admin
09-28-2008, 04:00 PM
Wisdom for Today
Worry takes so much energy. When I was drinking and using, I was always concerned about what tomorrow would bring. I had no idea what was going to happen. Would I end up in jail? Would I end up broke and living on the street? Would I lose my job? Would I lose my family? All that energy going into tomorrow left little energy for the day I was living in. Sometimes my worry would progress into fear and even hopelessness. I even entertained thoughts of ending my life when I felt so worthless. Guilt and shame were my constant companions.
Just because I stopped drinking and using did not bring an end to my worries. It was only when I really began to use the steps as a guide for my life that my worries started to diminish. I was able to begin to use my energy in today, and I started to see things change. Unfortunately, when things still go wrong, as they do in life, I can still find myself back in the old habit of worrying. This is when I have to go back to basics - the first three steps. I can't, He can, and I'll let Him. Turning my worries over to God has helped me tremendously. It has taken a lot of practice, but it has gotten easier over time. Am I willing to turn my fears and problems over to God? Am I ready to follow His direction for addressing these problems?
Meditations for the Heart
Life is not always easy. No one promised me it would be. However, how I respond to the situations that life presents me with is a choice. I can respond as an addict or an alcoholic would respond, or I can respond to each situation with wisdom. Wisdom is a gift from God. Wisdom can be learned. Usually, when I have a difficult problem I am facing, the first thing I need to do is seek out a quiet place and talk with God. In prayer I can find wisdom. The next thing I need to do is seek out advice and help from others in the program. I can learn wisdom from these people. Then I need to pray some more and make a decision as to the wise course of action to take. Finally, I must initiate action and evaluate the outcome. If it works, I don't try to fix it. If the problem still remains, I repeat the earlier steps until a solution is reached. Notice, I don't plan the outcome; I just follow the steps. Do I trust that God will give me the wisdom I need?
Petitions to my Higher Power
God,
Each day begins differently, and each day I face new challenges. Guide me to Your wisdom, and lead me to the people who can teach me wisdom. Help me to focus on just one day at a time, for I already know this is wise.
Amen.
-----
NA Just For Today
Just For Today
"When we stop living in the here and now, our problems become magnified unreasonably."
Basic Text, p.96
"Just for today" - it's a comforting thought. If we try to live in the past, we may find ourselves torn by painful, disquieting memories. The lessons of our using are not the teachers we seek for recovery. Living in tomorrow means moving in with fear.
We cannot see the shape of the secret future, and uncertainty brings worry. Our lives look overwhelming when we lose the focus of today.
Living in the moment offers freedom. In this moment, we know that we are safe. We are not using, and we have everything we need. What's more, life is happening in the here and now. The past is gone and the future has yet to arrive; our worrying won't change any of it. Today, we can enjoy our recovery, this very minute.
Just for today: I will stay in the here and now. Today - this moment - I am free.
pg. 283
-----
September 29 - Daily Feast
Certain sounds and fragrances come through more clearly in autumn than any other time. It is always satisfying to take a thermos of coffee and a sweet roll and disappear into the countryside just to sit and absorb the unending wonders of nature. Beneath the bent grasses in the meadow is new growth of plants that will survive the winter. Mullein that is called Indian tobacco spreads its broad furry leaves and will grow low until spring. All along the paths are wild turkey tracks and tracks that appear to be small palm prints but belong to the raccoon. Red tail hawks ride the currents overhead and a flock of gulls turn silver as they move swiftly. It is autumn, but it is even more. This is life that gives us peace.
~ Holy Mother Earth, the trees and all nature are witness to your thoughts and deeds. ~
WINNEBAGO WISDOM
'A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II' by Joyce Sequichie Hifler
*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*
Elder's Meditation of the Day - September 29
"So I prayed, but I had to pray from my heart. All of my concentration and thoughts went from my head to my heart. All of my senses - hearing, smell, taste, and feeling - were connected to my heart."
--Wallace Black Elk, LAKOTA
The heart is the gateway to the Unseen World, to the Spirit World. It takes real concentration to do this. To connect to our own heart is also a mental state. It starts in the head and transitions to the heart. This mental state is our inner stillness. Be still and know. This place of the heart is very joyous and peaceful. It is this place that we become one with God, our Creator.
Great Spirit, teach me to be a heart warrior.
*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*
"THINK on THESE THINGS"
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler
To have the desire to quit in the face of despair is not a new story. As long as time, people have wanted to give up when something hindered their progress. But such adversity is sometimes the right time for people to become acquainted with themselves.
It has been written that a smooth sea does not make a skillful mariner. The storms of human life, like those of the seas, awaken us to sharpening our abilities and strengthening us to overcome these present storms to the point where we seldom have to face them again. Most of living is a lesson, and the sooner we learn to study and develop the sooner we are rid of the teacher.
But in the words of Jeremy Taylor, "It is impossible for that man to despair who remembers that his Helper is omnipotent." And it is impossible for people not to progress if they acknowledge their Helper in the most minute details of their lives.
Prepared for the worst? Forget it! Only worry prepares for the worst. If problems come to you, meet them with courage when they arrive. And worry has never produced courage. Faith produces courage, and keeps us from crossing all those unnecessary bridges. In fact, we cross bridges that have never been in existence, and have no strength except that which we give them by constant preparation for something that isn't good.
Promise yourself to cross no bridges this day except those you find immediately before you. And nine times out of ten they will lead only to happiness.
-----
Daily Relationship Reading
When things seem to go to hell in a hand-bucket in our relationship, do I jump in the bucket too for the ride? Maybe I let what is happening around me dictate my own personal progress, my enjoyment of life, and my attitudes. Do I really need to do this? When I do, I get discouraged because our relationship is not turning out the way I hoped. I try to find ways to "fix" things, and when they don't work, I become deeply disappointed and disillusioned, and find myself crawling inside my own personal black pit.
It isn't reasonable for me to expect my SO to conform to what I think they should be, or behave the ways I think they should. It's just as reasonable to expect the weather to be exactly the way I want, when I want it.
Once I realize that my partner is a totally separate person, and they have chosen to share themselves with me, not give themselves to me, I can see that trying to change them or their moods will usually lead me to disappointment. When I decide to get the most out of each day regardless of what difficulties life is presenting me, my example will be the most powerful influence I could ever give to my SO.
Just for Today
Today, if I blame my relationship for making my life difficult and pulling me down, I'll take a careful look at whether I'm really a victim or a volunteer.
There are many things I can't change, but I can change the way I react to them. No matter which direction our relationship seems to be heading, I'll continue to make each day the best it can be for me.
When life goes into reverse, don't go with it.
-----
You are reading from the book Food for Thought.
The Satisfaction of Work
Using our God-given talents and abilities to do the work He assigns us brings deep satisfaction. Many of us used to eat a lot of "idle bread" which we did not need. Now that we are eating less, we find that we derive satisfaction from working more.
Work is an opportunity to give away the gifts we are given. It is sharing which requires effort and discipline. If we do not work up to our maximum level of ability, our satisfaction is reduced. As we give away our gifts, we are given more.
Maintaining abstinence improves the quality of our work and increases our output. Instead of doing just enough to get by, we are challenged to give the best that we have. Abstaining from compulsive overeating can give us the courage and confidence to change jobs when necessary.
When we are emotionally upset, turning to a task, which absorbs us physically or mentally, or both can have a healing effect. Rather than a curse, work can be a blessing, especially when we realize that ultimately we are working with and for our Higher Power.
We give thanks for the satisfaction of work.
-----
You are reading from the book Today's Gift.
When people envy me I think, Oh God, don't envy me, I have my own pains. --Barbra Streisand
A forest is full of many different kinds of trees--they are all sizes and shapes and shades of color. It is hard to imagine a pine tree wishing it was an oak. Or a fir tree envying the birch its white bark. Instead, each tree catches raindrops and reflects the sunshine in its own way.
We often find ourselves envying someone else. We think they have more money or more friends. We see them as better looking or luckier in some way than we are.
It is so easy to overlook our own gifts when we do this. We get fooled by what looks good and forget that all human beings have some weaknesses and pain, just like we do. Like the trees in the forest, we each have our own unique beauty and talents to offer. If we believe in ourselves, rather than envy those around us, we will grow green and tall in our own way.
What qualities do I have that someone might envy?
You are reading from the book Touchstones.
Life without idealism is empty indeed. We must have hope or starve to death. --Pearl Buck
Our ideals, the principles that order our lives, are essential to a healing life. Some of us have lived a pattern in which we did not know what we believed. If someone we liked stated a viewpoint, we might wear it for a while like a new shirt - but with no personal commitment. Others of us have indulged in negativism and hopelessness. Life is more fulfilling when we assert our beliefs and give ourselves to them. As human beings, we are unable to perfectly live out our beliefs, but we become whole men by giving our energies to the attempt.
Is beauty in music, art, and nature a worthwhile ideal for us? Are fairness and justice for all people what we value? Are love and brotherhood ideals we hold dear? When we dare assert these values in our lives, they are life giving to us. They mature us. Reaching for what is worthwhile, rather than cursing what is not, gives us a design for making all our choices, and we have hope.
I will dare to meet my negativism with my ideals. My spiritual health will give me life.
You are reading from the book Each Day a New Beginning.
Female friendships that work are relationships in which women help each other to belong to themselves. --Louise Bernikow
To have anything worth giving to a friend, we must belong to ourselves. Are we someone we like? Does our behavior agree with our beliefs? Do our friends share our values, and when we are together do we support one another?
If we don't like our own company, we will try to hide our real selves. The more we hide, the further we are running from wholeness and health. We can assess ourselves, calmly and lovingly, so that we can keep on becoming the women we want to be. The more congruent are our behavior and our beliefs, the more we belong to ourselves. The better we like ourselves, the better friends we can be.
The love and sympathy of my women friends can help me in my spiritual journey toward serenity, and I can help theirs. Today, I will accompany others on their journey, and thus find company for my own.
You are reading from the book The Language of Letting Go.
The Importance of Money
We cannot afford to allow our focus in life to be money. That will not lead us into the abundance we're seeking. Usually, it will not even lead to financial stability.
Money is important. We deserve to be paid what we're worth. We will be paid what we're worth when we believe we deserve to be. But often your plans fail when our primary consideration is money.
What do we really want to do? What do we feel led to do? What are our instincts telling us? What do we feel guided to do? What are we excited about doing? Seek to find a way to do that, without worrying about the money.
Consider the financial aspects. Set boundaries about what you need to be paid. Be reasonable. Expect to start at the bottom, and work up. But if you feel led toward a job, go for it.
Is there something we truly don't want to do, something that goes against our grain, but we are trying to force ourselves into it "for the money?" Usually, that's a behavior that backfires. It doesn't work. We make ourselves miserable, and the money usually goes wrong too.
I have learned that when I am true to myself about work and what I need to be doing, the money will follow. Sometimes it's not as much as I want; sometimes I'm pleasantly surprised, and it's more. But I'm content, and I have enough.
Money is a consideration, but it cannot be our primary consideration if we are seeking spiritual security and peace of mind.
Today, I will make money a consideration, but I will not allow it to become my primary consideration. God, help me be true to myself and trust that the money will follow.
I love myself and all that I am today. My fears are just one part of all that I am. I am a human being on a progressive path to recovery and every part of me is important in the making up of who I am. --Ruth Fishel
God help me to stay sober and clean today!
Worry takes so much energy. When I was drinking and using, I was always concerned about what tomorrow would bring. I had no idea what was going to happen. Would I end up in jail? Would I end up broke and living on the street? Would I lose my job? Would I lose my family? All that energy going into tomorrow left little energy for the day I was living in. Sometimes my worry would progress into fear and even hopelessness. I even entertained thoughts of ending my life when I felt so worthless. Guilt and shame were my constant companions.
Just because I stopped drinking and using did not bring an end to my worries. It was only when I really began to use the steps as a guide for my life that my worries started to diminish. I was able to begin to use my energy in today, and I started to see things change. Unfortunately, when things still go wrong, as they do in life, I can still find myself back in the old habit of worrying. This is when I have to go back to basics - the first three steps. I can't, He can, and I'll let Him. Turning my worries over to God has helped me tremendously. It has taken a lot of practice, but it has gotten easier over time. Am I willing to turn my fears and problems over to God? Am I ready to follow His direction for addressing these problems?
Meditations for the Heart
Life is not always easy. No one promised me it would be. However, how I respond to the situations that life presents me with is a choice. I can respond as an addict or an alcoholic would respond, or I can respond to each situation with wisdom. Wisdom is a gift from God. Wisdom can be learned. Usually, when I have a difficult problem I am facing, the first thing I need to do is seek out a quiet place and talk with God. In prayer I can find wisdom. The next thing I need to do is seek out advice and help from others in the program. I can learn wisdom from these people. Then I need to pray some more and make a decision as to the wise course of action to take. Finally, I must initiate action and evaluate the outcome. If it works, I don't try to fix it. If the problem still remains, I repeat the earlier steps until a solution is reached. Notice, I don't plan the outcome; I just follow the steps. Do I trust that God will give me the wisdom I need?
Petitions to my Higher Power
God,
Each day begins differently, and each day I face new challenges. Guide me to Your wisdom, and lead me to the people who can teach me wisdom. Help me to focus on just one day at a time, for I already know this is wise.
Amen.
-----
NA Just For Today
Just For Today
"When we stop living in the here and now, our problems become magnified unreasonably."
Basic Text, p.96
"Just for today" - it's a comforting thought. If we try to live in the past, we may find ourselves torn by painful, disquieting memories. The lessons of our using are not the teachers we seek for recovery. Living in tomorrow means moving in with fear.
We cannot see the shape of the secret future, and uncertainty brings worry. Our lives look overwhelming when we lose the focus of today.
Living in the moment offers freedom. In this moment, we know that we are safe. We are not using, and we have everything we need. What's more, life is happening in the here and now. The past is gone and the future has yet to arrive; our worrying won't change any of it. Today, we can enjoy our recovery, this very minute.
Just for today: I will stay in the here and now. Today - this moment - I am free.
pg. 283
-----
September 29 - Daily Feast
Certain sounds and fragrances come through more clearly in autumn than any other time. It is always satisfying to take a thermos of coffee and a sweet roll and disappear into the countryside just to sit and absorb the unending wonders of nature. Beneath the bent grasses in the meadow is new growth of plants that will survive the winter. Mullein that is called Indian tobacco spreads its broad furry leaves and will grow low until spring. All along the paths are wild turkey tracks and tracks that appear to be small palm prints but belong to the raccoon. Red tail hawks ride the currents overhead and a flock of gulls turn silver as they move swiftly. It is autumn, but it is even more. This is life that gives us peace.
~ Holy Mother Earth, the trees and all nature are witness to your thoughts and deeds. ~
WINNEBAGO WISDOM
'A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II' by Joyce Sequichie Hifler
*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*
Elder's Meditation of the Day - September 29
"So I prayed, but I had to pray from my heart. All of my concentration and thoughts went from my head to my heart. All of my senses - hearing, smell, taste, and feeling - were connected to my heart."
--Wallace Black Elk, LAKOTA
The heart is the gateway to the Unseen World, to the Spirit World. It takes real concentration to do this. To connect to our own heart is also a mental state. It starts in the head and transitions to the heart. This mental state is our inner stillness. Be still and know. This place of the heart is very joyous and peaceful. It is this place that we become one with God, our Creator.
Great Spirit, teach me to be a heart warrior.
*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*
"THINK on THESE THINGS"
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler
To have the desire to quit in the face of despair is not a new story. As long as time, people have wanted to give up when something hindered their progress. But such adversity is sometimes the right time for people to become acquainted with themselves.
It has been written that a smooth sea does not make a skillful mariner. The storms of human life, like those of the seas, awaken us to sharpening our abilities and strengthening us to overcome these present storms to the point where we seldom have to face them again. Most of living is a lesson, and the sooner we learn to study and develop the sooner we are rid of the teacher.
But in the words of Jeremy Taylor, "It is impossible for that man to despair who remembers that his Helper is omnipotent." And it is impossible for people not to progress if they acknowledge their Helper in the most minute details of their lives.
Prepared for the worst? Forget it! Only worry prepares for the worst. If problems come to you, meet them with courage when they arrive. And worry has never produced courage. Faith produces courage, and keeps us from crossing all those unnecessary bridges. In fact, we cross bridges that have never been in existence, and have no strength except that which we give them by constant preparation for something that isn't good.
Promise yourself to cross no bridges this day except those you find immediately before you. And nine times out of ten they will lead only to happiness.
-----
Daily Relationship Reading
When things seem to go to hell in a hand-bucket in our relationship, do I jump in the bucket too for the ride? Maybe I let what is happening around me dictate my own personal progress, my enjoyment of life, and my attitudes. Do I really need to do this? When I do, I get discouraged because our relationship is not turning out the way I hoped. I try to find ways to "fix" things, and when they don't work, I become deeply disappointed and disillusioned, and find myself crawling inside my own personal black pit.
It isn't reasonable for me to expect my SO to conform to what I think they should be, or behave the ways I think they should. It's just as reasonable to expect the weather to be exactly the way I want, when I want it.
Once I realize that my partner is a totally separate person, and they have chosen to share themselves with me, not give themselves to me, I can see that trying to change them or their moods will usually lead me to disappointment. When I decide to get the most out of each day regardless of what difficulties life is presenting me, my example will be the most powerful influence I could ever give to my SO.
Just for Today
Today, if I blame my relationship for making my life difficult and pulling me down, I'll take a careful look at whether I'm really a victim or a volunteer.
There are many things I can't change, but I can change the way I react to them. No matter which direction our relationship seems to be heading, I'll continue to make each day the best it can be for me.
When life goes into reverse, don't go with it.
-----
You are reading from the book Food for Thought.
The Satisfaction of Work
Using our God-given talents and abilities to do the work He assigns us brings deep satisfaction. Many of us used to eat a lot of "idle bread" which we did not need. Now that we are eating less, we find that we derive satisfaction from working more.
Work is an opportunity to give away the gifts we are given. It is sharing which requires effort and discipline. If we do not work up to our maximum level of ability, our satisfaction is reduced. As we give away our gifts, we are given more.
Maintaining abstinence improves the quality of our work and increases our output. Instead of doing just enough to get by, we are challenged to give the best that we have. Abstaining from compulsive overeating can give us the courage and confidence to change jobs when necessary.
When we are emotionally upset, turning to a task, which absorbs us physically or mentally, or both can have a healing effect. Rather than a curse, work can be a blessing, especially when we realize that ultimately we are working with and for our Higher Power.
We give thanks for the satisfaction of work.
-----
You are reading from the book Today's Gift.
When people envy me I think, Oh God, don't envy me, I have my own pains. --Barbra Streisand
A forest is full of many different kinds of trees--they are all sizes and shapes and shades of color. It is hard to imagine a pine tree wishing it was an oak. Or a fir tree envying the birch its white bark. Instead, each tree catches raindrops and reflects the sunshine in its own way.
We often find ourselves envying someone else. We think they have more money or more friends. We see them as better looking or luckier in some way than we are.
It is so easy to overlook our own gifts when we do this. We get fooled by what looks good and forget that all human beings have some weaknesses and pain, just like we do. Like the trees in the forest, we each have our own unique beauty and talents to offer. If we believe in ourselves, rather than envy those around us, we will grow green and tall in our own way.
What qualities do I have that someone might envy?
You are reading from the book Touchstones.
Life without idealism is empty indeed. We must have hope or starve to death. --Pearl Buck
Our ideals, the principles that order our lives, are essential to a healing life. Some of us have lived a pattern in which we did not know what we believed. If someone we liked stated a viewpoint, we might wear it for a while like a new shirt - but with no personal commitment. Others of us have indulged in negativism and hopelessness. Life is more fulfilling when we assert our beliefs and give ourselves to them. As human beings, we are unable to perfectly live out our beliefs, but we become whole men by giving our energies to the attempt.
Is beauty in music, art, and nature a worthwhile ideal for us? Are fairness and justice for all people what we value? Are love and brotherhood ideals we hold dear? When we dare assert these values in our lives, they are life giving to us. They mature us. Reaching for what is worthwhile, rather than cursing what is not, gives us a design for making all our choices, and we have hope.
I will dare to meet my negativism with my ideals. My spiritual health will give me life.
You are reading from the book Each Day a New Beginning.
Female friendships that work are relationships in which women help each other to belong to themselves. --Louise Bernikow
To have anything worth giving to a friend, we must belong to ourselves. Are we someone we like? Does our behavior agree with our beliefs? Do our friends share our values, and when we are together do we support one another?
If we don't like our own company, we will try to hide our real selves. The more we hide, the further we are running from wholeness and health. We can assess ourselves, calmly and lovingly, so that we can keep on becoming the women we want to be. The more congruent are our behavior and our beliefs, the more we belong to ourselves. The better we like ourselves, the better friends we can be.
The love and sympathy of my women friends can help me in my spiritual journey toward serenity, and I can help theirs. Today, I will accompany others on their journey, and thus find company for my own.
You are reading from the book The Language of Letting Go.
The Importance of Money
We cannot afford to allow our focus in life to be money. That will not lead us into the abundance we're seeking. Usually, it will not even lead to financial stability.
Money is important. We deserve to be paid what we're worth. We will be paid what we're worth when we believe we deserve to be. But often your plans fail when our primary consideration is money.
What do we really want to do? What do we feel led to do? What are our instincts telling us? What do we feel guided to do? What are we excited about doing? Seek to find a way to do that, without worrying about the money.
Consider the financial aspects. Set boundaries about what you need to be paid. Be reasonable. Expect to start at the bottom, and work up. But if you feel led toward a job, go for it.
Is there something we truly don't want to do, something that goes against our grain, but we are trying to force ourselves into it "for the money?" Usually, that's a behavior that backfires. It doesn't work. We make ourselves miserable, and the money usually goes wrong too.
I have learned that when I am true to myself about work and what I need to be doing, the money will follow. Sometimes it's not as much as I want; sometimes I'm pleasantly surprised, and it's more. But I'm content, and I have enough.
Money is a consideration, but it cannot be our primary consideration if we are seeking spiritual security and peace of mind.
Today, I will make money a consideration, but I will not allow it to become my primary consideration. God, help me be true to myself and trust that the money will follow.
I love myself and all that I am today. My fears are just one part of all that I am. I am a human being on a progressive path to recovery and every part of me is important in the making up of who I am. --Ruth Fishel
God help me to stay sober and clean today!