Dec. 24, 2017 - Readings in Recovery: Step by Step

Step by Step
Sunday, Dec. 24, 2017 

Today, Christmas Eve, I have no need, desire or excuse to take part of the holiday's liquid cheer because I am here despite or in spite of it all, and my choice today is to retain or begin my sobriety. If I still have family and friends to be with this holiday season, I will not sabotage it by drinking. If I am alone, it is because I have allowed it and shut out the support of meeting houses, others in recovery or those who need help getting there. Today is not a day for selfishness, and I will not empower it with self-pity, anger, mourning and regret if they are what my drinking spawned. Instead, I will be grateful that I simply am and have the potential to sober up, grow in it and, in some way, regain what I might have lost and keep what I haven't. Today, I haven't got time for the bittersweet of the season, only the promise of the sweet. And our common journey continues. Step by step. - Chris M., 2017

Dec. 24, 2017 - Readings in Recovery: Twenty-Four Hours a Day

Twenty-Four Hours a Day
Sunday, Dec. 24, 2017

AA Thought for the Day
We have been given a new life just because we happened to become alcoholics. We certainly don't deserve the new life that has been given us. There is little in our past to warrant the life we have now. Many people live good lives from their youth on, not getting into serious trouble, being well adjusted to life, and yet they have not found all that we drunks have found. We had the good fortune to find Alcoholics Anonymous and with it a new life. We are among the lucky few in the world who have learned a new way to live.

Am I deeply grateful for the new life that I have learned in AA?

Meditation for the Day
A deep gratitude to the Higher Power for all the blessings which we have and which we don't deserve has come to us. We thank God and mean it. Then comes service to other people, out of gratitude for what we have received. This entails some sacrifice of ourselves and our own affairs. But we are glad to do it. Gratitude, service and then sacrifice are the steps that lead to good AA work. They open the door to a new life for us.

Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may gladly serve others out of deep gratitude for what I have received. I pray that I may keep a deep sense of obligation.

Hazelden Foundation

Dec. 24, 2017 - Readings in Recovery: A Day at a Time

A Day at a Time
Sunday, Dec. 24, 2017

Reflection for the Day
We came to The Program as supplicants, literally at the ends of our ropes. Sooner or later, by practicing the principles of the Twelve Steps, we discover within ourselves a very precious thing. We uncover something with which we can be comfortable in all places and situations. We gain strength and grow with the help of God as we understand Him, with the fellowship of The Program and by applying the Twelve Steps to our lives.

Can anyone take my new life from me?

Today I Pray
May my prayers of desperate supplication, which I brought to my Higher Power as a newcomer to The Program, change to a peaceful surrender to the will of God. Now that I have seen what can be done through the endless might of a Higher Power, may my gift to others be that strong conviction. I pray that those I love will have the faith to find their own spiritual experiences and the blessings of peace.

Today I Will Remember
Peace - inner and outer - is God's greatest blessing.

Hazelden Foundation

Dec. 24, 2017 - Readings in Recovery: The Eye Opener

The Eye Opener
Sunday, Dec. 24, 2017

Did you ever think upon forgiveness as a Christmas gift? In addition to its sacred application, the giving of gifts at Christmas is to bring happiness to someone and nothing can bring more happiness than forgiveness. It gives joy to both the giver and the receiver and must also bring a smile to the face of Him who said, "It is more blessed to give than to receive." It depletes your purse not one penny but adds materially to spiritual wealth.

Hazelden Foundation

Dec. 24, 2017 - Good Sunday morning and Christmas Eve with reaffirmed faith, hope, strength and gratitude

Dec. 23, 2017 - Readings in Recovery: Today's Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation

Saturday, Dec. 23, 2017

Today's thought from the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:

To him, it was not the gift that mattered, but the giver.
 -- Walter de La Mare

In our material world today, we often get off track. We forget that what we really need in our lives is love and close friendships. It's too easy to take our relationships for granted. It's also too easy to take our sobriety for granted - the big gift of another chance at life.

For Christians, today marks the birth of Christ, the child who came to bring love and forgiveness to all. Whether we are Christian or not, as recovering people, we know that love and forgiveness do open the gates to new life. When we live in the light of our Higher Power - whether we call that power Jesus, Yahweh, Muhammad, Buddha, or Creator - we find ourselves living that new life.

Let each of us, in the name of our own Higher Power; spend this day in celebration of the new life we have been given.

Prayer for the Day
Higher Power, thanks for delivering new light into my life and giving me another chance. Teach me to live in the light of love and forgiveness. What a gift.

Today's Action
What gifts of love and forgiveness can I deliver to others today? What can I give from my heart that will bring someone light and joy? A smile and a hug? A phone call? An afternoon of conversation and play? I will remember to contact my sponsor today.

You are reading from the book:

God Grant Me... by Anonymous

God Grant Me. . . © 2005 by Hazelden Foundation

Dec. 23, 2017 - Readings in Recovery: Step by Step

Step by Step
Saturday, Dec. 23, 2017 

Today, if all things out-live their purpose, useful or not, today I begin to discard what serves no use to me anymore. Today I have no use for the emotional and spiritual damage that probably was bred long before my alcoholism and reinforced by addiction. They serve no useful purpose and never did, and it's time to put an end to the damage they - and I - have done. Understanding that drinking for me is a choice and I alone am responsible to the consequences of that choice, those consequences have become so costly that I no longer want to be responsible to them. Because AA is here for the taking, it is my choice to grab it just as strongly as it is my choice to reject drinking and the cycle of abuse to myself and everyone around me. Today, enough is more than enough, and my choice is to go with sobriety. My first step: admitting I am powerless. And our common journey continues. Step by Step. - Chris M., 2017

Dec. 23, 2017 - Readings in Recovery: Twenty-Four Hours a Day

Twenty-Four Hours a Day
Saturday, Dec. 23, 2017

AA Thought for the Day
We have definitely left that dream world behind. It was only a sham. It was a world of our own making and it was not the real world. We are sorry for the past, yes, but we learned a lot from it. We can put it down to experience, valuable experience, as we see it now because it has given us the knowledge necessary to face the world as it really is. We had to become alcoholics in order to find the AA program. We would not have got it any other way. In a way, it was worth it.
Do I look at my past as valuable experience?
Meditation for the Day
Shed peace, not discord, wherever you go. Try to be part of the cure of every situation, not part of the problem. Try to ignore evil, rather than to actively combat it. Always try to build up, never to tear down. Show others by your example that happiness comes from living the right way. The power of your example is greater than the power of what you say.

Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may try to bring something good into every situation today. I pray that I may be constructive in the way I think and speak and act today.

Hazelden Foundation

Dec. 23, 2017 - Readings in Recovery: A Day at a Time

A Day at a Time
Saturday, Dec. 23, 2017

Reflection for the Day
How can I tell if I have had a spiritual awakening? For many of us in The Program, a spiritual awakening manifests itself in simple rather than complicated evidences: emotional maturity; an end to constant and soul-churning resentments; the ability to love and be loved in return; the belief, even without understanding, that something lets the sun rise and set, brings forth and ends life, and gives joy to human hearts.

Am I now able to do, feel and believe that which I could not previously do through my own unaided strength and resources alone?

Today I Pray
May my spiritual confidence begin to spread over my attitudes toward others - especially during holiday times, when anticipations and anxieties are high. As an addictive person, I have not handled holidays well - greeting those who gather at home, missing those who are not here. I pray for serenity to cope with the holiday brew of emotions.

Today I Will Remember
Spirit without "spirits." Cheer without "cheer."

Hazelden Foundation

Dec. 23, 2017 - Readings in Recovery: The Eye Opener

The Eye Opener
Saturday, Dec. 23, 2017

Every kind of deed, every noble act pays off double. You get your first pay-off the instant you do it provided, however, that you did not perform the act just for the pay-off. It will give you a bang that a shot or a goof-ball can't approach.

The second pay-off comes later on, for no human action is exempt from repercussions. The world must eventually react to any act, good or bad, and the bread you cast upon the waters will be returned to you on some later tide.

Hazelden Foundation

Dec. 23, 2017 - Welcome to a super Saturday with renewed faith, hope, strength and gratitude

Dec. 22, 2017 - Readings in Recovery: Today's Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation

Friday, Dec. 22, 2017

Today's thought from the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:

Acceptance

When we have given our lives back to our Higher Power, we gradually learn to accept what happens to us as part of the plan. Most of us made a mess of trying to run our own lives. We are amazed at how much better things go when we acknowledge that the Power greater than ourselves is in control.

Every experience, the bad one as well as the good one, becomes an opportunity to learn and to serve. We may not like what it is that we are given to do or to feel on a particular day, but we learn to accept it as necessary for our growth. We can look back and see that we have learned even more from our failures than from our successes.

When we accept our lives and ourselves as part of God's creation, we are open to the work of God's spirit and love. Then positive change and growth become possible.

Teach me to accept Your will.

You are reading from the book:

Food for Thought by Elisabeth L.

Food for Thought by Elisabeth L. © 1980, 1992 by Hazelden Foundation

Dec. 22, 2017 - Readings in Recovery: Step by Step

Step by Step
Friday, Dec. 22, 2017 

Today, the uncertainty of the darkness of endless night eventually gives way to the promise of daylight and, today, I begin to emerge from the darkness with the affirmation that I need - I am worthy of something better. No more nightly binges into alcoholic oblivion that fuel the regrets, remorse and self-pity the morning after, and no more wallowing in anguish that is little more than my pathetic rationalization that I have to drink. My mistakes have been many and great, the pain I inflicted on others and myself deep and perhaps not able to be healed, and the lies too many and too great that, now, not even I can believe them. The darkness of uncertainty of my nights has finally given way to daylight and, today, someone has thrown me the lifeline of AA. If I can go on blind faith alone that I am worthy, I can grab the lifeline. Today, I will. And our common journey continues. Step by step. - Chris M., 2017

Dec. 22, 2017 - Readings in Recovery: Twenty-Four Hours a Day

Twenty-Four Hours a Day
Friday, Dec. 22, 2017

AA Thought for the Day
As we look back over our drinking careers, we must realize that our lives were a mess because we were a mess inside. The trouble was in us, not in life itself. Life itself was good enough, but we were looking at it the wrong way. We were looking at life through the bottom of a whiskey glass, and it was distorted. We could not see all the beauty and goodness and purpose in the world because our vision was blurred. We were in a house with one-way glass in the windows. People could see us, but we could not look out and see them and see what life meant to them and see what life should mean to us. We were blind then, but now we can see.

Can I now look at life as it really is?

Meditation for the Day
Fear no evil, because the power of God can conquer evil. Evil has power to seriously hurt only those who do not place themselves under the protection of the Higher Power. This is not a question of feeling; it is an assured fact of our experience. Say to yourself with assurance that whatever it is, no evil can seriously harm you as long as you depend on the Higher Power. Be sure of the protection of God's grace.

Prayer for the Day
I pray that fear of evil will not get me down. I pray that I may try to place myself today under the protection of God's grace.

Hazelden Foundation

Dec. 22, 2017 - Readings in Recovery: A Day at a Time

A Day at a Time
Friday, Dec. 22, 2017

Reflection for the Day
Through our own experiences and the experiences of others in The Program, we see that a spiritual awakening is in reality a gift - a gift which in essence is a new state of consciousness and being. It means that I'm now on a road which really leads somewhere; it means that life is really worth living, rather than something to be endured. It means that I have been transformed in the sense that I have undergone a basic personality change - and that I possess a source of strength, which I had so long denied myself.

Do I believe that none come too soon to The Program - and that none return too late?

Today I Pray
I pray that I may attain that state of consciousness which transcends my everyday reality - but is also a part of it. May I no longer question the existence of God because I have touched His Being. For us who are recovering from addictions, the words reborn in the Spirit have a special, precious meaning. May I be wholly grateful to a Higher Power for leading me to a spiritual rebirth.

Today I Will Remember
Renaissance through my Higher Power.
Hazelden Foundation