Daily Recovery Readings
November 23, 2018

Daily Reflection

HOLD YOUR FACE TO THE LIGHT

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

~  AS BILL SEES IT, p. 3

One Sunday in October, during my morning meditation, I glanced out the window at the  ash tree in our front yard. At once I was overwhelmed by its magnificent, golden color! As I stared in awe at God’s work of art, the leaves began to fall and, within minutes, the branches were bare. Sadness came over me as I thought of the winter months ahead, but just as I was reflecting on autumn’s annual process, God’s message came through. Like the trees, stripped of their leaves in the fall, sprout new blossoms in the spring, I had had my compulsive, selfish ways removed by God in order for me to blossom into a sober, joyful member of A.A. Thank you, God, for the changing seasons and for my ever-changing life.

Big Book Quote

“All these, and many others, have one symptom in common: they cannot start drinking without developing the phenomenon of craving. This phenomenon, as we have suggested, may be the manifestation of an allergy which differentiates these people, and sets them apart as a distinct entity. It has never been, by any treatment with which we are familiar, permanently eradicated. The only relief we have to suggest is entire abstinence.

This immediately precipitates us into a seething caldron of debate. Much has been written pro and con, but among physicians, the general opinion seems to be that most chronic alcoholics are doomed.”

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, The Doctor’s Opinion, pg. xxx~

Twenty-Four Hours a Day

A.A. Thought For The Day

I no longer refuse to do anything because I cannot do it to perfection. Many of us  alcoholics use the excuse of not being able to do something perfectly to enable us to do nothing at all. We pretend to be perfectionists. We are good at telling people how a
thing should be done, but when we come to the effort of doing it ourselves, we balk. We say to ourselves: I might make a mistake, so I’d better let the whole thing slide. In A.A. we set our goals high, but that does not prevent us from trying. The mere fact that we will never fully reach these goals does not prevent us from doing the best we can. Have I stopped hiding behind the smoke-screen of perfectionism?

Meditation For The Day

“In the world ye shall have tribulation. But be of good cheer. I have overcome the world.” Keep an undaunted spirit. Keep your spirit free and unconquered. You can be undefeated and untouched by failure and all its power, by letting your spirit overcome the world; rise above the earth’s turmoil into the secret chamber of perfect peace and confidence. When a challenge comes to you, remember that you have God’s help and nothing can wholly defeat you.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that I may have confidence and be of good cheer.
I pray that I may not fear the power of failure.

Keep It Simple

Let me listen to me and not to them. —Gertrude Stein

Often we try to please everyone around us. But this may not make us happy, and so we get angry.

We feel taken advantage of.

We may be kind to others, but first we must love ourselves. How? By learning to listen to ourselves. To our dreams. To our higher power. By doing this we’ll be more happy. And those around us will probably be more happy too.

As our AA medallions say, “To Thine Own Self Be True.”

Prayer for the Day:
I pray that I’ll listen to that gentle, loving voice inside me. Higher Power, help me make  me make my “conscious contact” with You better.

Action for the Day:
I will write down why I need to be true to myself.

Each Day a New Beginning

When you send out real love, real love will return to you. –Florence Scovel Shinn

Real love is selfless love. It expects nothing in return. It is not conditional. It doesn’t keep score. It is too seldom given. Many of us came into the program hurting, feeling unloved, looking desperately for love, unable to love selflessly. But we are learning.

We are climbing the same mountain, all of us. Our particular paths will cross the paths of many others before reaching the top, where we will find full enlightenment. And any path we cross has a special contribution to make to our own progress. We can be grateful for all intersecting paths, no matter how adverse they seem at the time. We can offer all our fellow-travelers real love, and our own trip will benefit manyfold.

We need not be ashamed of our desire for love. Nor need we feel shame that we’ve bargained for it. But we do need to understand that the kind of love we seek can only be gained when we quit searching for it and simply offer it to all the people in our midst.
I will look into the hearts of all the people I encounter today and offer them love. I’ll receive that which I give.

Elder’s Meditation

“We’re sitting on our blessed Mother Earth from which we get our strength and determination, love and humility, all the beautiful attributes that we’ve been given. So turn to one another; love one another; respect one another; respect Mother Earth; respect the waters-because that’s life itself!”

— Phil Lane, Sr. YANKTON SIOUX

Our entire point of view can be altered by making one change to align with the
principles of the Great Spirit. Let’s say we decide to become respectful. As we
become respectful, our attitude will change. We will automatically draw into our
lives knowledge about the other principles of the Great Spirit such as love, appreciation,
trust, beauty, and peace of mind. By focusing on these principles, we will let go of
selfishness, self centeredness, self pity, dishonesty, and fear. You focus on respect, you
get respect; you focus on love, you get love; you focus on the Red Road, you get
peace of mind.

Great Spirit, let me learn the lessons of respect.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

You may discover that a newly acquired routine has unexpected kinks. For example, maybe you’re not going to bed early enough to get up in time to exercise. You might silently resist a new protocol that could improve your workflow while the Gemini Full Moon brightens your 12th House of Secrets. Glitches and micro-failures can fuel improvements if you choose to embrace them rather than retreating. Acknowledge the current challenges as constructive feedback, not insurmountable obstacles. Henry Ford said, “Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.”

Daily Recovery Readings
November 22, 2018

Daily Reflection

ONLY TWO SINS

. . . . there are only two sins; the first is to interfere with the growth of another human being, and the second is to interfere with one’s own growth.

~ ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 542 ~

Happiness is such an elusive state. How often do my “prayers” for others involve “hidden” prayers for my own agenda? How often is my search for happiness a boulder in the path of growth for another, or even myself? Seeking growth through humility and acceptance brings things that appear to be anything but good, wholesome and vital. Yet in looking back, I can see that pain, struggles and setbacks have all contributed eventually to serenity through growth in the program.

I ask my Higher Power to help me not cause another’s lack of growth today – or my own.

Big Book Quote

“Next we launched out on a course of vigorous action, the first step of which is a personal housecleaning, which many of us had never attempted. Though our decision was a vital and crucial step, it could have little permanent effect unless at once followed by a strenuous effort to face, and to be rid of, the things in ourselves which had been blocking us. Our liquor was but a symptom. So we had to get down to causes and conditions.

Therefore, we started upon a personal inventory. This was Step Four.”

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 63~

Twenty-Four Hours a Day

A.A. Thought For The Day

I have got rid of most of my boredom. One of the hardest things that a new member of A.A. has to understand is how he can stay sober and not be bored. Drinking was always the answer to all kinds of boring people and boring situations. But once you have taken up the interest of A.A., once you have given it your time and enthusiasm, boredom should not be a problem to you. A new life opens up before you that can be always interesting. Sobriety should give you so many new interests in life that you shouldn’t have time to be bored. Have I got rid of the fear of being bored?

Meditation For The Day

“If I have not charity, I am become as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal.” Charity means to care enough about your fellow man to really want to do something for him. A smile, a word of encouragement, a word of love, goes winged on its way, simple enough it may seem, while the mighty words of an orator fall on deaf ears. Use up the odd moments of your day in trying to do some little thing to cheer up your fellow man.

Boredom comes from thinking too much about yourself.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that my day may be brightened by some little act of charity. I pray that I may try today to overcome
the self-centeredness that makes me bored.

Keep It Simple

We are healed of a suffering only be experiencing it in full. —Marcel Proust

We must never forget our past. We need to remember the power that our illness has over us. Why? So we can remember how our recovery began. So we can remember we’re not cured. So we can tell our stories.

We must remember how we acted. Why? So we don’t act and think like addicts. Most of us had a poor relationships with friends, family, and ourselves. We need to remember how lonely we felt. That way, we’ll make recovery grow stronger One Day at a Time.

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, help me always remember how my illness almost destroyed me. Help me face the pain of these memories.

Action for the Day:
I will talk about my past life with those who support my recovery. I will tell them what it is that I must remember about my past.

Each Day a New Beginning

. . . as awareness increases, the need for personal secrecy almost proportionately decreases. –Charlotte Painter

We hang onto secrets when we’re unsure of ourselves and the role we’re asked to play–secrets about our inner thoughts, our dreams and aspirations, our feared inadequacies.

Because we strive for perfection, assume it’s achievable, and settle for no less in all our activities, we are haunted by our secret fears of not measuring up. The more committed we become to this program, the greater is our understanding of the fallacy of this way of thinking. And as our awareness increases, the more accepting we become of our human frailty, and the less need we have to cover it up. Our mental health is measurable by the openness we offer to the world. Secrets belie good health and heighten the barriers to it.

The program’s Fourth and Fifth Steps are the antidotes to being stuck in an unhealthy state of mind. They push us to let go of our secrets, freeing us from the power they wield. Practicing the principles of the program offers the remedy we need for the happiness we deserve.

I will share a secret today and be free of its power over my life.

Elder’s Meditation

“It’s the most precious thing…to know absolutely where you belong. There’s a whole emotional wrapping-around-of-you here. You see the same rock, tree, road, clouds, sun — you develop a nice kind of intimacy with the world around you.

To be intimate is to grow, to learn…[it] is absolutely fulfilling. Intimacy, that’s my magic word for why I live here.”

— Tessie Maranjo, SANTA CLARA PUEBLO

Every human being, to be mentally healthy, must have the feeling of belonging. When we have a sense of belonging we can be intimate. We can feel. We can connect. If we cannot develop this feeling of belonging, then we will feel lost
of disconnected. To be disconnected from life is like walking around during the day not knowing the Sun exists. To have the feelings of intimacy is warm, glowy, joyful, loving, and connected. The feeling this Elder is talking about is available to everyone.

Great Spirit, let me be intimate.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

You’re liable to delight in the glow a new routine or health regimen gives you. Perhaps you put extra effort into making your breakfast, seeking a tastier and more energetic jumpstart. Or you find a way to run through your morning exercises that makes them halfway tolerable. Overall, your positive expectations are matched with affirming results. You enjoy researching more detailed ways to improve on your lifestyle choices. In turn, the more you know, the more you want to share your findings with others. Vitality is contagious.

Daily Recovery Readings
November 21, 2018

Daily Reflection

A CLASSIC PRAYER

Lord, make me a channel for thy peace – that where
there is hatred, I may bring love – that where there
is wrong. I may bring the spirit of forgiveness –
that where there is discord, I may bring harmony –
that where there is error, I may bring truth –
that where there is doubt, I may bring faith –
that where there is despair, I may bring hope –
that where there are shadows, I may bring light –
that where there is sadness, I may bring joy.
Lord, grant that I may seek rather to comfort than
to be comforted – to understand, than to be
understood – to love, than to be loved. For it is
by self-forgetting that one finds. It is by
forgiving that one is forgiven. It is by dying
that one awakens to Eternal Life.
Amen.

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 99

No matter where I am in my spiritual growth, the St. Francis prayer helps me improve my conscious contact with the God of my understanding. I think that one of the great advantages of my faith in God is that I do not understand Him, or Her, or It. It may be that my relationship with my Higher Power is so fruitful that I do not have to understand.

All that I am certain of is that if I work the Eleventh Step regularly, as best I can, I will continue to improve my conscious contact, I will know His will for me, and I will have the power to carry it out.

Twenty-Four Hours a Day

A.A. Thought For The Day

I no longer waste money, but try to put it to good use. Like all of us, when I was drunk, I threw money around “like a drunken sailor.” It gave me a feeling of importance–a millionaire for a day. But the morning after, with an empty wallet and perhaps some undecipherable checks to boot, was a sad awakening. One of the hardest things to face is the fact of wasted money. How could I have been such a fool? How will I ever make it up? Thoughts like these get you down. When we are sober, we spend our hard earned money as it should be spent. Although some of us could be more generous in our A.A. giving, at least we do not throw it away. Am I making good use of my money?

Meditation For The Day

You were meant to be at home and comfortable in the world. Yet some people live a life of quiet desperation. This is the opposite of being at home and at peace with the world. Let your peace of mind be evident to those around you. Men should see that you are comfortable, and seeing it, know that it springs from your trust in a higher power. The dull, hard way of resignation is not God’s way. Faith takes the sting out of the winds of adversity and brings peace even in the midst of struggle.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that I may be more comfortable in my way of living. I pray that I may feel more at home and at peace with myself.

Big Book Quote

“Much has already been said about receiving strength, inspiration, and direction from Him who has all knowledge and power. If we have carefully followed directions, we have begun to sense the flow of His Spirit into us. To some extent we have become God-conscious. We have begun to develop this vital sixth sense. But we must go further and that means more action.”

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 85~

Each Day A New Beginning

Continuous effort–not strength or intelligence–is the key to unlocking our potential.
–Liane Cordes

Perseverance may well be our greatest asset. As we forge ahead on a project, it loses its power over us. Our confidence and abilities grow in concert with our progress on the project, preparing us to tackle the next one too.

We have something special, uniquely our own to offer in this life. And we also have the potential to offer it successfully. However, we don’t always realize our potential. Many of us stifled our development with fears of failure, low self-worth, assumed inadequacies. The past need plague us no longer.

Help is readily available for us to discover our capacities for success. Abilities stand ready to be tapped, goals and projects await our recognition. Any commitment we make to a task that draws our interest will be reinforced by God’s commitment to our efforts. We have a partner. Our efforts are always doubled when we make them–truly make them.

I will not back away from a project today. I will persevere and find completion. I’ll feel completed.

Elder’s Meditation

“In the absence of the sacred, nothing is sacred, everything is for sale.”

— Oren Lyons, ONONDAGA

The Elders often say that when something is sacred it has spiritual value. You’ll hear, on the Earth there are sacred spots. You’ll hear, our ceremonies are sacred, our children are sacred, marriage is sacred. When something is sacred it means it’s so holy you can’t attach a value to it. Therefore, it’s not for sale. It’s an insult to suggest buying something sacred. On the other hand, if we look at it differently, as there is no sacred land, ceremonies are not sacred, our children are not sacred, etc., then everything is for sale. Sacredness creates spiritual space. Sacredness makes things holy. Sacredness shows respect for God.

Great Spirit, let me honor things that are sacred.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

You prove to be an excellent collaborator, whether as a partner or team member. You perform best now when goals are clearly defined, even if the means are still cloudy. It doesn’t matter if the task is redecorating the living room or building a new home. You can be patient enough to figure things out, but you’re unwilling to blindly relinquish control. Although you’re quite capable of standing your ground, you’re happy to hash out the details for a win-win agreement that makes everyone smile. Compromise is key for your success.

Daily Recovery Readings
November 20, 2018

Daily Reflection

“THY WILL, NOT MINE”

. . . when making specific requests, it will be well to add to each one of them this qualification. .” . . . if it be Thy will.”

~TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, pp. 102-03

I ask simply that throughout the day God place in me the best understanding of His will that I can have for that day, and that I be given the grace by which I may carry it out. As the day goes on, I can pause when facing situations that must be met and decisions that must be made, and renew the simple request: “Thy will, not mine, be done.” I must always keep in mind that in every situation I am responsible for the effort and God is responsible for the outcome. I can “Let Go and Let God” by humbly repeating: “Thy will, not mine, be done.” Patience and persistence in seeking His will for me willfree me from the pain of selfish expectations.

Twenty-Four Hours a Day

A.A. Thought For The Day

I no longer try to escape life through alcoholism. Drinking built up an unreal world for me and I tried to live in it. But in the morning light the real world was back again nd facing it was harder than ever, because I had less resources with which to meet it. Each attempt at escape weakened my personality by the very attempt. Everyone knows that alcohol, by relaxing inhibitions, permits a flight from reality. Alcohol deadens the brain cells that preside over our highest faculties and we are off to the unreal world of drunkenness. A.A. taught me not to run away, but to face reality. Have I given up trying to escape life?

Meditation For The Day

In these times of quiet meditation, try more and more to set your hopes on the grace of God. Know that whatever the future may hold, it will hold more and more of good. Do not set all your hopes and desires on material things. There is weariness in an abundance of things. Set your hopes on spiritual things so that you may grow spiritually. Learn to rely on God’s power more and more and in that reliance you will have an insight into the greater value of things of the spirit.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that I may not be overwhelmed by material things.
I pray that I may realize the higher value of spiritual things.

Big Book Quote

“When many hundreds of people are able to say that the consciousness of the Presence of God is today the most important fact of their lives, they present a powerful reason why one should have faith.”

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, We Agnostics, pg. 51~

Keep It Simple

A man is too apt to forget that in this world he cannot have everything. A choice is all that is left him.—H. Mathews.

Sobriety is about choice. Each day we choose to stay sober, we teach ourselves how
to make better choices.

Life is about choice. To be spiritual people, we must make spiritual choices. Honesty is a spiritual choice. And working the Steps is a spiritual choice.

Our life is the sum total of our choices. We owe it to ourselves to choose wisely. We can do that now, thanks to the program.

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, help me choose a spiritual way of life. Help me to see choice as my way to a better relationship with you.

Action for the Day:
Today, I’ll be aware of the many choices I make. At the end of the day, I’ll think about all the choices I’ve made. Am I proud of my choices?

Each Day A New Beginning

Experience is a good teacher, but she sends in terrific bills. –Minna Antrim

It is not by chance but by design that the sorrows we experience throughout our lives are countered by equal servings of joy. One offsets the other. And we are strengthened by their combination.

Our longing for only life’s joys is human–also folly. Joy would become insipid if it were our steady diet. Joyful times serve us well as respites from the trying situations that push our growth and development as women.

Laughter softens the cutting edges of the lessons we seek or are cornered by. It offers perspective when the outlook is bleak. And for those of us who are recovering,
wallowing in the bleaker times used to be acceptable behavior. But no more. The reality is that each day will present both occasions for anguish and ones inviting easy laughter. Both are valuable. Neither should dominate.

Joy and sorrow are analogous to the ebb and flow of the ocean tide. They are natural rhythms. And we are mellowed by their presence when we accept them as necessary to our very existence.

Any pain today guarantees an equal amount of pleasure, if I willingly accept them both.

Elder’s Meditation

“Money cannot buy affection.”

— Mangas Coloradas, APACHE

In these modern times we put too much emphasis on material things and on money. We believe that money is power. If we have money, people will respect us. If we have money, people will admire us. If we have money, we can have anything we want. Maybe we can purchase anything in the material world, but we cannot purchase anything in the Unseen World. The Unseen World is not for sale. It can only be given away. Love, affection, admiration, trust, respect, commitment — these must be earned or given away. If we use these things from the Unseen World, we are using real power.

My Creator, let me demonstrate Your power today. Let me be loving to all I meet.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

You can’t seem to sit still, and your restlessness will only increase as the day lengthens. Ironically, you might have many cravings today, but no clear idea what will satisfy you. Your appetite proves to be a problem if you’re trying to adhere to a budget or diet. Fortuitously, the Moon guides and illuminates when she conjoins with unconventional Uranus later in the day. Experimenting with the unknown is better than sticking with the familiar. It’s also possible that sampling a new item makes a favorite indulgence even more appealing without breaking the bank or your calorie count.

Daily Recovery Readings
November 19, 2018

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.

Twenty-Four Hours a Day

A.A. Thought For The Day

In A.A. we do not speak much of sex. And yet putting sex
in its proper place in our lives is one of the rewards that
has come to us as a result of our new way of living. The big
book says that many of us needed an overhauling there. It
also says that we subjected each sex relation to this test
— was it selfish or not? “We remembered always that our sex
powers were God-given and therefore good, neither to be used
lightly or selfishly, nor to be despised or loathed.” We can
ask God to mold our ideals and to help us to live up to them.
We can act accordingly. Have I got my sex life under proper
control?

Meditation For The Day

“I will lift up my eyes unto the heights whence cometh my
help.” Try to raise your thoughts from the depths of the
sordid and mean and impure things of the earth to the heights
of goodness and decency and beauty. Train your insight by
trying to take the higher view. Train it more and more until
distant heights become more familiar. The heights of the Lord,
whence cometh your help, will become nearer and dearer and
the false values of the earth will seem farther away.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that I may not keep my eyes forever downcast.
I pray that I may set my sights on higher things.

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.

Each Day A New Beginning

Do not compare yourself with others, for you are a unique and wonderful creation. Make your own beautiful footprints in the snow. –Barbara Kimball

Comparisons we make of ourselves to other women do destruction far greater than our conscious minds are aware of. Positioning ourselves or her on the “beloved pedestal” prevents the equality of sisterhood that offers each woman the freedom to be solely herself.

Comparisons in which we are the losers darken the moment, cut us off from the actual rhythms of that moment. The consequences can be grave. Within any moment might be the opportunity we’ve awaited, the opportunity to achieve a particular dream. We must not miss our opportunities.

Each life is symbolized by a particular set of footprints in the snow. How wonderful and how freeing to know that we each offer something uniquely our own. We need never compete to be noticed. Each of us is guaranteed recognition for what we contribute, because it is offered by us alone.

Envy eats at us; it interferes with all of our interactions. It possesses all of our thoughts, caging us, denying us the freedom to achieve that can be ours.
I will look with love on my sisters. I will free them and myself to be all we are capable of becoming.

Elder’s Meditation

Where there is vision, the people live. They are made rich in
the things of the spirit; and then, as the logical next step, they
are rich in human life.

— Phil Lane, Sr., YANKTON SIOUX

Since the beginning of time, Indian people have been blessed with the ability and
knowledge of the vision. The vision determines our future. The concept is, we move
toward and become that which we think about. We have known that all visions are
about the Great Spirit. They should include God’s will in every area of our lives. We
should have visions about our people, about healthy relationships, about helping others,
about being happy, about being educated. Each day we should renew our vision. We
should ask the Creator to give us a vision of what He wants us to be and where He
wants us to go in our lives. We should be the seekers of vision.
Great Spirit, give me a vision to follow today. Let me do Your will.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

Others might feel like they must tread on eggshells around you now. However, it’s not because they’re afraid of your reaction or don’t like you. Perhaps it’s hard for them to find an entry point into a conversation about a delicate subject, especially if they think you are overly sensitive. Naturally, no one wants to intentionally upset you. The good news is you can improve the dynamics when you’re around people you like by softening your defenses and reaching out to them. A minor adjustment to your behavior could be enough to loosen any unwarranted tension. Perception is reality.

Daily Recovery Readings
November 18, 2018

Daily Reflection

A SAFETY NET

Occasionally. . . We are seized with a rebellion so sickening that we
simply won’t pray. When these things happen we should not think too
ill of ourselves. We should simply resume prayer as soon as we can,
doing what we know to be good for us.

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 105

Sometimes I scream, stomp my feet, and turn my back on my Higher
Power. Then my disease tells me that I am a failure, and that if I stay
angry I’ll surely get drunk. In those moments of self-will it’s as if I’ve
slipped over a cliff and am hanging by one hand. The above passage
is my safety net, in that it urges me to try some new behavior, such as
being kind and patient with myself. It assures me that my Higher
Power will wait until I am willing once again to risk letting go, to land
in the net, and to pray.

Big Book Quote

“Do not let any prejudice you may have against spiritual terms deter
you from honestly asking yourself what they mean to you. At the start,
this was all we needed to commence spiritual growth, to effect our
first conscious relation with God as we understood Him. Afterward, we
found ourselves accepting many things which then seemed entirely out of
reach. That was growth, but if we wished to grow we had to begin
somewhere. So we used our own conception, however limited it was.”

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, We Agnostics, pg. 47~

Twenty-Four Hours a Day

A.A. Thought For The Day

I have got over my procrastination. I was always putting
things off till tomorrow and as a result that never got
done. “There is always another day” was my motto instead
of “Do it now.” Under the influence of alcohol, I had
grandiose plans. When I was sober I was too busy getting
over my drunk to start anything. “Some day I’ll do that”
— but I never did it. In A.A. I have learned it’s better
to make a mistake once in a while than to never do
anything at all. We learn by trial and error. But we must
act now and not put it off until tomorrow. Have I learned
to do it now?

Meditation For The Day

“Do not hide your light under a bushel. Arise and shine,
for the light has come and the glory of the Lord has risen
in thee.” The glory of the Lord shines in the beauty of a
man’s character. It is risen in you, even though you can
realize it only in part. “Now you see as in a glass darkly,
but later you will see face to face.” The glory of the Lord
is too dazzling for mortals to see fully on earth. But some
of this glory is risen in you when you try to reflect that
light in your life.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that I may try to be a reflection of the Divine Light.
I pray that some of its rays may shine in my life.

Keep It Simple

Life is short: live it up.   ~Nikita

We won’t stay sober long unless it’s more fun than using chemicals.
The truth is, using chemicals wasn’t fun anymore. It was work. We just
told ourselves it was still fun.

So live it up! Try new things. Meet new friends. Try new foods. Taking
risks and having adventures are a basic human need. So go for it.
Sobriety is fun. Living a spiritual life is fun. Get out there and live!

Prayer for the day:
Higher Power ,teach me to play. Teach me to have fun. Teach me to live!

Action for the day:
Today is for fun. I’ll try something new. I’ll see how many people
I can get to smile. And I’ll celebrate the fact that I’m sober.

Each Day A New Beginning

Do not compare yourself with others, for you are a unique and wonderful creation. Make your own beautiful footprints in the snow. –Barbara Kimball

Comparisons we make of ourselves to other women do destruction far greater than our conscious minds are aware of. Positioning ourselves or her on the “beloved pedestal” prevents the equality of sisterhood that offers each woman the freedom to be solely herself.
Comparisons in which we are the losers darken the moment, cut us off from the actual rhythms of that moment. The consequences can be grave. Within any moment might be the opportunity we’ve awaited, the opportunity to achieve a particular dream. We must not miss our opportunities.

Each life is symbolized by a particular set of footprints in the snow. How wonderful and how freeing to know that we each offer something uniquely our own. We need never compete to be noticed. Each of us is guaranteed recognition for what we contribute, because it is offered by us alone.

Envy eats at us; it interferes with all of our interactions. It possesses all of our thoughts, caging us, denying us the freedom to achieve that can be ours.
I will look with love on my sisters. I will free them and myself to be all we are capable of becoming.

Elder’s Meditation

“Power is not manifested in the human being. True power
is in the Creator.”
— Oren Lyons, ONONDAGA

The Old Ones say the only true power is spiritual power. Sometimes our egos tell
us we have power but really we don’t. Great Spirit power is called by other names
such as love, forgiveness, intelligence, life, principles, and laws. When the Creator
uses this power to make the human being powerful, we must stay humble. We should
constantly acknowledge that we are who we are. We do what we do because of the power of the Great One.

Great One, guide me to use Your power well. I will use it only to serve the people.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

Although you might feel isolated today, your sense of separation is of your own making. The good news is you can choose to unmake it. Maybe you slipped and let the Aries Moon’s pride get the best of you. But you also could allow the Moon’s courage to inspire you to reach out for connection, even if it’s to someone from whom you’ve been estranged. Warm and fuzzy emotions may be missing at first, but you can bridge what’s kept you apart with patience and a resolute focus on the present. Speaking candidly and from the heart inspires others to do the same.

Daily Recovery Readings
November 16, 2018

Daily Reflection

OVERCOMING LONELINESS

Almost without exception, alcoholics are tortured by loneliness. Even before our drinking got bad and people began to cut us off, nearly all of us suffered the feeling that we didn’t quite belong.

~ AS BILL SEES IT, p. 90

The agonies and the void that I often felt inside occur less and less frequently in my life today. I have learned to cope with solitude. It is only when I am alone and calm that I am able to communicate with God, for He cannot reach me when I am in turmoil. It is good to maintain contact with God at all times, but it is absolutely essential that, when everything seems to go wrong, I maintain that contact through prayer and meditation.

Big Book Quote

“As each member of a resentful family begins to see his shortcomings and admits them to the others, he lays a basis for helpful discussion. These family talks will be constructive if they can be carried on without heated argument, self-pity, self-justification or resentful criticism.”

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, The Family Afterward, pg. 127~

Twenty-Four Hours a Day

A.A. Thought For The Day

Everyone has two personalities, a good and a bad. We are all dual personalities to some extent. When we were drinking, the bad personality was in control. We did things when we were drunk that we would never do when we were sober. When we sober up, we are different people. Then we wonder how we could have done the things we did. But we drink again, and again our bad side comes out. So we are back and forth, always in conflict with our other selves, always in a stew. This division of our selves is not good; we must somehow become unified. We do this by giving ourselves wholeheartedly to A.A. and to sobriety. Have I become unified?

Meditation For The Day

“Well done, thou good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of Thy Lord.” These words are for many ordinary people whom the world may pass by, unrecognizing. Not to the world-famed, the proud, the wealthy, are these words spoken, but to the quiet followers who serve God unobtrusively yet faithfully, who bear their crosses bravely and put a smiling face to the world. “Enter into the joy of Thy Lord.” Pass into that fuller spiritual life, which is a life of joy and peace.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that I may not desire the world’s applause.
I pray that I may not seek rewards for doing what I
believe is right.

Keep It Simple

Mishaps are like knives that either serve us or cut us, as we grasp them by the blade or the handle.
—Herman Melville

We have hung on in hard times. We made it through our addiction. Some of us have lived through abuse. We’ve felt like our hearts were broken. But we’ve proven we are survivors.

Now we’re learning that we can heal.

Being recovery doesn’t mean things will be easy. But we have a Higher Power to help us. We have friends who listen to us, care for us, and help us through the pain. Because of our recovery program, we’re able to keep hope and love in our lives—One Day at a Time.

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, help me through the hard times. Help me trust in Your love and care.

Action for the Day:
Today, I’ll plan ahead with my sponsor. What will I do now so that I’ll have strong support when hard times come?

Each Day A New Beginning

I think happiness is like the effect on an audience (when acting), if you think of it all the time you will not get it, you must get lost in the part, lost in your purposes and let the effect be the criterion of your success. –Joanna Field

Happiness is a gift that accompanies every instance of our lives if we approach each situation with gratitude, knowing that what’s offered to us is special to our particular needs. The experiences we meet day to day are honing our Spirit, tempering our hard edges. For these we should offer gratitude.

Our well-being is the gift. Deciding what will make us happy, in fact, what we must have to be happy, prevents us from grasping the unexpected pleasure of the “chance” events of the moment. When we intently look for what we think we need, we may well be blind to more beneficial opportunities God has chosen for us.

Our self-centeredness hinders every breath we take. It prejudices every encounter. It stifles our creative potential. And most of all, it blocks any chance for a spontaneous reaction to the moment. Spontaneity is the breeding ground for creative living. And happiness is the byproduct.

Happiness is my decision, every moment.

Elder’s Meditation

“Humbleness means peace and honesty — both mean Hopi. True, honest, perfect words — that’s what we all Hopi words. In all languages, not just in Hopi. We strive to be Hopi. We call ourselves Hopi because maybe one or two of us will become Hopi. Each person must look into their heart and make changes so that you may become Hopi when you reach your destination.”

— Percy Lomaquahu, HOPI

The Creator has made available to us all the laws, principles and values which we need to know to live in harmony. The Creator also designed each human being to learn and grow by trial and error. We have tools to help us live the right way. We have prayers, visions, nature, teachers, Elders, and we have the Great Spirit to talk to and ask for help when we have problems. We also have choice. To walk the Red Road takes courage and a lot of prayer.

Creator, give me courage to walk the Red Road.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

You might struggle to explain how you know something to be true today. People may insist you show them the logical steps to your conclusions. But you can’t offer much in the way of evidence and that’s okay for now. A cluster of hazy energy between the receptive Moon, intuitive Neptune, and creative Mercury suggests that you have a roundabout way of perceiving things that others can’t see. Stretch beyond reality, but give yourself time to come back from far and wide.

Daily Recovery Readings
November 16, 2018

Daily Reflection

A DAILY REPRIEVE

What we really have is a daily reprieve contingent on the maintenance of our spiritual condition.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 85

Maintaining my spiritual condition is like working out every day, planning for the marathon, swimming laps, jogging. It’s staying in good shape spiritually, and that requires prayer and meditation. The single most important way for me to improve my conscious contact with a Higher Power is to pray and meditate. I am as powerless over alcohol as I am to turn back the waves of the sea; no human force had the power to overcome my alcoholism. Now I am able to breathe the air of joy, happiness and wisdom. I have the power to love and react to events around me with the eyes of a faith in things that are not readily apparent. My daily reprieve means that, no matter how difficult or painful things appear today, I can draw on the power of the program to stay liberated from my cunning, baffling and powerful illness.

Big Book Quote

“My drinking assumed more serious proportions, continuing all day and almost every night. The remonstrances of my friends terminated in a
row and I became a lone wolf.”

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Bill’s Story, pg. 3~

Twenty-Four Hours a Day

A.A. Thought For The Day

I have got rid of most of my inner conflicts. I was always at war with myself. I was doing things that I did not want to do. I was waking up in strange places and wondering how I got there. I was full of recklessness when I was drunk and full of remorse when I was sober. My life didn’t make sense. It was full of broken resolves and frustrated hopes and plans. I was getting nowhere fast. No wonder my nerves were all shot. I was bumping up against a blank wall and I was dizzy from it. A.A. taught me how to get organized and to stop fighting against myself. Have I got rid of inner conflicts?

Meditation For The Day

“When two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them.” The spirit of God comes upon His followers when they are all together at one time, in one place, and with one accord. When two or three consecrated souls are together at a meeting place, the spirit of God is there to help and guide them. Where any sincere group of people are together, reverently seeking the help of God, His power and His spirit are there to inspire them.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that I may be in accord with the members of my group.
I pray that I may feel the strength of a consecrated group.

Keep It Simple

Pray for powers equal to your task.—Phillips Brooks

Our task is to stay sober and to help others who still suffer from addiction. We will need patience and understanding. We will need much love. Most of all, we’ll need to work a strong program.

Pray that you come to know the Steps well. Pray that you’ll want to help others—always. Pray for these things, and you’ll have a strong program. In the program, we learn that prayer works. We see prayer change our lives and the lives of those around us. We came to know the power of prayer.

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, I pray for knowledge of Your will for me and the power to carry it out.

Action for the Day:
Today, I’ll admit my needs by praying for help from my Higher Power.

Each Day A New Beginning

Rigidity is prevented most of the time as love and compassion mesh us into tolerant human beings.
–Kaethe S. Crawford

Looking outward with love, offering it freely to our friends and family, makes fluid, flowing, and fertile our existence. Each expression of love engenders more love, keeping tender our ties to one another, encouraging more ties.

The more flexible our lives, the more easily we’ll be attracted to an unexpected opportunity. And flexibility is fostered by a loving posture. As we approach the world, so it greets us. We are not mere recipients of life’s trials and tribulations. We find what our eyes are wanting to see. When our focus is rigid and narrow, so are our opportunities.

The Steps are leading us to be freer with our love, more tolerant in our expectations. The level of our compassion, fully felt and fully expressed, is the measure of our emotional health. Rigid attitudes, rigid behavior, rigid expectations of others recede as the level of our emotional health rises. Our approach to life changes and so do the results we meet.

I will love others. It’s my only assignment in life, and it guarantees the security I crave.

Elder’s Meditation

“We do not want riches, but we want to train our children right. Riches would do us no good. We could not take them with us to the other world. We do not want riches, we want peace and love.”

— Red Cloud, OGLALA LAKOTA

The Elders say that what is important is peace and love. To have material things is okay, but if not, that’s okay too. To have peace and love is more important than anything material. Our children will see the value of peace and love only if adults show they are a priority. Too often we think we can offer material things and they will replace the time spent with our children. But the most important way to give our children peace and love is to spend time with them.

My Creator, give me Your peace and love today.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

Just when you think all your ducks are neatly lined up in a row, they might waddle off in different directions. This sudden chaos prompts you to either feel a sense of panic or pangs of disappointment. But even getting simple things done can be complicated when mischievous Mercury retrogrades in your 6th House of Routines. Thankfully, there’s hope on the horizon. Returning to the drawing board with a project may be necessary because you didn’t think the details through the first time. Consider this a second chance to arrange things in a better order than they were before. Practice makes perfect.

Daily Recovery Readings
November 15, 2018

Daily Reflection

VITAL SUSTENANCE

Those of us who have come to make regular use of prayer would no more do without it than we would refuse air, food, sunshine. And for the same reason. When we refuse air, light or food, the body suffers. And when we turn away from meditation and prayer, we likewise deprive our minds, our emotions, and our intuitions of vitally needed support.

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 97

Step Eleven doesn’t have to overwhelm me. Conscious contact with God can be as simple, and as profound, as conscious contact with another human being. I can smile. I can listen. I can forgive. Every encounter with another is an opportunity for prayer, for acknowledging God’s presence within me. Today I can bring myself a little closer to my Higher Power. The more I choose to seek the beauty of God’s work in other people, the more certain of His presence I will become.

Big Book Quote

“But life among Alcoholics Anonymous is more than attending gatherings and visiting hospitals. Cleaning up old scrapes, helping to settle family differences, explaining the disinherited son to his irate parents, lending money and securing jobs for each other, when justified these are everyday occurrences. No one is too discredited or has sunk too low to be welcomed cordially if he means business.”

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, A Vision For You, pg. 161~

Twentty-Four Hours a Day

A.A. Thought For The Day

I am less sensitive and my feelings are less easily hurt. I no longer take myself so seriously. It didn’t use to take much to insult me, to feel that I had been slighted or left on the outside. What happens to me now is not so important. One cause of our drinking was because we couldn’t take it, so we escaped the unpleasant situation. We have learned to take it on the chin if necessary and smile. When I am all wrapped up in A.A., I do not notice the personal slights so much. They do not seem to matter so much. I have learned to laugh at self-pity, because it’s so childish. Am I less sensitive?

Meditation For The Day

God’s miracle-working power is as manifest today as it was in the past. It still works miracles of change in lives and miracles of healing in twisted minds. When a person trusts wholly in God and leaves to Him the choosing of the day and hour, there is God’s miracle-working power becoming manifest in that person’s life. So we can trust in God and have boundless faith in His power to make us whole again, whenever He chooses.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that I may be sure that there is nothing that God cannot accomplish in changing my life. I pray that I may have faith in His miracle-working power.

Keep It Simple

The best way to know God is to love many things.—Vincent Van Gogh

Now that we’re in recovery, we’re learning to love people. We’re learning to love nature.

We’re learning to love new ideas about life. The result? We love the way we feel now that we’re taking care of ourselves.

Is our Higher Power really so close? Can we really find our Higher Power just by loving many things? Yes! When we love, we wake up that part of us that is part of all creation—our spirit.

We really come to life when we love!

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, remind me that You are near when I love someone or something. The energy of love come from You.

Action for the Day:
I will list three things I love that help me know my Higher Power is near me.

Each Day A New Beginning

Zeal is the faculty igniting the other mind powers into the full flame of activity.
–Sylvia Stitt Edwards

When enthusiasm is absent in our lives, no activity appears inviting. In fact, most situations foster fear. With fear, we’re ever so familiar. The program we’re committed to relieves us of all fear, when we work it. And it offers us the enthusiasm that will guarantee positive outcomes for our efforts, when we look to our higher power for the right attitude.

An open, trusting, sincere relationship with our higher power equals enthusiasm about life. But that relationship takes work on our part. When we’ve done our homework we discover that no lesson will baffle us. Prayer and meditation make all things understandable and guarantee that we will “pass the course” on life.

I will begin this day, and every day, looking to God for the gift of zeal to live fully every moment, to give fully what I have to give, and to glory fully in all that I receive. My attitude of gratitude will increase my happiness manyfold. I will look to this day with zeal.

Elder’s Meditation

“Our Spiritual belief is that we were created as part of the land – so our identity, our names, and our songs are all tied to the land.”

— Chief Roderick Robinson, NISGA’A

In the traditional way, the names of native people had great meaning. We even had naming ceremonies. The naming of someone was very important and had great significance because it was tied to the Earth. The identity of each member and the teachings of the songs were all tied to Mother Earth. We need to know these teachings from our culture. This knowledge will help us heal the people.

My Maker, today help me find my identity.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

You may feel an extra-strong connection today to people who share your ideals and beliefs. You are eager to demonstrate a commitment to your principles by donating your time or money. If you put your energy into the cause, you might find the bonding experience extremely rewarding. However, your new alliance with others could highlight your previous loneliness. Thankfully, your sense of isolation can be overcome by seizing this moment to do even more to put your values into action. Fighting for what you believe in draws you into a community of like-minded friends.