[bluidkiti]

November 12

You are reading from the book Today's Gift.
No life is so hard that you can't make it easier by the way you take it.
--Ellen Glasgow
Jimmy and Karen were out catching insects for their science class. Jimmy
had caught a gray moth and Karen a monarch butterfly.
"My moth sure isn't very pretty," Jimmy said as he looked at the two
insects. "Now I'll have to catch something else."
"Oh, but it is," said Karen. "See what a fat body your moth has compared
to my butterfly, and it's got fuzzies on its wings."
"You're right," said Jimmy, beginning to smile at his moth. "I was
almost going to let him go."
How many times in the past have we taken just a quick look at something
before rejecting it? Often, simply because a thing isn't quite what we
expected, we don't give ourselves a chance to discover what it is that
makes that thing beautiful. There is a secret beauty in everything, even
ourselves. When we take the time to seek it out in other people and
things, especially those that have disappointed us, that beauty is
reflected in us, too.
Can I find the beauty in something common today?


You are reading from the book Touchstones.
An ideal is a man's portrait of his better self. --Louis Binstock
When in training for athletics, we use a daily routine to reach a peak
condition. We stretch; lift weights, run, and do special conditioning to
develop our bodies and skills for that big day of competition. It's hard
work. Sometimes we hate it, but at other times we do it just because it
feels so good. Then when the day of competition comes, we can depend on
that practice. At a crucial moment there's not time to think about how
we will respond. We just do it the way we learned and use our physical
ability to carry us through.
In this program we go to our meetings, we work the Steps on a personal
level, we develop a relationship with our Higher Power, and we keep in
touch with our sponsor. Some days we may wonder if it's worthwhile, but
most of the time the process is full and rewarding in itself. We make
progress toward the ideal although we never achieve perfection. When the
challenges or threats to our sobriety come, we have our conditioning
within the program to carry us through.
In this day ahead I will remember that I am building myself to peak
condition. I will be faithful to my "training program."


You are reading from the book Each Day a New Beginning.
Fantasies are more than substitutes for unpleasant reality; they are
also dress rehearsals, plans. All acts performed in the world begin in
the imagination. --Barbara Grizzuti Harrison
Our minds mold who we become. Our thoughts not only contribute to our
achievements, they determine the posture of our lives. How very powerful
they are. Fortunately, we have the power to think the thoughts we
choose, which means our lives will unfold much as we expect.
The seeds we plant in our minds indicate the directions we'll explore in
our development. And we won't explore areas we've never given attention
to in our reflective moments. We must dare to dream extravagant,
improbable dreams if we intend to find a new direction, and the steps
necessary to it.
We will not achieve, we will not master that which goes unplanned in our
dream world. We imagine first, and then we conceive the execution of a
plan. Our minds prepare us for success. They can also prepare us for
failure if we let our thoughts become negative.
I can succeed with my fondest hopes. But I must believe in my potential
for success. I will ponder the positive today.


You are reading from the book The Language of Letting Go.
Timing
Wait until the time is right. It is self-defeating to postpone or
procrastinate; it is also self-defeating to act too soon, before the
time is right.
Sometimes, we panic and take action out of fear. Sometimes, we take
untimely action for revenge or because we want to punish someone. We act
or speak too soon as a way to control or force someone to action.
Sometimes, we take action too soon to relieve feelings of discomfort or
anxiety about how a situation will turn out.
An action taken too soon can be as ineffective as one taken too late. It
can backfire and cause more problems than it solves. Usually, when we
wait until the time is right - sometimes only a matter of minutes or
hours - the discomfort dissolves, and we're empowered to accomplish what
we need to do.
In recovery, we are learning to be effective.
Our answers will come. Our guidance will come. Pray. Trust. Wait. Let
go. We are being led. We are being guided.
Today, I will let go of my need to control by waiting until the time is
right. When the time is right, I will take action.


When I find my now full of yesterday's feelings, I can ask for God to
remove them. I can pray to turn them over to a power greater than myself
so that they will lose their power for me. I know longer need to hold on
to memories which create feelings that make me upset or unhappy. --Ruth
Fishel

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Journey to the Heart

Wash Old Pain Away

“I don’t know what’s going on,” a woman told me, “but lately memories of the past have been coursing through me like a river. I see scenes from my life, then the feelings appear– old pains, old hurts, old wounds. Nothing is triggering this that I can tell. It’s just happening spontaneously.”

We walk around with old wounds, old hurts– remnants of other times, ancient times, in our lives. We may be aware of these old feelings, fully conscious they’re there and why. Or we may only have partial awareness, a lingering sense that there’s some hurt within, without a clue as to its source. We may get a glimpse of it when we open our eyes in the morning and notice something deep inside aches, but we don’t know why. Or we may not be conscious of the pain or it’s connection to a particular event. The pain is hidden away, deep within our soul.

It has become time to cleanse the past.

Let the feelings come to the surface and pass through your consciousness. Let memories emerge as they will. You aren’t going back to your past. What’s happening is normal. Your heart is finding a way to heal.

Clear away the past. Let the river of life wash old pains away. Feel the feelings until the river runs clear.

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More Language Of Letting Go
November 12, 2012
Use your connections

As I glanced through the pages of a writer’s magazine one morning, I realized how important this magazine had been in my life. When I began writing back in the late seventies, I had no writer friends. I was on my own with a dream and a sketchy one at that. But by reading this monthly magazine aimed at aspiring writers, I knew I wasn’t alone. Other people had done what I wanted to do, they had started where I was at. This magazine was an important part of my believing I can.

From time to time, we all need connections to help us believe. If we’re beginning recovery from an issue like codependency or chemical dependency, our group meetings help us believe I can. If we’re learning a new skilll, like skydiving or flying a plane, sometimes talking to someone that can remember what it felt like to be unsure, awkward, and unskilled goes much further than talking to someone that can only remember being in mastery of the craft.

One day at the drop zone, I grabbed a man who had jumped out of an airplane over ten thousand times. “I’m so scared each time I jump,” I said. “Is it normal to be that afraid?” This skydiving professional– who was so assured and respected– looked at me and smiled. “I was so frightened my first one hundred jumps that I couldn’t even breathe!”

When you’re trying to believe you can, whether it’s believing you can stay sober for the next twenty-four hours, learning to take care of yourself, being a single parent, being in a good relationship, learning to write, learning to type, or learning to jump out of a plane, make good solid connections to people, places, and things that help you believe I can.

And if you run into someone who’s walking a path that you’ve already walked, remember and share how it felt in the beginning so they can come to believe,too.

God, thank you for sending me the connections I need. Let me be of service whenever possible by being honest and speaking from my heart so I can be a good connection, as well.

Activity: Make a list of your connections. What are the areas in your life where you want to believe you can do it? Examples might be sobriety, taking care of yourself, being a single parent, learning to write, learning to be in a relationship, going through a divorce, surviving the loss of a loved one, getting your finances in order, or learning to speak a new language. Once you have your list of I can’s, list in detail your present or potential connections for coming to believe. For instance, in recovery from chemical dependency, your connections might include your Twelve Step groups, the Big Book, a daily meditation book, a counselor, some recovering friends, and a medallion you received– whether it’s for one hour or one day. If you’re learning a new skill, such as writing, your connections might include a teacher, a friend, a book that’s particularly helpful and encouraging, a magazine, and a piece of writing you’ve already done that either has been published or received good responses from friends. This list is solely to help you believe you can. Once you have your connection lists written, use them whenever you need a big dose of I can.

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An Invitation to Comfort
Creating a Serene Home

Your home is your oasis. Through your efforts, your house or apartment can become both a private sanctuary and a welcoming, serene, and healthy place to live in and visit. An organized and comfortable home can have a calming effect on you, your family, and guests, as well as be your personal escape from the rest of the world. Creating this nurturing space isn’t difficult. Even a household that includes young children or multiple animals can be a serene and peaceful place. In just a few minutes, you can make a number of changes that can turn your home into a safe and comfortable haven that you can be proud to share with your loved ones and friends.

One way to fill your house or apartment with calming energy is to imbue it with a peaceful ambiance that nurtures all five senses. Soft lighting and soothing colors like blue, purple, and green can make a space feel warm and inviting, while pleasant and calming aromas such as lavender and vanilla can positively affect moods. Peaceful sounds, such as running water in a fountain or gentle chimes can uplift and clear the space, while clearing clutter and making the most of open space can ease internal turmoil and dispel negative feelings. The physical objects in your home as well as your home itself can retain the energy of previous owners or creators. You can give your household’s energy a lift by visualizing white light surrounding our home, symbolically sweeping out residual energy, or smudging your home with cleansing sage.

The changes you make to your home can be as unique as you are and may involve utilization of space, lighting, new furniture, decorating, feng shui, or ritual. But what you do is not as important as being clear in your intention to set up your household as a soothing and refreshing place to be. Make your home a place of comfort, and you will feel nurtured and cared for whenever you are there. Published with permission from Daily OM

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A Day At A Time
November 12

Reflection For The Day

There are few “absolutes” in The Program’s Twelve Steps. We’re free to start at any point we can, or will. God, as we understand Him, may be defined as simply a “Power greater”; for many of us in The Program, the group itself was the first “Power greater.” And this acknowledgment is relatively easy to make if a newcomer knows that most of the members are sober and otherwise chemically-free and he isn’t. This admission is the beginning of humility. Perhaps for the first time, the newcomer is at least willing to disclaim that he himself — or sh3e herself — is God. Is my behavior more convincing to newcomers than my words?

Today I Pray

May I define and discover my own Higher Power. As that definition becomes clearer and closer to me, may I remember not to insist that my interpretation is right. For each much find his or her own Higher Power. If a newcomer is feeling godless and alone, the power of the group may be enough for now. May I never discredit the power of the group.

Today I Will Remember

Group power can be a Higher Power.

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One More Day
November 12

Life is the enjoyment of Emotion, derived from the past and aimed at the future.
- Alfred, Lord Whitehead

Life sails by much more quickly than we expect it to. When our children were young, it seemed as if endless years stretched ahead for us to nurture and teach them; suddenly they are in college, or married with children of there own.

Each day must be lived to its fullest, for we shall never be able to recapture it again. The memories we create today can enrich the present, and even the future years. Making good memories serves us well.

It is our wish to fully enjoy life and if we can’t, to attempt to correct those problems which keep us from fully enjoying what we do have. Than we can once again look to a full and wonderful future.

I will work to deal with those facts of my life which cause me pain.