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04-19-2008, 04:50 PM
Daily Reflections
SELF-EXAMINATION
. . . we ask God to direct our thinking, especially asking
that it be divorced from self-pity, dishonest or self-seeking
motives.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 86
When said sincerely, this prayer teaches me to be truly
unselfish and humble, for even in doing good deeds I often
used to seek approval and glory for myself. By examining my
motives in all that I do, I can be of service to God and
others, helping them do what they want to do. When I put
God in charge of my thinking, much needless worry is
eliminated and I believe He guides me throughout the day.
When I eliminate thoughts of self-pity, dishonesty and
self-centeredness as soon as they enter my mind, I find
peace with God, my neighbor and myself.
************************************************** *********
Twenty-Four Hours A Day
A.A. Thought For The Day
The satisfaction you get out of living a sober life is,
made up of a lot of little things, but they add up to a
satisfactory and happy life. You take out of life what you
put into it. So I'd say to people coming into A.A.: "Don't
worry about what life will be like without liquor. just
hang in there and a lot of good things will happen to you.
And you'll have that feeling of quiet satisfaction and peace
and serenity and gratitude for the grace of God." Is my life
becoming really worth living?
Meditation For The Day
There are two paths, one up and one down. We have been given
free will to choose either path. We are captains of our souls
to this extent only. We can choose the good or the bad. Once
we have chosen the wrong path, we go down and down, eventually
to death. But if we choose the right path, we go up and UP,
until we come to the resurrection day. On the wrong path, we
have no power for good because we do not choose to ask for it.
But on the right path, we are on the side of good and we have
all the power of God's spirit behind us.
Prayer For The Day
I pray that I may be in the stream of goodness. I pray that
I may be on the right side, on the side of all good in the
universe.
************************************************** *********
As Bill Sees It
Learning Never Ends, p. 169
"My experience as an oldtimer has to some degree paralleled your own and that of
many others. We all find that the time comes when we are not allowed to manage and
conduct the functional affairs of the groups, areas, or, in my case, A.A. as a whole. In
the end we can only be worth as much as our spiritual example has justified. To
that extent, we become useful symbols--and that's just about it."
<< << << >> >> >>
"I have become a pupil of the A.A. movement rather than the teacher I once thought I
was."
1. Letter, 1964
2. Letter, 1949
************************************************** *********
Walk in Dry Places
Avoiding emotional whirlpools
Serenity
If we were rattling down a rough river, we would try to steer away from whirlpools and rocky rapids. Living each day requires the same alertness.
We're asking for trouble if we drift into malicious discussions about other people… even those who seem to deserve it. We're also sliding into rocky rapids if we get into supercharged arguments about political and religious issues.
How do we avoid touchy situations that can lead to violent arguments or terrible breakdowns in personal relationships? We can begin by recognizing that we're not on this earth to judge, manipulate, or control other people. We'll do well today to keep our own performance up to a good standard.
We can also respond correctly to people who seem hopelessly wrong. Borrowing an idea from one Twelve Step program, we can detach from such people with love, even if circumstances require continuing contact with them. At whatever cost, we must avoid emotional whirlpools and rocky rapids in life.
Looking ahead at the things might happen today. I'll adjust my thinking for situations that could be troublesome or destructive. I will try especially hard to avoid trouble with my fellow workers.
************************************************** *********
Keep It Simple
A great obstacle to happiness is to expect too much happiness.---Fontenelle
Our disease is sometimes call the disease of “always wanting more.”
We push ourselves to get as much pleasure as we could. If one was good , two was better.
We didn’t see that what we were lacking was faith.
At times in recovery, we still crave “more.”
We must pay attention to these cravings. When we have a craving, maybe we’re scared, and our Higher Power is trying to tell us that, if we have faith, we’ll be taken care of. Perhaps our Higher Power just has a message of love for us. All we need to do is listen. It may be that this is only “more” we really need.
Prayer for the Day: I pray to see my as spiritual needs. I pray to turn to my Higher Power instead of to alcohol or other drugs.
Action for the Day: Today, I’ll think about how much recovery has given me. I will share this with a friend and with my Higher Power
************************************************** *********
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.
Now I had gotten to the place where I would wake up with black eyes and not know where I got them, or wake up with a lot of money and not know where i got it. Later I found out that I went into stores and stole clothes, then sold them. One morning I woke up with a thousand dollars. I was trying to remember where it came from, when two of the biggest cops i ever saw walked in and took me to jail. It came out that I had sold a woman a fur coat. The cops had picked her up, and she told them she had bought it from me. I got out on bail right away, but when I went to trial, the judge gave me thirty days. When my thirty days were up, I started back on my rounds. I didn't last long. They tell me that I killed a man during that period, but I can't remember anything. Because I had been drunk, the judge gave me a twelve-year sentence in prison.
p. 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."
Such gross misbehavior is not by any means a full catalogue of the harms we do. Let us think of some of the subtler ones which can sometimes be quite as damaging. Suppose that in our family lives we happen to be miserly, irresponsible, callous, or cold. Suppose that we are irritable, critical, impatient, and humorless. Suppose we lavish attention upon one member of the family and neglect the others. What happens when we try to dominate the whole family, either by a rule of iron or by a constant outpouring of minute directions for just how their lives should be lived from hour to hour? What happens when we wallow in depression, self-pity oozing from every pore, and inflict that upon those about us? Such a roster of harms done others--the kind that make daily living with us as practicing alcoholics difficult and often unbearable could be extended almost indefinitely. When we take such personality traits as these into shop, office, and the society of our fellows, they can do damage almost as extensive as that we have caused at home.
p. 81
************************************************** *********
You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.
--Les Brown
You can't help getting older, but you don't have to get old.
--George Burns
Make your life's goal to learn and become a better person.
--Anonymous
How can we possibly describe feeling the Presence of God? It is the
difference between being a child left alone in an empty house at night
and a child who knows that her mother is in the next room. Even though
she can't see or hear her mother, she feels comforted by her warm,
loving, protective presence. And while a human parent can't always be
with us, our spiritual parent will never abandon us.
--Mary Manin Morrissey
"Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future."
--Paul Boese
The heart has eyes that the brain knows nothing of.
--American Proverb
************************************************** *********
Father Leo's Daily Meditation
CHANGE
"There is nothing permanent
except change."
--Heraclitus
Today I know that I need to change. I accept that my behavior and
attitude was negative and destructive. Today I make a choice to work on
my addiction. I was changing before I embraced a spiritual program but
the change was for the worse. Each day I grew more dependent, more
isolated, more angry and depressed. I felt I was a hopeless case!
Today I am working on my anger and loneliness. I talk about those
things that cause me pain and distress. I express my fears and
resentments - and it is getting better.
God created this world in perpetual change and I believe that He is to be
discovered in the change. I am evolving into Truth with my small steps
towards recovery. The steps I take towards recovery are my "yes" to
God.
In the daily changes I discover the stability of God.
************************************************** *********
"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for
this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life...."
Psalm 23:6
************************************************** *********
Daily Inspiration
We are not given peace of mind. We must trust in God and He will be our peace of mind. Lord, You are within my heart and therefore I need look no farther to find my peace.
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.
SELF-EXAMINATION
. . . we ask God to direct our thinking, especially asking
that it be divorced from self-pity, dishonest or self-seeking
motives.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 86
When said sincerely, this prayer teaches me to be truly
unselfish and humble, for even in doing good deeds I often
used to seek approval and glory for myself. By examining my
motives in all that I do, I can be of service to God and
others, helping them do what they want to do. When I put
God in charge of my thinking, much needless worry is
eliminated and I believe He guides me throughout the day.
When I eliminate thoughts of self-pity, dishonesty and
self-centeredness as soon as they enter my mind, I find
peace with God, my neighbor and myself.
************************************************** *********
Twenty-Four Hours A Day
A.A. Thought For The Day
The satisfaction you get out of living a sober life is,
made up of a lot of little things, but they add up to a
satisfactory and happy life. You take out of life what you
put into it. So I'd say to people coming into A.A.: "Don't
worry about what life will be like without liquor. just
hang in there and a lot of good things will happen to you.
And you'll have that feeling of quiet satisfaction and peace
and serenity and gratitude for the grace of God." Is my life
becoming really worth living?
Meditation For The Day
There are two paths, one up and one down. We have been given
free will to choose either path. We are captains of our souls
to this extent only. We can choose the good or the bad. Once
we have chosen the wrong path, we go down and down, eventually
to death. But if we choose the right path, we go up and UP,
until we come to the resurrection day. On the wrong path, we
have no power for good because we do not choose to ask for it.
But on the right path, we are on the side of good and we have
all the power of God's spirit behind us.
Prayer For The Day
I pray that I may be in the stream of goodness. I pray that
I may be on the right side, on the side of all good in the
universe.
************************************************** *********
As Bill Sees It
Learning Never Ends, p. 169
"My experience as an oldtimer has to some degree paralleled your own and that of
many others. We all find that the time comes when we are not allowed to manage and
conduct the functional affairs of the groups, areas, or, in my case, A.A. as a whole. In
the end we can only be worth as much as our spiritual example has justified. To
that extent, we become useful symbols--and that's just about it."
<< << << >> >> >>
"I have become a pupil of the A.A. movement rather than the teacher I once thought I
was."
1. Letter, 1964
2. Letter, 1949
************************************************** *********
Walk in Dry Places
Avoiding emotional whirlpools
Serenity
If we were rattling down a rough river, we would try to steer away from whirlpools and rocky rapids. Living each day requires the same alertness.
We're asking for trouble if we drift into malicious discussions about other people… even those who seem to deserve it. We're also sliding into rocky rapids if we get into supercharged arguments about political and religious issues.
How do we avoid touchy situations that can lead to violent arguments or terrible breakdowns in personal relationships? We can begin by recognizing that we're not on this earth to judge, manipulate, or control other people. We'll do well today to keep our own performance up to a good standard.
We can also respond correctly to people who seem hopelessly wrong. Borrowing an idea from one Twelve Step program, we can detach from such people with love, even if circumstances require continuing contact with them. At whatever cost, we must avoid emotional whirlpools and rocky rapids in life.
Looking ahead at the things might happen today. I'll adjust my thinking for situations that could be troublesome or destructive. I will try especially hard to avoid trouble with my fellow workers.
************************************************** *********
Keep It Simple
A great obstacle to happiness is to expect too much happiness.---Fontenelle
Our disease is sometimes call the disease of “always wanting more.”
We push ourselves to get as much pleasure as we could. If one was good , two was better.
We didn’t see that what we were lacking was faith.
At times in recovery, we still crave “more.”
We must pay attention to these cravings. When we have a craving, maybe we’re scared, and our Higher Power is trying to tell us that, if we have faith, we’ll be taken care of. Perhaps our Higher Power just has a message of love for us. All we need to do is listen. It may be that this is only “more” we really need.
Prayer for the Day: I pray to see my as spiritual needs. I pray to turn to my Higher Power instead of to alcohol or other drugs.
Action for the Day: Today, I’ll think about how much recovery has given me. I will share this with a friend and with my Higher Power
************************************************** *********
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.
Now I had gotten to the place where I would wake up with black eyes and not know where I got them, or wake up with a lot of money and not know where i got it. Later I found out that I went into stores and stole clothes, then sold them. One morning I woke up with a thousand dollars. I was trying to remember where it came from, when two of the biggest cops i ever saw walked in and took me to jail. It came out that I had sold a woman a fur coat. The cops had picked her up, and she told them she had bought it from me. I got out on bail right away, but when I went to trial, the judge gave me thirty days. When my thirty days were up, I started back on my rounds. I didn't last long. They tell me that I killed a man during that period, but I can't remember anything. Because I had been drunk, the judge gave me a twelve-year sentence in prison.
p. 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."
Such gross misbehavior is not by any means a full catalogue of the harms we do. Let us think of some of the subtler ones which can sometimes be quite as damaging. Suppose that in our family lives we happen to be miserly, irresponsible, callous, or cold. Suppose that we are irritable, critical, impatient, and humorless. Suppose we lavish attention upon one member of the family and neglect the others. What happens when we try to dominate the whole family, either by a rule of iron or by a constant outpouring of minute directions for just how their lives should be lived from hour to hour? What happens when we wallow in depression, self-pity oozing from every pore, and inflict that upon those about us? Such a roster of harms done others--the kind that make daily living with us as practicing alcoholics difficult and often unbearable could be extended almost indefinitely. When we take such personality traits as these into shop, office, and the society of our fellows, they can do damage almost as extensive as that we have caused at home.
p. 81
************************************************** *********
You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.
--Les Brown
You can't help getting older, but you don't have to get old.
--George Burns
Make your life's goal to learn and become a better person.
--Anonymous
How can we possibly describe feeling the Presence of God? It is the
difference between being a child left alone in an empty house at night
and a child who knows that her mother is in the next room. Even though
she can't see or hear her mother, she feels comforted by her warm,
loving, protective presence. And while a human parent can't always be
with us, our spiritual parent will never abandon us.
--Mary Manin Morrissey
"Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future."
--Paul Boese
The heart has eyes that the brain knows nothing of.
--American Proverb
************************************************** *********
Father Leo's Daily Meditation
CHANGE
"There is nothing permanent
except change."
--Heraclitus
Today I know that I need to change. I accept that my behavior and
attitude was negative and destructive. Today I make a choice to work on
my addiction. I was changing before I embraced a spiritual program but
the change was for the worse. Each day I grew more dependent, more
isolated, more angry and depressed. I felt I was a hopeless case!
Today I am working on my anger and loneliness. I talk about those
things that cause me pain and distress. I express my fears and
resentments - and it is getting better.
God created this world in perpetual change and I believe that He is to be
discovered in the change. I am evolving into Truth with my small steps
towards recovery. The steps I take towards recovery are my "yes" to
God.
In the daily changes I discover the stability of God.
************************************************** *********
"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for
this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life...."
Psalm 23:6
************************************************** *********
Daily Inspiration
We are not given peace of mind. We must trust in God and He will be our peace of mind. Lord, You are within my heart and therefore I need look no farther to find my peace.
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.