Daily Recovery Readings for November 19, 2017:

Daily Reflection

“I WAS SLIPPING FAST”

We A.A.’s are active folk, enjoying the satisfactions of dealing with the realities of life, . . . So it isn’t surprising that we often tend to slight serious meditation and prayer as something not really necessary.

— TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 96

I had been slipping away from the program for some time, but it took a death threat from a terminal disease to bring me back, and particularly to the practice of the Eleventh Step of our blessed Fellowship. Although I had fifteen years of sobriety and was still very active in the program, I knew that the quality of my sobriety had slipped badly. Eighteen months later, a checkup revealed a malignant tumor and a prognosis of certain death within six months. Despair settled in when I enrolled in a rehab program, after which I suffered two small strokes which revealed two large brain tumors. As I kept hitting new bottoms I had to ask myself why this was happening to me. God allowed me to recognize my dishonesty and to become teachable again. Miracles began to happen. But primarily I relearned the whole meaning of the Eleventh Step. My physical condition has improved dramatically, but my illness is minor compared to what I almost lost completely.

Big Book Quote

Next, we decided that hereafter in this drama of life, God was going to be our Director. He is the Principal; we are His agents. He is the Father, and we are His children. Most good ideas are simple, and this concept was the keystone of the new and triumphant arch through which we passed to freedom.

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 62~

Keep It Simple

What we don’t live, we cannot teach others.—Day By Day

Remember – we don’t carry the message to others until we get to Step Twelve. We must first learn to live in a sober way. Sobriety takes time.

We have to stop using alcohol and other drugs, but this is only the start.

Just as it takes time to build a home, it takes time to build a new way of life. We talk with friends and sponsors about the Steps. We try using them in out lives. Then we talk about how the Steps work for us. We talk about where we get stuck with the Steps.

All this takes time. We aren’t in a hurry. We have a lifetime ahead of us.

Remember-the better we live our program, the better we help others.

Prayer for the day:
Higher Power, You’ll let me know when I’m to carry the message. Until then, be with me as I build a new way of life, a spiritual way of life.

Action for the day:
I’ll take time to think over where I’m with my program. I’ll talk about it with a friend.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

It feels as if someone is working against you now and you wish you could just ignore the negativity. But you can’t just walk away today; the unaddressed energy will circle back to you soon enough. Confront the source of resistance directly since you can’t expect others to continue to pass along your message intact. Nevertheless, opting for behind-the-scenes discussions allows you to make your point while saving face for your opponent. Demonstrating compassion encourages your enemies to become your friends.