Even More Recovery Readings and Meditations - June

[bluidkiti]

June 17

Step by Step

"Your job now is to be at the place where you may be of maximum helpfulness to others, so never hesitate to go anywhere if you can be helpful. You should not hesitate to visit the most sordid spot on earth on such an errand. Keep on the firing line of life with these motives and God will keep you unharmed." - Alcoholics Anonymous, 3rd Edition, 1976, Ch 7 ("Working With Others"), p 102.

The Program's marching orders.

Today, how willing am I to set out with the message when called upon? Am I willing to sacrifice a quiet night at home after a rough work day if I get a call to go to the home of someone still drinking? Am I willing to drive to the opposite end of the state to get someone admitted to a treatment center or hospital? Am I willing to pop for the check to feed someone who's been on a days-long drunk without eating? Am I willing to shelter the homeless sufferer one night before I can get him to doctor? Am I willing to talk to someone still drinking and put myself in his shoes, remembering I was once where he is now? Can I listen and advise without moral judgments or scare him away with benefits of the program? If called upon to do anything that carries the message, like subbing at the last minute for a pre-scheduled meeting speaker who didn't show, will I step up? If any of my answers is "no," I have let the program, myself and other alcoholics down, and I have neglected my responsibility to carry the message. Today, let me prioritize the command to carry the message. Let me remember that I once was the one in desperate need. And our common journey continues. Step by step. - Chris M.

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

CONFIDENCE

I want, by understanding myself, to understand others. I want to be all that I am capable of being.

~ Katherine Mansfield ~

We cannot make our life worth living until we have faith in our freedom of choice. This is the basis of confidence, the one asset that guarantees us success in what we have come to believe. Our Program warns us that we cannot achieve if we fear our ability to learn and to grow. Our primary confidence is in ourselves. This is a great step away from the feeling of failure I’ve had in the depths of addiction.

We build self-confidence by working toward who we want to be. Each Step takes us closer to that person. The closer we get, the more confidence we have that the Program works for us.

My self-confidence is growing because I want to be all I can be.

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

A word from the heart goes straight to the heart.

~ Abbe Huvelin ~

When we have something important to tell someone, we may feel afraid of how it will be received. Or when a friend experiences a tragedy, we may wonder what to say: this kind of situation can throw us into retreat mode and leave us silent. Or maybe we carry secrets we wish we could share, but we don’t dare to speak. It’s reassuring to recall the times when people have said important things to us. Their sincerity always meant more than any particular words they used.

Our message always contains more than just words. The very fact that we let someone into our confidence is a compliment. The fact that we care enough to show our feelings is a message of trust. When we give that kind of compliment to someone, we have a right to expect it to be treated gently, as a gift.

Today, in my personal relationships, I will speak from my heart.

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

Anger is a signal that a boundary has been crossed.

~ Niro Asistent ~

We don’t always recognize where our boundaries or limits are. We may be unaware of others’ boundaries too. In either case, our desire to please or control others can cloud our understanding.

Not having a clear sense of self-definition is common among women who are dependent on alcohol or other drugs. Most of us develop a dependence on other people too. Because we simply want to be accepted by others, we may mimic the behavior and beliefs of those around us and unconsciously cross the boundaries that separate us. We are frequently surprised by the anger that results.

It takes effort to define who we are and who we want to be. Watching what others do, how they respond, and then asking ourselves to follow our personal guide will educate us, on the spot, about who we really are, separate from the others around us.

I will know who I am, separate from others, if I thoughtfully ask my Higher Power to help me feel my differences.

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

I am slowing down

I used to feel so rushed. I used to feel everything had to be done now. For instance, my problems must go away now. I want what I want now. Street drugs made me less anxious and frustrated, but they left me with an addiction to recover from.

Although I am in recovery from both addiction and a psychiatric illness, I am still impatient at times. But it’s getting better. For instance, these days I practice walking slower and driving slower. I try not to rush through a meal (especially when I am eating alone). Even the way I think is calmer. I am seeing for myself that how I do something‒carefully, thoughtfully, completely‒can often be more important than what I do.

I will take a five-minute break sometime today and practice breathing deeply and slowly.

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

We like someone because, we love someone although.

~ Henry de Montherlant ~

In recovery, we are learning that the people in our group love us “in spite of’ what we often think of ourselves. Before, we may never have felt we could be liked for who we really were. We were always changing to fit what we thought people wanted. We tried to please others. We put on “false selves.” We hid behind what we thought others wanted. We ended up unhappy and made others unhappy in the process. Now we understand that people in our group may not like every aspect of our character, but they like us. Our sharing of these experiences becomes a strong, common bond.

We all have defects we must work on, and there is no better place to do it than in the fellowship of caring friends who understand the pain and suffering that come with the territory. And the care and generosity of our Higher Power and our sponsor help us love and forgive ourselves. God’s hand is on our shoulder, ready to lead us down the road to a more peaceful life.

Today let me do one special thing out of respect for myself.

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

Nobody wants their problems solved. Their dramas. Their distractions. . . . Their messes cleaned up. Because what would they have left? Just the big scary unknown.

~ Chuck Palahniuk ~

Do you live your life as a fire setter, a fire fighter, or a fire preventer?

When you are a fire setter, you simply cannot live without having some sort of drama going on. When you are a fire fighter, you are someone who thrives on being needed and who enjoys trying to resolve an issue or a problem. When you are a fire preventer, you live in a constant state of fear that chaos or disagreement will be sparked, and so you devote your energy to doing everything you can to ensure fires can be kept to a minimum.

No matter which group of fire bugs you identify with, all share one thing in common. They provide distractions that keep you from doing the things you need to do in your life. You are like someone who pulls a fire alarm before a big test is handed out, expecting that activating the alarm will cancel the test. But once a false alarm is declared and the students and teachers return to the classroom, the test will be given. Pulling the alarm has only delayed what has to be faced.

Today I will pay attention to the things I need to do—and just do them!

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

When you want to hurry something, that means you no longer care about it and want to get on to other things.

~ Robert M. Pirsig ~

At times we may feel pressured to accomplish certain things in a short period of time. We may find ourselves rushing through activities aimlessly, operating under some kind of invisible deadline. Or we may be looking forward to future events and wish the present would hurry up and end.

Now is the time to slow ourselves down. Like a swimmer before a race, we can take time to breathe deeply, relax our tense muscles, and test the waters before we take the plunge.

We can use Let Go and Let God, Easy Does It, and Keep it Simple as our guidelines. As we let these slogans relax us, we can get a clearer picture about the reasons for our hurrying. By examining these reasons, we can then determine what activities we really need to work on-at a much slower pace.

What slogans will help me relax my hustle-bustle pace?

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

Growing stronger

We are just one drink, pill, or fix away from relapse. But each day of abstinence makes us stronger. And over time, as we strive for spiritual progress, we become familiar with our resistances and our strengths.

Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote that “this kind of person increases his skill and strength and learns the favorable moments and the favorable accidents. He is his own apprentice, and more time gives a great addition of power, just as a falling body acquires momentum with every foot of the fall.”

Is my recovery growing steadier and stronger?

Higher Power, may my striving for spiritual growth bring self-understanding and strength to my recovery.

I will strengthen my recovery today by

God help me to stay clean and sober today!

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

All human nature vigorously resists grace because grace changes us and the change is painful.

~ FLANNERY O'CONNOR ~

Newcomer

Is there a particular action involved in taking Step Six?

Sponsor

One of the gifts of Step Six is that it helps me to remember that I’m not recovering on my own. I’ve let go of the mis-taken belief that I depend only on my own will and intellect. Step Six reminds me that a Power greater than myself can restore me to wholeness and health. As the process continues, I go within and find the willingness both to ask for guidance and to accept it.

The action of Step Six is the action of humility and of faith. It requires that we come to terms with our inability to solve problems on our own. It parallels Step Two, another step of preparation: before we made the decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of a Higher Power for restoration and healing, we had come to see and accept the possibility of that restoration. We trusted that wholeness was possible for us again, and that a Power greater than ourselves could accomplish it.

Today, I trust my Higher Power to be with me, wherever I am.

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~ THE EYE OPENER ~

We alcoholics are obstinate people. We drank all the more because people told us we couldn’t; when they said we were drunken sots and were hopeless−then we quit.

Man’s relationship to the mule is very close.

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

KINDNESS PRAYER

Keep us, O God, from closed mindedness; let us
Be large in thought, in word, in deed.
Let us be done with faultfinding, and
Leave of f self-seeking.
May we put away all pretense and
Meet each other face-to-face, without
Self-pity and without prejudice.
May we never be hasty in our judgment
And be always generous and helpful.
Teach us to put into action our better
Impulses, straightforward and unafraid.
Let us take time for the right things. Make us
Grow calm, serene, and gentle.
Grant that we may realize it is the
Little things that create difference,
That in the big things in life we are one.
And may we strive to touch and know
The great common heart of us all;
And O God, let us not forget to be kind.

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

RAISE THE SHADES

We do not have to create good. We do not have to persuade God to be Love, or Life, or Truth, or Intelligence. We do not have to ask Him to remember us. We could not ask for any good. Fundamentally, evil is a false belief about the power and availability of good.

If we draw down the shades in every room in a house, that house will be in darkness, and is likely to become damp and unhealthy as well, no matter how brightly the sun may be shining outside. Salvation consists in raising these shades and opening the windows−then He does the rest.

. . . walk as children of light (Ephesians 5:8).

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

There You Are

Wherever you go, there you are.

~ Anonymous ~

My friend Gil left his lucrative practice as an electrician in southern California to move to a remote jungle section of Maui where he rents a tiny ramshackle cabin for a hundred dollars a month and collects unemployment. Gil did some electrical work for me because he needed the income to pay his phone bill. "But I thought you lived out in the jungle?" I questioned him.

"I do, but I have this massive addiction to talking to people on my computer."

"You have a computer in your shack?"

"l ran a line through the bush and got a state-of-the-art computer. But then I got into trouble. I was totally compulsive about communicating with people all around the world, and I ran my phone bill up to $900. I told the phone company to cut me off—it was unmanageable. This was no mild addiction; I was mainlining—they might as well have just wired the phone line into me intravenously. I could escape L.A., but I couldn't escape myself."

Geographical cures rarely work. You can extricate yourself from a place, but you cannot escape your own thoughts. Move somewhere to get away from an uncomfortable situation, and you will likely recreate the drama with a new set of actors playing the same roles. Heal your mind, and you are free anywhere.

Dr. Michael Ryce teaches a seminar called Why Is This Happening to Me Again? "You leave New York to get away from a painful relationship," Dr. Ryce illustrates, "and the person who picks you up at the airport in Los Angeles completes the sentence the person in New York began."

Our first and foremost responsibility is to face ourselves and heal our minds and hearts. Then we may go anywhere and live in peace.

I pray to be unafraid to look within and find the light I am.

I create my world with my consciousness. I choose to live in peace.