[bluidkiti]

February 27

Step by Step

Today, even if we are sober without meetings, consider the possibility that the quality of sobriety might be enhanced if we resume regular meeting attendance – and participation. In neglecting meetings even if I am practicing AA’s steps, I could be denying myself fresh perspectives that could lift me over some of the bumps on Sobriety Road. I also may be denying a newcomer or someone in relapse my own experience, strength and hope or anything else that might help them in their own journey. And if my lack of attendance at meetings is because of some rift within my home group, we have the freedom to “shop” for the meeting that we feel is best suited to our needs. But, in the end, neglecting meetings may well risk sobriety if for no other reason than I am not receiving someone else’s experience, strength and hope and I am not fully 12th-stepping by not sharing my own. Today, if I am only IN the Program, I will get WITH it. And our common journey continues. Step by step. – Chris M.

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~ EASY DOES IT ~ (A Book of Daily 12 Step Meditations) ~

THE TWELFTH PROMISE

(The Promises) will always materialize if we work for them.

~Big Book ~

Emotional growth and the fulfillment of the Promises are not gifts we receive without any effort on our part. We must earn the results by serious, dedicated work. The Steps are the tools we use to do that work.

We can think of progress as a partnership between us and our Higher Power. Directions are given and the Promises are made good to us when we follow those directions.

We must first develop complete open-mindedness before we can even start to work the necessary parts of our Program. We must develop an attitude of rigorous honesty. Finally we must rid ourselves of denial, deceit, taking shortcuts, holding on to old ideas, and being satisfied with half-measures. All this must be done before we ever taste the success of the Promises made to us.

My meditations bring me to the realization that I must always follow instructions in order to succeed in spiritual matters. God gives directions clearly. Unless I do the footwork, nothing will happen.

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~ WISDOM TO KNOW ~ (More Daily Meditations For Men) ~

You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don't try.

~ Beverly Sills ~

Anyone who has achieved great things has also faced failure. Learning how to deal with disappointment and loss is a first step in moving forward in life. We cannot live happily and well if we have not learned how to handle failure. Some of us were traumatized by terrible events in our past and reacted by seeking only security and control. Some of us were so ashamed and guilty about our out-of-control addiction and codependency that in recovery we have avoided all risk.

On the healing path we strive to be calm even though disappointment is possible. We can cope because our self-esteem doesn't have to be at risk. We can feel good about ourselves when we go up to bat and give our best swing, even if we strike out. We may have Cried to avoid losses by staying out of the game completely. But when we join the game and play our best, we feel better about ourselves; we enjoy life more and continue to grow. That is the only way we will find the joy of success.

Today I will step up to bat and give life my best swing.

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~ A WOMAN’S SPIRIT ~ (More Meditations For Women) ~

Solitude is my time to talk to myself. Without it
I get dull like a bird without a song.

~ Abby Warman ~

In solitude we rest and are rejuvenated. Solitude is a moment alone, with our Higher Power as our only companion. Why must we have solitude? Many of us came to this program having been isolated from others, for years perhaps. But being isolated and being alone with God are far different experiences. In our isolation, we often dwelled on the injustices we suffered. Over a drink, or many drinks, we wallowed in self-pity. That wasn't solitude. We weren't listening for the voice of our Higher Power. Now in our alone time, we can hear it.

Withdrawing from the bustle around us for a few moments with God will quickly enlighten us. We will save much valuable time when we follow the suggestions, the "feelings," we get from our visit with God in the quiet spaces of the day.

I will sing to God's tune today if I take time to listen for it. In my quiet time I will quiet my mind and listen to my heart.

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~ TODAY I WILL DO ONE THING ~ (Daily Readings for Awareness and Hope) ~

I am working on trust

When I read Step Three and think about turning my will and life over to the care of a higher power, I don't want to do it. Since it is hard for me to trust anyone at all, it doesn't make sense to trust something I can't see and haven't met. It is even harder when I recall friends I thought I could trust but who let me down.

And yet, even though I'm afraid to trust, I realize that I actually do it every day. What about that ride in my friend's car? I trusted her. What about that plane trip I took? I never saw the pilot, but I trusted him. And what about the ride in the taxi? (Never mind!) Or how did I know what was really in the medication I picked up from my pharmacist? Of course I didn't know. I just trusted her—like all the others—and it's worked!

I will write down the names of two people or things I don't trust these days, and then two people or things I do trust.

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~ BODY, MIND, AND SPIRIT ~ (Inspiration and Support for Recovery) ~

When I finally was able to "let go,” I felt like I had been given a life transplant.

~ Rita Cummings ~

“Stick like glue, stuck on you” once could have been the theme song for many of us when it came to our relationships. Fearing abandonment, we latched onto our loved ones for dear life. We were possessive and jealous. Unacquainted with our resources, we had no trust in our ability to be alone. So when problems arose we panicked. We cried, pleaded, controlled, schemed, smothered, even terrorized our loved ones for fear they would leave us. Sadly, we found that the more we manipulated and tried to control their behavior, the more they fought back, retreated, and moved away from us.

Caught in a vicious cycle of control, we finally lost all control. Then we began to learn, the hard way, that peace of mind and freedom are found only through letting go and letting others move toward or away from us at their own pace. Most important, we learned that we had much to learn about relationships. Our childhoods being what they were, we learned little about what it takes to make a healthy relationship.

The first and most loving step in this process is to detach from the problems of others. As we learn to let go, we find a serenity that transforms our lives.

Today let me let go. Help me understand that each person needs to work through his or her own problems.

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~ MORNING LIGHT ~ (Meditations to Begin Your Day) ~

You stay young as long as you can learn, acquire new habits and suffer contradiction.

~ Baroness Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach ~

Recovery can begin at any age. Your new way of living begins the moment you admit you have a problem and you make a commitment to a program of recovery.

Age presents no barriers to growth, unless you let it. An Irish proverb says, “Twenty years a child; twenty years running wild; twenty years a mature man—and after that, praying.” While growing older can take a physical toll on the body, age will not impact your determination. While growing older can impact your mental capabilities, age will not impact your ability to learn new things. While growing older can weaken your beliefs, age will not impact your ability to strengthen your spirituality.

The tools of recovery are as effective for the young as they are for those who are older. The Steps are accessible and can be climbed through perseverance and dedication. Your Higher Power listens as intently to the prayers of a child as to those of an adult. Your Higher Power provides guidance and is always there for you.

Today I will understand that recovery is a gift that provides me with new awareness and new potential. Recovery keeps me young in heart and hopeful for a better future.

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~ NIGHT LIGHT ~ (A Book Of Nighttime Meditations) ~

We fear to trust our wings. We plume and feather them, but dare not throw our weight upon them. We cling too often to the perch.

~ Charles B. Newcomb ~

Even before it has learned to fly, a baby bird is pushed from its nest. It will totter upon the ground, stubby wings outstretched from its body, following the guiding cries of its parents to flap its wings and take flight.

When we were young, our wings hadn't even developed before we began tottering through life. We may have received little direction about how to fly. As we grew, we may have built a nest and retreated within it, still not knowing how to fly.

Although our wings have not been used, we can still learn to fly. There are those who can teach us at meetings. They, too, have had to learn to fly after years of nest-sitting. It isn't easy at first. In fact, it may be quite painful and tiring. But by trying out our wings every day, they will grow stronger and more familiar to us. Our nest will always be there, but we won't have to visit it as often. We'll be too busy flying and testing our wings.

Tonight I can begin to learn the freedom of flight and trust my wings.

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~ DAY BY DAY ~ (Daily Meditations for Recovering Addicts) ~

Avoiding fights

The program encourages us to stop fighting against people and things. In fighting, our principles get blurred and it gets harder to think, so we have trouble doing what we know is right. In fighting, our center is any-where but with our Higher Power.

To reduce change, it is more effective to show people your way rather than beat them into submission. Fighting is one approach; there are others. God will show us how to handle all situations.

Have I stopped fighting?

Higher Power, help me learn new approaches to conflict and to trust in your help with new situations.

The one person or one thing I will stop fighting today is

God help me to stay clean and sober today!

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~ IF YOU WANT WHAT WE HAVE ~ (Sponsorship Meditations) ~

Who may regret what was, since it has made himself himself?

~ JOHN FREEMAN ~

Newcomer
I'm tormented when I think of all the time I wasted, the wrong decisions I made. I'll never get back the missed opportunities. I feel as if I've procrastinated my life away.

Sponsor

It took years to get here; why should everything clear up overnight? The willingness that you are bringing to your recovery right now is a precious asset. Give yourself some pats on the back for the new life you are living today. Re-covery challenges every former idea, habit, and value. Each time you say no to an addictive substance or behavior- each time you ask for help—you're building a new self.

In time, through taking the actions suggested by the Twelve Steps, you'll arrive at a place in which it will be less discouraging to look at the past. You'll begin to appreciate the strengths your past life has given you and see ways to clear the clogged channels. Meanwhile, here's a suggestion: make at least one of the meetings you go to regularly a Step meeting. It will familiarize you with the program and help you prepare to take the Steps when you're ready. In time, what seems impossible today will become possible.

I am grateful for this day, and for all the days that led me to it. I trust the process of recovery.

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~ THE EYE OPENER ~

We know from past experiences that we actually invited all our troubles to enter our lives. We left the door wide open for them. Getting sober does not necessarily mean we have closed all the doors, for some of us have only closed the front door and left the back door wide open.

The chances are that you are not only vulnerable through the door marked Alcohol. As you advance to the front, watch well both flanks and the rear.

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~ WALK SOFTLY AND CARRY A BIG BOOK ~ (Official & Unofficial Sloganeering From the 12 Step Programs) ~

1) If you are not grateful for your sobriety, you will not stay sober.

2) One is too many and more not enough.

3) If you don't take care of yourself, why should anyone else?

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~ The 12 STEP PRAYER BOOK ~ (A Collection of Favorite 12 Step Prayers and Inspirational Readings) ~

True Power

Take from me, Higher Power, my false pride and grandiosity, all my phoniness and self-importance, and help me find the courage that shows itself in gentleness, the wisdom that shows itself in simplicity, and the true power that shows itself in modesty and humility.

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~ AROUND THE YEAR WITH EMMET FOX ~ (A Book of Daily Readings) ~

CONSISTENT BUILDING

. . . be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind . . . (Romans 12:2)

This is Paul’s abmonition.

Many people understand this in principle, but they fail to demonstrate because they do not carry it out logically in practice. During prayer they carefully build up the new mental structure, but as soon as their time of prayer is over, instead of faithfully preserving that structure in tact they promptly knock it down again by negative thinking. Obviously, a bricklayer could work hard in this fashion year after year without ever accomplishing anything.

If you are failing to demonstrate, it is probably due to the same cause—building followed by wrecking. We are transformed by the renewing of our minds.

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~ A DEEP BREATH OF LIFE ~ (365 Daily Inspirations for Heart-Centered Living) ~

Thank You for Everything

The attitude of gratitude brings altitude.

~ Anonymous ~

In The Gospel According to Jesus, Stephen Mitchell adapts a marvelous Zen parable from Zenkei Shibayama’s A Flower Does Not Talk:

There lived a woman named Sono, whose devotion and purity of heart were respected far and wide. One day a fellow Buddhist, having made a long trip to see her, asked, “What can I do to put my heart at rest?”

Sono said, “Every morning and every evening, and whenever anything happens to you, keep on saying, ‘Thank you for everything. I have no complaint whatsoever.’ ”

The man did as he was instructed for a whole year, but his heart was still not at peace. He returned to Sono crestfallen. “I’ve said your prayer over and over, and yet nothing in my life has changed; I’m still the same selfish person as before. What should I do now? ”

Sono immediately said, “Thank you for everything. I have no complaint whatsoever. ” On hearing these words, the man was able to open his spiritual eye, and he returned home with a great joy.

Gratitude is the most powerful meditation of a lifetime. As you focus on gratitude, you will quickly find your way home to God. It is not the things that happen to us that make or break us; it is the way we think about them. It is possible to find something to be grateful for in every situation. The happiest people are those who practice thankfulness.

Appreciation is more of a gift to the giver than to the receiver. Those who constantly appreciate others prime the flow of love through their own hearts. Even if the recipient does not receive the gift, the giver is blessed by giving it. In real estate, when a property appreciates, its value increases. When we give appreciation, the value of our life increases.

Help me to give thanks. As I bless, I am blessed.

Thank you for everything. I have no complaint whatsoever.