Daily Recovery Readings
August 3, 2018

Daily Reflection

SEEDS OF FAITH

Faith, to be sure, is necessary, but faith alone can avail nothing. We can have faith, yet keep God out of our lives.

— TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 34

As a child I constantly questioned the existence of God. To a “scientific thinker” like me, no answer could withstand a thorough dissection, until a very patient woman finally said to me, “You must have faith.” With that simple statement, the seeds of my recovery were sown!

Today, as I practice my recovery – cutting back the weeds of alcoholism – slowly I am letting those early seeds of faith grow and bloom. Each day of recovery, of ardent gardening, brings the Higher Power of my understanding more fully into my life. My God has always been with me through faith, but it is my responsibility to have the willingness to accept His presence.

I ask God to grant me the willingness to do His will.

From the book Daily Reflections
Copyright © 1990 by Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.

Big Book Quote

“Doubtless you are curious to discover how and why, in the face of expert opinion to the contrary, we have recovered from a hopeless condition of mind and body. If you are an alcoholic who wants to get over it, you may already be asking What do I have to do?”

It is the purpose of this book to answer such questions specifically. We shall tell you what we have done.

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, There Is A Solution, Page 20~

Keep It Simple

Let him that would move the world, first move himself.—Socrates

Before recovery, most of us were big talkers. The Twelve Steps are for doers, not talkers. In the Steps we find action words: admitted, humbly asked, made direct amends, continued to take personal inventory. All these words speak of action, of doing. Recovery is about action. It’s for doers. An action may be very simple. Such as going to a meeting early to set up chairs. Or it could be helping a neighbor. The program teaches that spirituality active, we grow and change.

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, give me movement. Give me spiritual movement. Help me be a doer, not just a talker. Teach me to work my program.

Today’s Action:
Today, I’ll remember the words actions go together.

Each Day a New Beginning

Let me tell thee, time is a very precious gift of God; so precious that it’s only given to us moment by moment. –Amelia Barr

Where are our minds right now? Are we focused fully on this meditation? Or are our minds wandering off to events scheduled for later today or tomorrow perhaps? The simple truth is that this moment is all God has allowed right now. It’s God’s design that we will live fully each moment, as it comes. Therein lies the richness of our lives. Each moment contributes to the full pattern that’s uniquely our own.

We must not miss the potential pleasure of any experience because our thoughts are elsewhere. We never know when a particular moment, a certain situation, may be a door to our future. What we do know is that God often has to work hard getting our attention, perhaps allowing many stumbling blocks in order to get us back on target.

Being in tune with now, this moment, guarantees a direct line of communication to God. It also guarantees a full, yet simple life. Our purpose becomes clear as we trust our steps to God’s guidance. How terribly complicated we make life by living in the past, the present, and many future times, all at once!

One step, one moment, and then the next step and its moment. How the simple life brings me freedom!

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

At the core of your needs lies a partner who truly listens. If you experience rejection or lack of interest, you can easily slide into a state of silence, refusing to share what is going on inside your heart. The healthiest strategy could be to give it time and focus on your independence today. The truth is it’s better to be alone than to be disappointed. The process of rediscovering who you really are is not over yet, and relationships are a large part of that process. Clarity, like love, often arrives when you stop looking for it.

Daily Recovery Readings
August 2, 2018

Daily Reflection

WE BECOME WILLING . . .

At the moment we are trying to put our lives in order. But this is not an end in itself.
— ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 77

How easily I can become misdirected in approaching the Eighth Step! I wish to be free, somehow transformed by my Sixth and Seventh Step work. Now, more than ever, I am vulnerable to my own self-interest and hidden agenda. I am careful to remember that self-satisfaction, which sometimes comes through the spoken forgiveness of those I have harmed, is not my true objective. I become willing to make amends, knowing that through this process I am mended and made fit to move forward, to know and desire God’s will for me.

From the book Daily Reflections
Copyright © 1990 by Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.

Big Book Quote

“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, 4th Edition, There Is A Solution, pg. 19

Keep It Simple

. . . and because willing to make amends to them all. —Second half of Step Eight.

We have made our list of persons we’ve harmed. Now we look at how willing we are to make amends. We might find that we aren’t ready and willing to make amends to everyone. Maybe they have wronged us more than we have wronged them. Maybe we’re afraid they’ll get angry with us. Maybe we’re afraid they’ll put us in jail.

We get ready to make amends by listening and talking to others in our group—and to our sponsor. We pray for help to be willing to make amends.

Becoming willing does not just happen.

We have to work at it. We need to be willing to let go of the past.

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, help me become willing. Help me see my part. I know “my part” is the only part I can change.

Action for the Day:
I will take time to go over my list. To whom am I not ready to make amends? I will take time to read the Serenity Prayer.

Each Day a New Beginning

Though we be sick and tired and faint and worn–Lo, all things can be borne!
–Elizabeth Chase Akers

What bothered us most a year ago? A month ago? Even a week ago? It’s probably that whatever it was, we were obsessed with it, certain that our futures were ruined, that there was no reasonable solution. It’s also probable that we feared we simply couldn’t survive the complexity of the situation. But we did. And we always will be able to survive any and all difficulties. We are never, absolutely never, given more than we can handle. In fact, we are given exactly what we need, at any given time.

We have many lessons to learn. Fortunately, we have the structure of the Twelve Steps to guide us through the lessons. We need mainly to remember what we are powerless over, that there is a power greater than ourselves, and that life will become simple; we’ll need no extra homework when we’ve turned it over to the care of God.

Whatever my problem today, I will let God have it. A solution is in the making. I’ll see it just as quickly as I can let go of the problem.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

You take on your responsibilities today as a challenge with a sense of solidity, firmly grounded in yourself. Issues at work or at home normally have you tiptoeing around those you sense carry some deep frustration. But if you accept that you tend to take matters personally when it is not, it is easy to see things for what they are now. There’s no reason to allow other people’s dramas to drain your positive energy. A Polish proverb states, “Not your monkeys, not your circus.”

Daily Recovery Readings
August 1, 2018

Daily Reflection

LIVING IT

The spiritual life is not a theory. We have to live it.

— ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 83

When new in the program, I couldn’t comprehend living the spiritual aspect of the program, but now that I’m sober, I can’t comprehend living without it. Spirituality was what I had been seeking. God, as I understand Him, has given me answers to the whys that kept me drinking for twenty years. By living a spiritual life, by asking God for help, I have learned to love, care for and feel compassion for all my fellow men, and to feel joy in a world where, before, I felt only fear.

From the book Daily Reflections
Copyright © 1990 by Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.

Big Book Quote

“Thus was I convinced that God is concerned with us humans when we want Him enough. At long last I saw, I felt, I believed. Scales of pride and prejudice fell from my eyes. A new world came into view.”

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Bill’s Story, pg. 12~

Keep It Simple

Made a list of all persons we had harmed . . . —First half of Step Eight

By the time we get to Step Eight, we’re ready to work on our relationships.

We start by making a list of all persons we’ve harmed. We look at where we
have been at fault. We own our behavior.

Now we’re healing, and we must help others to heal too. Our list must be as complete as we can make it. As our recovery goes on we’ll remember others we have hurt. We add them to our list. By doing this, we heal even more.

Remember, this Step is for us. It is to help us stay sober.

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, help me make a complete list. Help me keep it open-ended. Allow me and those I’ve harmed to be healed.

Action for the Day:
Even if I’ve made a list before, I’ll make another one today. I will list
all those I have harmed.

Each Day a New Beginning

The secret of seeing is to sail on solar wind. Hone and spread your spirit, till you yourself are a sail, whetted, translucent, broadside to the merest puff. –Annie Dillard

Our progress today, and certainly our serenity, is enhanced by our willingness to accept all that we are blessed with today. Not only to accept, but to celebrate, trusting that these events are moving us toward our special destiny.

Flowing with the twists and turns in our lives, rather than resisting them, guarantees smooth sailing, helps us to maximize our opportunities, increases our serenity. Accepting our powerlessness over all but our own attitude is the first step we need to take toward finding serenity.

Resistance, whether it is against a person or a situation in our lives, will compound the problem, as we perceive it. We can believe in the advantages for growth that all experiences offer. We can sail with our experiences. We can be open to them so they can carry us to our destination. We can trust, simply trust, that all is well and in our favor, every moment.

My serenity is in my control today. I will look to this day with trust and thanksgiving. And my Spirit will soar.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

There’s no reason to be so hard on yourself if you feel that you recently failed to take full responsibility for your actions. Strengthening your self-discipline is an admirable goal but try not to expect everything to change overnight. Give yourself time to make amends, even though things seem to be pressing at the moment. Set achievable goals and let the inessentials go. Lightening your burden allows your creative imagination to manifest its own magic.

Daily Recovery Readings
July 31, 2018

Daily Reflection

A PRAYER FOR ALL SEASONS

God grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, Courage to change the things we can, And wisdom to know the difference.

— TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 125

The power of this prayer is overwhelming in that its simple beauty parallels the A.A. Fellowship. There are times when I get stuck while reciting it, but if I examine the section which is troubling me, I find the answer to my problem. The first time this happened I was scared, but now I use it as a valuable tool. By accepting life as it is, I gain serenity. By taking action, I gain courage and I thank God for the ability to distinguish between those situations I can work on, and those I must turn over. All that I have now is a gift from God: my life, my usefulness, my contentment, and this program. The serenity enables me to continue walking forward.

Alcoholics Anonymous is the easier, softer way.

From the book Daily Reflections
Copyright © 1990 by Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.

Big Book Quote

“Many doctors and psychiatrists agree with our conclusions. One of these men, staff member of a world-renowned hospital, recently made this statement to some of us: ‘What you say about the general hopelessness of the average alcoholic’s plight is, in my opinion, correct. As to two of you men, whose stories I have heard, there is no doubt in my mind that you were 100% hopeless, apart from divine help. Had you offered yourselves as patients at this hospital, I would not have taken you, if I had been able to avoid it. People like you are too heartbreaking. Though not a religious person, I have profound respect for the spiritual approach in such cases as yours. For most cases, there is virtually no other solution.'”

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, More About Alcoholism, pg. 43~

Keep It Simple

Less is more.     –Mies Vander Rohe

Our program is simple. It has four equal parts: sobriety, fellowship, service, and faith.

Sobriety means we don’t use alcohol or drugs any more.

Fellowship means we let people into our lives. We work at having a life that’s rich with friends.

Service means we help when we see the need. It means knowing we have much to offer.

Faith means we believe in a loving, caring Higher Power. It means using our Higher Power as a guide in life.

Ours is a simple, easy program. Just remember sobriety, fellowship, service and faith.

Prayer for the Day:
I pray that I may keep my program simple. I pray for sobriety, fellowship, service, and faith.

Action for the Day:
Throughout the day, I’ll remind myself that less is more.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

Look beyond physical appearances and tune into spirit identification. The truth is bodies which contain souls are but empty vessels filled with infinite light. Honor your feelings, but watch what you consume — media, food, or conversation — so you are not swept up by the madness of the day. Center yourself and calm your mind before interacting with others now. The greatest vow is to love one another and to spread kindness wherever you go.

Daily Recovery Readings
July 29, 2018

Daily Reflection

ANONYMOUS GIFTS OF KINDNESS

As active alcoholics we were always looking for a handout in one way or another.

— “THE TWELVE TRADITIONS ILLUSTRATED,” p. 14

The challenge of the Seventh Tradition is a personal challenge, reminding me to share and give of myself. Before sobriety the only thing I ever supported was my habit of drinking. Now my efforts are a smile, a kind word, and kindness.

I saw that I had to start carrying my own weight and to allow my new friends to walk with me because, through the practice of the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, I’ve never had it so good.

From the book Daily Reflections
Copyright © 1990 by Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.

Big Book Quote

“At the moment we are trying to put our lives in order. But this is not an end in itself.”

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 77~

Keep It Simple

They have rights who dare defend them. —Roger Baldwin

In recovery, we regain our right to have choices, our right to have honest relationships. Do we claim these rights, or do we let them go by?

Sometimes, standing up for our rights will mean going against the crowd. It will mean turning down that drink when everyone else has one. It will mean telling your honest opinion when it’s different from the others think. Being sober will mean, at times being different. Lots of times, we find being different hard. We want to fit in. This is normal.

But we don’t stand alone. We have friends who will stand with us during hard times. We have a Higher Power who will guide and comfort us. We are people with rights. Let’s work hard so nothing takes away our rights.

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, please help me keep and defend my dignity and human rights.

Action for the Day:
I’ll take time out to list the rights I’ve gotten back due to my recovery.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

Distinguish between your wants, needs, and desires. However, your coveted treasure might bring you misery after you actually receive it. Needs can help you thrive in life if they are a match to your core values. Desires relate to passion but you can also get caught up in emotions and unclear perceptions. Revisit your self-worth and reevaluate your skillset, so you can better assess your chances for success. Remain rational when choosing your goals, release attachment to outcomes, and return to the fundamentals. Nurturing your self-respect inspires others to see you in a deserving light.

Daily Recovery Readings
July 27, 2018

Daily Reflection

GIVING FREELY

We will make every personal sacrifice necessary to insure the unity of Alcoholics Anonymous. We will do this because we have learned to love God and one another.

A.A. COMES OF AGE, p. 234

To be self-supporting through my own contributions was never a strong characteristic during my days as a practicing alcoholic. The giving of time or money always demanded a price tag.

As a newcomer I was told “we have to give it away in order to keep it.” As I began to adopt the principals of Alcoholics Anonymous in my life, I soon found it was a privilege to give to the Fellowship as an expression of the gratitude felt in my heart. My love of God and of others became the motivating factor in my life, with no thought of return. I realize now that giving freely is God’s way of expressing Himself through me.

From the book Daily Reflections
Copyright © 1990 by Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.

Big Book Quote

“Our very lives, as ex-problem drinkers, depend upon our constant thought of others and how we may help meet their needs.”

Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, There Is A Solution, pg. 20

Keep It Simple

To enjoy freedom, we have to con troll ourselves.  ~Virginia Woolf

Freedom is a funny thing, in a way, it makes life harder. We are free to do what we want but every choice makes a difference in our lives. Some choices make us happy and some bring trouble.

We can make good choices. We can control our actions. We can start by having control in little ways: follow the law, pay the rent, and make the bed every day. These choices put order in our lives. Eat right, exercise, and get enough sleep. These choices make us strong enough to live each day to the fullest.

These kinds of choices set us free.

Prayer for the day:
Higher Power, I was drinking and drugging. I couldn’t enjoy my freedom. I had no control over the little things in my life. Help me stay sober today.

Action for the day:
Today, I’ll be grateful for having some control. I will list five way I am more free because I can control my actions.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

Dismantle the darkness by invoking the light. Light, in this case, is defined as awareness and understanding. This Lunar Eclipse occurs in your 8th House of Death and Rebirth, calling you to see your mortality with fresh eyes. Channel retrograde Mars to integrate your shadows by making peace with everything in your past. Reconcile with others so you can become your next best self and move forward freely. Release everything to spirit; your little willingness is all it takes.