admin
09-24-2008, 07:18 AM
Wisdom for Today
One of the times that I struggle most is when I am sick or have physical pain. When I don't feel well and am having a hard time just doing the basic tasks of the day, it is easy to fall into some big traps. The first trap is a desire for immediate relief. I want out of the place in which I am, even if it is only temporary. This is dangerous thinking for the alcoholic or addict. The other trap is the "poor me" syndrome. Feeling sorry for myself is equally dangerous. The final trap is isolation. I don't want to be around anyone when I am not feeling well. I tend to get short with my patience and short with my anger. I just want relief.
Fortunately, the program has taught me some valuable lessons. The first is delayed gratification. Some things just have to be worked for. This is true with physical recovery. I have to work harder at being responsible and harder at being patient. Illness is a temporary condition. It will pass. The same is true of pain. Having had to endure the struggles of physical rehabilitation, I know this firsthand. I also know I must get out of isolation and "tell on my disease." If I start to get into stinking thinking, I have to call someone and tell on myself. Friends in recovery are quick to get me back on track. Am I willing to use the tools that the program offers me when I am sick or in pain?
Meditations for the Heart
“Keep it simple” is the slogan that has real meaning for me when I am sick or in pain. I have to go back and rely on the basics. I cannot afford to run to the drug store looking for a quick cure. It would be too easy to pick up something that might put my recovery at risk. This is why I have talked these things though with my doctor ahead of time, so I know which medications are safe for me and which ones aren't. I have to rely on the help of others. My sponsor is a good one to cheer me up. He will remind me of what taking care of myself really means. Keep it simple! Don't be afraid to ask for help and guidance. Do I have a good plan in place should I become ill or injured?
Petitions to my Higher Power
God,
When I am not feeling well or in pain, help me to know I am not alone. Give me patience while my body heals. Help me to be responsible and to care for myself so that I can return to health. Keep me watchful for the traps that lie along the path, and help me avoid them.
Amen.
-----
NA Just For Today
A Growing Concept Of God
"The only suggested guidelines are that this Power be loving, caring, and greater than ourselves. We don't have to be religious to accept this idea. The point is that we open our minds to believe."
Basic Text, p.24
In a lifelong process of coming to believe, our understanding of God will change. The understanding we have when new ill recovery will not be the same when we have a few months clean, nor will that understanding be the same when we have a few years clean.
Our initial understanding of a Power greater than ourselves will most likely be limited. That Power will keep us clean but, we may think, nothing more. We may hesitate to pray because we have placed conditions on what we will ask our Higher Power to do for us. "Oh, this stuff is so awful, even God couldn't do anything," we might say, or "God's got a lot of people to take care of. There's no time for me!"
But, as we grow in recovery, so will our understanding. We'll begin to see that the only limits to God's love and grace are those we impose by refusing to step out of the way. The loving God we come to believe in is infinite, and the power and love we find in our belief is shared by nearly every recovering addict around the world.
Just for today: The God I am coming to understand has a limitless capacity for love and care. I will trust that my God is bigger than any problem I may have.
pg. 278
-----
September 24 - Daily Feast
When we have a genuine interest in something we seldom lack the energy to do it. Hour after hour thought and energy flow into the routine and weariness has no part. There will surely be some necessary work that will not excite us - but we can refuse to be dull and slow of mind and spirit. How many times we have nearly given up because we could not see creativity or color. And then a change would come - a different view and energy would flow in and the misery would be forgotten. Energy can only flow when it is connected to a live circuit. Our work is to stay connected.
~ I am not talking anything badly or angrily, but simply the truth. ~
SATANTA - KIOWA
'A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II' by Joyce Sequichie Hifler
*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*
Elder's Meditation of the Day - September 24
"Touch not the poisonous firewater that makes wise men turn to fools and robs the spirit of its vision."
--Tecumseh, SHAWNEE
It's not an accident that firewater is also called spirits. Firewater affects our judgments. The Great Spirit created a set of laws and principles by which we are to live our lives. When we have problems we should pray and ask for the wisdom of these laws. If instead we turn to liquor, our judgment will be affected. It is the decision and choice made under the influence of booze that causes us to be fools. We need to learn to lean on prayer and not on the spirits of alcohol.
Great Spirit, teach me to pray. Let not one drop of liquor touch my lips today.
*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*
"THINK on THESE THINGS"
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler
So often it is difficult to know where the line lies between kindness and domineering. It doesn't sound as if the two could possibly ever mix, but sometimes in our watchfulness over those we care about we're inclined to thin it is a kind of goodness when it actually becomes domineering.
It is often the best and kindest thing to let others think for themselves. Even though the helpfulness is a love, it can be smothering to the ones who want to breathe freely, even of their own problems.
Concern can turn to possessiveness in the space of a moment and do it do subtly it is almost impossible to comprehend. All individuals have the right to make their own mistakes and also the undeniable right to correct those mistakes. It makes help appreciated when it comes and then help is recognized as help and not as ownership.
If we were all told what to do, it would relieve us of the burden of the responsibility of thinking, planning, or making decisions. Out lives would be literally free of care. And there are those among us who love to direct the traffic of other people's lives. But have you noticed how detestable it is to them to have the smallest suggestion made concerning their own? What a display of vanity!
There are always sycophants, or "apple polishers," if you will, who fawn and flatter the vanity. But to have one's vanity built to great heights is not always an act of love, but more often subtle scorn.
Love is the only force against vanity. Love does not wish to command, but only to serve. If love cannot tell the truth it does not speak. Vanity separates, love joins. Love does not ask that another take the responsibility, but it asks only the strength to bear it.
-----
Daily Relationship Reading
"I think you're the most beautiful woman in the world", he says, as she wonders silently "then why do you ogle every girl you see?"
I love compliments, even if I feel uncomfortable with them at times. If I feel I'm overweight, or too short, or too little or too much of something else, I long for comments that help me feel more attractive. The same thing applies to other parts of me such as my personality.
Genuine compliments given freely by my SO reach a special place inside of me. If my partner uses flattery to get what they want however, it becomes difficult to know if what they say is genuine or not.
Maybe something to ask myself at such times is "what example am I giving my SO?" Do I truly appreciate and accept all that's special about myself, or do I "flatter myself" only at times when it helps me get something I want?
Just for Today
If I let flattery give me a false sense of self worth, then I'm likely to overlook hidden motives behind it. If I really want the good feelings that compliments give me, I need to start with appreciating every quality I have.
Today I'll look at a few more of my "warts", and remind myself that they deserve to be accepted by me and others as much as my more "attractive" qualities.
I'll let compliments be a warm reminder of how special I am. The more I accept everything about me, the easier it will be to tell genuine compliments from false flattery.
-----
You are reading from the book Food for Thought.
Accepting Where We Are
Wherever we are when we come to this program is where we begin. Some of us have further to go along the road to self-actualization than others. No one of us ever arrives in this life. There is always more work to be done.
Believing that our Higher Power has a plan for each of us, we accept the place where He has put us right now. We do not expect to stay in this place, but it is a necessary part of our growth and development. We cannot move on until we understand where we are now and how we got here.
Our Fourth Step inventory gives us an opportunity to examine past actions, which have led to our current situation. We may not like what we discover, but an honest appraisal of our weaknesses and faults as well as our strengths is preparation for constructive change. Accepting where we are frees us from morbid obsession with the past and enables us to move on into the future.
May I accept where I am as the best place for me to be today.
-----
You are reading from the book Today's Gift.
Notice the difference between what happens when a man says to himself, I have failed three times, and what happens when he says, I'm a failure. --S. I. Hayakawa
What happens to us when we call ourselves names like "failure" or "dummy"? We feel we're no good and never will be. We want to stop trying because we think we'll flub up again.
But what if we begin to use different words to describe the same results? It won't change the results, but it will change us. And it will change the way we see our actions and ourselves.
Just by changing the words we use we can feel better about ourselves. Saying, "I've failed three times," means we'll try again and again and again until we succeed. It means we know God doesn't make any failures or dummies. It means God is always with us, loving us and helping us, even when trying seems difficult.
What can I change my thinking about today?
You are reading from the book Touchstones.
Life is painting a picture, not doing a sum. --Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
As we go about our activities, we will have a richer day when we think of ourselves as painting a picture instead of keeping score. Rather than woodenly completing a task, we might approach it as something that can be made interesting. Instead of driving to work or riding the bus only to reach our destination, we might think of this routine as part of the picture we paint today. When a friend makes a comment, we might think of it as another brush stroke in our painting and join in with him, rather than making a game or contest, which we must try to win.
Many of us men were taught that success means having the highest score. So we have become compulsively competitive - always trying to be right, always striving for more financial security, or always pushing ourselves for some new achievement. Success may not be coming out on top. When our lives are lived as rich and interesting pictures, we find our rewards are far deeper and more lasting.
May the picture I paint today be one I will carry with me and appreciate.
You are reading from the book Each Day a New Beginning.
Woman must not be awed by that which has been built up around her; she must reverence that woman in her which struggles for expression. --Margaret Sanger
Let us not stifle ourselves any longer. Let us dare to dream and realize those dreams. Let us dare to take risks, having faith that to advance in any respect implies taking risks. Fortunately, we have the support of the program and one another to cushion the fall, if it should come. But more important, we have one another's example to inspire us as we contemplate our own agenda for self-expression.
Many of us for far too long passively watched others move forward. No longer need we be passive observers, but the familiarity of no action, no choice making, and irresponsibility, makes passivity attractive at times. We must remember responsible choices, for only those make possible our very special contributions.
Not every day do we awaken with the strength needed to "do our part." But the strength will be available just as quickly as we call for it. Alone, we are strugglers; however, we have a ready partnership, and it guarantees us guidance, wisdom, and strength when we ask for it.
I have so much to offer other women. And I need another's example. Every expression of my strength will boost another woman's strength. I will give.
You are reading from the book The Language of Letting Go.
Allowing Ourselves to be Needy
We can accept ourselves as people who have needs - the need for comfort, love, understanding, friendship, and healthy touch. We need positive reinforcement, someone to listen to us, someone to give to us. We are not weak for needing these things. These needs make us human and healthy. Getting our needs met - believing we deserve to have them met - makes us happy.
There are times, too, when in addition to our regular needs, we become particularly needy. At these times, we need more than we have to give out. That is okay too.
We can accept and incorporate our needs, and our needy side, into the whole of us. We can take responsibility for our needs. That doesn't make us weak or deficient. It doesn't mean we are not properly recovering, nor does it mean we're being dependent in an unhealthy way. It makes our needs, and our needy side, manageable. Our needs stop controlling us, and we gain control.
And, our needs begin to get met.
Today, I will accept my needs and my needy side. I believe I deserve to get my needs met, and I will allow that to happen.
Today I choose to do things for me that make me feel good about myself. Today is a perfect day to do something that I have been putting off. --Ruth Fishel
God help me to stay sober and clean today!
Flattery looks like friendship, just like a wolf looks like a dog.- Author Unknown
One of the times that I struggle most is when I am sick or have physical pain. When I don't feel well and am having a hard time just doing the basic tasks of the day, it is easy to fall into some big traps. The first trap is a desire for immediate relief. I want out of the place in which I am, even if it is only temporary. This is dangerous thinking for the alcoholic or addict. The other trap is the "poor me" syndrome. Feeling sorry for myself is equally dangerous. The final trap is isolation. I don't want to be around anyone when I am not feeling well. I tend to get short with my patience and short with my anger. I just want relief.
Fortunately, the program has taught me some valuable lessons. The first is delayed gratification. Some things just have to be worked for. This is true with physical recovery. I have to work harder at being responsible and harder at being patient. Illness is a temporary condition. It will pass. The same is true of pain. Having had to endure the struggles of physical rehabilitation, I know this firsthand. I also know I must get out of isolation and "tell on my disease." If I start to get into stinking thinking, I have to call someone and tell on myself. Friends in recovery are quick to get me back on track. Am I willing to use the tools that the program offers me when I am sick or in pain?
Meditations for the Heart
“Keep it simple” is the slogan that has real meaning for me when I am sick or in pain. I have to go back and rely on the basics. I cannot afford to run to the drug store looking for a quick cure. It would be too easy to pick up something that might put my recovery at risk. This is why I have talked these things though with my doctor ahead of time, so I know which medications are safe for me and which ones aren't. I have to rely on the help of others. My sponsor is a good one to cheer me up. He will remind me of what taking care of myself really means. Keep it simple! Don't be afraid to ask for help and guidance. Do I have a good plan in place should I become ill or injured?
Petitions to my Higher Power
God,
When I am not feeling well or in pain, help me to know I am not alone. Give me patience while my body heals. Help me to be responsible and to care for myself so that I can return to health. Keep me watchful for the traps that lie along the path, and help me avoid them.
Amen.
-----
NA Just For Today
A Growing Concept Of God
"The only suggested guidelines are that this Power be loving, caring, and greater than ourselves. We don't have to be religious to accept this idea. The point is that we open our minds to believe."
Basic Text, p.24
In a lifelong process of coming to believe, our understanding of God will change. The understanding we have when new ill recovery will not be the same when we have a few months clean, nor will that understanding be the same when we have a few years clean.
Our initial understanding of a Power greater than ourselves will most likely be limited. That Power will keep us clean but, we may think, nothing more. We may hesitate to pray because we have placed conditions on what we will ask our Higher Power to do for us. "Oh, this stuff is so awful, even God couldn't do anything," we might say, or "God's got a lot of people to take care of. There's no time for me!"
But, as we grow in recovery, so will our understanding. We'll begin to see that the only limits to God's love and grace are those we impose by refusing to step out of the way. The loving God we come to believe in is infinite, and the power and love we find in our belief is shared by nearly every recovering addict around the world.
Just for today: The God I am coming to understand has a limitless capacity for love and care. I will trust that my God is bigger than any problem I may have.
pg. 278
-----
September 24 - Daily Feast
When we have a genuine interest in something we seldom lack the energy to do it. Hour after hour thought and energy flow into the routine and weariness has no part. There will surely be some necessary work that will not excite us - but we can refuse to be dull and slow of mind and spirit. How many times we have nearly given up because we could not see creativity or color. And then a change would come - a different view and energy would flow in and the misery would be forgotten. Energy can only flow when it is connected to a live circuit. Our work is to stay connected.
~ I am not talking anything badly or angrily, but simply the truth. ~
SATANTA - KIOWA
'A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II' by Joyce Sequichie Hifler
*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*
Elder's Meditation of the Day - September 24
"Touch not the poisonous firewater that makes wise men turn to fools and robs the spirit of its vision."
--Tecumseh, SHAWNEE
It's not an accident that firewater is also called spirits. Firewater affects our judgments. The Great Spirit created a set of laws and principles by which we are to live our lives. When we have problems we should pray and ask for the wisdom of these laws. If instead we turn to liquor, our judgment will be affected. It is the decision and choice made under the influence of booze that causes us to be fools. We need to learn to lean on prayer and not on the spirits of alcohol.
Great Spirit, teach me to pray. Let not one drop of liquor touch my lips today.
*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*
"THINK on THESE THINGS"
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler
So often it is difficult to know where the line lies between kindness and domineering. It doesn't sound as if the two could possibly ever mix, but sometimes in our watchfulness over those we care about we're inclined to thin it is a kind of goodness when it actually becomes domineering.
It is often the best and kindest thing to let others think for themselves. Even though the helpfulness is a love, it can be smothering to the ones who want to breathe freely, even of their own problems.
Concern can turn to possessiveness in the space of a moment and do it do subtly it is almost impossible to comprehend. All individuals have the right to make their own mistakes and also the undeniable right to correct those mistakes. It makes help appreciated when it comes and then help is recognized as help and not as ownership.
If we were all told what to do, it would relieve us of the burden of the responsibility of thinking, planning, or making decisions. Out lives would be literally free of care. And there are those among us who love to direct the traffic of other people's lives. But have you noticed how detestable it is to them to have the smallest suggestion made concerning their own? What a display of vanity!
There are always sycophants, or "apple polishers," if you will, who fawn and flatter the vanity. But to have one's vanity built to great heights is not always an act of love, but more often subtle scorn.
Love is the only force against vanity. Love does not wish to command, but only to serve. If love cannot tell the truth it does not speak. Vanity separates, love joins. Love does not ask that another take the responsibility, but it asks only the strength to bear it.
-----
Daily Relationship Reading
"I think you're the most beautiful woman in the world", he says, as she wonders silently "then why do you ogle every girl you see?"
I love compliments, even if I feel uncomfortable with them at times. If I feel I'm overweight, or too short, or too little or too much of something else, I long for comments that help me feel more attractive. The same thing applies to other parts of me such as my personality.
Genuine compliments given freely by my SO reach a special place inside of me. If my partner uses flattery to get what they want however, it becomes difficult to know if what they say is genuine or not.
Maybe something to ask myself at such times is "what example am I giving my SO?" Do I truly appreciate and accept all that's special about myself, or do I "flatter myself" only at times when it helps me get something I want?
Just for Today
If I let flattery give me a false sense of self worth, then I'm likely to overlook hidden motives behind it. If I really want the good feelings that compliments give me, I need to start with appreciating every quality I have.
Today I'll look at a few more of my "warts", and remind myself that they deserve to be accepted by me and others as much as my more "attractive" qualities.
I'll let compliments be a warm reminder of how special I am. The more I accept everything about me, the easier it will be to tell genuine compliments from false flattery.
-----
You are reading from the book Food for Thought.
Accepting Where We Are
Wherever we are when we come to this program is where we begin. Some of us have further to go along the road to self-actualization than others. No one of us ever arrives in this life. There is always more work to be done.
Believing that our Higher Power has a plan for each of us, we accept the place where He has put us right now. We do not expect to stay in this place, but it is a necessary part of our growth and development. We cannot move on until we understand where we are now and how we got here.
Our Fourth Step inventory gives us an opportunity to examine past actions, which have led to our current situation. We may not like what we discover, but an honest appraisal of our weaknesses and faults as well as our strengths is preparation for constructive change. Accepting where we are frees us from morbid obsession with the past and enables us to move on into the future.
May I accept where I am as the best place for me to be today.
-----
You are reading from the book Today's Gift.
Notice the difference between what happens when a man says to himself, I have failed three times, and what happens when he says, I'm a failure. --S. I. Hayakawa
What happens to us when we call ourselves names like "failure" or "dummy"? We feel we're no good and never will be. We want to stop trying because we think we'll flub up again.
But what if we begin to use different words to describe the same results? It won't change the results, but it will change us. And it will change the way we see our actions and ourselves.
Just by changing the words we use we can feel better about ourselves. Saying, "I've failed three times," means we'll try again and again and again until we succeed. It means we know God doesn't make any failures or dummies. It means God is always with us, loving us and helping us, even when trying seems difficult.
What can I change my thinking about today?
You are reading from the book Touchstones.
Life is painting a picture, not doing a sum. --Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
As we go about our activities, we will have a richer day when we think of ourselves as painting a picture instead of keeping score. Rather than woodenly completing a task, we might approach it as something that can be made interesting. Instead of driving to work or riding the bus only to reach our destination, we might think of this routine as part of the picture we paint today. When a friend makes a comment, we might think of it as another brush stroke in our painting and join in with him, rather than making a game or contest, which we must try to win.
Many of us men were taught that success means having the highest score. So we have become compulsively competitive - always trying to be right, always striving for more financial security, or always pushing ourselves for some new achievement. Success may not be coming out on top. When our lives are lived as rich and interesting pictures, we find our rewards are far deeper and more lasting.
May the picture I paint today be one I will carry with me and appreciate.
You are reading from the book Each Day a New Beginning.
Woman must not be awed by that which has been built up around her; she must reverence that woman in her which struggles for expression. --Margaret Sanger
Let us not stifle ourselves any longer. Let us dare to dream and realize those dreams. Let us dare to take risks, having faith that to advance in any respect implies taking risks. Fortunately, we have the support of the program and one another to cushion the fall, if it should come. But more important, we have one another's example to inspire us as we contemplate our own agenda for self-expression.
Many of us for far too long passively watched others move forward. No longer need we be passive observers, but the familiarity of no action, no choice making, and irresponsibility, makes passivity attractive at times. We must remember responsible choices, for only those make possible our very special contributions.
Not every day do we awaken with the strength needed to "do our part." But the strength will be available just as quickly as we call for it. Alone, we are strugglers; however, we have a ready partnership, and it guarantees us guidance, wisdom, and strength when we ask for it.
I have so much to offer other women. And I need another's example. Every expression of my strength will boost another woman's strength. I will give.
You are reading from the book The Language of Letting Go.
Allowing Ourselves to be Needy
We can accept ourselves as people who have needs - the need for comfort, love, understanding, friendship, and healthy touch. We need positive reinforcement, someone to listen to us, someone to give to us. We are not weak for needing these things. These needs make us human and healthy. Getting our needs met - believing we deserve to have them met - makes us happy.
There are times, too, when in addition to our regular needs, we become particularly needy. At these times, we need more than we have to give out. That is okay too.
We can accept and incorporate our needs, and our needy side, into the whole of us. We can take responsibility for our needs. That doesn't make us weak or deficient. It doesn't mean we are not properly recovering, nor does it mean we're being dependent in an unhealthy way. It makes our needs, and our needy side, manageable. Our needs stop controlling us, and we gain control.
And, our needs begin to get met.
Today, I will accept my needs and my needy side. I believe I deserve to get my needs met, and I will allow that to happen.
Today I choose to do things for me that make me feel good about myself. Today is a perfect day to do something that I have been putting off. --Ruth Fishel
God help me to stay sober and clean today!
Flattery looks like friendship, just like a wolf looks like a dog.- Author Unknown