[bluidkiti]

April 8

Step by Step

Today, absolute and unquestionable faith in a higher power that He will give me what I need when He, not I, decides when I should receive. I can reach into my yesterdays to cement my faith that, in my darkest days, I saw no hope but was delivered from active alcoholism and the damage to others. But it was only when I “admitted (I am) powerless” and “came to believe” that I began to emerge from the alcoholic fog and only when I reached the point when I was able to begin to live as an alcoholic in recovery. Today, sober, if I am anxious, angry, frustrated or resentful that I do not have what I think I deserve or need, let me be reminded that it was only when I was taken to the point of hopelessness that my higher power delivered me. And in recovery I’ve learned to be careful not to get what I wish for: I might get 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) ~

WISDOM

He who would distinguish the true from the false must have an adequate idea of what is true and false.

~ Spinoza~

Wisdom is really no more than common sense. It will help us make the right choices in our attitudes and behavior. That way we can continue our spiritual progress.

Sometimes, wisdom is simple willingness to accept with faith the things we don’t know from personal experience. We must receive, with an open mind, the messages of those who have lived through the problems we are facing for the first time.

We need to look for and listen to the wisdom in others. If we do, we will gain confidence in our own ability to tell the true from the false. We will begin to practice the principles of our recovery program in all parts of our lives.

Wisdom is earned. Wisdom is precious. The wise need simply to stand in silence for their wisdom to reveal itself. Let me learn wisdom.

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

To “be” means to be related.

~ Alfred Korzybski ~

In our using and codependent days, loneliness was ever-present. We could be with a crowd but we felt alienated and alone. Many of us grew up in families where no one really knew how to feel close. We often longed for a closer connection with our fathers. As adult men we learned to be self-sufficient, and we thought it was always superior to be able to do something without help. If we got help to accomplish something, it was somehow not quite as good as if we did it alone.

Now we are part of a fellowship with other men and women who know what it’s like to be where we have been; they are on the same journey. We may have very different lives in some ways, but we have our common goal: to become better people. The true basis for our humanity, the real fulfillment of our potential, is in relationship with others. We no longer have to be locked in our isolated world. Through our friendships and our spiritual path we are free to be ourselves.

Today I am grateful for my friends.

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

Silence should be used sparingly. But used, nonetheless.

~ Stephanie Ericsson ~

When we want to control another’s actions, being quiet is difficult. Our ego screams to take charge! When we bite our tongue instead, remembering the Serenity Prayer, we are spared an unnecessary confrontation. Occasionally quieting our mouth, if not our mind, promises big payoffs in our relationships with others.

Silence wears many guises, however. We have all experienced the punishing silent treatment from lovers or friends. And our attempts to engage others in conversation are occasionally met with a silence that confuses us. Another’s quietness may not be easily understood, but we must accept it.

Silence, particularly our own, is requisite to receiving guidance from our Higher Power. Being silent is often the most valuable action we can take.

I will consider being silent each time an opportunity to respond offers itself today. Doing the right thing may well mean doing and saying nothing.

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

I must stay free of all addictive substances

I remember when I finally could admit I had a dual disorder – but was still afraid to stop using alcohol and street drugs. It meant I would have to go through withdrawal. It meant I couldn’t manage my emotions the way I used to. Even though it was my choice, I felt defenceless and angry.

Fortunately, I remembered to call my psychiatrist and get some support. First, he reassured me that if I needed it, he would help me weather withdrawal. Then he said he would help me find a Twelve Step meeting where I felt comfortable. He emphasized that abstinence is so important to recovery from a dual disorder: if I didn’t stop using, I could relapse to my addiction and perhaps to my psychiatric disorder as well. If I used while taking medication, I could cause serious medical problems. His knowledge and care helped me to remain stable by getting sober and staying sober.

I will find a Twelve Step meeting to attend today.

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

Peace, peace is what I seek, and public calm;
Endless extinction of unhappy hates.

~ Matthew Arnold ~

Anger is healthy, telling us something’s wrong with our world. But hate is anger out of control. When we hate, we can’t think clearly. All our attention is focused on the feelings and needs of the moment. The “big picture” is forgotten. All our senses are turned inward to our most primitive feelings and the needs of the moment. We’re blind to the pain of others and deaf to the words of others. Our minds can’t work well; messages are going out, but none are coming in. Hate is a dangerous state of being for us; we’re likely to lash out and say or do things that hurt another person. Some of these things we’ll regret later, and grieve over. Hate hurts others, and it hurts us too.

With our recovery program, we can learn to avoid the frustration and feelings of impotence that bring on hate. Prayer and meditation help the most. Contacting our Higher Power can help cool the feelings and bring peace and serenity. With His help, hate doesn’t have to keep burning in us, endangering other people and our own recovery. We can vent our anger honestly when it is appropriate. With His help, we can find calm and serenity.

Today help me understand my feelings. Help me keep anger small and tame, and avoid the fires of hatred.

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

The happiness of the next twenty-four hours depends upon our ability, on waking, to pick it up.

~ Walter Benjamin ~

At times you may need to look back and reflect upon your actions and behaviors of the past, or look ahead so you can develop goals for the future. But the only place where you truly exist is in the here and now.

To fully appreciate each day, begin by having few expectations. While it is important to consider what you need to do at work or at home, and to plan ahead to fulfill certain projects or responsibilities, strive to be flexible about how you expect the day to go. This will help alleviate disappointment from unmet expectations and make you more open to new discoveries.

Start your day with a prayer—one of thankfulness for the day’s beauty, freshness, and promise. Do what needs to be done to prepare for your day. Then head out the door in a positive frame of mind. Take on the day as if it were your last on earth. Embrace it fully. Live it fully. What lies ahead of you is a gift for you to unwrap and enjoy.

I will begin the day with a positive attitude and with an openness to experience all that lies ahead.

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

Each one of us has walked through storm and fled the wolves along the road; but here the hearth is wide and warm, and for this shelter and this light accept, O Lord, our thanks tonight.

~ Sara Teasdale ~

We made it through another day. Sometimes we may feel relief at this statement, other times disappointment, still other times peace.

Tonight we can be grateful for this day. This doesn’t mean just giving thanks or recognition for getting something we wanted. Being grateful means recognizing all the events and the people who came our way. It means seeing through disappointments or pain in order to gain understanding of its meaning in our lives. It means trusting everything that happened was given by our Higher Power. We can trust there was a reason for it all.
Giving thanks begins now. We can replay today’s events like a tape – watching, listening, and feeling. And at the end of the tape, we can thank our Higher Power for our day, for the people in it, and for the knowledge and experience we gained.

Thank you, Higher Power, for this day. I trust everything in my life today was a gift from You.

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

Keeping it simple

Keep it simple. What seems complex in our minds may not be complex in reality. We may not really be in the mess we think we are in. Serenity is available today if we accept today as it is, setting aside both yesterday and tomorrow. If we do what we need to do today, we will be in harmony and at peace.

What we need to be doing “out there” is right here, right now; it is as close as our spouse, children, job, and fellows in recovery. Am I keeping it simple?

Higher Power, help me let go of everything that interferes with simply doing what I need to be doing right now.

I will simplify my life today by tending to what is mine to do, right here, right now by

God help me to stay clean and sober today!

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

Never take anything for granted.

~ BENJAMIN DISRAELI ~

Newcomer

What is a “dry drunk”?

Sponsor

This expression may have first sprung up in AA. It’s used to describe one of us who is abstaining from the use of alcohol but isn’t thinking or behaving in a way that is sober. If we’re full of self-will, if we constantly blame and rage at others, if we’re controlled by our fears and resentments, we are prob-ably “on a dry drunk.” This expression might also be used to describe those of us with addictions other than alcohol when our lives are not sober. Our addictions are a package deal: certain attitudes and behaviors come with the compulsion to numb ourselves with particular substances or acts.

A “dry drunk” sometimes focuses on others and their addictive problems. Gossip, blame, argument, manipulative behavior, obsessive worrying, neglect of responsibilities— these are some common “dry drunk” behaviors. We may not be abusing a substance, but our attitudes and behavior qualify us as “dry drunks.”

Today, my participation in this program helps me to maintain physical, mental, and spiritual recovery.

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~ THE EYE OPENER ~

Look back, my friend, on the interminable nights of sweating, shaking, pacing the floor, praying for the dawn, yet dreading what the day would ring. That stretch in the “can” when “every day was like a year, a year whose days were long.” Days that lasted a lifetime and nights that lasted an eternity.

Those days and nights are gone, through the Grace of God, and now there are not enough hours in each day, not enough nights in each week and the span of life seems insufficient to accomplish the goals we have set for ourselves.

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

1) Action Not Distraction

2) Forgiveness detoxifies.

3) You can’t be grateful and hateful at the same time because you can’t serve two masters.

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

Eighth Step Prayer

Higher Power, I ask Your help in making my list of all those I have harmed.
I will take responsibility for my mistakes, and be forgiving to others just as You are forgiving to me.
Grant me the willingness to begin my restitution.
This I pray.

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

THE TEMPLE OF SOLOMON

IVORY, APES, AND PEACOCKS

Then comes the ivory. This stands for undue attachment to a particular textbook, or a particular church or other organization. It is a mistaken loyalty. It is an unselfish error, but a deadly one. Any religious teacher or writer, however eminent any church or center, however much beloved, is still but a means to an end. The end itself is spiritual growth.

Recognize with gratitude all the help you receive from any source, but remember that your loyalty is due to God, through your own spiritual development. You must feel free at any time to go wherever you get the most help, irrespective of personal considerations.

The ape stands for bodily temptations such as sensuality, addiction to drink, drugs and so forth. These things are so obvious that the victim cannot deceive himself about them, so that at least he knows where he stands. They can, of course, be overcome by systematic prayer.

The peacock stands for vanity. Vanity may take the form of intellectual pride, or of a snobbish attitude, or the desire to stand in with what is fashionable and powerful. It also includes spiritual pride on the part of those who really are in Truth, and this is worse than any of the other forms.

But thou, O man f God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness (1 Timothy 6:11)

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

How Much Do You Want It?

Thy strength shall be according to the measure of thy desire.

~ Arab proverb ~

A young man came to a guru and asked him what he would need to do to become enlightened. The master took the student to a lake and pushed his head under water for a long time. Finally, the man became desperate for air and forced his way to the surface, shouting, “Are you trying to kill me?”

The guru calmly replied, “When you want God as much as you wanted air, you will find enlightenment.”

While this world seems to be a place of haphazard results, each of us is getting exactly what we are asking for at any given moment. If we truly want freedom, we shall find it, and if we’re not ready, so shall we remain bound.

If you seem stuck in any situation that is less than fulfilling, ask yourself if you are receiving any perceived benefits from staying where you are. While no one would reasonably choose illness, the subconscious perceives many hidden benefits: it gets us out of work, we get sympathy, we do not have to face the issues in our life that trouble us, we may be receiving some kind of monetary reward for our disability, and on and on. While no one would consciously admit to choosing illness, on some level we do.

Many people complain about their dysfunctional relationships, yet staying in them often seems to outweigh the benefits of leaving. One thing is for sure: The moment leaving becomes more attractive, staying will not have its way. We are free to choose, and we always are.
Place within my breast the burning desire for You alone: You are all I want, and You are all I shall have.

I am determined to have my dreams come true.