Daily Recovery Readings
November 6, 2018

Daily Reflection

GOING WITH THE FLOW

Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him. . . .

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 96

The first words I speak when arising in the morning are, “I arise, O God, to do Thy will.” This is the shortest prayer I know and it is deeply ingrained in me. Prayer doesn’t change God’s attitude toward me; it changes my attitude toward God. As distinguished from prayer, meditation is a quiet time, without words. To be centered is to be physically relaxed, emotionally calm, mentally focused and spiritually aware.

One way to keep the channel open and to improve my conscious contact with God is to maintain a grateful attitude. On the days when I am grateful, good things seem to happen in my life. The instant I start cursing things in my life, however, the flow of good stops. God did not interrupt the flow; my own negativity did.

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

Big Book Quote

“Many of us felt that we had plenty of character. There was a tremendous urge to cease forever. Yet we found it impossible. This is the baffling feature of alcoholism as we know it— this utter inability to leave it alone, no matter how great the necessity or the wish.”

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, More About Alcoholism, pg. 34~

Keep It Simple

That suit is best that best suits me.—John Clark

How mush time do we spend trying to “fit in”? Many of us used to care to much what other people thought about us—our clothes, our ideas, our work. Did we drink the right brand, drive the right car, listen to the right music?

In our program, we still have to watch out for fads and peer pressure. We have to ask ourselves if we’re really in touch with our Higher Power. Are we searching for a sponsor who has inner peace and direction? Or do we look for people who are like our old using friends? As we learn to find our own way of following our Higher Power, we need to be okay with being different.

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, help me be the best me I can be today.

Action for the Day:
Today, I’ll work to be me—honestly me—to everyone I meet.

Each Day A New Beginning

Of course fortune has its part in human affairs, but conduct is really much more important. –Jeanne Detourbey

Behaving the way we honestly and sincerely believe God wants us to behave eliminates our confusion. When we contribute in a loving manner to the circumstances involving us, we carry God’s message; and that’s all that’s expected of us in this life.

This recovery program has involved us in the affairs of many other people. We are needed to listen, to guide, to sponsor, to suggest. Each time we have an opportunity to make an impact on another person, it’s to our benefit, and hers too, to let God direct our conduct.

Too often God’s message is missed due to our selfish concerns, but it’s never too late to begin listening for it. God is forever at hand, awaiting our recognition. We can be mindful that the ease of our lives is directly proportional to the recognition we offer.

Right conduct is never a mystery to us. We may not always choose to do it, but we never fail to know what should be done.

I will trust my conscience to be my guide every moment.

Today’s Gift – Hazelden

Imagination has always had powers of resurrection that no science can match.
–Ingrid Bengis

In the imagination are transmitted messages, from God to us. Inspiration is born there. So are dreams. Both give rise to the goals that urge us forward, that invite us to honor this life we’ve been given with a contribution, one like no other contribution.

Our imagination offers us ideas to ponder, ideas specific to our development. It encourages us to take steps unique to our time, our place, and our intended gifts to the world. We can be alert to this special “inner voice” and let it guide our decisions; we can trust its urgings. It’s charged with serving us, but only we can decide to “listen.”

The imagination gives us another tool: belief in ourselves. And the magic of believing offers us strength and capabilities even beyond our fondest hopes. It prepares us for the effort we need to make and for handling whatever outcome God has intended.

My imagination will serve me today. It will offer me the ideas and the courage I need to go forth.

Elder’s Meditation

“It is well to be good to women in the strength of our manhood because we must sit under their hands at both ends of our lives.”
–He Dog, OGLALA LAKOTA

The women bring us into this life and nurture us as we grow up. When we reach our manhood, she supports us and sings the songs to help the family grow. The Elders say we must look at the woman in a sacred way. We must realize how special her powers are in brining forth life. The woman will bring balance to a man. The woman will help him see. It is said, behind every successful man is a supporting woman. Maybe we should examine how we are thinking about women. The Great Spirit says we should honor them. Are we respecting and honoring our women today?

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

Sometimes the key to getting someone to see things your way is not to push too hard. All you need to do is make your feelings clear and give another person enough space to draw his or her own conclusions. You’re certainly long on the passion today. Harness that zeal for the greater good and try not to become wrapped up in your own emotional triggers. Be careful that you don’t come off as overly judgmental now. Thankfully, the justice-loving Libra Moon inspires you to restore order to anything you believe is out of whack. James Dean said, “Only the gentle are ever really strong.”

Daily Recovery Readings
November 5, 2018

Daily Reflection

“THE QUALITY OF FAITH”

This . . . has to do with the quality of faith. . . . In no deep or meaningful sense had we ever taken stock of ourselves. . . . We had not even prayed rightly. We had always said, “Grant me my wishes” instead of “Thy will be done.”

— TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 32

God does not grant me material possessions, take away my suffering, or spare me from disasters, but He does give me a good life, the ability to cope, and peace of mind. My prayers are simple: first, they express my gratitude for the good things in my life, regardless of how hard I have to search for them; and second, I ask only for the strength and the wisdom to do His will. He answers with solutions to my problems, sustaining my ability to live through daily frustrations with a serenity I did not believe existed, and with the strength to practice the principles of A.A. in all of my everyday affairs.

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

Big Book Quote

“The less people tolerated us, the more we withdrew from society, from life itself. As we became subjects of King Alcohol, shivering denizens of his mad realm, the chilling vapor that is loneliness settled down. It thickened, ever becoming blacker. Some of us sought out sordid places, hoping to find understanding companionship and approval. Momentarily we did—then would come oblivion and the awful awakening to face the hideous Four Horsemen—Terror, Bewilderment, Frustration, Despair.”

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, A Vision For You, pg. 151~

Keep It Simple

Acceptance and faith are capable of producing 100% sobriety. –Grapevine.

Acceptance and faith are the most important parts of our recovery. If we boil down Steps One

And Two, we’ll find acceptance and faith. Acceptance means we see the world as it is, not as we want it to be. We start to see ourselves as humans, not as gods. We are good, and we are bad. We need to fit in the world, not run it.

Acceptance also guides us toward faith. Faith is believing. We start to believe that someone or something will take care of us. Faith is about giving up control of outcomes. We learn to say to our Higher Power, “Thy will be done.”

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power help me accept my illness. Give me the faith to know that You and I, together, will keep me sober.

Action for the Day:
Throughout the day, I’ll think of the 11th step. I’ll pray to my Higher Power, “Thy Will be done, not mine.” Amen.

Each Day A New Beginning

The future is made of the same stuff as the present. –Simone Weil

The only lessons that matter for our lives at this time will come to us today. Just as what we needed and were ready for yesterday came yesterday, tomorrow insures more of the same. Concerning ourselves with any other moment but the present prevents us from responding when “the teacher appears.”

In years gone by, we perhaps hung onto yesterday’s problems. We may still struggle to hang onto them. Or perhaps we try to see too far ahead. But we are learning that there is a right time for all growth. A right time for all experiences. And the right time may not fit our timetable. What doesn’t come our way today, will come when the time is right. Each day we are granted just what is needed. We need not worry about the future. It will offer us whatever rightly comes next, but it can’t do so until we have experienced these 24 hours before us.

There is wonder and joy awaiting me, each day. The growth I experience is just what is needed at this time. I am a student, and the teacher will appear.

Today’s Gift – Hazelden

Letting go is a decision.

The obsession to pressure other people to see things our way keeps us agitated. In contrast, the wisdom to understand that every person’s view has validity, at least for that person, is a gift we receive from working the Twelve Steps. Our daily assignment, then, is to be patient and listen so that we may learn this lesson from women and men who have walked this path already, women and men who have come to understand that letting go of others and their addictions promises relief from the obsession that troubles each of us.

Look around. All of us have tried to force solutions that didn’t fit. And we drove ourselves crazy trying to control the behavior of others, certain that “doing it our way” was not only reasonable, but right. Our past sometimes may appear to be a series of failures. But our present experience can be peaceful, hopeful, and successful. It’s our decision to let go. A small decision that we can make many times today, every day.

“Let go” are tiny words with huge rewards. If I want to, I can give up my attempts to control someone today. Peace will be my reward.

Elder’s Meditation

“You could study the ancestors, but without a deep feeling of communication with them it would be surface learning and surface talking. Once you have gone into yourself and have learned very deeply, appreciate it, and relate to it very well, everything will come very easily.”

–Ellen White, NANAIMO

Inside of every human being are our ancestors, and these ancestors still live. Today, the white man calls this DNA, but there is more than DNA. We have the ability to go inside of ourselves and learn from the ancestors. The ancestor teachings reside in the place of the center. The ancestors are waiting for us to come there so they can share the ancient teachings. It is said, “Be still and know”.

Great Spirit, let me walk in the stillness.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

Sometimes the key to getting someone to see things your way is not to push too hard. All you need to do is make your feelings clear and give another person enough space to draw his or her own conclusions. You’re certainly long on the passion today. Harness that zeal for the greater good and try not to become wrapped up in your own emotional triggers. Be careful that you don’t come off as overly judgmental now. Thankfully, the justice-loving Libra Moon inspires you to restore order to anything you believe is out of whack. James Dean said, “Only the gentle are ever really strong.”

Daily Recovery Readings
November 4, 2018

Daily Reflection

A DAILY DISCIPLINE

, . . when they [self-examination, meditation and prayer] are logically related and interwoven, the result is an unshakable foundation for life.

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 98

The last three Steps of the program invoke God’s loving discipline upon my willful nature. If I devote just a few moments every night to a review of the highlights of my day, along with an acknowledgment of those aspects that didn’t please me so much, I gain a personal history of myself, one that is essential to my growth, or lack of it, and to ask in prayerful meditation to be relieved of those continuing shortcomings that cause me pain. Meditation and prayer also teach me the art of focusing and listening. I find that the turmoil of the day gets tuned out as I pray for His will and guidance. The practice of asking Him to help me in my strivings for perfection puts a new slant on the tedium of any day, because I know there is honor in any job done well. The daily discipline of prayer and meditation will keep me in fit spiritual condition, able to face whatever the day brings – without the thought of a
drink.

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

Big Book Quote

“Faith without works was dead, he said. And how appallingly true for the alcoholic! For if an alcoholic failed to perfect and enlarge his spiritual life through work and self-sacrifice for others, he could not survive the certain trials and low spots ahead. If he did not work, he would surely drink again, and if he drank, he would surely die. Then faith would be dead indeed. With us it is just like that.”

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Bill’s Story, pg. 14~

Keep It Simple

Each day comes bearing its gifts. Untie the ribbons. ~Ruth Ann Schabacker

How full life can be! We can untie the ribbons on this gift by keeping our spirits open.

Open to life. Open to how much our Higher Power love us.

Who knows what the gifts the day may bring? Maybe it brings a solution to a problem.

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, remind me to pray to You often. Remind me to stop and listen to You. Remind me that You love me very much.

Action for the Day:
At the end of the day, I’ll take time to list the gifts I’ve been given today. This will be first on my list: I am sober.

Each Day A New Beginning

Beginnings are apt to be shadowy. –Rachel Carson

When we embark on a new career, open an unfamiliar door, begin a loving relationship, we can seldom see nor can we even anticipate where the experience may take us. At best we can see only what this day brings. We can trust with certainty that we will be safely led through the “shadows.”

To make gains in this life we must venture forth to new places, contact new people, chance new experiences. Even though we may be fearful of the new, we must go forward. It’s comforting to remember that we never take any step alone. It is our destiny to experience many new beginnings. And a dimension of the growth process is to develop trust that each of these experiences will in time comfort us and offer us the knowledge our inner self awaits. Without the new beginnings we are unable to fulfill the purpose for which we’ve been created.

No new beginning is more than we can handle. Every new beginning is needed by our developing selves, and we are ready for whatever comes.

I will look to my new beginnings gladly. They are special to the growth I am now ready for.

Today’s Gift – Hazelden

When we are feeling unloved and depressed and empty inside, finding someone to give us love is not really the solution.  –Gerald G. Jampolsky, M.D.

Each of us wants to be significant to someone else. And we are – we’re significant to all the lives we’re touching at this very moment.

The emptiness we sometimes feel is a good reminder that the women and men in our lives need our attention. Too much self-focus fosters our feelings of loneliness, and then with desperation we look to others to fill us up. The paradox is that we heal ourselves while offering our attention to another who is, by design, on our path.

It is not by chance our lives are intertwined. Loving someone today will heal two wounds, ours and theirs.

Elder’s Meditation

Not received today 😦

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

Your bleak assessment of thorny issues with family or with someone dear to you might be gloomier than the truth now. You may be emotionally unsettled while the sweet Libra Moon squares stern Saturn in your 7th House of Partners. Perhaps you’re so anxious about pleasing another or avoiding conflict altogether that you’re not acting to address your concerns. Talk sensitively and respectfully about what’s on your mind. Tact and diplomacy are the tools of your trade.

Daily Recovery Readings
November 3, 2018

Daily Reflection

FOCUSING AND LISTENING

There is a direct linkage among self-examination, meditation, and prayer. Taken separately, these practices can bring much relief and benefit.

— TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 98

If I do my self-examination first, then surely, I’ll have enough humility to pray and meditate—because I’ll see and feel my need for them. Some wish to begin and end with prayer, leaving the self-examination and meditation to take place in between, whereas others start with meditation, listening for advice from God about their still hidden or unacknowledged defects. Still others engage in written and verbal work on their defects, ending with a prayer of praise and thanksgiving. These three—self-examination, meditation and prayer—form a circle, without a beginning or an end. No matter where, or how, I start, I eventually arrive at my destination: a better life.

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

Big Book Quote

“Everybody knows that those in bad health, and those who seldom play, do not laugh much. So let each family play together or separately as much as their circumstances warrant. We are sure God wants us to be happy, joyous, and free.”

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, The Family Afterward, pg. 132~

Keep It Simple

Words are the voice of the heart.  —Confucius

What does my heart have to say today? Am I happy ? Or I’m I troubled? We will find this out if we slow down and listen to our words. We can also hear our spirit in the tone of our words.

We are to meditate. Meditation is about slowing down so we can hear what our spirit is trying to tell us. Meditation is listening. Our spirit is but a quiet whisper inside us. To hear we must quiet ourselves.

Slowing down allows us to find our center. As we find our center we find our spirit and our
Higher Power. Do I take the time needed to slow myself down? Do I take the time ot listen—to listen to my heart?

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, teach me to slow down. Teach me to hear Your whisper as well as Your yells.

Action for the Day:
Today, I will take a half hour to slow down and listen. I will find a place to relax and listen to my heart and my words.

Each Day A New Beginning

It is the calm after the storm. I feel a rainbow where there once were clouds, and while my Spirit dances in gratitude, my mind speculates on the next disaster. Duality.
–Mary Casey

Our growth as women is contingent on our ability to flow with the dualities, the contradictions inherent in one’s lifetime, not only to flow with them but to capitalize on them.

We are not offered a painless existence, but we are offered opportunities for gathering perspective from the painful moments. And our perspectives are cushioned by the principles of the program. The rough edges of life, the storms that whip our very being, are gifts in disguise. We see life anew, when the storm has subsided.

We can enjoy the calm, if that surrounds us today. We deserve the resting periods. They give us a chance to contemplate and make fully our own that which the recent storm brought so forcefully to our attention. We are powerless over the storm’s onslaught. But we can gain from it and be assured that the storm gives all the meaning there is in the calm.
I will be glad today for the clouds or the rainbows. Both are meant for my good. And without both, neither has meaning.

Today’s Gift – Hazelden

Recovery is civil war, but it is a war that can be won.
–Sister Imelda

How often do we hear people say, “Sure, I know it’s the right thing to do – but it’s easier said than done!” But “it,” whatever “it” is for each of us, is actually easier done than not done. As hard as it is to turn our will and our behavior toward recovery, failing to recover is much harder. Ultimately, any price we pay for recovery is far less than the cost of giving up everything we’ve gained.

Some of us have a very difficult time making phone calls. Others are scared to death of speaking at meetings, talking to strangers, or admitting that we have feelings. But the alternative has simply been too painful. Whatever we have to do is worth it. The payoff is immense. How many of us, when we did attend that meeting that frightened us, felt an enormous surge of self-confidence and happiness? How often, when we have stood our ground and found it did not kill us, have we felt that we could lick the world? The payoff is that we learn to like ourselves more, and that is as good as it gets.

I will make sure today that I am not forgetting the benefits of recovery and only considering the price of recovery.

Elder’s Meditation

“A sundance woman is like the morning star, filled with spiritual beauty, wisdom and knowledge. Men and women are the most powerful of the polarities. We walk beside men as equal partners. It takes men and women who have respect and love for one another to live within the embrace of Father Sky and Mother Earth.”

–Dr. Henrietta Mann, SOUTHERN CHEYENNE

Our ceremonies bring out the best in us. It’s in the ceremony that we find the place of honor and respect for each other. The place where the men honor the women and the women honor the men. We dance for each other. The ceremony helps us remember our responsibility toward each other. Men and women need to be strong, to love one another and be faithful. Only by doing this can we give our children knowledge of good relationships.

Great Spirit, today I will notice the power of the women; today I will notice the power of the men.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

Moodiness might prompt you to react too fast to a perceived slight. The touchy Moon opposes delicate Neptune, signaling that you’re more emotionally raw than usual. It’s better to use your innate sensitivity to tap into reliable sources of inspiration such as music, art, or spirituality. Cultivating inner tranquility enables you to gain a healthy perspective. Ringo Starr said, “At the end of the day, I can end up just totally wacky, because I’ve made mountains out of molehills. With meditation, I can keep them as molehills.”

Daily Recovery Readings
November 2, 2018

Daily Reflection

KEEPING OPTIMISM AFLOAT

The other Steps can keep most of us sober and somehow functioning. But Step Eleven can keep us growing, . . .

— THE LANGUAGE OF THE HEART, p. 240

A sober alcoholic finds it much easier to be optimistic about life. Optimism is the natural result of my finding myself gradually able to make the best, rather than the worst, of each situation. As my physical sobriety continues, I come out of the fog, gain a clearer perspective and am better able to determine what courses of action to take. As vital as physical sobriety is, I can achieve a greater potential for myself by developing an ever-increasing willingness to avail myself of the guidance and direction of a Higher Power. My ability to do so comes from my learning—and practicing—the principles of the A.A. program. The melding of my physical and spiritual sobriety produces the substance of a more positive life.

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

Big Book Quote

“We found that as soon as we were able to lay aside prejudice and express even a willingness to believe in a Power greater than ourselves, we commenced to get results, even though it was impossible for any of us to fully define or comprehend that Power, which is God.”

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, We Agnostics, pg. 46~

Keep It Simple

“. . .praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.”
–Second half of Step Eleven

Step Eleven teaches us how to pray. We pray for God’s will to replace ours. Our will got us in trouble. God’s will guides us to simple serenity. We pray for power to live a spiritual life. This is important, for it takes much strength and courage to live a spiritual life.

The sober path is not always easy. It takes self-discipline. We have to say no to our self-will. We follow God’s will for us. The rewards are great. We get sobriety. We get serenity. We get friendship. We regain our family. We get a deep, loving relationship with a Higher Power who wants peace and joy for us and for the world.

Prayer for the Day:
Dear Higher Power, I pray the words of Step Eleven. I pray to know Your will for me. And I pray that I have the power to carry out Your will.

Action for the Day:
I will examine my life. I will look to see how my will gets in the way of God’s will.

A New Beginning

Love and the hope of it are not things one can learn; they are a part of life’s heritage.
–Maria Montessori

Love is a gift we’ve been given by our Creator. The fact of our existence guarantees that we deserve it. As our recognition of this grows, so does our self-love and our ability to love others.

High self-esteem, stable self-worth were not our legacies before finding this program. We sought both through means which led nowhere. These Steps and our present relationships are providing the substance and direction needed in our lives to discover our worthiness.

Had we understood that we were loved, in all the years of our youth, perhaps we’d not have struggled so in the pain of alienation. We were always at the right hand of God, never apart, loved and watched over. But we didn’t recognize the signs. The signs are everywhere present now. Each Step is a constant reminder. Every human contact is a message from God. Any desire we are eager to make manifest is a beckoning from God for growth.

I will look for the signs of my benefactor today. They’re present everywhere.

Today’s Gift – Hazelden

Love-ability

A friend of mine recently told me how he met his wife. He had watched her walk by his store every day for a year with her young son. She also happened to be a friend of his neighbor.

“Fix me up,” he suggested to his neighbor. “We’ll go on a double date. I really want to meet her.” Unfortunately, the neighbor never got around to setting up that first date.

Finally my friend devised a plan. Every day when she walked by the store, they said hello to each other, but she never stopped to chat. This day, he was ready. He had his store keys in hand. “Would it be all right if I walked with you for a while?” he asked when she walked by.

“Don’t you have to mind your store?”

“I’ll lock it up,” he said.

“You don’t have to do that,” she said. “We can sit here and chat.”

That Friday, they had their first date. She was nervous.

The next weekend, they went out again. She was still nervous. He turned to her, “You can relax,” he said. “I’m not going to try anything inappropriate. I just want to enjoy your company.” As time passed, she did relax, and they continued to become friends. Three years later, they were married in a small ceremony. “I didn’t want to overwhelm her son,” my friend recalled.

He wrote his wedding vows. He promised to love her and care for her all of his life. He promised to love her son and protect him, as if he were his own. She lit up his life, he said, and he was grateful for her promise of companionship for the rest of their lives.

My friend is a lucky man, but not just because he found someone he truly loves. He is lucky because he is able to recognize the gift of his wife’s love. Most of us have the ability to see when we have been harmed, hurt, or slighted, when we’re not loved or treated the way we’d like to be. But we can learn to see those acts big and small when someone shows us love. They are the greatest gifts of all.

Call it believing we deserve love, lovability, or love-ability, the value is opening our eyes and hearts so we can see and receive love from others, friends, family, romantic involvements, and God.

Elder’s Meditation

“Praying is what has brought us old people through life. We’ve all gone through hard times. We’ve all done our share of bad things. But through our prayers and faith in the Creator we get together again and we try hard to live right.”
–Paula Weasel Head, BLOOD

As we go through life we find ourselves on track one day and off track the next day. We gain consistency through prayer. Prayer is our connection to the Great Spirit. Prayer is our channel for knowledge and wisdom. Prayer is how we keep our sanity. The Elders say we should walk in prayer.

Great Spirit, teach me to walk in prayer. Help keep my faith strong.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

There may be a distinct disconnect between what you’re being told and what you actually hear today. Although you can’t be sure you’re entirely right, don’t be too quick to dismiss your intuition. It’s easy to lapse into awkward miscommunication and leave feelings unexpressed with trickster Mercury in the picture now. The sharp Virgo Moon pushes you to ask for clarity, giving you the chance to discover the missing pieces. Playing the role of an intrepid detective serves you well.

Daily Recovery Readings
October November 1, 2018

Daily Reflection

I CANNOT CHANGE THE WIND

It is easy to let up on the spiritual program of action and rest on our laurels. We are headed for trouble if we do, for alcohol is a subtle foe.

— ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 85

My first sponsor told me there were two things to say about prayer and meditation: first, I had to start and second, I had to continue. When I came to A.A. my spiritual life was bankrupt; if I considered God at all, He was to be called upon only when my self-will was incapable of a task or when overwhelming fears had eroded my ego.

Today I am grateful for a new life, one in which my prayers are those of thanksgiving. My prayer time is more for listening than for talking. I know today that if I cannot change the wind, I can adjust my sail. I know the difference between superstition and spirituality. I know there is a graceful way of being right, and many ways to be wrong.

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

Big Book Quote

“Some drinkers have excuses with which they are satisfied part of the time. But in their hearts they really do not know why they do it. Once this malady has a real hold, they are a baffled lot. There is the obsession that somehow, someday, they will beat the game. But they often suspect they are down for the count.”

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, There Is A Solution, pg. 23~

A New Beginning

For to be a woman is to have interests and duties, raying out in all directions from the central mother-core, like spokes from the hub of a wheel.
–Anne Morrow Lindbergh

It is sometimes easy to get overwhelmed by our duties, forgetting that our interests fit the scheme of our lives. They are inspired by our lives and flow from them. Our interests round us out; they beckon us to become our better selves.

Our duties have their places as well. In our careers, with our families and friends, we have responsibilities. People need to be able to count on us for our part in completing their particular scheme for life.

Finding the right balance between our duties and our interests takes daily attention. It is perhaps our greatest struggle. Feeling duty-bound is common among women; putting a low value on our interests is a familiar trick we play on ourselves.

We need reminding that our interests will cull out our better, inner selves. We must stretch to become all we are meant to be. Our interests entice us to live up to God’s expectations. Each day I need to pay heed to interests as well as duties. I will let no day go by without heeding an interest.

Keep It Simple

“Sought through pray and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him . . .”

~First half of Step Eleven

Through Step Eleven, we develop a lasting, loving relationship with our Higher Power. Conscious contact means knowing and sensing God in our lives throughout the day.
God is not just an idea. We talk with our Higher Power through prayer. As we meditate, we sense God’s love for us, and we get answers to our questions. When we pray and meditate, we become aware that God is always with us. Our Higher Power becomes our best friend. Our Higher Power is there for advice, support, celebration, comfort.

Prayer for the Day:
Dear Higher Power, I pray that our relationship grows stronger every day. I accept the friendship You offer me.

Action for the Day:
Today, I’ll seek out God through prayer and meditation.

Today’s Gift – Hazelden

… [To] take something from yourself, to give to another, that is humane and gentle and never takes away as much comfort as it brings again.  –Thomas More

We take different kinds of pleasure in giving. Perhaps the purest is the gift to a child so young it doesn’t really know who the gift came from; the pure joy that the teddy bear or pull-toy produces is our regard, unmixed by any expectation of return.

When children get older, we want something back from them: gratitude, respect. The gift is less pure. When lovers exchange gifts, their pleasure is often tinged with anxiety: Did I give more than I got? Did I get more than I gave? Or with power: He’ll always remember where he got that shirt; she owes me something for the fur jacket.

To friends and relations our gifts reflect many things: our appreciation of their lives, our shared memories, our prosperity. We tend to give in a spirit of self-expression.

Perhaps the closest we can come to a pure gift is an anonymous one; a gift of volunteer work, of blood, or a contribution to a charity. Such a gift which can never be acknowledged or returned by those it comforts can heal our spirits when they are wearied by too much ego.

The gift of myself can be a gift to myself.

Elder’s Meditation

“Times change but principles do not. Times change but lands do not. Times change but our culture and our language remain the same. And that’s what you have to keep intact. It’s not what you wear – it’s what’s in your heart.”

–Oren Lyons, ONONDAGA

Going back to the old ways doesn’t mean giving up electricity, homes, and cars. It means living by the same principles, laws, and values that our ancestors lived by. This will allow us to live successfully in today’s world. The spirituality our ancestors lived is the same spirituality we need in these modern times. There are too many influences from TV, radio, newspapers, magazines, and negative role models that are guiding our lives in a bad way. Our stability is in the laws, principles, and values that our ancestors were given and that our Elders teach us.

Great Spirit, let me live my life in a spiritual way.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

So many shiny and wonderful things are tantalizing now that you feel the urge to snatch them up in a rush of indulgence. Unfortunately, your eyes are probably bigger than your budget. Your impulse shopping might really be a temporary distraction from thinking about someone who is pushing your buttons or stressing over something out of your control. You’ve likely been wrestling with pent-up emotions for a while, but they can’t stay buried forever. Apply some of your special nurturing powers to your own heart. Serenity starts within.

Daily Recovery Readings
October 31, 2018

Daily Reflection

AVOIDING CONTROVERSY

All history affords us the spectacle of striving nations and groups finally torn asunder because they were designed for, or tempted into, controversy. Others fell apart because of sheer self-righteousness while trying to enforce upon the rest of mankind some millennium of their own specification.

— TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 176

As an A.A. member and sponsor, I know I can cause real damage if I yield to temptation and give opinions and advice on another’s medical, marital, or religious problems. I am not a doctor, counselor, or lawyer. I cannot tell anyone how he or she should live; however, I can share how I came through similar situations without drinking, and how A.A.’s Steps and Traditions help me in dealing with my life.

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

Big Book Quote

“If we were to live, we had to be free of anger. The grouch and the brainstorm were not for us. They may be the dubious luxury of normal men, but for alcoholics these things are poison.”

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 66~

Keep It Simple

A man who has committed a mistake and doesn’t correct it is committing another mistake. —Confucius

Step Ten tell us that when we are wrong, we must “promptly” admit it. We aren’t used to admitting our mistakes. We defend ourselves and blame others. This is call denial.

Denial is bad for two reasons. First, it keeps from learning from our mistakes, so we keep making them. Second, we don’t listen to others, so we close ourselves and become lonely.

What a relief it is to admit our wrongs! We don’t have to keep trying to do things the hard way. We can learn new way to think and act that will work better for us. We can let other people be our teachers.

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, help me out of denial, so I can see the changes I need to make.

Action for the Day:
Today, If I disagree with someone, I’ll promptly admit when I’m wrong. If I’m right, I’ll be gentle. I don’t have to prove anything.

Today’s Gift – Hazelden

An Unfolding Story

Our lives are like a story told one day at a time. Some of our story has been revealed; much remains. Yet life is not like a book in which you can skip ahead; life unfolds one day at a time.

Though it may be hard right now, let’s not wish any of it away but live each day fully. We are the only ones who can write our story.

Am I fully present in my life today?

Thought for the Day

Change is not visible on a daily basis but may be revealed when I am not looking.

Elder’s Meditation

“One is not born a Tewa but rather one is made a Tewa… once made, one has to work hard continuously throughout one’s life to remain a Tewa.”

–Alfonso Ortiz, SAN JUAN PUEBLO

Being Indian is being spiritual. It is not the color of our skin. Being Indian is how we think. We need to learn our culture, our language, our dances, our traditions, and customs. It is one thing to know these things, but another to live them. We need to spend time with the Elders and get their guidance. We need to go to the mountains, woods, and desert to pray. Being spiritual is the way for us to think right. Walking the Red Road and thinking right is the greatest gift we can give to our children.

Grandfather, help me to Walk the Talk.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

Mystery can be found hiding right out in the open today. An everyday object or place that you frequent on a regular basis suddenly takes on new meaning as more is found out about its origins. You’re always fascinated by an interesting story and are eager to fill in any gaps. Research into local history or familial ancestry might be in order. Learning is an adventure, and in this instance, it could prove to be a bit of an eye-opener, too. A plot twist may leave you with more questions than answers.

Daily Recovery Readings
October 30, 2018

Daily Reflection

LIVE AND LET LIVE

Never since it began has Alcoholics Anonymous been divided by a major controversial issue. Nor has our Fellowship ever publicly taken sides on any question in an embattled world. This, however, has been no earned virtue. It could almost be said that we were born with it. . . . “So long as we don’t argue these matters privately, it’s a cinch we never shall publicly.”

— TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 176

Do I remember that I have a right to my opinion but that others don’t have to share it? That’s the spirit of “Live and Let Live.” The Serenity Prayer reminds me, with God’s help, to “Accept the things I cannot change.” Am I still trying to change others? When it comes to “Courage to change the things I can,” do I remember that my opinions are mine, and yours are yours? Am I still afraid to be me? When it comes to “Wisdom to know the difference,” do I remember that my opinions come from my experience? If I have a know-it-all attitude, aren’t I being deliberately controversial?

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

Big Book Quote

” I had always believed in a Power greater that myself. I had often pondered these things. I was not an atheist. Few people really are, for that means blind faith in the strange proposition that this universe originated in a cipher and aimlessly rushes no where.”

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Bill’s Story, pg. 10~

Keep It Simple

The universe is full of magical things waiting for our wits to grow sharper.

—Eden Phillpots

How nice to have the fog lifted! Sobriety lets our wits grow sharper. We can go after our dreams and ideas. We can listen to music and sing. We are part of the magic of the universe. At times we may not feel very magical, but we are. Our spirits hold much magic. Sobriety is magic. We work at making the world a better place. In doing so, we get magical powers. Power that heals and comfort others. Power that heals and comforts others. Powers to understand things that before we could not. Powers that let us see the world as we’ve never seen it. Enjoy the magic and use your powers wisely!

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, let Your magic enter and fill my heart.

Action for the Day:
I’ll list four magical powers I have from being sober.

Today’s Gift – Hazelden

I shall tell you a great secret, my friend. Do not wait for the last judgment. It takes place every day.

–Albert Camus

We live our program in one day portions – and our actions today have immediate consequences. For instance, if we listen to a brother or a sister in the program, we may be enriched and the other person strengthened for today’s challenge. We don’t have to confront every temptation of life on this day – only the portion we can handle. Our old insanity would have us predict the entire story of our future from today’s limited viewpoint. But our spiritual orientation guides us to restrain ourselves. We simply live in this moment.

The rewards of recovery are granted every day. We begin with the gift of a new day and new possibilities. We now have relationships that sustain us through difficulty and give us reason to celebrate. We have a new feeling of self respect and hope.

I am grateful for the rewards of each day in my spiritual awakening.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

It could be useful to examine your resistance today if you’re hesitant to make a request for something different. Maybe your difficulty stems from your natural shyness or a childhood incident that’s left its mark. In either case, you might not want to disturb the status quo now. In personal affairs or professional activities, a concern cannot be addressed if it goes unvoiced. Take a deep breath and speak your mind. Win, lose, or draw, your courage is rewarded.

Daily Recovery Readings
October 29, 2018

Daily Reflection

OUR SURVIVAL

Since recovery from alcoholism is life itself to us, it is imperative that we preserve in full strength our means of survival.

— TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 177

The honesty expressed by the members of A.A. in meetings has the power to open my mind. Nothing can block the flow of energy that honesty carries with it. The only obstacle to this flow of energy is inebriation, but even then, no one will find a closed door if he or she has left and chooses to return. Once he or she has received the gift of sobriety, each A.A. member is challenged on a daily basis to accept a program of honesty.

My Higher Power created me for a purpose in life. I ask Him to accept my honest efforts to continue on my journey in the spiritual way of life. I call on Him for strength to know and seek His will.

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

Big Book Quote

“Let families realize, as they start their journey, that all will not be fair weather. Each in his turn may be footsore and may straggle. There will be alluring shortcuts and by-paths down which they may wander and lose their way.”

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, The Family Afterward, pg. 122~

Keep It Simple

Each morning puts a man on trail and each evening passes judgment. ~Ray L. Smith

In many ways, the Tenth Step is very natural. We continue to take a personal inventory.
And when we’re wrong, we promptly admit it.

At the end of each day we ask ourselves, “How did my day go?” As we think about our day, we bring order to our life. The Tenth Step teaches us about order. It also teaches us how to correct mistakes. We do this by admitting our wrongs. This way, we have no backlog of guilt. It’s good to start each day fresh, free from quilt. Admitting our wrongs is a loving thing to do. It’s another way the program teaches us to love ourselves.

Prayer for the Day:
Today, I’ll face many choices. Higher Power, be with me as I choose. When the day is done, remind me to think about how I lived today. This will help me learn.

Action for the Day:
Tonight, I’ll list three choices I made today. Would I make the same choices again?

Today’s Gift – Hazelden

Love “bears all things” and “endures all things.” These words say all there is to be said;
nothing can be added to them. For we are in the deepest sense the victims and the
instruments of cosmogonic “love.”
–Carl Jung

Those of us who’ve fallen in love can never forget the tender adoration of and the seeming perfection of our beloved, nor the complete abandon we felt. Later, when familiarity cleared our vision, we began trying to control the relationship and, of course, our beloved.

To bind them to our will, we wrap our loved ones in ribbons of care and concern. Or, if we are the least bit insecure, we become restrictive and possessive. Yet, as we experience the love of those who are helping us find our way – in recovery and, through them, to the love of God – we come to understand that love must be free. God’s love does not insist on fidelity, good taste, or common sense. Why then should we demand more of those we love?

No person is my private possession, no behavior the price of my love.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

Your heartstrings are super sensitized today. In fact, if you visit an animal shelter, you’re likely to come home with two or three new fur babies. While your response might not be that extreme, your sensitivity level is set for hair-trigger reaction. Empathy for the helpless or the underdog unleashes a flood of powerful feelings. Try not to make any serious decisions while you’re swept up in this kind of emotional deluge. Nevertheless, when it comes to playtime, just let the joy and laughter overflow.