tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6641074143055044852024-03-19T04:47:26.581-04:00Just a nice blog about recovery and today's news A blog for getting on with life clean and sober ...and for learning what's going on in the worldChristopher M Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17454720308758097962noreply@blogger.comBlogger30483125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-664107414305504485.post-86173559071610974582024-03-19T03:50:00.003-04:002024-03-19T03:50:57.210-04:00March 19, 2024 - Readings in Recovery: Today's Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ6_3rPYemTYpi8PpxDWc7O9aI_wHhyHcyHZGqI8zVWiBbyDSty-0El9eYHpMa0T9moo8SoFcTK-1Bi7UVT5o_mf60neiaptbGJ-anRhPL27A3YIenhs9uLzowp5BJCq0KlVN9VGMEfxSIQbXu2BO0BsheFF6WWrffKmmrp8zZRRw7E_VoP_MinQoWnNFE/s954/serenity%20prayer70.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="954" data-original-width="563" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ6_3rPYemTYpi8PpxDWc7O9aI_wHhyHcyHZGqI8zVWiBbyDSty-0El9eYHpMa0T9moo8SoFcTK-1Bi7UVT5o_mf60neiaptbGJ-anRhPL27A3YIenhs9uLzowp5BJCq0KlVN9VGMEfxSIQbXu2BO0BsheFF6WWrffKmmrp8zZRRw7E_VoP_MinQoWnNFE/s320/serenity%20prayer70.jpg" width="189" /></a></div><p></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Tuesday, March 19, 2024</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Today’s Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:</span></p><p class="has-text-align-center" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; text-align: center;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;">With each sunrise, we start anew.</span></span></em></p><p class="has-text-align-center" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; text-align: center;">— <em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><b>Anonymous</b></em></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">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 <span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Twelve Step</span> retreats. We can study books and other literature on spirituality. We can attend different<span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;"> Twelve Step</span> meetings.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">But our spiritual newness may not just come from the <span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Twelve Steps</span>. 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.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;">Prayer for the Day</span></em></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;">Higher Power,</span></span><span style="color: #111111;"> </span></em><span style="color: #111111;">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.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;">Action for the Day</span></em></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;">Today </span></span></em><span style="color: #111111;">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.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;">Hazelden Foundation</span></span></em></p>Christopher M Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17454720308758097962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-664107414305504485.post-79815277218634265982024-03-19T00:00:00.009-04:002024-03-19T00:00:00.146-04:00March 19, 2024 - Readings in Recovery: Step by Step<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiefomvtUQ2B7bVHjuUrzTUu4XFht9Cv9nlnziW8Ia10CAppydVi_lzsZn0lB57Hm_gX4PJtvTJCrNmNVUs9V7GRGaMyuarLLcIH2asGOpW7i4Itcd7peox7JiZIJF8Xrgr4lVoN-3EXIZFehD3oiJXxE-hu82Ew_KeRSVnASGaz3zCTdITuFzEQu5Razmt/s320/serenity%20prayer69.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="316" data-original-width="320" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiefomvtUQ2B7bVHjuUrzTUu4XFht9Cv9nlnziW8Ia10CAppydVi_lzsZn0lB57Hm_gX4PJtvTJCrNmNVUs9V7GRGaMyuarLLcIH2asGOpW7i4Itcd7peox7JiZIJF8Xrgr4lVoN-3EXIZFehD3oiJXxE-hu82Ew_KeRSVnASGaz3zCTdITuFzEQu5Razmt/s1600/serenity%20prayer69.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p id="block-f8cc6f28-589f-4e3f-b3cd-52c730e2f818" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Step by Step</span></p><p id="block-4c23f84b-804c-4c68-95b9-3cc29a4b48d7" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Tuesday, March 19, 2024</span></p><p id="block-9ba9051f-b2d2-47fb-8601-b14aefec5917" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Today</span></em>, </span><span style="color: #111111;">if some destructive emotion like self-pity or anger pops up and tells me I can’t do anything right, I can say with honesty that alcoholism is one thing I did </span><em style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111;">very </em><span style="color: #111111;">right and did to a tee — and take the energy I applied to get drunk and thrust it on my recovery. The energy I used to get drunk will be spent instead on recovery’s first four words — </span><em style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111;">“Admitted (I am) powerless …” </em><span style="color: #111111;"> — and on the willingness to surrender my will to a Higher Power, on the diligence and honesty needed for the subsequent </span><span style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-weight: 700;">Steps</span><span style="color: #111111;">, and on being in service to the alcoholic who still stuffers. </span><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;">Today,</span></span></em><span style="color: #111111;"> I have hope that I </span><span style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-weight: 700;">can</span><span style="color: #111111;"> do something good, something right because, if I can do drinking to perfection, I need only take a 180-degree turn and do recovery – certainly not to perfection, but at least getting started. And our common journey continues. Step by step. —</span><span style="color: #ff00fe;"> <span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;">Chris M., 2024</em></span></span></p>Christopher M Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17454720308758097962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-664107414305504485.post-29567556390548855162024-03-19T00:00:00.007-04:002024-03-19T00:00:00.145-04:00March 19, 2024 - Readings in Recovery: Twenty-Four Hours a Day<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_bQ1tvNv1bGIJ12s9Nyt_SgwaHZBfz-t6kWXculTXJL96Cq4GV2TjqV4pDjr5_Ow2kNokx1vtEX_j__X1iFP4CrDJMVc4Gy5Z5AhECqEbbFQvjtbWv8InpbmGmI4xuyI-6YlOZy9MPVFwXxxYnHjjfOUcsJ_ts4NL9AjiIpqBEO437jpys_oIjNxFqVwl/s959/serenity%20prayer68.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="959" data-original-width="564" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_bQ1tvNv1bGIJ12s9Nyt_SgwaHZBfz-t6kWXculTXJL96Cq4GV2TjqV4pDjr5_Ow2kNokx1vtEX_j__X1iFP4CrDJMVc4Gy5Z5AhECqEbbFQvjtbWv8InpbmGmI4xuyI-6YlOZy9MPVFwXxxYnHjjfOUcsJ_ts4NL9AjiIpqBEO437jpys_oIjNxFqVwl/s320/serenity%20prayer68.jpg" width="188" /></a></div><p></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Twenty-Four Hours a Day</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Tuesday, March 19, 2024</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;">AA Thought for the Day</span></em></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">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 <span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">AA</span>, we forget about the past.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;">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?</span></em></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;">Meditation for the Day</span></em></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">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.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;">Prayer for the Day</span></em></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">I pray that I may always feel God’s presence. I pray that I may realize this Presence constantly all through the day.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;">Hazelden Foundation</span></em></span></p>Christopher M Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17454720308758097962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-664107414305504485.post-65747783817613584682024-03-19T00:00:00.005-04:002024-03-19T00:00:00.146-04:00March 19, 2024 - Readings in Recovery: A Day at a Time<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS9ppbNRTsmARhtkHyIW29XIFkSmplUuf2YWvGW3xA-UsFOEeK1DB4CTbREj-oUu5bb-BeOP9fQ3xWppD4JYHpkiH5t9QX1ODgdl0HgxyztROqYEuxquBZkb2G8cDEiz-Nxetk93_pm-1uF8IBRLwrhrd3jo6uvLa46o-ad66yQ2tptE98eUdrMJt-k_fD/s797/serenity%20prayer67.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="797" data-original-width="563" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS9ppbNRTsmARhtkHyIW29XIFkSmplUuf2YWvGW3xA-UsFOEeK1DB4CTbREj-oUu5bb-BeOP9fQ3xWppD4JYHpkiH5t9QX1ODgdl0HgxyztROqYEuxquBZkb2G8cDEiz-Nxetk93_pm-1uF8IBRLwrhrd3jo6uvLa46o-ad66yQ2tptE98eUdrMJt-k_fD/s320/serenity%20prayer67.jpg" width="226" /></a></div><p></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">A Day at a Time</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Tuesday, March 19, 2024</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;">Reflection for the Day</span></em></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><span style="color: #111111;">I know </span><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;">today</span></span></em><span style="color: #111111;"> that </span><em style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111;">“stopping in for a drink” </em><span style="color: #111111;">will never again be — for me — simply killing a few minutes and leaving a buck on the bar. In exchange for the first drink, what I’d plunk down now would be my bank account, my family, our home, our car, my job, my sanity and probably my life. It’s too big a price, and too great a risk.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;">Do you remember your last drunk?</span></em></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;">Today I Pray</span></em></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">May I be strong in the knowledge that God’s spirit is with me at all times. May I learn to feel His presence. May I know that nothing is hidden from Him. Unlike the world which approves or disapproves of my outward behavior, God sees all that I do, think or feel. If I seek to do His will, I can always count on His reward for me — peace of mind.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;">Today I Will Remember</span></em></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">God knows all.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;">Hazelden Foundation</span></em></span></p>Christopher M Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17454720308758097962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-664107414305504485.post-42390252624768946102024-03-19T00:00:00.003-04:002024-03-19T00:00:00.145-04:00March 19, 2024 - Readings in Recovery: The Eye Opener<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyDJ8KihG7DtquhQaAy0HUnF6o6ZR_XpxC_BwYLxOEe8H0RCYxhVFZlUQTiFY0OFpFHclRQw77YWDHsgtdgCI7nrQMt4FyifgNte7QXmzwfas8Vz8RNpm4WNsQBF8G8jBH39MPfXOO4sikq-YDRG95hjXCPGYhjfbw-3D5_CmorNLGV0c277HwVjTuA5ME/s550/serenity%20prayer66.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="550" data-original-width="550" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyDJ8KihG7DtquhQaAy0HUnF6o6ZR_XpxC_BwYLxOEe8H0RCYxhVFZlUQTiFY0OFpFHclRQw77YWDHsgtdgCI7nrQMt4FyifgNte7QXmzwfas8Vz8RNpm4WNsQBF8G8jBH39MPfXOO4sikq-YDRG95hjXCPGYhjfbw-3D5_CmorNLGV0c277HwVjTuA5ME/s320/serenity%20prayer66.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">The Eye Opener</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Tuesday, March 19, 2024</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">No man ever lived without a God of some kind. If it was not the God of Abraham or of the Christian conception, it was the sun, or Nature, or thunder or mythical gods. It was golden images or idols of wood, and to some it was money or position or fame. We all had a God even if it was no more than a bottle.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">No man, however brave, would have the temerity to face the forces of Nature and a hostile world unless he had recourse to something beyond his own puny strength.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">Every time I hear an atheist sounding off, I always think of the days when I denied the fact that I was an alcoholic, knowing, deep down inside, that I was kidding myself.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;">Hazelden Foundation</span></em></span></p>Christopher M Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17454720308758097962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-664107414305504485.post-44399169134941400192024-03-19T00:00:00.001-04:002024-03-19T00:00:00.146-04:00March 19, 2024 – Good morning to a beautiful Tuesday that marks the season of spring<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHgsxVT-Dp2p1xyRj0scsVxEGfhIj23KI7GAc-q6SFq3rTg94Y7cdPHakWTI_buglB3mQbg9z86kFhV17VgGvxMYT27EfZU1MHEwrixOA20Dq-AAW9dhQD7bNLVqT673taxgRiVrv6oTft9CGEd0F8NN_5y7uXdejnlLreoUcEguTOKRE6VwnCq44Z_oX9/s450/tuesday30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="449" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHgsxVT-Dp2p1xyRj0scsVxEGfhIj23KI7GAc-q6SFq3rTg94Y7cdPHakWTI_buglB3mQbg9z86kFhV17VgGvxMYT27EfZU1MHEwrixOA20Dq-AAW9dhQD7bNLVqT673taxgRiVrv6oTft9CGEd0F8NN_5y7uXdejnlLreoUcEguTOKRE6VwnCq44Z_oX9/w399-h400/tuesday30.jpg" width="399" /></a></div><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; font-weight: 700;"><span style="color: #111111;">Good morning with gratitude for a grand </span><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;">Tuesday</span><span style="color: #111111;"> </span></em><span style="color: #111111;">and the start of the spring season …and let’s commit to giving both the day and new season our very best</span></span><p></p>Christopher M Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17454720308758097962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-664107414305504485.post-49551881033700348332024-03-18T02:25:00.006-04:002024-03-18T02:25:38.817-04:00March 18, 2024 - Readings in Recovery: Today's Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaC2tgEdDMytKcguM4EQE0btO086bgqoNPZ6X6KFReyW9ISkGsdOukMi5HS1NSfEHgZ1c33jdjjaX-Sp6ZakDwgJb11vMkiykAURNmx8okBMzMvheRN5Mq3vkrmI5V12e3D49uSBKG61W6IxwldGCbLKN4Q85I13Y_M1y7jMP74Pu8noI0Cx8CsNm6p5d8/s960/serenity%20prayer65.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="540" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaC2tgEdDMytKcguM4EQE0btO086bgqoNPZ6X6KFReyW9ISkGsdOukMi5HS1NSfEHgZ1c33jdjjaX-Sp6ZakDwgJb11vMkiykAURNmx8okBMzMvheRN5Mq3vkrmI5V12e3D49uSBKG61W6IxwldGCbLKN4Q85I13Y_M1y7jMP74Pu8noI0Cx8CsNm6p5d8/s320/serenity%20prayer65.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><p></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Monday, March 18, 2024</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Today’s Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:</span></p><p class="has-text-align-center" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; text-align: center;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;">Compassion doesn’t mean taking care of people</span></span></em></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">Feeling compassion for a friend in pain is a loving way to respond. It softens the harsh edges of reality for the sufferer as well as for ourselves. Trying to take away the pain, however, is not appropriate. Each of us is on a journey of experiences and opportunities that will help us grow and fulfill God’s plan for our lives. What we learn from the difficult steps we have to take is part of the plan.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">It’s not always easy to draw the line between showing compassion and trying to solve a friend’s problem. Some of us have made it a practice to intrude on other people’s lives. Neither they nor we have been helped by it. Learning how to maintain healthy boundaries between ourselves and others is part of our journey today. Practicing this kind of compassion will give us growth.</p><p class="has-text-align-center" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; text-align: center;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><b style="color: #111111;">I will show compassion</b><span style="color: #111111;"> </span><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;">today</span></span><span style="color: #111111;"> <b>by maintaining healthy boundaries and not intruding on other people’s lives.</b></span></em></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;">Hazelden Foundation</span></span></em></p>Christopher M Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17454720308758097962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-664107414305504485.post-65556258332180164832024-03-18T00:00:00.010-04:002024-03-18T00:00:00.144-04:00March 18, 2024 - Readings in Recovery: Step by Step<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxvZStstmq2sJNu-WM_D1mLZndAWsXTAPpiX8H6NXAXBN2eXc3Yv49yIoeAw0MBftoNK90U4H1SPRyoSdwWyO8OKJJ205a_vpQogyHD9tHa-5PwVZ-TFcbK91Bg0VufZ8deqTZNfptk_t2AOSzs_WIO9YLWYFppg1Ze98ZW_v9McmfZeXLTFv8ZwO0l9aP/s783/serenity%20prayer64.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="783" data-original-width="564" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxvZStstmq2sJNu-WM_D1mLZndAWsXTAPpiX8H6NXAXBN2eXc3Yv49yIoeAw0MBftoNK90U4H1SPRyoSdwWyO8OKJJ205a_vpQogyHD9tHa-5PwVZ-TFcbK91Bg0VufZ8deqTZNfptk_t2AOSzs_WIO9YLWYFppg1Ze98ZW_v9McmfZeXLTFv8ZwO0l9aP/s320/serenity%20prayer64.jpg" width="230" /></a></div><p></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Step by Step</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Monday, March 18, 2024</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Today</span>,</span></em><span style="color: #111111;"> stop thinking about what I have lost to alcoholism with pangs of grief, mourning, regret, self-pity, anger and a feeling of injustice. Recovery has shown me how to turn the pain into gratitude that I had in the first place the people, things and opportunities that are now gone. I have also learned to look not at what I have lost but what I may still gain in recovery. The </span><span style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-weight: 700;">Fourth</span><span style="color: #111111;"> and </span><span style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-weight: 700;">10th Steps </span><span style="color: #111111;">of recognizing my character defects, and the command to service in the </span><span style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-weight: 700;">12th Step</span><span style="color: #111111;"> hold the promise of gains yet to come. </span><span style="color: #ff00fe;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Today,</span></em> </span><span style="color: #111111;">the bitter of the sweet of my drinking yields to the prospect that I may yet experience what might overshadow the losses that still hurt. But I have to work the </span><span style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-weight: 700;">Steps </span><span style="color: #111111;">of restoration, reconciliation and service to yield the benefits. And our common journey continues. Step by step. — </span><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;">Chris M., 2024</span></em></span></p>Christopher M Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17454720308758097962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-664107414305504485.post-17518427085100944722024-03-18T00:00:00.008-04:002024-03-18T00:00:00.142-04:00March 18, 2024 - Readings in Recovery: Twenty-Four Hours a Day<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6gdnkgAtfEPApNmJkSmz2rPqHGasQbkQVaDZHdp2_hug5-zDDXdlkJerX5oaqfpyK66HNbpu3hd4f8z-Bqu4Uvb19m00kAp0dHnF8n6h0K_LqL5zD4tda_GfovWks9jVJiTMeGAu2D_jdpD1gnqV5hohe_r5jZmqhKymqVAj4Dz9G2efHjeHmbsX8LvZ2/s564/serenity%20prayer63.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="517" data-original-width="564" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6gdnkgAtfEPApNmJkSmz2rPqHGasQbkQVaDZHdp2_hug5-zDDXdlkJerX5oaqfpyK66HNbpu3hd4f8z-Bqu4Uvb19m00kAp0dHnF8n6h0K_LqL5zD4tda_GfovWks9jVJiTMeGAu2D_jdpD1gnqV5hohe_r5jZmqhKymqVAj4Dz9G2efHjeHmbsX8LvZ2/s320/serenity%20prayer63.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Twenty-Four Hours a Day</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Monday, March 18, 2024</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;">AA</em> <em style="box-sizing: inherit;">Thought for the Day</em></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><span style="color: #111111;">When we alcoholics first come into </span><span style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-weight: 700;">AA</span><span style="color: #111111;"> and we face the fact that we must spend the rest of our life without liquor, it often seems like an impossibility to us. So </span><span style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-weight: 700;">AA</span><span style="color: #111111;"> tells us to forget about the future and take it one day at a time. All we really have is now. You have no past time and no future time. As the saying goes: </span><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #111111;">“Yesterday is gone, forget it; tomorrow never comes, don’t worry; </span><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;">today</span></span><span style="color: #111111;"> is here, get busy.”</span></em><span style="color: #111111;"> All we have is the present. The past is gone forever and the future never comes. When tomorrow gets here, it will be </span><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;">today.</span></span></em></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;">Am I living one day at a time?</span></em></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;">Meditation for the Day</span></em></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">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.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;">Prayer for the Day</span></em></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">I pray that I may persistently carry out my spiritual exercises every day. I pray that I may strive for peace and serenity.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;">Hazelden Foundation</span></em></span></p>Christopher M Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17454720308758097962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-664107414305504485.post-43914638002270105472024-03-18T00:00:00.006-04:002024-03-18T00:00:00.143-04:00March 18, 2024 - Readings in Recovery: A Day at a Time<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmzEGe0El6r33xSsJK3gls3-vO0aJvcd58dFPRfyL6L6u0thfSFlZ6o3wByfYtv9F8rE8FDwnvveBKRdavpEHUVKrLsbUmW5Ui_3_ukhOHbzWf6IQMU6Y7K3gbSMDBwbb7RFttpcVRAxhRm_h_JjFuSX0Sqf5NtrpL2-brTfyyycqG7q7VEPut84snogPC/s712/serenity%20prayer62.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="586" data-original-width="712" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmzEGe0El6r33xSsJK3gls3-vO0aJvcd58dFPRfyL6L6u0thfSFlZ6o3wByfYtv9F8rE8FDwnvveBKRdavpEHUVKrLsbUmW5Ui_3_ukhOHbzWf6IQMU6Y7K3gbSMDBwbb7RFttpcVRAxhRm_h_JjFuSX0Sqf5NtrpL2-brTfyyycqG7q7VEPut84snogPC/s320/serenity%20prayer62.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">A Day at a Time</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Monday, March 18, 2024</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;">Reflection for the Day</span></em></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><span style="color: #111111;">In the old days, we often had such devastating experiences that we fervently swore, </span><em style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111;">“Never again.” </em><span style="color: #111111;">We were absolutely sincere in those moments of desperation. Yet, despite our intentions, the outcome was inevitably the same. Eventually, the memory of our suffering faded, as did the memory of our</span><em style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111;"> “pledge.”</em><span style="color: #111111;"> So we did it again, ending up in even worse shape than when we had last </span><em style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111;">“sworn off.”</em><span style="color: #111111;"> Forever turned out to be only a week, or a day, or less. In </span><span style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-weight: 700;">The Program</span><span style="color: #111111;">, we learn that we need only be concerned about </span><span style="color: #ff00fe;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">today,</span></em> </span><span style="color: #111111;">this particular 24-hour period.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;">Do I live my life just 24 hours at a time?</span></em></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;">Today I Pray</span></em></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">May the long-term requirements of such phrases as <em style="box-sizing: inherit;">“never again,” “not on your life,” “forever,” “I’ll never take another …” </em>not weaken my resolve. <em style="box-sizing: inherit;">“Forever,” </em>when it is broken down into single days — or even just parts of days — does not seem so impossibly long. May I awake each day with my goal set realistically at just 24 hours.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;">Today I Will Remember</span></em></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">Twenty-four hours at a time.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;">Hazelden Foundation</span></em></span></p>Christopher M Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17454720308758097962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-664107414305504485.post-88329827589252991142024-03-18T00:00:00.004-04:002024-03-18T00:00:00.144-04:00March 18, 2024 - Reading sin Recovery: The Eye Opener<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5W_N4SiF22nuvTDEi3VfiVGGe6mnBEkjdiI9ceHyqaLJ1lMf2y5nk0QMXUUPSM-GG92qKCzTlba_VCUSP-EaIojlAGIun2i5YhYHfGDxieQDxnItc7ntuLYGwFrj23Qx_ps4uZ-fFOOE8ZnM2oXBDoWa0ObOkGkEbv2kR9SrqMtycZGNEPIG3jTMdHXTO/s802/serenity%20prayer61.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="802" data-original-width="564" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5W_N4SiF22nuvTDEi3VfiVGGe6mnBEkjdiI9ceHyqaLJ1lMf2y5nk0QMXUUPSM-GG92qKCzTlba_VCUSP-EaIojlAGIun2i5YhYHfGDxieQDxnItc7ntuLYGwFrj23Qx_ps4uZ-fFOOE8ZnM2oXBDoWa0ObOkGkEbv2kR9SrqMtycZGNEPIG3jTMdHXTO/s320/serenity%20prayer61.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><p></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">The Eye Opener</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Monday, March 18, 2024</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">Nothing in life is obtained except by pain and toil. This is sad news to us alcoholics who have shunned both like smallpox most of our lives.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">Let the famous musician tell you of his hours of dreary practice, the inventor of his hundred failures for each success, the boxing champ of his endless days of absorbing punishment in empty gymnasiums. Toil and suffering are a necessary prelude to success, and we should bear our crosses not as burdens but as preparations for our ultimate victory.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;">Hazelden Foundation</span></em></span></p>Christopher M Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17454720308758097962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-664107414305504485.post-25054394139636586102024-03-18T00:00:00.002-04:002024-03-18T00:00:00.143-04:00March 18, 2024 – Good morning to another Monday and brand new week<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieAAmcgaZJ9U3NBem7YdLA6yA6_MSeIRk2WiftQ8wxgCujNFyjSOo_D-5R93gNjYSO4sE1WWIxx_YWFhlwgqFFvsoEjRFT9g6skIO5Hk86bTPQddH6TunGNgw_9eXChRnD2-ATEtahF1M_OC3vaOESlLG9gdxQfUOnXZQKUTROj5XDCv0lDQbN_8CA2j93/s746/monday29.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="659" data-original-width="746" height="354" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieAAmcgaZJ9U3NBem7YdLA6yA6_MSeIRk2WiftQ8wxgCujNFyjSOo_D-5R93gNjYSO4sE1WWIxx_YWFhlwgqFFvsoEjRFT9g6skIO5Hk86bTPQddH6TunGNgw_9eXChRnD2-ATEtahF1M_OC3vaOESlLG9gdxQfUOnXZQKUTROj5XDCv0lDQbN_8CA2j93/w400-h354/monday29.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; font-weight: 700;"><span style="color: #111111;">Good morning with faith that we can handle whatever </span></span><div><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; font-weight: 700;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;">Monday</em> </span><span style="color: #111111;">and a new week have in store, and that we can take on whatever negativity of people and things that don’t warrant our attention</span></span><p></p></div>Christopher M Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17454720308758097962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-664107414305504485.post-25351937933941611382024-03-17T02:21:00.005-04:002024-03-17T02:21:52.780-04:00March 17, 2024 - Readings in Recovery: Today's Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgBQfRT6M342QwUoc8SKd3DBIu7yOmZ0D0a5DMU9jL_gXjEv2KYkZ4UayLVvVtYvwODmH1WWWWueG1SSiBfF1SUVTmvek4Q8xV-TbGVfIrtxJxg5KoTiZxTWXsyIzZcEh6kvVW4kaa2pNhsqt7q_LDMfGOCpVqNfYbC2djtI5QfMl8hyphenhyphenJVIyZZ018WHrdw/s564/serenity%20prayer60.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="564" data-original-width="564" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgBQfRT6M342QwUoc8SKd3DBIu7yOmZ0D0a5DMU9jL_gXjEv2KYkZ4UayLVvVtYvwODmH1WWWWueG1SSiBfF1SUVTmvek4Q8xV-TbGVfIrtxJxg5KoTiZxTWXsyIzZcEh6kvVW4kaa2pNhsqt7q_LDMfGOCpVqNfYbC2djtI5QfMl8hyphenhyphenJVIyZZ018WHrdw/s320/serenity%20prayer60.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Sunday, March 17, 2024</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Today’s Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;">Reflection for the Day</span></em></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">The <span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">program </span>enables us to discover two roadblocks that keep us from seeing the value and comfort of the spiritual approach: self-justification and self-righteousness. The first grimly assures me that I’m always right. The second mistakenly comforts me with the delusion that I’m better than other people — <em style="box-sizing: inherit;">“holier than thou.”</em></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;">Just for today, will I pause abruptly while rationalizing and ask myself, “Why am I doing this? Is this self-justification really honest?”</span></span></em></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;">Today I Pray</span></em></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">May I overcome the need to be <em style="box-sizing: inherit;">“always right”</em> and know the cleansing feeling of release that comes with admitting, openly, a mistake. May I be wary of setting myself up as an example of self-control and fortitude and give credit where it is due — to a Higher Power.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;">Today I Will Remember</span></em></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">To err is human, but I need to admit it.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;">Hazelden Foundation</span></em></span></p>Christopher M Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17454720308758097962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-664107414305504485.post-28386417458944283822024-03-17T00:00:00.010-04:002024-03-17T00:00:00.139-04:00March 17, 2024 - Readings in Recovery: Step by Step<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTd24ipFV3Kj94Ox6h-BVnbdF8dVM4kS0d97_AXrb6BLb9sCtAfHadfSklzzDCzUiOG2eS4igN-Yl8pY9gnL11wKpU1UBE1TH27Uz3LLGfZD2qNVMP8ZbYbEv351Dqab2Q4-sTmS3mbphvUN_KaSRftcyANME8pkM9A8L58Zc6FyMs-B42Vfl1p3nc62bn/s563/serenity%20prayer59.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="561" data-original-width="563" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTd24ipFV3Kj94Ox6h-BVnbdF8dVM4kS0d97_AXrb6BLb9sCtAfHadfSklzzDCzUiOG2eS4igN-Yl8pY9gnL11wKpU1UBE1TH27Uz3LLGfZD2qNVMP8ZbYbEv351Dqab2Q4-sTmS3mbphvUN_KaSRftcyANME8pkM9A8L58Zc6FyMs-B42Vfl1p3nc62bn/s320/serenity%20prayer59.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; font-weight: 700;">Step by Step</span><p></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Sunday, March 17, 2024</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Today</span></em>,</span><span style="color: #111111;"> I begin to reprogram my thought processes to think as a sober alcoholic instead of a dry drunk. Much of my thinking has been under the influence and, without that influence, I have to believe that my thoughts will change — for the better. As such, I need to adapt myself to a perspective unfamiliar to me. Not doing so will make me little more than a dry drunk waiting for a wet one. And recovery is more than being dry. I must make a conscious decision that I will no longer think in terms of</span><em style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111;"> “me”</em><span style="color: #111111;"> and that the thinking patterns that enabled my alcoholic drinking must change. </span><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;">Today,</span><span style="color: #111111;"> </span></span></em><span style="color: #111111;">I start to retrain my brain to think in terms of recovery and dismantle my thinking as the drunk that I am working to dropkick into yesterday. And our common journey continues. Step by step. — </span><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;">Chris M., 2024</span></em></span></p>Christopher M Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17454720308758097962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-664107414305504485.post-73512759113896050662024-03-17T00:00:00.008-04:002024-03-17T00:00:00.140-04:00March 17, 2024 - Readings in Recovery: Twenty-Four Hours a Day<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjopVNuwehxsdLH75ECgXRCz4o9hVchdVquz1-7K5KhjfikTcY4cbcevKJsdskGKSrwftBSTgRClwmDuFYR-o9YnUWeCsXdA4zIJ4IOwxrB7qgNR92XtFAzbv8oYP48Mep85ohW2ZUTxCTaVAklXnO0zp_Xp4ZQ6Tx-t0XhlkMX2W2uhnIMXVf_33yNSjRY/s705/serenity%20prayer58.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="705" data-original-width="564" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjopVNuwehxsdLH75ECgXRCz4o9hVchdVquz1-7K5KhjfikTcY4cbcevKJsdskGKSrwftBSTgRClwmDuFYR-o9YnUWeCsXdA4zIJ4IOwxrB7qgNR92XtFAzbv8oYP48Mep85ohW2ZUTxCTaVAklXnO0zp_Xp4ZQ6Tx-t0XhlkMX2W2uhnIMXVf_33yNSjRY/s320/serenity%20prayer58.jpg" width="256" /></a></div><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; font-weight: 700;">Twenty-Four Hours a Day</span><p></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Sunday, March 17, 2024</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;">AA</em> <em style="box-sizing: inherit;">Thought for the Day</em></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">AA </span>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, <span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">AA</span> keeps us sober. Our attitude toward life changes from one of pride and selfishness to one of humility and gratitude.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;">Am I going to step back through that door in the wall to my old helpless, hopeless, drunken life?</span></em></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;">Meditation for the Day</span></em></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">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 you enter into that, then you live as an eternal being. Calmness is based on complete trust in God. Nothing in this world can separate you from the love of God.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;">Prayer for the Day</span></em></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">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.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;">Hazelden Foundation</span></em></span></p>Christopher M Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17454720308758097962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-664107414305504485.post-7616107191009893572024-03-17T00:00:00.006-04:002024-03-17T00:00:00.138-04:00March 17, 2024 - Readings in Recovery: A Day at a Time<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmjBgqFm85AEbs_49mPJmg763CjTSbcktwhLzk975BT04FGqJeF_5VQ0nJzcRQB3GXfryVgtLZpIU62m3F8FkqvFP1CCmakOfZMrYs6R6Rw0r_UTOxGyL4_YbFqAiDlYxHJAS26wPmZSBvw_bFPJ9y1MYmrAA-rA88h55f2TD2vcJpi_qnccWgc6vJWMzx/s1296/serenity%20prayer57.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1296" data-original-width="972" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmjBgqFm85AEbs_49mPJmg763CjTSbcktwhLzk975BT04FGqJeF_5VQ0nJzcRQB3GXfryVgtLZpIU62m3F8FkqvFP1CCmakOfZMrYs6R6Rw0r_UTOxGyL4_YbFqAiDlYxHJAS26wPmZSBvw_bFPJ9y1MYmrAA-rA88h55f2TD2vcJpi_qnccWgc6vJWMzx/s320/serenity%20prayer57.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">A Day at a Time</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Sunday, March 17, 2024</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;">Reflection for the Day</span></em></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;">“Lead us not into temptation,”</em> — we pray, for we know with certainty that temptation lurks around the corner. Temptation is cunning, baffling, powerful – and patient; we never know when it will catch us with our guard down. Temptation could come in the siren song of a four-color advertisement, the fragment of a half-remembered song or, more obviously, in the direct urgings of another person. We must remain forever vigilant, remembering that the first drink gets us drunk, that the first obsessive bite will likely trigger an overeating orgy, that the first roll of the dice could well destroy our lives.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;">Am I aware of my number one priority?</span></em></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;">Today I Pray</span></em></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">God, lead me out of temptation — whether it is the jolly-but-alcoholic abandon of my peers at a special-occasion celebration, the pressure from my friends to <em style="box-sizing: inherit;">“get in the spirit” </em>of a party, the familiar aura of an apartment where joints are passed around, the sound of rattling dice, the smell of a bakery. May I know the limits of my resistance and stay well within them. May my surrender to the will of God give a whole new meaning to that old phrase, <em style="box-sizing: inherit;">“Get in the spirit.”</em></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;">Today I Will Remember</span></em></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">Get in the spirit.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;">Hazelden Foundation</span></em></span></p>Christopher M Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17454720308758097962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-664107414305504485.post-71974148387363862222024-03-17T00:00:00.004-04:002024-03-17T00:00:00.140-04:00March 17, 2024 - Readings in Recovery: The Eye Opener<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD_HkvKbkQRsuYjzQNq0feCtAjP0hAIh_-azgx-K19Dv1AgbzsTpMX5RbDdgsJS7H0NC4ODkx3ynfWVMP7-q9oXVj8q4ID7E3dihDumV9KqVNtrLxXV-C0UJfxz79C6H3RYrHIVYL_RyWEDDcp0yS5AxLXcxUp-j-Z0m20Pu5w8RAuMNprrDqyLIDCsvg_/s372/serenity%20prayer56.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="372" data-original-width="372" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD_HkvKbkQRsuYjzQNq0feCtAjP0hAIh_-azgx-K19Dv1AgbzsTpMX5RbDdgsJS7H0NC4ODkx3ynfWVMP7-q9oXVj8q4ID7E3dihDumV9KqVNtrLxXV-C0UJfxz79C6H3RYrHIVYL_RyWEDDcp0yS5AxLXcxUp-j-Z0m20Pu5w8RAuMNprrDqyLIDCsvg_/s320/serenity%20prayer56.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">The Eye Opener</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Sunday, March 17, 2024</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">Too few people can distinguish the difference between the moderate or social drinker and the compulsive drinker. In fact, the line is so indistinct that the drinker himself does not know until it is too late.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">The Niagara River is a smooth-flowing stream until it reaches the Falls and then, in a matter of feet, it becomes a churning torrent of danger and death.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;">Hazelden Foundation</span></em></span></p>Christopher M Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17454720308758097962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-664107414305504485.post-16650667983784964292024-03-17T00:00:00.002-04:002024-03-17T00:00:00.139-04:00March 17, 2024 – Good morning and let’s work for a quiet and worthwhile Sunday<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaYw7j2cSDEjnBMKCEFo2t3OLfgAnkmp5eQXLjD0sS4nEiY1DBQ2wzVe-8_pA0f7UUtwt4oAIVvIl_pRkgEebcYTjsMNI9orrdmUMNCnALFG8wwg3PkGVUkvtVhlPglJN223HxQPuSz-wznDh_HDLqGyHaCKtEvSvmZlnLBwrRh9Xj-2ShVqVUbSe7RTZ1/s960/sunday29.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaYw7j2cSDEjnBMKCEFo2t3OLfgAnkmp5eQXLjD0sS4nEiY1DBQ2wzVe-8_pA0f7UUtwt4oAIVvIl_pRkgEebcYTjsMNI9orrdmUMNCnALFG8wwg3PkGVUkvtVhlPglJN223HxQPuSz-wznDh_HDLqGyHaCKtEvSvmZlnLBwrRh9Xj-2ShVqVUbSe7RTZ1/w400-h400/sunday29.png" width="400" /></a></div><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; font-weight: 700;"><span style="color: #111111;">Good morning and here’s wishing a drama- and trauma-free and productive, worthwhile </span></span><div><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; font-weight: 700;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;">Sunday</span></em><span style="color: #111111;"> for everyone</span></span><p></p></div>Christopher M Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17454720308758097962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-664107414305504485.post-47529550558150637522024-03-16T06:09:00.000-04:002024-03-16T06:09:01.577-04:00March 16, 2024 - Readings in Recovery: Today's Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundaiton<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtemXUGD1j2NU8Us2bksXWD2BODlid9pOSlPMCQ4gPRJ26bNRYL9zfuBZJ4OKJw6tR_Py77Yed599lCzpTVHTDzOaYlwGk0SaNfgrhIQfAxAFw6cYcgHD1s0ipofFhdpVz5k1RyXkG6uArSUapvCPEppi_I8-uebqFG_3JLXnDs9Rdf8g6uMTbXIERsYEv/s564/serenity%20prayer55.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="554" data-original-width="564" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtemXUGD1j2NU8Us2bksXWD2BODlid9pOSlPMCQ4gPRJ26bNRYL9zfuBZJ4OKJw6tR_Py77Yed599lCzpTVHTDzOaYlwGk0SaNfgrhIQfAxAFw6cYcgHD1s0ipofFhdpVz5k1RyXkG6uArSUapvCPEppi_I8-uebqFG_3JLXnDs9Rdf8g6uMTbXIERsYEv/s320/serenity%20prayer55.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Saturday, March 16, 2024</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Today’s Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:</span></p><p class="has-text-align-center" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; text-align: center;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;">Fear Factor</span></span></em></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">For me, the motivating factor for not telling people I was in recovery was fear. I didn’t know what that was going to be like. I was always afraid, not only about how I was going to be perceived but also of whether it would be held against me. Would it limit me? Would I be different? So I never let my superiors know, because I wasn’t going to give them an opportunity to treat me differently. I’m not saying they would, but that was my way of protecting myself from the unknown.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">Sometimes I met with people outside of my command. One such person was a Navy counselor on a ship; we would meet for lunch. The neat thing was — he was in recovery. Talking to somebody like me was a lot easier than somebody who’s judging me based on my education or training. Who better to go see on the other side of the desk?</p><p class="has-text-align-center" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; text-align: center;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;">Today I will have a spirit of discernment when sharing my recovery with others.</span></span></em></p><p class="has-text-align-center" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; text-align: center;">— <em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><b>Joe H., U.S. Navy, 1988–2015</b></em></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;">Hazelden Foundation</span></em></span></p>Christopher M Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17454720308758097962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-664107414305504485.post-9719538407694633702024-03-16T00:00:00.010-04:002024-03-16T00:00:00.141-04:00March 16, 2024 - Readings in Recovery: Step by Step<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4lIk669jO_BZK6z7xDTR7gLuEoDr91XjbmdKZmlHr5ibZCCG6poqhcDl0orGF8WywJ_ehasL_w9NWS-5acIdqN-_WPKz_NJl2dqlUt0cScD1oG5u4FDtUZVNt7XMLhzHmwdgOtdLoK0oRDOF94IO5FtVdhRY_bwj3WlnxNiFsq1qXYFQj7epIxMgiVrgt/s752/serenity%20prayer54.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="752" data-original-width="564" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4lIk669jO_BZK6z7xDTR7gLuEoDr91XjbmdKZmlHr5ibZCCG6poqhcDl0orGF8WywJ_ehasL_w9NWS-5acIdqN-_WPKz_NJl2dqlUt0cScD1oG5u4FDtUZVNt7XMLhzHmwdgOtdLoK0oRDOF94IO5FtVdhRY_bwj3WlnxNiFsq1qXYFQj7epIxMgiVrgt/s320/serenity%20prayer54.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Step by Step</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Saturday, March 16, 2024</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Today</span></em>, </span><span style="color: #111111;">if I believe that alcohol plunged me to depths deeper than I have ever been, I can also believe that recovery can lift me to heights I have never known. The journey begins with the first four words of the </span><span style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-weight: 700;">Program</span><span style="color: #111111;">: “</span><em style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111;">Admitted (I am) powerless …</em><span style="color: #111111;">” Although the </span><span style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-weight: 700;">Program </span><span style="color: #111111;">is there for the taking, what I take from it will be only as good as I put into it, and the work of investing in my recovery starts when I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired, when I can’t live with myself any longer because all that I have done and said won’t let me forget, and when I accept responsibility for what I have done to myself and others, when I understand that recovery means more than abstinence and when I admit there is no </span><em style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111;">“easier, softer way” </em><span style="color: #111111;">to get well. </span><span style="color: #ff00fe;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Today,</span></em> </span><span style="color: #111111;">I am ready to begin achieving a height I have never experienced, and the beginning is in the words, “</span><em style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111;">Admitted (I am) powerless.</em><span style="color: #111111;">” And our common journey continues. Step by step. — </span><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;">Chris M., 2024</span></em></span></p>Christopher M Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17454720308758097962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-664107414305504485.post-25744271377736547362024-03-16T00:00:00.008-04:002024-03-16T00:00:00.142-04:00March 16, 2024 - Readings in Recovery: Twenty-Four Hours a Day<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiYcQMRi9xMCjFqN0FIrBh7WkleGM60tUOoW9Z3tZDADrDlymzRvS3kWZ2dUYlizI5rDGiq0eS39d4t8pQ6agqFmyAcrZaJfuuh6Uv1wkLHgwrClwu8JUVUAvRxKF0O4wQcytOplSe_G96NC0P3OhaDP-EBxBn3VnOthw9SrLxGkkn9UcHe5h45LAuDaHq/s752/serenity%20prayer53.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="752" data-original-width="564" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiYcQMRi9xMCjFqN0FIrBh7WkleGM60tUOoW9Z3tZDADrDlymzRvS3kWZ2dUYlizI5rDGiq0eS39d4t8pQ6agqFmyAcrZaJfuuh6Uv1wkLHgwrClwu8JUVUAvRxKF0O4wQcytOplSe_G96NC0P3OhaDP-EBxBn3VnOthw9SrLxGkkn9UcHe5h45LAuDaHq/s320/serenity%20prayer53.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Twenty-Four Hours a Day</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Saturday, March 16, 2024</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;">AA Thought for the Day</span></em></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">Before we decide to quit drinking, most of us have to 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. <span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">AA</span> 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, <span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">AA</span> opens the door in that blank wall.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;">Have I gone through that door to sobriety?</span></em></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;">Meditation for the Day</span></em></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">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 multi-farious concerns of the world. I must concentrate and specialize on what I can do best.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;">Prayer for the Day</span></em></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">I pray that I may not become distracted by material affairs. I pray that I may concentrate on doing what I can do best.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;">Hazelden Foundation</span></em></span></p>Christopher M Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17454720308758097962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-664107414305504485.post-10761879110645040692024-03-16T00:00:00.006-04:002024-03-16T00:00:00.141-04:00March 16, 2024 - Readings in Recovery: A Day at a Time<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitwYxWGWOki4LFnf_RK4OKsY-ilwqoYx3EnuUwDJ8ZGOngiPwkUJuuXROMbdoQ3Pa0Pw0bZ5Bb_KXBWLauyc9soBxxeCiu6CfMbQarIGhi7ndAdzH0cHoblSUNq_ZFzeCCtvMd-Iso5M06w5Oyem635XuFIw9pvfKqXvb4g8DuyblpNTEG88V_QI8PEtTN/s848/serenity%20prayer52.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="848" data-original-width="564" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitwYxWGWOki4LFnf_RK4OKsY-ilwqoYx3EnuUwDJ8ZGOngiPwkUJuuXROMbdoQ3Pa0Pw0bZ5Bb_KXBWLauyc9soBxxeCiu6CfMbQarIGhi7ndAdzH0cHoblSUNq_ZFzeCCtvMd-Iso5M06w5Oyem635XuFIw9pvfKqXvb4g8DuyblpNTEG88V_QI8PEtTN/s320/serenity%20prayer52.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><p></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">A Day at a Time</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Saturday, March 16, 2024</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;">Reflection for the Day</span></em></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">The <span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Program</span> teaches us that we are bodily and mentally different than our fellows. We are reminded that the great obsession of every abnormal drinker — and every one of us who is otherwise addictive — is to prove that somehow, some day, we will be able to control our drinking, eating or gambling. The persistence of this illusion is astonishing, we are told, and many pursue it to the gates of insanity or death.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;">Have I conceded to my innermost self that, for me, “One is too many and a thousand not enough …?”</span></em></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;">Today I Pray</span></em></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">May I have no illusions about someday becoming a moderate drinker or drug-user after being an obsessive one. May I muffle any small voice of destructive pride which lies to me, telling me that I can now go back to my former addiction and control it. This is a <span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Program</span> of no-return, and I thank God for it.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;">Today I Will Remember</span></em></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">My goal must be lifelong abstinence — a day at a time.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;">Hazelden Foundation</span></em></span></p>Christopher M Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17454720308758097962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-664107414305504485.post-87453859724592076262024-03-16T00:00:00.004-04:002024-03-16T00:00:00.142-04:00March 16, 2024 - Readings in Recovery: The Eye Opener<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9d8Y6nVMHgeOhAwA9CGNGHCSiVppNwUq8wSZ73f7xyGIxQZf5GMh_CkHs7-IJDJguxgIY_DRo0Qk6tEXuont4Lp3sHW4LZ-bbtpEci3Mstx70ymMu5VDsanvSbQdLQDeiuFYul_1wAUsF7-5z0YUNASfZDvhXzlgtezDJjAwsgQoHpDfxtHQsSRX_djtb/s500/serenity%20prayer51.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="486" data-original-width="500" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9d8Y6nVMHgeOhAwA9CGNGHCSiVppNwUq8wSZ73f7xyGIxQZf5GMh_CkHs7-IJDJguxgIY_DRo0Qk6tEXuont4Lp3sHW4LZ-bbtpEci3Mstx70ymMu5VDsanvSbQdLQDeiuFYul_1wAUsF7-5z0YUNASfZDvhXzlgtezDJjAwsgQoHpDfxtHQsSRX_djtb/s320/serenity%20prayer51.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">The Eye Opener</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Saturday, March 16, 2024</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><span style="color: #111111;">The dollar is worth but about half its value of only a few years ago. Capital gains taxes have depreciated all properties by 25 percent. Moneys invested in stocks and bonds can be swept away between dawn and dark. The sound investment of </span><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;">today</span><span style="color: #111111;"> </span></span></em><span style="color: #111111;">can be a white elephant on your hands tomorrow.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">Your dollars invested in the rehabilitation of human souls are the only investment that can’t lose. The dividends are paid whether the project fails or not. This way you can’t fail to win.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;">Hazelden Foundation</span></em></span></p>Christopher M Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17454720308758097962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-664107414305504485.post-16315685241932611342024-03-16T00:00:00.002-04:002024-03-16T00:00:00.142-04:00March 16, 2024 – Rise ‘n shine for a super Saturday and weekend<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrBBJlNW3oXfnpbq4PELq4hMiI7ERl9qugJqOzhzB44mvGK0O3HzYId7-14xH8ZlK4lvAZ8BsN3zZV-o3ldcR_0UlhZxEJbvI7FpouXIqK2JnWTUwY02_KLZvg8GEuK8i9NwZC6XDcfRc5gOppHQusBAVkN2twxldK9HPy4h5pe3mFeeWhf7zXEtM79pRm/s960/saturday29.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="952" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrBBJlNW3oXfnpbq4PELq4hMiI7ERl9qugJqOzhzB44mvGK0O3HzYId7-14xH8ZlK4lvAZ8BsN3zZV-o3ldcR_0UlhZxEJbvI7FpouXIqK2JnWTUwY02_KLZvg8GEuK8i9NwZC6XDcfRc5gOppHQusBAVkN2twxldK9HPy4h5pe3mFeeWhf7zXEtM79pRm/w396-h400/saturday29.jpg" width="396" /></a></div><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; font-weight: 700;"><span style="color: #111111;">Good morning with hopes of a productive but paced and relaxing </span></span><div><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; font-weight: 700;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;">Saturday </span></em><span style="color: #111111;">for everyone</span></span><p></p></div>Christopher M Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17454720308758097962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-664107414305504485.post-87547068021422457552024-03-15T02:37:00.002-04:002024-03-15T02:37:19.080-04:00March 15, 2024 - Readings in Recovery: Today's Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8CT0Ux54TD-0TsJa3hA5wwFmJ_bsmmEKHvT9riybbttphbzq6FJcTWbG7GD7mWjh49Vf9yGUe0o0Rnfm5rSF5G5Y5xi0Ce-78Z99umFZMMfoOrU12T7gK-6XXFUq1MvBrZnzxRllQCrl6PjWaVYBFQiA8BeNU1pGuJLrBiuuWnaLF4ERrTTLhI9jhpUrI/s1296/serenity%20prayer50.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1296" data-original-width="972" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8CT0Ux54TD-0TsJa3hA5wwFmJ_bsmmEKHvT9riybbttphbzq6FJcTWbG7GD7mWjh49Vf9yGUe0o0Rnfm5rSF5G5Y5xi0Ce-78Z99umFZMMfoOrU12T7gK-6XXFUq1MvBrZnzxRllQCrl6PjWaVYBFQiA8BeNU1pGuJLrBiuuWnaLF4ERrTTLhI9jhpUrI/s320/serenity%20prayer50.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Friday, March 15, 2024</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Today’s Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:</span></p><p class="has-text-align-center" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; text-align: center;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;">Debating the program</span></em></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">In school we may have joined in debates. They went on and on, and nobody ever had any answers. In our personal training grounds, the world of the streets, we often heard or participated in lengthy debates about the evils of our society. Of course, nothing ever changed.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">Some people get clean and sober and then start debating about the <span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Twelve Steps.</span> The <em style="box-sizing: inherit;">“answers” </em>come to those who live the <span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">program</span>, but such debate is of little value.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;">Am I living the program?</span></span></em></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;">Higher Power,</span><span style="color: #111111;"> </span></em></span><span style="color: #111111;">grant me the courage to take action and thus truly live the </span><span style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-weight: 700;">program.</span></p><p class="has-text-align-center" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; text-align: center;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Today</span> </span><span style="color: #111111;"><b>I will put the </b></span><span style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-weight: 700;">Steps</span><span style="color: #111111;"> <b>into action by…</b></span></em></p><p></p><div id="atatags-370373-65f3ebf8babb8" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px;"></div><div class="wpcnt" id="wordads-preview-parent" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; line-height: 0; text-align: center;"><div class="wpa" style="box-sizing: inherit; display: inline-block !important; max-width: 100%; position: relative; text-align: left; transform: translate3d(0px, 0px, 0px);"></div></div><p></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.85px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 30.345px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><strong style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;">Hazelden Foundation</span></em></strong></p>Christopher M Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17454720308758097962noreply@blogger.com0