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12-19-2007, 04:09 PM
Daily Reflections
THE REWARDS OF GIVING
This is indeed the kind of giving that actually demands
nothing. He does not expect his brother sufferer to pay
him, or even to love him. And then he discovers that by
the divine paradox of this kind of giving he has found
his own reward, whether his brother has yet received
anything or not.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 109
Through experience with Twelfth Step work, I came to
understand the rewards of giving that demands nothing in
return. At first I expected recovery in others, but I
soon learned that this did not happen. Once I acquired
the humility to accept the fact that every Twelfth Step
call was not going to result in a success, then I was
open to receive the rewards of selfless giving.
************************************************** *********
Twenty-Four Hours A Day
A.A. Thought For The Day
Our faith should control the whole of our life. We
alcoholics were living a divided life. We had to find a
way to make it whole. When we were drinking, our lives
were made up of a lot of scattered and unrelated pieces.
We must pick up our lives and put them back together
again. We do it by recovering a faith in a Divine
Principle in the universe which hold us together and
holds the whole universe together and gives it meaning
and purpose. We surrender our disorganized lives to that
Power, we get into harmony with the Divine Spirit, and
our lives are made whole again. Is my life whole again?
Meditation For The Day
Avoid fear as you would a plague. Fear, even the smallest
fear, is a hacking at the cords of faith that bind you to
God. However small the fraying, in time those cords will
wear thin, and then one disappointment or shock will make
them snap. But for the little fears, the cords of faith
would have held firm. Avoid depression, which is allied to
fear. Remember that all fear is disloyalty to God. It is a
denial of His care and protection.
Prayer For The Day
I pray that I may have such trust in God today that I will
not fear anything too greatly. I pray that I may have
assurance that God will take care of me in the long run.
************************************************** *********
As Bill Sees It
Toward Partnership, p. 292
When the distortion of family life through alcohol has been great, a
long period of patient striving may be necessary. After the husband
joins A.A., the wife may become discontented, even highly resentful
that A.A. has done the very thing that all her years of devotion had
failed to do. Her husband may become so wrapped up in A.A. and his
new friends that he is inconsiderately away from home more than
when he drank. Each then blames the other.
But eventually the alcoholic, now fully understanding how much he did
to hurt his wife and children, nearly always takes up his marriage
responsibilities with a willingness to repair what he can and accept
what he can't. He persistently tries all of A.A.'s Twelve Steps in his
home, often with fine results. He firmly but lovingly commences to
behave like a partner instead of like a bad boy.
12 & 12, pp. 118-119
************************************************** *********
Walk In Dry Places
Returning to Basics
Continuing.
Now and then, an AA discussion focuses on the theme of "returning to the basics." This is a good time to shake out the excessive concerns that might be cluttering up our lives.
No matter how long we've been living in sobriety, we can never afford to dismiss the basic reasons we came to AA in the first place. We had made a mess of our lives, and no human power could relieve our alcoholism. By accepting and admitting this, we were able to find a new way of life.
This was also our admission ticket to the larger society, where people are concerned about many things. We sometimes become too caught up in all these concerns even to the extent of forgetting our own needs. It's good, occasionally, to focus a meeting on AA basics. they are as essential today as they were when we first knew that we needed them.
I'll remind myself today that the basics give me a firm foundation on which to stand.
************************************************** *********
Keep It Simple
There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.
---Edith Wharton
Our Higher Power is the candle. And our hearts, like a mirror, reflect a warm, loving glow.
But when we used alcohol and other drugs, we tired to be the candle. We wanted to have control. Many of us acted like this to hide how out of control we felt. We never thought we could be happy by admitting we were out of control.
In recovery, we accept that it’s okay to be the mirror. We accept that our Higher Power is the candle that guides us. We want to be the mirror that reflects how much our Higher Power loves us.
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, thank-you for the light and warmth You give me.
Action for the Day: Tonight, I’ll light a candle and place it in front of a mirror. I’ll study how they work together to light the room.
************************************************** *********
Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition
ON THE MOVE - Working the A.A. program showed this alcoholic how to get from geographics to gratitude.
It took some time, but I eventually made it to my first meeting. I had gone out on New Year's Eve. When I came to, I thought it was the next morning. As I held my head steady, popped some aspirin, and tried to drink a cup of coffee, I glanced at the front page of the newspaper. It was January 9, and I had been in a blackout for over a week. After everything else that had happened, that was terrifying enough to get me to my first meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous.
p. 489
************************************************** *********
Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions
Step Two - "Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity."
To clergymen, doctors, friends, and families, the alcoholic who means well and tries hard is a heartbreaking riddle. To most A.A.'s, he is not. There are too many of us who have been just like him, and have found the riddle's answer. This answer has to do with the quality of faith rather than its quantity. This has been our blind spot. We supposed we had humility when really we hadn't. We supposed we had been serious about religious practices when, upon honest appraisal, we found we had been only superficial. Or, going to the other extreme, we had wallowed in emotionalism and had mistaken it for true religious feeling. In both cases, we had been asking something for nothing. The fact was we really hadn't cleaned house so that the grace of God could enter us and expel the obsession. In no deep or meaningful sense had we ever taken stock of ourselves, made amends to those we had harmed, or freely given to any other human being without any demand for reward. We had not even prayed rightly. We had always said, "Grant me my wishes" instead of "Thy will be done." The love of God and man we understood not at all. Therefore we remained self-deceived, and so incapable of receiving enough grace to restore us to sanity.
p. 32
************************************************** *********
Our struggle to be perfect at every stage of life is a common element of the human
conditions. What comes with age and wisdom is acceptance of our imperfections.
--Karen Casey & Martha Vanceburg
Don't think there are no crocodiles because the water's calm.
--Malaysian Proverb
"One thing at a time, all things in succession. That which grows slowly endures."
--J. G. Hubbard
"Very often a change of self is needed more than a change of scene."
--Arthur Christopher Benson
For it is in giving that we receive.
--Saint Francis of Assisi
My spiritual home. is one of peace, serenity, and contentment.
--Shelley
I can go to a quiet spiritual place, one with God, and feel this busy world around me,
is refreshed in beauty, love, and serenity.
--Shelley
************************************************** *********
Father Leo's Daily Meditation
PESSIMISM
"Pessimist: One who, when he has
the choice of two evils, chooses
both."
-- Oscar Wilde
Today I am able to see how I was always looking on the "gloomy" side of life. The
glass was always half empty! I can remember thinking that nothing good was ever
going to happen, life was to be endured, everybody had a price and people were all
selfishly out for themselves.
I projected onto others my own sickness, my own despair, my own pessimism. It was
a suicidal existence. Today I choose to be a positive and creative person who refuses
to be surrounded by negativism. My attitude in life makes all the difference to my
enjoyment of life. Today my glass is more than half full and I am happy.
In the gift of choice, I recognize my potential joy.
************************************************** *********
"I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety."
Psalm 4:8
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with
thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends
all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
Philippians 4:6-7
In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.
Proverbs 16:9
The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are
spirit and they are life.
John 6:63
************************************************** *********
Daily Inspiration
Thoughts are powerful, so pay close attention to what you think about. Lord, help me to think thoughts of love, peace and abundance so that this becomes my experience.
There is a time for everything. Take time to pray, to sing, to laugh, to work and to touch the hearts of others. Lord, help me be aware that today will never return so that I will not misuse my time or waste it unwisely.
THE REWARDS OF GIVING
This is indeed the kind of giving that actually demands
nothing. He does not expect his brother sufferer to pay
him, or even to love him. And then he discovers that by
the divine paradox of this kind of giving he has found
his own reward, whether his brother has yet received
anything or not.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 109
Through experience with Twelfth Step work, I came to
understand the rewards of giving that demands nothing in
return. At first I expected recovery in others, but I
soon learned that this did not happen. Once I acquired
the humility to accept the fact that every Twelfth Step
call was not going to result in a success, then I was
open to receive the rewards of selfless giving.
************************************************** *********
Twenty-Four Hours A Day
A.A. Thought For The Day
Our faith should control the whole of our life. We
alcoholics were living a divided life. We had to find a
way to make it whole. When we were drinking, our lives
were made up of a lot of scattered and unrelated pieces.
We must pick up our lives and put them back together
again. We do it by recovering a faith in a Divine
Principle in the universe which hold us together and
holds the whole universe together and gives it meaning
and purpose. We surrender our disorganized lives to that
Power, we get into harmony with the Divine Spirit, and
our lives are made whole again. Is my life whole again?
Meditation For The Day
Avoid fear as you would a plague. Fear, even the smallest
fear, is a hacking at the cords of faith that bind you to
God. However small the fraying, in time those cords will
wear thin, and then one disappointment or shock will make
them snap. But for the little fears, the cords of faith
would have held firm. Avoid depression, which is allied to
fear. Remember that all fear is disloyalty to God. It is a
denial of His care and protection.
Prayer For The Day
I pray that I may have such trust in God today that I will
not fear anything too greatly. I pray that I may have
assurance that God will take care of me in the long run.
************************************************** *********
As Bill Sees It
Toward Partnership, p. 292
When the distortion of family life through alcohol has been great, a
long period of patient striving may be necessary. After the husband
joins A.A., the wife may become discontented, even highly resentful
that A.A. has done the very thing that all her years of devotion had
failed to do. Her husband may become so wrapped up in A.A. and his
new friends that he is inconsiderately away from home more than
when he drank. Each then blames the other.
But eventually the alcoholic, now fully understanding how much he did
to hurt his wife and children, nearly always takes up his marriage
responsibilities with a willingness to repair what he can and accept
what he can't. He persistently tries all of A.A.'s Twelve Steps in his
home, often with fine results. He firmly but lovingly commences to
behave like a partner instead of like a bad boy.
12 & 12, pp. 118-119
************************************************** *********
Walk In Dry Places
Returning to Basics
Continuing.
Now and then, an AA discussion focuses on the theme of "returning to the basics." This is a good time to shake out the excessive concerns that might be cluttering up our lives.
No matter how long we've been living in sobriety, we can never afford to dismiss the basic reasons we came to AA in the first place. We had made a mess of our lives, and no human power could relieve our alcoholism. By accepting and admitting this, we were able to find a new way of life.
This was also our admission ticket to the larger society, where people are concerned about many things. We sometimes become too caught up in all these concerns even to the extent of forgetting our own needs. It's good, occasionally, to focus a meeting on AA basics. they are as essential today as they were when we first knew that we needed them.
I'll remind myself today that the basics give me a firm foundation on which to stand.
************************************************** *********
Keep It Simple
There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.
---Edith Wharton
Our Higher Power is the candle. And our hearts, like a mirror, reflect a warm, loving glow.
But when we used alcohol and other drugs, we tired to be the candle. We wanted to have control. Many of us acted like this to hide how out of control we felt. We never thought we could be happy by admitting we were out of control.
In recovery, we accept that it’s okay to be the mirror. We accept that our Higher Power is the candle that guides us. We want to be the mirror that reflects how much our Higher Power loves us.
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, thank-you for the light and warmth You give me.
Action for the Day: Tonight, I’ll light a candle and place it in front of a mirror. I’ll study how they work together to light the room.
************************************************** *********
Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition
ON THE MOVE - Working the A.A. program showed this alcoholic how to get from geographics to gratitude.
It took some time, but I eventually made it to my first meeting. I had gone out on New Year's Eve. When I came to, I thought it was the next morning. As I held my head steady, popped some aspirin, and tried to drink a cup of coffee, I glanced at the front page of the newspaper. It was January 9, and I had been in a blackout for over a week. After everything else that had happened, that was terrifying enough to get me to my first meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous.
p. 489
************************************************** *********
Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions
Step Two - "Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity."
To clergymen, doctors, friends, and families, the alcoholic who means well and tries hard is a heartbreaking riddle. To most A.A.'s, he is not. There are too many of us who have been just like him, and have found the riddle's answer. This answer has to do with the quality of faith rather than its quantity. This has been our blind spot. We supposed we had humility when really we hadn't. We supposed we had been serious about religious practices when, upon honest appraisal, we found we had been only superficial. Or, going to the other extreme, we had wallowed in emotionalism and had mistaken it for true religious feeling. In both cases, we had been asking something for nothing. The fact was we really hadn't cleaned house so that the grace of God could enter us and expel the obsession. In no deep or meaningful sense had we ever taken stock of ourselves, made amends to those we had harmed, or freely given to any other human being without any demand for reward. We had not even prayed rightly. We had always said, "Grant me my wishes" instead of "Thy will be done." The love of God and man we understood not at all. Therefore we remained self-deceived, and so incapable of receiving enough grace to restore us to sanity.
p. 32
************************************************** *********
Our struggle to be perfect at every stage of life is a common element of the human
conditions. What comes with age and wisdom is acceptance of our imperfections.
--Karen Casey & Martha Vanceburg
Don't think there are no crocodiles because the water's calm.
--Malaysian Proverb
"One thing at a time, all things in succession. That which grows slowly endures."
--J. G. Hubbard
"Very often a change of self is needed more than a change of scene."
--Arthur Christopher Benson
For it is in giving that we receive.
--Saint Francis of Assisi
My spiritual home. is one of peace, serenity, and contentment.
--Shelley
I can go to a quiet spiritual place, one with God, and feel this busy world around me,
is refreshed in beauty, love, and serenity.
--Shelley
************************************************** *********
Father Leo's Daily Meditation
PESSIMISM
"Pessimist: One who, when he has
the choice of two evils, chooses
both."
-- Oscar Wilde
Today I am able to see how I was always looking on the "gloomy" side of life. The
glass was always half empty! I can remember thinking that nothing good was ever
going to happen, life was to be endured, everybody had a price and people were all
selfishly out for themselves.
I projected onto others my own sickness, my own despair, my own pessimism. It was
a suicidal existence. Today I choose to be a positive and creative person who refuses
to be surrounded by negativism. My attitude in life makes all the difference to my
enjoyment of life. Today my glass is more than half full and I am happy.
In the gift of choice, I recognize my potential joy.
************************************************** *********
"I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety."
Psalm 4:8
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with
thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends
all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
Philippians 4:6-7
In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.
Proverbs 16:9
The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are
spirit and they are life.
John 6:63
************************************************** *********
Daily Inspiration
Thoughts are powerful, so pay close attention to what you think about. Lord, help me to think thoughts of love, peace and abundance so that this becomes my experience.
There is a time for everything. Take time to pray, to sing, to laugh, to work and to touch the hearts of others. Lord, help me be aware that today will never return so that I will not misuse my time or waste it unwisely.