June 3, 2013 - Step by Step

Step by Step
Monday, June 3, 2013

Today, grant me gratitude and humility if my 24 Hours of sobriety totals week, months and even years and understand why I am no more sober or knowledgeable than the co-alcoholic whose last drink was yesterday. Grant me the wisdom and common sense to be open to the lessons that I still have to learn in my own sobriety and that some of those lessons can come from the co-addict whose sobriety does not match mine in length of time. I must learn from the experience of the past that I am no more "cured" and just as much at risk of a relapse as the newcomer or slipper who continues to struggle. But I must also acknowledge the responsibility the length of my sobriety exacts, namely to share with someone else what has or has not worked for me in the sincerest and most enthusiastic hope that my own experiences might speak to someone else. Today, I am sober only in the current 24 Hours, and I accept the responsibility that I have to my recovery. And our common journey continues. Step by step. - Chris M., 2013

June 3, 2013 - Twenty-Four Hours a Day

Twenty-Four Hours a Day
Monday, June 3, 2013

AA Thought for the Day
Some more things I do not miss since becoming dry: running all over town to find a bar open to get that "pick-me-up;" meeting my friends and trying to cover up that I feel awful; looking at myself in a mirror and calling myself a damn fool; struggling with myself to snap out of it for two or three days; wondering what it is all about.

I'm positive I don't miss these things, am I not?

Meditation for the Day
Love is the power that transforms your life. Try to love your family and your friends and then try to love everybody that you possibly can, even the "sinners and publicans" - everybody. Love for God is an even greater thing. It is the result of gratitude to God, and it is the acknowledgement of the blessing that God has sent you. Love for God acknowledges His gifts and leaves the way open for God to shower yet more blessings on your thankful heart. Say, "Thank you, God," until it becomes a habit.

Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may try to love God and all people. I pray that I may continually thank God for all His blessings.

Hazelden Foundation

June 3, 2013 - A Day at a Time

A Day at a Time
Monday, June 3, 2013

Reflection for the Day
"The beginning of love is to let those we love be perfectly themselves, and not to twist them to fit our own image. Otherwise," wrote Thomas Merton, "we love only the reflection of ourselves we find in them." As I replace my self-destructive addictions with a healthy dependence on The Program and its Twelve Steps, I'm finding that the barriers of silence and hatred are melting away. By accepting each other as we are, we have learned again to love.

Do I care enough about others in The Program to continue working with them as long as necessary?

Today I Pray
May I be selfless enough to love people as they are, not as I want them to be, as they mirror my image or feed my ego. May I slow down in my eagerness to love - now that I am capable of feeling love again - and ask myself if I really love someone or only that someone's idea of me. May I remove the "self" from my loving.

Today I Will Remember
Love is unconditional.

Hazelden Foundation

June 3, 2013 - The Eye Opener

The Eye Opener
Monday, June 3, 2013

The harvest is great and the laborers are too few. Too often we get a new man, we work diligently on him, get him to a meeting or two and then another new man appears and we drop the first one and frequently never see him again.

This is not to imply that we are to carry him on our backs indefinitely, but we can utilize an occasional spare 10 minutes to call him on the phone. We can keep our eyes open for him at the meetings and, if he misses several in succession, we can look him up.

Remember you were the midwife at his rebirth in this new life, and you should not neglect him in his AA infancy.

Hazelden Foundation

June 3, 2013 - Today's Gift from Hazelden

Monday, June 3, 2013

Today's thought from Hazelden is:
Contentment makes poor men rich.
Discontent makes rich men poor.
 -- Benjamin Franklin

The other day I was feeling off center, and so I took a walk around the block to lift my spirits. As I passed one of the neighbor's homes, I spotted a luxury car and began to imagine my pleasure at owning and driving such a vehicle. Suddenly, a still small voice whispered from within, "You can't fill a spiritual void with a physical object. Because you are a spiritual being living in a material world, your deeper needs for love and connectedness can never be satisfied in purely material terms."

And yet we climb the ladder of material success only to discover that it is leaning against the wrong wall. It is clear that human beings need a certain amount of food, clothing, shelter, and comfort to meet their physical needs. But anything beyond that is not truly essential for inner contentment. As the philosopher Marcus Aurelius said, "Very little is needed to make a happy life."

In Scripture we read, "Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God." Ask yourself, "What are my spiritual and emotional needs, and what steps am I taking to address them?" As you begin to feed and nourish yourself with spiritual food, your soul's hunger will be filled. There is no deeper satisfaction than this.

From the book:

Listening to Your Inner Voice by Douglas Bloch

Listening to Your Inner Voice © 1991, by Douglas Bloch

June 2, 2013 - Step by Step

Step by Step
Sunday, June 2, 2013

"There may be some wrongs we can never fully right. We don't worry about them if we can honestly say to ourselves that we would right them if we could. Some people cannot be seen - we send them an honest letter. And there may be a valid reason for postponement in some cases. But we don't delay if it can be avoided. ...As God's people, we stand on our feet; we don't crawl before anyone." - Alcoholics Anonymous, 3rd Edition, 1976, Ch 6, p 83.

Today, I will not take for granted the weight of Step Nine when I consider to whom I must - and can - approach with my amends. As the Big Book points out, some wrongs may never be made fully right, and there may be no recourse if making an amend only to clear our conscience risks further injury or implicates an unknowing other person. In cases in which we can honestly conclude that direct amends are not possible, our actions rather than our words may be our only avenue of atonement, and our strongest action is to get and stay sober and continue to grow in sobriety. In those cases where we can and must make amends, however, we are cautioned not to "crawl before anyone," not to submit to being the proverbial doormat. In drunkenness, we lost our footing which, in turn, triggered the damage we inflicted; in sobriety, we must stand on our feet to give our integrity to our amends. And our common journey continues. Step by step. - Chris M., 2013

June 2, 2013 - Twenty-Four Hours a Day

Twenty-Four Hours a Day
Sunday, June 2, 2013

AA Thought for the Day
Some more things I do not miss since becoming dry: wondering if the car is in the garage and how I got home; struggling to remember where I was and what I did since my last conscious moment; trying to delay getting off to work, and wondering how I will look when I get there; dreading the day ahead of me.

I'm quite sure that I don't miss these things, am I not?

Meditation for the Day
You cannot believe in God and keep your selfish ways. The old self shrivels up and dies, and upon the reborn soul God's image becomes stamped. The gradual elimination of selfishness in the growth of love for God and your fellow human beings is the goal of life. At first, you have only a faint likeness to the Divine, but the picture grows and takes on more and more of the likeness of God until those who see you can see in you some of the power of God's grace at work in a human life.

Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may develop that faint likeness I have to the Divine. I pray that others may see in me some of the power of God's grace at work.

Hazelden Foundation

June 2, 2013 - A Day at a Time

A Day at a Time
Sunday, June 2, 2013

Reflection for the Day
In the process of learning to love myself and, in turn, to love others freely with no strings attached, I've begun to understand these words of St. Augustine: "Love slays what we have been, that we may be what we were not." More and more, I feel this enormous power of such love in The Program; for me, the words, "we care," also mean, "we love."

Just for today, will I try to be loving in every thought and action?

Today I Pray
I pray that I may feel the enormity and the power of the love I find in The Program. May my own caring be added to that great energy of love which belongs to all of us. May I care with my whole heart that my fellow members maintain their sobriety and are learning to live with it comfortably and creatively. May I never doubt that they care the same way about me.

Today I Will Remember
Caring makes it happen.

Hazelden Foundation

June 2, 2013 - The Eye Opener

The Eye Opener
Sunday, June 2, 2013

We come into AA and are told that we should endeavor to establish a conscious contact with our God as we understand Him; that we should, through prayer and meditation, get on speaking terms with Him. We brushed up on our rusty salutations of "Almighty" and practiced on our Thee's and Thou's only to learn that there was a simpler and more direct approach.

We found that we could "tune God in" to our hearts and consciences and that no other method was needed to send and receive messages. We learned that what we said was of no great consequence anyway, as our prayers were for His will, not ours, and we also learned that we had to make no direct request for those things that were for our good, as He knew our needs before we ever realized them ourselves.

Hazelden Foundation

June 2, 2013 - Today's Gift from Hazelden

Sunday, May 2, 2013

Today's thought from Hazelden is:
It is clear the future holds opportunities - it also holds pitfalls. The trick will be to seize the opportunities, avoid the pitfalls, and get back home by 6:00.
 -- Woody Allen

Sometimes we take ourselves far too seriously. We draw our lives in the absolutes of black and white, with no shadings of gray. We believe our whole lives depend on every decision we make. When a problem comes along, we see it as a crisis rather than another of the ongoing issues that confront all people. If we are displeased with someone, or if a person is upset with us, we amplify the feelings until we rupture the whole relationship.

It would be helpful to look at today's tasks and problems as a game. Yes, we would like to play the game well, but we could have a good time while doing it. If we don't take ourselves or our problems too seriously, maybe we'll have some fun.

Help me learn that daily living needs the light of humor.

From the book:

Touchstones by Anonymous

Touchstones ©1986, 1991 by Hazelden Foundation

June 1, 2013 - Step by Step

Step by Step
Saturday, June 1, 2013

"The spiritual life is not theory. We have to live it. Unless one's family expresses a desire to live upon spiritual principles, we think we ought not to urge them. We should not talk incessantly to them about spiritual matters. They will change in time. Our behavior will convince them more than our words." - Alcoholics Anonymous, 3rd Edition, 1976, Ch 6, p 83.

Today, if called on to 12th-Step a prospect, I will not hammer the Program's spiritual aspect if the topic seems to push away rather than encourage that prospect into the Fellowship. Should the prospect who is weary of spirituality subsequently embrace the Program and find sobriety, the words of the Big Book ring true: "(Spiritual awareness) will change in time," just as it did for me. Paraphrasing the saying that I was born of the Spirit but was taught religion, let me understand that others, like me, also may tie the two together - religion and spirituality - but that the tools of the Program will lead them to their own understanding of a Higher Power just as the tools of the Program led me to my understanding. Today, if spirituality cannot be discussed with a potential member, let my actions speak louder than my words. And our common journey continues. Step by step. - Chris M., 2013

June 1, 2013 - Twenty-Four Hours a Day

Twenty-Four Hours a Day
Saturday, June 1, 2013

AA Thought for the Day
Some things I do not miss since becoming dry: that overall awful feeling physically, including the shakes, a splitting headache, pains in my arms and legs, bleary eyes, fluttering stomach, droopy shoulders, weak knees, a three-day beard, and a flushed complexion. Also, facing my wife or my husband at breakfast. Also, comprising the alibi and sticking to it. Also, trying to shave or put on makeup with a shaky hand. Also, opening up my wallet to find it empty.

I don't miss these things, do I?

Meditation for the Day
You were born with a spark of the Divine within you. It had been all but smothered by the life you were living. That celestial fire has to be tended and fed so that it will grow eventually into a real desire to live the right way. By trying to do the will of God, you grow more and more in the new way of life. By thinking of God, praying to Him and having communion with Him, you gradually grow more like Him. The way of your transformation from the material to the spiritual is the way of Divine Companionship.

Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may tend the spark of the Divine within me so that it will grow. I pray that I may be gradually transformed from the old life to the new life.

Hazelden Foundation

June 1, 2013 - A Day at a Time

A Day at a Time
Saturday, June 1, 2013

Reflection for the Day
Slowly but surely, I'm becoming able to accept other people's faults as well as their virtues. The Program is teaching me to "always love the best in others - and never fear their worst." This is hardly an easy transition from my old way of thinking, but I'm beginning to see that all people - including myself - are to some extent emotionally ill as well as frequently wrong.

Am I approaching true tolerance? Am I beginning to see what real love for my fellows actually means?

Today I Pray
May God give me tolerance for any shortcomings or sick symptoms or insensitivities of others, so that I can love the qualities that are good in them. May God instruct me in the truest meaning of love - which must also include patience and forgiveness. May I not overlook the faults of those I love, but may I try to understand them.

Today I Will Remember
Love is understanding.

Hazelden Foundation

June 1, 2013 - The Eye Opener

The Eye Opener
Saturday, June 1, 2013

Each of us has only so many hours to live, and we alcoholics have wasted far too many of them in the past.

New men, by the thousands, are crowding our doors, searching for our Message of Hope. Those who are endeavoring to carry the Message are frequently pushed to the limit of their available time for this purpose.

Have you the right to monopolize the time of the Twelve Steppers by indulging yourself in so-called slips?

Hazelden Foundation

June 1, 2013 - Today's GIft from Hazelden

Saturday, June 1, 2013

Today's thought for Hazelden is:

Draw from others the lesson that may profit yourself.
 -- Terence
Our Twelve Step program offers us the best education in the world, free of charge. Everybody in recovery has something to teach us, if we'll listen. Each of us has a unique set of experiences and background, problems and solutions to share. From each other we can learn about recovery and about the world, too. We can hear what it's like to live on the streets, even if we didn't lose everything to addiction. We can learn how others got their families involved in a Twelve Step program of their own. We can learn about the problems we may encounter at work, how to avoid them, and how to solve them. We can hear from someone who has been there, rather than through relapse, how it feels to be addicted to another substance.

The experience of others gives us a rare chance to broaden our horizons. We can learn how it feels to be a member of a minority, how to love ourselves enough to combat hatred, how to triumph from adversity. Most important, by listening to others with respect and love, we can learn to truly value other people, even those who are different from us.

Today help me appreciate the teachings of my Twelve Step program. Help me continue to learn.

From the book:

Body, Mind, and Spirit by Anonymous

Body, Mind, and Spirit © 1990 by Hazelden Foundation