Daily Recovery Readings
March 15, 2018

Daily Reflection

THE GOD IDEA

When we saw others solve their problems by a simple reliance upon the Spirit of the Universe, we had to stop doubting the power of God. Our ideas did not work. But the God idea did.

— ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 52

Like a blind man gradually being restored to sight, I slowly groped my way to the Third Step. Having realized that only a Power greater than myself could rescue me from the hopeless abyss I was in, I knew that this was a Power that I had to grasp, and that it would be my anchor in the midst of a sea of woes. Even though my faith at that time was minuscule, it was big enough to make me see that it was time for me to discard my reliance on my prideful ego and replace it with the steadying strength that could only come from a Power far greater than myself.

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

I never loved another person the way I loved myself.-–Mae West

This sums up how we used to live. We were in love with ourselves. We had to be on center stage.

Our self-will ran riot. Recovery pulls us out of that world. We learn to focus on others. We learn to reach out to them with love. This is the best way to love ourselves. This doesn’t mean that we live our lives through others. It means we invite others into our lives. It also means we ask to be invited into their lives. Recovery breaks down our self-will. It makes room for others in our lives.

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, I give You my self-will. I know You’ll do better with it than me.

Action for the Day:
I’ll list three ways my self-will has messed up my life. How am I doing at turning over these things to my Higher Power?

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

You have your heart set on making a dream come true, but the magic of manifestation can be elusive. Unfortunately, there’s no simple recipe to follow when every situation is vastly different. However, practicing some form of meditation is always helpful because it calms your mind and enables you to prioritize the steps you need to take on your way to success. Rather than talking about whatever pops into your head, bring only the most relevant issues into your conversations now. Mildred Barthel wrote, “Happiness is a conscious choice, not an automatic response.”

 

Daily Recovery Readings
March 14, 2018

Daily Reflection

THE KEYSTONE

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, p. 62

A keystone is the wedge-shaped piece at the highest part of an arch that locks the other pieces in place. The “other pieces” are Steps One, Two, and Four through Twelve. In one sense this sounds like Step Three is the most important Step, that the other eleven depend on the third for support. In reality however, Step Three is just one of twelve. It is the keystone, but without eleven other stones to build the base and arms, keystone or not, there will be no arch. Through daily working of all Twelve Steps, I find that triumphant arch waiting for me to pass through to another day of freedom.

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

Archie doesn’t know how to worry without getting upset. — Edith Bunker

Most us are like Edith’s television husband, Archie. When we worry, we get upset. Problems seem too big for us. We get afraid. We feel powerless. What does the program tell us to do when we feel powerless and our life is upset? We look at the problem honestly . Than we ask our Higher Power to help us with the problem. We take it One Day at a Time. We believe our Higher Power will take care of us and help. We’ll have problems. That’s life! But we can get through them with care and support. We don’t have to get crazy. We don’t have to make things worst. We can be kind to ourselves and live through problems just fine—with our Higher Powers help.

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, help me do what I can today about my problems. Help me stop worrying.

Action for the Day:
If I have problems today, I’ll do what I can—and leave the outcome to my Higher Power.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

You don’t have to take no for an answer from the cosmos today, especially if you know your efforts will benefit many people in the long run. But your altruistic intentions are only part of the big picture. It’s not going to be an easy route to get others to accept your ideas now. Nevertheless, you can’t give up because you’re on an important mission. Imagine you’re a river flowing downstream; you will surely encounter resistance, but ultimately a few obstructions won’t put an end to your journey. Nothing has the strength to prevent you from finding your way to the sea when you’re determined to fulfill your destiny.

Daily Recovery Readings
March 12, 2018

Daily Reflection

A WORLD OF THE SPIRIT

We have entered the world of the Spirit. Our next function is to grow in understanding and effectiveness. This is not an overnight matter. It should continue for our lifetime.

— ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 84

The word “entered” . . . and the phrase “entered into the world of the Spirit” are very significant. They imply action, a beginning, getting into, a prerequisite to maintaining my spiritual growth, the “Spirit” being the immaterial part of me. Barriers to my spiritual growth are self-centeredness and a materialistic focus on worldly things. Spirituality means devotion to spiritual instead of worldly things, it means obedience to God’s will for me. I understand spiritual things to be: unconditional love, joy, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, self-control and humility. Any time I allow selfishness, dishonesty, resentment and fear to be a part of me, I block out spiritual things. As I maintain my sobriety, growing spiritually becomes a lifelong process. My goal is spiritual growth, accepting that I’ll never have spiritual perfection.

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

God loves the world through us—Mother Teresa

In Step Three, we turn our will and our lives over to the care of God. How do we feel God’s care, God’s love? We feel God’s care and love through how people treat us. Our Higher Power works through people who love us back to life. With time, we begin returning this care and love to others. We feel this warm love flow right through us and out to others. We’re kind without trying to be. We smile at others for no reason. We comfort those who hurt just by holding them.

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, use me to make Your love real to someone today.

Action for the Day:
Fear sometimes keeps me from loving. I’ll list three things I’m afraid will happen if I’m “to loving.” I’ll share these fears with my sponsor.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

You could be overreacting to the current situation, even if someone is telling you no. Experiencing rejection is never fun, whether it is personal or professional. But instead of retreating behind a wall of emotional protection, begin a dialogue about your worries. You don’t need to start the conversation with a discussion of your fear of abandonment. Instead, stick to the issues and explore what can be done to bridge the gulf without severing all ties. There is a valuable gem at the edge of your awareness waiting to be found.

Daily Recovery Readings
March 12, 2018

Daily Reflection

A DAY’S PLAN

On awakening let us think about the twenty-four hours ahead. We consider our plans for the day. Before we begin, we ask God to direct our thinking, especially asking that it be divorced from self-pity, dishonest or self-seeking motives.

— ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 86

Every day I ask God to kindle within me the fire of His love, so that love, burning bright and clear, will illuminate my thinking and permit me to better do His will. Throughout the day, as I allow outside circumstances to dampen my spirits, I ask God to sear my consciousness with the awareness that I can start my day over any time I choose; a hundred times, if necessary.

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

Big Book Quote

“We know what you are thinking. You are saying to yourself: “I’m jittery and alone. I couldn’t do that.” But you can. You forget that you have just now tapped a source of power much greater than yourself. To duplicate, with such backing, what we have accomplished is only a matter of willingness, patience and labor.”

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, A Vision For You, pg. 163~

Keep It Simple

The Twelve Step program is spiritual, based on action coming from love . . . Martha Cleveland

To be spiritual means to be an active person. It means spending time with others. It means sharing love. It means looking for ways to be more loving to others. It means looking for ways to make the world a better place. Step Three helps us to look at the world better. We turn our lives over to the care of our Higher Power. So Lets allow care to direct our lives. Let’s always be asking ourselves, “Is what I’m doing something that shows care?”

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, let me be active in a loving, caring way. Let the love in my heart be my guide.

Action for the Day:
Today, I’ll do something good for someone and keep it a secret.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

Relationship troubles may erupt today, especially if you feel as if someone is trying to control your every move. But you’re willing to stand up for your independence and do whatever it takes now to break free of the stifling emotional dynamics. Once you decide to follow your own star, there’s not much anyone can do to keep you down. However, if you find yourself at risk of slipping back into your old pattern, you can put an end to the conflict by simply pulling your energy in. Retreating is not an act of defeat, but a way to remain in charge of your own destiny.

Daily Recovery Readings
March 8, 2018

Daily Reflection

TURNING IT OVER

Every man and woman who has joined A.A. and intends to stick has, without realizing it, made a beginning on Step Three. Isn’t it true that in all matters touching upon alcohol, each of them has decided to turn his or her life over to the care, protection, and guidance of Alcoholics Anonymous? . . . Any willing newcomer feels sure A.A. is the only safe harbor for the foundering vessel he has become. Now if this is not turning one’s will and life over to a newfound Providence, then what is it?

— TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 35

Submission to God was the first step to my recovery. I believe our Fellowship seeks a spirituality open to a new kinship with God. As I exert myself to follow the path of the Steps, I sense a freedom that gives me the ability to think for myself. My addiction confined me without any release and hindered my ability to be released from my self-confinement, but A.A. assures me of a way to go forward. Mutual sharing, concern and caring for others is our natural gift to each other and mine is strengthened as my attitude toward God changes. I learn to submit to God’s will in my life, to have self-respect, and to keep both of these attitudes by giving away what I receive.

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

Big Book Quote

“God has abundantly supplied this world with fine doctors,  psychologists, and practitioners of various kinds. Do not hesitate to take your health problems to such persons. Most of them give freely of themselves, that their fellows may enjoy sound minds and bodies.”

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, The Family Afterward, pg. 133~

Keep It Simple

We lose the fear of making decisions, great and small, as we realize that should our choice prove wrong we can, if we will, learn from experience.—Bill W.

As our disease grew, we often felt like any decision we made was wrong. We felt like wrong people. We lost self-respect, because deep inside we knew that, for us alcohol and other drugs was wrong. We went against our spirit. Now we go with our spirit. We follow what we think our Higher Power want for us. Now we learn from our mistakes. Another wonderful gift has been given back to us: the gift of learning. From that gift, we stop playing God. How free it feels!

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, You have taken away my illness and replaced it with many wonderful gifts. I thank You for everything, even my mistakes.

Action for the Day:
Today, I’ll share with a friend my mistakes of the past week.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

Your coworkers are expecting a lot from you now and you’re eager to promise them anything they want. However, you might be overly optimistic in your analysis of the amount of work you’re capable of finishing today. Your current self-confidence prompts you to believe accomplishing miracles is possible. Perhaps you can make magic happen, but it will take longer than you think. Leo Tolstoy wrote, “The two most powerful warriors are patience and time.”

Daily Recovery Readings
March 7, 2018

Daily Reflection

THE KEY IS WILLINGNESS

Once we have placed the key of willingness in the lock and have the door ever so slightly open, we find that we can always open it some more.

— TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 35

The willingness to give up my pride and self-will to a Power greater than myself has proved to be the only ingredient absolutely necessary to solve all of my problems today. Even the smallest amount of willingness, if sincere, is sufficient to allow God to enter and take control over any problem, pain, or obsession. My level of comfort is in direct relation to the degree of willingness I possess at any given moment to give up my self-will, and allow God’s will to be manifested in my life. With the key of willingness, my worries and fears are powerfully transformed into serenity.

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

Big Book Quote

“An alcoholic in his cups is an unlovely creature.”

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Bill’s Story, pg. 16~

Keep It Simple

To make the world a friendly place One must show it a friendly face.—James Whitcomb Riley

We are beginning to learn that we get what we expect. Why? If we believe that people are out to get us, we’ll not treat them well. We will think it’s okay to “get them” before they “get us.” Then, they’ll be angry and want to get even. And on it goes. It’s great when we can meet the world with a balance. We are honest people. We can expect others to be fair with us. We get the faith, strength, and courage to do this because of our trust in our Higher Power.

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, I put my life in Your care. Use me to spread Your love to others.

Action for the Day:
Today, I’ll spread friendliness. I will greet people with a smile.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

Although your feelings are running deep out of sight as they often do, you’re considering your options to make them known. Unfortunately, expressing your needs could create discord at work, but you’re willing to do it anyhow because you believe the outcome will be worth it. Your current confidence gives you a boost today, but there still may be a few details to iron out. There’s no need to hurry; your timing is perfect.

Daily Recovery Readings
March 6, 2018

Daily Reflection

THE IDEA OF FAITH

Do not let any prejudice you may have against spiritual terms deter you from honestly asking yourself what they mean to you.

— ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 47

The idea of faith is a very large chunk to swallow when fear, doubt and anger abound in and around me. Sometimes just the idea of doing something different, something I am not accustomed to doing, can eventually become an act of faith if I do it regularly, and do it without debating whether it’s the right thing to do. When a bad day comes along and everything is going wrong, a meeting or a talk with another drunk often distracts me just enough to persuade me that everything is not quite as impossible, as overwhelming as I had thought. In the same way, going to a meeting or talking to a fellow alcoholic are acts of faith; I believe I’m arresting my disease. These are ways I slowly move toward faith in a Higher Power.

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

Big Book Quote

“It may seem incredible that these men are to become happy, respected, and useful once more. How can they rise out of such misery, bad repute and hopelessness? The practical answer is that since these things have happened among us, they can happen with you. Should you wish them above all else, and be willing to make use of our experience, we are sure they will come.”

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, A Vision For You, pg. 153~

Keep It Simple

I am not afraid of tomorrow, for I have seen yesterday and I love today.-–William Allen White

Big changes are happening to us, but we can trust that changes will bring good things. After all, what have we got to lose? We have lived through the days and years of our addiction. Now, with the help of our Higher Power, the pain of those days has ended. We have no reason to worry.

Yet, recovery won’t make our lives perfect. Hard things still happened. But we never have to lose hope again. We never have to feel alone with our problems. What will come next? We don’t know the details, but we can be sure the future will be good if we stay on our path of recovery.

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, I know life holds many new things for me. Help me and protect me as I live in Your care today.

Action for the Day:
Today, I’ll trust that each day of my life will bring me good. I will share this idea with one friend.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

You might feel the need to take a vacation from all your recent internal processing. You are quite familiar with your own emotional idiosyncrasies, but sometimes they can be exhausting anyhow. Happily, there is a bright light at the end of the tunnel. You may not be there yet, but resolution seems inevitable; you only have to keep putting one foot ahead of the other. Resist the urge to retreat out of fear. Abraham Lincoln said, “The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time.”

Daily Recovery Readings
March 5, 2018

<b><u>Daily Reflection</u></b>

A LIFELONG TASK

“But just how, in these circumstances, does a fellow ‘take it easy?’ That’s what I want to know.”

— TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 26

I was never known for my patience. How many times have I asked, “Why should I wait, when I can have it all right now?” Indeed, when I was first presented the Twelve Steps, I was like the proverbial “kid in a candy store.” I couldn’t wait to get to Step Twelve; it was surely just a few months’ work, or so I thought! I realize now that living the Twelve Steps of A.A. is a lifelong undertaking.

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

<b><u>Big Book Quote</u></b>

“How dark it is before the dawn! In reality that was the beginning of my last debauch. I was soon to be catapulted into what I like to call the fourth dimension of existence. I was to know happiness, peace, and usefulness, in a way of life that is incredibly more wonderful as time passes.”

Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Bill’s Story, pg. 8

<b><u>Keep It Simple</u></b>

I am not afraid of tomorrow, for I have seen yesterday and I love today.
—William Allen White

Big changes are happening to us, but we can trust that changes will bring good things. After all, what have we got to lose? We have lived through the days and years of our addiction. Now, with the help of our Higher Power, the pain of those days has ended. We have no reason to worry.

Yet, recovery won’t make our lives perfect. Hard things still happened. But we never have to lose hope again. We never have to feel alone with our problems. What will come next? We don’t know the details, but we can be sure the future will be good if we stay on our path of recovery.

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, I know life holds many new things for me. Help me and protect me as I live in Your care today.

Action for the Day:
Today, I’ll trust that each day of my life will bring me good. I will share this idea with one friend.

<b><u>Daily Horoscope – Cancer</u></b>

There is no question about your motives today. You know what you want and have a plan to get it. However, others may find you so opaque they haven’t a clue as to what you’re doing or why you’re doing it. Although you prefer support from the beginning, it might make more sense now to just go ahead on your own and bring everyone else up to speed in a day or two. Becoming entangled in explanatory conversations will only sap your limited energy away from what needs to be done first. There’s time for everything if you proceed with tasks in the proper order.