admin
04-18-2008, 04:13 PM
Daily Reflections
BROTHERS IN OUR DEFECTS
We recovered alcoholics are not so much brothers in virtue
as we are brothers in our defects, and in our common
strivings to overcome them.
AS BILL SEES IT, p. 167
The identification that one alcoholic has with another is
mysterious, spiritual--almost incomprehensible. But it is
there. I "feel" it. Today I feel that I can help people
and that they can help me.
It is a new and exciting feeling for me to care for someone;
to care what they are feeling, hoping for, praying for; to
know their sadness, joy, horror, sorrow, grief; to want to
share those feelings so that someone can have relief. I
never knew how to do this--or how to try. I never even cared.
The Fellowship of A.A., and God, are teaching me how to care
about others.
************************************************** *********
Twenty-Four Hours A Day
A.A. Thought For The Day
Since I've been putting sobriety into my life, I've been
taking out a lot of good things. I can describe it best as
a kind of quiet satisfaction. I feel good. I feel right with
the world, on the right side of the fence. As long as I put
sobriety into my life, almost everything I take out is good.
The satisfaction you get out of living a sober life is made
up of a lot of little things. You have the ambition to do
things you didn't feel like doing when you were drinking.
Am I getting satisfaction out of living a sober life?
Meditation For The Day
It is a glorious way - the upward way. There are wonderful
discoveries in the realm of the spirit. There are tender
intimacies in the quiet times of communion with God. There
is an amazing, almost incomprehensible understanding of the
other person. On the upward way, you can have all the
strength you need from that Higher Power. You cannot make
too many demands on Him for strength. He gives you all the
power you need, as long as you are moving along the upward
way.
Prayer For The Day
I pray that I may see the beautiful horizons ahead on the
upward way. I pray that I may keep going forward to the more
abundant life.
************************************************** *********
As Bill Sees It
Whose Will? p. 170
We have seen A.A.'s ask with much earnestness and faith for God's explicit guidance
on matters ranging all the way from a shattering domestic or financial crisis to a
minor personal fault, like tardiness. A man who tries to run his life rigidly by this kind of
prayer, by this self-serving demand of God for replies, is a particularly
disconcerting individual. To any questioning or criticism of his actions, he instantly
proffers his reliance upon prayer for guidance in all matters great or small.
He may have forgotten the possibility that his own wishful thinking and the human
tendency to rationalize have distorted his so-called guidance. With the best of
intentions, he tends to force his will into all sorts of situations and problems with the
comfortable assurance that he is acting under God's specific direction.
12 & 12, pp. 103-104
************************************************** *********
Walk in Dry Places
Who pushes my buttons?
Personal Relations
AA old-timers would be mystified today to hear program members talk about people “pushing their buttons.” (They can't get your goat if they don't know where it is tied) This expression wasn't around when the early AA members pulled themselves out of the swamp and began their long journey to sobriety.
But they had their buttons pushed aplenty. Dr. Bob, treating alcoholics at St. Thomas Hospital; heard snide comments from other physicians who resented giving bed space to drunks. Bill W. struggling to launch a worldwide movement, took most every alcoholic, then and now, gets some heavy kidding from the world of drinkers.
What is the real problem in these instances? Are others pushing our buttons, or do we set ourselves up for this by being sensitive and vulnerable? Nobody could push our buttons if we didn't have buttons to push.
We no longer have to worry about button-pushers if we accept them as they are, realizing that we don't need their approval and can't really be hurt by anything they do or say. Our serenity in the face of such problems may actually serve to attract people to AA.
Nobody can push my buttons unless I let them. Today I'll be serene and clam no matter what others say and do. Thanks to the program, I'll not worry about certain individuals who try to get under my skin.
************************************************** *********
Keep It Simple
We give thanks for unknown blessings already on their way. Sacred ritual chant.
Good things keep happening to us. We are sober. We can think clearly. We can see progress on how we handle our problems. We have friends. We have love. We have hope.
We are starting to feel joy. Our fears are getting smaller. We are starting to trust our new way of life. Our new life brings good things to us. It brings blessings every day. We are beginning to expect them. But we’re still surprised at how good life can be. What a difference from the days before we entered our program!
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, thank-you for the blessings You keep on giving. And thanks for whatever today will bring.
Action for the Day: One way to give thanks for my blessings is to share them with others. How can I share my recovery today?
************************************************** *********
Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition
ANOTHER CHANCE - Poor, black, totally ruled by alcohol, she felt shut away from any life worth living. But when she began a prison sentence, a door opened.
I felt that I didn't have anything to live for, so I tried suicide many times. But I would always wake up in the psychiatric ward to begin another long treatment. After a while I found that the psycho ward was a good place to hide when I had taken something stolen to the pawnshop. I thought if the cops did come to the hospital, the doctors would tell them I was crazy and didn't know what I was doing. But then one good doctor told me there was nothing wrong with me except drinking too much. He said if I came back again, the would send me to the state hospital. I didn't want that, so I stopped going to the psycho ward.
pp. 532-533
************************************************** *********
Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions
Step Eight - "Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all."
We might next ask ourselves what we mean when we say that we have "harmed" other people. What kinds of "harm" do people do one another, anyway? To define the word "harm" in a practical way, we might call it the result of instincts in collision, which cause physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual damage to people. If our tempers are consistently bad, we arouse anger in others. If we lie or cheat, we deprive others not only of their worldly goods, but of their emotional security and peace of mind. We really issue them an invitation to become contemptuous and vengeful. If our sex conduct is selfish, we may excite jealousy, misery, and a strong desire to retaliate in kind.
p. 80
************************************************** *********
Time is the greatest gift of all.
--Cited in Even More of...The Best of BITS & PIECES
Gifts are for giving.
--Ian and Sylvia Tyson
"Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way
things turn out."
--John Wooden
"A happy person is not a person in a certain set of circumstances, but
rather a person with a certain set of attitudes."
-Scottish Proverb
My sponsor pointed out that now that I've been around the program
for awhile there is no denial . . . there is only refusal.
--Anonymous
With accepting God in my life each day, Through the trials and
triumphs, I rest in comfort knowing God is leading me to Him.
--Tammy B.
You'll never plow a field by turning it over in your mind.
--Irish Proverb
************************************************** *********
Father Leo's Daily Meditation
FREEDOM
"Freedom is the right to choose:
the right to create for yourself the
alternatives of choice. Without the
possibility of choice and the
exercise of choice a man is not a
man but a member, an instrument,
a thing ..."
--Archibald MacLeish
Spirituality involves the freedom to change; it requires the variety of
choice in order to grow.
My past addiction was a life of slavery because it removed from me
creative choice and left me obsessing about drugs and alcohol. My life,
conversation and thoughts revolved around the bottle, and I was
oblivious to the true meaning of life. I could not "do better" in my life
because I was addicted not only to drugs but to the destructive
lifestyle that goes with them. My freedom to experience the spiritual
power of God's creativity was lost to a mindless craving for drugs; in
this sense, drug addiction is slavery.
Today I am free to see God's world in people, places and things and I
make a choice to live, love and laugh.
I am growing in the awareness of Your multifaceted love for me.
************************************************** *********
Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that
hope in the Lord.
Psalm 31:24
Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is
perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our
light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more
exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the
things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For
the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not
seen are eternal.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18
************************************************** *********
Daily Inspiration
Peace is one of our greatest needs because it provides for the strength we need in times of turmoil. Lord, I turn to You because You are my source of peace.
Stand tall and smile often and it will be very difficult to be unhappy. Lord, may my disposition reflect the joy and peace that is Your Will.
BROTHERS IN OUR DEFECTS
We recovered alcoholics are not so much brothers in virtue
as we are brothers in our defects, and in our common
strivings to overcome them.
AS BILL SEES IT, p. 167
The identification that one alcoholic has with another is
mysterious, spiritual--almost incomprehensible. But it is
there. I "feel" it. Today I feel that I can help people
and that they can help me.
It is a new and exciting feeling for me to care for someone;
to care what they are feeling, hoping for, praying for; to
know their sadness, joy, horror, sorrow, grief; to want to
share those feelings so that someone can have relief. I
never knew how to do this--or how to try. I never even cared.
The Fellowship of A.A., and God, are teaching me how to care
about others.
************************************************** *********
Twenty-Four Hours A Day
A.A. Thought For The Day
Since I've been putting sobriety into my life, I've been
taking out a lot of good things. I can describe it best as
a kind of quiet satisfaction. I feel good. I feel right with
the world, on the right side of the fence. As long as I put
sobriety into my life, almost everything I take out is good.
The satisfaction you get out of living a sober life is made
up of a lot of little things. You have the ambition to do
things you didn't feel like doing when you were drinking.
Am I getting satisfaction out of living a sober life?
Meditation For The Day
It is a glorious way - the upward way. There are wonderful
discoveries in the realm of the spirit. There are tender
intimacies in the quiet times of communion with God. There
is an amazing, almost incomprehensible understanding of the
other person. On the upward way, you can have all the
strength you need from that Higher Power. You cannot make
too many demands on Him for strength. He gives you all the
power you need, as long as you are moving along the upward
way.
Prayer For The Day
I pray that I may see the beautiful horizons ahead on the
upward way. I pray that I may keep going forward to the more
abundant life.
************************************************** *********
As Bill Sees It
Whose Will? p. 170
We have seen A.A.'s ask with much earnestness and faith for God's explicit guidance
on matters ranging all the way from a shattering domestic or financial crisis to a
minor personal fault, like tardiness. A man who tries to run his life rigidly by this kind of
prayer, by this self-serving demand of God for replies, is a particularly
disconcerting individual. To any questioning or criticism of his actions, he instantly
proffers his reliance upon prayer for guidance in all matters great or small.
He may have forgotten the possibility that his own wishful thinking and the human
tendency to rationalize have distorted his so-called guidance. With the best of
intentions, he tends to force his will into all sorts of situations and problems with the
comfortable assurance that he is acting under God's specific direction.
12 & 12, pp. 103-104
************************************************** *********
Walk in Dry Places
Who pushes my buttons?
Personal Relations
AA old-timers would be mystified today to hear program members talk about people “pushing their buttons.” (They can't get your goat if they don't know where it is tied) This expression wasn't around when the early AA members pulled themselves out of the swamp and began their long journey to sobriety.
But they had their buttons pushed aplenty. Dr. Bob, treating alcoholics at St. Thomas Hospital; heard snide comments from other physicians who resented giving bed space to drunks. Bill W. struggling to launch a worldwide movement, took most every alcoholic, then and now, gets some heavy kidding from the world of drinkers.
What is the real problem in these instances? Are others pushing our buttons, or do we set ourselves up for this by being sensitive and vulnerable? Nobody could push our buttons if we didn't have buttons to push.
We no longer have to worry about button-pushers if we accept them as they are, realizing that we don't need their approval and can't really be hurt by anything they do or say. Our serenity in the face of such problems may actually serve to attract people to AA.
Nobody can push my buttons unless I let them. Today I'll be serene and clam no matter what others say and do. Thanks to the program, I'll not worry about certain individuals who try to get under my skin.
************************************************** *********
Keep It Simple
We give thanks for unknown blessings already on their way. Sacred ritual chant.
Good things keep happening to us. We are sober. We can think clearly. We can see progress on how we handle our problems. We have friends. We have love. We have hope.
We are starting to feel joy. Our fears are getting smaller. We are starting to trust our new way of life. Our new life brings good things to us. It brings blessings every day. We are beginning to expect them. But we’re still surprised at how good life can be. What a difference from the days before we entered our program!
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, thank-you for the blessings You keep on giving. And thanks for whatever today will bring.
Action for the Day: One way to give thanks for my blessings is to share them with others. How can I share my recovery today?
************************************************** *********
Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition
ANOTHER CHANCE - Poor, black, totally ruled by alcohol, she felt shut away from any life worth living. But when she began a prison sentence, a door opened.
I felt that I didn't have anything to live for, so I tried suicide many times. But I would always wake up in the psychiatric ward to begin another long treatment. After a while I found that the psycho ward was a good place to hide when I had taken something stolen to the pawnshop. I thought if the cops did come to the hospital, the doctors would tell them I was crazy and didn't know what I was doing. But then one good doctor told me there was nothing wrong with me except drinking too much. He said if I came back again, the would send me to the state hospital. I didn't want that, so I stopped going to the psycho ward.
pp. 532-533
************************************************** *********
Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions
Step Eight - "Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all."
We might next ask ourselves what we mean when we say that we have "harmed" other people. What kinds of "harm" do people do one another, anyway? To define the word "harm" in a practical way, we might call it the result of instincts in collision, which cause physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual damage to people. If our tempers are consistently bad, we arouse anger in others. If we lie or cheat, we deprive others not only of their worldly goods, but of their emotional security and peace of mind. We really issue them an invitation to become contemptuous and vengeful. If our sex conduct is selfish, we may excite jealousy, misery, and a strong desire to retaliate in kind.
p. 80
************************************************** *********
Time is the greatest gift of all.
--Cited in Even More of...The Best of BITS & PIECES
Gifts are for giving.
--Ian and Sylvia Tyson
"Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way
things turn out."
--John Wooden
"A happy person is not a person in a certain set of circumstances, but
rather a person with a certain set of attitudes."
-Scottish Proverb
My sponsor pointed out that now that I've been around the program
for awhile there is no denial . . . there is only refusal.
--Anonymous
With accepting God in my life each day, Through the trials and
triumphs, I rest in comfort knowing God is leading me to Him.
--Tammy B.
You'll never plow a field by turning it over in your mind.
--Irish Proverb
************************************************** *********
Father Leo's Daily Meditation
FREEDOM
"Freedom is the right to choose:
the right to create for yourself the
alternatives of choice. Without the
possibility of choice and the
exercise of choice a man is not a
man but a member, an instrument,
a thing ..."
--Archibald MacLeish
Spirituality involves the freedom to change; it requires the variety of
choice in order to grow.
My past addiction was a life of slavery because it removed from me
creative choice and left me obsessing about drugs and alcohol. My life,
conversation and thoughts revolved around the bottle, and I was
oblivious to the true meaning of life. I could not "do better" in my life
because I was addicted not only to drugs but to the destructive
lifestyle that goes with them. My freedom to experience the spiritual
power of God's creativity was lost to a mindless craving for drugs; in
this sense, drug addiction is slavery.
Today I am free to see God's world in people, places and things and I
make a choice to live, love and laugh.
I am growing in the awareness of Your multifaceted love for me.
************************************************** *********
Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that
hope in the Lord.
Psalm 31:24
Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is
perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our
light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more
exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the
things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For
the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not
seen are eternal.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18
************************************************** *********
Daily Inspiration
Peace is one of our greatest needs because it provides for the strength we need in times of turmoil. Lord, I turn to You because You are my source of peace.
Stand tall and smile often and it will be very difficult to be unhappy. Lord, may my disposition reflect the joy and peace that is Your Will.