[bluidkiti]

November 15

Step by Step

” …(L)ife among Alcoholics Anonymous is more than attending gatherings and visiting hospitals. Cleaning up old scrapes, helping to settle family differences, explaining the disinherited son to his irate parents, lending money and securing jobs for each other, when justified – these are everyday occurrences. No one is too discredited or has sunk too low to be welcomed cordially – if he means business.” – Alcoholics Anonymous, 3rd Edition, 1976, Ch 11 (“A Vision For You”), p 161.

Today, I know through faith that I am not “too discredited” or ” too low” to begin recovery. But I have to “mean business.” What does this mean? That I absolutely must surrender in Step One that “(I) am powerless” over alcohol or any other addictive or compulsive substance and behavior, and then to Step Two where I must at least be open to the possibility of a power stronger and greater than myself. When I can say honestly that I have bowed to these two steps, I am “ready to take certain steps,” the ones that lead me beyond being dry to getting sober. Yet working the steps and going to meetings are not enough. “Cleaning up” the wreckage of my drinking days requires work beyond mouthing the words of the steps and going to meetings. My recovery takes work. I have no right to sobriety: I must earn it. And once I have received it, God granting, I will have the wisdom and knowledge to nurture it, and that means continued working of the steps, reassessing my program to change as I hopefully grow in my recovery and, just as important, being in service to those who need and want the lifeline of AA. And our common journey continues. Step by step. – Chris M.

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

EMOTIONS

All great discoveries are made by men whose feelings run ahead of their thinking.

~ C.H. Parkhurst ~

We spend our time wisely with our fellow members when we talk about our use of emotions. Much pain can be avoided if we learn early not to fear displaying feelings. We can make friends of our emotions, instead of treating them like enemies. Indeed, it is an old saying that emotions taught mankind to reason. We will always need energy to reach goals, and every emotion is a source of energy. None are static.

Power comes from our feelings. Only robots are emotionless. We need drive to direct dangerous emotions (like fear and anger) into useful channels and to keep the finer feeling of love and humility from becoming weaknesses by overdoing them. We should always choose positive emotions over negative ones.

I will be most productive in life when I learn that emotional stability is necessary, and that I can FEEL with my mind and THINK with my heart.

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

Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing the dawn will come.

~ Anne Lamott ~

Darkness is no stranger to any adult. Some of us know all too well how dark some nights can seem. Many of us in our darkest hours have even considered ending our lives. At those times we feel totally alone and don’t see any hope remaining. And yet we keep putting one foot in front of the other, feeling no hope except the hope that we will find hope. The small flickering light of stubborn hope continues to bum.

Even when we cannot see the light, dawn always comes. It doesn’t come when we want it to. It doesn’t arrive when we feel we deserve it. Dawn comes on its own time. What we are required to do is to keep showing up.

Today I will keep putting one foot in front of the other, knowing that darkness and light are part of the rhythm of life.

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

Life isn’t always that bowl full of cherries. It’s sometimes very difficult and painful and we don’t feel prepared for it.

~ Thelma Elliott ~

The loss of an intimate friend, the death of a spouse, the failure to get a promotion—each can devastate us, at least for a time. It’s really not possible to be emotionally prepared for many of the experiences we are destined to have. We can, however, grow accustomed to letting our Higher Power walk us through every situation. And as we grow in our acceptance of God’s presence, we will discover that no experience can fully devastate us again.

The blessing that is present through painful encounters is the awareness that we are never alone. God never forces us to walk through trouble by ourselves. No opportunity to grow will ever be devoid of God’s presence. God is here, now, awaiting our request for help. Asking will result in a wave of peacefulness followed by a sense of wellbeing that will not leave us as long as we keep our hearts open to God.

I will invite God to be with me throughout the day today. Knowing that God is present will make every experience easier to handle.

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

I do not want to be labeled

If I had symptoms of my psychiatric illness in public, I would not want people to think, "She's crazy." If I relapsed to my addiction in public, I would not want people to think, "She's a drunk" or "She's an addict."

I am a human being. I am a valuable person. And I experience symptoms of psychiatric illness and addiction. I want to be known by my essence and my potential, not by my no- fault illnesses.

I will write out a flash card that reads, "I am a valuable person in recovery from a dual disorder."

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

Habit is overcome by habit.

~ Thomas a Kempis ~

We have given up many things for the sake of our recovery. We gave up our drug of choice, our fear, our unhealthy lifestyle, our addicted friends. We are still giving up these things and more: our self-hate, our grandiosity, our manipulations, our resentments.

But we can’t do any of this without replacing what’s gone. This is what our recovery program is all about. We work to replace fear with honesty, resentment with forgiveness, manipulations with acceptance. We are working each day to completely remake our lives, bit by bit. We are replacing unhealthy habits with healthy ones. The difference between these habits now is that we are conscious of them, and we are fully aware of their power in our lives. When we worked alone and lived lives of avoidance and pain, our habits were deadly. These new habits become stronger each time we practice them, and our lives become more open to new growth and change. Now that we are no longer alone we have picked up another new habit — we are building a life of self- awareness and self-love.

Today let me practice gratitude for my new habits.

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

The Lion and the Mouse

A lion was taking a nap in the forest when a mouse began to run up and down the lion’s body. This awakened the lion, which caught the mouse and was going to eat it. But the little creature spoke. “I beg your pardon, great king of the forest,” it squeaked. “Please forgive me for waking you.

If you would spare my life I promise to return the favor one day.”

The lion let out a snicker. “How could you possibly save a creature as powerful as I? I find that hard to believe, but I am feeling gracious today.” So the lion freed the mouse.

Sometime later the lion was caught in a trap. The hunters wanted to impress the king with a live lion, so they tied the lion to a tree and set off to obtain a wagon. After the hunters had left, the mouse came upon the lion. It began to gnaw at the rope. When the lion was freed the mouse asked, “Did I not live up to my promise?”

The moral of the story: Little friends may prove to be great friends.

There are new friends you can make in recovery who can provide you with comfort and support and help you stay clean and sober.

I will appreciate the friends I make in the program.

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

Delegate freely . . . and check on it every chance you get.

~ Linda Johnson Rice ~

When we ask that something be done, do we let go and let the job get done, or do we worry it won't be done on time or how we want it? Part of learning to trust others is to learn when to let go and let other people handle something in their own way.

We can look back on today and remember requests we made. Perhaps we asked an employee for assistance, a child to do a project, or our partner to do something important. After we made the request, did we then let go or were we filled with worry and doubt about whether our request would be honored?

Tonight we can let go of our requests and trust all will be taken care of. If it is not, that doesn't mean we can never trust anyone again. It may mean our request was unreasonable or other circumstances intervened. It's okay if we make a request and don't get results that meet our expectations. Trust doesn't mean we will get what we want when we want it and how we want it. Trust means having enough faith to ask another—and to let it go.

Tonight I can let go of requests unhonored today.

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

Seeking spirituality

Spiritual growth is an urge and a quest. The urge comes from within, and the quest, which is an outward manifestation, comes from the urge. Our quest suffers considerably when we make mind-altering chemicals our Higher Power. The urge for spiritual growth is still within us, but we have either lost sight of or have yet to find our true purpose. Staying chained to our addiction only keeps us from a meaningful destiny.

For us the quest is our program. While the urge for spiritual growth is always an individual one, we are privileged to share the same quest in our fellowship.

Have I joined the common quest?

Higher Power, let my quest for spiritual growth be in keeping with my true purpose.

Today I will seek to fulfill my urge for spiritual growth by

God help me to stay clean and sober today!

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

If they try to rush me, I always say, "I've only got one other speed—and it's slower."

~ GLENN FORD ~

Newcomer

I've been working like a maniac, running around like a chicken with its head cut off. And I don't have that much to show for all this effort.

Sponsor

How is it that "slow" got to be a negative word? To me, it holds the possibility of safety, care, thoughtful reflection, and taking pleasure in details. Many things today are sup-posed to happen at breakneck speed. Fast food, electronic mail, and express flights encourage us to think that we're performing inadequately if we can't proceed at a faster pace than feels comfortable.

In the past, I'd sometimes try to get two days' work done in one, even staying awake all night to meet a deadline. While I sometimes met my goal for that twenty-four-hour period, I'd be exhausted and perhaps ill the next day. I'd lose an entire day catching up with myself. I'd have defeated my purpose of getting ahead and made errors of judgment in the process, too fatigued to see my mistakes.

We're not machines. We may have periods of seeming inactivity and periods of accelerated activity; growth often happens in spurts. But if we set out to be deliberate and consistent, whatever our pace, we will get things accomplished, and we won't burn ourselves out.

Today, I'm not in a race. I respect my body's signals about pacing.

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~ THE EYE OPENER ~

We alcoholics were accustomed to look at the world through whisky glasses and consequently what we saw of the world made it appear as one big case of D.T.'s.

Sobriety corrected our vision and the world took on a more ordered appearance. The world hadn't changed — our viewpoint had.

If the world still doesn't look good to you — probably you are still looking through your old glasses.

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

Countless Gifts of Love

Now thank we all our God,
With heart and hand and voices,
Who wondrous things has done,
In whom His world rejoices;
Who from our mother's arms
Has blessed us on our way
With countless gifts of love
And still is ours today.

O may this bounteous God,
Through all our life near us,
With ever joyful hearts
And blessed peace to cheer us,
Keep us in His grace,
And guide us when perplexed,
And free us from all ills
In this world and the next.

~ by Martin Rinkart ~

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

ON MINDING ONE'S BUSINESS

It would probably be safe to say that more than half of the evil in the world is due to well-meaning busybodies who just cannot refrain from interfering. Needless to say, such people never have harmony or success in their own lives, for it is an invariable rule that he who minds his neighbor's business, neglects his own.

To interfere mentally in any situation involves you in the consequences just as much as would a physical interference. Of course, where it is your duty to concern yourself in any matter, you must do so—constructively and spiritually—and then the consequences to you can only be good.

For every man shall bear his own burden (Galatians 6:5).

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

Firewalking

Feel the fear and do it anyway.

~ Dr. Susan Jeffers ~

Do you know the difference between courage and fearlessness? When you’re fearless, you’re not frightened by the task at hand, and you simply go ahead and do it. When you’re courageous, however, you feel afraid and walk ahead in spite of it.

In this world, courage is far more important than fearlessness. One of our missions in life is to discover what holds us back from being ourselves and dismantle our illusions.

If we do not face our fears, we cannot heal them. Someone who is not afraid of snakes may walk into a snake pit and impress everyone who sees him; such an act is of little value, though, as there is no risk, stretch, or growth; he is doing something that is easy for him. If, however, he harbors a fear of public speaking, he would accomplish more by joining Toast-masters than walking through a snake pit.

Fear is not real, for if it were, everyone would be afraid of the same things. The word real implies constancy if you’re afraid of spiders and I’m not, and if I fear enclosed spaces and you do not, we demonstrate that there is nothing inherently fear-inducing about spiders or closed spaces. The next time you face a fear, think of someone you know who is not afraid of that thing, and visualize the ease and peace with which they would handle that experience.

Make a list of your responses to the open-ended statement, “If I were not afraid, I would...” Include only those responses that you would make if fear were not a block. Then just do them. One by one, walk through your fears, and you will discover that none of them has any power whatsoever.

Help me to be bigger than fear. I can do all things with the strength You give me.

My nature is love and strength. I overcome all fear with the power of peace.