Even More Recovery Readings and Meditations - June

[bluidkiti]

June 3

Step by Step

Today, gratitude and humility if my sobriety totals week, months and even years and understanding that I am no more sober than the alcoholic whose last drink was yesterday. Grant me the wisdom to be open to the lessons that I still have to learn in my own recovery and that some of those lessons can come from the alcoholic whose sobriety does not match mine in length of time. I must learn from the experience of the past that I am no more "cured" and just as much at risk of relapse as the newcomer or slipper who continues to struggle. I must also acknowledge the responsibility that the length of my sobriety exacts, namely to share with someone else what has or has not worked for me in hope that my own experience, strength and hope might speak to someone else. Today, I am sober only in the current 24 Hours, and I accept the responsibility that I have to my recovery. And our common journey continues. Step by step. - Chris M.

**************************************************

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

EXPECTATIONS

Stop expecting too much from yourself.

~ Anonymous ~

When there is too wide a gap between standards we set for ourselves and our actual achievement, unhappiness follows. If we can’t improve the performance, we should lower the demands. When we are true to ourselves, we come to expect only that which we are capable of doing. As we grow each day in recovery, we are able to do more.

What we expect from ourselves can change the next day. It is very important that through our meetings and conversations with fellow members, we keep close tabs on our development. We find out that life is for living, and it is better lived when we do our assignments every day.

We are really never given more than we can do. As long as we have realistic goals, we will be given what we need to succeed.

Today I'll remember that when my expectations are too high, I get stuck and down on myself.

**************************************************

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

Man’s heart away from nature becomes hard.

~ Standing Bear ~

The wisdom of Native American spirituality is deeply centered on the natural world. It teaches us to respect the earth and all natural things. It teaches us, as many world religions do, that we are made of earth and live by the gifts of nature. The word humility comes from the word humus, meaning “of the earth.” When we become alienated or too far removed from nature, we become disconnected from ourselves. We lose our place and become willful.

Humility is not the same as shame. Humility is self- respecting and it expresses that we have a place in the entire web of life. One aspect of a spiritual life is the feeling of awe. Where better to return to the feeling of awe than in sight of a massive mountain, the sea, a powerful storm, or the intricate details of a flower or a stone.

Today I will return to the natural world around me, and with awe, I will give thanks.

**************************************************

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

I think it must have been at home, while I was a small child, that I got the idea the chief end of woman was to make clothing for mankind.

~ Lucy Larcom ~

We define ourselves within the context of our lives. We may be single, married, divorced, or widowed. We may be career women, we may be home-makers. We may be in school or even retired. Our roles are multiple, but one trait we share is the desire to live free of mood-altering chemicals.

Our Twelve Step program allows us many opportunities to define ourselves. Drawing on the support of women who care about us and the guidance of our always-present Higher Power, we can redefine ourselves. We don’t have to fulfill another’s expectations of us. Recovery is our opportunity to follow our own path. Following our passions while listening to the wisdom within is true self-definition.

I live with others. What they want of me may not be my Higher Power’s choice for me. I will listen to the voice within me today.

**************************************************

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

I am becoming willing to ask for help

I feel so anxious, I'm pacing. I feel panicky. (Drinking used to help, but I am sober now.) I'm afraid that if I sit down, I'll become paralyzed. I'm not sure I can call for help. Would anybody understand? Could anybody really help?

And yet I don't think I can handle all this on my own anymore. I don't think I should try to manage this alone anymore. I'm tired of this fear and isolation. I feel desperate‒like I did just before I stopped using. Perhaps‒perhaps I can reach out for help. I did it once before, for my addiction. Maybe I can do it again.

I will now pick up the phone and dial the number of a trusted friend.

*************************************************

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

The process of growing in detachment allows the entire Twelve Step program to flow.

~ Betty Reddy and Orv McElfresh ~

Just as addiction affects the whole family, so does recovery. The principles we learn often improve many aspects of family life: we are more open, more calm, more honest, more eager to share, and more ready to listen.

But some family members may be resistant to recovery in any form. We have found the best way to respond is by detaching with love. We must protect our own recovery, and not try to change others.

Families can be a source of strength. If we do our own part, and learn to detach with love, we give others a chance to see firsthand the joys of recovery. Detachment with love is a beautiful tool when others choose not to support our recovery. We can keep growing and avoid getting tangled up in the resentments of others.

Today help me remember that what is true for me might not be true for someone else. Help me practice recovery principles in all my affairs.

**************************************************

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

In the old days, if a person missed the stagecoach he was content to wait a day or two for the next one. Nowadays, we feel frustrated if we miss one section of a revolving door.

~ Modern Maturity ~

The pace of life is faster than ever. New technologies facilitate round-the-clock manufacturing. Courtship has been upended by online matchmaking sites. E-mails, texting, and instant messaging have replaced the enjoyment of long phone conversations.

This sense of time urgency can spill over into your recovery, making it seem as if it is moving at a snail’s pace. You may arrive at a meeting late and only half-listen to what others are saying as you keep one eye on the clock and the other on your text messages. You may put off reading the Big Book because you believe you do not have the time.

While a speedy recovery is sought for poor health, having a need for speed in recovery from your addiction will not help you get better faster. In fact, the deliberate day- by-day pace of recovery imparts a valuable lesson: take time in all that you do for a greater appreciation of the efforts you make and of what those efforts help you to achieve.

Today I will break out of the whirlwind of doing. Rather than operate in a perpetually frantic mode, I will take the time to appreciate and notice what I am doing.

**************************************************

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

The ebb and flow of will is like the movements of the tides. . . .If we cease our vain struggles and lamentations long enough to look away from the personal self . . . we realize life is going well with us after all.

~ Charles B. Newcomb ~

Everything in nature changes. We can trust the sun and moon will rise and set, the tide will ebb and flow, and the seasons will change. Because we can trust these things to happen, we can learn to trust the fact that extremes in nature are normal.

So it is with people. We laugh and cry, work and play, we are young and we grow old. There will be extremes with us, just as there are in nature. And as nature finds its natural flow even after the worst disasters, so can we find our natural flow.

There is a rhythm in life that leads us to awaken and one that guides us to sleep. Tonight our natural rhythm will lead us to peace and relaxation. If we can flow with that rhythm, we'll give the quiet calmness a chance to revitalize us for tomorrow. Now is the time to follow nature's rhythm and sleep in peace.

Can I rest tonight in quietness of mind, soul, and body and trust I will find my natural flow?

**************************************************

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

Accepting ourselves

Many of us used to think that our Higher Power hates this or that about us or about others, but our Higher Power doesn’t hate at all. Our Higher Power accepts us and loves us no matter how we have lived. It understands that we are capable of changing.

This is the only way we come to know God, even as we begin to accept ourselves and others. The ability to accept ourselves more and more is a gift from God. It comes as we build upon the strong, valuable parts of ourselves.

Am I learning to accept myself?

Higher Power, help me believe in your acceptance, forgiveness, and generosity; help me to be willing to see myself in a new way.

Today I will work on self-acceptance by

God help me to stay clean and sober today!

**************************************************

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

Dangers foreseen are the sooner prevented.

~ RICHARD FRANCK ~

Newcomer

Lately I keep feeling pulled by thoughts of a minor habit, something that was never important to me before. I keep thinking, “Where’s the harm? It’s not what brought me in here. It’s not going to kill me.”

Sponsor

In recovery, we may still hold on to the belief that something outside ourselves will fix us. We may have quit alcohol, marijuana, heroin, or compulsive gambling, but may think that pints of ice cream or hours of television pose no problem for us. Or perhaps we’ve stopped overeating compulsively and find ourselves craving a drink or a cigarette when we’re under stress.

We’re vulnerable to potentially addictive habits, and we may need to pay attention to our attraction to substances or activities that others can take or leave. Our use of anything compulsively may get worse; it may turn into a new dependency or even make us less careful about treating our primary addiction.

If we’re having questions about a particular substance or behavior, we can ask ourselves why we want to use it. Are there feelings, positive or negative, that we’re uncomfortable with? Are there things we have to do that we’re avoiding? At times like this, it can be helpful to increase the number of meetings we’re attending. Talking about our concerns with a sponsor or another person whose recovery we trust may also help take some of the pressure off.

Today, I stay connected to my feelings.

**************************************************

~ THE EYE OPENER ~

The harvest is great and the laborers are too few. Too often we get a new man, we work diligently on him, get him to a meeting or two and then another new man appears and we drop the first one and frequently never see him again.

This is not to imply that we are to carry him on our backs indefinitely, but we can utilize an occasional spare ten minutes to call him on the phone. We can keep our eyes open for him at the meetings and if he misses several in succession, we can look him up.

Remember you were the midwife at his rebirth in this new life and you should not neglect him in his AA infancy.

**************************************************

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

PRAYER DURING TURMOIL

Dear Higher Power,
During times when my world becomes unhinged
And the foundations of what I believe crack and dissolve,
Give me the grace to believe that Your power is at work in the turmoil of my life.
Lead me to remember that Your power is greater than all evil,
And though the world may rock and sometimes break,
It will in time be transformed by Your Love.

*************************************************

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

WHAT IS YOUR ACT!

People are to be judged by their actions. We sometimes hear it said, "His conduct is bad but at heart he means well"; but this is nonsense. In the old-fashioned phrase, "handsome is as handsome does."

The bad tempered person cannot possibly have "a heart of gold" as is sometimes charitably said. A bad tempered person has a mean, selfish heart and should get busy and change it without delay.

One who loves does not seek his own advantage. Love acts the part, and anything else is hypocrisy.

. . . be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another,
even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you (Ephesians 4:32).

**************************************************

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

The Unaffordable Budget

In my defenselessness my safety lies.

~ A Course in Miracles ~

On the Star Trek television series, the crew of Starship Enterprise regularly faced a tough dilemma. While holding up their force-field shields to ward off an attack, the ship would lose power to do anything else. Engineer Scotty would report to Captain Kirk, "Our shields are draining our energy. If we are going to make a move of any kind, we are going to have to drop them." The crew would then have to come up with some ingenious plan to triumph, and they always did.

Any energy we invest in defense robs us of creativity and diminishes our ability to move forward. Our country spends a billion dollars a day on our war machine; imagine the service that money could generate if it were invested in education, social medicine, the arts, housing, and human services. How much is defense worth?

On a personal level, the more energy we spend in hiding, the less alive and creative we are. Any game that requires defense does not befit the son or daughter of God that you are. Consider bringing your hidden self into the light, and you will liberate the riches of your soul. You might think that if people knew who you really are, you would be crucified; but if you knew who you really are, you would be exalted.

Show me how to live in the light. I do not want to hide anymore. Help me trust that my true strength lies in authenticity.

I am as God created me. I renounce fear and regain my soul.