Daily Recovery Readings - 9/16

[admin]

Daily Reflections

WE STAND--OR FALL--TOGETHER

. . . no society of men and women ever had a more urgent need for
continuous effectiveness and permanent unity. We alcoholics see that
we must work together and hang together, else most of us will finally
die alone.
Alcoholics Anonymous, p.563

Just as the Twelve Steps of A.A. are written in a specific sequence for
a reason, so it is with the Twelve Traditions. The First Step and the
First Tradition attempt to instill in me enough humility to allow me a
chance at survival. Together they are the basic foundation upon which
the Steps and Traditions that follow are built. It is a process of ego
deflation which allows me to grow as an individual through the Steps,
and as a contributing member of a group through the Traditions. Full
acceptance of the First Tradition allows me to set aside personal
ambitions, fears and anger when they are in conflict with the common
good, thus permitting me to work with others for our mutual survival.
Without Tradition One I stand little chance of maintaining the unity
required to work with others effectively, and I also stand to lose the
remaining Traditions, the Fellowship, and my life.

************************************************** *********

Twenty-Four Hours A Day

A.A. Thought For The Day

Today, let us begin a short study of The Twelve Suggested Steps of
A.A. These Twelve Suggested Steps seem to embody five principles.
The first step is the membership requirement step. The second, third,
and eleventh steps are the spiritual steps of the program. The fourth,
fifth, sixth, seventh and tenth steps are the personal inventory steps.
The eighth and ninth steps are the restitution steps. The twelfth step
is the passing on of the program, or helping others, step. So the five
principles are membership requirement, spiritual basis, personal
inventory, restitution, and helping others. Have I made all these steps
a part of me?

Meditation For The Day

We seem to live not only in time but also in eternity. If we abide with
God and He abides with us, we may bring forth spiritual fruit which
will last for eternity. If we live with God, our lives can flow as some
calm river through the dry land of earth. It can cause the trees and
flowers of the spiritual life--love and service--to spring forth and yield
abundantly. Spiritual work may be done for eternity, not just for now.
Even here on earth we can live as though our real lives were eternal.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that I may try to make my life like a cool river in a thirsty land.
I pray that I may give freely to all who ask my help.

************************************************** *********

As Bill Sees It

Seeking Guidance, p. 55

"Man is supposed to think, and act. He wasn't made in God's image
to be an automation.

"My own formula along this line runs as follows: First, think through
every situation pro and con, praying meanwhile that I be not
influenced by ego considerations. Affirm that I would like to do
God's will.

"Then, having turned the problem over in this fashion and getting no
conclusive or compelling answer, I wait for further guidance, which
may come into mind directly or through other people or through
circumstances.

"If I feel I can't wait, and still get no definite indication, I repeat the
first measure several times, try to pick out the best course, and then
proceed to act. I know if I am wrong, the heavens won't fall. A
lesson will be learned, in any case."

Letter, 1950

************************************************** *********

Walk In Dry Places

The world will recover
Belief
If our recovery program is working properly, an amazing thing can happen. Instead of being the bad actors of society, we become people who can be considered solid citizens in every way.. So square that we might even have sharp corners.
We might then start becoming critical of the world in general. "I've recovered, so why does the rest of the world have to be the way it is?" A person might say. "Why don't other people do something about their resentments and fears, just as I have?"
In asking such a question, we're already in danger of becoming self-righteous. We can remember, however, that our Higher Power has the same concern for others that was shown to us. By the grace of God, and in God's own good time, the world can and will recover.
I'll remember today that God is in charge of the world and will set all things straight, just as I was brought to recovery.

************************************************** *********

Keep It Simple

Here’s my Golden Rule: Be fair with others but then keep after them until they’re fair with you.
---Alan Alda
Often in our illness we were ashamed, so we let people take advantage of us. We acted as if we had no rights. In recovery, we work hard to be fair with others. And we deserve to be treated with fairness too. If people are mean to us, we talk with them about it. If people cheat us, we ask them to set it right. In recovery, we live by our human rights.
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me to stand for fairness. Help me respect myself and others.
Action for the Day: Today, I’ll list people who have wronged me. I will make plans to talk to those with whom I feel will listen. I will let love, not shame or fear, control my actions.

************************************************** *********

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've had one "God-thing" after another happen to me since submitting myself to the principles of A.A. The trial officials who convicted me and the victims of my crime have all decided to support my early release from prison. Confidence? I think now. I've received letters from former employers who have heard of my sobriety and have offered me employment again in the radio industry. These are just samples of God doing for me what I couldn't do for myself.

p. 457
************************************************** *********

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Tradition Seven - "Every A.A. group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions."

"The meeting that night was at New York's old 24th Street Clubhouse. During the intermission, the treasurer gave a timid talk on how broke the club was. (That was in the period when you couldn't mix money and A.A.) But finally he said it--the landlord would put us out if we didn't pay up. He concluded his remarks by saying, "Now boys, please go heavier on the hat tonight, will you?"

p. 163

************************************************** *********

Any fact facing us is not as important as our attitude toward it, for
that determines our success or failure.
--Norman Vincent Peale (1898 - 1993)

"Happiness is not the absence of conflict, but the ability to cope with it."

"If you spend more time asking appropriate questions rather than giving
answers or opinions, your listening skills will increase."
--Brian Koslow

"Remember not only to say the right thing in the right place, but far
more difficult still, to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment."
--Benjamin Franklin

"You can't cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the water."
--Rabindranath Tagore

***********************************************

Father Leo's Daily Meditation

DENIAL

"The worst vice of the fanatic is
his sincerity."
-- Oscar Wilde

The disease of alcoholism is "cunning, baffling and powerful", and it
manipulates us to believe "the lie". There is a point that we reach in
our disease where we believe that crazy behavior is acceptable.
Insanity becomes the order of the day. And when friends or therapists
try to give us a message, we discount them.

How can we break down this wall of denial? Well, there is strength in
numbers. If everybody we respect is disagreeing with us, then it is time
that we change. If our isolation has become a source of martyrdom,
then we need to reorganize our attitude for living. Insanity and
isolation are often companions; they feed off each other.

We need always to stay close to our recovering community. Strength
and sobriety is in numbers.

God, You gave me the message to become the message. Help me to
live it in the recovering community.

************************************************** *********

O lord hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.
Psalm 130:2

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own
understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make
your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5-6

God...comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in
any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4

************************************************** *********

Daily Inspiration

Never lose your laughter even in the face of trouble and your troubles will not be as heavy. Lord, I will remain cheerful and peaceful as proof of my faith in You.

To love and be loved is the greatest of joys. Lord, inspire me with ways to show my love.

[admin]

You are reading from the book Today's Gift.
The sign must come like dawn. You cannot see its arrival, but know when it is there. --Diane Wakoski
Let us take a break, sit by the river, and watch the current quietly flow. Let's just think, for a moment, about where the current is going, the shores it will brush on its way, the clouds reflected on its surface, the animals that come to drink from it, the bobbers it gently nudges downstream.
Our lives sometimes seem like the river, wandering to the west, the south, back toward the east, seemingly without direction at all. Yet we can take comfort in this thought, for, like the river, we are always headed in the direction we are meant to go. Without trying, without knowing, we are part of the larger pattern of things, and we nourish many others just by passing through their lives.
What shores will my life touch today?


You are reading from the book Touchstones.
Sit loosely in the saddle of life. --Robert Louis Stevenson
Sitting loosely in the saddle is an image of detachment for us. Detachment doesn't mean we stop caring. It means we have an inner wisdom telling us what we can control and what we cannot. When we go to meetings and hear fellow members struggling with temptations to return to old behaviors, we need to detach. When family members or friends are engaged in an addiction, we need to sit loosely in the saddle by caring, but not protecting them from the results of their behavior. Sometimes close friends will be "off base" in the way they talk to us. We practice detachment by not being reactive to the person but being responsive to the inner message of what kind of men we wish to be.
We can't control another person's behavior toward us. Our inner security will never come from how someone else behaves. The most helpful thing we can do for someone is to listen and care; then we need to be ready to let go of the outcome.
I will accept the limits of my control over others. I will care and let go.


You are reading from the book Each Day a New Beginning.
I long to speak out the intense inspiration that comes to me from lives of strong women. --Ruth Benedict
Each day that we thoughtfully make choices about our behavior and our attitudes, we offer ourselves as examples to others--examples of strength.
As women on recovery paths, we find encouragement from one another's successes. No one of us met our experiences very successfully before discovering this program. In most cases we lacked the structure that comes with the Steps. Direction was missing from our lives. Too often we passively bounced from man to man, job to job, drunk to drunk.
When working the Steps, we are never in doubt about the manner for 'proceeding in any situation. The Steps provide the parameters that secure our growth. They help us to see where we've been and push us toward the goals, which crowd our dreams.
We have changed. We will continue to grow. The past need haunt us no more. The future can be faced with confidence. Whatever strength is needed to fulfill our destinies will find us. And our forward steps will make the way easier for the women who follow.
What a blessing these Steps are! They answer my every question. They fulfill my every need.


You are reading from the book The Language of Letting Go.
Revenge
No matter how long we've been recovering, no matter how solid our spiritual ground, we may still feel an overwhelming desire at times to punish, or get even, with another person.
We want revenge.
We want to see the other person hurt the way he or she has hurt us. We want to see life deal that person just rewards. In fact, we would like to help life out.
Those are normal feelings, but we do not have to act on them. These feelings are part of our anger but it's not our job to deal justice.
We can allow ourselves to feel the anger. It is helpful to go one step deeper and let ourselves feel the other feelings - the hurt, the pain, the anguish. But our goal is to release the feelings, and be finished with them.
We can hold the other person accountable. We can hold the other person responsible. But it is not our responsibility to be judge and jury. Actively seeking revenge will not help us. It will block us and hold us back.
Walk away. Stop playing the game. Unhook. Learn your lesson. Thank the other person for having taught you something valuable. And be finished with it. Put it behind, with the lesson intact.
Acceptance helps. So does forgiveness - not the kind that invites that person to use us again, but a forgiveness that releases the other person and sets him or her free to walk a separate path, while releasing our anger and resentments. That sets us free to walk our own path.
Today, I will be as angry as I need to be, with a goal of finishing my business with others. Once I have released my hurt and anger, I will strive for healthy forgiveness - forgiveness with boundaries. I understand that boundaries, coupled with forgiveness and compassion, will move me forward.


Light is shining on my path today as I face in the direction of love and goodness. One step at a time is leading me exactly where I need to be. --Ruth Fishel

[admin]

You are reading from the book Food for Thought.

Understanding

The understanding, which we gain through the OA program, is a source of constant amazement and gratitude. First, we begin to understand our illness. Then, we grow in understanding of others and ourselves. Finally, our eyes are opened more and more to the spiritual aspects of our existence.

Hearing someone else's story gives us insight into our own behavior. We act as mirrors, reflecting each other's problems and solutions. As we act, we are given greater understanding of why we do what we do and how we may function better. In order to gain more understanding, we must first act on the knowledge we have. Intellectual awareness alone will not enable us to control our disease.

The empathy and understanding, which we receive from fellow OA members, give us the strength and hope to recover. We begin to see where our attitudes were wrong and how to go about correcting them. As we acknowledge the Power greater than ourselves and give our lives over to Him, we open a new channel of spiritual insight and understanding.
May I understand.

[admin]

Wisdom for Today
It was indeed a heavy load that I carried around because of my drinking and drug use. The dishonesty, guilt and shame all piled up into a tremendous burden. Addiction turned me into a liar. In order to get what I wanted I would con, manipulate and lie. I lived in constant fear of being found out. I lived constantly trying to hide from others and myself.

When I walked into the Twelve Step program, my dishonesty did not just vanish because I stopped using. I still wanted to hide. But I found acceptance in the eyes of those people sitting around the tables. I listened to others whose story was like mine. I heard people talk openly and honestly. I wanted what they had. I could see the freedom that honesty provided. I found out that I did not have to hide anymore. Have I gotten rid of the heavy load that dishonesty and addiction provide?
Meditation for the Heart
As fear, worry, deceit and lying slipped away, I found new spiritual principles filling my life; and with them came serenity and peace of mind. Old ways sometimes die hard and are quick to come back. It is easy to slip back into dishonesty, but I can never afford to lie to myself about my addiction. I am an alcoholic and an addict. I must rely on the guidance from my Higher Power and find the courage to remain true to myself and to my Higher Power. It is the only way to find freedom. Do I let dishonesty enslave my heart and mind?
Petitions to my Higher Power
God,

Today let me be honest and truthful in all that I do. When fear grabs my heart, help me to find courage to speak in truth. When I want to run and hide, let me seek Your guidance. Lead me to freedom.

Amen.

[mellotripp]

I looked up dishonesty in the book "As Bill See's it". It said "see Honesty". I thought to myself, " I am trying to learn how to be dishonest an stay sober, I don't want to have to actually be honest" Oh, well, that is just a true experience I had to share.

[mellotripp]

Oh by the way, the day I was honest with myself and walked into these rooms an said,
"My name is Joe and I am an alcoholic and drugaddict," you never forgot that. God help me if I ever forget it again.

[fibiray]

Honesty is something that I have to work at at times even in recovery. I grew up in a very dishonest household so being dishonest was the so called norm for me. Chuck in a disease like alcoholism and budda budda boom you have pathological dishonesty. This disease is cunning and will have me believing the most ridiculours thing or even reasoning and rationalising the outrageous. Practice these principles in ALL OUR AFFAIRS, not just some here and there. I often find that my conscnience won't let me get away with too much and even when a store owner gives me the wrong change the instant it happens I automatically think quick shut up and put it in your pocket. Then my program kicks in and I end up turning around and tapping the person on the shoulder and say hey you gave me the wrong change. Everything inside me said you idiot you should have kept it but then once I do the right thing I feel good inside.
I have seen many in the fellowship over the years manage to get time up in recovery and yet they are still ripping off the system and ripping off their employers and I know I don't want to be that way. I want something better for myself and I know that I am capable of better. I just have to work at it thats all. So honesty is still very relevant even today because it is easy to rest on your laurels. thanks for letting me share.

Fi
xxx