Daily Recovery Readings - 9/4

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Daily Reflections

RECONSTRUCTION
Yes, there is a long period of reconstruction ahead. . . . .
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS , p. 83

The reconstruction of my life is the prime goal in my recovery as I
avoid taking that first drink, one day at a time. The task is most
successfully accomplished by working the Steps of our Fellowship. The
spiritual life is not a theory; it works, but I have to live it. Step Two started
me on my journey to develop a spiritual life; Step Nine allows me to move
into the final phase of the initial Steps which taught me how to live a
spiritual life. Without the guidance and strength of a Higher Power, it
would be impossible to proceed through the various stages of
reconstruction. I realize that God works for me and through me. Proof
comes to me when I realize that God did for me what I could not do
for myself, by removing that gnawing compulsion to drink. I must
continue daily to seek God's guidance. He grants me a daily reprieve
and will provide the power I need for reconstruction.

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Twenty-Four Hours A Day

A.A. Thought For The Day

"We must be careful never to show intolerance or hatred of drinking
as an institution. Experience shows that such an attitude is no help to
anyone. We are not fanatics or intolerant of people who can drink
normally. Every prospect is relieved when he finds we are not witch
burners. Temperate drinking is O.K., but we alcoholics can't get away
with it. And no alcoholic likes to be told about alcohol by anyone who
hates it. We shall be of little use if our attitude is one of bitterness or
hostility." Do I have a tolerance for those who can drink normally?

Meditation For The Day

Do not become encumbered by petty annoyances. Never respond
to emotional upsets by emotional upset. Try to keep calm in
all circumstances. Try not to fight back. Call on the grace of
God when you feel like retaliating. Look to God for the inner
strength to drop these resentments that drag you down. If you are
burdened by annoyances, you will lose your inward peace and the spirit
of God will be shut out. Try to keep peaceful within.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that I may do the things that make for peace. I pray that I may
have a mission of conciliation.

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As Bill Sees It

Thousands of "Founders", p. 67

"While I thank God that I was privileged to be an early member of
A.A., I honestly wish that the word 'founder' could be eliminated
from the A.A. vocabulary.

"When you get right down to it, everyone who has done any amount
of successful Twelfth Step work is bound to be the founder of a new
life for other alcoholics."

<< << << >> >> >>

"A.A. was not invented! Its basis were brought to us through the
experience and wisdom of many great friends. We simply borrowed
and adapted their ideas."

<< << << >> >> >>

"Thankfully, we have accepted the devoted services of many
nonalcoholics. We owe our very lives to the men and women of
medicine and religion. And, speaking for Dr. Bob and myself, I
gratefully declare that had it not been for our wives, Anne and Lois,
neither of us could have lived to see A.A.'s beginning."

1. Letter, 1945
2. Letter, 1966
3. Letter, 1966

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Walk In Dry Places

What do We Deserve?
Good Expectations
We hear about people who snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Some of us do that even in
sobriety, experiencing failure just as success seems imminent.
At times, we may just be suffering from a bad situation that is all around us. But if we do seem to be having one bad break after another, we should look
more carefully within ourselves for causes. We may be punishing
ourselves, or pushing away our good simply because we do not feel worth
of it.
If we discover that this process is working in our lives, we must begin
changing these false patterns immediately. Having forgiven ourselves and
others, and having made amends, we need no punishment. We will work to
succeed in all of our activities, with a reasonable expectation of
success most of the time. We will expect and deserve the
best.
I'll carry with me today a belief that I deserve to succeed and will
take all necessary action to earn my success.

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Keep It Simple

In my view, we of this world are pupils in great school of life.
Bill W.
Our addiction has taught me much. It has taught us how far we can get from ourselves, our Higher Power, and those who love us.. Hopefully, we've learned we can't go it alone. Do I allow myself to learn from the bad things that happened?
Recovery has much to teach us too. We need to be students of life. We need to be open to learning. Our spirits can grow if we’re willing to do three things: First, we listen. Second, we think about what we've learned. Third, we turn what we've learned into action. Listening, combined with thought and action, will help us learn life’s best lessons.
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, You'll test me so I can learn. Help me accept the tasks You give me. And help me learn from them.
Action for the Day: I will view today as a class. I will do three things---listen, think, act.

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Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

SAFE HAVEN - This A.A. found that the process of discovering who he really was began with knowing who he didn't want to be.

I recall one day when I was doing a midday show, I realized I could not go on another minute without a drink. I put on an album and quietly walked out of the radio station unnoticed. I drove to a liquor store and bought a bottle of whiskey, got back in my car, turned on the radio, and started drinking. As I sat there listening to song after song, the album eventually came to an end, and all you could hear was the needle scratching against the turntable. Someone at the station finally realized I was no longer in the control room and put on another record.

p. 453
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Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Tradition Six - "An A.A. group ought never endorse, finance, or lend the A.A. name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property, and prestige divert us from our primary purpose."

Years ago this principle of "no endorsement" was put to a vital test. Some of the great distilling companies proposed to go into the field of alcohol education. It would be a good thing, they believed, for the liquor trade to show a sense of public responsibility. They wanted to say that liquor should be enjoyed, not misused; hard drinkers ought to slow down, and problem drinkers--alcoholics--should not drink at all.

p. 157

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Today is the blocks with which we build.
--Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

All of the animals except man know that the principal business of life is
to enjoy it.
--Samuel Butler

Today I am letting go of all judgments. I am releasing all negative
emotions. I am quietly going within and trusting my inner spirit
and I will know what is right for me.
--Ruth Fishel

" Let us continue to search our own minds for the hidden places where
we still deny love. Perhaps we learned loveless attitudes from our
parents, or from experiences in the past. Wherever we picked up
judgmental attitudes, they do not serve us now. They do not serve
God or the creation of a new world, and serving God is our only goal.
To serve God is to think with love. In prayerful request, let us give up
all thoughts that are not of love. "
--Marianne Williamson

Someone once wrote: "Happiness is always a by-product. You don't
make yourself happy by chasing happiness. You make yourself happy
by being a good person." The happiest people I know are people who
don't even think about being happy. They just think about being good
neighbors, good people. And then happiness sort of sneaks in the back
window while they're busy doing good.
--Rabbi Harold Kushner

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Father Leo's Daily Meditation

HUMILITY

"Humility is to make a right
estimate of one's self."
-- Charles Haddon Spurgeon

To see yourself as a good person is part of the program of humility.
To see your gifts and recognize your achievements is what it is to be
a humble person. "God does not make junk." Therefore, we
should not act or behave towards ourselves in a way that would
indicate anything other than that we are "special".

All addicts and alcoholics need to accept this because for years we
had felt guilty, lonely and ashamed. These attitudes helped to keep us
sick.

Sobriety and serenity is recognizing our God-given uniqueness that
makes us "special". We can achieve great things as long as we
continue to believe in ourselves.

Thank You for loving me enough to become a part of me.

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And be not fashioned according to this world: but be ye
transformed by the renewing of your mind, and ye may prove what
is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Romans 12:2

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
Psalm 119:105

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Daily Inspiration

Believe in miracles because they do happen. Lord, I give You praise for the wonders that You are doing in my life.

Give yourself more exercise than jumping to conclusions. Lord, grant me sincerity and wisdom in my daily life.

[admin]

You are reading from the book Today's Gift.
Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be. --Abraham Lincoln
Our negative thoughts can be like pebbles rolling down the mountainside. One pebble bumps into another one. The second begins rolling and slams into a third. On and on it goes until thousands of pebbles, rocks, and even giant boulders are hurtling down the mountain.
When we find ourselves stuck in a rut thinking a negative thought, we can decide to stop and replace it with a positive thought. At first our single positive thought may not dislodge another one. We may have to think of several and start them rolling down the mountainside. If we practice, we will find it becomes easier for that first good thought to shake loose others. We will see our lives change when we begin to look at the positive side of things.
How can I begin to shape my outlook today?


You are reading from the book Touchstones.
It is as important to cultivate your silence power, as it is your word power. --William James
We bless ourselves with renewal and healing when we retreat from the world for a few private moments of silence. The power we cultivate in silence isn't generated by us; that power comes to us. We can do this by deliberately withdrawing from all distractions. Then we quiet our inner selves by concentrating on deep relaxation, thinking about a brief reading, or by praying.
Most of us already have a personal island of renewal that we have turned to many times in the past for serenity and strength. We can use it and turn to it daily. This natural pattern is necessary for a strong and healthy life. It builds our relationship with our Higher Power and ourselves. In our problems with self-esteem, we often label as worthless the quiet, subtle things we do, but these very things are essential to build our strength and self esteem.
I will take time for silence to receive the power it gives in my life.


You are reading from the book Each Day a New Beginning.
For all the sadness of closure, there is a new and joyful unfolding in the process of becoming. --Mary Casey
We must let go of people, places, memories, and move on to new experiences. The doors of the past must be closed before we can enter those that are opening to us today. However, no experience is gone forever. All of our experiences are threaded together, each one contributing to the events that claim our attention now.
Recovery has offered us a chance to be aware of our process of becoming. With each day, each experience, each new understanding, we are advancing along the path of personal growth. Let us remember that each of us has a particular path, like no other. Thus, our experiences are ours alone. We need not envy what comes to someone else.
Life is unfolding for us. The pain of the present may be necessary for the pleasure of tomorrow. We can accept the unfolding. Our inner selves have a goal; experiences of the past must be left in the past; experiences at hand will lead us to our destination today.
I am moving and changing and growing, at the right pace. The process can be trusted. What is right for me will come to me. I will let the joy of becoming warm me.


You are reading from the book The Language of Letting Go.
Finding Direction
I used to spend so much time reacting and responding to everyone else that my life had no direction. Other people's lives, problems, and wants set the course for my life. Once I realized it was okay for me to think about and identify what I wanted, remarkable things began to take place in my life. --Anonymous
We each have a life to live, one that has purpose and meaning. We can help our Higher Power give direction and purpose to our life by setting goals.
We can set goals annually, monthly, or daily in times of crisis. Goals create direction and pace; goals help us achieve a manageable life that is directed in the course we choose for ourselves.
We can help give our lives direction by setting goals.
Today, I will pay attention to setting a course of action for my life, rather than letting others control my life and affairs.


I have all the strength that I need today to accept the realities of my life. I am on a path of learning and growth and healing.
--Ruth Fishel

[admin]

You are reading from the book Food for Thought.

Too Thin?

After losing weight, we may find ourselves being told that we are getting too thin. Often, the people who tell us this are not particularly thin themselves. Their comments are ostensibly made out of concern for our health, but it is more likely that they arise out of envy. Another reason could be their own personal fear of losing weight. Then, too, a thin person will sometimes feel threatened when we, who were formerly fat, come down to normal weight.

Whatever the reason, it is not the responsibility of anyone else to tell us how much we should or should not weigh. We alone are responsible for our own body.

When we turn our will and our life over to the care of our Higher Power, our body is included. The God who creates us will show us how He intends our body to look. We do not need to be concerned or swayed by the remarks of those who may not have our best interests at heart.
I trust You to take care of my body.

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Wisdom for Today
In early recovery it is vitally important to keep our faculties about us. If we don’t stay alert, we may not recognize that we are in trouble until it is too late. It is all too easy to overextend ourselves, trying to get the quick fix. There were many problems I faced in early recovery. I felt driven to try and resolve them right away. I wanted immediate gratification.

I found myself working extra hours trying to dig out of my financial mess. I found myself agreeing to do things I should have said no to. I thought that keeping busy was the answer. However, I soon found myself out on a limb and very tired. When I got overtired, I couldn’t think straight. My recovery was at risk. Fortunately I had the program reminding me to slow down. Easy does it, HALT, let go and let God were that slogans being repeated over and over again. Am I willing to slow down and focus on self-preservation? Do I know that getting overtired is not good for me?
Meditations for the Heart
Understanding that recovery is a process that occurs over time is a concept I cannot afford to ignore. I didn’t become an alcoholic or addict overnight. I certainly can’t expect to fix all my problems overnight. Learning to slow down and rest along the road to recovery is important for my health. Now that I have some time under my belt, I can see that slowing down actually helped me resolve my problems quicker, in part, because the fix lasted. Am I willing to trust God’s plan for me? Do I understand that He will lead me in His time frame?
Petitions to my Higher Power
God,

Today let me do only those things that are necessary. Help me to know when to stop and rest. Renew my strength and let me know I am secure in recovery when I follow your will for my life. Let me focus on what is important today.

Amen