Even More Recovery Readings and Meditations - June

[bluidkiti]

June 19

Step by Step

" ...(O)ur troubles, we think, are basically of our own making. They arise out of ourselves, and the alcoholic is an extreme example of self-will run riot, though he usually doesn't think so. Above everything, we alcoholics must be rid of this selfishness. We must, or it kills us!" - Alcoholics Anonymous, 3rd Edition, 1976, Ch 5 ("How It Works"), p 62.

Today, believe and accept that my troubles are of my own creation and that selfishness is the binding tie. Before and during my drinking days, I ran my life on my terms, my rules, my wants, needs, expectations and desires. And always, the results were disastrous and, if I am to be thoroughly honest, grew progressively worse. To whom or what, then, do I entrust my life if I can't run it? Herein is the introduction to the concept of a higher power, an entity stronger than I, or God as we understand Him. And even if I do not or cannot yet believe in a higher power or God, my willingness to at least be open to the possibility is a beginning - toward humility. Today, I am open to the possibility that something higher and wiser than I can run my life better than me. And our common journey continues. Step by step. - Chris M.

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

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

UNSELFISHNESS

Modesty and unselfishness ‒ these are the virtues which men praise.

~ Andre Maurois ~

We continually work toward unselfishness. To be unselfish is to be useful. When we are selfish, we are useless to others and to ourselves. By hoarding everything for ourselves, not only material things but even good, healthy thoughts and feelings, we are depriving not only others, but ourselves. Material things are cold and can’t return our love. Good thoughts and feelings will soon shrivel and die unless we pass them on to others.

The Twelfth Step tells us we must give away what we have to keep what we have gained. So we learn that it is impossible to give without receiving and equally impossible to receive without giving back. Always, giving brings rewards such as satisfaction and self-worth. This is "passing it on.”

I know that sharing increases good things, while selfishness decreases them.

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

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

To have more, desire less.

~ Table Talk ~

So many of us are caught up in such a busy pace of life that we feel we don’t have time for the basic things like dinner with our family, time to talk to our intimate partner, or quiet time to unwind and reflect. What is the problem? Often the problem is that we are caught in a never-ending search for more material things than our income can comfortably afford. In modern life, we are daily subjected to well-crafted advertising that tells us we would be happy if we bought another alluring item. Turning aside from those seductions, deciding we can live more comfortably if we seek happiness else-where, frees us from that demanding cycle.

If we examine our desires, we will quickly recognize that we already have enough material goods. Happiness, gratitude, and peace of mind will come from the abundance of our relationships and the knowledge that we are the kind of men we hope to be. We can limit our desires for more goods and free ourselves from the feeling that we don’t have enough.

Today I will remind myself that I have enough. I am fateful for the abundance in my life.

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

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

Only when I have the courage to risk revealing who I am in heart-to-heart communication can I honor both myself and another.

~ Mary Norton Gordon ~

When we hide who we really are, we can never trust that other people like us. We fear that if they knew all our parts, they’d reject or abandon us.

It’s not surprising that we struggle with this. Shame-based families taught us to hide our feelings, our thoughts, even our hopes and aspirations. Not letting others know us became a habit. Unfortunately, it taught us to feel shame even when no shame was necessary.

Breaking out of this pattern takes courage and willingness. What’s more, it takes constant practice. Only by repeatedly showing others who we really are and realizing that they don’t go away can we learn the joy inherent in honest, intimate communication. Twelve Step groups offer us a safe place for mastering this skill. What lucky women we are!

I am okay, all of me, and I’ll share who I am with friends today. Even the parts of me that need work can be shared safely.

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

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

I now that I need people

I used to think I didn't need people (except to sell me my drugs). But now that I'm clean and sober, I realize how lonely I've been. I realize how lost, scared, and empty I feel.

The truth is that I need people deeply. They are a part of my higher power. I know that I cannot recover from my dual disorder on my own. Through recovery meetings, both support group and Twelve Step, I trust that I can make friends. And I trust that some of them will help me in my recovery when I need them.

I will tell my group how grateful I am to them and ash them for their continued support.

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

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

I still have had days.
But I don’t panic when I do.

~ Dan B. ~

For many of us, having a bad day is part of the process of getting better. A bad day doesn’t necessarily mean a slip or a return to drinking or using. It could mean being secretive, snapping at someone, being rude or grandiose, or feeling those “old feelings” again. We know what bad days are. And we will probably always have bad days. They’re part of life.

They are, however, not a sign that we are bad people or that we aren’t getting better. We are. For the most part, our lives are much better than they used to be. And an occasional bad day or series of bad days is often part of the healing process. We may even come to view a bad day as a challenge. By responding to the challenge, by choosing a healthy action or clearing up our anger before it turns to resentment, by turning more quickly to our sponsor and our Higher Power, we are growing. Bad days offer us something that good days don’t — the challenge to grow, to be honest, to turn things over — the chance to pick up and use the tools recovery has given us.

Today help me to remember that "bad days” aren’t the end of my recovery. They’re part of everyone’s life — recovering or not.

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

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

Rejoice when the going gets tough, when everything turns mean. It is time to shout and clap our hands—if only in the privacy of our own minds.

~ Joyce Sequichie Hifler ~

Changing your life from use to dis-use does not hap-pen overnight. It is one thing to put down the drink and make the decision that you will no longer abuse your body. It is entirely another to live without the addiction.

Living without your addiction is where the work in recovery really begins. This work is all about adjustment: adjusting how you think and how you behave, adjusting your way of feeling, adjusting how you interact with others, and—ultimately—adjusting your way of living. The slogan “Easy does it” serves as a reminder to approach your recovery in a relaxed manner. It encourages you to be patient with the adjustments you need to make. It reminds you to be gentle with yourself and not to burden yourself or take on more than you can handle.

Whenever you remind yourself, “Easy does it,” you can transform the challenges you face from steep mountains into gently rolling hills. You can dry your tears of frustration. You can be filled with joy because you are where you need to be: on the road to recovery.

Today I will use “Easy does it” whenever I feel that I am trying to take on too much.

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

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

The man who makes no mistakes lacks boldness and the spirit of adventure. He never tries anything new. He is a brake on the wheels of progress.

~ M. W. Larmour ~

"Progress, not perfection" is all the program asks of us. Yet our expectations to do everything the right way at the right time−and usually without asking for help−only lead to incredible disappointment and a sense of failure.

When Henry Ford made his first automobile, he forgot to make a reverse gear. Was that a failure? Not if we look at how his next car−the Model T−revolutionized the automobile industry. Ford learned from his mistake and used that knowledge to build something even better.

Tonight we're building something even better−ourselves. But we won't be able to make a perfect model, only a better one. To do so, we need to accept the fact that we're going to make mistakes along the way.

What mistakes have I made today that I can learn from tonight?

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

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

Doing the footwork

We often ask our Higher Power for spiritual assets without recognizing the work we need to do to get them. To grow strong, we must learn to carry burdens; to gain patience, we must learn to handle stress; to follow God’s will, we must become willing to let go. To be courageous, we must practice faith in the face of fear; to be right, we must learn to admit wrongs; to be loved, we must learn to be loving.

Our Higher Power gives us opportunities to grow. The footwork is up to us.

Am I doing my part?

Higher Power, help me to recognize, and do, my part in recovery.

Today I will do the footwork necessary to

God help me to stay clean and sober today!

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

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

All happiness depends on a leisurely breakfast.

~ JOHN GUNTHER ~

Newcomer

I’m trying to make up for my years of self-centeredness; I want to give service to others in this fellowship and find time for friends and family. But it’s starting to feel as if I always have somewhere to go and something I’ve promised to do.

Sponsor

It doesn’t sound like you’re having much fun. While you may need to work on setting realistic goals and managing time, you’ve hit upon a deeper issue.

We don’t have to function at burnout level in order to be good human beings. A smile, a kind word, or simply saying “Thanks for what you shared” can sometimes be of more use to other people than trying to come up with solutions to their problems.

For some of us, overwork and over responsibility is a way of numbing ourselves. If all you’re doing is work, do you have the patience and spiritual energy to listen to what’s being said at meetings? Can you hear your own inner voice? Can you feel joy?

Today, I slow down and stop to look at the beauty around me and within me.

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

~ THE EYE OPENER ~

If you were asked to give a definition of the AA Program, you could probably come no closer than to say it is a Thinking Program.

Underlying the whole philosophy is a studied effort to change the mental fumbling of the alcoholic to real, profound, constructive thinking.

It was this type of thinking that inspired our movement, and because of the profound thought behind it, it developed the simplicity that makes it understandable to the befogged alcoholic and yet so profound as to confound the wise.

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

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

PAUL D.’s PRAYER

We thank You, dear Lord, for giving us Bill and Dr. Bob and for Your divine guidance and direction in their creation of our Fellowship and Program.

We thank You, dear Lord, for Your blessings and protection of our Fellowship and our Program over the past sixty years and we pray, dear Lord, that You will continue to bless and protect our Fellowship and our Program of Alcoholics Anonymous, always.

We thank You, dear Lord, for the countless number of alcoholics for whom You have lifted the bonds of alcohol and allowed us to get sober, live sober lives, and die sober deaths.

We pray, dear Lord, that You will hear the prayers and the cry for help from the still sick and suffering alcoholics and send them to us.

We pray, dear Lord, that we remain forever humble and grateful and always worthy to receive and keep this precious gift of sobriety that You have bestowed upon us, and for all the benefits, gifts, and many, many blessings that we have received from the Program of Alcoholics Anonymous, we thank
You, dear Lord.

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

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

PEACE, THE MIRACLE WORKER

Regeneration means building a new mentality; that is, creating a new soul in place of your present one. It does not mean merely improving your present self−it means producing (through the power of God, of course), a new self.

If you do this, everything else in your life will rapidly change for the better. Other people will become much more friendly to you. Because your soul will be filled with peace, you will radiate peace, and other people will get it intuitively. Everybody likes peace and harmony and they are attracted to any source from which it comes.

Naturally you cannot radiate peace if you do not first possess it within yourself. You cannot radiate anything from the outside. To radiate any quality, that quality must be within yourself.

True peace of mind is the short cut to regeneration. The Master said,

Peace I have with you, my peace I give unto you (John 14:27).

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

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

In-Body Experiences

When Mahatma Gandhi was asked, “What do you think of Western civilization?," he answered, "I think it would be a very good idea."

While discussing the phenomenon of mysterious crop circles, my friend asked, "How do you think it would change life on our planet if extraterrestrials showed up?"

His question evoked another one from me: "How do you think would change life on the planet if human beings showed up?"

Many people on the spiritual path have spent a great deal of time trying to leave the planet. We are fascinated with near-death experiences, astral travel, transmigration of souls, and many other aspects of nonphysical reality. I am quite interested in all of these phenomena and have gained much from studying them. Yet many of us have become enamored with other worlds at the expense of this one. Yes, God is in the heavens and on the other side of life, but God is also here on earth. When someone asked me what percentage of my friends have had out- of-body experiences, I answered, "l know quite a few people who have yet to have an in-body experience."

The earth plane is a wonderful classroom to learn and master spiritual principles. Every truth of spirit is observable on earth. My favorite church is nature. As I observe the trees, animals, water, sky, sun, and moon, I find profound evidence of the Creator's majesty. I see God shining through the eyes of my loved ones, and I feel God's love in their embrace. Surely a loving God is not absent on earth, but very present.

Begin to look more closely at the way your body and earth life teach and bless you. The food you eat, the health and energy of your body, and the way your physical world plays out all contain valuable messages for spiritual growth. "On earth as it is in heaven."

Help me to find You everywhere. I open to Your gifts and teachings in my experience.

The spirit of truth speaks to me through all my senses.