June 2, 2023 - Readings in Recovery: Today's Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation

 

Friday, June 2, 2023

Today’s Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:

The grace of God is courtesy.

— Hilaire Belloc

“When all else fails, courtesy will prevail” is a time-honored saying. And our daily experiences bear witness to its truth. It’s not a major decision to choose kindness in our actions, and there’s nothing very difficult about offering sincere attention to another’s conversation. And yet, the frequency with which so many of us dishonor people by rudeness, interruptions, and mean-spiritedness would suggest courtesy is indeed very elusive and difficult.

Our self-centeredness prevents our courteousness. We are often so concerned with how others are supposed to treat us, that we deprive ourselves of the joy of simply offering someone an unexpected kindness.

How fortunate we are that God doesn’t hold back comfort until we meet certain standards. And how fortunate that we can discover the rich rewards of acting according to God’s will by the smallest acts of kindness toward the people around us.

My courtesy will prevail today.

Hazelden Foundation

June 2, 2023 - Readings in Recovery: Step by Step

 

Step by Step
Friday, June 2, 2023

“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, do not take for granted the weight of Step Nine when considering to whom we must — and can — approach with amends. Some wrongs may never be made right, and there may be no recourse if making an amend 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 atonement, and our strongest action is to get and stay sober and continue to grow in recovery. When 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 recovery, we must stand on our own feet to give integrity to our amends. And our common journey continues. Step by step. — Chris M., 2023

June 2, 2023 - Readings in Recovery: Twenty-Four Hours a Day

 

Twenty-Four Hours a Day
Friday, June 2, 2023

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, 2023 - Readings in Recovery: A Day at a Time

 

A Day at a Time

Friday, June 2, 2023

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, 2023 - Readings in Recovery: The Eye Opener

 

The Eye Opener
Friday, June 2, 2023

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, 2023 – Good morning and, because it’s Friday, it’s going to be a great day

 

Good morning with confidence that today’s going to be a fantastical Friday and that we don’t need to be bothered by things and people who don’t deserve our time

June 1, 2023 - Readings in Recovery: Today's Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation

 

Thursday, June 1, 2023

Today’s Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:

Truth

Great is truth. Fire cannot burn it nor water drown it.

— Alexandre Dumas

The importance of truth is stressed often during our Twelve Step discussions. Truth is the foundation of all knowledge. It is the standard by which all our actions are judged. Truth can never be bought. There is no happy medium in truth. All things must be either true or false. Unless an activity begins with truth, it will be impossible to progress successfully. The advice “truth or silence” warns us of the possible harm from hurriedly made statements. Love and kindness must accompany truth even if we, as the giver or receiver, are pained by the truth.

Our program teaches us that truth can do no more than present things as they really exist.

For me to work my program successfully, I must always work from a foundation of truth.

Hazelden Foundation

June 1, 2023 - Readings in Recovery: Step by Step

 

Step by Step
Thursday, June 1, 2023

“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 spiritual aspect of recovery if the topic seems to push away rather than draw in the prospect. Should the prospect who is weary of spirituality subsequently embrace the Program and find recovery, the words “(Spiritual awareness) will change in time”  will ring true. 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 Program will lead them to their own understanding of a Higher Power. Today, if spirituality cannot be discussed with a potential member, let my behavior speak louder than my words. And our common journey continues. Step by step. — Chris M., 2023

June 1, 2023 - Readings in Recovery; Twenty-Four Hours a Day

 

Twenty-Four Hours a Day
Thursday, June 1, 2023

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, 2023 - Readings in Recovery: A Day at a Time

 

A Day at a Time
Thursday, June 1, 2023

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, 2023 - Readings in Recovery: The Eye Opener

 

The Eye Opener
Thursday, June 1, 2023

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, 2023 – Good morning to a gorgeous Thursday and new month

 

Good morning with enthusiasm for this fantastical Thursday and brand new month …make it a fabulous day and don’t empower anything and anyone to screw it up

May 31, 2023 - Readings in Recovery: Today's Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation

 

Wednesday, May 31, 2023

Today’s Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:

Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood.

— Marie Curie

Fear usually comes from ignorance, and it paralyzes usually only as long as we remain in the dark. For addicts, fear is often free-floating anxiety that overtakes us inexplicably and pushes us toward unaccountable actions.

Anxiety and fear have causes, and if we are brave enough we can explore them and put the bogeymen to rest. We can’t always do it alone, though, because we need to hear some reaction to our insights and hunches about where our fear comes from. We can often find our true selves in the shared struggles of another person or in the words given back to us as we tell others about our fears and hopes. Most of us have been alone too long with our feelings trapped inside.

We are striving toward understanding, however long and painful the journey may be. We need to remember as we go that we are accompanied by good and loyal companions. Every step we take can be a yard won back from fear as we become familiar with the new and uncharted territory.

I will think and speak my way out of ignorance and fear, accepting the companionship of others along the way.

Hazelden Foundation

May 31, 2023 - Readings in Recovery: Step by Step

 

Step by Step

Wednesday, May 31, 2023

“…(D)eep down in every man, woman and child is the fundamental idea of God. It may be obscured by calamity, by pomp, by worship of other things, but in some form or other it is there. For faith in a Power greater than ourselves, and miraculous demonstrations of that power in human lives, are facts as old as man himself.” — Alcoholics Anonymous, 3rd Edition, 1976, Ch 4 (“We Agnostics”), p 55.

Today, if I expect the Program to work for me, I must work with it, and I must knock down the wall that separates me from a Power greater than myself in my recovery. If I am struggling or even rejecting the possibility of such a Power, let me read and embrace these words and accept on blind faith the hope that somewhere inside me is a “fundamental idea of God.” He, God, need not be a religious entity but a spiritual one, and a “spiritual awakening,” even if it is a basic change in my psyche or character, is required if I am to achieve any kind of quality recovery. Today, I must put aside any resistance and open myself to the idea of a Power greater than myself so that I can earn the benefits of recovery. If alcohol is stronger than me, I have to believe that a force stronger than alcohol can restore me. And our common journey continues. Step by step. —  Chris M., 2023

May 31, 2023 - Readings in Recovery: Twenty-Four Hours a Day

 

Twenty-Four Hours a Day
Wednesday, May 31, 2023

AA Thought for the Day
I shall not wait to be drafted for service to AA. I shall volunteer. I shall be loyal in my attendance, generous in my giving, kind in my criticism, creative in my suggestions, loving in my attitudes. I shall give to AA my interest, my enthusiasm, my devotion and, most of all, myself.

Do I also accept this as my AA credo?

Meditation for the Day
Prayer is of many kinds but, of whatever kind, prayer is the linking up of the soul and mind to God. So, if prayer is only a glance of faith, a look or a word of love or just a feeling of confidence in the goodness and purpose in the universe, still the result of that prayer is added strength to meet all temptations and to overcome them. Even if no supplication is expressed, all the supply of strength that is necessary is secured because the soul, being linked and united to God, receives from Him all spiritual help needed. The soul, when in its human body, still needs the things belonging to its heavenly habitation.

Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may be taught how to pray. I pray that I may be linked through prayer to the mind and will of God.

Hazelden Foundation