[bluidkiti]

April 27

Step by Step

Today, character defects of frustration and impatience as they relate to relationships and communications. As a drinking alcoholic, frustration and impatience walked hand-in-hand when it came to dealing with others: frustration with impatience of people who did not react how and when I expected. As a recovering alcoholic, frustration and impatience still walk hand-in-hand in dealing with others. Clearly, little change. Also clearly, abstaining from the bottle isn't all that recovery requires. A fundamental change in character and emotions is needed. If I overreact when people do not respond when and how I think they should, maybe I am the problem. Today, I work consciously and conscientiously on my defects of frustration and impatience by considering the possibility that someone other than myself might have a better idea. And our common journey continues. Step by step. - Chris M., 2016

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

HOPE

Even now I am full of hope, but the end lies in God.

~ Pindar ~

There are many gifts for us in recovery, but no gift is as wonderful as hope. Before we took our First and Second Steps, hope was nothing more than a dream. We hoped for experiences we shouldn’t have. All our hoping did was drive a wedge between ourselves and the real world. Our steps have helped us see that when we stray from the real world, we stray from our Higher Power.

Each Step draws us closer to claiming the Promises available to everyone in recovery. If what we hope for is the will of our Higher Power, it will happen. When we hope for a life in recovery, our hope becomes the will of our Higher Power. Then we receive exactly what we need when we need it.

The hope I have is knowing that my Higher Power will do for me what I couldn’t do for myself.

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

Dream as if you’ll live forever. Live as if you’ll die tomorrow.

~ James Dean ~

To live as if we will die tomorrow means to feel very alive right now. It means to be spiritually alert in the present moment with an open heart and full awareness of our experience. To dream as if we will live forever means we hold a vision and a sense of values that act as a compass on our path, directing our daily choices.

We know how it felt to be lost or trapped and already half dead. That was before our rebirth in recovery. One of life’s paradoxes is that when we accept our ultimate powerlessness of death, we are freed to live life at its fullest. This is not the path that most adults follow. It is easy to lapse into a less alive, less spiritually alert style. But on our healing journey, we cannot afford that.

Today I am grateful for this day and this moment of life.

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

At times fear grips me and I can concentrate only on the anxiety. Then I realize I am in God’s care and I need only trust and the fear subsides.

~ Michele Fedderly ~

Remembering God in the midst of a fearful situation is often extremely difficult and at times impossible. But when we can bring God to the forefront of our minds, we sense immediate relief. Practicing reliance on our Higher Power will strengthen our use of this profoundly powerful tool. Our fears will be much more manageable when the use of this tool becomes second nature to us.

As we grow in our understanding of this program, we can look at fearful moments as opportunities to get closer to our Higher Power. Many of us came into recovery with little understanding of a loving God. More than a few of us felt betrayed by God. We may still be like babies learning to walk. But our walk will grow confident. With time and practice we will join the women who turn to God for guidance throughout their day. And as a result, we will know peace.

I will let God help me in every situation today. If I ask for help, I will get it. This is God’s promise.

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

I can expect to feel some ups and downs

I thought that once I got straight and once my medication took effect I’d be OK. I do feel better, but I still have some hard days that I didn’t expect. They scare me−they remind me of how much I struggled with my addiction and emotional problems before I sought help. Sometimes I feel like I’m right back at the bottom.

And yet, after the wave of fear diminishes, I remember that I am now on the right path and I am not alone. I need to keep in mind that since my dual disorder developed over time, it may take some time to cope with it. It is not a simple problem.

I will ask my higher power for strength and patience to help me stay balance.

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

He who has a thousand friends has not a friend to spare.

~ Ai Ibn-Abu-Talib ~

When we entered recovery, we had buddies we drank or used with and people we hung out with, but often no one we could really call a friend. For a long time, we hadn’t been “friend material.” Too poor in body, mind, and spirit to be generous, we weren’t even a friend to ourselves; how could we be a friend to someone else? Finally, we just gave up on having friends. Our attitude became, “Who needs them anyway?”

Then we began to recover and one day realized we had friends. Good friends. Friends worth loving. And the most amazing thing of all: they loved us too. We could have a friend. We could be a friend. No longer unreliable and ungenerous, we could give of ourselves. No longer needing to buy another’s love, we can accept love from others. No longer suspicious about other people’s motives, we can accept friendship.

In learning to love ourselves and others, we began to accept that other people could love us, too. Now we can trust ourselves to be good to our friends. With a growing circle of people to choose from, we can risk being ourselves, knowing that whatever happens, we can handle it. What a wonderful feeling of security and confidence we have now that we’ve found friends.

Today help me appreciate my friends, and help me be a good friend to others.

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

Love doesn’t just sit there, like a stone, it has to be made, like bread; re-made all the time, made new.

~ Ursula K. Le Guin ~

Most people consider love as a word that describes romantic feelings or those of a sexual nature. But love is the opposite of hate and, in that context, can be thought of as an emotion that replaces feelings of animosity. It is an emotion that can sometimes be refashioned in situations where it can be helpful. With this definition in mind, think how different your life would be if you could see the positive in every challenge, if you loved everyone and everything in it.

Consider that when you feel hatred for something or someone, it affects your entire emotional outlook. It is hard, for example, to hate your job and have a positive attitude in other areas of your life. But if you reframe this hate with love, you lessen negative feelings and keep negativity from spilling over into other areas of your life.

While you may really hate your job, by thinking about loving it you can consider things about the job that are positive and, in so doing, change your outlook about the job—and in other areas of your life.

Today I will replace hate with love so I can let in positive rather than negative feelings.

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

Everyone needs optimism. If you don't get it inside you get it outside.

~ Dr. Denis Waitley ~

What made us feel optimistic in the past? Perhaps our use of drink, drug, food, or relationship helped us feel optimistic. Perhaps another person's behavior made us feel optimistic. But these feelings probably didn't last long because they were based on persons, places, or things outside of us. As soon as those things changed, so did our feelings.

Today we're learning who we are and what it's like to feel. We're learning to appreciate solitude and our own company. We're learning that feelings come from within. But how can we feel optimism from within us? How can we cultivate feelings of hope?

We can look at how different we are than when we first came into the program. We can also gain optimism by looking at the changes in those around us. Observing abstinence, behavioral changes, and fewer mood shifts are sure signs that the program works. Optimism can grow within us by seeing and hearing growth in ourselves and others.

Can I feel optimism about my growth? Can I see positive changes made by others in the program too?

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

Developing ourselves

We must realize in our hearts that we are be-coming better people. We do this by using our highest standards and making our best efforts. We do this, in part, by turning our lives over to God, who will guide us if we sincerely ask.

As we develop, we find we’re offering much more to life than just avoiding mood- altering drugs. We are coming to love others and to help them by thinking, feeling, and behaving maturely in all situations.

Am I developing into a better person?

Higher Power, help me realize that my new life is not just about changing my past but about developing my future as well.

Today I will work on developing myself by

God help me to stay clean and sober today!

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

Do we not find freedom along the guiding lines of discipline?

~ JONATHAN SWIFT ~

Newcomer

What does it mean when someone says, “I’m going to do a Fourth Step on this”? I thought Step Four was a thorough history of where my using took me. Do I have to write it again whenever a problem comes up?

Sponsor

Many people who are “searching and fearless” in taking the Fourth Step never feel the need to take another one. Others decide later in recovery to take another Fourth Step in light of what they’ve learned about themselves. It’s a matter of personal preference and need. Step Ten suggests a way to keep the inventory process up to date by making a daily or on-the-spot review of our motives and actions.

We can learn from our experience of Step Four how to approach a specific problem in recovery. When people say, “I’m going to do a Fourth Step on it,” they usually mean that they will go back to the method of Step Four and do some writing about a current problem, taking a close and thorough look at their motives and behavior. This is an example of what’s meant by the phrase (from Step Twelve) “practicing these principles in all our affairs.”

Today, I trust that the Twelve Steps can shed light on whatever situations or problems arise in my day.

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~ THE EYE OPENER ~

Real reforms are in people, not in movements. All the laws and demands of church, state and family could not make us change our drinking habits, but the day eventually came when we wanted to change, and then. And then only, was the change possible. Prohibition legislation was only a challenge to us and we drank the more because they said we could not. We were determined to show those So-and-Sos they couldn’t stop us.

Only when we, ourselves, wanted to do something about it was any real reformation possible.

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

Don’t Quit

When things go wrong as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh;
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must, but don’t quit.
Live is funny with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns;
And many a failure has turned about
When they might have won had they stuck it out.
Don’t give up though the pace seems slow;
You may succeed with another blow.
Success is failure turned inside out:
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt.
And you can never tell how close you are;
It may be near when it seems so far.
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit.
It’s when things seem worst that you must not quit.

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

AGREE QUICKLY

Agree with thine adversary quickly, while thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.

Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing (Matthew 5:25-26).

Jesus is stressing here the instruction contained in this injunction to “watch and pray.” It is ever so much easier to overcome a difficulty if you tackle it at its first appearance than it will be after the trouble has had time to establish itself in your mentality—to dig itself in, as the soldiers say. The moment a difficulty presents itself to your attention, quietly affirm the Truth, giving t no chance to dig itself in.

On the other hand, by thinking about your difficulty, you incorporate it into your mentality, and if you go on doing this long enough, it may be exceedingly difficult to get rid of it.

Jesus, when he wished to drive home a particularly important point, employed a graphic illustration from everyday life. In those times the law governing debtors was extremely severe. When a man found himself in debt, it behoved him to come to terms with his creditor as quickly as possible. Even at the present day it is important for the debtor to keep his case from coming into court, for the longer the case drags on the more do lawyers’ fees, court dues, and expenses of various kinds accumulate, all piled on top of the debt proper. So it is with the various difficulties that present themselves to us in our daily lives.

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

Blessed Death

Death is delightful. Death is dawn, the waking from a weary night of fevers into truth and light.

~ Joaquin Miller ~

As my friend Deborah was about to leave for a vacation, her 11- year-old son told her, “Mom, I'm afraid that when you leave, you’ll die and I’ll never see you again.” Deborah sat down and talked with him about her vacation, and explained to him that sometimes when we or the people close to us change, it feels like a death. In a way he was correct; his mother was changing her life, and she was going through a symbolic death. She communicated that she loved him and would always be there for him. Her vacation was deeply transformative, and she returned feeling more whole and able to reach her son on a new level.

While writing my first book, I had the strangest feeling I was going to die. After meditating on the feeling, I realized what was dying was the old me. I knew that when the book came out, I would have to own the strength, vision, and intimacy for which I was making a stand in my writing. “Then let it die,” I declared, trusting that the me who was being born was far more rewarding than the one that was passing away.

Death is not a bad thing; with every death comes a birth. The key to moving beyond the fear or pain of death is to ask, "What is being born in place of what is dying?” When you discover the blessing death brings, you can walk through the valley of the shadow of death and truly fear no evil.

Help me find life where I once saw death. Lead me from the darkness to the light.

God is life. I gracefully accept endings, knowing each completion brings a greater beginning.