Even More Recovery Readings and Meditations - June

[bluidkiti]

June 2

Step by Step

"There may be some wrongs we can never fully right. We don't worry about them if we can honestly say to ourselves that we would right them if we could. Some people cannot be seen - we send them an honest letter. And there may be a valid reason for postponement in some cases. But we don't delay if it can be avoided. ...As God's people, we stand on our feet; we don't crawl before anyone." -Alcoholics Anonymous, 3rd Edition, 1976, Ch 6, p 83.

Today, do not take for granted the weight of Step Nine when considering to whom we must - and can - approach with amends. Some wrongs may never be made right, and there may be no recourse if making an amend only to clear our conscience risks further injury or implicates an unknowing other person. In cases in which we can honestly conclude that direct amends are not possible, our actions rather than our words may be our only atonement, and our strongest action is to get and stay sober and continue to grow in recovery. When we can and must make amends, however, we are cautioned not to "crawl before anyone," not to submit to being the proverbial doormat. In drunkenness, we lost our footing which, in turn, triggered the damage we inflicted; in sobriety, we must stand on our own feet to give integrity to our amends. And our common journey continues. Step by step. - Chris M.

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

PROCRASTINATION

Procrastination is the thief of time.

~ Edward Young ~

The habit of putting off actions "until things get better" is one the most destructive detours from common sense we can make. Delays never make problems "go away"; they only make success harder to attain. If we shy away from "bringing out" our problems to others, we are sure to cause stress and misunderstanding.

Quite often, postponing facing up to reality results from fear that others will laugh at us. That is self-pity in action. Solutions come from direct and specific action. We always remember that others in our group give us "the right to be wrong," knowing that a change in direction is always possible for anyone with problems. Procrastination wastes precious time.

When I procrastinate about solving problems, I am only making sure they will get worse. Let me remember that solutions come from taking action.

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

Always and never are two words you should always remember never to use.

~ Wendell Johnson ~

Words are powerful. We have a way of thinking in terms of all or nothing, black or white, and seldom in shades of gray. If we like something, we want more and more of it. If we take on a project, we throw ourselves into it with all we’ve got. But the truth is, life is mostly somewhere between extremes. If a little of something is good, more is not necessarily better. When we have a bad day, it doesn’t mean that our whole life is a mess.

If we say, “You always ...” or “You never...” to a friend or loved one, the discussion is sure to intensify. If we use those words in conflict, the other person is sure to feel misunderstood. Always and never are extreme words that are rarely accurate. We are learning to live life in moderation and to think and see life more honestly.

Today I will remember to see the shades of gray, rather than the extremes of black and white.

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

To not have control over the events that shape our lives is difficult. To not trust that Someone greater than me is shaping those events is unbearable.

~ Mary Larson ~

There is probably no greater frustration, particularly for us recovering addicts, than the realization that we can’t control the events and the people in our lives. The insanity is that we try to control everything anyway!

The sooner we come to understand that being in control only of ourselves is one of God’s gifts, the more peacefully we will live. What a terrible burden we’ve been shouldering all these years trying to do God’s work as well as our own. Not having to be responsible for the successes or the failures of everyone in our lives gives us hours of freedom to explore new horizons.

Coming to believe in a loving God may take practice. Yet the work is well worth our efforts. When the uncontrollable begins to frighten us, we can find relief in the knowledge that God will take care of us.

I will let my Higher Power handle other people today. I will attend to my own business and know many moments of peace.

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

I truly feel accepted at a meeting

While they have been supportive, I am sure my family members are weary of dealing with my emotional problems. My colleagues, though they know little, are suspicious, and I'm not surprised that they object to my moodiness, irritability, and frequent absences. But at my meeting, it's altogether a different story.

I notice it as I walk into the room. I see friendly and familiar faces. I see people I am learning to trust, even though l don't know them well. It feels wonderful. I relax and breathe deeper. I think more clearly, even though some thoughts are painful. I look forward to going back each week, and I sense that my fellow members want me to come back, too.

Just as I’ve been welcomed and accepted, I will do service for my group and welcome newcomers.

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

Passion is a noisy thing — love lives quietly.

~ Lee M. Silverstein ~

Active addiction made our lives a series of jealous, angry rages followed by passionate appeals for forgiveness. We may even have grown to embrace pain like a lover, stroking our ever-present guilt. This was our life when it was empty of love. Our capacity for love, to give and receive, became misguided. Our drug of choice insisted on sole devotion, and repaid us with despair.

Sober love offers and requires appreciation and understanding; it allows us to step back a little and watch another’s growth; it gives us hope both within and beyond ourselves. Sober love is not so much a feeling as a series of loving acts, chosen freely. It is not ownership of another, but support for another’s freedom.

Today let me free myself and others to love without fear.

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

Golf without bunkers and hazards would be tame and monotonous. So would life.

~ B.C. Forbes ~

What would life be like if every relationship was perfect and every day was filled with great satisfaction and went according to plan? A stress-free life would be like playing a golf course free from sand traps, trees, and difficult holes. While you might enjoy the ease of play, you would not learn how to make the tough shots.

There is no such thing as a life—or even a day— without some stress. Each day offers different variables— weather conditions, traffic volume, miscommunications, and malfunctions. Similarly, you feel different each day— some days you may be more tired or more energized than others. The most you can reasonably expect on any given day is the unexpected.

Instead of longing for today to be stress-free, begin your day as an eager student seeking answers: “What can I learn today? How can I grow? What will I be given that will test my knowledge and skills?” When you see each day as an opportunity for growth, you will be more capable of going with the flow and learning what you are capable of when you are put to the test.

Today might be a hole-in-one day, or it might be filled with many hazards. I will let the day unfold and learn from every experience I am given.

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

You're only human, you're supposed to make mistakes.

~ Billy Joel ~

Are we determined faultfinders? It may be easy for us to point fingers at others or to cite instances of wrongdoing. It may also be easy for us to misinterpret another's actions, twist words, or make something seem totally opposite to the truth.

Everyone makes mistakes, including us. But somewhere along the path of our growth, we learned we could defend ourselves if we were judge and jury. So we took a defensive stance, clinging to our battle stations as we weathered school, family, relationships, and careers.

We don't have to be so ready to make ourselves blameless and faultless. We can disband our courts of law at any time. But when we do, we will be admitting to ourselves and the people in our lives that we are only human. When we, too, can see ourselves as human, we'll no longer look at life as a battlefield, but as a classroom where everyone is both teacher and student.

I can see myself as human and accept that no human being is blameless.

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

Understanding

Absolute statements are almost always wrong: All blacks are this-, all whites are that, all men are this; all women are that, all addicts are (whatever). But here’s a statement that holds up under examination: We are all stumbling human beings.

Therefore, we all need to become as understanding as we can, for without understanding, we do not grant others their right to be “human.”

Do I overlook the shortcomings of others?

Higher Power, help me keep in mind that every woman is my sister and every man my brother.

I will be more accepting of my fellows today by

God help me to stay clean and sober today!

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

Today I have grown taller from walking with the trees.

~ KARLE WILSON BAKER ~

Newcomer

The person who listened to my Fifth Step was tuned in to just how frightened I was. He said, “You think I have a poor opinion of you for what you’ve shared, don’t you?” And he was right: I was full of shame.

I know that not everyone who hears Step Five works this way, but what he did really helped. He shared events from his life prior to recovery that matched what I’d told him. What he’d done in his past wasn’t identical, but it was equally destructive. There was much more to him under the surface than I’d guessed.

To say I was relieved was an understatement. He didn’t judge me; he didn’t judge himself. I feel as if my entire life changed in the process of sharing this Step.

Sponsor

I can rejoice with you because I, too, have experienced the freedom that comes from knowing I’m no longer alone with my secrets. I’d been judge and jury for so many years. I never thought to give myself the compassion or forgiveness that I felt for other people. Though my sponsor didn’t get into the details of her own history when she listened to my Fifth Step, she made it clear that my story was no worse—and no better—than others she’d heard. Nothing seemed to shock her or put her off—not even my worst. I thought, “So this is what it means to be human.”

Today, I’m a member of the human family.

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~ THE EYE OPENER ~

We come into AA and are told that we should endeavour to establish a conscious contact with our God as we understand Him; that we should, through prayer and meditation, get on speaking terms with Him. We brushed up on our rusty salutations of “Almighty” and practiced on our Thees and Thous only to learn that there was a simpler and more direct approach.

We found that we could “tune God in” to our hearts and consciences and that no other method was needed to send and receive messages. We learned that what we said was of no great consequence anyways, as our prayers were for His will, not ours, and we also learned that we had to make no direct request for those things that were for our good, as He knew our needs before we ever realized them ourselves.

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

USEFULNESS PRAYER

God help me today to find balance
Between my character defects and the
Principles of our Program
So as, to be useful
To myself, all others, and You,
The God of my understanding.

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

YOUR DAILY VISIT WITH GOD

We all know that it is God alone who is our peace−although nearly all of us tend to forget it from time to time. We forget it when we begin to neglect our daily visit with God.

Now, when you think that you are too busy for your daily visit, let me ask you frankly, what wonderful thing are you doing that is more important? There is nothing that you could possibly do with that time that would bring you greater benefit than perfect peace. As a matter of fact, if you have something very important and urgent to do, your visit will make that very important thing go through much more easily and successfully.

Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace. . . (Job 22:21).

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

Buddha on Board

Take care of you.

~ advice given to Julia Roberts character in Pretty Woman ~

Years ago, little yellow "Baby on Board" signs began showing up on rear windows of cars. The message meant that other drivers should be especially careful to avoid an accident with an auto containing an infant. A good idea, to be sure. But does this mean that we can be less careful to avoid colliding with a car containing an adult?

We all have a baby on board wherever we go. No matter what our age or status in life, we carry a fragile inner child in our bosom. That child requires tender care and protection, and we must do everything we can to keep it from being injured

Before a seminar I conducted, I asked each participant to send me a baby picture. I had these photos enlarged as transferred to T-shirts. The first night of the program, I gave out the shirts and told every- one, "In case you become angry at someone, look at that person's T-shirt. Imagine that you are dealing with a sensitive child rather than an armored adult. Speak to that child with patience and kindness.” The group loved the exercise, the program was a huge success, and everyone took their T-shirts home. I still wear mine when I want to remember my inner child.

You not only carry an inner child within you, but an inner Christ, Buddha, and any saint or angel you can imagine. These inner divine beings are much closer to your true identity than the person you usually identify with. Honor the Buddha on Board, and your outer life will reflect the respect you deserve.

I pray to treat myself and others with the gentle respect we truly merit.

God lives within me as me. I honor the light I am.