Even More Recovery Readings and Meditations - August

[bluidkiti]

August 21

Step by Step

"AA is not a plan for recovery that can be finished and done with. It is a way of life, and the challenge contained in its principles is great enough to keep any human being striving for as long as he lives. We do not, cannot, out-grow this plan. As arrested alcoholics, we must have a program for living that allows for limitless expansion." - Alcoholics Anonymous, 3rd Edition, 1976, "Alcoholics Anonymous Number Three," Ch 12 ("The Keys of the Kingdom"), p 311.

Today, I will not and cannot expect that being an "arrested alcoholic" will assure continued recovery and sobriety. We hear often but never too much that our program is not applied solely to sobering up but to daily living to maintain and enhance the quality of sobriety. If a day comes when I tinker with the dangerous folly that I have gone as far as I can with the program or have outgrown it, I am probably teetering on the edge of a slip or, more likely, a relapse. Today, AA becomes not only a program of recovery, but a daily way of life. And our common journey continues. Step by step. - Chris M.

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

READING

Reading makes a complete person.

~ Anonymous ~

When early man first found a way to turn spoken words into symbols, knowledge became available to untold numbers. Through carvings on stone and scribblings on parchment, a method of communication became available to all who truly cared to learn. The simplest of words were used in the first efforts to teach mankind.

Simplicity is still the recommended way of working a recovery program. We both read and hear that “the Program is simple but not always easy."

Reading, study, and meditation can give us the basis of wisdom. The knowledge we gain from reading helps us understand ourselves and our world better. The wisdom we gather from books helps us on our journey of recovery.

The fogginess and lack of concentration I had when I first started recovery has faded away. Reading has become an important part of my program.

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

Good thoughts bear good fruit, bad thoughts bear bad fruit—and man is his own gardener.

~ James Allen ~

Before we entered our program of healing and recovery, we didn’t recognize our thinking patterns as addictive and codependent. We simply thought our thoughts. Our attitudes seemed natural to us. Now we have learned from looking back that we had many self- serving and distorted ways of seeing life. Because of our need for control and our dependence on addictive ways, we had very nearsighted vision. Many of us indulged in a cynical and dark view of life. We used and controlled others to achieve our needs, and we were often ruled by fear.

Now we are learning that we can cultivate a healthier and happier state of mind. We need not be constantly vigilant about our safety and comfort. We have friends who are genuine and trustworthy. We can rest assured that our Higher Power will always be with us. We are created to be on this earth, and we have a right to take a place among the rest of humankind.

Today I am grateful for a healthy state of mind.

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

The deeper our roots, the farther from home we can safely travel.

~ Molly McDonald ~

When we think of our roots, we think of our family of origin, our birthplace, our youth. Who we are today, how we think about our opportunities, how we handle stress and pain—all are colored by the experiences of our past. But we are tak- lng several steps to develop new roots too. Learning from one another in this program helps establish the new root system. Understanding God’s role in our lives strengthens the root system. Adhering to the Steps and the principles of this program nourishes the root system. All three keep us grounded in the healthy, serene life we have chosen. These new roots will give us the strength we need to handle any situation. They will lighten our burdens. They will comfort us like the arms of a loving parent. They will make our steps certain and our vision hopeful.

Venturing away from our home, whether it’s our home group or our place of residence, is easier when we acknowledge the importance of taking our new way of life with us.

My life here today and in all my tomorrows will give me as much joy as my heart can contain.

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

I have a new perspective

I have been working on my emotional and chemical health for a while now. I have insight into where I've come from, where I want to go, and what I need to do to get there. In brief, I have some perspective.

To me, "perspective" means I don't have to fix everything right now. I don’t finish working the Twelve Steps in twelve weeks. There are no grades and no graduating classes in recovery. Perspective also suggests balance. For example, although I experience a dual illness, the illnesses do not define me. I am, first of all, a human being.

To help me help my perspective, I will read the comics in today’s paper.

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

Give us the tools and tee will finish the job.

~ Winston Churchill ~

Chemical dependency is a disease without prejudice; no one is denied. But the tools of recovery are available for anyone, too. Anyone with a desire to remain sober and live a healthy life can be part of the miracle of recovery.

Praying that our dreams will be realized is an important part of recovery. This conscious contact with God brings peace to our spirits and helps us overcome the struggles ahead. Accepting that God will show us the way, even when we are tempted to stray, brings us serenity as we face the hard work of recovery. As we build a relationship with God and use our prayers to help our dreams come alive, the miracle of recovery is always within our grasp.

The common bond we share with our sponsor and Twelve Step fellowship, a bond of friendship, faith, and experience, can help support us and give us the help we need to face each new day.

All of us have the tools we need to find serenity: honesty to help defeat denial, faith to conquer fear and uncertainty, sponsorship to end our isolation, and communion with our Higher Power to grant us peace.

Today help me use all the tools available to me to make real progress in my recovery.

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

I used to love night best but the older I get the more treasures and hope and joy I find in mornings.

~ Terri Guillemets ~

No matter how challenging your day, when it draws to an end you can trust that a new day will dawn. With each dawn comes a clean slate. What has gone on before is in the past. What lies before you is the unknown. You have the opportunity to turn this unknown into something positive.

Rather than see the new day as no different from any other day, you have the ability to make it into something magnificent, something beautiful, and something unlike no other. You do not need to spend money or invest a great deal of energy into facilitating such a change. All you need to do is approach the day with a different attitude. Make one small change in your morning routine or replace dread with excited anticipation, and such changes can make a world of difference.

In the day that lies before you, if you trust that absolutely anything can happen, it will. Dawn ignites a flame of possibility that can enlighten and invigorate your entire day.

I awaken to this day filled with hope and anticipation.

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

Fear less, hope more, eat less, chew more, whine less, breathe more, talk less, say more, love more, and all good things will be yours.

~ Swedish proverb ~

What do we have to do to get better in the program? Our first response may be to list all the healthy things we need to do: detach, meditate, pray, share, make phone calls, go to meetings, do the Steps, use the slogans, change behaviors. We soon have constructed an incredible list of dos and don'ts.

But we can Keep It Simple. All we need to do is live One Day at a Time in a different way than before. There are many positive things we can do, but we don't need to do them all at once.

Tonight we can just be ourselves. We don't need to make drastic changes or have dramatic mood swings or create radical resolutions. All that is asked of us is just to Keep It Simple.

Tonight I don't need to make radical changes. Help me Keep It Simple in all the changes I want to make.

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

Practicing tolerance

Everyone has a different opinion. No two people look the same. We all are different. Differences can cause us fear and set us apart from others, and we have no idea why.

If addiction closes us down, recovery opens us up. In the program, we learn that we are all more alike than we are different. We learn to look for what we share. We learn that we know so little about ourselves (let alone others) and that judgments are not helpful.

Can I live and let live?

Higher Power, help me to see myself in others.

I will practice tolerance today by

God help me to stay clean and sober today!

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

The advantage of the emotions is that they lead us astray.

~ OSCAR WILDE ~

Newcomer

I don't understand the slogan "Feelings aren't facts." I thought that we were supposed to pay more attention to our feelings in recovery. This slogan makes it sound like our feelings will lead us astray.

Sponsor

Acknowledging our feelings and letting them pass through us is different from clinging to them, assuming they'll never change, taking self-destructive actions based on them, or letting them lead us into self-pity, resentment, or despair. An amazing thing about feelings is that they change.

If we're aware of having feelings that we dislike or that might lead us back to our addictions—such as angel fear, or sadness—we can safely discharge anger through physical activity or sharing; we can cry when we're moved to cry. In recovery our feelings aren't so frightening. We've seen them come and go.

Many of us have the habit of reacting to present circumstances with an array of negative feelings we're still carrying from the past. In recovery, we recognize that there is more than one way to respond.

Today, my repertoire of possible responses is large, as I go through my day with lightness.

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~ THE EYE OPENER ~

There is no man alive who is a bigger fool than he who knows everything—even God can't teach such a one. This characteristic is common among alcoholics, and constitutes one of the greatest barriers to recovery. Our Program is best received by the humble heart and the attentive ear.

We must do a lot of “un-learning” before we are ready to start learning this new way of living.

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

Surround Me With Your Love, God

Surround me with Your love and guidance, O God;
I am not safe without You.
I am constantly exposed to this stressful world.
I am in danger sometimes of losing the battle to
the very shortcomings of my own nature.
I can only surrender myself to You
and believe that You will fulfill Your purpose in me.

I surrender to Your will, O God,
even when I am beaten down by depression
and caught up by my defects
and my own appetites threaten my recovery.
You are my God, and You will not let me go.

Your love , O God, is an answered promise.
Your wisdom is an answered prayer.

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

GOD SAYS NOW

God's, time for your demonstration is now. The time God wants you to be healed is now. The time God wants you to be in your true place is now. The Bible says that the day of salvation is now.

God is ready the moment you are. There is nothing to wait for except the changing of your own consciousness. People often make the mistake of saying, "I know my demonstration will come at the right time.” But the only time to be harmonious and satisfied is now. The time to be happy is now and the place is here. Did not Jesus say, The kingdom of heaven is at hand, and by this he meant close by.

Do not keep yourself out of the Kingdom of Heaven by inventing postponements, but change your consciousness now, for it can all happen in a moment.

. . . that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed (Romans 13:11).

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

Out of the Fishbowl

It’s not trespassing when you cross your own boundaries.

~ Anonymous ~

While cleaning out her fishbowl, Mildred drew a few inches of water into her bathtub and placed her two fish in the tub. When she returned, Mildred found the fish swimming in a little circle the size of the bowl.

Just as these fish had a huge bathtub to swim in, so do we live in an unlimited universe. Yet, like the fish, if we have accepted limits from our past, when we have the opportunity to expand our horizons, we may not challenge our limits, so we stay confined to an old pattern.

We must constantly test our limits to see if they are real. If we have the courage to venture into uncharted territory, we will find treasures and freedom we would never have known if we didn't try. Buddha said, "To see what few have seen, you must go where few have gone."

The "laws" and limits of the world exist by agreement only. When we release small thinking, we inherit the kingdom founded on the laws of love. Which laws do you choose to agree with? Jesus challenged us, "Choose ye this day whom you will serve." The world you live in will be as grand as the thoughts upon which you found it.

Let me not rest content with a life less than the one You offer me. I pray to live in the grandest universe possible.

I move beyond my past and claim a glorious future. I manifest magnificent results because I think unlimited thoughts.