Daily Recovery Readings - 6/18

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Daily Reflections

A FELLOWSHIP OF FREEDOM

. . . if only men were granted absolute liberty, and were compelled to obey no one, they would then voluntarily associate themselves in the common interest.
AS BILL SEES IT, p. 50

When I no longer live under the dictates of another or of alcohol, I live in a new freedom. When I release the past and all the excess baggage I have carried for so very long, I come to know freedom. I have been introduced into a life and a fellowship of freedom. The Steps are a "recommended" way of finding a new life, there are no commands or dictates in A.A. I am free to serve from desire rather than decree. There is the understanding that I will benefit from the growth of other members and I take what I learn and bring it back to the group. The "common welfare" finds room to grow in the society of personal freedom.

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Twenty-Four Hours A Day

A.A. Thought For The Day

The A.A. way of living is not an easy one. But it's an adventure in living that is really worthwhile. And it's so much better than our old drunken way of living that there's no comparison. Our lives without A.A. would be worth nothing. With A.A., we have a chance to live reasonably good lives. It's worth the battle, no matter how tough the going is from day to day. Isn't it worth the battle?

Meditation For The Day

The spiritual life has two parts. One is the life apart, the life of prayer and quiet communion with God. You spend this part of your life apart with God. Every day your mind can be set in the right direction so that your thoughts will be of the right kind. The other is the life impart--imparting from others what you have learned from your own meditative experience. The victories you have won over yourself through the help of God can be shared with others. You can help them by imparting to them some of the victory and security that you have gained in your life apart.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that I may grow strong from my times apart with God. I pray that I may pass on some of this strength to others.

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As Bill Sees It

Aspects of Tolerance, p. 175

All kinds of people have found their way into A.A. Not too long ago, I sat talking in my
office with a member who bears the title of Countess. That same night, I went to an A.A.
meeting. It was winter, and there was a mild-looking little gent taking the coats. I said,
"Who's that?"

And somebody answered, "Oh, he's been around for a long time. Everybody likes him.
He used to be one of Al Capone's mob." That's how universal A.A. is today.

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

We have no desire to convince anyone that there is only one way by which faith can
be acquired. All of us, whatever our race, creed, or color, are the children of a living
Creator, with whom we may form a relationship upon simple and understandable terms
as soon as we are willing and honest enough to try.

1. A.A. Comes Of Age, p. 102
2. Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 28

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Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

The Housewife Who Drank At Home

She hid her bottles in clothes hampers and dresser drawers. In A.A., she discovered she had lost nothing and had found everything.

I needed that alcohol. I couldn't live without it. I couldn't do anything without it. But there came a point when I could no longer live with it. And that came after a three-weeks' illness of my son. The doctor prescribed a teaspoon of brandy for the boy to help him through the night when he coughed. Well, of course, that was all I needed---to switch from wine to brandy for three weeks. I knew nothing about alcoholism or D.T.'s, but when I woke up on that last morning of my son's illness, I taped the keyhole on my door because "everyone was out there." I paced back and forth in the apartment with the cold sweats. I screamed on the telephone for my mother to get up there; something was going to happen; I didn't know what, but if she didn't get there quick, I'd split wide open. I called my husband up and told home to come home.

pp. 297-298

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Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Tradition Two - "For our group purpose, there is but one ultimate authority - a loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience."

What are these facts of A.A. life which brought us to this apparently impractical principle?
John Doe, a good A.A. moves - let us say - to Middletown, U.S.A. Alone now, he reflects that he may not be able to stay sober, or even alive, unless he passes on to other alcoholics what was so freely given him. He feels a spiritual and ethical compulsion, because hundreds may be suffering within reach of his help. Then, too, he misses his home group. He needs other alcoholics as much as they need him. He visits preachers, doctors, editors, policemen , and bartenders ... with the result that Middletown now has a group, and he is the founder.

pp. 132-133

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"If we've been fighting something or someone, we can try gratitude & acceptance."
--Melody Beattie

"My philosophy is that not only are you responsible for your life, but doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment."
--Oprah Winfrey

"Confidence, like art, never comes from having all the answers; it comes from being open to all the questions."
--Earl Gray Stevens

"Whatever your problem, no matter how difficult, you can release spiritual power sufficient to solve your problem. The secret is--pray and believe."
--Norman Vincent Peale

"When you focus on what might have been, it gets in the way of what can be."
--Patricia Fripp

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Father Leo's Daily Meditation

ACCEPTANCE

"Less is more."
--Mies van der Rohe

As a gambler, I always wanted more. I wanted to win more, get more, have more, spend more - always my energy was in getting "the more".
But this constant and demanding lifestyle only gave me less. I could never stop to smell the roses. Activity robbed me of satisfaction. I was running through my life and missing it.

Then somebody told me to stop and rest awhile. Don't chase life; enjoy it. The gambling had become a compulsive and obsessive disease that was ruining my life. I was losing. I was not only losing money - but family, intimacy, life. I was so busy trying to win that I missed the pain and loneliness of my daily losses.

Today I choose not to do this. I accept that the "less" in my life is giving me more. I take responsibility for me, and I share freely with other recovering gamblers.

God, teach me to see Your power and beauty in what I can give up.

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For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord.
Ephesians 5:8-10

Do not love sleep or you will grow poor; stay awake and you will have food to spare.
Psalm 20:13

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Daily Inspiration

Live with gratitude for all that you are and all that you have because often what looks good on the outside is not really what it seems. Lord, remind me to spend a few moments each day appreciating my life and becoming aware of how good it really is.

Worse than being a quitter is the one who is afraid to begin. Lord, grant me the courage to believe in myself and the ability to focus on what I can do, not what I can't do.

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You are reading from the book Today's Gift.
Let your conscience be your guide. --Jiminy Cricket
Crickets sing on summer nights because it's their nature to do so. They don't think about whistling or trumpeting or sleeping or changing the world. They've figured out their role on earth, and they do it.
We are a bit more complex than crickets, and most of the time that's lucky. In most of our affairs it's our conscience more than sheer instinct that helps us choose those thoughts and acts and feelings that are right for us.
Each of us has that little voice inside, relentless as a chirping cricket, telling us what to do. Even in the middle of our toughest decisions, we always have within us the solution that is right for us. All we have to do is listen--and trust.
What does my inner voice say about today's decisions?


You are reading from the book Touchstones.
Choice of attention - to pay attention to this and ignore that - is to the inner life what choice of action is to the outer. In both cases, a man is responsible for his choice and must accept the consequences. --W. H. Auden
Many of us have said, "I can't help myself!" when we tried to stop our constant thinking about other people or their behavior. "I know it's not good for me, but what can I do when they keep acting that way?"
Let us think of ourselves as living in a house with many windows. At each window is a different view, and within each view are many things to catch our attention. Perhaps there are some people, some traffic, some buildings, a horizon, and some trees. If we always go to the same window and focus on the same object, we are not using all our choices. We may have overlooked some things in our lives that need attention. There are many things we are totally powerless over. Our power exists in changing the focus of our attention.
Today, I will notice where I am choosing to pay attention. I pray for guidance in being aware of my options.


You are reading from the book Each Day a New Beginning.
. . . we could never learn to be brave and patient if there were only joy in the world. --Helen Keller
We chase after joy, like a child after a firefly, being certain that in joy all problems are solved, all questions are answered. Joy has its rewards, and we deserve them. But life has more to teach us.
We need to learn patience; through patience we come to respect time and its passage, and we are mellowed. We need to learn tolerance; through tolerance our appreciation of another's individuality is nurtured. We need to learn self-respect; self-respect prepares us to contribute more freely to our experiences, and we find wholeness.
Life's travails are our opportunities for lasting, enriching joy. The rough spots deepen our understandings. And these help us to bring joy to the lives of the friends near and dear.
I need not turn my back on joy. But I will be glad for all life's experiences. The panorama will sustain me more fully.


You are reading from the book The Language of Letting Go.
Being Vulnerable
Part of recovery means learning to share ourselves with other people. We learn to admit our mistakes and expose our imperfections - not so that others can fix us, rescue us, or feel sorry for us, but so we can love and accept ourselves. This sharing is a catalyst in healing and changing.
Many of us are fearful of sharing our imperfections because that makes us vulnerable. Some of us have tried being vulnerable in the past, and people tried to control, manipulate, or exploit us, or they made us feel ashamed.
Some of us in recovery have hurt ourselves by being vulnerable. We may have shared things with people who didn't respect our confidence. Or we may have told the wrong people at an inappropriate time, and scared them away.
We learn from our mistakes - and despite our mistakes, it is still a good thing to allow ourselves to be vulnerable and honest. We can learn to choose safe people with whom to share ourselves. We can learn to share appropriately, so we don't scare or push people away. We can also learn to let others be vulnerable with us.
Today, God, help me learn to be appropriately vulnerable. I will not let others exploit or shame me for being vulnerable, and I will not exploit myself.


I am learning new ways to deal with all that comes up in my life today. I am letting go of all negative ways of dealing with stress and anxiety that are harmful to my mind and my body. --Ruth Fishel

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Indirect Amends

"Indirect amends may be necessary where direct ones would be unsafe or endanger other people."
Basic Text, p.40

When we used, we allowed nothing to stand in the way of that next high. As a result, many of us didn't always know precisely whom we had injured, either financially or emotionally. When it came time to make amends through our Ninth Step, we found that there were so many people we had victimized that we might never remember them all.

With the help of our sponsor and other recovering members of NA, we found a solution to this obstacle. We vowed to complete these nameless amends by making restitution to our communities. We focused our service efforts on helping the still-suffering addict. In this manner, we found a way to give back to society.

Today, with the love and guidance of members in NA, we are giving back to the world around us rather than taking. We are making our communities better places to live by carrying the message of recovery to those we encounter in our daily lives.

Just for today: I will make indirect amends by reaching out to an addict who may need help. I will strive in some small way to make my community a better place in which to live.
pg. 176

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Wisdom for Today
In looking at the membership requirement of the program, we must admit our powerlessness and that our lives are unmanageable. For most of us this is either the hardest step to take or the easiest. For many, like myself, we enter the program not yet ready to become members. Denial and dishonesty keep us from accepting the reality of our illness. But there is something about sitting in those meetings and hearing other peoples stories that breaks down the wall of denial; and dishonesty crumbles away, letting the reality of addiction come to light. Here is where membership in gained.
For others the consequences of their disease screams so loudly that it can not be denied. Membership is not only accepted, but it is wanted. In desperation the alcoholic or addict embraces the program and it's membership. Regardless of how we enter the program or what road we take to it's doors; membership must be accepted and claimed for the program to work. It has only one requirement, a desire to stop the insanity of addiction. For those of us that have claimed this membership, we know that we have but started our journey. Each day we claim anew to be a member of this fellowship. Each day we claim the need for the program in our lives. Have I accepted membership in this program of recovery?
Meditations for the Heart
"I once was lost, but now I'm found." This line in the song Amazing Grace says it all. We walk through the door lost, but in the program we become found. In this program we are provided with a roadmap to recovery. We are given the principles and the steps that lead us on a journey of recovery. The path we must travel is not always easy, particularly in the early going. Over time the path widens, and it is no longer steep and winding. This is not to say that there are no twists or turns, just that as we become more and more familiar with using the roadmap, our journey becomes more predictable and more secure. In recovery we have many guides who will lead us from one point to another. These are but trusted servants who know the way better than we do. We simply need to follow the suggestions we are given, and these servants will lead us to a new horizon in our journey. Do I use the suggestions I am given?
Petitions to my Higher Power
God,
Thank you for leading me to the doorway of recovery. Here my eyes have been opened, and I can now claim membership in this program. Remind me each day to claim this membership again and again. This principle will keep me in a place to continue my journey. Thank You also for the trusted servants that so freely share what works and how to travel this path. Without them and Your guidance I would surely become lost again.
Amen

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You are reading from the book Food for Thought.

Homesickness

There are certain foods which we will always associate with home and which make us nostalgic to recapture the past. No matter how much we eat, we cannot go back home and again be the babies and little children we were. No food will satisfy our longing for the love, care, and safety most of us associate with home. Even (and especially) if our dependency needs were not met when we were young, eating unnecessary food now will not help.

As we grow in relationship with our Higher Power, we begin to believe that home lies ahead, rather than behind us. We begin to see that our homesickness is for a spiritual state instead of a physical place. Wherever we are, we are pilgrims and travelers, not sure of our final destination but drawn toward something more than what we know in this world. We sense that though we are in the world, we are not of it, that we are homesick for a spiritual fulfillment.

May our homesickness bring us closer to You.

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Walk in dry places____This Too Shall Pass
Fortitude
Growing older in sobriety, we soon become aware of the fact that both good and bad experiences eventually pass on. No matter how beautiful or ugly a situation becomes, it must change in time. In discussions, we catch this idea by reminding ourselves that “This too shall pass.”

We are very fortunate that this is true. Were it otherwise, intolerable conditions would last forever. Our business is to make sure that our own thoughts and actions lead to betterment, for ourselves and others. While we should be willing to accept unpleasantness if the re is no way of avoiding it, we should always hope…. And work….. for improvement.
When unpleasant experiences do pass on. We must also be careful not to resurrect them by brooding about how badly we were treated or trying to get even with others. This only prolongs the trouble. The good news in AA is that we can survive any experience and put it behind us.

………..Whatever I'm facing today, I'll know that it is temporary and has no power to keep me from the deeper happiness and gratitude I have in the 12 step program.

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Keep It Simple

Nothing is a waste of time if you use the experience wisely. Rodin

When we first start our recovery, it hurts a lot to look at our past. We feel sad. It feels like our life was a waste.
But it wasn't a waste. The program promises that if we practice the Steps, we'll not reget the past nor wish to shut the door on it. Hard to believe? Just look at all the happy old-timers in AA. Their lives were just as messed up as ours.
Because of our addiction, we're learning a new way to live. We are getting to know ourselves, our Higher Power, and other people.

Prayer for the Day
Higher Power, thanks for helping me into recovery. Help me learn from my addiction.

Action for the Day
I'll list three important things I've learned about life because of my addiction. I'll talk to my sponsor about them.