Oct. 3, 2013 - Step by Step

Step by Step
Thursday, Oct. 3, 2013

" ...I went to my first meeting. I was a very fortunate drunk. God has been good to me both in my drinking and in my sobriety. Because, thank God, since I came into this program, I haven't had any trouble. Oh yes, I get the dry jitters once in a while, but that isn't anything to worry about. It passes away. But I've never come close to that first drink. I took the advice of people I had heard at meetings, the people in the group. And I jumped in with both feet. Someone told me, 'When you drank, you didn't get half-drunk. You went all the way. In this program, there aren't any halfway measures. In here, you must go all the way, too.' So I attended as many meetings as possible." - Alcoholics Anonymous, 3rd Edition, 1976, "They Lost Nearly All," Ch 8 ("Desperation Drinking"), p 516.

Today, "half measures availed us nothing." Today, I will apply the full measures I exerted on drinking to get sober, and I will listen to the voices of experience and set aside the egoism that I think I know better than anyone else. And if a shot of the "dry jitters" creeps in, I have the Twelve Steps to fall back on and the promise that, "This, too, shall pass." But I must first get to the point that enough is enough as far as drinking goes and, today, I must give it up, face that enough is enough. With that desire for something better, I have taken my first baby step. And our common journey continues. Step by step. - Chris M., 2013

Oct. 3, 2013 - Twenty-Four Hours a Day

Twenty-Four Hours a Day
Thursday, Oct. 3, 2013

AA Thought for the Day
How do I talk with new prospects? Am I always trying to dominate the conversation? Do I lay down the law and tell prospects what they will have to do? Do I judge them privately and feel that they have small chance of making the program? Do I belittle them to myself? Or am I willing to bare my soul so as to get them talking about themselves? And, then, am I willing to be a good listener, not interrupting, but feel deeply that they are my brothers or my sisters?

Will I do all I can to help them along the path to sobriety?

Meditation for the Day
"The work of righteousness shall be peace and the effect of righteousness shall be quietness and assurance forever." Only when the soul attains this calm, can there be true spiritual work done, and mind and soul and body be strong to conquer and bear all things. Peace is the result of righteousness. There is no peace in wrong doing, but if we live the way God wants us to live, quietness and assurance follow. Assurance is that calmness born of a deep certainty of God's strength available to us and in His power to love and guard us from all harm and wrong doing.

Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may attain a state of true calmness. I pray that I may live in quietness and peace.

Hazelden Foundation

Oct. 3, 2013 - A Day at a Time

A Day at a Time
Thursday, Oct. 3, 2013

Reflection for the Day
I've learned in The Program that I'm wholly powerless over my addiction. At long last, I've conceded my powerlessness; as a result, my life has taken a 180-degree turn for the better. However, I do have a power, derived from God, to change my own life. I've learned that acceptance does not mean submission to an unpleasant or degrading situation. It means accepting the reality of the situation and then deciding what, if anything, I can and will do about it.

Have I stopped trying to control the uncontrollable? Am I gaining the courage to change the things I can?

Today I Pray
I ask my Higher Power for direction as I learn to sort out the things I can change from the things I can't, for that sorting process does, indeed, require God-given wisdom. May "the things I cannot change" not give me an excuse for inaction. May "the things I can" not include managing other people's lives. May I start to understand my own reality.

Today I Will Remember
Acceptance is not inaction. Change is not domination.

Hazelden Foundation

Oct. 3, 2013 - The Eye Opener

The Eye Opener
Thursday, Oct. 3, 2013

Promises, vows, pledges, resolutions, doctors, preachers, priests, psychologists, psychiatrists, hospitals, judges, jails, jitter-joints, in fact everything, but nothing worked.

One day, by the Grace of God, we found ourselves sober, and there can be no denying that it was the Grace of God alone that caused it. That same Grace will remain with you as long as you honestly seek it, and you will find that it will prove more than sufficient.

Hazelden Foundation

Oct. 3, 2013 - Today's Gift from Hazelden

Thursday, Oct. 3, 2013

Today's thought from Hazelden is:

The lust of power is not rooted in strength, but in weakness.  -- Erich Fromm

We believed alcohol or other drugs could help us control our happiness. But now we're learning to rely on faith for our happiness. Faith is about leaving things to our Higher Power's control. Instead of wanting the control ourselves, we trust our Higher Power will help us handle things that come along.

In recovery, we work at having more faith. Faith in a Higher Power. Faith in the Steps. Faith in our groups. Faith that our lives will get better if we don't use chemicals and we work an honest recovery program. Faith makes life a lot easier.

Prayer for the Day 
Higher Power, surround me with Your love. Give me strength to do hard things. Give me faith to know that I'm not alone.

Action for the Day Today, I'll notice how I still want to be in control. I'll remind myself that it's okay to Let Go and Let God.

From the book:

Keep It Simple by Anonymous

Keep It Simple © 1989 by Hazelden Foundation

Oct. 2, 2013 - Step by Step

Step by Step
Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2013

"It would be wonderful were I able to tell you that my confidence in God and my application of the Twelve Steps to my daily living have utterly banished fear. This would not be the truth. The most accurate answer I can give you is this: Fear has never again ruled my life since that day ...when I found that a Power greater than myself could not only restore me to sanity but could keep me both sober and sane. Never in 16 years have I dodged anything because I was afraid of it. I have faced life instead of running away from it." - Alcoholics Anonymous, 3rd Edition, 1976, Alcoholics Anonymous Number Three, Ch 9 ("The Man Who Mastered Fear"), pp 284-85.

Today: fear of what? Of trying to be free of the hellacious but predictable consequences of drinking? Of trying the unchartered and unfamiliar path of sobriety? Of taking responsibility for the consequences of my actions when drunk, when sober? Of telling someone I'm sorry? Of admitting that I can't do it alone anymore, that I need something better and stronger than myself? Of the risk of opening myself knowing that once the heart is open nothing will ever be the same? Afraid of challenging fear? Afraid of what more fear can do to me? Today, if on nothing more than blind faith in something stronger and greater than myself, I challenge fear because I've empowered it far too long. In doing that, God granting, may I feel that I control fear - not the other way around. And our common journey continues. Step by step. - Chris M., 2013

Oct. 2, 2013 - Twenty-Four Hours a Day

Twenty-Four Hours a Day
Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2013

AA Thought for the Day
What makes an effective talk at an AA meeting? It is not a fine speech with fine choice of words and an impressive delivery. Often a few simple words direct from the heart are more effective than the most polished speech. There is always a temptation to speak beyond your own experience, in order to make a good impression. This is never effective. What does not come from the heart does not reach the heart. What comes from personal experience and a sincere desire to help the other person reaches the heart.

Do I speak for effect or with a deep desire to help?

Meditation for the Day
"Thy will be done" must be your oft-repeated prayer. And in the willing of God's will there should be gladness. You should delight to do that will because when you do, all your life goes right and everything tends to work well for you in the long run. When you are honestly trying to do God's will and humbly accepting the results, nothing can seriously hurt you. Those who accept the will of God in their life may not inherit the earth, but they will inherit real peace of mind.

Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may have a yielded will. I pray that my will may be attuned to the will of God.

Hazelden Foundation

Oct. 2, 2013 - A Day at a Time

A Day at a Time
Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2013

Reflection for the Day
An entire philosophy of life is condensed in the slogan "Live and Let Live." First we're urged to live fully, richly and happily - to fulfill our destiny with the joy that comes from doing well whatever we do. Then comes a more difficult challenge: "Let live." This means accepting the right of every other person to live as he or she wishes, without criticism or judgment from us. The slogan rules out contempt for those who don't think as we do. It also warns against resentments, reminding us not to interpret other people's actions as intentional injuries to us.

Am I becoming less tempted to involve my mind with thoughts of how others act or live?

Today I Pray
May I live my life to the fullest, understanding that pure pleasure-seeking is not pleasure-finding, but that God's goodness is here to be shared. May I partake of it. May I learn not to take over the responsibility for another's adult decisions; that is my old controlling self trying, just one more time, to be the executive director of other people's lives.

Today I Will Remember
Live and let live.

Hazelden Foundation

Oct. 2, 2013 - The Eye Opener

The Eye Opener
Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2013

Most of us have met persons whom we thought extremely homely until we knew them better. Then we ceased observing their lack of facial beauty and began to appreciate those persons for what they really were.

George Washington and Abraham Lincoln were what might be called extremely homely men, yet the beauty and strength of their characters was such that practically all present-day pictures show little of their ugliness.

You can't do a whole lot to improve an ugly face, but you can hide it behind a lovely character.

Hazelden Foundation

Oct. 2, 2013 - Today's Gift from Hazelden

Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2013

Today's thought from Hazelden is:

The seed of God is in us. Pear seeds grow into pear trees, nut seeds into nut trees, and God seeds into God.
 -- Meister Eckhart

Often we may feel critical and judgmental about our maturity or personality. When we read we have God seeds within us, we may find that difficult to believe. How can we have the God seeds within us that other people have? It may seem everyone else has more good within them than we have.

Just as we admire certain qualities about other people, so can we admire qualities about ourselves. We need to remember a good critic looks at both the good and the bad. A good critic doesn't pass judgment, but merely assembles the facts to allow others to make judgments.

The seeds that grow pear trees don't yield perfect trees. Some of the fruit is ripe and juicy, some is hard and dry, some fruit never matures. Yet the pear tree will be a good tree if it's tended with care. So it is with us. Every part of us may not be perfect, but with care we can make the best person possible from the God seed that began us.

I can be a healthy, bountiful person if I give myself plenty of care. I won't give up on me.

From the book:

Night Light by Amy E. Dean

Night Light by Amy E. Dean. © 1986, 1992 by Hazelden Foundation

Oct. 1, 2013 - Step by Step

Step by Step
Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013

"Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out." - Step 11, Alcoholics Anonymous.

Today, whether I have embraced the concept of a Higher Power or am skeptical either as an atheist or agnostic, I remember again that Step 11 requires that I be at least open to the possibility of something greater and stronger than myself and, in doing so, seek the will and way of something other than my own. This is the definition of humility - to be open to learning and carrying out the will of a power which is stronger and wiser than me. I cannot be reminded or jolted enough that history has proven time and again that running my life on my terms has always led to the same disastrous results and outcome; thus, the insanity of addiction. Today, I will consciously remember that I am dependent on a wiser and stronger power to guide me on a non-destructive course and that I am risking a slip or complete relapse if I forget that it hasn't worked my way. And our common journey continues. Step by step. - Chris M., 2013

Oct. 1, 2013 - Twenty-Four Hours a Day

Twenty-Four Hours a Day
Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013

AA Thought for the Day
AA will lose some of its effectiveness if I do not do my share. Where am I failing? Are there some things I do not feel like doing? Am I held back by self-consciousness or fear? Self-consciousness is a form of pride. It is a fear that something may happen to you. What happens to you is not very important. The impression you make on others does not depend so much on the kind of a job you do as on your sincerity and honesty of purpose.

Am I holding back because I am afraid of not making a good impression?

Meditation for the Day
Look to God for the true power that will make you effective. See no other wholly dependable supply of strength. That is the secret of a truly effective life. And you, in your turn, will be used to help many others find effectiveness. Whatever spiritual help you need, whatever spiritual help you desire for others, look to God. Seek that God's will be done in your life and seek that your will conforms to His. Failures come from depending too much on your own strength.

Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may feel that nothing good is too much for me if I look to God for help. I pray that I may be effective through His guidance.

Hazelden Foundation

Oct. 1, 2013 - A Day at a Time

A Day at a Time
Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013

Reflection for the Day
We can be surrounded by people and still feel lonely. We can be all by ourselves and still feel happy and content. What makes the difference? We feel lonely if we look to other people for something they really can't provide. No one else can give us peace of mind, an inner sense of acceptance, and serenity. And when we find ourselves alone, we needn't feel lonely. God is with us; His presence is like a warm shawl enfolding us. The more we're aware of ourselves as beloved by God, the more we're able to feel content and secure - whether we're with others or when alone.

Am I experiencing a sense of God and His love at all times and in all places?

Today I Pray
May I understand that we each have our own kind of loneliness - whether we are young and friendless, old and kept waiting by death, bereft, left, running away or just feeling out of it in a crowd. May my loneliness be eased a bit by the fact that loneliness is, indeed, a universal feeling that everyone knows first-hand - even though some lives seem more empty than others. May I - and all the lonely people - take comfort in the companionship of God.

Today I Will Remember
Shared loneliness is less lonely.

Hazelden Foundation

Oct. 1, 2013 - The Eye Opener

The Eye Opener
Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013

Somewhere we read that alcoholics made their own bedlam and then lied out of it. This has not been our experience. We made our own bedlam, it is true, but unfortunately we were usually stuck with it. Somehow we could never successfully lie out of it. Lying somehow always failed and on the few occasions when we did get by with one, we were forced to tax our feeble brains for the balance of our days to guard it and not expose ourselves. A liar must of necessity have a good memory, or he's sunk.

Hazelden Foundation

Oct. 1, 2013 - Today's Gift from Hazelden

Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013

Today's thought from Hazelden is:

THE EVOLVING RELATIONSHIP
.... open up to hope and new possibilities...

Some mornings we may awaken filled with thoughts of what is wrong in our lives. Perhaps we obsess about our failures or the limits of our relationships. If we let ourselves sink into self-loathing, we build a wall that separates us from those things that nurture us and give us joy.

When we awaken to the living and growing world, our spirits lift and open up to hope and new possibilities. Walking along an old sidewalk or across an abandoned parking lot, we see cracks in the concrete or asphalt and new green growth pushing through. Where there is enough soil to hold a seed, there is the possibility of a tree someday. The universe seizes opportunities for renewal that slip through the slightest opening. There is always hope for renewal in our relationships when we are willing to plant the seeds and feed them so they can grow.

Name an experience that has shown you the seeds for new growth.

From the book:

The More We Find In Each Other by Merle Fossum and Mavis Fossum

The More We Find in Each Other by Merle Fossum and Mavis Fossum. © 1992 by Hazelden Foundation