Wednesday, November 4, 2015
Nov. 4, 2015 - Finding pride In being 'different'
Nov. 4, 2015 - After rejecting LGBT protections, move Super Bowl 2017 out of Houston
Nov. 4, 2015 - It's true: Taking care of oneself first has to be top priority
Nov. 4, 2015 - On men and the need to feel missed
Nov. 4, 2015 - Readings in Recovery: Today's Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation
Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2015
Today's thought from the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:
Angels Are Everywhere
I never believed in angels. Now I do. I think of angels as people who do nice things for us without expecting much in return. They give for the love of giving. They seek out opportunities to help, even when it seems inconvenient. They don't always look like we expect them to look or smell like we think they should. Their beliefs aren't always aligned with ours. But when we need them, they are there.
One of the first times I really understood their concept was when I drove to New York from Las Vegas in 1982. There I was, thrust into a big world I had never known except in geography schoolbooks. I was terrified but willing to make the drive. This cross-country trip was to become a metaphor for the bigger journey in my life.
Angels were everywhere. I met them in gas stations and rest stops, on the highway, in hotels, at restaurants, and at every meeting place I stopped along the way. From Flagstaff, Arizona to Albuquerque, New Mexico; from Joplin, Missouri to Chicago, Illinois and then on to New York. Their support was unfailing. Because of them, I got from one city to another. Because of them, I completed my journey. My job was simply to show up; they did the rest.
When was the last time you recognized an angel? Perhaps they let your car pass into the next lane without giving you a dirty look. Perhaps they offered to assist you when you were overloaded with bags. Perhaps they gave you their seat on the subway or the bus. Maybe they gave you a gift they knew you'd like. Perhaps they loaned you some money, bought clothes or toys for your kids when you couldn't, or just lent a helping hand in whatever way they could. Or maybe it was a friend who just stopped in the middle of a busy workday to take your call or meet with you for coffee or lunch. An angel can be someone you know or someone you meet in passing. Angels enhance your life, if even for a moment.
You're invited to recognize and acknowledge the angels in your life, people who have contributed to your life in big and small ways.
Angels Are Everywhere
I never believed in angels. Now I do. I think of angels as people who do nice things for us without expecting much in return. They give for the love of giving. They seek out opportunities to help, even when it seems inconvenient. They don't always look like we expect them to look or smell like we think they should. Their beliefs aren't always aligned with ours. But when we need them, they are there.
One of the first times I really understood their concept was when I drove to New York from Las Vegas in 1982. There I was, thrust into a big world I had never known except in geography schoolbooks. I was terrified but willing to make the drive. This cross-country trip was to become a metaphor for the bigger journey in my life.
Angels were everywhere. I met them in gas stations and rest stops, on the highway, in hotels, at restaurants, and at every meeting place I stopped along the way. From Flagstaff, Arizona to Albuquerque, New Mexico; from Joplin, Missouri to Chicago, Illinois and then on to New York. Their support was unfailing. Because of them, I got from one city to another. Because of them, I completed my journey. My job was simply to show up; they did the rest.
When was the last time you recognized an angel? Perhaps they let your car pass into the next lane without giving you a dirty look. Perhaps they offered to assist you when you were overloaded with bags. Perhaps they gave you their seat on the subway or the bus. Maybe they gave you a gift they knew you'd like. Perhaps they loaned you some money, bought clothes or toys for your kids when you couldn't, or just lent a helping hand in whatever way they could. Or maybe it was a friend who just stopped in the middle of a busy workday to take your call or meet with you for coffee or lunch. An angel can be someone you know or someone you meet in passing. Angels enhance your life, if even for a moment.
You're invited to recognize and acknowledge the angels in your life, people who have contributed to your life in big and small ways.
You are reading from the book:
52 Weeks of Esteemable Acts © 2005 by Francine Ward
Nov. 4, 2015 - Readings in Recovery: Step by Step
Step by Step
Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2015
Today, focus on making the faith I have been given as a gift of intelligence rather than an emotional one. As an alcoholic, my emotions are usually in excess - and anything in excess is risky, including faith if I ground it in emotion. By striving for an intelligent faith, I hope to remove the influence of my unsteady emotions on the faith I need - one in which I have unconditional trust in my Higher Power as opposed to one in which I let my feelings challenge His will. And with an intelligent faith rather than an emotional one, hopefully those things I cannot control can be more faithfully surrendered to my Higher Power and, as a result, hopefully I will take a step toward the goal of total faith, hope and charity. And our common journey continues. Step by step. - Chris M., 2015
Nov. 4, 2015 - Readings in Recovery: Twenty-Four Hours a Day
Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2015
AA Thought for the Day
I can do things that I never did before. Liquor took away my initiative and my ambition. I couldn't get up the steam to start anything. I let things slide. When I was drunk, I was too inert to even comb my hair. Now I can sit down and do something. I can write letters that need to be written. I can make telephone calls that should be made. I can work in my garden. I can pursue my hobbies. I have the urge to create something, that creative urge that was completely stifled by alcohol. I am free to achieve again.
Have I recovered my initiative?
Meditation for the Day
"In Thy presence is fullness of joy. At Thy right hand are pleasures forever." We cannot find true happiness by looking for it. Seeking pleasure does not bring happiness in the long run, only disillusionment. Do not seek to have this fullness of joy by seeking pleasure. It cannot be done that way. Happiness is a by-product of living the right kind of a life. True happiness comes as a result of living in all respects the way you believe God wants you to live, with regard to yourself and to other people.
Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may not always seek pleasure as a goal. I pray that I may be content with the happiness that comes when I do the right thing.
Hazelden Foundation
Nov. 4, 2015 - Readings in Recovery: A Day at a Time
Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2015
Reflection for the Day
We're taught in The Program that debate has no place in meditation. In a quiet place and time of our own choosing, we simply dwell on spiritual matters to the best of our capability, seeking only to experience and learn. We strive for a state of being which, hopefully, deepens our conscious contact with God. We pray not for things, but essentially for knowledge and power.
If you knew what God wanted you to do, you would be happy. You are doing what God wants you to do, so be happy.
Today I Pray
May I find my own best way to God, my own best technique of meditation - whether I use the oriental mantra, substitute the name of Jesus Christ, or just allow the spirit of God, as I understand Him, to settle into me and give me peace. By whatever means I discover my God, may I learn to know Him well and feel His presence - not only at these quiet times, but in everything I do.
Today I Will Remember
Meditation is opening myself to the spirit of God.
Hazelden Foundation
Nov. 4, 2015 - Readings in Recovery: The Eye Opener
Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2015
A large number of people come into AA antagonistic to Churches, yet most every recognizes the fact that Churches have a vital role to play in the development of civilization generally.
If religions are not what they ought to be, it is because we are not what we ought to be. The Church's failure is man's failure. Man is the culprit that relegated spirituality to second place behind creeds and dogmas.
Instead of Churches leading men, men are leading Churches.
Hazelden Foundation
Tuesday, November 3, 2015
Nov. 3, 2015 - Gay men need to start talking about sexual consent
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