Even More Recovery Readings and Meditations - June

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June 18

Step by Step

" ...I am deeply convinced that so long as I continue to strive, in my bumbling way, toward the principles I first encountered in the earlier chapters of this book, this remarkable power will continue to flow through me. What is this power? With my AA friends, all I can say is that it's a power greater than myself. If pressed further, all I can do is follow the psalmist who said it long, long before me: 'Be still, and know that I am God.'" - Alcoholics Anonymous, 3rd Edition, 1976, Ch 16 ("Me an Alcoholic?"), p 437.

Today, if I am skeptical about a power stronger than myself, grant me the courage to let go of what I know to be stronger than me - alcohol - and go on blind faith that the program's principles will lead me to that greater power for good. It is the course followed by agnostics and those who rejected the label "alcoholic." In our private journeys, we fin the strength and courage to strive toward the program's principles until their skepticism is displaced by belief in that power of good which is stronger than any of us. Today, despite any reluctance to surrender to that stronger power, I will move on with the faith that one day, I, too, will find and embrace my higher power. And our common journey continues. Step by step. - Chris M.

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

EMOTIONAL STRESS

No man is an island, entire of itself; each is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. . . .

~ John Donne ~

When we find ourselves in the grip of emotional stress, we force ourselves to be outgoing, rather than retreating into isolation. The mind is a terrible place in which to live" Daydreams are fine, but they all too quickly turn into nightmares. Our minds magnify our emotions. Our minds tell us that we are more in love than we are, angrier than we are, happier than we are, and mostly, more miserable than we are. When we retreat into isolation, we become prey to stinking thinking.

There is no peace of mind when the mind is allowed to work its own way. We need people. We need the Fellowship. When people are hard to find, we use the phone. The best medicine we have for emotional stress is to become involved in service.

Stress can cause rue to hide inside myself, thinking no one else understands. I need to reach out instead, and share my feelings with others who can help.

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

Life is a great big canvas, and you should throw all the paint on it you can.

~ Danny Kaye ~

Our recovery started because of unmanageability and loss of control. That was a very frightening state of life. However, if simply abstaining was our entire goal, we would become very suppressed and limited beings. Our need for caution and control would become pervasive in our lives. That is where a dry drunk is stuck. A successful and happy recovery brings freedom, peace of mind, and self-esteem. We learn how to relax and enjoy life to its fullest because we no longer have to be so concerned with control. We can release our deeper selves to engage freely in the wholesome and healthy pleasure of friendships, love and sex, family connections, good food, sports and recreation, and fulfilling work.

We don’t have to hold back our enthusiasm for life any longer. We are free to release our playfulness and take risks because we have a safe base in our Higher Power and our program. We can imagine trips we want to take, we can let our intuition speak to us, and we can dream of things we want to do and make plans to fulfill them.

Today I will paint freely on the canvas before me.

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

We shouldn’t blame ourselves for not winning a marathon with our very first step.

~ Marie Lindquist ~

Perfection, as we define it, eludes us. Perhaps we’ve heard someone say that each of us is perfect as we are, but we don’t believe it. After all, most of us don’t measure up when we compare ourselves to other women. So how can we be perfect?

Unrealistic expectations pave the way for failure. Perhaps parents, teachers, or bosses had overly high expectations of us. The anxiety we felt at missing their mark may have taught us to feel incompetent. Sometimes we fear we’ll fail even before we begin a job, a game, or any new challenge.

It’s possible to come to believe that we are as good as we need to be. But it takes work. Our self-talk, meditation time, and prayers of gratitude for who we are can ease the struggle.

I am as God has ordered today. Doing my best is the perfect response to every situation.

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

My health is important to me

For a long time I couldn’t let anyone know that I experience a psychiatric illness. It felt like a private scar. In taking medication each day I've sometimes felt weak and vulnerable. It reminds me that I truly have an illness, one that has been carefully diagnosed by a doctor, one that needs careful treatment.

But eventually I learned that I have a no-fault, biological illness. To recover from it, I need medication, just as do patients with diabetes or heart disease. Medication helps me learn how I need to change; it helps me to make change. Taking medication shows I have courage and commitment.

I will write out an affirmation that says, "I am a strong person. I am taking care of my health."

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

In recovery, to learn how to forgive oneself is often more difficult than to forgive others.

~ Frank Fields ~

The Twelve Steps offer us a whole new spiritual attitude. They teach us how to develop a relationship with our Higher Power and how to identify specific obstacles in our path. Working the Steps moves us toward self-forgiveness. We take a look at ourselves and the past, and air all the shame, grief, and pain by admitting to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. In this way we break our painful isolation.

Admitting our wrongs to another human being is perhaps the most difficult, but in the end the most liberating act. When someone else truly forgives us, we can begin to forgive ourselves. Through this process, we can begin to feel closer to our sponsor and to others around us, whether at work, home, or in our recovery program.

Today help me find forgiveness in my heart for myself, as well as for others.

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

It is inevitable when one has great need of something one finds it. What you need you attract like a lover.

~ Gertrude Stein ~

Eons ago, hunter-gatherer societies ensured their survival through the roles each member fulfilled. Those who gathered procured seafood, roots, and edible vegetation; those who hunted, tracked, and killed animals. Each person played a significant role. When everyone worked together, the efforts of both hunters and gatherers ensured the health and well-being of the entire clan.

It is this same way in the fellowship of recovery. Each person plays a vital role in helping others feel that they are on the right path. You support others when they feel weak or tempted. They, in turn, do the same for you. You share your experience so that others can learn. They do the same.

It is the fellowship’s unity in abstinence that helps to strengthen each person’s commitment to recovery. Sometimes all it takes is one member of the fellowship falling off the wagon to tempt others to do the same. But even during those times, the jitters of one can be soothed by the others. You will be able to find whatever you need, whenever you need it, in the fellowship of recovery.

I am part of a wonderful fellowship that provides a strong foundation of support for all of its members.

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

For the happiest life, days should be rigorously planned, nights left open to chance.

~ Mignon McLaughlin ~

How spontaneous are we? Are we more rigid people or more flexible? If our plans suddenly change, do we handle that easily or is it difficult for us? If we're more rigid, change is often difficult for us to deal with. We may feel anger, resentment, hurt, or sadness when a friend calls to cancel an engagement or something happens to interrupt our plans. We may find ourselves so rigid that we have difficulty going to a meeting and parking in a different space or sitting in a different seat.

Rigidity is built over time and so must be loosened up with time. Little changes in our patterns will help us deal with little changes in our lives. By gradually learning to accept smaller changes, we'll learn to deal with bigger ones. To become more flexible on a daily basis, we need to make slow and gentle changes. Over time, we'll learn to change from rigidity to spontaneity and flexibility.

I can make a small change in tomorrow's schedule. Each day I'll make a minor change to help develop flexibility.

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

Letting go of self-will

Self-will is what brought us to our knees. We must realize now that we can either make our will one with our Higher Power or we can remain separate. When we exercise un-controlled self-will, things crumble before us and often we find ourselves in the streets again. But this need not happen because now we know the difference; we have a choice.

When we let go and make our will one with our Higher Power’s, we have no trouble avoiding mood-altering chemicals.

Have I turned my will over?

I pray that I might let my will become one with my Higher Power.

Today I will let go of my self-will by

God help me to stay clean and sober today!

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

What are we doing here? We’re reaching for the stars.

~ CHRISTA MCAULIFFE ~

Newcomer

There’s so much I’ve failed at, so much I haven’t done. I’ve missed out on certain opportunities forever. I know I have to make the best of what’s left, but sometimes I think, “What’s the use?”

Sponsor

Addictive episodes begin small: one drink, one compulsive bite, one unsecured debt. Recovery, too, begins with one simple act: walking into a meeting place, making a phone call, raising a hand. Single actions become habits and are part of the ongoing process of creating new selves.

We continue recovering a Step at a time, a day at a time. We don’t succumb to fatalism or to the belief that if we give up on ourselves, all will be taken care of. It’s no longer acceptable for us to drift; we have ideals and values to which we want to be true. The past is over, but not the opportunity for joy and fulfillment. We can continue to grow and develop at any age. Each of us has something of unique value to contribute, and it’s not too late to make a beginning today.

Today, I take one step in the direction of becoming the person I want to be.

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~ THE EYE OPENER ~

Your life, like mine, has probably been a long series of wrongs committed against you. They probably number a thousand or more. How many still bother you? Only those you still remember. For your own happiness and peace of mind, forget them.

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

ELEVENTH STEP MEETING OPENING PRAYER

God,
We come together to fulfill a call to community and
to nurture one another into Being.
To practice engaging in God within ourselves and
one another.
To share the way we live, love, struggle, and dare to
be, that this community will be inspiring to our-
selves and others.
We pray to vigilantly seek within ourselves a God
Presence that enables us to embrace our human-
ity and to step into the Spiritual Experience of
mindfully living fully, loving wastefully, and en-
tering courageously into the depths of Being.
We pray to be more adequately God-bearers‒a
source of life, love, and Being to others.
To be changed, opened, sensitized, and
compassionate.
To witness to one another the profound ways that
prayer and meditation have changed us.
To share the healing Power of God which is Love.
Our prayer is a conscious recognition that God is
Love, and God is a Power that calls us more
deeply into the mystery of Being and into a fuller
humanity.
We pray to know that we are in God, that God is in
us, that God heals, and that God alone fulfills our
shared longing.
We especially pray to know that God is our only
source.
We give thanks for our personal relationship
with God.
Amen.

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

STEP BY STEP

When you are praying for your true place, it is well to remember that the full demonstration may not come in one move, but more likely after a series of stages.

Now, if you despise these intermediate steps, and think "this is a little better, but it is not really what I want," you will keep the demonstration back. Neither should you accept a small improvement as being all that you can hope to get. The scientific attitude is to see the stepping stone as stepping stone; to bless it, and give thanks for it, and to continue praying for the next step.

For precept must be upon precept . . . line upon line, here o little, and there a little (lsaiah 28:10).

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

I Feel Your Peace

He that is in me is greater than he that is in the world.

~ Jesus Christ ~

When my mother passed away, I received many thoughtful expressions of sympathy. The message that touched me most deeply was one I received on my telephone answering machine from my friend Cisley. "I feel your peace," she lovingly affirmed. As soon as I heard her words, I felt peaceful and comforted.

When a friend or loved one is going through an emotionally stressful time, the greatest gift we can offer is an affirmation of their strength. True spiritual support consists of using a higher vision than fear would show us. We must pierce beyond appearances and recognize wholeness and strength. When we reflect our friend's power, we remind them (and ourselves) who we really are.

Let me be a messenger of strength. Remind me to use my thoughts and words to affirm the presence of God.

I behold perfection, and I bring healing. My vision illuminates God.