Daily Recovery Readings - 9/6

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Daily Reflections

REMOVING THREATS TO SOBRIETY
. . . . except when to do so would injure them or others. . . .
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS , p. 59

Step Nine restores in me a feeling of belonging, not only to the
human race but also to the everyday world. First, the Step makes
me leave the safety of A.A., so that I may deal with non-A.A.
people "out there," on their terms. It is a frightening but
necessary action if I am to get back into life. Second, Step Nine
allows me to remove threats to my sobriety by healing past
relationships. Step Nine points the way to a more serene sobriety
by letting me clear away past wreckage, lest it bring me down.

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Twenty-Four Hours A Day

A.A. Thought For The Day

Another of the mottoes of A.A. is "Live and Let Live." This, of
course, means tolerance of people who think differently than we do,
whether they are in A.A. or outside of A.A. We cannot afford the
luxury of being intolerant or critical of other people. We do not
try to impose our wills on those who differ from us. We are not
"holier than thou." We do not have all the answers. We are not better
than other good people. We live the best way we can and we allow
others to do likewise. Am I willing to live and let live?

Meditation For The Day

"And this is life eternal, that we may know Thee, the only true
God." Learning to know God as best you can draws the eternal life
nearer to you. Freed from some of the limitations of humanity, you
can grow in the things that are eternal. You can strive for what
is real and of eternal value. The more you try to live in the
consciousness of the unseen world, the gentler will be your passing
into it when the time comes for you to go. This life on earth should
be largely a preparation for the eternal life to come.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that I may live each day as though it were my last. I pray
that I may live my life as though it were everlasting.

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As Bill Sees It

Growth By The Tenth Step, p. 65

In the years ahead A.A. will, of course, make mistakes. Experience
has taught us that we need have no fear of doing this, providing that
we always remain willing to admit our faults and to correct them
promptly. Our growth as individuals has depended upon this healthy
process of trial and error. So will our growth as a fellowship.

Let us always remember that any society of men and women that
cannot freely correct its own faults must surely fall into decay if not
into collapse. Such is the universe penalty for the failure to go on
growing. Just as each A.A. must continue to take his moral inventory
and act upon it, so must our whole Society if we are to survive and if
we are to serve usefully and well.

A.A. Comes Of Age, p. 231

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Walk In Dry Places

Change is sometimes necessary
Improvement.
Despite the fact that many of us live turbulent, chaotic lives, we may
find in sobriety that we don't like change. This causes us to seek
our security in familiar places, rather than reach out for the unknown
that lies ahead.
This may not be real security, however, because familiar places and situations
also change. Our resistance to change may simply be the fear of trying
something new.
If we find that fear of change is causing us to put up with a situation that's
become unsatisfactory, we need to adjust our attitude toward it.
While we view change as risky, it may be the necessary route for
improvement. Let's start by simply accepting the idea that change is
sometimes necessary. After that, we can expect our Higher Power to guide
us to the new situations that are right for us.
Today I may find myself fearing change. I'll remind myself that
nothing ever stays the same, and that only change can bring the true good
I'm always seeking.

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Keep It Simple

Addiction is answering the spiritual calling inside us by going to the wrong address.
---Chris Ringer
Where can we go to feel better, to feel spiritually alive? Not to alcohol or other drugs. Not to compulsive spending, gambling, or sex. Not to overeating or overworking. When we turn to these things to feel better, we’re trading one addiction for another, we’re going to the “wrong address.”
What is the right address? Our inner needs. Our Higher Power. Our recovery program. Our friends. Soon, we become part of a network of “safe addresses.”
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, keep me on the right path. I don’t want to go to the wrong address anymore.
Action for the Day: Today, I’ll make sure I have at least three “right address” in my wallet or purse. I’ll list names and day and evening phone numbers of people who will love and help.

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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.

The following day a newspaper honored our station with a nice article about the professional job we did on weather coverage. But what no one new was that all of those "professional" storm reports were called in from the safety of my back patio as I ad-libbed a little better with each fresh glass of bourbon and cola.

p. 454
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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."

Soon they'd spotted their man, an A.A. with the necessary experience. Straightway he appeared at New York's A.A. headquarters, asking, "Is there anything in our tradition that suggests I shouldn't take a job like this one? The kind of education seems good to me, and is not too controversial. Do you headquarters folks see any bugs in it?"

pp. 157-158

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Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an
understanding of ourselves.
--Carl Jung

During his lifetime, an individual should devote his efforts to creating
happiness and enjoy it.
--Ch'enTu-hsiu

"It takes less time to do things right than to explain why you did it
wrong."
--Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

"Give to the world the best you have and the best will come back to
you."
--Madeline Bridges

Understanding a person does not mean condoning; it only means
that one does not accuse him as if one were God or a judge placed
above him.
--Erich Fromm

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Father Leo's Daily Meditation

FEAR

"The only thing we have to fear
is fear itself."
-- Franklin Delano Roosevelt

Fear is a killer. It is a killer because it drains us of life, energy and
creativity. Fear petrifies the human spirit.

I spent a lot of yesterdays afraid. Afraid of people finding out. Afraid
of the telephone. Afraid of where it would all end. Afraid of me! I did
not realize that I was feeding the fear with my behavior. I drank
myself into fear. The day I stopped drinking alcohol was the day I
stopped giving energy to my fear.

Today I live my life without abnormal or unrealistic fears. Today I
enjoy my life. I work through my problems. I am not afraid of my
shadow. Today I love me.

Lord may I always connect my unrealistic fears with my behavior
-- and begin the change.

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"I will turn their mourning into joy, I will comfort them, and give
them gladness for sorrow."
Jeremiah 31:13

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love
God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.
Romans 8:28

Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. He who goes out
weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying
sheaves with him.
Psalm 126:5-6

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Daily Inspiration

In everything imitate God and you will come to know Him better and better. Lord, I ask Your help to come close to You in my thoughts and bring Your love to this earth.

If you are prepared to die, you will also be prepared to live. Lord, You have given me life and made ready the Kingdom of Heaven. I dedicate myself to You.

[admin]

You are reading from the book Today's Gift.
I never lose sight of the fact that just being is fun. --Katharine Hepburn
The first good news each day is that we wake up. We are breathing. Our heats are beating, our minds working. The adventure of living begins. What does the day hold in store? We have no way of knowing what surprises lie in wait for us today.
We may look forward, not just to the expected, but to the unexpected. Whom shall we meet? What will we see? What will we learn? How will we be entertained? What changes to help others will come our way? What chances to love and be loved?
Now that our eyes are opened to today's beauty, let us remain alert for new sights. Let us cry when sad, smile when touched, and laugh at what is funny in a whole new lifetime before us.
What can I be thankful for today?


You are reading from the book Touchstones.
I learned to listen to my body with an inner concentration like meditation, to get guidance as to when to exercise and when to rest. I learned that healing and cure are active processes in which I myself needed to participate. --Rollo May
In our spiritual growth, one of our movements is from passive to active, from helpless to responsive. For example, we are passive if we don't take responsibility for our bodies and don't care for our wellness and conditioning. Do we passively leave our health in the doctor's hands?
Do we take responsibility for our relationships? Are we active in nurturing them? We could add our own interests and positive energy to enrich them.
Our Higher Power speaks to us in a quiet, subtle voice, which can easily be ignored until we learn to listen. It takes courage to listen to this inner voice. When we listen, we develop a relationship that is a strong force moving us into recovery. We are still powerless over many things, but we can make active choices in how we will grow and how we will respond.
I will be guided in my choices by my inner voice.


You are reading from the book Each Day a New Beginning.
We can build upon foundations anywhere if they are well and firmly laid. --Ivy Compton-Burnett
Recovery is a process, one that rebuilds our lives. And the Twelve Steps provide the foundation to support our growth as healthy, productive women. But each Step must be carefully and honestly worked, or the whole foundation will be weakened.
How lucky we are to have found this program and the structure it offers. We looked for structure in our past. We searched, maybe for years, running from one panacea to another, hoping to find ourselves. Booze--pills--food--lovers--causes; none gave us the security we longed for. We couldn't find ourselves because we hadn't defined ourselves. At last we've come home. Self-definition is the program's guarantee. Not only can we discover who we are, now, but also we can change, nurture those traits that we favor, diminish those that attract trouble.
My actions today are the key. They tell who I am at this moment. Who I become is up to me. I will pick a Step and reflect before I move ahead. The strength of my foundation depends on it.


You are reading from the book The Language of Letting Go.
The Good in Step Ten
Step Ten says: "Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it." It does not suggest that we ignore what is right in our life. It says we continue to take a personal inventory and keep a focus on ourselves.
When we take an inventory, we will want to look for many things. We can search out feelings that need our attention. We can look for low self-esteem creeping back in. We can look for old ways of thinking, feeling, and behaving. We can look for mistakes that need correcting.
But a critical part of our inventory can focus on what we're doing right and on all that is good around us.
Part of our codependency is an obsessive focus on what's wrong and what we might be doing wrong - real or imagined. In recovery we're learning to focus on what's right.
Look fearlessly, with a loving, positive eye. What did you do right today? Did you behave differently today than you would have a year ago? Did you reach out to someone and allow yourself to be vulnerable? You can compliment yourself for that.
Did you have a bad day but dealt effectively with it? Did you practice gratitude or acceptance? Did you take a risk, own your power, or set a boundary? Did you take responsibility for yourself in a way that you might not have before?
Did you take time for prayer or meditation? Did you trust God? Did you let someone do something for you?
Even on our worst days, we can find one thing we did right. We can find something to feel hopeful about. We can find something to look forward to. We can focus realistically on visions of what can be.
God, help me let go of my need to stay immersed in negativity. I can change the energy in my environment and myself from negative to positive. I will affirm the good until it sinks in and feels real. I will also strive to find one quality that I like about someone else who's important to me, and I will take the risk of telling him or her that.


Today I'm listening to my self-talk with a non-judgemental ear. It is okay to make mistakes today. I'm giving myself positive messages with permission to accept both my victories and defeats. --Ruth Fishel

[admin]

You are reading from the book Food for Thought.

The Pause that Refreshes

For strength, we are learning to lean on our Higher Power instead of food. We have undoubtedly taken many "breaks" which involved ingesting one or another addictive substance. Instead of making us stronger, those substances eventually made us weaker. Thanks to OA, we are finding a dependable source of refreshment.

Starting the day with a few minutes of contact with God enables us to draw from His strength that which we need. Throughout the day, when we become weary or perplexed or pressured, we can pause to renew that contact. It is a constant source of Power whenever we open ourselves to it.

Allowing ourselves to become too busy is asking for trouble. We can concentrate actively for only so long without a period of rest and relaxation. Frequent time out each day to consult with our Higher Power makes our work more effective and our leisure more creative.
I seek Your presence, Lord.

[admin]

Wisdom for Today
What are the building blocks of our program? Honesty, fellowship, faith in our Higher Power, and caring, are a few I have found important. We can never fully attain these goals. Yet, these are the things we need to build on if we are to be successful in recovery. Honesty is where it all starts. We must find honesty with our addiction; if we continue to lie to ourselves about having this disease, we stand no chance of getting better. We each surrounded ourselves with people to support our addiction and need to surround ourselves with the fellowship that supports recovery. Learning to have faith that God can and will do for us what we can’t do on our own is an important factor in the quality of our recovery. It makes the difference between being miserable and sober and content and clean. And finally, learning to really care for others and for ourselves is what working the steps is all about. Am I including these building blocks in the foundation of my recovery?
Meditations for the Heart
Knock and the door will be opened. I believe that my Higher Power is always ready to help me. When I feel as if my life is in stormy times, I know that there is a safe haven to which I can go and the door will always be opened for me. God helps me to find peace in the storm. He grants me the courage to deal with the struggles I have. I am sure that His help is always there. He anticipates my needs even before I ask. The fact that I survived my addiction is ample evidence for me of His anticipating my needs. God was surely looking out for me as I was not looking out for myself. Do I see that God anticipates my needs?
Petitions to my Higher Power
God,

Today I walk in the confidence that you are always ready to help me. I trust that you will give me what I need for this day. Help me today to strengthen the building blocks in the foundation of my recovery.

Amen