Oct. 28, 2023 - Readings in Recovery: Today's Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation

 

Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023

Today’s Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:

Owning Who We Are

We learn how to tell the truth in recovery. That can mean figuring out how to tell really big truths about ourselves, which includes naming and owning who we are. Over the years, I have supported friends in recovery coming out (literally) and naming some really big truths about their sexuality and identity. It’s a beautiful thing to witness. I’ve been there for friends who faced and owned some hard truths about long-term relationships as well as changed their preferences for what they want to do for work.

Knowing what we want and what we like invites change, and in recovery we can accept those invitations. I have had a few major awakenings about preferences over the past few decades, but it’s the little things I speak up about these days that feed my sense of self. Not too long ago, I admitted to my partner that I don’t like pancakes, although I had eaten them most weekends for thirty years because he and our kids loved them. I longed for tradition, and pancakes felt like tradition. I’m getting to an age now where I just don’t have time to pretend to like things anymore. So pancakes are out. Oddly enough, waffles are still in.

Recovery helps us get at our likes and dislikes and shows us how to express them more clearly.

Hazelden Foundation

Oct. 28, 2023 - Readings in Recovery: Step by Step

 

Step by Step

Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023

Today, if I still hold onto emotions like resentment, anger, grief or bitterness and will not or cannot yet free myself from them, I at least will not take on other feelings that I cannot handle. Recovery is partly about getting rid of the garbage and self-defeatism acquired before and during my drinking days; it is not about acquiring more of the same. In refusing to take on any more, I at least will have something less to work through and, in fact, might be able to take on one feeling at a time. Today, my recovery will focus on getting rid of what needs to be gone and not on collecting more of what I do not need. All I need to remember is to “Let Go and Let God,” and not take back what I let go. And our common journey continues. Step by step. — Chris M., 2023

Oct. 28, 2023 - Readings in Recovery: Twenty-Four Hours a Day

 

Twenty-Four Hours a Day

Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023

AA Thought for the Day
What other rewards have come to me as a result of my new way of living? Each one of us can answer this question in many ways. My relationship with my husband or my wife is on an entirely new plane. The total selfishness is gone and more cooperation has taken its place. My home is a home again. Understanding has taken the place of misunderstanding, recriminations, bickering and resentment. A new companionship has developed which bodes well for the future. “There are homes where fires burn and there is bread, lamps are lit and prayers are said. Though people falter through the dark and nations grope, with God Himself back of these little homes, we still can hope.”

Have I come home?

Meditation for the Day
We can bow to God’s will in anticipation of the thing happening which will, in the long run, be the best for all concerned. It may not always seem the best thing at the present time, but we cannot see as far ahead as God can. We do not know how His plans are laid, we only need to believe that if we trust Him and accept whatever happens as His will in a spirit of faith, everything will work out for the best in the end.

Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may not ask to see the distant scene. I pray that one step may be enough for me.

Hazelden Foundation

Oct. 28, 2023 - Readings in Recovery: A Day at a Time

 

A Day at a Time

Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023

Reflection for the Day

“Pride, like a magnet, constantly points to one object, self; unlike the magnet, it has no attractive pole, but at all points repels.” – Colton

When the earliest members of The Program discovered just how spiritually prideful they could be, they admonished one another to avoid “instant sainthood.” That old-time warning could be taken as an alibi to excuse us from doing our best, but it’s really The Program’s way of warning against “prideful blindness” and the imaginary perfections we don’t possess.

Am I beginning to understand the difference between pride and humility?

Today I Pray

May God, who in His mercy has saved our lives, keep us from setting ourselves up as the saints and prophets of The Program. May we recognize the value of our experiences for others without getting smug about it. May we remember with humility and love the thousands of other “old hands” who are equally well-versed in its principles.

Today I Will Remember

I will avoid “instant sainthood.”

Hazelden Foundation

Oct. 28, 2023 - Readings in Recovery: The Eye Opener

 

The Eye Opener

Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023

Carrying your own troubles may be likened to a man trying to pick up a board that he is standing on. He has his own weight to contend with as well as the weight of the board.

It is much easier to carry the other man’s burdens for we are standing away from the problem. We can view the problem impersonally and thoughtfully. We can show him where he is standing in his own way, direct him to take hold of his end of the problem and allow us to lift the other end. The weight, distributed between the two of us, will become relatively easy to handle.

Hazelden Foundation

Oct. 28, 2023 – Rise ‘n shine and be glad in a beautiful Saturday and weekend

 

Good morning and how about a couple of cute little pussy kitties to get this beautiful Saturday off to a terrific start …do the day well and don’t empower anything and anyone to screw it up

Oct. 27, 2023 - Readings in Recovery: Today's Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation

 

Friday, Oct. 27, 2023

Today’s Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:

A man has made at least a start on discovering the meaning of human life when he plants shade trees under which he knows full well he will never sit.

— D. Elton Trueblood

Our lives are enriched by the contributions of those who lived before us. Many men and women gave more than they ever took from society, and now we enjoy the rewards. Some people were fired with a spirit to beautify the world and planted trees that will live for 200 years. Others wrote music that speaks to us from another generation, and others established a government that guides our principles of justice.

They gave so much because they knew they were a part of their community and the world. Most of us cannot make great contributions that will make us famous, but we enrich our lives when we contribute freely to improving our community. We do that when we simply say hello to our neighbor, when we serve on a cleanup committee for a local park, and when we do Twelfth Step work. We too have contributed to the world, and that gives us a feeling of peace and self-respect.

Today, I will appreciate all that comes freely to me from others, and I will give what I can to make the world a better place.

Hazelden Foundation

Oct. 27, 2023 - Readings in Recovery: Step by Step

 

Step by Step

Friday, Oct. 27, 2023

Today, understand that recovery gives us the freedom not to live within the confines of alcoholism and, instead, to live in the boundless possibilities of sobriety. As a recovering alcoholic, I know — or at least, I better know — what I cannot do and, in trying to work toward or maintaining sobriety, I may be fighting what I cannot do — drink responsibly. But in recovery, I am not confined by what I cannot do in alcoholism and any other “ism” and do not have to fight sobriety. As such, I need to understand the distinction between fighting not to drink and simply letting sobriety be. Today, I have the freedom to live not in the problem of alcoholism but to live in the solution of recovery. Today, I choose to live in the solution, not in the problem. And our common journey continues. Step by step. — Chris M., 2023

Oct. 27, 2023 - Readings in Recovery: Twenty-Four Hours a Day

 

Twenty-Four Hours a Day

Friday, Oct. 27, 2023

AA Thought for the Day
Seventh, I can help other alcoholics. I am of some use in the world. I have a purpose in my life. I am worth something at last. My life has a direction and a meaning. All that feeling of futility is gone. I can do something worthwhile. God has given me a new lease on life so that I can help other alcoholics. He has let me live through all the hazards of my alcoholic life to bring me at last to a place of real usefulness in the world. He has let me live for this. This is my opportunity and my destiny. I am worth something!

Will I give as much of my life as I can to AA?

Meditation for the Day
All of us have our own battle to win, the battle between the material view of life and the spiritual view. Something must guide our lives. Will it be wealth, pride, selfishness, greed or will it be faith, honesty, purity, unselfishness, love and service? Each one has a choice. We can choose good or evil. We cannot choose both. Are we going to keep striving until we win the battle? If we win the victory, we can believe that even God in His heaven will rejoice.

Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may choose the good and resist the evil. I pray that I will not be a loser in the battle for righteousness.

Hazelden Foundation

Oct. 27, 2023 - Readings in Recovery: A Day at a Time

 

A Day at a Time

Friday, Oct. 27, 2023

Reflection for the Day
The Program’s Fourth Step suggests that we make a fearless moral inventory of ourselves. For so many of us, especially newcomers, the task seems impossible. Each time we take pencil in hand and try to look inward, Pride says scoffingly,“You don’t have to bother to look.” And Fear cautions, “You’d better not look.” We find eventually that this sort of pride and fear are mere wisps of smoke, the cloudy strands from which were woven the mythology of our old ideas. When we push pride and fear aside and finally make a fearless inventory, we experience relief and a new sense of confidence beyond description.

Have I made an inventory? Have I shared its rewards so as to encourage others?

Today I Pray
May I not be stalled by my inhibitions when it comes to making a moral inventory of myself. May I not get to the Fourth Step and then screech to a stop because the task seems overwhelming. May I know that my inventory today, even though I try to make it “thorough” and honest, may not be as complete as it will be if I repeat it again, for the process of self-discovery goes on and on.

Today I Will Remember
Praise God for progress.

Hazelden Foundation

Oct. 27, 2023 - Readings in Recovery: The Eye Opener

 

The Eye Opener

Friday, Oct. 27, 2023

Gifts are usually given for favors already given or for favors expected. Even the sudden outburst of affection from friend-wife is frequently followed by a glowing description of a dress she saw downtown.

The gift of AA is one exception. We give AA away because it is the only way we can keep it ourselves.

Hazelden Foundation

Oct. 27, 2023 – Good morning with assurance that it’s going to be a fantastic Friday

 

Good morning with the guarantee that it’s going to be a fabulous day because it’s Friday, and Friday is always great …make it greater by ignoring people and things that don’t deserve our attention

Oct. 26, 2023 - Readings in Recovery: Today's Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation

 

Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023

Today’s Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:

Sin has many tools, but a lie is the handle that fits them all.

— Oliver Wendell Holmes

Lying, above anything else, brings us close to getting crazy again. Lying is what addicts do. In our addiction, our whole life was a lie.

Lying creates danger because it creates secrets. Secrets keep us from others. To stay sober, we need to stay close to people. We can’t make it on our own.

Lying creates danger because it creates shame. A lie, like a drink, may make us feel good for the moment. But in the long run, it creates shame.

Do we still lie to deal with the world? Why? There is no such thing as a small lie. Lies are like drinks — one leads to another.

Prayer for the Day

Higher Power, help me to live today free of lies.

Action for the Day

For the next twenty-four hours, I will tell no lies. If I do, I’ll go back and do Step Ten. I will remember that lies can lead to relapse.

Hazelden Foundation

Oct. 26, 2023 - Readings in Recovery: Step by Step

 

Step by Step

Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023

“Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.” – Step Seven

Today, caution against being too eager to release my shortcomings or character defects without first laying the bedrocks of Steps Four, Five and Six. I cannot be honest about my defects without first taking my moral inventory of Step Four and then giving them voice by acknowledging them to myself, the Higher Power of my understanding and to another person as suggested in Step Five. And I certainly cannot ask for those defects to be removed if I am not willing to let them go, as suggested in Step Six. It has been heard in meetings that some people hold onto defects because they are not ready to let them go. But if those defects are roadblocks to the quality of recovery I seek, I have to be willing to release them. Today, I can “humbly ask Him to remove my shortcomings,” but only after I have done the homework to let them go — and not take them back. And our common journey continues. Step by step. — Chris M., 2023

Oct. 26, 2023 - Readings in Recovery: Twenty-Four Hours a Day

 

Twenty-Four Hours a Day

Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023

AA Thought for the Day
Sixth, I have AA meetings to go to, thank God. Where would I go without them? Where would I be without them? Where would I find the sympathy, the understanding, the fellowship, the companionship? Nowhere else in the world. I have come home. I have found the place where I belong. I no longer wander alone over the face of the earth. I am at peace and at rest. What a great gift has been given me by AA! I do not deserve it. But it is nevertheless mine. I have a home at last. I am content.

Do I thank God every day for the AA fellowship?

Meditation for the Day
Walk all the way with another person and with God. Do not go part of the way and then stop. Do not push God so far into the background that He has no effect on your life. Walk all the way with Him. Make a good companion of God, by praying to Him often during the day. Do not let your contact with Him be broken for too long a period. Walk all the way with God and with other people, along the path of life, wherever it may lead you.

Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may walk in companionship with God along the way. I pray that I may keep my feet upon the path that leads upward.

Hazelden Foundation