Even More Recovery Readings and Meditations - June

[bluidkiti]

June 6

Step by Step

"Rarely have we seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed our path. Those who do not recover are people who cannot or will not completely give themselves to this simple program, usually men and women who are constitutionally incapable of being honest with themselves. ...They are not at fault; they seem to have been born that way. They are naturally incapable of grasping and developing a manner of living which demands rigorous honesty. Their chances are less than average." - Alcoholics Anonymous, 3rd Edition, 1976, Ch 5, p 58.

Today, examination not only my own honesty but the foundation on which it is built. Before I can start to develop the honesty required for an effective program, I first have to ask why I want recovery. Starting at the very beginning of the program - Step One - I have to distinguish that over which I am powerless: is it alcohol or the potential consequences of my misconduct while drunk? If I cannot admit that it is alcohol over which I am powerless, then I am lying to myself if I seek recovery to avoid or lessen the consequences drinking. Today, I have to be honest that I am powerless over alcohol and that my addiction is the basis to start getting honest. To stop drinking for anyone or anything else is the foundation of a lie, one that is built on sand. And our common journey continues. Step by step. - Chris M.

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

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

THE FIRST HOUR.

Every recovery front addiction begins with one clean and sober hour.

~ Anonymous ~

It is amazing to watch a television program and see how the most complicated life situations are resolved in less than thirty minutes. Those of us who have made a heavy diet of television probably wonder deep down why our problems are not solved quickly in recovery. When we were drinking and drugging, thirty minutes was plenty of time to dissolve a problem into oblivion.

Recovery isn't like TV. We can't change the channel if we don't like the Program.

There are two facts we can't escape in our Program and recovery: the treatment begins with one clean and sober hour and the cure will take a lifetime.

The good news is that the focus of recovery is on the treatment, not the cure. And
while there might not always be something good on TV, there's always something good on the Program.

I will remember that recovery is a process, not an event.

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

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

Defeat may serve as well as victory to shake the soul and let the glory out.

~ Edwin Markham ~

No one goes in search of a defeat so that he can have a stirring spiritual experience. The real defeats are the ones that we would never choose. They break our treasures and shake our foundations. In the breaking, a defeat gives us a changed life to deal with. It forces us to see things from an angle we never saw before. We start from the empty feeling and the question: now what?

Defeat is inevitable in life. We aren’t really adults until we have confronted situations that we desperately wanted to conquer but could not. It is in learning to accept the reality of powerlessness that we have the first opportunity to become full adults. When a man stops at defeat and feels only defeated, without finding the wisdom to grow beyond it, he stays stuck in that spot. In recovery and healing, we are learning that the renewed life that comes after we accept our powerlessness is full of possibilities—and a serenity we didn’t know before.

Today I am fateful for the adult perspective I gained from acknowledging a reality that I could not control

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

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

I will not take myself so seriously. I will let laughter heal.

~ Jan Pishok ~

Being hard on ourselves is second nature to us. For some of us, it comes from growing up in a rigid, punishing environment. But the need to be perfect can be a self-inflicted wound too. We have suffered long enough. It’s time to change. It’s time to lighten up.

How do we break old, powerful patterns? Only with effort applied daily. Fortunately, there are exercises we can do that will help. For instance, we can make a habit of seeing comedies on TV, on the stage, or at the movies. We can choose to socialize with women and men who appreciate the lighter side of life. We can ask our trusted friends to help us see the funny side of our personal foibles. And we can ask our Higher Power to nudge us toward a humorous outlook. Perhaps the most powerful exercise is simply to make the decision to laugh more, and then do it!

Laughter promotes personal growth and health. I will practice this prescription today.

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

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

It's OK to talk about my problems

I used to talk about my problems all the time. I was anxious and depressed and scared. I didn’t know what to do to help myself. Eventually, I got on people's nerves (and they told me so). Sometimes I felt rejected and shut out from sources of help.

But slowly I've learned four pertinent truths for my dual recovery: (a) When I talk about my spiritual, physical, or mental pain, I tend to accept it more, and then I can usually do something about it. (b) I need to pick the right person and the right time to talk. (c) Sometimes I complain too much, when what I really need to do is take more responsibility for myself. (d) A sense of humor is a gift.

Today I will pray for willingness and perspective.

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

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

The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance; the wise man grows it under his feet.

~ James Oppenheim ~

We have so many memories, and it’s sadly true that often the unhappy ones are easiest to recall. Sometimes these memories dog us through a day, and the past tinges our present with sadness. This keeps us from being at our best, but it doesn’t have to happen.

In our recovery, we are learning to live each day, and to relish the present moment. This means not letting old hurts, guilt, and shame from the past invade our lives today. What has happened is done. What is to happen will take place in its own time, at its own pace. In this day, at this moment, we are alive, and we are free to choose how to feel and what to do right now. We are free to feel grateful for the chance to live again. We are free to take advantage of this chance to do our best. If we need help, we are free to ask for that as well.

By living the present the best way we can, we are also ensuring that good memories will be our gift to our future. Each day we live as well as we can makes our lives more worthwhile, more content, more our own.

Today let me enjoy the moments I am in, for they are all I have.

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

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

It’s an indulgence to sit in a room and discuss your beliefs as if they were a juicy piece of gossip.

~ Lillian Heilman ~

As someone who regularly attends a particular meeting, you may think you know how others at the meeting view that fellowship. Because you have gone to the meeting for so long and know most, if not all, of the people, you may not realize how hard it might be for a newcomer to feel welcomed. You may also not be aware of how often group discussion strays from the topic of recovery and into areas of gossip, judgment, and criticism.

You may not consider that because the meeting has had the same attendees for a long time, you or others in the group may have discouraged those who dropped in, did not like what they saw or heard, and left.

Just as each individual needs to undertake a searching inventory, so too is there a value in the members of a particular fellowship conducting an analysis of how the group presents itself to others. Is each member on the lookout for newcomers and available to make them feel welcome?

Today I will look at one of my meetings from an outsider’s point of view. I will work harder to make newcomers feel welcome and to redirect topics of discussion when they go astray.

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

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

Mankind has advanced in the footsteps of men and women of unshakable faith. Many of these great ones . . . have set stars in the heavens to light others through the night.

~ Olga Rosmanith ~

All around us there are wonderful role models. Their faith, hope, strength, courage, and fearlessness can give us guidance during any time of need. But in order to look to those people for inspiration, we first need to be ready to look beyond ourselves.

In our times of need, it's easy to focus solely on ourselves. ICs almost as if we climb into our own womb, conscious only of our feelings, thoughts, pains, and needs.

Yet there are those among us who have lived through times just as trying as the ones we're in. However, instead of looking inward, these people looked outward to the solutions and applied them. By using the same solutions, we can bring some light into our darkness.

Where can I find my powers of example?

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

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

Avoiding self-pity

Our troubled lives and mixed-up emotions can easily draw pity from those who would help us. Sometimes we even exaggerate our history or current situation to get more pity. In the program we share our feelings to avoid self-pity because we know how destructive it can be.

When we say, “This too shall pass,” for example, we are not giving our fellows the brush-off. Rather we are saying, “Don’t wallow in self-pity; it’s a killer. We’ve all experienced similar situations. God loves you and it will pass!”

Have I stopped pitying myself?

Higher Power, help me to remember that pity leads only to self-pity and that I want to change that pattern.

Today I will work on avoiding self-pity by

God help me to stay clean and sober today!

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

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

Nobody can be exactly like me. Sometimes even I have trouble doing it.

~ TALLULAH BANKHEAD ~

Newcomer

I’m not so sure about this idea in Step Six of giving up all my so-called character defects. There are things about me that some people might not approve of but that don’t really hurt anyone. They’re what makes me unique and interesting. I wouldn’t want to live in a totally bland world.

Sponsor

I identify with your fear, but I promise that Step Six is not intended to erase us. It’s human nature to cling to the attitudes and behaviors we already know, even when they’ve brought us discomfort or isolated us from others.

There’s something of the “dry drunk” in our desire to continue to act exactly as we did when we were active in our addictions. It’s as if an alcoholic who admitted his or her powerlessness over alcohol agreed to stop drinking, but continued to spend all of his or her time in bars, insisting that nothing interesting could be happening anywhere else. What would happen if we let go? Who would we become? Perhaps we resist surrendering our old habits out of fear that underneath the armor of our character defects there isn’t much to be proud of.

Each of us is created with a unique combination of qualities and talents. It’s not our defects that make us special and fulfill our natures; they only stand in the way.

Today, I move forward to greet the self I don’t know yet.

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

~ THE EYE OPENER ~

Before the philosophy or theory of AA was ever committed to writing the “Big Book”, it was devised by the Founders after many trials and errors, after many disheartening failures and setbacks.

Because of our phenomenal growth we are prone to think our birth was painless.

AA was not invented; it was born in the labors of suffering men and women, who, by pooling their common experiences, arrived at an answer to the alcoholic problem−one that would work.

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

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

FREE OF RESENTMENT PRAYER

God, free me from my resentment
Toward _____.
Please bless _____ in whatever it is that You know
They may be needing this day.
Please give _____ everything I want for myself.
And may _____ 's life be full of health, peace,
Prosperity, and happiness as they seek to have
A closer relationship with You.

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

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

Read Acts 19:1−41.

This is an extremely colorful and dramatic chapter even for the Bible, which is so full of color and drama. Every problem has a solution, Some problems last a long time, some a short time, but always there is a solution, and always the solution is to tum from the outer to the inner. When you admire some outer, passing thing too much, and thus give power to the manifestation, you are saying, "Great is Diana'" When you fear some outer thing or condition or person, then you are also saying, "Great is Diana." And when you say, "Great is Diana," then your troubles really begin.

The First Commandment is, "l am the Lord thy God"−God, spirit, nothing outside. There is not a single mistake that you or I have ever made, there is not a single trouble or heartache that has ever come to us, that has not come directly through saying, "Great is Diana," and forgetting God.

Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite (Psalm 147:5).

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

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

A Silver Platter

At every moment the universe is making you an irresistible offer.

~ Anonymous ~

The movie Dumb and Dumber depicts the trials of a pair of goofy guys traveling cross-country in search of the girls of their dreams. After many disappointments, the duo is stranded on a desert road when a busload of gorgeous bikini-clad babes pulls up. Three mega-attractive women step off the bus, and one greets them, "Hi! We're on the Hawaiian Tropic Tanning Oil tour, and we're looking for a couple of guys to travel with us and rub suntan oil on us before our demonstrations." Then she coyly asks, "Do you know where we could find these guys?"

One fellow smiles and answers, "Sure! There's a town about three miles down the road!"

Disappointed, the girls climb on the bus and leave the two in the dust. "Look at that, Harry," one of the pair complains. "Some guys have all the luck."

While it may seem that life is passing us by, quite often it is laying golden opportunities at our doorstep. Before doubting or missing an invitation, consider if there might be a divine gift in this meeting. Imagine that everyone you meet is sent to you by God for a reason. Although you are not required to accept every invitation, there is a gift in every encounter.

Today I will regard everyone I meet as Your messenger, come to teach, heal, or bless me in some way.

My good is seeking me. I accept it now.