[bluidkiti]

November 3

Step by Step

“There is no more ‘aloneness,’ with that awful ache, so deep in the heart of every alcoholic that nothing, before, could ever reach it. That ache is gone and never need return again.
‘Now there is a sense of belonging, of being wanted and needed and loved. In return for a bottle and a hangover, we have been given the Keys of the Kingdom.” – Alcoholics Anonymous, 3rd Edition, 1976, “Personal Stories, Pioneers of AA,” Ch 12 (“The Keys of the Kingdom”), p 312.

Today, no minimizing or taking for granted that we have been given “the keys of the kingdom” by surrendering in Step One and then proceeding to the nuts and bolts of the Program. We also cannot take for granted that the keys given us won’t be taken away in a disastrous split second in which we cave into self-pity, anger, remorse or hopelessness and pick up the bottle again. If we do, perhaps the single most anguishing emotion of alcoholism – desperate loneliness – once again will engulf us and all that we have worked for thus far will lay in ruins. But, today, we need not cave into those temptations or our self-defeating character defects if we internalize the Steps and their principles, and they can and will get us through any situation and over any mountain of any height. Today, I will not trade my “keys to the kingdom” for “just one more.” And our common journey continues. Step by step. – Chris M.

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

FIXING OTHERS

Don't fix; be supportive.

~ Anonymous ~

If it was within our capacity to fix people's lives, we would have done so a long time ago with all our friends and relatives. We finally realized in our First Step how hopelessly mismatched we were for the job of fixing ourselves and the whole world. Most of us struggled for years to fix our own lives, but we couldn't. It was not until we admitted we were licked that we finally got the help we needed. By working the other Eleven Steps, we came to believe that a Power greater than we could fix what we couldn't.

Our role in life changes as a result of the Steps. We watch the way God might be moving in the life of a friend or loved one, and we aim to support God's handiwork. We watch the ways our sponsor offers support, always encouraging us to accept situations we cannot change, or getting back to change situations we can.

When I try to fix others, it doesn't work very well. All I can really do is be supportive in their efforts and focus on fixing myself.

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

Change and growth take place when a person has risked himself and dares to become involved with experimenting with his life.

~ Herbert Otto ~

On our path, we take the unique circumstances that life presents and seek ways to use them in positive ways. Our path is long, with many turns and bends that lead beyond what we can see in advance. The most cautious person might hold back from the unknown and try desperately to control the future. Risk-taking is an important ingredient in good mental health because it opens possibilities to us that the safest choices will never give us.

We have taken unwise risks in the past and now we are tempted, in recovery, to hold tightly to safety. But a balanced life calls us to take constructive risks. We might risk asking someone to be our sponsor, even when we don’t know how he will respond. We might risk letting ourselves fall more deeply in love than we have ever been before. We might risk telling a friend about a long-held secret, simply to let him know us better. We might risk applying for a job that will challenge us. There is room for us to try something, miss our mark, and still learn from the experience.

Today I will feel the thrill and excitement of taking a constructive risk.

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

I honor every woman who has strength enough to step out of the beaten path when she feels that her walk lies in another, strength enough to stand up and be laughed at, if necessary.

~ Harriet Hosmer ~

It’s never been easy for women to dare to be different. The messages that surround us seldom encourage us to pursue unconventional passions. Fortunately, we who are on this recovery journey get personal guidance from our Higher Power and our sponsors as we pursue the opportunities that beckon to us along new paths. We know, perhaps better than most, that we’ll be protected and directed each step of the way.

We have gathered to make this journey together. We have needed each other all along; now we have each other every step of the way. We will find the strength we need from one another. We will joyfully follow our passions and find the happiness we deserve.
I am on my way to fulfillment. Even when my path veers away from others, I’m in the company of my Higher Power and my friends.

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

I am beginning to see I need help

I used to wish everybody would just leave me alone about how much I was drinking or how I was acting. I thought Why should I get into treatment or go to Twelve Step meetings? I don't have a problem. And I don't like my friends for saying I do.

I was angry. I felt like running away I didn't like feeling rejected or being told what to do. But this was a little scary too. I had thoughts like, What if my friends are right after all? What if I do have a problem? What do I do then? I'm upset. This is confusing. I need to think about this some more. I still think this way sometimes. Now I know what I have to do.

Today I will call my sponsor or best friend and talk about what's going on with me.

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

Lay hold of today’s task, and you will not depend so much on tomorrow’s.

~ Seneca ~

Our only true home on this earth is our body, and, though we might have abused it in the past, it is still keeping us in this life. We can reward ourselves for a good day by taking a long bath, eating a healthy meal, or getting some exercise. Our body will pay us back with the glow of good feelings.

We have sometimes been sad or tense or angry and have not known how to rescue a day from disaster. Often the secret is held in the body itself. A walk in the park gives us time to reflect on our many gifts, and brings us fresh air and exercise. A nutritious meal helps restore our strength. In our recovery, we are learning to keep our balance, and that means including the body in our healing.

When we become aware of our physical selves, we can become more grateful for our second chance in life. Our bodies don’t demand much in return — only that when we are hungry, we eat, and when we are tired, we rest. Our eyes still see the beauty in the world, our ears still hear the wisdom of friends and fellows, and our arms still share hugs.

Today help me remember to treat my physical self with love.

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

When everything seems like an uphill struggle, just think of the view from the top.

~ Author unknown ~

One slogan you may often hear in recovery is “Easy does it.” You may even say it to yourself or to others, but what does it really mean?

At those times when you are feeling stressed or de-pressed, you may wonder, “How is it even possible to take things easy?” When you are going through a difficult time, feel angry, or are hurt by what someone has said, the last thing you may want to do is think “Easy does it." Instead, you may want to scream, cry, or crawl into a dark hole.

But “Easy does it” reminds you to think before you respond. It provides you with the opportunity to sit back, catch your breath, and reflect on what is really going on. You may find that the way in which you want to respond is an overreaction. You may discover you are taking things too personally or seriously. Or you may learn that you are striving to be overly responsible and have overbooked your day. “Easy does it” reminds you that you are only one person. You cannot do everything or be everything to everyone, but you are someone and you can do something.

I will use “Easy does it” to set limits that are right for me.

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

Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.

~ Theodore Roosevelt ~

Suppose we were walking down a street when someone came over to us and said, "I want you for our Olympic volleyball team." We may protest, saying we haven't had the training or haven't developed the skills or even allowed time for this to happen.

Yet we may treat the program as a different kind of example. We may jump right in and expect we'll grasp all the Steps and slogans, suddenly have a marvelous relationship with our Higher Power, and be ready to sponsor every fledgling that walks through the door.

We can't join the Olympics today, and we certainly can't expect to master the work of the program today either. Each takes a great deal of time to develop the necessary skills. Each requires a dedication and perseverance that strengthen us as we grow stronger and more confident. Each requires us to feel like we're part of a team, which can't happen unless we meet all the members of the team and work with them. Tonight we're doing the best we can, with what we have, right where we are in recovery.

Tonight I can participate as a member of an active recovery team, but I'm not ready yet to be the most valuable player. I need more time to work with myself and the team.

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

Expressing gratitude

Gratitude is more than just being thankful. The principle of gratitude is a moral responsibility. If we are truly grateful, we will help others achieve what we have achieved. Next is the priority of gratitude. As soon as we know that God has changed our lives, we must let nothing interfere with what we know to be right.

The propriety of gratitude shows us that our Higher Power is not a respecter of per-sons, and we deserve its grace as much as anyone else does. Then the purpose of our gratitude is not entirely for the benefit of the one blessed. The purpose is to shed light on the one who blessed us.

Do my actions reflect my gratitude?

Higher Power, help me always to remember to be grateful for what I have been blessed with and let me fully understand the magnitude of gratitude.

I will show my gratitude today by

God help me to stay clean and sober today!

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

After my morning's talk with God I go into my laboratory and begin to carry out His wishes for the day.

~ GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER ~

Newcomer

How do I know if I'm doing my Higher Power's will? Does my Higher Power really care what I do for a living, whom I associate with, what I eat for dinner? Or is praying for knowledge of my Higher Power's will for me just about morality?

Sponsor

Morality isn't the whole story, but it's part of it. Most of us have a good idea of what ethical behavior is. There are many guides for living, both religious and secular, but few of us need to rely on books for the answers. We know what's right or wrong by consulting our conscience.

It does matter what we do. You mention making choices about food and friends and work. These aren't trivial things; they're the stuff of our lives. Any choice can bring us closer to the truth or further from it, can lead us toward addiction or recovery. Prayer and meditation illuminate these choices. They help us to know ourselves.

My relationship with the Spirit comes from looking within. For me, Step Eleven is a reminder that I have the responsibility to bring my life into alignment with the deepest desires of my soul. Love, joy, gratitude—I've come to believe that these are necessities. My Higher Power's will for me includes nourishment for my spirit.

God's will for me is written in my inmost being. Today, I read it with ease and joy.

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~ THE EYE OPENER ~

Our philosophy of living does not reach as far as immortality—it concerns itself with living this life one day at a time.

We do feel, however, that if we live this day to the best of our ability, endeavoring each day to improve over the preceding day, then when the time comes for us to consider immortality, we will be in a very favorable position, to say the least.

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

Self-Seeking Slips Away

Today, God, help me remember not everything is about me. When I was using, thinking of myself was my whole existence. With abstinence, I began to practice understanding, humility, gratitude, caring, and sharing with others. By having faith in our Programs recovery Steps and their other-centeredness focus, I am reminded that I am a person who truly needs other people.

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

THEORETICAL CENTIPEDE

Do not dissect things too much. By the time you have dissected a living thing you have killed it, and you no longer have the thing that you began with. Take a rose out of the bowl, pull its petals apart, count them, weigh them, measure them, and then, while you will have certain interesting information, you no longer have a rose.

There is a place for analysis, but it is apt to be quite fatal in prayer and meditation. Do not dissect the love of God, but feel it. Do not dissect divine intelligence, but realize it. Do not wonder how God can possibly solve this problem, but just watch Him do it in His own way—and He will if you will give Him a chance.

You know that God is Love. So go ahead on that, and do not get theoretical about it.

Do you remember the old verse that says:

A centipede was happy quite,
Until a frog in fun
Said, "Pray, which leg comes after which?"
This raised her mind to such a pitch,
She lay distracted in the ditch,
Considering how to run.

The righteous shall be glad in the Lord, and shall trust in him; and all the upright in heart shall glory (Psalm 64:10).

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

A New Face in the Mirror

Behold, I make all things new.

~ Revelation 21:5 ~

A television news magazine reported on a group of cosmetic surgeons who are donating their services to women whose faces have been disfigured from battering and abuse. I was astounded to behold bruised, beaten, and scarred faces restored to smooth–ness and softness through skillful surgery. Even more amazing was the energetic transformation these women exuded when they looked in the mirror and for the first time in many years saw a countenance of beauty. Each of them laughed and shed tears of joy and appreciation; they never thought they would see a whole face again.

On some level, each of us has felt beaten or battered by the world. And on some level, each of us has feared to look in the mirror, terrified that the scars we see will remind us of the pain we have accepted or inflicted on ourselves.

Grace is available, and our life can be made new at any time. No matter how disfigured we appear or how grotesque we feel, we can become reformed and renewed. We do not have to see a cosmetic surgeon. The most skillful surgery takes place when we open our minds and hearts to become new and allow Spirit to shine through us.

Let me see a new face in the mirror. Let me open my eyes and heart to the beauty I have forgotten. Renew my life by renewing my mind and my vision.

I create a new life by thinking new thoughts. My life is changed because I am.