by this spirit. ************************************************** ********* As Bill Sees It Room For Improvement, p. 86 We have come to believe that A.A.'s recovery Steps and Traditions represent the approximate truths which we need for our particular purpose. The more we practice them, the more we like them. So there is little doubt that A.A. principles will continue to be advocated in the form they stand now. If our basics are so firmly fixed as all this, then what is there left to change or to improve? The answer will immediately occur to us. While we need not alter our truths, we can surely improve their applications to ourselves, to A.A. as a whole, and to our relation with the world around us. We can constantly step up the practice of "these principles in all our affairs." Grapevine, February 1961 ************************************************** ********* Walk in Dry Places If it works, don't fix it. Accepting life. A lot of things in life are all right just as they are. This is hard to understand in a world that puts high value on improvement and progress, but since there are so many things that do need fixing, it's best not to tamper with things that are working. Sometimes we think something should be changed in another person's life. Two AA members decided, for example, that a mutual AA friend deserved higher status employment than what he was doing. They seized upon an unusual profession that seemed to fit his talents and interests, and were disappointed and even a bit offended when he decided he wasn't interested. He continued to follow his regular trade until his retirement thirty years later. In truth, there had really been nothing that needed "fixing" in his choice of a vocation. He had been earning a living doing very honest but difficult work. It was somewhat presumptuous of his friends to outline a new career for him, and it could have led to considerable harm. Let's leave people and things alone unless our help is requested and something really does need fixing. I'll look around today and notice the things in my life that are working well and really don't need changing. Then I'll focus my attention on the things that really should be fixed. ************************************************** ********* Keep It Simple The secret success is constancy of purpose. --- Benjamin Disraeli In Twelve Step meetings, we don't talk about counseling, treatment centers, or non-program reading. Many of us have been helped in these ways, but we shouldn't confuse them with Twelve Step programs. We must keep our Twelve Step programs pure, no matter what is in style among counselors or at treatment centers, or what the latest books say. Certainly, we should use these sources if they help us, but not in our program meetings. There, we must stick to the basics that have helped addicts recover all over the world for many years. Steps, traditions, meetings, sponsorship---these things work, no matter what is in style. Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, let me be there to help an addict in need, by sharing my Twelve Step program. Action for the Day: I will help out today be being a sponsor or by calling a new member, just to say hello. ************************************************** ********* Each Day a New Beginning It takes time, love, and support to find peace with the restless one. --Deidra Sarault Restlessness is born of frustration. Perhaps we want to move ahead with our lives more quickly. Does a job have us trapped? Do past troubles haunt us still? Maybe perfectionism tarnishes every attempt to achieve. We can learn from our restlessness, if we let it guide us to our inner reservoir of peace and spiritual support. The search for serenity often takes us farther from it. We mistakenly think a different job or home or relationship will answer all our needs. But we find that our restlessness has accompanied us to our new surroundings. Peace has its home within. And prayer opens the door to it. In the stillness of our patience, we are privy to its blessing. Restlessness indicates our distance from our higher power. It may be time for a change in our lives. Change is good; however, our relationship with God will vouchsafe any needed changes. Restlessness is self-centered and will only hamper the steps we may need to take. Restlessness is a barometer that reveals my spiritual health. Perhaps prayer is called for today. ************************************************** ********* Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition Chapter 8 - TO WIVES If you and your husband find a solution for the pressing problem of drink you are, of course, going to very happy. But all problems will not be solved at once. Seed has started to sprout in a new soil, but growth has only begun. In spite of your new-found happiness, there will be ups and downs. Many of the old problems will still be with you. This is as it should be. p. 117 ************************************************** ********* Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions Foreword The basic principles of A.A., as they are known today, were borrowed mainly from the fields of religion and medicine, though some ideas upon which success finally depended were the result of noting the behavior and needs of the Fellowship itself. p. 16 ************************************************** ********* God, help me let go of my need to create drama to have a life. --Melody Beattie Be quicker with a compliment than words that criticize. Kindness builds you up. Meanness cuts you down in size. --Terri He will take it all, if you just learn to give... Put it in God's Hands... and you will start to live! --Lori W. You dwell always in the heart of God. --John-Roger "We don't ask God for too much; in fact, we ask for too little. Turn to Him for everything. Give everything to God." --Marianne Williamson Today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday. ************************************************** ********* Father Leo's Daily Meditation GUILT "It is all one to me if a man comes from Sing Sing or Harvard. We hire a man not his history." -- Henry Ford So often we can get so locked into our history --- what we did, what we said, the events of which we were ashamed --- that we miss the gift of the new day. Those of us who suffer from the disease of addiction need to deal with past problems but not live in them. Our attitude towards today need not be based on what happened yesterday. Today is the beginning of the rest of our lives. Today I know that I create most of the pain and tragedy in my life, but I also know that I create the joys and successes. I am confident that my sobriety makes me a winner. Lord, I forgive myself for yesterday and look forward to the healing that comes with today. ************************************************** ********* "Agree with God, and be at peace; in this way good will come to you." Job 22:21 "I am he who comforts you." Isaiah 51:12 "God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work." 2 Corinthians 9:8 "The joy of the Lord is your strength." Nehemiah 8:10 ************************************************** ********* Daily Inspiration Be wise enough to thank God for not giving you some of the things you've asked for and gracious enough to gratefully enjoy what He gave you in its place. Lord, You know better than I what is right and best for me. If you are not happy with what you have, how will you be happy with what you want to have? Lord, may I appreciate the good things in my life and refuse to feel sorry for myself or compare myself to others. |
March 28
Daily Reflections EQUALITY Our membership ought to include all who suffer from alcoholism. Hence we may refuse none who wish to recover. Nor ought A.A. membership ever depend upon money or conformity. Any two or three alcoholics gathered together for sobriety may call themselves an A.A. group, provided that, as a group, they have no other affiliation. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 565 Prior to A.A., I often felt that I didn't "fit in" with the people around me. Usually "they" had more/less money than I did, and my points of view didn't jibe with "theirs." The amount of prejudice I had experienced in society only proved to me just how phony some self -righteous people were. After joining A.A., I found the way of life I had been searching for. In A.A. no member is any better than any other member; we're just alcoholics trying to recover from alcoholism. ************************************************** ********* Twenty-Four Hours A Day A.A. Thought For The Day When you come into an A.A. meeting, you're not just coming into a meeting, you're coming into a new life. I'm always impressed by the change I see in people after they've been in A.A. for a while. I sometimes take an inventory of myself, to see whether I have changed and if so, in what way. Before I met A.A., I was very selfish. I wanted my own way in everything. I don't believe I ever grew up. When things went wrong, I sulked like a spoiled child and often went out and got drunk. Am I still all get and no give? Meditation For The Day There are two things we must have if we are going to change our way of life. One is faith, the confidence in things unseen, that fundamental goodness and purpose in the universe. The other is obedience, that is living according to our faith, living each day as we believe God wants us to live, with gratitude, humility, honesty, purity, unselfishness and love. Faith and obedience, these two, will give us all the strength we need to overcome sin and temptation and to live a new and more abundant life. Prayer For The Day I pray that I may have more faith and obedience. I pray that I may live a more abundant life as a result of these things. ************************************************** ********* As Bill Sees It Keystone of the Arch, p. 87 Faced with alcoholic destruction, we became open-minded on spiritual matters. In this respect alcohol was a great persuader. It finally beat us into a state of reasonableness. << << << >> >> >> We had to quit playing God. It didn't work. We decided that hereafter, in this drama of life, God was going to be our Director. He would be the Principal; we, His agents. Most good ideas are simple, and this concept was the keystone of the new triumphal arch through which we passed to freedom. Alcoholics Anonymous 1. p. 48 2. p. 62 ************************************************** ********* Walk in Dry Places Keep coming back.. it works if you work it. Fortitude A popular self-help book noted that there is tremendous power in repetition.... like the tap-tap-tap of a hammer that finally drives the nail through a board. AA works in much the same way; attendance at meetings is the steady tap-tap-tap that helps bring about lasting sobriety and personal improvement. Attending meetings is also much like attending school. Nobody learns everything in one classroom session, and it's also true that the student must put forth an effort to learn. We should accept AA as something that will gradually grow on us if we become part of it and apply ourselves to its principles. The willingness to continue attending meetings is some evidence of sincerity and commitment. We discover that there are few meetings that bring us world-shaking revelations and experiences, but as we keep coming back and working the program, our own lives will improve steadily. This is the result of many meetings, not just a few. I'll do everything possible today to strengthen my sobriety and my understanding of the program. Rather than seeking shortcuts, I'll be grateful for steady progress. ************************************************** ********* Keep It Simple God is not a cosmic bellboy.---Harry Emerson Fosdick We have to laugh when we look back at the times we treated God like our servant. Who did we think we were, ordering God to do something for us? But we got away with it. God even did some of the things we asked. Now we know that our Higher Power is not a servant. As we work the Steps, we know we don't give orders to our Higher Power. We don't expect God to work miracles every time we'd like one. we're asking our Higher Power to lead us. After all, who knows what is best for us---our Higher Power or us? Our Higher Power has many wonderful gifts for us. Our Higher Power will show us goals, help us live in love and joy, and give us strength. Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, show me ways to help others as You've helped me. I'm grateful that You love me and help me. Action for the Day: Today ,I'll make a list of times my Higher Power has helped me out of trouble. ************************************************** ********* Each Day a New Beginning Is there ever any particular spot where one can put one's finger and say, "It all began that day, at such a time and such a place, with such an incident"? --Agatha Christie No experience of our lives is pure, unadulterated, set apart from all other experiences. There is an eternal flow in our lives. It carries us from one moment, one experience, into the next. Where we are today, the growth we have attained as recovering women and the plans we have for further changes are prompted by the same driving desires that contributed to our many actions in years gone by. We can reflect on a particular experience and tag it a turning point. However, neither a lone prescription nor a single martini opened the door we passed through when we chose recovery. But they each may have played a part, and it's the many parts of our lives, past and present, that guarantee us the turning points that nudge us further up the mountain. We will see the summit. And we will understand how, each time we stumbled, new strength was gained. Every day is a training ground. And every experience trains me to recognize the value of succeeding experiences. With richness, I am developing, one moment at a time. ************************************************** ********* Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition Chapter 8 - TO WIVES The faith and sincerity of both you and your husband will be put to the test. These work-outs should be regarded as part of your education, for thus you will be learning to live. You will make mistakes, but if you are in earnest they will not drag you down. Instead, you will capitalize them. A better way of life will emerge when they are overcome. p. 117 ************************************************** ********* Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions Foreword After three years of trial and error in selecting the most workable tenets upon which the Society could be based, and after a large amount of failure in getting alcoholics to recover, three successful groups emerged--the first at Akron, the second at New York, and the third at Cleveland. Even then it was hard to find twoscore of sure recoveries in all three groups. pp. 16-17 ************************************************** ********* God, help me be so clear on who I am that I can generously afford to let other people be who they are, too. Help me to set aside my defensive behavior, and teach me to blend with other people and see their point of view while not relinquishing my own. --Melody Beattie If you learn from your suffering, and really come to understand the lesson you were taught, you might be able to help someone else who's now in the phase you may have just completed. Maybe that's what it's all about after all . . . --Anonymous God, help me search myself to see if I'm holding on to blame for myself or someone else. If I am, help me get it out in the open, then help me let it go. --Melody Beattie "Be patient with yourself. Self-growth is tender; it's holy ground. There's no greater investment." --Stephen Covey Those who are at war with others are not at peace with themselves. --William Hazlitt Memories are made when you spend quality time with someone you love. Make a memory today! ************************************************** ********* Father Leo's Daily Meditation FUTURE "The future is hidden even from the men who made it." -- Anatole France Life is a glorious mystery. We can never fully understand it and it will always confuse and amaze us. After we have understood one thing, we are presented with a fresh problem. We are not perfect. We are not God. We will never understand completely. Some years ago this used to anger and irritate me. I wanted to know everything. I wanted to have the answer to all life's problems. I wanted the "power" that comes with perfection. I hated being vulnerable, weak and confused! I hated being human. Yes, that was my problem. I hated being a human being. Today I am enjoying the adventure of life, and I kneel in awe at its mingled complexity. Today life is a paradox that I can live with. Help me to accept the mystery of life. ************************************************** ********* The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: And he delighteth in his way. Psalm 37:23 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world, ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. John 16:33 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer. Psalm 19:14 ************************************************** ********* Daily Inspiration Faith is complete surrender to the will of God and acceptance of His plan for us. Lord, You carry me through each moment of my day. Learn to be peaceful in all situations and trust that through all stages of our lives, God has a plan. Lord, may I have the wisdom to be able to turn my stumbling blocks into building blocks. |
March 29
Daily Reflections TRUSTED SERVANTS They are servants. Theirs is the sometimes thankless privilege of doing the group's chores. TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 134 In Zorba the Greek, Nikos Kazantzakis describes an encounter between his principle character and an old man busily at work planting a tree. "What is it that you are doing?" Zorba asks. The old man replies: "You can see very well what I am doing, my son, I'm planting a tree." "But why plant a tree," Zorba asks, "if you won't be able to see it bear fruit?" And the old man answers: "I, my son, live as though I were never going to die." The response brings a faint smile to Zorba's lips and, as he walks away, he exclaims with a note of irony: "How strange -- I live as though I were going to die tomorrow!" As a member of Alcoholics Anonymous, I have found that the Third Legacy is a fertile soil in which to plant the tree of my sobriety. The fruits I harvest are wonderful: peace, security, understanding and twenty-four hours of eternal fulfillment; and with the soundness of mind to listen to the voice of my conscience when, in silence, it gently speaks to me, saying: You must let go in service. There are others who must plant the harvest. ************************************************** ********* Twenty-Four Hours A Day A.A. Thought For The Day Before I met A.A. I was very dishonest. I lied to my wife constantly about where I had been and what I'd been doing. I took time off from the office and pretended I'd been sick or gave some other dishonest excuse. I was dishonest with myself, as well as with other people. I would never face myself as I really was or admit when I was wrong. I pretended to myself that I was as good as the next fellow, although I suspected I wasn't. Am I now really honest? Meditation For The Day I must live in the world and yet live apart with God. I can go forth from my secret times of communion with God to the work of the world. To get the spiritual strength I need, my inner life must be lived apart from the world. I must wear the world as a loose garment. Nothing in the world should seriously upset me, as long as my inner life is lived with God. All successful living arises from this inner life. Prayer For The Day I pray that I may live my inner life with God. I pray that nothing shall invade or destroy that secret place of peace. ************************************************** ********* As Bill Sees It Will Power And Choice, p. 88 "We A.A.'s know the futility of trying to break the drinking obsession by will power alone. However, we do know that it takes great willingness to adopt A.A.'s Twelve Steps as a way of life that can restore us to sanity. "No matter how grievous the alcohol obsession, we happily find that other vital choices can still be made. For example, we can choose to admit that we are personally powerless over alcohol; that dependence upon a 'Higher Power' is a necessity, even if this be simply dependence upon an A.A. group. Then we can choose to try for a life of honesty and humility, of selfless service to our fellows and to 'God as we understand Him.' "As we continue to make these choices and so move toward these high aspirations, our sanity returns and the compulsion to drink vanishes," Letter, 1966 ************************************************** ********* Walk in Dry Places Stick with the winners Making the Right Choices In the world of drinking, people lead each other down paths of further destruction. In the world of AA, that same destructive process can still go on through wrong thinking. It's possible for AA members to encourage resentments, criticism, gossip, and other dead-end practices. That's why people are urged to "stick with the winners" in order to find and maintain sobriety. Seek out people who are doing well in the program, people whose progress is noticeable and admirable. The can be of real help as sponsors, as friends, or simply as role models. It's important to remember that the winners can be from all walks of life. The first AA member in Detroit earned only a modest living, while the second Detroit member became a wealthy manufacturer after finding sobriety. In AA terms, both men were winners. They stayed sober, they stayed active in the fellowship, and they helped others. "Sticking with the winners" does not mean we should shun people who are having difficulty with the program. It does mean we should avoid accepting ideas and ways of living that do not lead to sobriety. I'll spend time in the company of people who have a good record of following the program. ************************************************** ********* Keep It Simple Whatever is in the heart will come up to the tongue.---Persian proverb During our illness, we wouldn't let people get close to us. We spoke of what was in our heart. And much of what filled our heart was sadness, anger, and hopelessness. Those who want to be close to us heard what was in our heart. In short, we had become our illness. Recovery is about changing what's in our heart. We open our hearts up to our Higher Power. The first three Steps are about honesty and needing others. They're about turning our will and our lives over to a Higher Power. If you're wondering where you are with these Steps, listen to the words you speak. Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, keep my heart open to the first three Steps. Action for the Day: Today, I'll work at really listening to what I have to say. ************************************************** ********* Each Day a New Beginning Love is an expression and assertion of self-esteem, a response to one's own values in the person of another. --Ayn Rand The struggle to love one another may be a daily one for us, and it is made more difficult because we are still stumbling in our attempts at self-love. Many of us have lived our whole adult lives feeling inadequate, dull, unattractive, fearing the worst regarding our relationships with others. But this phase, this struggle, is passing. We see a woman we like in the mirror each morning. We did a task or a favor yesterday that we felt good about. And when we feel good about our accomplishments, we look with a loving eye on the persons around us. Self-love does encourage other love. Self-love takes practice. It's new behavior. We can begin to measure what we are doing, rather than what we haven't yet managed to do, and praise ourselves. Nurturing our inner selves invites further expression of the values that are developing, values that will carry us to new situations and new opportunities for accomplishments, and finally to loving the woman who looks back at us every morning. Self-love makes me vulnerable and compassionate towards others. It's the balm for all wounds; it multiplies as it's expressed. It can begin with my smile. ************************************************** ********* Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition Chapter 8 - TO WIVES Some of the snags you will encounter are irritation, hurt feelings and resentments. Your husband will sometimes be unreasonable and you will want to criticize. Starting from a speck on the domestic horizon, great thunderclouds of dispute may gather. These family dissensions are very dangerous, especially to your husband. Often you must carry the burden of avoiding them or keeping them under control. Never forget that resentment is a deadly hazard to an alcoholic. We do not mean that you have to agree with you husband whenever there is an honest difference of opinion. Just be careful not to disagree in a resentful or critical spirit. p. 117 ************************************************** ********* Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions Foreword Nevertheless, the infant Society determined to set down its experience in a book which finally reached the public in April 1939. At this time the recoveries numbered about one hundred. The book was called "Alcoholics Anonymous," and from it the Fellowship took its name. In it alcoholism was described from the alcoholic's point of view, the spiritual ideas of the Society were codified for the first time in the Twelve Steps, and the application of these Steps to the alcoholic's dilemma was made clear. The remainder of the book was devoted to thirty stories or case histories in which the alcoholics described their drinking experiences and recoveries. This established identification with alcoholic readers and proved to them that the virtually impossible had now become possible. The book "Alcoholics Anonymous" became the basic text of the Fellowship, and it still is. This present volume proposes to broaden and deepen the understanding of the Twelve Steps as first was written in the earlier work. p. 17 ************************************************** ********* People always ask, "How did you succeed?" Simply put, I chose not to fail. --Xernona Clayton "Real friendship is shown in times of trouble; prosperity is full of friends." --Euripides Honesty gets us sober, tolerance keeps us sober. --Bill W. "To be trusted is a greater compliment than to be loved." --George MacDonald "The principles you live by create the world you live in; if you change the principles you live by, you will change your world." --Blaine Lee "Many a man curses the rain that falls upon his head, and knows not that it brings abundance to drive away hunger." --St. Basil "If the only prayer you say in your life is 'thank you,' that would suffice." --Meister Eckhart ************************************************** ********* Father Leo's Daily Meditation OPINIONS "Opinions cannot survive if one has no chance to fight for them." -- Thomas Mann An opinion is worth fighting for, and I have opinions on a great number of subjects --- as a result of sobriety. Drugs have a tendency to make insane remarks appear brilliant; the drunk is always the unsung poet or victimized genius when he is "in alcohol". I did not have opinions when I was drinking but rather a series of chaotic and incoherent reactions. But today I have considered opinions. I am able to think and make decisions. I am able to make a contribution to life and the world in which I live. I am involved. More than this, today I have the spiritual confidence to fight for what I believe and "speak out" my concerns in love. Today I am alive and I love it --- also I love me. Let me always hear the opinions of others but not fail to express my own. ************************************************** ********* Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Romans 12:2 'Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved; for thou art my praise." Jeremiah 17:14 "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." I Corinthians 10:13 ************************************************** ********* Daily Inspiration Few things are worthy of worry and fewer are worthy of anger. Lord, bless me with patience for my circumstances and wisdom to overcome the obstacles. We only have so much time and so much energy in a day. To use it grumbling leaves less time for enjoyment and accomplishment. Lord, may I focus on looking for Your blessings in every part of my life. |
March 30
Daily Reflections OUR GROUP CONSCIENCE ". . . sometimes the good is the enemy of the best." ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS COMES OF AGE, p. 101 I think these words apply to every area of A.A.'s Three Legacies: Recovery, Unity and Service! I want them etched in my mind and life as I "trudge the Road of Happy Destiny" (Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 164). These words, often spoken by co-founder Bill W., were appropriately said to him as the result of the group's conscience. It brought home to Bill W. the essence of our Second Tradition: "Our leaders are but trusted servants; they do not govern." Just as Bill W. was originally urged to remember, I think that in our group discussions we should never settle for the "good," but always strive to attain the "best." These common strivings are yet another example of a loving God, as we understand Him, expressing Himself through the group conscience. Experiences such as these help me to stay on the proper path of recovery. I learn to combine initiative with humility, responsibility with thankfulness, and thus relish the joys of living my twenty-four hour program. ************************************************** ********* Twenty-Four Hours A Day A.A. Thought For The Day Before I met A.A., I was very unloving. From the time I went away to school, I paid very little attention to my mother and father, I was on my own and didn't even bother to keep in touch with them. After I got married, I was very unappreciative of my spouse. Many a time I would go out all by myself to have a good time. I paid too little attention to our children and didn't try to understand them or show them affection. My few friends were only drinking companions, not real friends. Have I gotten over loving nobody but my self? Meditation For The Day Be calm, be true, and be quiet. Do not get emotionally upset by anything that happens around you. Feel a deep, inner security in the goodness and purpose in the universe. Be true to your highest ideals. Do not let yourself slip back into the old ways of reacting. Stick to your spiritual guns. Be calm always. Do not talk back or defend yourself too much against accusation, whether false or true. Accept criticism as well as you accept praise. Only God can judge the real you. Prayer For The Day I pray that I may not be upset by the judgment of others. I pray that I may let God be the judge of the real me. ************************************************** ********* As Bill Sees It Review The Day, p. 89 When we retire at night, we constructively review our day. Were we resentful, selfish, dishonest, or afraid? Do we owe an apology? Have we kept something to ourselves which should be discussed with another person at once? Were we kind and loving toward all? What could we have done better? Were we thinking of ourselves most of the time? Or were we thinking of what we could do for others, of what we could pack into the stream of life? We must be careful not to drift into worry, remorse, or morbid reflection, for that would diminish our usefulness to ourselves and to others. After we making our review, we ask God's forgiveness and inquire what corrective measures should be taken. Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 86 ************************************************** ********* Walk in Dry Places Identify, don't compare Good Judgment. There's always danger in comparing ourselves with others. If we use behavior and drinking as yardsticks, such comparisons can lead us to believe that we might not really be alcoholics. This mistaken conclusion has been the undoing of some alcoholics. The better course is to identify with the problems others have in common with us. Thought drinking patterns and habits may vary between two people, individuals may at least share the fears and delusions that drinking brought. Other common factors that bind alcoholics together are emotional immaturity, a misplaced faith that alcohol solves problems, loneliness, and a tendency toward resentments. These also make good discussion topics for meetings. At the very beginning of AA, the founders had trouble coming up with a real definition of alcoholism. Since then, we've done very well be letting members "Diagnose" themselves. It's best to leave it this way: "If your drinking is a problem in your life, AA has an answer for you. Today I will not waste time comparing myself with others. Having accepted my alcoholism, I'll devote my attention to the things that enhance sobriety. ************************************************** ********* Keep It Simple Spirituality is...the awareness that survival is a savage fight between you and yourself.---Lisa S. As recovering people, we're getting stronger each day. We go to meetings to learn how to be better people. But we also go to remind ourselves of the beast inside us---our addiction. This beast is waiting for us to slip---to go back to our addiction---so it can regain control. Thus ,it's wise to learn all we can about our disease. That's why it's important to do a good job on our Fourth Step. When we work Step Four, we learn how our addiction acts, thinks, and feels. With the help of our program, we can quiet the beast. One Day at a Time., Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, I'm fighting for my life. Thanks to You, I'm winning today and my life is free. Action for the Day: I'll talk to a friend about my addiction, the beast inside me. I'll do this so it will have less power over me. ************************************************** ********* Each Day a New Beginning The pure relationship, how beautiful it is! How easily it is damaged, or weighted down with irrelevancies--not even irrelevancies, just life itself, the accumulations of life and of time. --Anne Morrow Lindbergh Many of us are presently rebuilding old relationships and searching for new ones, ones that we hope we can protect. We can't survive without relationships, some intimate, some close, some casual. And we discover ourselves through our relationships with others. The purity of a relationship is directly proportional to the undivided attention we both give to those shared moments, hours, experiences, to being there with one another. This communion with another is the celebration of life and God that quickens hearts and ushers in serenity. Each day I can look for those chances to give myself wholly. And gifts will abound. ************************************************** ********* Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition Chapter 8 - TO WIVES You and your husband will find that you can dispose of serious problems easier than you can the trivial ones. Next time you and he have a heated discussion, no matter what the subject, it should be the privilege of either to smile and say, “This is getting serious. I’m sorry I got disturbed. Let’s talk about it later.” If your husband is trying to live on a spiritual basis, he will also be doing everything in his power to avoid disagreement or contention. p. 118 ************************************************** ********* Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions Foreword With the publication of the book "Alcoholics Anonymous" in 1939, the pioneering period ended and a prodigious chain reaction set in as the recovered alcoholics carried their message to still others. In the next years alcoholics flocked to A.A. by tens of thousands, largely as the result of excellent and continuous publicity freely given by magazines and newspapers throughout the world. Clergymen and doctors alike rallied to the new movement, giving it unstinted support and endorsement. p. 17 ************************************************** ********* For happiness brings happiness And loving ways bring love; And Giving is the treasure That contentment is made of. --Amanda Bradley Life is like a taxi. The meter just keeps a-ticking whether you are getting somewhere or just standing still. --Lou Erickson No matter what we have done, God always offers us the chance to begin anew. Knowing that God grants us a new beginning, we, too, can look at our parents, our children, our partner or our friends, anyone with whom we've had some distance, and say, "Let's have a new beginning." Love is greater than any of our mistakes. --Mary Manin Morrissey God, help me be open to all the ways you speak to me to help guide me along my path. -Melody Beattie Words are potent weapons for all causes, good or bad. --Manly Hall A blow with a word strikes deeper than a blow with a sword. --Robert Burton In our lowest moments God is with us to say, "Do not fear." --Bob Frankenburg ************************************************** ********* Father Leo's Daily Meditation REASON "For here we are not afraid to follow wherever it may lead, nor to tolerate error so long as reason is free to combat it." -- Thomas Jefferson As an alcoholic I was so often afraid to challenge the thinking and ideas of other people. My "people pleasing" demanded peace at any price. And yet so much of what I heard, read and practiced I did not agree with. Now I see that my behavior, my attitude --- along with the alcohol consumption --- kept me sick. In my spiritual program today I am free to reject, consider and have my own opinions in life. I do not simply have to agree with everything that is said, in this way I am discovering my value and self-esteem. Lord, I am grateful for the freedom to cooperate. ************************************************** ********* "Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another." John 13:34 'In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust.' Psalm 71 "Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you." 1 Peter 5:7 'I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the Lord.' Jeremiah, 30:17 "The apostles said to the Lord, 'Increase our faith!' The Lord replied, 'If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, "Be uprooted and planted in the seas," and it would obey you.'" Luke 17:5-6 ************************************************** ********* Daily Inspiration Some can find fault in everything, but it takes a good and loving heart to find goodness, especially when it is less than obvious. Lord, bless me with gentleness and patience and the determination not to complain. There is much wisdom in knowing what to overlook. Lord, may I take every opportunity to praise and choose carefully when I feel the need to criticize. |
| All times are GMT -4. The time now is 09:50 PM. |
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2025, vBulletin Solutions Inc.