Daily Recovery Readings - January

[bluidkiti]

January 1

Daily Reflections

"I AM A MIRACLE"

The central fact of our lives today is the absolute certainty that our
Creator has entered into our hearts and lives in a way which is indeed
miraculous. He has commenced to accomplish those things for us
which we could never do by ourselves.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 25

This truly is a fact in my life today, and a real miracle. I always
believed in God, but could never put that belief meaningfully into my
life. Today, because of Alcoholics Anonymous, I now trust and rely on
God, as I understand Him; I am sober today because of that! Learning
to trust and rely on God was something I could never have done alone.
I now believe in miracles because I am one!

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As Bill Sees It

Personality Change, p. 1

"It has often been said of A.A. that we are interested only in alcoholism.
That is not true. We have to get over drinking in order to stay alive.
But anyone who knows the alcoholic personality by firsthand contact
knows that no true alky ever stops drinking permanently without
undergoing a profound personality change."

<< << << >> >> >>

We thought "conditions" drove us to drink, and when we tried to
correct these conditions and found that we couldn't do so to our entire
satisfaction, our drinking went out of hand and we became alcoholics. It
never occurred to us that we needed to change ourselves to meet
conditions, whatever they were.

1. Letter, 1940
2. 12 & 12, p. 47

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Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

Chapter 7 - WORKING WITH OTHERS

If there is any indication that he wants to stop, have a good talk with the person most interested in him—usually his wife. Get an idea of his behavior, his problems, his background, the seriousness of his condition, and his religious leanings. You need this information to put yourself in his place, to see how you would like him to approach you if the tables were turned.

p. 90

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Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Tradition Five - "Each group has but one primary purpose - to carry it's message to the alcoholic who still suffers."

Highlighting the wisdom of A.A.'s single purpose, a member tells this story:
"Restless one day, I felt I'd better do some Twelfth Step work. Maybe I should take out some insurance against a slip. But first I'd have to find a drunk to work on.
"So I hopped the subway to Towns Hospital, where I asked Dr. Silkworth if he had a prospect. `Nothing too promising,' the little doc said. `There's just one chap on the third floor who might be a possibility. But he's an awfully tough Irishman. I never saw a man so obstinate. He shouts that if his partner would treat him better, and his wife would leave him alone, he'd soon solve his alcohol problem. He's had a bad case of D.T.'s, he's pretty foggy, and he's very suspicious of everybody. Doesn't sound too good, does it? But working with him may do something for you, so why don't you have a go at it?'

pp. 151-152

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A WORD
A CARELESS WORD MAY KINDLE STRIFE....
A CRUEL WORD MAY WRECK A LIFE........
A TIMELY WORD MAY LEVEL STRESS.......
BUT A LOVING WORD MAY HEAL AND BLESS.

Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.
--Helen Keller

In the process of growing to spiritual maturity, we all go through many adolescent
stages.
--Miki L. Bowen

"Don't water your weeds."
--Harvey Mackay

"A teacher is one who makes himself progressively unnecessary."
--Thomas Carruthers

Ah the dawn of a New Year! May we find inner peace, gentle spirit, God's grace,
forgiveness, dreams and prayers, Recovery.
--Shelley

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Father Leo's Daily Meditation

SPIRITUALITY

"It is not that I think or believe
[in spirituality] but that I
know."
-- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Some things I seem to know intuitively: and I know that spirituality is involved in and
affects everything. In a human being it combines the physical, mental and emotional
but it also reaches beyond the human being and connects the peoples of the world.
Spirituality is the force for good and wholeness in this universe.

This is not just an opinion or a thought. It is a feeling that runs so deep in my being
that I know it must be true. When I read, hear music or see movies, this feeling is often
evoked, and I know God is alive in His world and wanting it to be ONE.

In the silence of Your world I know You.

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The Lord is good to all; He has compassion on all He has made.
Psalm 145 : 9

"I will sing praises to my God my life long."
Psalm 146:2

"Protect me. O God, for in you I take refuge.... You show me the path of life."
Psalm 16:1,11

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Daily Inspiration

Begin every day as if it were your very first because you really are always at the beginning. Lord, thank you for the constant ability to stop any offensive behaviors that I have and the gift of being forgiven and being able to forgive myself.

To be wise, you must first find peace, for peace opens the door to a freer and fuller life. Lord, continue to draw me close to You so that I can know more and more of Your peace within me.

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Each Day a New Beginning (Women) (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1920)
Food for Thought (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1903)
Language of Letting Go (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1904)
Today's Gift (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1900)
Touchstones (Men) (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1902)
Twenty-Four Hours a Day (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1902)
Walk In Dry Places (http://www.hazelden.org/OA_HTML/ibeCCtpItmDspRte.jsp?item=604&sitex=10020:22372:US)

[bluidkiti]

January 2

Daily Reflections

FIRST, THE FOUNDATION

Is sobriety all that we can expect of a spiritual awakening? No,
sobriety is only a bare beginning.
As Bill Sees It, p. 8

Practicing the A.A. program is like building a house. First I had to
pour a big, thick concrete slab on which to erect the house; that, to
me, was the equivalent of stopping drinking. But it's pretty
uncomfortable living on a concrete slab, unprotected and exposed to
the heat, cold, wind and rain. So I built a room on the slab by starting
to practice the program. The first room was rickety because I wasn't
used to the work. But as time passed, as I practiced the program, I
learned to build better rooms. The more I practiced, and the more I
built, the more comfortable, and happy, was the home I now have to
live in.

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As Bill Sees It

In God's Hands, p. 2

When we look back, we realize that the things which came to us when
we put ourselves in God's hands were better than anything we could
have planned.

<< << << >> >> >>

My depression deepened unbearably, and finally it seemed to me as
though I were at the very bottom of the pit. For the moment, the last
vestige of my proud obstinacy was crushed. All at once I found myself
crying out, "If there is a God, let Him show Himself! I am ready to do
anything, anything!"

Suddenly the room lit up with a great white light. It seemed to me, in the
mind's eye, that I was on a mountain and that a wind not of air but of
spirit was blowing. And then it burst upon me that I was a free man.
Slowly the ecstasy subsided. I lay on the bed, but now for a time I was in
another world, a new world of consciousness. All about me and through
me there was a wonderful feeling of Presence, and I thought to myself,
"So this is the God of the preachers!"

1. Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 100
2. A.A. Comes Of Age, p. 63

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Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

Chapter 7 - WORKING WITH OTHERS

Sometimes it is wise to wait till he goes on a binge. The family may object to this, but unless he is in a dangerous physical condition, it is better to risk it. Don’t deal with him when he is very drunk, unless he is ugly and the family needs your help. Wait for the end of the spree, or at least for a lucid interval. Then let his family or a friend ask him if he wants to quit for good and if he would go to any extreme to do so. If he says yes, then his attention should be drawn to you as a person who has recovered. You should be described to him as one of a fellowship who, as part of their own recovery, try to help others and who will be glad to talk to him if he cares to see you.

p. 90

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Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Tradition Five - "Each group has but one primary purpose - to carry it's message to the alcoholic who still suffers."

"I was soon sitting beside a big hulk of a man. Decidedly unfriendly, he stared at me out of eyes which were slits in his red and swollen face. I had to agree with the doctor - he certainly didn't look good. But I told him my own story. I explained what a wonderful Fellowship we had, how well we understood each other. I bore down hard on the hopelessness of the drunk's dilemma. I insisted that few drunks could ever get well on their own steam, but that in our groups we could do together what we could not do separately. He interrupted to scoff at this and asserted he'd fix his wife, his partner, and his alcoholism by himself. Sarcastically he asked, `How much does your scheme cost?'
"I was thankful I could tell him, `Nothing at all.'

p. 152

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"Making prompt amends is the fresh air of each new day." --Sandra Little

"We have to do the best we can. This is our sacred human responsibility." --Albert Einstein

"Never settle for anything less than your best." --Brian Tracy

The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, not to worry
about the future, not to anticipate troubles, but to live the present moment wisely and
earnestly. --Siddhartha Gautama

Sorrow looks back, worry looks around, and faith looks up. --unknown

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Father Leo's Daily Meditation

MARTYRS

"A thing is not necessarily true
because a man dies for it."
-- Oscar Wilde

I came to the conclusion in my battle with alcoholism that my involvement with God's
will for me was crucial; my choice is the result of God's bestowed gift of freedom. And
freedom is awfully real! The price of freedom is Auschwitz; the price of freedom is
the world's starving millions; the price of freedom is the dead drunk in a derelict
building. Men do insane and destructive things, usually because they think they know
best. Men die to protect their ego. The sin of Adam, wanting to be like God, haunts us
all.

Today I am learning to detach spiritually in order to discover a pure and selfless love.
I stand back and consider before I act; often after a time of reflection I see the event
differently --- and it is okay to change my mind.

Lord, I understand choice to be the key to my humanity.

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See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a
way in the desert and streams in the wasteland." Isaiah 43:19

"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path." Psalm 119:105

"By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give
light to those who sit in darkness." Luke 1:78-79

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Daily Inspiration

Peace is one of our greatest needs because it provides for the strength we
need in times of turmoil. Lord, I turn to You because You are my source of
peace.

Laughter is a great way to reduce stress and prevent taking ourselves too
seriously. Lord, bless me with a healthy sense of humor.

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

Each Day a New Beginning (Women) (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1920)
Food for Thought (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1903)
Language of Letting Go (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1904)
Today's Gift (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1900)
Touchstones (Men) (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1902)
Twenty-Four Hours a Day (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1902)
Walk In Dry Places (http://www.hazelden.org/OA_HTML/ibeCCtpItmDspRte.jsp?item=604&sitex=10020:22372:US)

[bluidkiti]

January 3

Daily Reflections

POWERLESS

We admitted we were powerless over alcohol-that our lives had become
unmanageable.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 21

It is no coincidence that the very first Step mentions powerlessness: An
admission of personal powerlessness over alcohol is a cornerstone of
the foundation of recovery. I've learned that I do not have the power
and control I once thought I had. I am powerless over what people
think about me. I am powerless over having just missed the bus. I am
powerless over how other people work (or don't work) the Steps. But
I've also learned I am not powerless over some things. I am not
powerless over my attitudes. I am not powerless over negativity. I am
not powerless over assuming responsibility for my own recovery. I
have the power to exert a positive influence on myself, my loved ones,
and the world in which I live.

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As Bill Sees It

Pain And Progress, p. 3

"Years ago I used to commiserate with all people who suffered. Now I
commiserate only with those who suffer in ignorance, who do not
understand the purpose and ultimate utility of pain."

<< << << >> >> >>

Someone once remarked that pain is the touchstone of spiritual
progress. How heartily we A.A.'s can agree with him, for we know
that the pains of alcoholism had to come before sobriety, and
emotional turmoil before serenity.

<< << << >> >> >>

"Believe more deeply. Hold your face up to the Light, even though
for the moment you do not see."

1. Letter, 1950
2. 12 & 12, pp. 93-94
3. Letter, 1950

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Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

Chapter 7 - WORKING WITH OTHERS

If he does not want to see you, never force yourself upon him. Neither should the family hysterically plead with him to do anything, nor should they tell him much about you. They should wait for the end of his next drinking bout. You might place this book where he can see it in the interval. Here no specific rule can be given. The family must decide these things. But urge them not to be over-anxious, for that might spoil matters.

pp. 90-91

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Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Tradition Five - "Each group has but one primary purpose - to carry it's message to the alcoholic who still suffers."

"His next question: `What are you getting out of it?' "Of course, my answer was `My own sobriety and a mighty happy life.' "Still dubious, he demanded, `Do you really mean the only reason you are here is to try and help me and to help yourself?'
"`Yes,' I said. `That's absolutely all there is to it. There's no angle.'

p. 152

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Serenity isn't freedom from the storm; it is peace within the storm. --unknown

The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, not to worry
about the future, or not to anticipate troubles, but to live the present moment wisely
and earnestly. --Buddha (B.C. 568-488)

"The more you invest in a marriage, the more valuable it becomes." --Amy Grant

Envy shoots at others and wounds herself. --Costa Rican Proverb

If you dig a grave for others, you might fall into it yourself. --Irish Proverb

I embrace the beauty of life, and depend deeply upon God. --Shelley

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Father Leo's Daily Meditation

ISOLATION

"No man is an island, entire of
itself; every man is a piece of
the continent, a part of the
main."
-- John Donne

For years I thought that I was alone; lost isolated and afraid. Today I understand this
to be a symptom of my alcoholism, an aspect of my disease. Alcoholism is "cunning,
baffling and powerful"; it is a mystery that we have only begun to understand. One
thing we know, the disease, the "ism" of alcoholism, involves more than the act
of drinking. Feelings of inadequacy, isolation and fear keep us from recovering until
we discover the spiritual strength to confront the disease in our lives. The initial risk of
"letting go" and trusting others is an essential part of the recovery process.

When we discover that we are not alone, then relationships and hope are reactivated;
life is worth living again.

O Lord, I believe I am part of this world and an important part of You.

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"But Jesus looked at them and said, 'With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with
God all things are possible." Mark 10:27

Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Matthew 6:34

"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28

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Daily Inspiration

It is good to know where you are, but better to know where you are going. Lord, may I use every day to grow closer to You.

When you feel you aren't as blessed as your neighbor, consider the troubles that you have been spared. Lord, thank You for the trials that I do not have to endure.

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

Each Day a New Beginning (Women) (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1920)
Food for Thought (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1903)
Language of Letting Go (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1904)
Today's Gift (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1900)
Touchstones (Men) (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1902)
Twenty-Four Hours a Day (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1902)
Walk In Dry Places (http://www.hazelden.org/OA_HTML/ibeCCtpItmDspRte.jsp?item=604&sitex=10020:22372:US)

[bluidkiti]

January 4

Daily Reflections

BEGIN WHERE YOU ARE

We feel that elimination of our drinking is but a
beginning. A much more important demonstration of our
principles lies before us in our respective homes,
occupations and affairs.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p.19

It's usually pretty easy for me to be pleasant to the
people in an A.A. setting. While I'm working to stay
sober, I'm celebrating with my fellow A.A.s our common
release from the hell of drinking. It's often not so
hard to spread glad tidings to my old and new friends
in the program. At home or at work, though, it can be
a difference story. It is in situations arising in
both of those areas that the little day-to-day
frustrations are most evident, and where it can be
tough to smile or reach out with a kind word or an
attentive ear. It's outside of the A.A. rooms that
I face the real test of the effectiveness of my walk
through A.A.'s Twelve Steps.

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As Bill Sees It

Can We Choose?, p. 4

We must never be blinded by the futile philosophy that we are just the
hapless victims of our inheritance, of our life experience, and of our
surroundings--that these are the sole forces that make our decisions for
us. This is not the road to freedom. We have to believe that we can
really choose.

<< << << >> >> >>

"As active alcoholics, we lost our ability to choose whether we would
drink. We were the victims of a compulsion which seemed to decree
that we must go on with our own destruction.

"Yet we finally did make choices that brought about our recovery. We
came to believe that alone we were powerless over alcohol. This was
surely a choice, and a most difficult one. We came to believe that a
Higher Power could restore us to sanity when we became willing to
practice A.A.'s Twelve Steps.

"In short, we chose to 'become willing,' and no better choice did we ever
make."

1. Grapevine, November 1960
2. Letter, 1966

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Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

Usually the family should not try to tell your story. When possible, avoid meeting a man through his family. Approach through a doctor or an institution is a better bet. If your man needs hospitalization, he should have it, but not forcibly unless he is violent. Let the doctor, if he will, tell him he has something in the way of a solution.

p. 91

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Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Tradition Five - "Each group has but one primary purpose - to carry it's message to the alcoholic who still suffers."

"Then, hesitantly, I ventured to talk about the spiritual side of our program. What a freeze that drunk gave me! I'd no sooner got the word `spiritual' out of my mouth than he pounced. `Oh!' he said. `Now I get it! You're proselytizing for some **** religious sect or other. Where do you get that "no angle" stuff? I belong to a great church that means everything to me. You've got a nerve to come in here talking religion!"

pp. 152-153

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Situations I fear are rarely as bad as the fear itself. --unknown

"Growl all day and you'll feel dog tired at night." --Anonymous

"Laughter is as good as jogging for our heart, lungs, and brain." --Gail Grenier Sweet

If you touch, you feel. If you ask, you learn. If you look, you see. If you love, you live. --unknown

People travel to wonder at the height of the mountains, at the huge waves of the seas, at the long course of the rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motion of the stars, and yet they pass by themselves without wondering. --St. Augustine of Hippo

The heart of AA is the act of one person giving to another.

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Father Leo's Daily Meditation

FREEDOM

"A hungry man is not a free man."
-- Adlai Stevenson

For years I craved food. It was my escape from reality. It stopped the pain, loneliness
and anger --- for a moment. It felt good. Eventually I began to feel bad --- but I could
not stop. I was addicted to sugar and sodium. My freedom was being exchanged for
doughnuts!

I heard a man talk about his compulsion around cocaine and gambling. I asked how he
managed to abstain and he replied: "Talk about it, a day at a time!"

Today I am compulsive about getting well, and I talk about my disease every day. The
price of freedom is vulnerability. God is in the risk. I have taken it.

God, let me experience freedom in the choices I make today.

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"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."
John 3:16

Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and Your dominion endures through all generations. The Lord is faithful to all His promises and loving towards all He has made. Psalm 145:13

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Daily Inspiration

It is you, not where you are or what you have, that makes the difference. Lord, may I always blossom where I am planted.

Kindness can accomplish that which force won't. Lord, may I pause when I am about to react to irritations and respond as though it is You to whom I speak.

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

Each Day a New Beginning (Women) (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1920)
Food for Thought (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1903)
Language of Letting Go (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1904)
Today's Gift (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1900)
Touchstones (Men) (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1902)
Twenty-Four Hours a Day (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1902)
Walk In Dry Places (http://www.hazelden.org/OA_HTML/ibeCCtpItmDspRte.jsp?item=604&sitex=10020:22372:US)

[bluidkiti]

January 5

Daily Reflections

TOTAL ACCEPTANCE

He cannot picture life without alcohol. Some day he will
be unable to imagine life either with alcohol or without
it. Then he will know loneliness such as few do. He will
be at the jumping-off place. He will wish for the end.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p.152

Only an alcoholic can understand the exact meaning of a
statement like this one. The double standard that held
me captive as an active alcoholic also filled me with
terror and confusion: "If I don't get a drink I'm going
to die," competed with "If I continue drinking it's
going to kill me." Both compulsive thoughts pushed me
ever closer to the bottom. That bottom produced a total
acceptance of my alcoholism - with no reservations
whatsoever - and one that was absolutely essential for
my recovery. It was a dilemma unlike anything I had
ever faced, but as I found out later on, a necessary
one if I was to succeed in this program.

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As Bill Sees It

Maintenance and Growth, p. 5

It is plain that a life which includes deep resentment leads only to futility
and unhappiness. To the precise extent we permit these, do we squander
the hours that might have been worthwhile. But with the alcoholic,
whose hope is the maintenance and growth of a spiritual experience, this
business of harboring resentment is infinitely grave. For then we shut
ourselves off from the sunlight of the spirit. The insanity of alcohol
returns and we drink again. And with us, to drink is to die.

If we were to live, we had to be free of anger. The grouch and the
sudden rage were not for us. Anger is the dubious luxury of normal
men, but for us alcoholics it is poison.

Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 66
Letter, 1962

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Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

Chapter 7 - WORKING WITH OTHERS

When your man is better, the doctor might suggest a visit from you. Though you have talked with the family, leave them out of the first discussion. Under these conditions your prospect will see he is under not pressure. He will feel he can deal with you without being nagged by his family. Call on him while he is still jittery. He may be more receptive when depressed.

p. 91

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Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Tradition Five - "Each group has but one primary purpose - to carry it's message to the alcoholic who still suffers."

"Thank heaven I came up with the right answer for that one. It was based foursquare on the single purpose of A.A. `You have faith,' I said. `Perhaps far deeper faith than mine. No doubt you're better taught in religious matters than I. So I can't tell you anything about religion. I don't even want to try. I'll bet, too, that you could give me a letter-perfect definition of humility. But from what you've told me about yourself and your problems and how you propose to lick them, I think I know what's wrong.'
"`Okay,' he said. `Give me the business.'
"`Well,' I said, `I think you're just a conceited Irishman who thinks he can run the whole show.'
"This really rocked him. But as he calmed down, he began to listen while I tried to show him that humility was the main key to sobriety. Finally, he saw that I wasn't attempting to change his religious views, that I wanted him to find the grace in his own religion that would aid his recovery. From there on we got along fine.
"Now," concludes the oldtimer, "suppose I'd been obliged to talk to this man on religious grounds? Suppose my answer had to be that A.A. needed a lot of money; that A.A. went in for education, hospital, and rehabilitation? Suppose I'd suggested that I'd take a hand in his domestic and business affairs? Where would we have wound up? No place, of course."
Years later, this tough Irish customer liked to say, "my sponsor sold me one idea, and that was sobriety. At the time, I couldn't have bought anything else."

pp. 153-154

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"You can't brag that you're humble ... and be humble." --Terry McEwen

Be still like a mountain and flow like a river. --Lao-Tze

See how many people you personally can make smile today. --unknown

We experience peace, not panic, when we trust the power of God. --unknown

Your words can bring satisfaction, life, and death. We must take the consequences for what we say. --unknown

Speak kind words and you will hear kind echoes. --unknown

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Father Leo's Daily Meditation

CHANGE

"It's the most unhappy people
who most fear change."
-- Mignon McLaughlin

When I was drinking, I hated change. I hated things not being the same. I feared
anything being different. Rarely did I want to go anywhere new. My attitudes were
fixed and rigid. I resented any criticism of my behavior. The unexpected was seen as
sabotage or a threat. My paranoia was extreme.

Today I have decided to let go of the control, the pretense and the arrogance. I face
life as it comes --- and today I do not drink. I am responsible for my life but I cannot
control the world. Today I am learning to relax in the acceptance of my disease.

May I always discover the courage to change the things I can.

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The fruit of the light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth. Ephesians 5:9

The Lord upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down. Psalm 145 : 14

"Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace." Ephesians 4:2-3

"If you have faith as a mustard seed you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move." Matthew 17:20

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Daily Inspiration

People make mistakes, but seldom on purpose. Lord, may my patience with others grow and may I replace my frowns with smiles.

If you want peace and goodness in your life you must be kind and loving. Lord, may I avoid creating misery so that my life will reflect my love for You.

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

Each Day a New Beginning (Women) (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1920)
Food for Thought (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1903)
Language of Letting Go (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1904)
Today's Gift (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1900)
Touchstones (Men) (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1902)
Twenty-Four Hours a Day (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1902)
Walk In Dry Places (http://www.hazelden.org/OA_HTML/ibeCCtpItmDspRte.jsp?item=604&sitex=10020:22372:US)

[bluidkiti]

January 6

Daily Reflections

THE VICTORY OF SURRENDER

We perceive that only through utter defeat are we able
to take our first steps toward liberation and strength.
Our admissions of personal powerlessness finally turn
out to be firm bedrock upon which happy and purposeful
lives may be built.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 21

When alcohol influenced every facet of my life, when
bottles became the symbol of all my self-indulgence and
permissiveness, when I came to realize that, by myself,
I could do nothing to overcome the power of alcohol, I
realized I had no recourse except surrender. In
surrender I found victory - victory over my selfish
self-indulgence, victory over my stubborn resistance
to life as it was given to me. When I stopped fighting
anybody or anything, I started on the path to sobriety,
serenity and peace.

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

As Bill Sees It

All or Nothing?, p. 6

Acceptance and faith are capable of producing 100 percent sobriety. In
fact, they usually do; and they must, else we could have no life at all. But
the moment we carry these attitudes into our emotional problems, we
find that only relative results are possible. Nobody can, for example,
become completely free from fear, anger and pride.

Hence, in this life we shall attain nothing like perfect humility and love.
So we shall have to settle, respecting most of our problems, for a very
gradual progress, punctuated sometimes by heavy setbacks. Our
oldtime attitude of "all or nothing" will have to be abandoned.

Grapevine, March 1962

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

Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

Chapter 7 - WORKING WITH OTHERS

See your man alone, if possible. At first engage in general conversation. After a while, turn the talk to some phase of drinking. Tell him enough about your drinking habits, symptoms, and experiences to encourage him to speak of himself. If he wishes to talk, let him do so. You will thus get a better idea of how you ought to proceed. If he is not communicative, give him a sketch or your drinking career up to the time you quit. But say nothing, for the moment, of how that was accomplished. If he is in a serious mood dwell on the troubles liquor has caused you, being careful not to moralize or lecture. If his mood is light, tell him humorous stories of your escapades. Get him to tell some of his.

p. 91

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

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Tradition Six - "An A.A. group ought never endorse, finance, or lend the A.A. name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property, and prestige divert us from our primary purpose."

THE moment we saw that we had an answer for alcoholism, it was reasonable (or so it seemed at the time) for us to feel that we might have the answer to a lot of other things. The A.A. groups, many thought, could go into business, might finance any enterprise whatever in the total field of alcoholism. In fact, we felt duty-bound to throw the whole weight of the A.A. name behind any meritorious cause.

p. 155

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

Do not spit into the well you may have to drink out of. --French Proverb

"You can learn many things from children. How much patience you have for instance." --Franklin P. Jones

"Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred." --Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968)

"I am only one; but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but I still can do something. I will not refuse to do the something I can do." --Helen Keller

"Use what talents you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang except those that sang best." --Henry Van Dyke

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

Father Leo's Daily Meditation

BOREDOM

"Nothing is interesting if you
are not interested."
-- Helen MacInnes

There is a subtle distinction between the "dry" alcoholic and the "sober" alcoholic.
The sober alcoholic chooses not to drink because he has accepted his alcoholism. The
"dry" alcoholic is "not drinking" but is invariably angry and resentful --- and he is not
expressing these feelings. His abstinence is not exciting because he is not interested
in it --- he is bored.

The "dry" alcoholic is also boring to be around. Why? Because he is bored. His
boredom makes him boring. He really wants to drink. He has stopped drinking for
reasons that do not include the acceptance of the disease; he is still a victim of the
disease.

Sobriety, by contrast, is an adventure into self. It greets the new day with enthusiasm
and energy. Sobriety is the spiritual discovery of God in our lives.

Let me always remember that my interests in life reflect my interest in You.

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

We are to grow up in all aspects into Him. Ephesians 4:15

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." John 1:1

"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash." Matthew 7:24-27

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

Daily Inspiration

Everyone is important; very important. Lord, help me to always treat those in my life with respect and speak with a gentle heart.

Our lives should be productive and useful and we should always make a difference because we are alive. Lord, You have brought me to this new day. Work with me so that I will have a successful day with many accomplishments whether they are great or small.

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

Each Day a New Beginning (Women) (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1920)
Food for Thought (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1903)
Language of Letting Go (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1904)
Today's Gift (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1900)
Touchstones (Men) (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1902)
Twenty-Four Hours a Day (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1902)
Walk In Dry Places (http://www.hazelden.org/OA_HTML/ibeCCtpItmDspRte.jsp?item=604&sitex=10020:22372:US)

[bluidkiti]

January 7

Daily Reflections

AT THE TURNING POINT

Half measures availed us nothing. We stood at the turning point. We
asked His protection and care with complete abandon.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 59

Every day I stand at turning points. My thoughts and actions can
propel me toward growth or turn me down the road to old habits and
to booze. Sometimes turning points are beginnings, as when I decide
to start praising, instead of condemning someone. Or when I begin to
ask for help instead of going it alone. At other times turning points are
endings, such as when I see clearly the need to stop festering
resentments or crippling self-seeking. Many shortcomings tempt me
daily; therefore, I also have daily opportunities to become aware of
them. In one form or another, many of my character defects appear
daily: self-condemnation, anger, running away, being prideful,
wanting to get even, or acting out of grandiosity.
Attempting half measures to eliminate these defects merely
paralyzes my efforts to change. It is only when I ask God for help,
with complete abandon, that I become willing -- and able -- to change.

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

As Bill Sees It

The Realm Of The Spirit, p. 7

In ancient times material progress was painfully slow. The spirit of
modern science inquiry, research, and invention was almost unknown.

In the realm of the material, men's minds were fettered by
superstition, tradition, and all sorts of fixed ideas. Some of the
contemporaries of Columbus thought a round earth preposterous.
Others came near putting Galileo to death for his astronomical
heresies.

Are not some of us just as biased and unreasonable about the realm of
the spirit as were the ancients about the realm of the material?

<< << << >> >> >>

We have found that God does not make too hard terms with those who
seek Him. To us, the realm of spirit is broad, roomy, all inclusive,
never exclusive or forbidding to those who earnestly seek. It is open,
we believe, to all men.

Alcoholics Anonymous
1. p. 51
2. p. 46

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

Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

Chapter 7 - WORKING WITH OTHERS

When he sees you know all about the drinking game, commence to describe yourself as an alcoholic. Tell him how baffled you were, how you finally learned that you were sick. Give him an account of the struggles you made to stop. Show him the mental twist which leads to the first drink of a spree. We suggest you do this as we have done it in the chapter on alcoholism. If he is alcoholic, he will understand you at once. He will match your mental inconsistencies with some of his own.

pp. 91-92

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

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Tradition Six - "An A.A. group ought never endorse, finance, or lend the A.A. name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property, and prestige divert us from our primary purpose."

Here are some of the things we dreamed. Hospitals didn't like alcoholics, so we thought we'd build a hospital chain of our own. People needed to be told what alcoholism was, so we'd educate the public, even rewrite school and medical textbooks. We'd gather up derelicts from skid rows, sort out those who could get well, and make it possible for the rest to earn their livelihood in a kind of quarantined confinement. Maybe these places would make large sums of money to carry on our other good works. We seriously thought of rewriting the laws of the land, and having it declared that alcoholics are sick people. No more would they be jailed; judges would parole them in our custody. We'd spill A.A. into the dark regions of dope addiction and criminality. We'd form groups of depressive and paranoid folks; the deeper the neurosis, the better we'd like it. It stood to reason that if alcoholism could be licked, so could any problem.

pp. 155-156

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

Progress, of the best kind, is comparatively slow. Great results cannot be achieved at once; and we must be satisfied to advance in life as we walk, step by step. --Samuel Smiles

Expectation is the greatest impediment to living. In anticipation of tomorrow, it loses today. --Seneca

"The more you teach positive ideas to others, the better you learn them yourself." --Brian Tracy

Laughter is the sound of recovery. --unknown

C A R D S =
Call your sponsor,
Ask for help from your Higher Power,
Read the Big Book,
Do the Twelve Steps,
Stay active in your group.
--unknown

A recovering alcoholic without a sponsor is much like a ship without a rudder. --unknown

SPONSOR = Sober Person Offering Newcomer Support Of Recovery. --unknown

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

Father Leo's Daily Meditation

GOD

"I could not say I believe. I
know! I have had the experience
of being gripped by something
that is stronger than myself,
something that people call
God."
-- Carl Jung

God is beyond our comprehension, and in a sense we are all agnostics --- none of us
KNOW know; uncertainty is part of faith.

However, there are "moments" when God is alive and vivid in new and stimulating
experiences that are beyond explanation other than --- "that's God". Loving
relationships, friendships, the beauty of nature, the complexities of life and the
universe; not to mention music, poetry and the conscience of man: all speak of God.
History is full of holy men who carry the message: God is love and He is to be

God, known and yet incomprehensible, help me to discover You in my doubts and
confusions.

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

"For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved." John 3:17

"My people will abide in a peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places." Isaiah 32:18

See how great a love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God. 1 John 3:1

Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself. Philippians 2:3

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

Daily Inspiration

When you act out of love and selfless concern, you are doing that which is right. Lord, I am Your servant in my daily life.

Never make the mistake of taking more credit than is due or less credit than you are worth. Lord, You have created me in Your image. Therefore, I am goodness and with You can accomplish great things.

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

Each Day a New Beginning (Women) (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1920)
Food for Thought (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1903)
Language of Letting Go (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1904)
Today's Gift (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1900)
Touchstones (Men) (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1902)
Twenty-Four Hours a Day (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1902)
Walk In Dry Places (http://www.hazelden.org/OA_HTML/ibeCCtpItmDspRte.jsp?item=604&sitex=10020:22372:US)

[bluidkiti]

January 8

Daily Reflections

DO I HAVE A CHOICE?

The fact is that most alcoholics, for reasons yet
obscure, have lost the power of choice in drink. Our
so-called willpower becomes practically nonexistent.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p.24

My powerlessness over alcohol does not cease when I
quit drinking. In sobriety I still have no choice - I
can't drink. The choice I do have is to pick up and
use the "kit of spiritual tools" (Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 25).
When I do that, my Higher Power relieves me of my lack
of choice - and keeps me sober one more day. If I could
choose not to pick up a drink today, where then would
be my need for A.A. or a Higher Power?

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

As Bill Sees It

A New Life, p. 8

Is sobriety all that we are to expect of a spiritual awakening? No,
sobriety is only a bare beginning; it is only the first gift of the first
awakening. If more gifts are to be received, our awakening has to go
on. As it does go on, we find that bit by bit we can discard the old
life--the one that did not work--for a new life that can and does work
under any conditions whatever.

Regardless of worldly success or failure, regardless of pain or joy,
regardless of sickness or health or even of death itself, a new life of
endless possibilities can be lived if we are willing to continue our
awakening, through the practice of A.A.'s Twelve Steps.

Grapevine, December 1957

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

Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

Chapter 7 - WORKING WITH OTHERS

If you are satisfied that he is a real alcoholic, begin to dwell on the hopeless feature of the malady. Show him, from your own experience, how the queer mental condition surrounding that first drink prevents normal functioning of the will power. Don’t, at this stage, refer to this book, unless he has seen it and wishes to discuss it. And be careful not to brand him as an alcoholic. Let him draw his own conclusion. If he sticks to the idea that he can still control his drinking, tell him that possibly he can—if he is not too alcoholic. But insist that if he is severely afflicted, there may be little chance he can recover by himself.

p. 92

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

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Tradition Six - "An A.A. group ought never endorse, finance, or lend the A.A. name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property, and prestige divert us from our primary purpose."

It occurred to us that we could take what we had into the factories and cause laborers and capitalists to love each other. Our uncompromising honesty might soon clean up politics. With one arm around the shoulder of medicine, we'd resolve their differences. Having learned to live so happily, we'd show everybody else how. Why, we thought, our Society of Alcoholics Anonymous might prove to be the spearhead of a new spiritual advance! We might transform the world.

p. 156

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

Dig within.
There lies the wellspring of good:
Ever dig and it will ever flow.
--Marcus Aurelius

What are you going through in your life right now?
Don't feel you're the only one.
Open your eyes.
Open your heart to your connections with your larger family.
Let them share their stories with you.
Let them share their strengths, hopes, fears, and joys.
Stop looking for what's different and what makes you separate and apart.
Go on an adventure of discovering your common bonds.
--Melody Beattie

"Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God's kindness: kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile." --Mother Theresa

"Life is a great and wondrous mystery, and the only thing we know that we have for sure is what is right here right now. Don't miss it." --Leo Buscaglia

"Any fool can try to defend his mistakes--and most fools do--but it gives one a feeling of nobility to admit one's mistakes. By fighting, you never get enough, but by yielding, you get more than you expected." --Lawrence G. Lovasik

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

Father Leo's Daily Meditation

MUSIC

"I haven't understood a bar of
music in my life, but I have felt
it."
-- Igor Stravinsky

It is okay not to "understand".

A miracle is not to be understood but experienced. So much in life we will never
understand and there is growth in confusion. We are not perfect. We will never be
perfect. The mystery of life is exactly that --- a mystery.

As an alcoholic I often sought to appear "as God". I had to have an answer for
everything, even if I made up the answer! Not to know was humiliating for me
because it took away control, my need to be in charge, my hopeless and exhausting
quest for perfection. With the failure to be perfect came the guilt, shame and anger.

Today I am able to live with life's daily confusions --- and it's okay!

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

The Lord is righteous in all His ways and loving to all that He has made. Psalm 145:17

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1

I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. Job 19:25

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

Daily Inspiration

Smooth seas don't make skillful sailors. Lord, teach me as I am able to learn so that I may grow from my difficulties and become the person You intended.

Know that you can do even if things are not always easy. Lord, in You I have the support of an unlimited power source and can accomplish great things because You strengthen me.

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

Each Day a New Beginning (Women) (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1920)
Food for Thought (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1903)
Language of Letting Go (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1904)
Today's Gift (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1900)
Touchstones (Men) (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1902)
Twenty-Four Hours a Day (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1902)
Walk In Dry Places (http://www.hazelden.org/OA_HTML/ibeCCtpItmDspRte.jsp?item=604&sitex=10020:22372:US)

[bluidkiti]

January 9

Daily Reflections

AN ACT OF PROVIDENCE

It is truly awful to admit that, glass in hand, we have
warped our minds into such an obsession for destructive
drinking that only an act of Providence can remove it
from us.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 21

My act of Providence, (a manifestation of divine care
and direction), came as I experienced the total
bankruptcy of active alcoholism - everything meaningful
in my life was gone. I telephoned Alcoholics Anonymous
and, from that instant, my life has never been the same.
When I reflect on that very special moment, I know that
God was working in my life long before I was able to
acknowledge and accept spiritual concepts. The glass was
put down through this one act of Providence and my
journey into sobriety began. My life continues to unfold
with divine care and direction. Step One, in which I
admitted I was powerless over alcohol, that my life had
become unmanageable, takes on more meaning for me - one
day at a time - in the life-saving, life-giving
Fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous.

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

As Bill Sees It

Group and World-Wide Community, p. 9

The moment Twelfth Step work forms a group, a discovery is
made--that most individuals cannot recover unless there is a group.
Realization dawns on each member that he is but a small part of a
great whole; that no personal sacrifice is too great for preservation of
the Fellowship. He learns that the clamor of desires and ambitions
within him must be silenced whenever these could damage the group.

It becomes plain that the group must survive or the individual will not.

<< << << >> >> >>

"The Lone member at sea, the A.A. at war in a far land--all these
members know that they belong to A.A.'s world-wide community, that
theirs is only a physical separation, that their fellows may be as near
as the next port of call. Ever so importantly, they are certain that God's
grace is just as much with them on the high seas or the lonely outpost
as it is with them at home."

1. 12 & 12, p. 130
2. Letter, 1966

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

Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

Chapter 7 - WORKING WITH OTHERS

Continue to speak of alcoholism as an illness, a fatal malady. Talk about the conditions of body and mind which accompany it. Keep his attention focussed mainly on your personal experience. Explain that many are doomed who never realize their predicament. Doctors are rightly loath to tell alcoholic patients the whole story unless it will serve some good purpose. But you may talk to him about the hopelessness of alcoholism because you offer a solution. You will soon have your friend admitting he has many, if not all, of the traits of the alcoholic. If his own doctor is willing to tell him that he is alcoholic, so much the better. Even though your protégé may not have entirely admitted his condition, he has become very curious to know how you got well. Let him ask you that question, if he will. Tell him exactly what happened to you. Stress the spiritual feature freely. If the man be agnostic or atheist, make it emphatic that He does not have to agree with your conception of God. He can choose any conception he likes, provided it makes sense to him. The main thing is that he be willing to believe in a Power greater than himself and that he live by spiritual principles.
When dealing with such a person, you had better use everyday language to describe spiritual principles. There is no use arousing any prejudice he may have against certain theological terms and conceptions about which he may already be confused. Don’t raise such issues, no matter what your own convictions are.

pp. 92-93

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

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Tradition Six - "An A.A. group ought never endorse, finance, or lend the A.A. name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property, and prestige divert us from our primary purpose."

Yes, we of A.A. did dream those dreams. How natural that was, since most alcoholics are bankrupt idealists. Nearly every one of us had wished to do great good, perform great deeds, and embody great ideals. We are all perfectionists who, failing perfection, have gone to the other extreme and settled for the bottle and the blackout. Providence, through A.A., had brought us within reach of our highest expectations. So why shouldn't we share our way of life with everyone?

p. 156

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

You cannot think your way into sober living.
You live your way into sober thinking.

Worry doesn't help tomorrow's troubles, but it does ruin today's happiness.

"The purpose of life is a life of purpose." --Robert Byrne

"When you stand outside a room where a group of Alcoholics
Anonymous is meeting, the most frequent sound you hear is laughter.
Mellow laughter, which can come only from people who have looked
destruction and catastrophe in the face, not once but continuously
over long years, and now are free and unafraid. The laughter, in
short, of people who hold God's hand and feel safe."
c. Letter to a Woman Alcoholic (A.A. Pamphlet P-14) - page 13

My creed is that; Happiness is the only good. The place to be happy is here. The time to be happy is now. The way to be happy is to make others so. --Robert G. Ingersoll

Happiness comes of the capacity to feel deeply, to enjoy simply, to think freely, to risk life, to be needed. --Storm Jameson

It is the heart that makes a man rich. He is rich according to what he is, not according to what he has. --Henry Ward Beecher

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

Father Leo's Daily Meditation

EXTREMISTS

"Extremists think that
'communication' means agreeing
with them."
-- Leo Rosten

As an alcoholic I was an extremist. I was not only compulsive and
obsessive about alcohol, but I became compulsive and obsessive about
my opinions, my thoughts and my attitude towards life. Anybody who
disagreed with me was wrong or a fool! I only listened to those who
were saying what I wanted to hear.

For years I played at being God. But that spiritual part of me, that I
believe exists in all of us, was isolated and unhappy with this
behavior. Although I would never admit it, I knew that often I was
wrong, bull-headed and in pain. I would spend sleepless nights
thinking how I could say I was sorry without apologizing! For years
my pride and ego kept me sick and unhappy.

Today I appreciate those who have a different view on life. Today I
can disagree with my neighbor without carrying a grudge. Today I
can live with difference.

I pray that I may always hear what my opponent is saying.

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

"Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord your God which He has given you." Deuteronomy 16:17

Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. 2 Corinthians 5:17

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened."
Matthew 7:7-8

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

Daily Inspiration

If the strong won't protect the weak, who will? Lord, grant me the courage to stand up for what I believe and the wisdom to be an encouragement to others.

God will never fail you or abandon you. Lord, I am sure that everything that happens is for the purpose of strengthening me and bringing me closer to You. I trust in You to continually bless me with all that I need to successfully handle my circumstances.

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

Each Day a New Beginning (Women) (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1920)
Food for Thought (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1903)
Language of Letting Go (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1904)
Today's Gift (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1900)
Touchstones (Men) (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1902)
Twenty-Four Hours a Day (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1902)
Walk In Dry Places (http://www.hazelden.org/OA_HTML/ibeCCtpItmDspRte.jsp?item=604&sitex=10020:22372:US)

[bluidkiti]

January 10

Daily Reflections

UNITED WE STAND

We learned that we had to fully concede to our innermost selves that
we were alcoholics. This is the first step in recovery. The delusion that
we are like other people, or presently may be, has to be smashed.
Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 30

I came to Alcoholics Anonymous because I was no longer able to
control my drinking. It was either my wife's complaining about my
drinking, or maybe the sheriff forced me to go to A.A. meetings, or
perhaps I knew, deep down inside, that I couldn't drink like others, but
I was unwilling to admit it because the alternative terrified me.
Alcoholics Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women united against
a common, fatal disease. Each one of our lives is linked to every other,
much like the survivors on a life raft at sea. If we all work together, we
can get safely to shore.

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

As Bill Sees It

Out Of The Dark, p. 10

Self searching is the means by which we bring new vision, action, and grace
to bear upon the dark and negative side of our natures. With it comes the
development of that kind of humility that makes it possible for us to receive
God's help. Yet it is only a step. We will want to go further.

We will want the good that is in us all, even in the worst of us, to flower and
grow. But first of all we shall want sunlight, nothing much can grow in the dark.
Meditation is our step out into the sun.

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

"A clear light seems to fall upon us all--when we open our eyes. Since our
blindness is caused by our own defects, we must first deeply realize what
they are. Constructive meditation is the first requirement for each new step
in our spiritual growth."

1. Twelve And Twelve, p. 98
2. Letter, 1946

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

Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

Chapter 7 - WORKING WITH OTHERS

Your prospect may belong to a religious denomination. His religious education and training may be far superior to yours. In that case he is going to wonder how you can add anything to what he already knows. But he well be curious to learn why his own convictions have not worked and why yours seem to work so well. He may be an example of the truth that faith alone is insufficient. To be vital, faith must be accompanied by self sacrifice and unselfish, constructive action. Let him see that you are not there to instruct him in religion. Admit that he probably knows more about it than you do, but call to his attention the fact that however deep his faith and knowledge, he could not have applied it or he would not drink, Perhaps your story will help him see where he has failed to practice the very precepts he knows so well. We represent no particular faith or denomination. We are dealing only with general principles common to most denominations.

pp. 93-94

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

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Tradition Six - "An A.A. group ought never endorse, finance, or lend the A.A. name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property, and prestige divert us from our primary purpose."

Whereupon we tried A.A. hospitals - they all bogged down because you cannot put an A.A. group into business; too many busybody cooks spoil the broth. A.A. groups had their fling at education, and when they began to publicly whoop up the merits of this or that brand, people became confused. Did A.A. fix drunks or was it an educational project? Was A.A. spiritual or was it medical? Was it a reform movement? In consternation, we saw ourselves getting married to all kinds of enterprises, some good and some not so good. Watching alcoholics committed willy-nilly to prisons or asylums, we began to cry, "There oughtta be a law!" A.A.'s commenced to thump tables in legislative committee rooms and agitated for legal reform. That made good newspaper copy, but little else. We saw we'd soon be mired in politics. Even inside A.A. we found it imperative to remove the A.A. name from clubs and Twelfth Step houses.

pp. 156-157

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

Real joy comes not from ease or riches or from the praise of others, but from doing something worthwhile. --Wilfred Grenfell (1865 - 1940)

Joy has nothing to do with material things, or with a man's outward circumstance... A man living in the lap of luxury can be wretched, and a man in the depths of poverty can overflow with joy. --William Barclay (1907 - 1978)

So often times it happens that we live our lives in chains and we never even know we have the key.

And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years. --Abraham Lincoln

Sometimes even to live is an act of courage. --Seneca

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

Father Leo's Daily Meditation

DIFFERENCE

As a recovering alcoholic I belong to a minority. As somebody with the
disease of addiction I am aware of my difference. And I have
experienced prejudice and injustice because I was not born like other
people.

But in a spiritual sense the acceptance of my disease has given me a
freedom that united me with other minorities, other "different" groups,
the countless shades of humanity. My disease has produced a spiritual
unity and bond with creation that makes me rejoice in my difference
and produces a tolerance of others that was not there before. In this
sense I thank God for my dis-ease.

You, who made the different, also created the unity; help me find both
in my life.

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

"My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning I will direct it to You, and I will look up." Psalm 5:3

May my cry come before you, O LORD; give me understanding according to your word.
May my supplication come before you; deliver me according to your promise.
May my lips overflow with praise, for you teach me your decrees.
May my tongue sing of your word, for all your commands are righteous.
May your hand be ready to help me, for I have chosen your precepts.
I long for your salvation, O LORD, and your law is my delight.
Let me live that I may praise you, and may your laws sustain me.
I have strayed like a lost sheep. Seek your servant, for I have not forgotten your commands.
Psalm 119:169-176

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

Daily Inspiration

We have many doors, but it is our choice which one to open. Lord, bless me with the wisdom to make the best of my daily life.

Happiness comes from knowing that you can handle the things in your life. Lord, help me to become confident and see the power that is really within me.

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

Each Day a New Beginning (Women) (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1920)
Food for Thought (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1903)
Language of Letting Go (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1904)
Today's Gift (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1900)
Touchstones (Men) (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1902)
Twenty-Four Hours a Day (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1902)
Walk In Dry Places (http://www.hazelden.org/OA_HTML/ibeCCtpItmDspRte.jsp?item=604&sitex=10020:22372:US)

[bluidkiti]

January 11

Daily Reflections

THE 100% STEP

Only Step One, where we made the 100 percent admission we were
powerless over alcohol, can be practiced with absolute perfection.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 68

Long before I was able to obtain sobriety in A.A., I knew without a
doubt that alcohol was killing me, yet even with this knowledge, I was
unable to stop drinking. So, when faced with Step One, I found it
easy to admit that I lacked the power to not drink. But was my life
unmanageable? Never! Five months after coming into A.A., I was
drinking again and wondered why.

Later on, back in A.A. and smarting from my wounds, I learned that
Step One is the only Step that can be taken 100%. And that the only
way to take it 100% is to take 100% of the Step. That was many
twenty-four hours ago and I haven't had to take Step One again.

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

As Bill Sees It

Quantity or Quality, p. 11

"About this slip business--I would not be too discouraged. I think you
are suffering a great deal from a needless guilt. For some reason or
other, the Lord has laid out tougher paths for some of us, and I guess
you are treading one of them. God is not asking us to be successful. He
is only asking us to try to be. That, you surely are doing, and have been
doing. So I would not stay away from A.A. through any feeling of
discouragement or shame. It's just the place you should be. Why don't
you try just as a member? You don't have to carry the whole A.A. on
your back, you know!

"It is not always the quantity of good things that you do, it is also the
quality that counts.

"Above all, take it one day at a time."

Letter, 1958

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

Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

Chapter 7 - WORKING WITH OTHERS

Outline the program of action, explaining how you made a self-appraisal, how you straightened out your past and why you are now endeavoring to be helpful to him. It is important for him to realize that your attempt to pass this on to him plays a vital part in your recovery. Actually, he may be helping you more than you are helping him. Make it plain he is under no obligation to you, that you hope only that he will try to help other alcoholics when he escapes his own difficulties. Suggest how important it is that he place the welfare of other people ahead of his own. Make it clear that he is not under pressure, that he needn’t see you again if he doesn’t want to. You should not be offended if he wants to call it off, for he has helped you more than you have helped him. If your talk has been sane, quiet and full of human understanding, you have perhaps made a friend. Maybe you have disturbed him about the question of alcoholism. This is all to the good. The more hopeless he feels, the better. he will be more likely to follow your suggestions.

p. 94

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

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Tradition Six - "An A.A. group ought never endorse, finance, or lend the A.A. name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property, and prestige divert us from our primary purpose."

These adventures implanted a deep-rooted conviction that in no circumstances could we endorse any related enterprise, no matter how good. We of Alcoholics Anonymous could not be all things to all men, nor should we try.

p. 157

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

"Our greatest glory consists not in never falling, but in rising every
time we fall." --Ralph Waldo Emerson

"All I need to know I learned from my cat." --Suzy Becker

Music is the language of the spirit. It opens the secret of life bringing
peace, abolishing strife. --Kahlil Gibran

You will find as you look back upon your life that the moments when
you have really lived are the moments when you have done things in
the spirit of love. --Henry Drummond

I know and trust that God cares for me, and takes care of all my
needs. --Shelley

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

Father Leo's Daily Meditation

PHILOSOPHY

"To teach men how to live without
certainty and yet without being
paralyzed by hesitation is perhaps
the chief thing philosophy can do."
-- Bertrand Russell

I suppose the "Twelve Steps" are a practical philosophy of how to
live positively with the disease of alcoholism: (a) Don't drink. (b) Find
a God in your life that is understandable. (c) Begin to make positive
choices in attitudes and behaviors. (d) Let "never forget" be an
essential part of the message.

The miracle of this philosophy is that it reaches out to so many who
suffer with addictive compulsions and teaches us how to live with
being imperfect. I believe the Twelve Steps are the answer to "The
Fall" of man --- we are going home to God.

Let me see beyond the logic to Your loving energy.

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

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just
as in Christ God forgave you." Ephesians 4:32

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one
another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the
Lord. Colossians 3:16

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

Daily Inspiration

Look beyond a person's faults so that you can see the real person. Lord, may I learn to focus on the goodness that is in each person and love them because all are your children.

The moment of absolute certainty over decisions made never arrives, so make your decision and move on. Lord, grant me wisdom and confidence in making my choices and the ability to recognize when new decisions need to be made.

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

Each Day a New Beginning (Women) (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1920)
Food for Thought (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1903)
Language of Letting Go (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1904)
Today's Gift (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1900)
Touchstones (Men) (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1902)
Twenty-Four Hours a Day (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1902)
Walk In Dry Places (http://www.hazelden.org/OA_HTML/ibeCCtpItmDspRte.jsp?item=604&sitex=10020:22372:US)

[bluidkiti]

January 12

Daily Reflections

ACCEPTING OUR PRESENT CIRCUMSTANCES

Our very first problem is to accept our present
circumstances as they are, ourselves as we are, and the
people about us as they are. This is to adopt a
realistic humility without which no genuine advance can
even begin. Again and again, we shall need to return to
that unflattering point of departure. This is an
exercise in acceptance that we can profitably practice
every day of our lives. Provided we strenuously avoid
turning these realistic surveys of the facts of life
into unrealistic alibis for apathy or defeatism, they
can be the sure foundation upon which increased emotional
health and therefore spiritual progress can be built.
AS BILL SEES IT, p. 44

When I am having a difficult time accepting people,
places or events, I turn to this passage and it relieves
me of many an underlying fear regarding others, or
situations life presents me. The thought allows me to be
human and not perfect, and to regain my peace of mind.

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

As Bill Sees It

Seeking Fool's Gold, p. 12

Pride is the basic breeder of most human difficulties, the chief block to
true progress. Pride lures us into making demands upon ourselves or
upon others which cannot be met without perverting or misusing our
God-given instincts. When the satisfaction of our instincts for sex,
security, and a place in society becomes the primary object of our lives,
then pride steps in to justify our excesses.

<< << << >> >> >>

I may attain "humility for today" only to the extent that I am able to
avoid the bog of guilt and rebellion on one hand and, on the other hand,
that fair but deceiving land which is strewn with the fool's-gold coins of
pride. This is how I can find and stay on the highroad to humility, which
lies between these extremes. Therefore, a constant inventory which can
reveal when I am off the road is always in order.

1. 12 & 12, pp. 48-49
2. Grapevine, June 1961

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

Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

Chapter 7 - WORKING WITH OTHERS

Your candidate may give reasons why he need not follow all of the program. He may rebel at the thought of a drastic housecleaning which requires discussion with other people. Do not contradict such views. Tell him you once felt as he does, but you doubt whether you would have made much progress had you not taken action. On your first visit tell him about the Fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous. If he shows interest, lend him your copy of this book.

p. 94

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

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Tradition Six - "An A.A. group ought never endorse, finance, or lend the A.A. name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property, and prestige divert us from our primary purpose."

Years ago this principle of "no endorsement" was put to a vital test. Some of the great distilling companies proposed to go into the field of alcohol education. It would be a good thing, they believed, for the liquor trade to show a sense of public responsibility. They wanted to say that liquor should be enjoyed, not misused; hard drinkers ought to slow down, and problem drinkers--alcoholics--should not drink at all.

p. 157

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

You are a child of God. You are a child of Light.
The Soul that is your true identity resides naturally
in love and joy.
--John-Roger

Take LOVE as an acronym:
LISTEN intently to the people with whom you are traveling your
journey. Listen deeply; it is a great gift.
OPTIMIZE the time you have with your loved ones. The truth is, we
do not know our last hour; don't postpone giving your love.
VALUE the people in your life, really notice their goodness.
Then, EXPRESS your gratitude, appreciation and praise.
--Mary Manin Morrissey

Message of Peace
May there always be work for your hands to do;
May your purse always hold a coin or two;
May the sun always shine on your windowpane;
May a rainbow be certain to follow each rain;
May the hand of a friend always be near you;
May God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you.

Your talent is God's gift to you.
What you do with it is your gift back to God.
--Leo Buscaglia

If you can't see a light at the end of the tunnel...
then run down there and light the darn thing yourself... :-)

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

Father Leo's Daily Meditation

VALUES

"The aim of education is the
knowledge not of fact, but of
values."
-- Dean William R. Inge

Facts can sometimes confuse. They can be used to hide behind. They
can be manipulated into lies. Facts are no substitute for values ---
human values.

Today I not only value my life but I value life itself. When I walk
amongst nature, I taste her purity, observe her beauty, experience
her strength --- and I know I am a part of it all. Today my values
have changed because I see myself as "part of" rather than
"separate from". I belong to this universe, this world, this planet and
what I do affects the essential value of life. With my daily respect for
self comes a respect for property, people, different cultures and God.

Today the things I truly value I do not pay for; the things I cherish
cannot be won or bought. Spirituality is free.

Teach me to value the meaning of freedom and the richness of life.

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

"And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those
who are the called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28

For by grace have ye been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, (it is) the
gift of God. Ephesians 2:8-9

Walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. Galatians 5:16

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with
thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends
all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7

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

Daily Inspiration

Take today and make it beautiful. Lord, my life is no accident and neither is how I live it. Help me to fill it with smiles.

We can be serious about our work without being serious about ourselves. Lord, help me to enjoy the person that I am.

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

Each Day a New Beginning (Women) (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1920)
Food for Thought (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1903)
Language of Letting Go (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1904)
Today's Gift (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1900)
Touchstones (Men) (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1902)
Twenty-Four Hours a Day (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1902)
Walk In Dry Places (http://www.hazelden.org/OA_HTML/ibeCCtpItmDspRte.jsp?item=604&sitex=10020:22372:US)

[bluidkiti]

January 13

Daily Reflections

IT DOESN'T HAPPEN OVERNIGHT

We are not cured of alcoholism. What we really have is a daily
reprieve contingent on the maintenance of our spiritual condition.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 85

The most common alcoholic fantasy seems to be: "If I just don't
drink, everything will be all right." Once the fog cleared for me, I
saw -- for the first time -- the mess my life had become. I had family,
work, financial and legal problems; I was hung up on old religious
ideas; there were sides of my character to which I was inclined to stay blind
because they easily could have convinced me that I was hopeless and
pushed me toward escape again. The Big Book guided me in
resolving all of my problems. But it didn't happen overnight -- and
certainly not automatically -- with no effort on my part. I need always to
recognize God's mercy and blessings that shine through any problem
I have to face.

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

As Bill Sees It

The Shared Gift, p. 13

A.A. is more than a set of principles; it is a society of alcoholics in
action. We must carry the message, else we ourselves can wither and
those who haven't been given the truth may die.

<< << << >> >> >>

Faith is more than our greatest gift; its sharing with others is our
greatest responsibility. May we of A.A. continually seek the wisdom
and the willingness by which we may well fulfill that immense trust
which the Giver of all perfect gifts has placed in our hands.

1. Service Manual, p. 5
2. Grapevine, April 1961

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

Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

Chapter 7 - WORKING WITH OTHERS

Unless your friend wants to talk further about himself, do not wear out your welcome. Give him a chance to think it over. If you do stay, let him steer the conversation in any direction he like. Sometimes a new man is anxious to proceed at once, and you may be tempted to let him do so. This is sometimes a mistake. If he has trouble later, he is likely to say you rushed him. You will be most successful with alcoholics if you do not exhibit any passion for crusade or reform. Never talk down to an alcoholic from any moral or spiritual hilltop; simply lay out the kit of spiritual tools for his inspection. Show him how they worked with you. Offer him friendship and fellowship. Tell him that if he wants to get well you will do anything to help.

p. 95

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

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Tradition Six - "An A.A. group ought never endorse, finance, or lend the A.A. name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property, and prestige divert us from our primary purpose."

In one of their trade associations, the question arose of just how this campaign should be handled. Of course, they would use the resources of radio, press, and films to make their point. But what kind of person should head the job? They immediately thought of Alcoholics Anonymous. If they could find a good public relations man in our ranks, why wouldn't he be ideal? He'd certainly know the problem. His connection with A.A. would be valuable, because the Fellowship stood high in public favor and hadn't an enemy in the world.

p. 157

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

Nothing is so bad, that a drink won't make worse.

A contented mind is a continual feast.
--American Proverb

Daylight follows a dark night.
--Maasai Proverb

Even the longest day has its end.
--Irish Proverb

"Lord, take me where You want me to go:
Let me meet who You want me to meet:
Tell me what You want me to say, and
Keep me out of Your way"
--Franciscan friar, Mychal F. Judge

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

Father Leo's Daily Meditation

ACCEPTANCE

"Treat the other man's faith
gently; it is all he has to believe
with."
-- Henry Hoskins

I said that I was a nonviolent drunk. Today I am able to see that I was
sarcastic and verbally violent, and this was no less painful or
destructive to the victim. A target for my anger and venom was the
faith and beliefs of others, especially when they differed radically
from my own. My alcoholism made me a prejudiced and bigoted man,
a prisoner of my arrogance.

My sobriety teaches me to be accepting and tolerant of the views and
opinions of others. A spirituality that embraces all men --- rather than
a narrow and restrictive religion --- is my prescription for life. I have
exchanged bigotry for freedom, and I am happy in God's world.

I pray that my acceptance of my fellow man, regardless of culture or
creed, may lead to understanding.

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

"But as it is written: 'Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the
heart of man, the things which God has prepared for those who love Him."
1 Corinthians 2:9

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for
building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
Ephesians 4:29

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

Daily Inspiration

Don't worry about tomorrow because God is already taking care of it. Lord, help me set aside needless worry and anxiety so that I have time to do all that I need to do today.

When life seems hard and filled with troubles, look for reasons to be thankful. Lord, Your beautiful presence is always with me.

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

Each Day a New Beginning (Women) (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1920)
Food for Thought (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1903)
Language of Letting Go (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1904)
Today's Gift (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1900)
Touchstones (Men) (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1902)
Twenty-Four Hours a Day (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1902)
Walk In Dry Places (http://www.hazelden.org/OA_HTML/ibeCCtpItmDspRte.jsp?item=604&sitex=10020:22372:US)

[bluidkiti]

January 14

Daily Reflections

NO REGRETS

We will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door
on it.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p.83

Once I became sober, I began to see how wasteful my
life had been and I experienced overwhelming guilt and
feelings of regret. The program's Fourth and Fifth
Steps assisted me enormously in healing those troubling
regrets. I learned that my self-centeredness and
dishonesty stemmed largely from my drinking and that
I drank because I was an alcoholic. Now I see how even
my most distasteful past experiences can turn to gold
because, as a sober alcoholic, I can share them to help
my fellow alcoholics, particularly newcomers. Sober for
several years in A.A., I no longer regret the past; I
am simply grateful to be conscious of God's love and
of the help I can give to others in the Fellowship.

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

As Bill Sees It

Newcomer Problems, p. 14

The temptation is to become rather possessive of newcomers.
Perhaps we try to give them advice about their affairs which we aren't
really competent to give or ought not give at all. Then we are hurt
and confused when the advice is rejected, or when it is accepted and
brings still greater confusion.

<< << << >> >> >>

"You can't make a horse drink water if he still prefers beer or is too
crazy to know what he does want. Set a pail of water beside him, tell
him how good it is and why, and leave him alone.

"If people really want to get drunk, there is, so far as I know, no way
stopping this--so leave them alone and let them get drunk. But don't
exclude them from the water pail, either."

1. 12 & 12, p. 111
2. Letter, 1942

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

Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

Chapter 7 - WORKING WITH OTHERS

If he is not interested in your solution, if he expects you to act only as a banker for his financial difficulties or a nurse for his sprees, you may have to drop him until he changes his mind. This he may do after he gets hurt some more.

p. 95

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

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Tradition Six - "An A.A. group ought never endorse, finance, or lend the A.A. name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property, and prestige divert us from our primary purpose."

Soon they'd spotted their man, an A.A. with the necessary experience. Straightway he appeared at New York's A.A. headquarters, asking, "Is there anything in our tradition that suggests I shouldn't take a job like this one? The kind of education seems good to me, and is not too controversial. Do you headquarters folks see any bugs in it?"

pp. 157-158

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

You cannot think your way into sober living. You live your way into sober thinking.

I embrace the beauty of life, and depend deeply upon God. --Shelley

"You Can't Change The Wind, But You Can Adjust Your Sails..." Make This Day Shine. --Carol Anne

Without Gods inner source of enlightenment and refreshment, I would soon stagnate and feel despair. --Shelley

God is my constant companion and comfort. --JReid51546

I faithfully, trustfully, have acceptance for God's will, and I therefore find serenity. --Shelley

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

Father Leo's Daily Meditation

RESPONSIBILITY

"The fault is in us."
-- Hannah Arendt

As a drunk I would blame everybody for my problems: My family was
too controlling. I did not have people around who understood me. I
worked too hard and the people were too demanding. The weather was
awful!

Today I accept my involvement with my past predicament. Bad things
happened to me because I created them in my life. And this means that
good and creative things can also happen in my life if I create them. I
need not remain the problem. I can be the solution!

Let me discover Your answer in my response to life.

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

"As servants of God, live as free people." 1 Peter 1:16

"Then the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces." Isaiah 25:8

"I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13

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

Daily Inspiration

Home should be the happiest place to be. Fill it with love, laughter and good conversation. Lord, give us Your peace and teach us to share it.

Faith grows by speaking daily with God. Lord, You teach me Your promises when times are good so that I will be able to trust in You when times are hard.

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

Each Day a New Beginning (Women) (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1920)
Food for Thought (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1903)
Language of Letting Go (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1904)
Today's Gift (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1900)
Touchstones (Men) (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1902)
Twenty-Four Hours a Day (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1902)
Walk In Dry Places (http://www.hazelden.org/OA_HTML/ibeCCtpItmDspRte.jsp?item=604&sitex=10020:22372:US)

[bluidkiti]

January 15

Daily Reflections

AN UNSUSPECTED INNER RESOURCE

With few exceptions our members find that they have
tapped an unsuspected inner resource which they
presently identify with their own conception of a
Power greater than themselves.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, pp. 569-70

>From my first days in A.A., as I struggled for sobriety,
I found hope in these words from our founders. I often
pondered the phrase: "they have tapped an unsuspected
inner resource." How, I asked myself, can I find the
Power within myself, since I am so powerless? In time,
as the founders promised, it came to me: I have always
had the choice between goodness and evil, between
unselfishness and selfishness, between serenity and
fear. That Power greater than myself is an original
gift that I did not recognize until I achieved daily
sobriety through living A.A.'s Twelve Steps.

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

As Bill Sees It

Eternal Values, p. 15

Many people will have no truck at all with absolute spiritual values.
Perfectionists, they say, are either full of conceit because they fancy they
have reached some impossible goal, or else they are swamped in
self-condemnation because they have not done so.

Yet I think that we should not hold this view. It is not the fault of great
ideas that they are sometimes misused and so become shallow excuses
for guilt, rebellion, and pride. On the contrary, we cannot grow very
much unless we constantly try to envision what the eternal spiritual
values are.

<< << << >> >> >>

"Day by day, we try to move a little toward God's perfection. So we
need not be consumed by maudlin guilt for failure to achieve His likeness
and image by Thursday next. Progress is our aim, and His perfection is
the beacon, light-years away, that draws us on."

1. Grapevine, June 1961
2. Letter, 1966

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

Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

Chapter 7 - WORKING WITH OTHERS

If he is sincerely interested and wants to see you again, ask him to read this book in the interval. After doing that, he must decide for himself whether he wants to go on. He should not be pushed or prodded by you, his wife, or his friends. If he is to find God, the desire must come from within.

p. 95

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

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Tradition Six - "An A.A. group ought never endorse, finance, or lend the A.A. name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property, and prestige divert us from our primary purpose."

At first glance, it did look like a good thing. Then doubt crept in. The association wanted to use our member's full name in all its advertising; he was to be described both as its director of publicity and as a member of Alcoholics Anonymous. Of course, there couldn't be the slightest objection if such an association hired an A.A. member solely because of his public relations ability and his knowledge of alcoholism. But that wasn't the whole story, for in this case not only was an A.A. member to break his anonymity at a public level, he was to link the name Alcoholics Anonymous to this particular educational project in the minds of millions. It would be bound to appear that A.A. was now backing education--liquor trade association style.

p. 158

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

What are you going through in your life right now?
Don't feel you're the only one.
Open your eyes.
Open your heart to your connections with your larger family.
Let them share their stories with you.
Let them share their strengths, hopes, fears, and joys.
Stop looking for what's different and what makes you separate and apart.
Go on an adventure of discovering your common bonds.
--Melody Beattie

"Always hold your head up, but be careful to keep your nose at a friendly level." --Max L. Forman

"Experience is not what happens to a man. It is what a man does with what happens to him." --Aldous Huxley

Prayer is when you talk to God; meditation is when you listen to God. --Diana Robinson

"What do you think of God," the teacher asked. After a pause, the young pupil replied, "He's not a think, he's a feel." --Paul Frost

I must respect the opinions of others even if I disagree with them. --Herbert Henry Lehman

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

Father Leo's Daily Meditation

POPULARITY

"Few people are capable of
expressing with equanimity,
opinions which differ from the
prejudices of their social
environment."
-- Albert Einstein

Part of my growth in sobriety is learning to say "no". For years as a
practicing alcoholic I tried to please every body with the result that I
pleased very few and became exhausted in the process! I have
learned that sometimes I need to be unpopular in order to remain
serene; unpopular to practice my spiritual program.

To understand the gift of God's creation requires the acceptance that
we are not the same and, as people, we will have different opinions
and attitudes. Truth has many shades. To be unpopular at times is
reality; truth is always real.

I pray that I might always say and do what I believe to be right,
regardless of public opinion.

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

"Thy word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." Psalm 119:105

"The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers." Galatians 6:8-10

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

Daily Inspiration

Prayer is a great source of joy and the best protection from depression. When we talk, Lord, You help me see solutions for a better day.

Actions have consequences. Lord, may my actions not create difficulties, but rather bring peace and joy to my life.

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

Each Day a New Beginning (Women) (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1920)
Food for Thought (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1903)
Language of Letting Go (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1904)
Today's Gift (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1900)
Touchstones (Men) (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1902)
Twenty-Four Hours a Day (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1902)
Walk In Dry Places (http://www.hazelden.org/OA_HTML/ibeCCtpItmDspRte.jsp?item=604&sitex=10020:22372:US)

[bluidkiti]

January 16

Daily Reflections

HITTING BOTTOM

Why all this insistence that every A.A. must hit bottom
first? The answer is that few people will sincerely try
to practice the A.A. program unless they have hit
bottom. For practicing A.A.'s remaining eleven Steps
means the adoption of attitudes and actions that almost
no alcoholic who is still drinking can dream of taking.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 24

Hitting bottom opened my mind and I became willing to
try something different. What I tried was A.A. My new
life in the Fellowship was a little like learning how
to ride a bike for the first time: A.A. became my
training wheels and my supporting hand. It's not that
I wanted the help so much at the time; I simply did
not want to hurt like that again. My desire to avoid
hitting bottom again was more powerful than my desire
to drink. In the beginning that was what kept me sober.
But after a while I found myself working the Steps to
the best of my ability. I soon realized that my
attitudes and actions were changing - if ever so
slightly. One Day at a Time, I became comfortable with
myself, and others, and my hurting started to heal.
Thank God for the training wheels and supporting hand
that I choose to call Alcoholics Anonymous.

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

As Bill Sees It

Never Again!, p. 16

"Most people feel more secure on the twenty-four-hour basis than
they do in the resolution that they will never drink again. Most of
them have broken too many resolutions. It's really a matter of
personal choice; every A.A. has the privilege of interpreting the
program as he likes.

"Personally, I take the attitude that I intend never to drink again.
This is somewhat different from saying, 'I will never drink again.' The
latter attitude sometimes gets people in trouble because it is
undertaking on a personal basis to do what we alcoholics never could
do. It is too much an act of will and leaves too little room for the idea
that God will release us from the drink obsession provided we follow
the A.A. program."

Letter, 1949

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

Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

Chapter 7 - WORKING WITH OTHERS

If he thinks he can do the job in some other way, or prefers some other spiritual approach, encourage him to follow his own conscience. We have no monopoly on God; we merely have an approach that worked with us. But point out that we alcoholics have much in common and that you would like, in any case, to be friendly. Let it go at that.

p. 95

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

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Tradition Six - "An A.A. group ought never endorse, finance, or lend the A.A. name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property, and prestige divert us from our primary purpose."

The minute we saw this compromising fact for what it was, we asked the prospective publicity director how he felt about it. "Great guns!" he said. "Of course I can't take the job. The ink wouldn't be dry on the first ad before an awful shriek would go up from the dry camp. They'd be out with lanterns looking for an honest A.A. to plump for their brand of education. A.A. would land exactly in the middle of the wet-dry controversy. Half the people in this country would think we'd signed up with the drys, the other half would think we'd joined the wets. What a mess!"
"Nevertheless," we pointed out, "you still have a legal right to take this job."
"I know that," he said. "But this is no time for legalities. Alcoholics Anonymous saved my life, and it comes first. I certainly won't be the guy to land A.A. in big-time trouble, and this would really do it!"
Concerning endorsements, our friend had said it all. We saw as never before that we could not lend the A.A. name to any cause other than our own.

pp. 158-159

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

"Standing in the middle of the road is very dangerous; you get knocked down by traffic from both sides." --Margaret Thatcher

"Sharing what you have is more important than what you have." --Albert M. Wells, Jr.

"Oh...I listen a lot and talk less. You can't learn anything when you're talking." --Bing Crosby

Since love grows within you, so beauty grows. For love is the beauty of the soul. --Saint Augustine

The alcoholic is in no greater peril than when he takes sobriety for granted.

F E A R = Face Everything And Recover.

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

Father Leo's Daily Meditation

PROCRASTINATION

"You cannot build a reputation
on things you are going to do."
-- Mabel Newcomber

Procrastination is the addicts' game. I will give up alcohol tomorrow.
Soon I will take an inventory of my eating habits. Later I will talk to
him about my anger and pain. Tomorrow and tomorrow --- but it
never happens!

The tragedy is that we not only bring pain and problems into our lives
but we keep them there. Recovery requires action; sobriety and the
spiritual program demand movement.

Today I will talk about my pain.

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

The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down. Psalm 146:8

"So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." Romans 10:17

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

Daily Inspiration

When we hand over what we can't handle to the One who can, miracles happen. Keep me free of stress, Lord, and in the best possible place to receive Your help.

There is no personal problem that you cannot solve. Lord, Your presence within me is all power. You are my help in every need.

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

Each Day a New Beginning (Women) (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1920)
Food for Thought (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1903)
Language of Letting Go (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1904)
Today's Gift (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1900)
Touchstones (Men) (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1902)
Twenty-Four Hours a Day (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1902)
Walk In Dry Places (http://www.hazelden.org/OA_HTML/ibeCCtpItmDspRte.jsp?item=604&sitex=10020:22372:US)

[bluidkiti]

January 17

Daily Reflections

HAPPINESS COMES QUIETLY

"The trouble with us alcoholics was this: We demanded
that the world give us happiness and peace of mind in
just the particular order we wanted to get it - by the
alcohol route. And we weren't successful. But when we
take time to find out some of the spiritual laws, and
familiarize ourselves with them, and put them into
practice, then we do get happiness and peace of mind. . .
There seem to be some rules that we have to follow, but
happiness and peace of mind are always here, open and
free to anyone."
DR. BOB AND THE GOOD OLDTIMERS, p. 308

The simplicity of the A.A. program teaches me that
happiness isn't something I can "demand." It comes upon
me quietly, while I serve others. In offering my hand
to the newcomer or to someone who has relapsed, I find
that my own sobriety has been recharged with
indescribable gratitude and happiness.

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

As Bill Sees It

Toward Honesty, p. 17

The perverse wish to hide a bad motive underneath a good one
permeates human affairs from top to bottom. This subtle and elusive
kind of selfish-righteousness can underlie the smallest act or thought.
Learning daily to spot, admit, and correct these flaws is the essence of
character-building and good living.

<< << << >> >> >>

The deception of others is nearly always rooted in the deception of
ourselves.

<< << << >> >> >>

Somehow, being alone with God doesn't seem as embarrassing as
facing up to another person. Until we actually sit down and talk aloud
about what we have so long hidden, our willingness to clean house is
still largely theoretical. When we are honest with another person, it
confirms that we have been honest with ourselves and with God.

1. 12 & 12, pp. 94-95
2. Grapevine, August 1961
3. 12 & 12, p. 60

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

Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

Chapter 7 - WORKING WITH OTHERS

Do not be discouraged if your prospect does not respond at once. Search out another alcoholic and try again. You are sure to find someone desperate enough to accept with eagerness what you offer. We find it a waste of time to keep chasing a man who cannot or will not work with you. If you leave such a person alone, he may soon become convinced that he cannot recover by himself. To spend too much time on any one situation is to deny some other alcoholic an opportunity to live and be happy. One of our Fellowship failed entirely with his first half dozen prospects. He often says that if he had continued to work on them, he might have deprived many others, who have since recovered, of their chance.

p. 96

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

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Tradition Seven - "Every A.A. group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions."

SELF-SUPPORTING alcoholics? Who ever heard of such a thing? Yet we find that's what we have to be. This principle is telling evidence of the profound change that A.A. has wrought in all of us. Everybody knows that active alcoholics scream that they have no troubles money can't cure. Always, we've had our hands out. Time out of mind we've been dependent upon somebody, usually money-wise. When a society composed entirely of alcoholics says it's going to pay its bills, that's really news.

p. 160

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

Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves. --Carl Jung (1875 - 1961)

The best portions of a good man's life, his little, nameless, unremembered acts, of kindness and love. --William Wordsworth

Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much. --Helen Keller

A good exercise for the heart is to bend down and help another up.

Nothing hath separated us from God but our own will, or rather our own will is our separation from God. --William Law

Relinquish pain and suffering. Experience joy and serenity. Let go and move forward. --Deborah Ann Smith

Love yourself. Accept yourself. Be honest about what heals and helps you. Then you'll bring your healing gifts to others. Your life will be a gift to the world. --Melody Beattie

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

Father Leo's Daily Meditation

CREATIVITY

"Creative intelligence in its
various forms and activities is
what makes man."
-- James Harvey Robinson

Spirituality is being a positive and creative human being in all areas
of my life; this I know to be true today. I am not only creative, I am a
creative human being. God created me to create. I am a part of His
love for the world; through me great and wonderful events can
happen. Although I am not divine, I know that I share divinity. I am
special.

But with this knowledge comes tremendous responsibility because
things are only going to happen if I make them happen in my life. To
know that I am creative does not make me creative. I have to do
something, make something, create something in my life.

Today I work at my life like a carpenter works at his wood. I chip
away those things I do not want; I smooth down the rough areas of
my life, and I polish up those things I want people to see. I accept
responsibility for my creativity, and I thank God, on a daily basis, for
it.

Teach me, O Creator of the universe, to use my life as a tool for
goodness, joy and truth.

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

"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says." James 1:22

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! 1 John 3:1

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God... Ephesians 2:8

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Ephesians 6:10

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

Daily Inspiration

God will put things in order if we are patient and prayerful. Lord, You know all of my needs and wants. I trust that You will provide.

When we give in to fears and worries they will take charge of our lives. Lord, I place my trust in You so that I may experience every opportunity and not miss in life that which is meant for me.

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

Each Day a New Beginning (Women) (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1920)
Food for Thought (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1903)
Language of Letting Go (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1904)
Today's Gift (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1900)
Touchstones (Men) (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1902)
Twenty-Four Hours a Day (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1902)
Walk In Dry Places (http://www.hazelden.org/OA_HTML/ibeCCtpItmDspRte.jsp?item=604&sitex=10020:22372:US)

[bluidkiti]

January 18

Daily Reflections

WOULD A DRINK HELP?

By going back in our drinking histories, we could show
that years before we realized it we were out of control,
that our drinking even then was no mere habit, that was
indeed the beginning of a fatal progression.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 23

When I was still drinking, I couldn't respond to any of
life's situations the way other, more healthy, people
could. The smallest incident triggered a state of mind
that believed I had to have a drink to numb my feelings.
But the numbing did not improve the situation, so I
sought further escape in the bottle. Today I must be
aware of my alcoholism. I cannot afford to believe that
I have gained control of my drinking - or again I will
think I have gained control of my life. Such a feeling
of control is fatal to my recovery.

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

As Bill Sees It

Companion and Partner, p. 18

"Dr. Bob was my constant companion and partner in the great A.A.
adventure. As the physician and great human being he was, he chose
work with others as his prime A.A. vocation and achieved a record
which, in quantity and in quality, none will ever surpass. Assisted by the
incomparable Sister Ignatia at St. Thomas Hospital in Akron,
he--without charge--medically treated and spiritually infused five
thousand sufferers.

"In all the stress and strain of A.A.'s pioneering time, no hard word ever
passed between us. For this, I can thankfully say that the credit was all
his."

<< << << >> >> >>

I took my leave of Dr. Bob, knowing that he was to undergo a serious
operation. The old, broad smile was on his face as he said almost
jokingly, "Remember, Bill, let's not louse this thing up. Let's keep it
simple!" I turned away, unable to say a word. That was the last time I
ever saw him.

1. Letter, 1966
2. A.A. Comes Of Age, p. 214

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

Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

Chapter 7 - WORKING WITH OTHERS

Suppose now you are making your second visit to a man. He has read this volume and says he is prepared to go through with the Twelve Steps of the program of recovery. Having had the experience yourself, you can give him much practical advice. Let him know you are available if he wishes to make a decision and tell his story, but do not insist upon it if he prefers to consult someone else.

p. 96

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

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Tradition Seven - "Every A.A. group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions."

Probably no A.A. Tradition had the labor pains this one did. In early times, we were all broke. When you add to this the habitual supposition that people ought to give money to alcoholics trying to stay sober, it can be understood why we thought we deserved a pile of folding money. What great things A.A. would be able to do with it! But oddly enough, people who had money thought otherwise. They figured that it was high time we now--sober--paid our own way. So our Fellowship stayed poor because it had to.

p. 160

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

Through morning prayers and meditation, we embark upon the day spiritually prepared. Without this preparation, we enter the day with yesterday's anxieties - our own and those of millions of others. --Marianne Williamson

The value of persistent prayer is not that He will hear us, but we will finally hear Him. --William McGill

I know and trust that God cares for me, and takes care of all my needs. --Shelley

Give your friends and family the gift of kindness all throughout the year. Your body is your vehicle through life. Do you take better care of your body or your car?

It seems in life that most of us end up doing things we don't enjoy. You can turn things that you don't enjoy into something you do by changing how you do those things AND changing how you view them.

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

Father Leo's Daily Meditation

GLUTTONY

"Gluttony is not a secret vice."
-- Orson Welles

The unspoken disease of food: hide in food, bury anger with food, cry
behind food. Food addiction --- eating, forever dieting, starving --- is the
hidden disease that is becoming more obvious. But are we talking about
it? Recovering alcoholics minimize it and get lost in ice cream and
doughnuts. For many people the pain around food is as real as alcohol
or any other drug. And the family and relationships suffer.

Today I am willing to talk about it. Spirituality affects all my life and
this involves my eating habits and body weight. God does not make
junk and so I choose not to eat junk. Today I choose to talk about the
buried emotions that I am stuffing behind the food. That is a step
towards living.

When I bless the food at meal time, may I also bless my abstinence.

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

"And those who know Your name will put their trust in You, for You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You." Psalms 9:10

"May the LORD keep watch between you and me when we are away from each other. Genesis 31:49

It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. Ephesians 4:11-16

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

Daily Inspiration

Do not walk around with a long face. Radiate God's love. Lord, help me live my daily life with gratitude and peace from knowing that You are always with me.

When you have faith in yourself and God, you will know that you are loved and safe and never alone. Lord, I am these things because You are always with me.

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

Each Day a New Beginning (Women) (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1920)
Food for Thought (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1903)
Language of Letting Go (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1904)
Today's Gift (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1900)
Touchstones (Men) (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1902)
Twenty-Four Hours a Day (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1902)
Walk In Dry Places (http://www.hazelden.org/OA_HTML/ibeCCtpItmDspRte.jsp?item=604&sitex=10020:22372:US)

[bluidkiti]

January 19

Daily Reflections

ROUND-THE-CLOCK FAITH

Faith has to work twenty-four hours a day in and through
us, or we perish.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p.16

The essence of my spiritually, and my sobriety, rests
on a round-the-clock faith in a Higher Power. I need to
remember and rely on the God of my understanding as I
pursue all of my daily activities. How comforting for
me is the concept that God works in and through people.
As I pause in my day, do I recall specific concrete
examples of God's presence? Am I amazed and uplifted by
the number of times this power is evident? I am
overwhelmed with gratitude for my God's presence in my
life of recovery. Without this omnipotent force in my
every activity, I would again fall into the depths of
my disease - and death.

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

As Bill Sees It

The Wine Of Success, p. 19

Disagreeable or unexpected problems are not the only ones that call for
self-control. We must be quite as careful when we begin to achieve
some measure of importance and material success. For no people have
ever loved personal triumphs more than we have loved them; we drank
of success as of a wine which could never fail to make us feel elated.
Blinded by prideful self-confidence, we were apt to play the big shot.

Now that we're in A.A. and sober, winning back the esteem of our
friends and business associates, we find that we still need to exercise
special vigilance. As an insurance against the dangers of big-shot-ism,
we can often check ourselves by remembering that we are today sober
only by the grace of God and that any success we may be having is far
more His success than ours.

12 & 12, pp. 91-92

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

Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

Chapter 7 - WORKING WITH OTHERS

He may be broke and homeless. If he is, you might try to help him about getting a job, or give him a little financial assistance. But you should not deprive your family or creditors of money they should have. Perhaps you will want to take the man into your home for a few days. But be sure you use discretion. Be certain he will be welcomed by your family, and that he is not trying to impose upon you for money, connections, or shelter. Permit that and you only harm him. You will be making it possible for him to be insincere. You may be aiding in his destruction rather than his recovery.

pp. 96-97

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

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Tradition Seven - "Every A.A. group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions."

There was another reason for our collective poverty. It was soon apparent that while alcoholics would spend lavishly on Twelfth Step cases, they had a terrific aversion to dropping money into a meeting-place hat for group purposes. We were astounded to find that we were as tight as the bark on a tree. So A.A., the movement, started and stayed broke, while its individual members waxed prosperous.

pp. 160-161

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

Knowing is not enough; We must Apply. Willing is not enough; We must Do. --Goethe

I shall stay in this 24 hours, and leave tomorrows burdens, cares, and worries, in Gods hands. --Shelley

It isn't enough to draw near to the light. Absorb it into you. Let it charge you and change you with its energy and its power. Healing is all around you. Wherever you are, whatever your resources, healing, energy, and joy are there. --Melody Beattie

Speaking without thinking is shooting without aiming. -- French Proverb

Three things that become more precious with age are old wood to burn, old books to read, and old friends to enjoy.

"We never know the worth of water till the well is dry." --English proverb

We in AA don't carry the alcoholic; we carry the message.

We are not living just to be sober; we are living to learn, to serve, and to love.

Don't mess up an amends with an excuse.

The First Step identifies the problem. The remaining eleven Steps are the solution.

S T E P S = Solutions To Every Problem, Sober.

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

Father Leo's Daily Meditation

EQUALITY

"Treat all men alike. Give them all
the same laws. Give them all an
even chance to live and grow."
-- Chief Joseph

Today it is important for me to remember that I am not the only human
being in this universe; I need to respect and be considerate of others.
Spirituality requires that I treat all people with dignity and respect
because they carry something of God within them --- the image of God
is with all men. In this way I show and give respect to self.

As an alcoholic I was selfish and demanding, wanting my way all the
time. Sobriety teaches me that "the way" must include others; my
fellow men are part of my life and journey. I cannot live in isolation and
be sober.

O Spirit of the World, teach me to respect all men as a service to
myself.

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

"Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." I Corinthians 15:58

How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise Him. Psalm 147:1

"However many years a man may live, let him enjoy them all." Ecclesiastes 11:8

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

Daily Inspiration

People should be able to look at us and see that we are different. Lord, may I be an example of Your love and learn to rely on You at all times.

Nothing is ever quite as bad as it seems. Call on God and then practice expectancy and optimism and things will turn out better than you expect. Lord, thank You for tomorrow.

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

Each Day a New Beginning (Women) (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1920)
Food for Thought (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1903)
Language of Letting Go (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1904)
Today's Gift (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1900)
Touchstones (Men) (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1902)
Twenty-Four Hours a Day (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1902)
Walk In Dry Places (http://www.hazelden.org/OA_HTML/ibeCCtpItmDspRte.jsp?item=604&sitex=10020:22372:US)

[bluidkiti]

January 20

Daily Reflections

"WE PAUSE . . . AND ASK"

As we go through the day we pause, when agitated or
doubtful, and ask for the right thought or action.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p.87

Today I humbly ask my Higher Power for the grace to
find the space between my impulse and my action; to
let flow a cooling breeze when I would respond with
heat; to interrupt fierceness with gentle peace; to
accept the moment which allows judgment to become
discernment; to defer to silence when my tongue would
rush to attack or defend. I promise to watch for every
opportunity to turn toward my Higher Power for
guidance. I know where this power is: it resides within
me, as clear as a mountain brook, hidden in the hills
- it is the unsuspected Inner Resource. I thank my
Higher Power for this world of light and truth I see
when I allow it to direct my vision. I trust it today
and hope it trusts me to make all effort to find the
right thought or action today.

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

As Bill Sees It

Light From A Prayer, p. 20

"God grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, the
courage to change the things we can, and the wisdom to know the
difference."

<< << << >> >> >>

We treasure our "Serenity Prayer" because it brings a new light to us
that can dissipate our oldtime and nearly fatal habit of fooling
ourselves.

In the radiance of this prayer we see that defeat, rightly accepted,
need be no disaster. We now know that we do not have to run away,
nor ought we again try to overcome adversity by still another
bulldozing drive that can only push up obstacles before us faster than
they can be taken down.

Grapevine, March 1962

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

Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

Chapter 7 - WORKING WITH OTHERS

Never avoid these responsibilities, but be sure you are doing the right thing if you assume them. Helping others is the foundation stone of your recovery. A kindly act once in a while isn’t enough. You have to act the Good Samaritan every day, if need be. It may mean the loss of many nights’ sleep, great interference with your pleasures, interruptions to your business. It may mean sharing your money and your home, counseling frantic wives and relatives, innumerable trips to police courts, sanitariums, hospitals, jails and asylums. Your telephone may jangle at any time of the day or night. Your wife may sometimes say she is neglected. A drunk may smash the furniture in your home, or burn a mattress. You may have to fight with him if he is violent. Sometimes you will have to call a doctor and administer sedatives under his direction. Another time you may have to send for the police or an ambulance. Occasionally you will have to meet such conditions.

p. 97

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

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Tradition Seven - "Every A.A. group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions."

Alcoholics are certainly all-or-nothing people. Our reactions to money prove this. As A.A. emerged from its infancy into adolescence, we swung from the idea that we needed vast sums of money to the notion that A.A. shouldn't have any. On every lip were the words "You can't mix A.A. and money. We shall have to separate the spiritual from the material." We took this violent new tack because here and there members had tried to make money out of their A.A. connections, and we feared we'd be exploited. Now and then, grateful benefactors had endowed clubhouses, and as a result there was sometimes outside interference in our affairs. We had been presented with a hospital, and almost immediately the donor's son became its principal patient and would-be manager. One A.A. group was given five thousand dollars to do with what it would. The hassle over that chunk of money played havoc for years. Frightened by these complications, some groups refused to have a cent in their treasuries.

p. 161

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

I place my recovery in first place. --Shelley

The majority of us lead quiet, unheralded lives as we pass through this world. There will most likely be no ticker tape parades for us, no monuments created in our honor. But that does not lessen our possible impact, for there are scores of people waiting for someone just like us to come along; people who will appreciate our compassion, our encouragement, who will need our unique talents. Someone who will live a happier life merely because we took the time to share what we had to give. Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. It's overwhelming to consider the continuous opportunities there are to make our love felt. --Leo Buscaglia

Today, help me God, to let go of my resistance to change. Help me to be open to the process. Help me believe that the place I will be dropped off will be better than the place I was picked up. Help me to surrender, trust and accept, even if I don't understand. --Melody Beattie

And we should not be discouraged because answers do not come immediately.

"You can read all the manuals on prayer and listen to other people pray, but until you begin to pray yourself you will never understand prayer. It's like riding a bicycle or swimming: You learn by doing." --Evangelist Luis Palau

"There are prayers that help us last through the day, or endure the night. There are prayers of friends and strangers that give us strength for the journey. And there are prayers that yield our will to a will greater than our own." --President George W. Bush

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

Father Leo's Daily Meditation

BELIEF

"One person with a belief is equal
to a force of ninety-nine who have
only interest."
-- John Stuart Mill

I believe in sobriety because it works for me. I believe in sobriety
because it makes me feel good about myself. I believe in sobriety
because it has enabled me to rejoin the human race; I was so tired of
feeling lonely, ashamed and isolated.

Also this belief I have in me has rekindled a positive relationship with
my higher power. Today God is a friend. Today I understand more
about what He wants for me. Today I am broad enough in my thinking
to find God in anything that is positive and creative --- from music to
hugs in the park!

Belief has developed with my spiritual program, and I am able to face
the daily pains and conflicts of life. Today I know what it is to be a
winner --- and, thank God, it doesn't mean I have to be perfect or in
control. My total belief in God and self enables me to love me through
my failings.

Master of the beliefs of all men, thank You for the gift of my believing
in myself.

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

He heals the broken hearted and binds up their wounds. Psalm 147:3

"This, then, is how you should pray: "`Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. Matthew 6:9-13

"Jesus spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart." Luke 18:1

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

Daily Inspiration

Each of us can change the world one person at a time. Lord, grant that I may be a positive influence on just one person today.

You have a responsibility to be the best that you can be. Lord, may I find a good balance in my life so that I neither neglect myself and my duties nor my responsibility to those that need or depend on me.

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

Each Day a New Beginning (Women) (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1920)
Food for Thought (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1903)
Language of Letting Go (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1904)
Today's Gift (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1900)
Touchstones (Men) (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1902)
Twenty-Four Hours a Day (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1902)
Walk In Dry Places (http://www.hazelden.org/OA_HTML/ibeCCtpItmDspRte.jsp?item=604&sitex=10020:22372:US)

[bluidkiti]

January 21

Daily Reflections

SERVING MY BROTHER

The member talks to the newcomer not in a spirit of power but in a
spirit of humility and weakness.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS COMES OF AGE p. 279

As the days pass in A.A., I ask God to guide my thoughts and the words
that I speak. In this labor of continuous participation in the Fellowship,
I have numerous opportunities to speak. So I frequently ask God to
help me watch over my thoughts and my words, that they may be the
true and proper reflections of our program; to focus my aspirations
once again to seek His guidance; to help me be truly kind and loving,
helpful and healing, yet always filled with humility, and free from any
trace of arrogance.

Today I may very well have to deal with disagreeable attitudes or
utterances -- the typical stock-in-trade attitude of the still-suffering
alcoholic. If this should happen, I will take a moment to center myself
in God, so that I will be able to respond from a perspective of
composure, strength and sensibility.

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

As Bill Sees It

Citizens Again, p. 21

"Each of us in turn--that is, the member who gets the most out of the
program--spends a very large amount of time on Twelfth Step work in
the early years. That was my case, and perhaps I should not have
stayed sober with less work.

"However, sooner or later most of us are presented with other
obligations--to family, friends, and country. As you will remember, the
Twelfth Step also refers to 'practicing these principles in all our
affairs.' Therefore, I think your choice of whether to take a particular
Twelfth Step job is to be found in your own conscience. No one else
can tell you for certain what you ought to do at a particular time.

I just know that you are expected, at some point, to do more than
carry the message of A.A. to other alcoholics. In A.A. we aim not only
for sobriety--we try again to become citizens of the world that we
rejected, and of the world that once rejected us. This is the ultimate
demonstration toward which Twelfth Step work is the first but not the
final step."

Letter, 1959

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

Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

Chapter 7 - WORKING WITH OTHERS

We seldom allow an alcoholic to live in our homes for long at a time. It is not good for him, and it sometimes creates serious complications in a family.

p. 97

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

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Tradition Seven - "Every A.A. group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions."

Despite these misgivings, we had to recognize the fact that A.A. had to function. Meeting places cost something. To save whole areas from turmoil, small offices had to be set up, telephones installed, and a few full-time secretaries hired. Over many protests, these things were accomplished. We saw that if they weren't, the man coming in the door couldn't get a break. These simple services would require small sums of money which we could and would pay ourselves. At last the pendulum stopped swinging and pointed straight at Tradition Seven as it reads today.

pp. 161-162

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

When you make a mistake, make amends immediately. It's easier to eat crow while it's still warm. --Sherrie R.

God claims by grace those who have no claim to grace.

"In any moment of decision, The best thing you can do is the right thing. The worst thing you can do is nothing." --President Theodore Roosevelt

"Forgiveness ought to be like a canceled note - torn in two, and burned up, so that it never can be shown against one." --Henry Ward Beecher

Someone once said that it's bad to suppress laughter; it goes back down and spreads to your hips! So, keep laughing, everyone! --unknown

The best way to get the last word is to apologize.

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

Father Leo's Daily Meditation

TOLERANCE

"The price of freedom of
religion or of speech or of the
press is that we must put up
with, and even pay for, a good
deal of rubbish."
-- Justice Robert Jackson

I need to be tolerant in my sobriety. I need to allow others to say what
they feel and live according to their standards.

I was intolerant towards people who were different from myself. Much
of what I criticized yesterday, I accept today; some things I still reject.

To love a person should not require "sameness"; equally, I can accept
a person without agreeing with what they say or how they behave.
Disagreements and conflicts lead to growth; change requires a variety
of forces.

Not everything I say to do is "pure" --- and that has become the key to
the acceptance of others. My history teaches me that I benefit from the
variety of opinions that are represented in mankind.

Lord, You have created many ways to Truth, may I appreciate them
through the experiences of others.

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

"Every one then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house upon the rock." Matthew 7:24

"Beloved, we are God's children now." 1 John 3:2

So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field God's building.
1 Corinthians 3:7-9

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

Daily Inspiration

When your burdens seem heavier than usual, know that your blessings are more than usual. Lord, I call on You for the strength, the wisdom and the confidence that I will need today.

God values us so much that He gave us all that He has; His Son Jesus. Show that you value Him, too, by putting Him first in all aspects of your life. Lord, when I put You first in my life, order and peace follow.

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

Each Day a New Beginning (Women) (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1920)
Food for Thought (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1903)
Language of Letting Go (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1904)
Today's Gift (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1900)
Touchstones (Men) (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1902)
Twenty-Four Hours a Day (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1902)
Walk In Dry Places (http://www.hazelden.org/OA_HTML/ibeCCtpItmDspRte.jsp?item=604&sitex=10020:22372:US)

[bluidkiti]

January 22

Daily Reflections

"LET'S KEEP IT SIMPLE"

A few hours later I took my leave of Dr. Bob. . . The
wonderful, old, broad smile was on his face as he said
almost jokingly, "Remember, Bill, let's not louse this
thing up. Let's keep it simple!" I turned away, unable
to say a word. That was the last time I ever saw him.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS COMES OF AGE, p 214

After years of sobriety I occasionally ask myself: "Can
it be this simple?" Then, at meetings, I see former
cynics and skeptics who have walked the A.A. path out
of hell by packaging their lives, without alcohol, into
twenty-four hour segments, during which they practice a
few principles to the best of their individual
abilities. And then I know again that, while it isn't
always easy, if I keep it simple, it works.

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

As Bill Sees It

Fear as a Steppingstone, p. 22

The chief activator of our defects has been self-centered
fear--primarily fear that we would lose something we already
possessed or would fail to get something we demanded. Living upon a
basis of unsatisfied demands, we were in a state of continual
disturbance and frustration. Therefore, no peace was to be had unless
we could find a means of reducing these demands.

<< << << >> >> >>

For all its usual destructiveness, we have found that fear can be the
starting point for better things. Fear can be a steppingstone to
prudence and to a decent respect for others. It can point the path to
justice, as well as to hate. And the more we have of respect and
justice, the more we shall begin to find the love which can suffer much,
and yet be freely given. So fear need not always be destructive,
because the lessons of its consequences can lead us to positive values.

1. 12 & 12, p. 76
2. Grapevine, January 1962

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

Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

Chapter 7 - WORKING WITH OTHERS

Though an alcoholic does not respond, there is no reason why you should neglect his family. You should continue to be
friendly to them. The family should be offered your way of life. Should they accept and practice spiritual principles, there
is a much better change that the head of the family will recover. And even though he continues to drink, the family will
find life more bearable.

p. 97

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

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Tradition Seven - "Every A.A. group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions."

In this connection, Bill likes to tell the following pointed story. He explains that when Jack Alexander's Saturday Evening Post piece broke in 1941, thousands of frantic letters from distraught alcoholics and their families hit the Foundation* letterbox in New York. "Our office staff," Bill says, "consisted of two people: one devoted secretary and myself. How could this landslide of appeals be met? We'd have to have some more full-time help, that was sure. So we asked the A.A. groups for voluntary contributions. Would they send us a dollar a member a year? Otherwise this heartbreaking mail would have to go unanswered.

p. 162

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

There is no mountain, God cannot help us to climb. --Shelley

Learn to listen to your inner voice. Listen to your heart. It's your connection to God, to people, to the universe, and to yourself. --Melody Beattie

"Peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. Peace means to be in the midst of all those things and still be calm in your heart. That is the real meaning of peace." --Author Unknown

"The tree in which the sap is stagnant remains fruitless." --Hosea Ballou

People travel to wonder at the height of the mountains, at the huge waves of the seas, at the long course of the rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motion of the stars, and yet they pass by themselves without wondering. --St. Augustine

There is a hole and empty place within us that we have tried to fill. Today we know that this is a God shaped hole, that only God can fill. A place where acceptance, understanding, love and support are a given. --Author Unknown

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

Father Leo's Daily Meditation

POETRY

"Poetry is not an assertion of
truth, but the making of that
truth more fully real to us."
-- T. S. Eliot

God is able to communicate Himself in a thousand different ways and
one such way is poetry.

Spirituality is discovering God in His creation, and this involves more
than religion or denominationalism. Spirituality is a comprehensive
approach to God's world and is the unifying factor at the center of
the universe. Spirituality is about what is true --- wherever it is found
in the world.

Poetry and other art forms become part of the spiritual journey for
us as we struggle to understand and communicate truth.

In poetry may I find an expression of Your love for me; in my use of
poetry, may I express my love for You.

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

"I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears." Psalms 34:4

Great is our Lord and mighty in power; His understanding has no limit. Psalm 147:5

Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Luke 6:36-38

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

Daily Inspiration

Behave as though God is standing next to you because He is. Lord, we make a great team and together we are able to make a big difference.

If you think success and really believe it will happen, you will perform in a manner that leads to success. Lord, may I always avoid negative thoughts and visualize myself in the manner that You intended for me.

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

Each Day a New Beginning (Women) (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1920)
Food for Thought (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1903)
Language of Letting Go (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1904)
Today's Gift (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1900)
Touchstones (Men) (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1902)
Twenty-Four Hours a Day (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1902)
Walk In Dry Places (http://www.hazelden.org/OA_HTML/ibeCCtpItmDspRte.jsp?item=604&sitex=10020:22372:US)

[bluidkiti]

January 23

Daily Reflections

HAVING FUN YET?

. . . we aren't a glum lot. If newcomers could see no
joy or fun in our existence, they wouldn't want it. We
absolutely insist on enjoying life. We try not to
indulge in cynicism over the state of the nations, nor
do we carry the world's troubles on our shoulders.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS , p. 132

When my own house is in order, I find the different
parts of my life are more manageable. Stripped from
the guilt and remorse that clocked my drinking years,
I am free to assume my proper role in the universe,
but this condition requires maintenance. I should stop
and ask myself, Am I having fun yet? If I find
answering that question difficult or painful, perhaps
I'm taking myself too seriously - and finding it
difficult to admit that I've strayed from my practice
of working the program to keep my house in order. I
think the pain I experience is one way my Higher Power
has to get my attention, coaxing me to take stock of
my performance. The slight time and effort it takes to
work the program - a spot-check inventory, for example,
or the making of amends, whatever is appropriate - are
well worth the effort.

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

As Bill Sees It

Worshipers All, p. 23

We found that we had indeed been worshipers. What a state of
mental goose flesh that used to bring on! Had we not variously
worshiped people, sentiment, things, money, and ourselves?

And then, with a better motive, had we not worshipfully beheld the
sunset, the sea, or a flower? Who of us had not loved something or
somebody? Were these not things the tissue out of which our lives
were constructed? Did not these feelings, after all, determine the
course of our existence?

It was impossible to say we had no capacity for faith, or love, or
worship. In one form or another, we had been living by faith and little
else.

Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 54

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

Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

Chapter 7 - WORKING WITH OTHERS

For the type of alcoholic who is able and willing to get well, little charity, in the ordinary sense of the word, is need or wanted. The men who cry for money and shelter before conquering alcohol, are on the wrong track. Yet we do go to great extremes to provide each other with these very things, when such action is warranted. This may seem inconsistent, but we think it is not.

pp. 97-98

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

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Tradition Seven - "Every A.A. group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions."

"To my surprise, the response of the groups was slow. I got mighty sore about it. Looking at this avalanche of mail one morning at the office, I paced up and down ranting how irresponsible and tightwad my fellow members were. Just then an old acquaintance stuck a tousled and aching head in the door. He was our prize slippee. I could see he had an awful hangover. Remembering some of my own, my heart filled with pit. I motioned him to my inside cubicle and produced a five-dollar bill. As my total income was thirty dollars a week at the time, this was a fairly large donation. Lois really needed the money for groceries, but that didn't stop me. The intense relief on my friend's face warmed my heart. I felt especially virtuous as I thought of all the ex-drunks who wouldn't even send the Foundation a dollar apiece, and here I was gladly making a five-dollar investment to fix a hangover.

pp. 162-163

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

I touch my feelings, knowing, I have never been so free, I have never been so happy, sobriety, has changed me. --Shelley

There is a guidance for each of us, and by lowly listening we shall hear the right word… Place yourself in the middle of the stream of power and wisdom which flows into your life. Then, without effort, you are impelled to truth and perfect contentment. --Ralph Waldo Emerson

Look for the beauty inside of each person. --I. June Stephenson

The God who calls us into the unknown travels with us. --Robert W. Rae

Spiritual vision means looking at life as God does. --Lisa D. Wiener

Whatever our future holds for us, we will find God already there. --Patricia Garrison

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

Father Leo's Daily Meditation

SLEEP

"Sleep that knots up the raveled
sleeve of care."
-- William Shakespeare

When I was new in my recovery from alcoholism I was told to
remember the letters H.A.L.T.: Do not get too: Hungry, Angry, Lonely
or Tired.
Sleep is something my body needs, and even if I do not always know it,
my body does. The tiredness in my body is telling me to slow down.
Sleep is part of my spiritual program because it enables me to feel
rested, invigorated and alive. Through sleep I am able to be creative
and positive in my life --- showing a practical love to my body. Sleep is
me taking care of self!
Thank You for the joy and rest that comes with sleep.

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

"But I will hope continually, and will praise you yet more and more." Psalm 71:14

Set a guard over my mouth, O LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips. Psalm 141:3

Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.
The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.
The LORD is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.
The LORD is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made.
The LORD upholds all those who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down.
The LORD is righteous in all his ways and loving toward all he has made.
The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.
The LORD watches over all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy.
Psalm 141:3,8,9,13,14,17,18,20

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

Daily Inspiration

Shine a little brighter today because someone needs your light. Lord, may I reflect You like sun hitting a mirror.

If you are not happy with what you have, how will you be happy with what you want to have? Lord, may I appreciate the good things in my life and refuse to feel sorry for myself or compare myself to others.

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

Each Day a New Beginning (Women) (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1920)
Food for Thought (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1903)
Language of Letting Go (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1904)
Today's Gift (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1900)
Touchstones (Men) (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1902)
Twenty-Four Hours a Day (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1902)
Walk In Dry Places (http://www.hazelden.org/OA_HTML/ibeCCtpItmDspRte.jsp?item=604&sitex=10020:22372:US)

[bluidkiti]

January 24

Daily Reflections

GETTING INVOLVED

There is action and more action. "Faith without works
is dead." . . . To be helpful is our only aim.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS , pp. 88-89

I understand that service is a vital part of recovery
but I often wonder, "What can I do?" Simply start with
what I have today! I look around to see where there is
a need. Are the ashtrays full? Do I have hands and feet
to empty them? Suddenly I'm involved! The best speaker
may make the worst coffee; the member who's best
with newcomers may be unable to read; the one willing to
clean up may make a mess of the bank account -
yet every one of these people and jobs is essential
to an active group. The miracle of service is this:
when I use what I have, I find there is more available
to me than I realized before.

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

As Bill Sees It

Alike When The Chips Are Down, p. 24

In the beginning, it was four whole years before A.A. brought permanent
sobriety to even one alcoholic woman. Like the "high bottoms," the
women said they were different; A.A. couldn't be for them. But as the
communication was perfected, mostly by the women themselves, the
picture changed.

This process of identification and transmission has gone on and on. The
Skid-Rower said he was different. Even more loudly, the socialite (or
Park Avenue stumblebum) said the same--so did the artists and the
professional people, the rich, the poor, the religious, the agnostic, the
Indians and the Eskimos, the veterans, and the prisoners.

But nowadays all of these, and legions more, soberly talk about how
very much alike all of us alcoholics are when we admit that the chips are
finally down.

Grapevine, October 1959

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

Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

Chapter 7 - WORKING WITH OTHERS

It is not the matter of giving that is in question, but when and how to give. That often makes the difference between failure and success. The minute we put our work on a service plane, the alcoholic commences to rely upon our assistance rather than upon God. He clamors for this or that, claiming he cannot master alcohol until his material needs are cared for. Nonsense. Some of us have taken very hard knocks to learn this truth: Job or no job—wife or no wife—we simply do not stop drinking so long as we place dependence upon other people ahead of dependence on God.

p. 98

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

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Tradition Seven - "Every A.A. group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions."

"The meeting that night was at New York's old 24th Street Clubhouse. During the intermission, the treasurer gave a timid talk on how broke the club was. (That was in the period when you couldn't mix money and A.A.) But finally he said it--the landlord would put us out if we didn't pay up. He concluded his remarks by saying, "Now boys, please go heavier on the hat tonight, will you?"

p. 163

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

Allowing an unimportant mistake to pass without comment is a wonderful social grace. --Judith Martin

"One never knows what each day is going to bring. The important thing is to be open and ready for it." --Henry Moore

"You cannot plan the future by the past." --Edmund Burke

Slow down to relish the wonder of God's creation. --Glen Childress

God makes possible what we cannot accomplish alone. --Gary Shank

Faith in God changes our manner of living. --Chester L Schneider

God's reassuring, caring love is with us moment by moment. --Walter N. Maris

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

Father Leo's Daily Meditation

OPPORTUNITY

"Too many people are thinking
of security instead of
opportunity; they seem more
afraid of life than death."
-- James Byrnes

Today I am aware of the opportunities that I did not recognize when I
was drinking. Drinking stopped me from seeing the life that was
before me. I drank myself away from the daily miracle. I missed the
sunsets, the fun of relationships, the joy of the theater and the
satisfaction of being "aware".

In the business world I did not see the opportunity for profit and
expansion; I did not create or have faith in my ideas, and I was not
able to understand or absorb the new information to be successful in
my life. Alcoholism kept me on the outside of my life.

Today I am alive in my life, creating, expanding and enjoying my
leisure. With sobriety I have the opportunity to experience God in
the many aspects of life.

Teach me to find You in the risks of life.

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

"Then they were glad because they had quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven." Psalm 107:30

We are to grow up in all aspects into Him. Ephesians 4:15

His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.
2 Peter 1:3

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

Daily Inspiration

If you can't see more blessings than you can count, you aren't looking hard enough. Thank you, Lord, for all of my blessings and especially those that I don't recognize or take for granted.

Be joyful in whatever you do today because you have been blessed, are being blessed and have many more blessings waiting for you. Lord, I am so grateful for Your love.

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

Each Day a New Beginning (Women) (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1920)
Food for Thought (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1903)
Language of Letting Go (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1904)
Today's Gift (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1900)
Touchstones (Men) (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1902)
Twenty-Four Hours a Day (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1902)
Walk In Dry Places (http://www.hazelden.org/OA_HTML/ibeCCtpItmDspRte.jsp?item=604&sitex=10020:22372:US)

[bluidkiti]

January 25

Daily Reflections

WHAT WE NEED - EACH OTHER

. . . . A.A. is really saying to every serious drinker,
"You are an A.A. member if you say so . . . nobody can
keep you out."
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 139

For years, whenever I reflected on Tradition Three
("The only requirement for A.A. membership is a desire
to stop drinking"), I thought it valuable only to
newcomers. It was their guarantee that no one could bar
them from A.A. Today I feel enduring gratitude for the
spiritual development the Tradition has brought me. I
don't seek out people obviously different from myself.
Tradition Three, concentrating on the one way I am
similar to others, brought me to know and help every
kind of alcoholic, just as they have helped me.
Charlotte, the atheist, showed me higher standards of
ethics and honor; Clay, of another race, taught me
patience; Winslow, who is gay, led me by example into
true compassion; Young Megan says that seeing me at
meetings, sober thirty years, keeps her coming back.
Tradition Three insured that we would get what we need
- each other.

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

As Bill Sees It

We Cannot Stand Still, p. 25

In the first days of A.A., I wasn't much bothered about the areas of
life in which I was standing still. There was always the alibi: "After
all," I said to myself, "I'm far too busy with much more important
matters." That was my near perfect prescription for comfort and
complacency.

<< << << >> >> >>

How many of us would presume to declare, "Well, Im sober and I'm
happy. What more can I want, or do? I'm fine the way I am." We
know that the price of such self-satisfaction is an inevitable backslide,
punctuated at some point by a very rude awakening. We have to grow
or else deteriorate. For us, the status quo can only be today, never for
tomorrow. Change we must; we cannot stand still.

1. Grapevine, June 1961
2. Grapevine, February 1961

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

Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

Chapter 7 - WORKING WITH OTHERS

Burn the idea into the consciousness of every man that he can get well regardless of anyone. The only condition is that he trust in God and clean house.

p. 98

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

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Tradition Seven - "Every A.A. group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions."

"I heard all this quite plainly, as I was piously trying to convert a newcomer who sat next to me. The hat came in my direction, and I reached into my pocket. Still working on my prospect, I fumbled and came up with a fifty-cent piece. Somehow it looked like a very big coin. Hastily, I dropped it back and fished out a dime, which clinked thinly as I dropped it in the hat. Hats never got folding money in those days.

p. 163

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

"You cannot speak that which you do not know. You cannot share that which you do not feel. You cannot translate that which you do not have. And you cannot give that which you do not possess. To give it and to share it, and for it to be effective, you first need to have it. Good communication starts with good preparation." --Jim Rohn

Each day is a gift from God to be used in serving others. --Ruth C. Borges

"Confidence never comes from having all the answers; it comes from being open to all the questions." --Unknown

"Stress comes from within; it is your reaction to circumstances, not the circumstances themselves." --Brian Tracy

"Keep doing what you're doing and you'll keep getting what you're getting." --Anonymous

"Hope is a gift we give ourselves, and it remains when all else is gone." --Criswell Freeman

"You cannot be lonely if you like the person you're alone with." --Wayne Dyer

"The only limits to the possibilities in your life tomorrow are the buts you use today." --Les Brown

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

Father Leo's Daily Meditation

HONESTY

"Honesty is the first chapter of
the book of wisdom."
-- Thomas Jefferson

It is impossible to have a spiritual program without being honest. It is
impossible to be recovering from addiction without being honest. An
aspect of sobriety is honesty.

Today I can see that I was never really known when I was "using"
because I was so dishonest. I stopped other people from getting to
know me. I stopped me from getting to know me. Part of my pain
involved my dishonesty; part of my loneliness and feelings of isolation
was caused by my dishonesty; the unmanageability that nearly
destroyed my life grew in my dishonesty.

Today I need to be honest, rigorously honest --- even in the small
things. I can no longer exist to please others --- I need to please myself.
I need to love myself by being honest.

O God of wisdom, let me find truth in the honesty of my own life.

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

"Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 37:4

"Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that in due time He may exalt you. Cast all your anxieties on Him, for He cares about you." 1 Peter 5:6-7

"Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice." Psalm 105:3

But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High,because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Luke 6:35-38

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

Daily Inspiration

Avoid saying "No one knows." because God knows and understands more perfectly than we ourselves do. Calm my fears, Lord, and lift the burdens that I cannot carry alone.

To have a great day isn't always doing what you like, but trying to like what you must do. Lord, today I will spruce up my attitude and have a great day no matter what my circumstances.

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

Each Day a New Beginning (Women) (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1920)
Food for Thought (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1903)
Language of Letting Go (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1904)
Today's Gift (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1900)
Touchstones (Men) (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1902)
Twenty-Four Hours a Day (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1902)
Walk In Dry Places (http://www.hazelden.org/OA_HTML/ibeCCtpItmDspRte.jsp?item=604&sitex=10020:22372:US)

[bluidkiti]

January 26

Daily Reflections

RIGOROUS HONESTY

Who wishes to be rigorously honest and tolerant?
Who wants to confess his faults to another and make
restitution for harm done? Who cares anything about
a Higher Power, let alone meditation and prayer?
Who wants to sacrifice time and energy in trying to
carry A.A.'s message to the next sufferer? No, the
average alcoholic, self-centered in the extreme,
doesn't care for this prospect - unless he has to
do these things in order to stay alive himself.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 24

I am an alcoholic. If I drink I will die. My, what
power, energy, and emotion this simple statement
generates in me! But it's really all I need to know
for today. Am I willing to stay alive today? Am I
willing to stay sober today? Am I willing to ask for
help and am I willing to be a help to another suffering
alcoholic today? Have I discovered the fatal nature of
my situation? What must I do, today, to stay sober?

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

As Bill Sees It

True Independence of the Spirit, p. 26

The more we become willing to depend upon a Higher Power, the
more independent we actually are. Therefore, dependence as A.A.
practices it is really a means of gaining true independence of the spirit.

At the level of everyday living, it is startling to discover how
dependent we really are, and how unconscious of that dependence.
Every modern house has electric wiring carrying power and light to its
interior. By accepting with delight our dependence upon this marvel of
science, we find ourselves personally more independent, more
comfortable and secure. Power flows just where it is needed. Silently
and surely, electricity, that strange energy so few people understand,
meets our simplest daily needs.

Though we readily accept this principle of healthy dependence in many
of our temporal affairs, we often fiercely resist the identical principle
when asked to apply it as a means of growth in the life of the spirit.
Clearly, we shall never know freedom under God until we try to seek
His will for us. The choice is ours.

12 & 12, p. 36

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

Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

Chapter 7 - WORKING WITH OTHERS

Now, the domestic problem: There may be divorce, separation, or just strained relations. When your prospect has made such reparation as he can to his family, and has thoroughly explained to them the new principles by which he is living, he should proceed to put those principles into action at home. That is, if he is lucky enough to have a home. Though his family be at fault in many respects, he should not be concerned about that. He should concentrate on his own spiritual demonstration. Argument and fault-finding are to be avoided like the plague. In many homes this is a difficult thing to do, but it must be done if any results are to be expected. If persisted in for a few months, the effect on a man’s family is sure to be great. The most incompatible people discover they have a basis upon which they can meet. Little by little the family may see their own defects and admit them. These can then be discussed in an atmosphere of helpfulness and friendliness.

pp. 98-99

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

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Tradition Seven - "Every A.A. group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions."

There is another story about money. One night in 1948, the trustees of the Foundation were having their quarterly meeting. The agenda discussion included a very important question. A certain lady had died. When her will was read, it was discovered she had left Alcoholics Anonymous in trust with the Alcoholic Foundation a sum of ten thousand dollars. The question was: Should A.A. take the gift?

pp. 163-164

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

A.A. is not something you join, it's a way of life.

He who has fed a stranger may have fed an angel. --The Talmud

There's no elevator; you have to take the Steps.

Look for God's image in the people you meet. --Robert E. Lea

"It takes no more time to see the good side of life than it takes to see the bad." --Jimmy Buffet

"It is easy to dodge our responsibilities, but we cannot dodge the consequences of dodging our responsibilities." --Josiah Stamp

"One can easily understand a child's fear of the dark, but what is the greatest tragedy in life is the grown man who is afraid of the light." --Plato

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

Father Leo's Daily Meditation

FAITH

"The ablest men in all walks of
modern life are men of faith."
-- Bruce Barton

It is important for those of us who have been crushed by the disease
of addiction to have faith that life will get better. We stopped "using"
or being co-dependent because the behavior was destroying us. Our
lives were disintegrating in negative behavior and attitudes. Now we
have chosen a different way to live.

Today I seek to find God in my freedom of choice, my ability to
change. I have faith in the daily belief that my life will get better so
long as I avoid those things that hurt me. My faith enables me to
change.

O God, my faith in me reflects my belief in You.

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

"Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers." Psalm 1:1-3

"It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery." Galatians 5:1

Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. 2 Corinthians 5:17

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

Daily Inspiration

We can show God that we truly love Him by the way we speak and live. May I be inspiring, Lord, and may everyone that I meet find You.

Avoid negative thinking because this leads to unnecessary worry. Lord, I rely on You to guide and sustain me and I know that with You I can move easily around life's obstacles.

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

Each Day a New Beginning (Women) (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1920)
Food for Thought (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1903)
Language of Letting Go (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1904)
Today's Gift (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1900)
Touchstones (Men) (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1902)
Twenty-Four Hours a Day (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1902)
Walk In Dry Places (http://www.hazelden.org/OA_HTML/ibeCCtpItmDspRte.jsp?item=604&sitex=10020:22372:US)

[bluidkiti]

January 27

Daily Reflections

FREEDOM FROM GUILT

Where other people were concerned, we had to drop the word
"blame" from our speech and thought.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 47

When I become willing to accept my own powerlessness, I begin to
realize that blaming myself for all the trouble in my life can be an ego
trip back into hopelessness. Asking for help and listening deeply to
the messages inherent in the Steps and Traditions of the program
make it possible to change those attitudes which delay my recovery. Before
joining A.A., I had such a desire for approval from people in powerful
positions that I was willing to sacrifice myself, and others, to gain a
foothold in the world. I invariably came to grief. In the program I
find true friends who love, understand, and care to help me learn the truth
about myself. With the help of the Twelve Steps, I am able to build a
better life, free of guilt and the need for self-justification.

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

As Bill Sees It

Daily Reprieve, p. 27

We are not cured of alcoholism. What we really have is a daily reprieve
contingent on the maintenance of our spiritual condition.

<< << << >> >> >>

We of A.A. obey spiritual principles, at first because we must, then
because we ought to, and ultimately because we love the kind of life such
obedience brings. Great suffering and great love are A.A.'s
disciplinarians; we need no others.

1. Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 85
2. 12 & 12, p. 174

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

Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

Chapter 7 - WORKING WITH OTHERS

After they have seen tangible results, the family will perhaps want to go along. These things will come to pass naturally and in good time provided, however, the alcoholic continues to demonstrate that he can be sober, considerate, and helpful, regardless of what anyone says or does. Of course, we all fall much below this standard many times. But we must try to repair the damage immediately lest we pay the penalty by a spree.

p. 99

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

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Tradition Seven - "Every A.A. group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions."

What a debate we had on that one! The Foundation was really hard up just then; the groups weren't sending in enough for the support of the office; we had been tossing in all the book income and even that hadn't been enough. The reserve was melting like snow in springtime. We needed that ten thousand dollars. "Maybe," some said, "the groups will never fully support the office. We can't let it shut down; it's far too vital. Yes, let's take the money. Let's take all such donations in the future. We're going to need them."

p. 164

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

Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop. --Ovid

It's not what you were, it's what you are today. --David Marion

Very little is needed to make a happy life. --Marcus Aurelius Antoninus

A good listener is not only popular everywhere, but after a while he gets to know something. --Wilson Mizne

Times of fellowship with God are the foundation for serving others. --Doris M. Orr

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

Father Leo's Daily Meditation

SEX

"Sexual pleasure, wisely used
and not abused, may prove the
stimulus and liberator of our
finest and most exalted
activities."
-- Havelock Ellis

Sex is most beautiful because it enables the human being to
experience and give love at an intimate and personal level. It also
combines all the spiritual senses of body, mind and feeling in one
expression, balancing tenderness with strength, patience with desire,
need with selflessness.

Also the awareness and experience of a beautiful sexuality should be
taken into all other manifestations of life --- work, leisure, friendship,
sports and prayer.

The gift of sex is one of our finest and most creative attributes and
leads to all that is noble in man, therefore, it should not be used
irresponsibly. Today I understand that I have a responsibility to the
gifts that God has shared with me.

May I find in my sexuality an awareness of You.

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

"Take good care to observe the commandment, and the law which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, to love the Lord your God, and to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and to cleave to him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul." Joshua 22:5

Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths. Psalm 25:4

"Seek the Lord and his strength, seek his presence continually." 1 Chronicles 16:11

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

Daily Inspiration

There is no hurt that God cannot heal. Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble and don't know where to go.

It is far wiser to ask God for what He thinks is good for us, than for what we think is good for us. Lord, Your Will not mine be done.

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

Each Day a New Beginning (Women) (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1920)
Food for Thought (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1903)
Language of Letting Go (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1904)
Today's Gift (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1900)
Touchstones (Men) (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1902)
Twenty-Four Hours a Day (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1902)
Walk In Dry Places (http://www.hazelden.org/OA_HTML/ibeCCtpItmDspRte.jsp?item=604&sitex=10020:22372:US)

[bluidkiti]

January 28

Daily Reflections

THE TREASURE OF THE PAST

Showing others who suffer how we were given help is the very thing which makes life
seem so worth while to us now. Cling to the thought that, in God's hands, the dark past is
the greatest possession you have -- the key to life and happiness for others. With it you
can avert death and misery for them.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 124

What a gift it is for me to realize that all those seemingly useless years were not wasted.
The most degrading and humiliating experiences turn out to be the most powerful tools in
helping others to recover. In knowing the depths of shame and despair, I can reach out
with a loving and compassionate hand, and know that the grace of God is available to me.

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

As Bill Sees It

Troublemakers Can Be Teachers, p. 28

Few of us are any longer afraid of what any newcomer can do to our
A.A. reputation or effectiveness. Those who slip, those who
panhandle. those who scandalize, those with mental twists, those who
rebel at the program, those who trade on the A.A. reputation--all such
persons seldom harm an A.A. group for long.

Some of these have become our most respected and best loved. Some
have remained to try our patience, sober nevertheless. Others have
drifted away. We have begun to regard the troublesome ones not as
menaces, but rather as our teachers. They oblige us to cultivate
patience, tolerance, and humility. We finally see that they are only
people sicker than the rest of us, that we who condemn them are
Pharisees whose false righteousness does our group the deeper
spiritual damage.

Grapevine, August 1946

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

Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

Chapter 7 - WORKING WITH OTHERS

If there be divorce or separation, there should be no undue haste for the couple to get together. The man should be sure of his recovery. The wife should fully understand his new way of life. If their old relationship is to be resumed it must be on a better basis, since the former did not work. This means a new attitude and spirit all around. Sometimes it is to the best interests of all concerned that a couple remain apart. Obviously, no rule can be laid down. Let the alcoholic continue his program day by day. When the time for living together has come, it will be apparent to both parties.

p. 99

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

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Tradition Seven - "Every A.A. group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions."

Then came the opposition. They pointed out that the Foundation board already knew of a total of half a million dollars set aside for A.A. in the wills of people still alive. Heaven only knew how much there was we hadn't heard about. If outside donations weren't declined, absolutely cut off, then the Foundation would one day become rich. Moreover, at the slightest intimation to the general public from our trustees that we needed money, we could become immensely rich. Compared to this prospect, the ten thousand dollars under consideration wasn't much, but like the alcoholic's first drink it would, if taken, inevitably set up a disastrous chain reaction. Where would that land us? Whoever pays the piper is apt to call the tune, and if the A.A. Foundation obtained money from outside sources, its trustees might be tempted to run things without reference to the wishes of A.A. as a while. Relieved of responsibility, every alcoholic would shrug and say, "Oh, the Foundation is wealthy--why should I bother?" The pressure of that fat treasury would surely tempt the board to invent all kinds of schemes to do good with such funds, and so divert A.A. from its primary purpose. The moment that happened, our Fellowship's confidence would be shaken. The board would be isolated, and would fall under heavy attack of criticism from both A.A. and the public. These were the possibilities, pro and con.

pp. 164-165

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

Listening feeds the spirit.

The two most dangerous words in a recovering alcoholic's vocabulary are, "I'm different."

Honesty gets us sober, tolerance keeps us sober.

Newcomers are the lifeblood of the program. But our old-timers are the arteries.

The spiritual life is not a theory. We have to live it.

Trust God. Clean house. Help others.

The peaks and valleys of my life have become gentle rolling hills.

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

Father Leo's Daily Meditation

WISDOM

"Education today, more than
ever before, must see clearly the
dual objectives: education for
living and education for making
a living."
-- James Mason Wood

The spiritual life is a productive life. Not only does it make for a prosperous
life in every sense of the word but it makes for a creative lifestyle. Nothing is
wasted on the spiritual man; he learns from his mistakes and doubts.

For too long I was stunted in my spiritual growth by negative and destructive
thinking. I became dependent upon a sick self and attracted equally sick
people. I used my education and knowledge to keep people out and
remained isolated. I needed to change. I wanted to change. But how? As
with everything else in life I needed to imitate those who were
successful. I needed to be shown how to live a different way. I
needed to discover the power of my spirituality. I found successful people. They
helped me. Today I am able to help myself.

I pray for the knowledge to imitate those who are successful in life.

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

No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him. 1 Corinthians 2:9

Walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. Galatians 5:16

Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. Hebrews 11:6

Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness." Genesis 1:26

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

Daily Inspiration

How precious are the little joys throughout the day. Lord, You have such love for me. I find You everywhere I look.

Trials are part of life. How you respond to them determines the quality of your life. Lord, in Your justice, rescue and deliver me.

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

Each Day a New Beginning (Women) (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1920)
Food for Thought (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1903)
Language of Letting Go (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1904)
Today's Gift (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1900)
Touchstones (Men) (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1902)
Twenty-Four Hours a Day (http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/thought.view?catId=1902)
Walk In Dry Places (http://www.hazelden.org/OA_HTML/ibeCCtpItmDspRte.jsp?item=604&sitex=10020:22372:US)

[bluidkiti]

January 29

Daily Reflections

THE JOY OF SHARING

Life will take on new meaning. To watch people recover,
to see them help others, to watch loneliness vanish, to
see a fellowship grow up about you. to have a host of
friends - this is an experience you must not miss. We
know you will not want to miss it. Frequent contact with
newcomers and with each other is the bright spot of our
lives.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS , p. 89

To know that each newcomer with whom I share has the
opportunity to experience the relief that I have found
in this Fellowship fills me with joy and gratitude. I
feel that all the things described in A.A. will come to
pass for them, as they have for me, if they seize the
opportunity and embrace the program fully.

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

Twenty-Four Hours A Day

A.A. Thought For The Day

What a load wasting money puts on your shoulders! They
say that members of A.A. have paid the highest initiation
fee of any club members in the world, because we've
wasted so much money on liquor. We'll never be able to
figure out how much it was. We not only waste our own
money, but also the money we should have spent on our
families. When you come into A.A., that terrible load
of wasted money falls off your shoulders. We alcoholics
were getting round-shouldered from carrying all those
loads that drinking put on our shoulders. But when we
come into A.A., we get a wonderful feeling of release
and freedom. Can I throw back my shoulders and look
the whole world in the face again?

Meditation For The Day

I believe that the future is in the hands of God. He
knows better than I what the future holds for me. I am
not at the mercy of fate or buffeted about by life. I
am being led in a very definite way, as I try to rebuild
my life. I am the builder, but God is the architect. It
is mine to build as best I can, under His guidance.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that I may depend on God, since He has planned my
life. I pray that I may live my life as I believe God
wants me to live it.< /span>

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

As Bill Sees It

Alone No More, p.252

Alcoholism was a lonely business, even though we were surrounded
by people who loved us. But when our self-will had driven
everybody away and our isolation became complete, we commenced
to play the big shot in cheap barrooms. Failing even in this, we
had to fare forth alone on the street to depend upon the charity of
passers-by.

We were trying to find emotional security either by dominating or by
being dependent upon others. Even when our fortunes had not totally
ebbed, we nevertheless found ourselves alone in the world. We still
vainly tried to be secure by some unhealthy sort of domination or
dependence.

For those of us who were like that, A.A. has a very special meaning. In
this Fellowship we begin to learn right relations with people who
understand us; we don't have to be alone any more.

12 & 12, pp. 116-117

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

Walk In Dry Places

Willingness is the Key___Strong Desire.
Although willpower alone does not work in overcoming alcoholism, there is a place for the will, or willingness, in the search for a happy sobriety. Things can happen if we are willing to let them happen. More important, progress often depends on our willingness to give up what stands in our way. It also requires our willingness to take that actions necessary for success.
This same willingness, so vital to finding sobriety, is also applicable in other areas of our lives. The pioneers of AA suggested that getting sober required being willing to go to any lengths. This is the key to other achievements and to the overcoming of problems besides alcohol.
We often have to put up with unpleasant conditions simply because we do not want to change them badly enough. For example, we may dislike the unpleasant coughing and risks of smoking, but lack the willingness to quit. We may brood over lost opportunities, but be unwilling to take advantage of the opportunities we have now.
The key to constructive change in our lives is willingness… and that applies to other matters as well as to alcohol.
I'll try to be honest today about what I really want. I will remind myself that if I want something badly enough, willingness is they key to action and to success

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

Keep It Simple

An alcoholic spends his life committing suicide on the installment plan.--Laurence Peter
None of us woke up one morning and found we had suddenly turned into an addict. We got to be one by practice. And we practiced often. We ignored our families--we left work early--and went drinking and drugging. Daily, we chose chemicals over anything else. Likewise, getting sober is no accident. We work the program. At meetings, we're reminded to help others. We all get sober on the installment plan. A day at a time. We got sick one day at a time; we recover one day at a time.
Prayer for the Day: Today, with my Higher Power's help, I'll be happier, more honest, more sober. Sobriety is like a good savings account. Higher Power, help me to put in more than I take out.
Action for the Day: I'll go over my Step One to remind myself it's no accident I'm an addict.

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

Each Day a New Beginning

"I can't help it" . . . that's what we all say when we don't want to exert ourselves. --Eva Lathbury
Irresponsible behavior is not unfamiliar to us. Passivity is equally familiar. In the past, excusing ourselves of all responsibility prevented us from being blamed. We have learned that it also prevented us from feeling worthy, from fulfilling our potential, from feeling the excitement that comes with achievement.
Our fear of failure helped us to be irresponsible. We may still fear failure, but the program offers us an antidote. We can't fail if we have turned our lives over to our higher power. We will be shown the way to proceed. Our fellow travelers have messages for us that will smooth our path.
I have chosen recovery. I have already said, "I can help it." I will celebrate that I am taking responsibility for my life today.

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

Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

Chapter 7 - WORKING WITH OTHERS

Let no alcoholic say he cannot recover unless he has his family back. This just isn’t so. In some cases the wife will never come back for one reason or another. Remind the prospect that his recovery is not dependent upon people. It is dependent upon his relationship with God. We have seen men get well whose families have not returned at all. We have seen others slip when the family came back too soon.

pp. 99-100

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

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Tradition Seven - "Every A.A. group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions."

When these facts were printed, there was a profound reaction. To people familiar with endless drives for charitable funds, A.A. presented a strange and refreshing spectacle. Approving editorials here and abroad generated a wave of confidence in the integrity of Alcoholics Anonymous. They pointed out that the irresponsible had become responsible, and that by making financial independence part of its tradition, Alcoholics Anonymous had revived an ideal that its era had almost forgotten.

p. 165

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

The task ahead of us is never as great as the Power behind us.

"Let us open our natures, throw wide the doors of our hearts and let in the sunshine of good will and kindness." --O. S. Marden

Prayer of St. Theresa
May today there be peace within
May you trust your highest power that you are exactly where you are
meant to be....
May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith
May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love
that has been given to you....
May you be content knowing you are a child of God....
Let this presence settle into our bones, and allow your soul the
freedom to sing, dance and to bask in the sun….
It is there for each and everyone of you….
--St. Teresa

When you love someone, don't let a single thing become bigger than that love. It can destroy you both. Ask yourself, "Will this matter in 20 years?"

The gift of Forgiveness is a gift you have given to yourself. The peaks and valleys of my life have become gentle rolling hills.

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

Father Leo's Daily Meditation

SUCCESS

"Success is a journey not a
destination."
-- Ben Sweetland

So long as I am sober I know that I am successful. But I also know
that my sobriety is more than keeping away from the first drink. My
sobriety requires that I be a creative and successful human being in
all areas of my life --- in my relationships, at work, with my family,
my business ventures and in my acts of charity. The road to success is
exactly that --it is a "road" that I am traveling along, and I will be on it until
the day I die. I suppose the danger is in thinking that I have arrived. Then
I get complacent and apathetic, I slow down and the energy for
recovery is diminished.

Today I know that I am successful so long as I keep moving along
with my spiritual program.

Let me always be confident as I walk in my journey of life.

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

"The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes." Psalm 19:7-8

"Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace always in every way. The Lord be with you all." 2 Thessalonians 3:16

Guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are God my Savior, and my hope is in You all day long. Psalm 25:5

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

Daily Inspiration

Call on God when you need a friend to make it through the day. Lord, may we share Your love and beauty so that our lives may not be lonely.

Holding on to hurts causes us to live the pain over and over. Lord, may I forgive so that I may heal.

[bluidkiti]

January 30

Daily Reflections

FREEDOM FROM . . . FREEDOM TO

We are going to know a new freedom. . . .
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS , p. 83

Freedom for me is both freedom from and freedom to.
The first freedom I enjoy is freedom from the slavery
of alcohol. What a relief! Then I begin to experience
freedom from fear - fear of people, of economic
insecurity, of commitment, of failure, of rejection.
Then I begin to enjoy freedom to - freedom to choose
sobriety for today, freedom to be myself, freedom to
express my opinion, to experience peace of mind, to
love and be loved, and freedom to grow spiritually.
But how can I achieve these freedoms? The Big Book
clearly says that before I am halfway through making
amends, I will begin to know a "new" freedom; not the
old freedom of doing what I pleased, without regard
to others, but the new freedom that allows fulfillment
of the promises in my life. What a joy to be free!

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

Twenty-Four Hours A Day

A.A. Thought For The Day

A drinking life isn't a happy life. Drinking cuts you
off from other people and from God. One of the worst
things about drinking is the loneliness. And one of the
best things about A.A. is the fellowship. Drinking cuts
you off from other people, at least from the people who
really matter to you, your wife and children, your
family and real friends. No matter how much you love
them, you build up a wall between you and them by your
drinking. You're cut off from any real companionship
with them. As a result, you're terribly lonely. Have I got
rid of my loneliness?

Meditation For The Day

I will sometimes go into a quiet place of retreat with
God. In that place, I will find restoration and healing
and power. I will plan quiet times now and then, times
when I will commune with God and arise rested and
refreshed to carry on the work which God has given me
to do. I know that God will never give me a load greater
than I can bear. It is in serenity and peace that all
true success lies.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that I may strengthen my inner life, so that I
may find serenity. I pray that my soul may be restored
in quietness and peace.

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

As Bill Sees It

Getting Off a "Dry Bender", p. 30

"Sometimes, we become depressed. I ought to know; I have been a
champion dry-bender case myself. While the surface causes were a
part of the picture--trigger-events that precipitated depression--the
underlying causes, I am satisfied, ran much deeper.

"Intellectually, I could accept my situation. Emotionally, I could not.

"To these problems, there are certainly no pat answers. But part of
the answer surely lies in the constant effort to practice all of A.A.'s
Twelve Steps."

Letter, 1954

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

Walk In Dry Places

No Justified Resentments____Personal Inventory
One of the greatest hurdles in sobriety is the so-called justified resentment. We feel that we have a right to be angry at somebody who has hurt or offended us. This feeling might be correct if our anger could remedy the matter and bring it to a just conclusion, but this hardly ever happens. If we are angry, we usually want revenge more than we want justice. Uncontrolled anger will make us behave as unjustly as those who harmed us did. This means more trouble.
Whether revenge is sought or not, anger also poisons our own lives. Emmet Fox compared it to the insane practice of drinking prussic acid. People cannot take a drink of acid and then assign it to the person they detest. They will bear its effect in their own bodies. In the same way, our anger produces its own acids, which destroy our peace of mind and make us ineffective.
We can deal with "justified resentment" by reminding ourselves that there's no justification for the pain and sickness a festering resentment will cause in our lives. There is no justified resentment.
Today I may have to swim against the tide by not getting upset over matters that enrage others. I will not let myself be drawn into the angry currents around me.

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

Keep It Simple

Go and wake up your luck---Perian proverb
We've been given recovery. For this, we're lucky. And we're grateful. Now it's up to us.
We must accept our choices. When we're afraid, do we choose to be alone? Or do we choose to
go to extra meeting? When we're not honest, do we keep it secret? Or do we admit it and try to be
more honest? No matter what we choose, we're responsible for that choice. Through choices, we
either make our program strong or weak. We can choose to be lucky. Or we can choose not to be.
The choice is ours. Our addiction robbed us of choice. It taught us to blame others. Now we see ourselves as responsible.
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me to choose wisely. Help me remember I'm responsible for my choices.
Action for the Day: Today I'll work at being responsible for my choices. I'll see myself as one of the lucky ones.

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

Each Day a New Beginning

Fortunately [psycho]analysis is not the only way to resolve inner conflicts. Life itself still remains a very effective therapist.
--Karen Horney
The passage of time, coupled with an openness to the messages gleaned from our conversations with others, can provide answers we need for the way out of painful situations. Life is ebb and flow, peaks and valleys, struggles and sweet times. What we fail to realize, all too often, is that the struggles make possible the times that are sweet.
Our conflicts are our special lessons in life. We can learn to flow with them, move through them, trust their value to us as growing, changing women. How good it feels to have found security with one another and that power greater than ourselves who can, when we are willing, show us the path to resolution.
Life will never be free of conflict--nor should it be. Our lessons move us to higher planes of awareness. We can experience the joy hidden within the conflict. We can help one another remember that the sweetness of a moment is tied to the pain of a former, forgotten moment.
All events, all experiences, are connected. The path I travel, alone and with others, is bringing me brighter days. I will trust my path. It's right for me.

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

Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

Chapter 7 - WORKING WITH OTHERS

Both you and the new man must walk day by day in the path of spiritual progress. If you persist, remarkable things will happen. When we look back, we realize that the things which came to us when we put ourselves in God’s hands were better than anything we could have planned. Follow the dictates of a Higher Power and you will presently live in a new and wonderful world, no matter what your present circumstances!

p. 100

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

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Tradition Eight - "Alcoholics Anonymous should remain forever nonprofessional, but our service centers may employ special workers."

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS will never have a professional class. We have gained some understanding of the ancient words "Freely ye have received, freely give." We have discovered that at the point of professionalism, money and spirituality do not mis. Almost no recovery from alcoholism has ever been brought about by the world's best professionals, whether medical or religious. We do not decry professionalism in other fields, but we accept the sober fact that it does not work for us. Every time we have tried to professionalize our Twelfth Step, the result has been exactly the same: Our single purpose has been defeated.

p. 166

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

That light at the end of the tunnel may be you.

What other people think of you is none of your business!

Bricks and mortar make a house, but the laughter of children makes a home. --Irish Proverb

"If I can just love you because here we are, then you are free to grow as you need to grow, because none of it's going to change my feeling of love."
--Ram Dass

God beats in my heart. I share his light with the world. --Shelley

"What we must realize is that we cannot see everything. We do not know everything. More important, we must understand that it is impossible for us to control anything. The process of life is a spiritual one, governed by invisible, intangible spiritual laws and principles." --Iyanla Vanzant

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

Father Leo's Daily Meditation

POTENTIAL

"Treat people as if they were what
they ought to be, and you help
them to become what they are
capable of being."
-- Johann W. von Goethe

My program of recovery from alcoholism helps me have a
relationship with myself and helps me relate to and understand
others. The more I understand my strengths and weaknesses, the
more I am able to understand others.

Any understanding of spirituality involves other people. If spirituality
helps me become what God intends for me, then this is also true for
others. Today I choose to treat myself and other people as children of
God, remembering that we were created to reach for the skies!

Lord, our potential forever rests in You.

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

Encourage one another, and build up one another, just as you also are doing. 1 Thessalonians 5:11

Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. 2 Timothy 2:22-24

But those who suffer he delivers in their suffering; he speaks to them in their affliction. "He is wooing you from the jaws of distress to a spacious place free from restriction, to the comfort of your table laden with choice food. Job 36:15-16

Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. For, "Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil." 1 Peter 3:8-12

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

Daily Inspiration

Slow down and see the gracious blessings that God has for you. In my quient moments, Lord, I know that You are there.

When we have to justify our actions, it may be that our actions are not just. Lord, Your will is goodness. May I always have the strength and courage to choose Your way so that I can simplify my life and enjoy the peace of Your presence.

[bluidkiti]

January 31

Daily Reflections

OUR COMMON WELFARE COMES FIRST

The unity of Alcoholics Anonymous is the most cherished
quality our Society has. . . . We stay whole, or A.A.
dies.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 129

Our Traditions are key elements in the ego deflation
process necessary to achieve and maintain sobriety in
Alcoholics Anonymous. The First Tradition reminds me
not to take credit, or authority, for my recovery.
Placing our common welfare first reminds me not to
become a healer in this program; I am still one of
the patients. Self-effacing elders built the ward.
Without it, I doubt I would be alive. Without the
group, few alcoholics would recover. The active role
in renewed surrender of will enables me to step aside
from the need to dominate, the desire for recognition,
both of which played so great a part in my active
alcoholism. Deferring my personal desires for the
greater good of group growth contributes toward A.A.
unity that is central to all recovery. It helps me to
remember that the whole is greater than the sum of all
its parts.

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

Twenty-Four Hours A Day

A.A. Thought For The Day

Drinking cuts you off from God. No matter how you were
brought up, no matter what your religion is, no matter
if you say you believe in God, nevertheless you build
up a wall between you and God by your drinking. You know
you're not living the way God wants you to. As a result,
you have that terrible remorse. When you come into A.A.,
you begin to get right with other people and with God. A
sober life is a happy life, because by giving up drinking
we've got rid of our loneliness and remorse. Do I have real
fellowship with other people and with God?

Meditation For The Day

I believe that all sacrifice and all suffering is of value
to me. When I am in pain, I am being tested. Can I trust
God, no matter how I feel? Can I say Thy will be done, no
matter how much I am defeated? If I can, my faith is real
and practical. It works in bad times as well as in good
times. The Divine Will is working in a way that is beyond
my finite mind to understand, but I can still trust in it.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that I may take my suffering in my stride. I pray
that I may accept pain and defeat as part of God's plan
for my spiritual growth.

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

As Bill Sees It

In God's Economy, p. 31

"In God's economy, nothing is wasted. through failure, we learn a
lesson in humility which is probably needed, painful though it is."

<< << << >> >> >>

We did not always come closer to wisdom by reason of our virtues; our
better understanding is often rooted in the pains of our former follies.
Because this has been the essence of our individual experience, it is
also the essence of our experience as a fellowship.

1. Letter, 1942
2. Grapevine, November 1961

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

Walk In Dry Places

Open-mindedness Means Growth___Facing Change
While open-mindedness is supposedly virtuous, many of us have difficulty with it. In our drinking, we continued to suffer because we were unwilling to believe that anything could relieve us of our condition. We also feared that change would diminish us.
Our great liberation came in opening up our minds to new ideas. This same process might be needed to sober living. We may have an investment in old attitudes and ideas that are keeping us from constructive growth. Without giving up our attitudes immediately, we can at least give new ideas hones consideration and study.
True open-mindedness does not mean empty-mindedness. We still can have strong convictions, consistent values, and definite opinions. But in the spirit of open-mindedness, we should continuously reexamine our views and adopt new ideas for improvement and growth.
Open-mindedness helped bring us to sobriety. It can also open the doors to other blessings that will bring enrichment and happiness.
I will be open-minded and curious today. New ideas can bring wonderful benefits to me if I am willing to consider them.

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

Keep It Simple

Do not cut down the tree that gives you shade.---Arabian proverb
We need to remember what got us well. The Twelve Steps heal us. The meetings we attend heal us.
Reading and listening to program tapes heals us. Talking with our sponsors heals us. The time we spend with program friends heals us. Sometimes we're pressed for time. As a result, we have to make choices about how to use our time. We may think we know enough about the program. We
may feel like cutting down on meetings. These are danger signs. We only know how to stay sober One Day at a Time: by working the Steps. Let's not forget them as we grow in this program. It may seem like we've been recovering a long time, but we're all beginners.
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, I've found You in the program. Help me find ways to stay a "beginner" in the program.
Action for the Day: Today, I'll take time to read the Twelve Steps. I'll meditate on how much these Steps have given me.

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

Each Day a New Beginning

Woman must not accept; she must challenge. She must not be awed by that which has been built up around her; she must reverence that woman in her which struggles for expression. --Margaret Sanger
Our desire to grow, to make a place for ourselves in the world of our friends, to know that we have counted in the lives of others, is healthy and necessary to our existence as whole women. The inner urging to move ahead, to try a new approach to an old problem, to go after a new job, to learn a new skill, is evidence of God's eternal Spirit within.
Our meaning in this life is found through following the guidance that beckons us toward these new horizons, perhaps new friends, even new locations. We can trust the urge. We can reverence the urge. It will not lead us astray, provided we do not try to lead it. We each have a special gift to express in this life among those to whom we've been led.
For years, many of us quelled the inner urge out of fear; but, fortunately, it didn't desert us. To be human is to have a constant desire to be more than we are. The fears still come, but as we move through them, with the support of other women, other friends, the program gives us the thrill of achievement. We know there is meaning in our existence.
The need to grow, to change, to affect the world around us is part of God's plan for each of us. I will trust the urge; I will let it guide my steps.

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

Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

Chapter 7 - WORKING WITH OTHERS

When working with a man and his family, you should take care not to participate in their quarrels. You may spoil your chance of being helpful if you do. But urge upon a man’s family that he has been a very sick person and should be treated accordingly. You should warn against arousing resentment or jealousy. You should point out that his defects of character are not going to disappear over night. Show them that he has entered upon a period of growth. Ask them to remember, when they are impatient, the blessed fact of his sobriety.

p. 100

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

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Tradition Eight - "Alcoholics Anonymous should remain forever nonprofessional, but our service centers may employ special workers."

Alcoholics simply will not listen to a paid twelfth-stepper. Almost from the beginning, we have been positive that face-to-face work with the alcoholic who suffers could be based only on the desire to help and be helped. When an A.A. talks for money, whether at a meeting or to a single newcomer, it can have a very bad effect on him, too. The money motive compromises him and everything he says and does for his prospect. This has always been so obvious that only a very few A.A.'s have ever worked the Twelfth Step for a fee.

p. 166

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

Half the worry in the world is caused by people trying to make decisions before they have sufficient knowledge on which to base a decision.
--Dean Hawkes

Joy isn't the absence of pain - it's the presence of God.

Life is a mirror: If you frown at it, it frowns back; If you smile it returns the greeting. --Thackeray

Today I get to try to be a good example of a good example. In the past all I could be was a good example of a bad example. --unknown

The most important person in the room is sitting in my chair. The second most important person in the room is sitting in your chair. --unknown

Right actions for the future are the best apologies for wrong ones in the past.

Maintaining my spiritual condition is like building a spiritual bank account, upon which I can draw. The problem is, I never get a statement from the bank, so I have to be careful to keep putting in, or some dark day I'll find myself overdrawn. --unknown

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

Father Leo's Daily Meditation

WAR

"We have the power to make this
the best generation of mankind
in the history of the world --- or
to make it the last."
-- John F. Kennedy

War is tragic because it always destroys; it kills creation itself.
People, buildings, relationships, trust, hope, culture, history, youth ---
they all disappear behind a puff of smoke. The immensity of war is
such that it cannot be fully comprehended. Only isolated aspects can
be understood: a child is maimed, a treaty is broken, a race is blamed,
bullets are heard and a history that existed within a human life is
ended in silence.

Addiction is a kind of war --- a silent war that exists within an
individual and family. People, trust, buildings, hope, culture, history
and youth disappear behind a glass or a pill. Creation is attacked
from the inside; God is forgotten in an act of destructive selfishness.

Teach me to make peace in my life.

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"God is my strength and my power, and He makes my way perfect." 2 Samuel 22:33

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Matthew 5:6

Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to God. Matthews 5:16

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Daily Inspiration

Today can be your best day. This power is yours alone. Thank you, Lord, for this glorious day.

Greet all with gentleness and kindness so that all will know that you know Your God and will want to know Him too. Lord, may I be an instrument of Your peace.