Even More Recovery Readings and Meditations - May

[bluidkiti]

May 17

Step by Step

"He was drinking to hold on to his job, to hold on to his wife, to hold on to his sanity. Finally, he was drinking to keep away those little men, and those strange voices, and the organ music that came out of the walls." - Alcoholics Anonymous, Third Edition, 1976, Ch 8, p 512.

Today, the reasons and excuses to justify drinking are now the reasons I cannot drink. If I drank out of fear of losing a job, let me not drink to keep it; if I drank with uncertainty that I might lose a spouse or loved one, let me not drink to have a chance at salvaging the relationship; if I drank to stop the hallucinations that were not real, let me not drink to extinguish them forever. The desperate excuses I used to drink can now, ironically, become the reasons not to drink. In the end, I am only drying out and not sobering up if I hinge my recovery on something other than myself. Today, I choose not to drink for myself and not to avoid a possible consequence. Today, if I can be sober for myself, I may find the strength and courage to deal effectively with whatever consequences of my alcoholism that await me. And our common journey continues. Step by step. - Chris M.

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

INTELLECTUALIZING

Don’t intellectualize, utilize.

~ Anonymous ~

Many times we waste our minds by using them too much. A mind out of control can waste a life. Our mind can tell us we are better or less than another. It can tell us we need things we don’t, and that we should fear situations we needn’t. The power of the mind to intellectualize a life into a mess is amazing.

Our Program should be utilized, not intellectualized. We do not need to waste time debating points about the Program. We will not resolve with other intellectuals whether or not alcoholism and drug addiction are physical diseases or bad habits. The point, for us addicts, is that we will waste our life, die or go insane if we do not stay in recovery. All we have to do is look around a meeting room to see whether or not it works.

The Steps tell me HOW the Program works. The Traditions tell me why it works. My sponsor and fellow members show me THAT it works.

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

A dwarf standing on the shoulders of a giant may see farther than a giant himself.

~ Robert Burton ~

We all stand on the shoulders of those who have been our teachers, and on the shoulders of those who taught our teachers. When we pick a sponsor for our recovery, we look for someone we admire and trust, someone who has demonstrated success in his recovery.

Perhaps we feel we have a long way to go and a lot to learn. Perhaps we are struck by the big job we have ahead. But all we need to do is make progress. And we don’t have to reinvent the wheel. When we learn from our sponsor and from other people in our recovery community who are making progress, we get to stand on their shoulders. They let us see much more than we could see alone.

Today I am grateful for all the benefits of having a good sponsor.

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

An active listener is to be prized above rubies.

~ Ruth Humlecker ~

Giving our undivided attention to a friend can be difficult. Even though we care deeply for her and value her friendship, we often find it hard to keep our own thoughts from intruding. As she talks, we take note of other people in the vicinity. We think about the tasks we have yet to complete. And we may pass judgment on what she shares.

Letting go of having these kinds of thoughts while in conversation with a friend is hard, but it’s worth the work. No encounter is an accident, and every exchange with a friend or even a stranger has its reward for us. We are God’s students every moment.

When we listen, we learn how to handle situations we might face in the future. We learn to show respect through our caring attention. We grow in our understanding of the value of friendship. Perhaps most important, we learn the value of cultivating a quiet mind. Only a quiet mind can hear the words of our Higher Power coming through the gentle voice of a friend.

I will be an active listener today. I am ready to learn whatever God has in store for me.

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

I can’t quit my meds just yet

I don’t like taking my psychiatric medication. I don’t have insurance and I don’t have the money to keep buying it. Besides I’ve been taking it long enough−I feel better now. Sometimes I forget to take it anyway, and it doesn’t seem to make any difference.

Yet, as much as I want to just quit, I have to keep in mind what my doctor told me when I got to this point before. (If I do, I’ll probably save myself additional misery.) (a) Since my medication has long-lasting effects, I might not notice a missed pill here and there, but I would notice several pills missed in a row; (b) when I go off medication, it’s medically critical to taper it; and (c) most important, even though I’m feeling better, I need to stay on my medication a while longer to prevent a setback or a relapse to addiction.

If I want to make any changes in my medication, I will be sure to contact my doctor.

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

And fire is seen in the eye of the young, but it is light we see in the old man’s eyes.

~ Victor Hugo ~

Growing old is not something most people look forward to, and unfortunately prejudice against older people seems to be common in our society. Beautiful young adults have often been used as models of the ideal human form. Older people are left out entirely, or shown as clumsy, slow, and unable to think or act with grace and dignity.

Yet, when we study history and current events, many of the leaders in the political, business, and artistic communities were older. There is wisdom and experience in age that can be gained no other way, as well as a perspective on life most younger people don’t even know about.

We don’t need to deny our aging process. We don’t need to lie or joke about our age. Respect of self and others who are older is a sign of spiritual maturity.

We may not be able to do all the things we could when we were younger, but with age comes growing wisdom, perspective, and serenity that can be a blessing if only we look for it and appreciate it in ourselves and others.

Today help me give thanks for the blessings of age, and appreciate those whose years are many.

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

Spilling your guts is exactly as charming as it sounds.

~ Fran Lebowitz ~

There is a difference between sharing your information with others and spilling your guts. When you provide intimate and highly personal details of your life to those with whom you do not have a close relationship, you are not deepening the relationship but, instead, may be making others uncomfortable.

While the program encourages you to look at yourself, your actions, and your behaviors with total honesty, it does not mean that you need to share every little thing you uncover with others. Telling the story of how you came into the program is one that others would like to hear, but you need to do this in a way that eliminates some of the more graphic and intimate details that can make others feel uncomfortable.

The program teaches that when you listen to others, you take what you need and leave the rest. The goal of communication in recovery is to provide others with experiences and knowledge that will be of benefit to their own recovery. By taking the time to think about what you should share before you speak, you have a better chance of providing something of value—and not some-thing others will discard in the trash can.

I will think before I speak. I will be open and honest in ways that benefit others.

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

Imagine how little good music there would be if for example, a Conductor refused to play Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony on the ground[s] that his audience may have heard it before.

~ A. P. Herbert ~

Long ago, before printing presses, telephones, and instant replays, our, ancestors kept records of people, information, and history by telling the same stories many times. These stories were passed down from generation to generation. People crowded into caves and huddled around roaring fires to hear the old stories. They never grew tired of hearing them, for with for with each telling could come a new insight and a renewed interest.

When we hear the same things, we can tune in instead of tuning out. We can listen to each word as if it were the first time, feeling all the feelings and leaving our minds open to new insights. Perhaps we can garner a few lines to include in our own storytelling or that relate to us in particular. Conversations and stories can be the same with each telling. But we can keep them fresh by listening differently each time.

As I lie down tonight, I can imagine I've regained my hearing after years of silence. I can begin to listen as if it were the first time and gain so much more.

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

Overreacting

Those of us with chemical dependency have often shown just how damaging it can be to get too hungry, angry, lonely, or tired. Ironically, what we tend to get upset about aren’t the essentials.

Perhaps we can learn not to panic over simple misfortune, ungrounded fears, and emotional turmoil. If we can open ourselves up to a Higher Power and a spiritual practice, we can settle down. We’ll feel a lot better about ourselves and the world.

Have I stopped overreacting?

May I welcome a Higher Power to help me keep perspective and stay calm.

Today I will deal constructively with negative emotions by

God help me to stay clean and sober today!

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

People tend to become what you tell them they are.

~ DOROTHY DELAY ~

Newcomer

Someone I know keeps telling me what a great person I am. You’d think I’d love it, but it really upsets me. I don’t like the attention, and I don’t entirely believe it.

Sponsor

In early recovery, if someone expressed a high opinion of me, I felt as if I’d put something over on him or her; sooner or later, I thought, it would become clear what a fraud I was. Sometimes I had the opposite reaction: I ate up the praise and couldn’t get enough. My ego went clear through the roof. It took both time in recovery and the hard work of getting to know myself to accept that other people’s opinions were simply opinions, and I couldn’t base my serenity on them. I want to please other people, and I still can’t al-ways accept compliments and criticisms without being briefly knocked off my center. If three people tell me the same thing about myself, I pay attention; there may be some useful information in the consistency of others’ perceptions of me. But I don’t put conditions on self-love or self-acceptance.

Today, my love for myself and others is unconditional love.

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~ THE EYE OPENER ~

Our great triumph was not because of our victory over alcohol but because of our complete defeat. It was only when we were beaten to our knees that we sought the only help that could save us.

So we came into AA, not as boastful conquerors but as cringing and bloody casualties of an unequal fight. We were whipped; we knew it; we gave not a **** who else knew it. For us it was unconditional surrender. There were and could be no reservations.

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

THE PEACE OF MEDITATION

So we may know God better
And feel His quiet power,
Let us daily keep in silence
A meditation hour.
For to understand God’s greatness
And to use His gifts each day,
The soul must learn to meet Him
In a meditative way.
For our Father tells His children
That if they would know His will.
They must seek Him in the silence
When all is calm and still.

For nature’s greatest forces
Are found in quiet things,
Like softly falling snowflakes
Drifting down on angels’ wings,
Or petals dropping soundlessly
From a lovely full-blown rose.
God comes closest to us
When our souls are in repose.
So let us plan with prayerful care
To always allocate
A certain portion of each day
To be still and meditate.

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

GET SOME DEMONSTRATIONS

The royal road to progress in spiritual understanding is to solve definite problems by prayer.

Every time that you heal any condition, however small, by prayer, you gain an increase in spiritual understanding. One definite healing will teach you more about spiritual truth than hours of discussion or reading.

Some questions in metaphysics that readily present themselves cannot be answered without a good deal of preparation, and it is useless to try to answer them until this ground has been covered. It is useless for a student of algebra to try to understand binomial theorem if he hardly understands a simple equation. You always have enough understanding to get freedom and harmony here and now in the place where you are.

Because thou hast asked . . . for thyself understanding to discern judgement . . . lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart . . . (1 Kings 3:11−12).

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

The Temple

While God waits for His temple to be built of love, men bring stones.

~ Rabindranath Tagore ~

When the church board interviewed me, they asked if I would spearhead a building campaign for a new sanctuary,” the minister recounted. “I told them that I could not promise a new sanctuary, but I could guarantee that I would build a new consciousness.”

The movie Field of Dreams taught, “If you build it, they will come " But what is it that you must build? Because we are spiritual beings, we must nurture our thoughts and attitude above all else. If we think in harmony with truth, the outer forms will take care of themselves: "Seek ye first the kingdom of heaven, and all else shall be added unto you.”

What is the use of building a sanctuary, home, or business if it is not filled with love, light, laughter, and service? There are huge edifices built to God that are conspicuously devoid of caring, compassion, and acceptance. And there are small and humble churches, business, and families that are holy temples because they are founded on love. Remember that essence is always more important than form, and all else shall be provided.

Make my life a temple to Your love. May everyone I meet feel safe, cared for; served, and uplifted in my presence.

My life is my gift to God. My religion is love.