Today's Thought - October
 

October 1

The possibilities for tomorrow are usually beyond our expectations.

~Anonymous

When it is a struggle to believe that we're hopeful, productive, and capable of caring for and loving others, we may have to pretend that we are all of these things. The program calls this acting as if. We can act as if we're hopeful; we can act as if we're productive; we can act as if we care. We may not have a long record of being all these things, and we may not even know how sometimes, but we don't have to. We have a promise that our Higher Power is caring for us and will help us do the things we can't do on our own.

Acting as if is hard work; it takes constant letting go. We may feel totally unqualified to live in reality and resentful that we have to. Our grandiosity whispers that reality is boring and beneath us. We are "special"; we don't have to follow the same rules other people do.

Consciously turning our wills and our lives over to God stills the addictive voice and focuses our energy on real life. We become part of life, rather than an adversary. And we feel the pleasure of our efforts.

If today is a day to act as if, I will accept it and do my best.

October 2

Slogans

Live easy but think first.

~Anonymous

"Live and let live," "Easy does it," "But for the grace of God," "Think, think, think," and "First things first" are the five slogans we most often hear and see on the walls of our meeting rooms. The first word of each of these five slogans also creates a popular slogan: "Live easy but think first."

Many newcomers hear that we begin recovery on the slogans and stay in recovery on the Twelve Steps. The slogans were developed for use in recovery from the experience of many others. They at first appear to us as too simple (and sometimes too corny) for our use. The slogans are anything but corny. We need to check if we are using them in our daily lives.

The slogans helped me when I first came in. I continue to use them to keep me on the program, but I also remember not to be a "slogan slinger" and ram them down everyone's throat.

Today's reading is from the book Easy Does It: A Book of Daily Twelve Step Meditations*

October 3

The only sense that is common in the long run, is the sense of change - and we all instinctively avoid it.

~E. B. White

The mysteries of life unravel like threads, moment by moment, every day of our life. Each thread offers us knowledge and opportunity that our Higher Power knows we’re ready to handle. During our life we'll experience at least a few dramatic changes at specific and meaningful junctures. These changes can deepen our understanding of our purpose.

It's pretty difficult to continue clinging to old ideas in the face of contrary new information. We may fight a change, even a small one, because our ego is invested in how it was. But within our Twelve Step fellowship, we're surrounded by people who exemplify the rewards of change. These men and women are grabbing the threads of new knowledge and special opportunities and weaving coats of many colors that will comfort them in the days ahead.

I will seize the threads of life today and trust in my Higher Power.

Today's reading is from the book In God's Care: Daily Meditations on Spirituality in Recovery*

October 4

I have discovered that while God would do for me what I could not do for myself, God would not do for me what I could do for myself.

~Mary Norton Gordon

There are some things God is always in charge of. One is outcomes. Another is the big picture encompassing our lives. Each experience is part of God's design for us. On occasion, we may feel there is little for us to do, since God will handle it all. However, the truth is, our participation is necessary. Every day we have many opportunities to thoughtfully put one foot in front of the other. How lovingly, how gently, how honestly and openly we move through our lives - all these things color the experiences God has planned for us.

We may sometimes find ourselves sitting back, waiting for God to take charge, or aggressively trying to force an outcome that belongs only to God. But we are learning. With time in the program, we begin to realize what is God's work and what is ours. Our sponsors, the women who share their experiences in meetings, prayer, and meditation enlighten us about how it works.

I am surrounded by women who can help me distinguish between my job and God's job today. My confusion won't trouble me for long.

Today's reading is from the book A Woman's Spirit: More meditations for Women*

October 5

Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.

~Albert Einstein

In following the healing way, we open ourselves to truths that can never be established as concrete facts. Some of us have always been comfortable with a spiritual outlook. But some of us were hurt by damaging or even abusive experiences in religious institutions and gave up on them as meaningless. Now we all come together on a path that takes a very wide view of spirituality while making spiritual ideas central.

It is reassuring to learn that one of the greatest scientists of all time had a firm respect for realities that could not be pointed to or quantified. He excelled in the practical, objective world of science, and he also knew about spiritual truth. Now we, too, are learning how our spiritual life creates miracles we could not bring about by the force of our will.

Today, I am grateful to be tuned in to those forces that are outside objective, concrete reality.

Today's reading is from the book Stepping Stones: More Daily Meditations for Men*

October 6

AA Thought for the Day

When new members come into my AA group, do I make a special effort to make them feel at home? Do I put myself out to listen to them, even if their ideas of AA are vague? Do I make it a habit to talk to all new members myself, or do I often leave that to someone else? I may not be able to help them, but then again it may be something that I might say that would put them on the right track. When I see any members sitting alone, do I put myself out to be nice to them, or do I stay among my own special group of friends and leave them out in the cold? Are all new AAs my responsibility?
Meditation for the Day

You have let go and surrendered to a Higher Power, and it has worked a miracle in your life. Sharing the message with others who share your same disease keeps you connected to your Higher Power, to AA, and to your sobriety. View your work within the fellowship in this light. Try to do your day's work the way you believe God wants you to do it, never shirking any responsibility and often going out of your way to be of service.
Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may serve well this fellowship that I have needed and that needs me. I pray that I may be willing to go out of my way to be of service.

Today's reading is from the book Twenty-Four Hours a Day: A Spiritual Resource with Practical Applications for Daily Life*

October 7

What we do upon some great occasion will probably depend on what we already are: and what we already are will be the result of previous years of self-discipline.

~H. P. Liddon

In the ninth inning of the baseball game with a tie score and the bases loaded, the batter hit a home run. The fans and the team cheered wildly, and the batter was jubilant.

What many fans did not know was that he had been playing on baseball teams for fifteen years. Many times he struggled without being noticed. He wondered if he was any good or not, and there were days he had to make himself go out and practice. He made many mistakes, but his love and dedication for the game had always won out.

It is the years of discipline that prepare us for our big moments in life. Daily practice and love give our lives a direction, even through times of doubt and despair. By doing our best each day and learning from our mistakes, we prepare ourselves for the big moments - the home runs - in our lives.

How are my mistakes and pains today a part of my future success?

Today's reading is from the book Today's Gift: Daily Meditations for Families*

October 8

May you live all the days of your life.

~Jonathan Swift

The truth is, life is hard. Accepting this fact will make life easier. Remember how well it worked in Step One? Once we admitted and accepted that we were powerless over alcohol and other drugs, we were given the power to recover. It works the same with life's problems.

We can spend a lot of energy trying to avoid life's hardships. But our program teaches us to use this same energy to solve our problems. Problems are chances to better ourselves and become more spiritual. We have a choice: we can either use our energy to avoid problems, or we can face them. When we stop wasting energy, we start to feel more sure of ourselves.
Prayer for the Day

Higher Power, life is to be lived, both the easy and the hard parts. Help me face and learn from it all.
Action for the Day

I'll work at not complaining about how hard life is. I'll take the same energy and use it to solve problems I may face.

Today's reading is from the book Keep it Simple: Daily Meditations for Twelve Step Beginnings and Renewal*

October 9

What I have wanted is consistency, ever since the day back in Wyncote when my mom and dad split. I have wanted to be liked. I have wanted to be loved. I have wanted to be in a family-type atmosphere.

~Reggie Jackson

How many of us gave ourselves away trying to fix painful childhood longings? We thought if we were good boys, good men, caretakers, we would have the love we wanted. Sadly, our remedies for childhood pain have often been childish solutions. Our need for security may have become a self-centered obsession and blocked our ability to hear our loved ones. We may have become so fervent about accepting others that we failed to stand up for ourselves, and we lost their respect.

Most of us reach adulthood with leftover pain no person could ever fix. We learn grown-up responses by accepting our load of pain and by asking others for help. Intimacy and companionship reduce the weight. We tell our friends about our burdens, and we learn what they are carrying. In the process, we grow in wisdom and maturity.

Today, I will remember I do not have to be alone with my pain.

Today's reading is from the book Touchstones: A Book of Daily Meditations for Men*

October 10

Taking a Me-Tour

My new friend Leena posted something in a WhatsApp chat a while ago that struck me as slightly brilliant. She was talking about being on her way home from one of our summer retreats, filled with ideas and lists of things that she needed to do, when she decided to take a "me-tour." Think detour, but more of a diversion for our soul. Leena found a spot to plant herself, took some time to sit by water, journaled a bit, and soaked up a beautiful sunset. It wasn't a huge detour - she did make her way home shortly thereafter - but she was filled up with both the regulating experience of the me-tour and the pride she felt for making herself a priority.

I think everybody should think about taking more me-tours. During our regular day-to-day lives, most of us are annoyed when we are forced to take a detour, but choosing to take a me-tour sounds totally replenishing. What might your me-tour look like?

We can switch up our routes to and from home or work, and in so doing find a little bit of time to feed our soul.

Today's reading is from the book She Recovers Every Day: Meditations for Women*

October 11

Slipping

A common rationalization about not making the program goes like this: Harry over there slipped ten times before he made it. So what if I slip a few times?

What is overlooked is that the last time Sophie slipped, she slipped into a coffin; the last time Bob slipped, his baby daughter died in her crib because of his negligence; the last time Ann slipped, she got strychnine poisoning and became blind; and the last time Jim slipped, he tried to kill his partner.

We're not playing games here. This is a matter of life and death.

Have I stopped slipping?

Higher Power, let me know that it is not only my life but the lives of others that I endanger by playing loaded games.

I will avoid slipping today by…

Today's reading is from the book Day by Day: Daily Meditations for Recovering Addicts*

October 12

Living by Design

I love AA. It saved my life. When I was in the military, I found I could go to meetings anyplace in the world - walk in and say, "Hi, my name is Mike, and I'm an alcoholic."

The program is designed for living, and if I live by that design, I live a good life. It works for me, because I want to be sober today more than I want to drink. And believe me, I wanted to drink every day.

The first ten years of my sobriety were in and out. I didn't drink, but I didn't surrender to God all the time. I came the closest I ever came to drinking again in 1994, when I was in a very sick relationship. Fortunately for me, I had friends in AA who dragged me aside and asked, "What the hell are you doing? Are you trying to get drunk? Because you're headed that way."

Thanks to them, I was able to end the toxic relationship and get back on the path to recovery where I belonged.

I will think of recovery as a verb - it is ongoing and fluid, something I practice every day.

~Mike F., U.S. Navy, 1959–1965/1972–1990

Today's reading is from the book Leave No One Behind: Daily meditations for Military Service Members and Veterans in Recovery*

October 13

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 my Higher Power, 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 Higher Power-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.

Today's reading is from the book A Day at a Time: Daily Reflections for Recovering People*

October 14

We can pray in whatever way we please.

Being willing to ask our Higher Power for help is the first step to getting it. And God has no expectations of how we pray. There isn't a wrong way. Chatting with God as we would a friend is as appropriate as kneeling in church or beside our bed. We'll be changed by our efforts regardless of our process.

We're developing many skills and new behaviors with the help of Al-Anon and other Twelve Step programs. Our lives are changing daily as a result. Some of our new program friends consider prayer the most important of all the tools we're getting acquainted with. It's certain that the more accustomed we are to relying on prayer, the more quickly we'll find calm in the midst of chaos.

Sponsors tell us to seek opportunities for prayer. If we need solutions to problems, prayer will help. If we feel anger or resentment against someone, praying for that person will help. If we want to feel better about ourselves, prayer will help. When prayer becomes habitual, we’ll discover our lives have really changed.

I feel calm and guided when I begin my day in conversation with God. Remembering that this friend will never desert me comforts me.

Today's reading is from the book A Life of My Own: Meditations on Hope and Acceptance*

October 15

I've had an unhappy life, thank God.

~Russell Baker

We are blessed with the awareness that our past suffering has served a purpose. What we once feared would destroy us has instead led us to understanding and caring, for both ourselves and others. Isolation and loneliness have been replaced by membership in a supportive community. Our experience, strength, and hope are of use to those whose life journeys resemble our own. Survival has given us the gifts of shared laughter and compassion and the courage to take risks and to continue on paths of growth and change.

Whether we've lost everything or have kept whatever luck bestowed on us, each of us has had to change. We've begun learning that we can be fully present in the moment; we no longer fear being alive and awake, as our consciousness of a Higher Power and a loving fellowship sustains us.

Today, I celebrate my strength. I have survived.

Today's reading is from the book Glad Day

October 16

Coping with Families

There are many paths to self-care with families. Some people choose to sever connections with family members for a period of time. Some people choose to stay connected with family members and learn different behaviors. Some disconnect for a time, then return slowly on a different basis.

There is no one or perfect way to deal with members of our family in recovery. It is up to each of us to choose a path that suits us and our needs at each point in time.

The idea that is new to us in recovery is that we can choose. We can set the boundaries we need to set with family members. We can choose a path that works for us, without guilt and obligation or undue influence from any source, including recovery professionals.

Our goal is to detach in love with family members. Our goal is to be able to take care of ourselves, love ourselves, and live healthy lives despite what family members do or don't do. We decide what boundaries or decisions are necessary to do this.

It's okay to say no to our families when that is what we want. It's okay to say yes to our families if that feels right. It's okay to call time-out and it's okay to go back as a different person.

God, help me choose the path that is right for me with family.

Today's reading is from the book The Language of Letting Go: Daily Meditations on Codependency*

October 17

For us, there is only the trying. The rest is not our business.

~T. S. Eliot

In nearly every endeavor of human existence, it is abundantly clear that achievement is only to be gained at the cost of conscious, consistent effort.

Successful business people put meticulous detail into the operation of their businesses. Marathon runners daily extend themselves while keeping close track of times, distances, and the subtle (or not-so-subtle) messages their bodies send them. Repeatedly, we have told our children some version of the truth, "If you are not willing to pay your dues, you cannot expect success." The same is true with the most important of all human achievements: personal growth.

Yet when we look at the decimated effects of growing up in a dysfunctional environment, more often than not what we demand are instant rewards with little effort. Let us remember the marathon runner out slogging through the miles. We must be willing to work if we are to win this most important of all events.

Knowing I'm not responsible for outcomes focuses energy on the footwork for which I am responsible.

Today's reading is from the book Days of Healing, Days of Joy: Daily Meditations for Adult Children*

October 18

When I am alone, I feel like a day-old glass of water.

~Diane Wakoski

Being alone can be like water without bubbles. It's a little flat. It's a little boring. If we're staying away from people to avoid conflicts, then we need to be especially careful. We can easily develop a bad case of "Stinking thinking" if we sit by ourselves too long.

That's why we don't go it alone for more than a day. It's good to touch base with other people for at least a few minutes every day. Human contact keeps the waters of life moving, fresh and sparkling. When we share what we are thinking and talk it over with others, it's like refilling with fresh water.
Prayer for the Day

Higher Power, keep me fresh by giving me an active life filled with good people.
Today's Action

Today I will think of one new idea I got by talking with someone else over the past twenty-four hours. I will keep my mind fresh today by listening and talking with others.

Today's reading is from the book God Grant Me: More Daily Meditations from the Authors of Keep It Simple*

October 19

Doubt is not a pleasant state but certainty is a ridiculous one.

~Voltaire

In recovery it is easy to become too sure of ourselves. We talk things over in the group, fix our boundaries, have a period of abstinence, and then think we can just experiment a little … just once … to prove we are still "in control."

Pride comes before a fall, indeed. And pride is often simply the certainty that we are always right. We become grandiose in our excessive sureness, and then we have slips that frighten us and threaten our recovery.

There is nothing wrong with a healthy dose of doubt. There are lots of things we're not sure of, and we can admit them honestly. Doubt can be a way of arriving at the truth and is a good antidote to overconfidence.

I see the danger of pride, and I am taking the steps to move ahead in my recovery.

Today's reading is from the book Answers in the Heart

October 20

Positive Outlook

Flying is largely a matter of having the right outlook.

~E.B. White

We may not make it if we don't have the outlook that success is within our reach if we practice the principles of our program. Nobody believed that it would ever be possible for man to fly. Then the Wright brothers proved that it could be done. What was said to be impossible was there to be achieved.

Naturalists have proved for centuries that the bumblebee technically can't fly. But the bumblebee doesn't know that, so it continues to amaze them by flying.

A positive outlook is necessary if we are to make our program fly. When we lose that positive outlook, we lose hope and crash. Optimism means letting go of worry about the future. The future is in the hands of our Higher Power, and there's no better place for it to be.

With a positive outlook, I can accomplish success in my recovery program. Without it, I'm going nowhere.

Today's reading is from the book Easy Does It: A Book of Daily Twelve Step Meditations*

October 21

Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.

~Marcus Tullius Cicero

Lack of gratitude is a sure sign we've forgotten how far we've come from where we were, and who's responsible. When we start feeling good, begin accomplishing things, and even find ourselves admired by others, we may think not only do we deserve this, we earned it. We think we’re hot stuff.

Well, sure we are. All of us are hot stuff. If we enjoy respectability, if we are an inspiration to others, if we're in a position of service, it's because God put us there. With our cooperation, and through the love of our friends in the program, God has changed our life. Now we have the opportunity, by sharing that love, to let God change others. Our gratitude acknowledges God's handiwork in all of this. It gives credit where it's due.

Today I am thankful for the progress I've made, and I'm grateful that I know who to thank.

Today's reading is from the book In God's Care: Daily Meditations on Spirituality in Recovery*

October 22

Time and again I have searched for you, not knowing that it was me I needed to find.

~Betty MacDonald

We may have spent many years looking for the partner who would complete our lives. We were certain that happiness was guaranteed when the search culminated in the perfect selection. How tragic it seems when we discover that happiness still eludes us. The search, coupled with the belief that someone else is our ticket to happiness, has led us down many dark alleys.

We are learning now that finding our true self offers us the wholeness we thought would come from our attachment to another person. The Steps will guide our self-discovery. Through the Steps, the meetings we attend, and the friends we make, we'll find our real self. Knowing her fully, accepting her completely, will fill the void we thought only another person could fill.

I will pay attention to who I am today. I will honor the whole of me. I know genuine happiness can be found only in this way.

Today's reading is from the book A Woman's Spirit: More meditations for Women*

October 23

Forgiveness ought to be like a canceled note, torn in two and burned up, so that it can never be shown against the man.

~Henry Ward Beecher

When we have been hurt or offended, we naturally have strong feelings about it. Sometimes we want to leap to forgiveness as a cover for our wounds because we fear the damage to the relationship. In that case, forgiveness comes too soon, before we even let ourselves know what we feel. More often, our ego has been bruised and, primitively, it wants revenge. But it is we who carry those angry feelings and nurse our negative inner world. And it is we who must find a way to live in a more positive state of mind.

Some of our angers and resentments may be decades old. No repayment can ever settle the account. Maybe we didn't get what we needed from our parents, or a former spouse treated us badly, or a co-worker or boss was unnecessarily harsh. We can lighten our burden by simply tearing up the unpaid debt. In a spiritual sense, we can leave the other guy's conscience to him and his maker. By declaring old debts forgiven, we are free to live in the present as happier, better men.

Today, I will strive to let go of old resentments so I can live more fully in the present.

Today's reading is from the book Stepping Stones: More Daily Meditations for Men*

October 24

AA Thought for the Day

How good a sponsor am I? When I bring new members to a meeting, do I feel that my responsibility has ended? Or do I make it my job to stay with them until they have either become good members of AA or have found another sponsor? If they don't show up for a meeting, do I say to myself: "Well they’ve had it put up to them, so if they don't want it, there’s nothing more I can do"? Or do I look them up and find out whether there is a reason for their absences or that they don't want AA? Do I go out of my way to find out if there is anything more I can do to help? Am I a good sponsor?
Meditation for the Day

"First be reconciled to your brother and then come and offer your gift to God." First I must get right with other people, and then I can get right with God. If I hold resentment against someone, which I find it very difficult to overcome, I should try to put something else constructive into my mind. I should pray for the one against whom I hold the resentment. I should put that person in God’s hands and let God show him or her the way to live. "If a man say 'I love God' and hateth his brother, he is a liar, for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?"
Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may see something good in every person, even one I dislike, and that I may let God develop the good in that person.

Today's reading is from the book Twenty-Four Hours a Day: A Spiritual Resource with Practical Applications for Daily Life*

October 25

Sometimes it takes a rainy day just to let you know, everything's gonna be alright.

~Cris Williamson

Rainy days let us slow down. We are busy people, driving ourselves to go places and get things done. But rain seems to slow life down, even in our hearts. And slowing down can show us the peace in our lives, the peace of knowing we have all we need right inside us. The pressures of the world can drop away for a time while we reflect.

As the rain soaks into the ground, its serenity enters our hearts. Leaves on trees begin to look more green. Plants and flowers are no longer thirsty. When we slow down, we can be comforted by what we have in our hearts, knowing everything is going to be all right.

What comfort can I find within myself right now?

Today's reading is from the book Today's Gift: Daily Meditations for Families*

October 26

There is no healing without forgiveness. I love the peace I feel with forgiveness.

~Helen Casey

The program is helping us understand that when we feel resentful or angry, we are hindering our own recovery as well as our Higher Power’s plan for us. We cannot receive God’s full message if we are trapped by our hateful feelings.

Why would we want to continue our agitation toward someone else, particularly when it means we can feel no peace? The answer lies in our struggle to be “right” in every situation. Being right rather than peaceful remains too important to us. But observing women who are serene will enlighten us about the possibilities for change the program promises. These possibilities can be ours if we change our attitude, develop the willingness to let go of past hurts, and live in a forgiving present.

It may sound difficult to live in a forgiving present, but it’s not. We make the decision and then ask God to help us. Our hearts will heal and our resentments will be gone. Peace can become our permanent companion.

Serenity is my goal today; forgiveness of others is the way I can achieve my goal.

Today's reading is from the book A Woman's Spirit: More meditations for Women*

October 27

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.

Today's reading is from the book Touchstones

October 28

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.

Today's reading is from the book She Recovers Every Day: Meditations for Women*

October 29

Making the stretch

Some of us come into the program and are gung ho for the first three to six weeks. We're like a quarter horse, good for the short run but not for the long stretch. After we come down from the high of winning our first run, reality and responsibility seep in and we step out, possibly even give up.

So something has to carry us through, and that is our Higher Power, providing we let it. Then, as time passes, we find we no longer feel the need to use drugs. Our Higher Power is what guides us through.

Am I good for the long stretch?

Higher Power, guide me with your loving light for the whole race.

Today I will improve my stamina by practicing …

Today's reading is from the book Day by Day: Daily Meditations for Recovering Addicts*

October 30

There Is More

My recovery was not a linear journey. I was first introduced to recovery in the late nineties, when I was active duty in the military. Almost two years ago, just before the pandemic, I got sick of waking up and not feeling happy. All I could think was, There has to be more to life than this. And drinking just wasn't it. It wasn't fun anymore.

To paraphrase a term I've heard in the rooms of AA, I got sick and tired of being sick and tired. There was an overwhelming feeling. There has to be more to life than this.

In time, I took the leap. I became willing to seek recovery for myself. Thankfully, this time around, I stuck with it.

There is more to life when we choose recovery.

~Jen O., U.S. Army, 1995–2019

Today's reading is from the book Leave No One Behind: Daily meditations for Military Service Members and Veterans in Recovery*

October 31

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 they wish, 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 my Higher Power'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.

Today's reading is from the book A Day at a Time: Daily Reflections for Recovering People*