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08-04-2006, 02:32 PM
Daily Reflections
LISTENING DEEPLY, p.226
How persistently we claim the right to decide all by ourselves just
what we shall think and just how we shall act.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 37
If I accept and act upon the advice of those who have made the
program work for themselves, I have a chance to outgrow the limits of
the past. Some problems will shrink to nothingness, while others may
require patient, well-thought-out action. Listening deeply when others
share can develop intuition in handling problems which arise
unexpectedly. It is usually best for me to avoid impetuous action.
Attending a meeting or calling a fellow A.A. member will usually
reduce tension enough to bring relief to a desperate sufferer like me.
Sharing problems at meetings with other alcoholics to whom I can
relate, or privately with my sponsor, can change aspects of the
positions in which I find myself. Character defects are identified and I
begin to see how they work against me. When I put my faith in the
spiritual power of the program, when I trust others to teach me what I
need to do to have a better life, I find that I can trust myself to do
what is necessary.
************************************************** *********
Twenty-Four Hours A Day
A.A. Thought For The Day
We in A.A. are offering a spiritual program. The fundamental basis of
A.A. is belief in some Power greater than ourselves. This belief takes
us off the center of the universe and allows us to transfer our
problems to some power outside of ourselves. We turn to this Power
for the strength we need to get sober and stay sober. We put our drink
problem in God's hands and leave it there. We stop trying to run our
own life and seek to let God run it for us. Do I do my best to give
spiritual help?
Meditation For The Day
God is your healer and your strength. You do not have to ask Him to
come to you. He is always with you in spirit. At your moment of need
He is there to help you. Could you know God's love and His desire to
help you, you would know that He needs no pleading for help. Your
need is God's opportunity. You must learn to rely on God's strength
whenever you need it. Whenever you feel inadequate to any situation,
you should realize that the feeling of inadequacy is disloyalty to God.
Just say to yourself: I know that God is with me and will help me to
think and say and do the right thing.
Prayer For The Day
I pray that I may never feel inadequate to any situation. I pray that I
may be buoyed up by the feeling that God is with me.
************************************************** *********
As Bill Sees It
Back To Work, p. 128
It is possible for us to use the alleged dishonesty of other people as a
plausible excuse for not meeting our own obligations.
Once, some prejudiced friends exhorted me never to go back to Wall
Street. They were sure that the rampant materialism and
double-dealing down there would stunt my spiritual growth. Because
this sounded so high-minded, I continued to stay away from the only
business that I knew.
When, finally, my household went broke, I realized I hadn't been able
to face the prospect of going back to work. So I returned to Wall
Street, and I have ever since been glad that I did. I needed to
rediscover that there are many fine people in New York's financial
district. Then, too, I needed the experience of staying sober in the
very surroundings where alcohol had cut me down.
A Wall Street business trip to Akron, Ohio, first brought me face to
face with Dr. Bob. So the birth of A.A. hinged on my effort to meet
my bread-and-butter responsibilities.
Grapevine, August 1961
************************************************** *********
Walk In Dry Places
Can We Fix Other People's Problems?
Problem Solving
In Twelve Step work, we never run out of people who face serious problems. We're often tempted to use our own expertise and resources to fix these problems for others.
This can be a mistake. It is always risky to undertake such assignments without a great deal of thought and understanding. Such attempts to fix others usually deal only with symptoms rather than causes.
Unless another person is totally helpless, the best course is to share experiences and knowledge with others, but to leave the problem solving to them. We should not encourage anyone to become dependent on us, nor should we set ourselves up as godlike individuals who have all the answers. We actually may be showing off instead of helping, and we may also be robbing others of the self-confidence and growth that come from fixing their own problems.
I'll share my experiences and hope today, while refraining from trying to fix people. I don't have answers for everybody, and it's wrong to believe I do.
************************************************** *********
Keep It Simple
You're only human, you've suppose to make mistakes.---Billy Joel
Listen to the kind voice inside. Listen to the voice that tells you you're
good enough. Listen to the voice that tells you it's okay to make
mistakes---you'll learn from them. Listen to the voice that tells you to go
to your meeting even though it's cold outside and you're tired. Listen and
let this voice become more and more clear. Listen, and welcome it in your
heart. Talk with the voice.
Ask it questions and seek it out when you need a friend. This voice is your
Higher Power. Listen as your Higher Power speaks to you. Listen as your
Higher Power tells you what a great person you are.
Prayer for the Day: I pray to the gentle, loving voice that lives in me. Higher Power, You've
always been kind to me.
You've always loved me. Help me to remember You're always there---inside me.
Action for the Day: I will take time from my busy day to listen and talk with the loving voice
that lives inside me.
************************************************** *********
Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition
My Chance To Live
A.A. gave this teenager the tools to climb out of her dark abyss of despair.
Through a chain of events I choose to believe were the actions of a Higher Power, they convinced me to go to a meeting. I was told it was a special A.A. anniversary open meeting, which meant that anyone could attend. I thought to myself: What could it hurt? I wait on these people; perhaps it will help me to better understand them.
p. 313
************************************************** *********
Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions
Tradition Five - "Each group has but one primary purpose - to carry it's message to the alcoholic who still suffers."
"Thank heaven I came up with the right answer for that one. It was based foursquare on the single purpose of A.A. `You have faith,' I said. `Perhaps far deeper faith than mine. No doubt you're better taught in religious matters than I. So I can't tell you anything about religion. I don't even want to try. I'll bet, too, that you could give me a letter-perfect definition of humility. But from what you've told me about yourself and your problems and how you propose to lick them, I think I know what's wrong.'
"`Okay,' he said. `Give me the business.'
"`Well,' I said, `I think you're just a conceited Irishman who thinks he can run the whole show.'
"This really rocked him. But as he calmed down, he began to listen while I tried to show him that humility was the main key to sobriety. Finally, he saw that I wasn't attempting to change his religious views, that I wanted him to find the grace in his own religion that would aid his recovery. From there on we got along fine.
"Now," concludes the oldtimer, "suppose I'd been obliged to talk to this man on religious grounds? Suppose my answer had to be that A.A. needed a lot of money; that A.A. went in for education, hospital, and rehabilitation? Suppose I'd suggested that I'd take a hand in his domestic and business affairs? Where would we have wound up? No place, of course."
Years later, this tough Irish customer liked to say, "my sponsor sold me one idea, and that was sobriety. At the time, I couldn't have bought anything else."
pp. 153-154
************************************************** *********
Hope is the companion of power, and mother of success; for who so
hopes strongly has within him the gift of miracles.
--Samuel Smiles
It is better to live one day wisely and reflectively than to live a
hundred years in ignorance and indulgence."
--Buddha
Without forgiveness life is governed...by an endless cycle of
resentment and retaliation.
--Robert Assaglioli
Those who are free of resentful thoughts surely find peace.
--Buddha
Do not fear going forward slowly; fear only to stand still.
--Chinese Proverb
Wrinkles should merely indicate where the smiles have been.
--Mark Twain
And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in
your years.
--Abraham Lincoln
Sometimes even to live is an act of courage.
--Seneca
***********************************************
Father Leo's Daily Meditation
THOUGHT
"Thought makes the whole
dignity of man; therefore
endeavor to think well, that is
the only morality."
-- Blaise Pascal
I think that human beings are very imitative creatures; we imitate
clothes, hair styles, mannerisms and lifestyles. A man's mind will be
influenced by what he listens to and what he reads. And what we think
is very important to sobriety.
Today I make an effort to examine my thinking and check it out with a
sponsor or in a support group. I know that my dignity in sobriety is
connected not only with what I do but also with my attitudes and
thoughts --- when my thinking begins to go crazy, I know I am in a
dangerous place and I need to talk. God created me with the ability to
think, therefore, I need to safeguard the information I put in my mind.
Let me learn to develop morality of mind.
************************************************** *********
"Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained."
Philippians 3:12-16
"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and
admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,
singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord."
Colossians 3:16
************************************************** *********
Daily Inspiration
Whatever your problem, know that there is a solution. Lord, I trust in You always even to the point of a miracle.
God is always at work in your life. Notice His light on the events of your day. Lord, I sometimes look without really seeing. Help me to pause and notice.
LISTENING DEEPLY, p.226
How persistently we claim the right to decide all by ourselves just
what we shall think and just how we shall act.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 37
If I accept and act upon the advice of those who have made the
program work for themselves, I have a chance to outgrow the limits of
the past. Some problems will shrink to nothingness, while others may
require patient, well-thought-out action. Listening deeply when others
share can develop intuition in handling problems which arise
unexpectedly. It is usually best for me to avoid impetuous action.
Attending a meeting or calling a fellow A.A. member will usually
reduce tension enough to bring relief to a desperate sufferer like me.
Sharing problems at meetings with other alcoholics to whom I can
relate, or privately with my sponsor, can change aspects of the
positions in which I find myself. Character defects are identified and I
begin to see how they work against me. When I put my faith in the
spiritual power of the program, when I trust others to teach me what I
need to do to have a better life, I find that I can trust myself to do
what is necessary.
************************************************** *********
Twenty-Four Hours A Day
A.A. Thought For The Day
We in A.A. are offering a spiritual program. The fundamental basis of
A.A. is belief in some Power greater than ourselves. This belief takes
us off the center of the universe and allows us to transfer our
problems to some power outside of ourselves. We turn to this Power
for the strength we need to get sober and stay sober. We put our drink
problem in God's hands and leave it there. We stop trying to run our
own life and seek to let God run it for us. Do I do my best to give
spiritual help?
Meditation For The Day
God is your healer and your strength. You do not have to ask Him to
come to you. He is always with you in spirit. At your moment of need
He is there to help you. Could you know God's love and His desire to
help you, you would know that He needs no pleading for help. Your
need is God's opportunity. You must learn to rely on God's strength
whenever you need it. Whenever you feel inadequate to any situation,
you should realize that the feeling of inadequacy is disloyalty to God.
Just say to yourself: I know that God is with me and will help me to
think and say and do the right thing.
Prayer For The Day
I pray that I may never feel inadequate to any situation. I pray that I
may be buoyed up by the feeling that God is with me.
************************************************** *********
As Bill Sees It
Back To Work, p. 128
It is possible for us to use the alleged dishonesty of other people as a
plausible excuse for not meeting our own obligations.
Once, some prejudiced friends exhorted me never to go back to Wall
Street. They were sure that the rampant materialism and
double-dealing down there would stunt my spiritual growth. Because
this sounded so high-minded, I continued to stay away from the only
business that I knew.
When, finally, my household went broke, I realized I hadn't been able
to face the prospect of going back to work. So I returned to Wall
Street, and I have ever since been glad that I did. I needed to
rediscover that there are many fine people in New York's financial
district. Then, too, I needed the experience of staying sober in the
very surroundings where alcohol had cut me down.
A Wall Street business trip to Akron, Ohio, first brought me face to
face with Dr. Bob. So the birth of A.A. hinged on my effort to meet
my bread-and-butter responsibilities.
Grapevine, August 1961
************************************************** *********
Walk In Dry Places
Can We Fix Other People's Problems?
Problem Solving
In Twelve Step work, we never run out of people who face serious problems. We're often tempted to use our own expertise and resources to fix these problems for others.
This can be a mistake. It is always risky to undertake such assignments without a great deal of thought and understanding. Such attempts to fix others usually deal only with symptoms rather than causes.
Unless another person is totally helpless, the best course is to share experiences and knowledge with others, but to leave the problem solving to them. We should not encourage anyone to become dependent on us, nor should we set ourselves up as godlike individuals who have all the answers. We actually may be showing off instead of helping, and we may also be robbing others of the self-confidence and growth that come from fixing their own problems.
I'll share my experiences and hope today, while refraining from trying to fix people. I don't have answers for everybody, and it's wrong to believe I do.
************************************************** *********
Keep It Simple
You're only human, you've suppose to make mistakes.---Billy Joel
Listen to the kind voice inside. Listen to the voice that tells you you're
good enough. Listen to the voice that tells you it's okay to make
mistakes---you'll learn from them. Listen to the voice that tells you to go
to your meeting even though it's cold outside and you're tired. Listen and
let this voice become more and more clear. Listen, and welcome it in your
heart. Talk with the voice.
Ask it questions and seek it out when you need a friend. This voice is your
Higher Power. Listen as your Higher Power speaks to you. Listen as your
Higher Power tells you what a great person you are.
Prayer for the Day: I pray to the gentle, loving voice that lives in me. Higher Power, You've
always been kind to me.
You've always loved me. Help me to remember You're always there---inside me.
Action for the Day: I will take time from my busy day to listen and talk with the loving voice
that lives inside me.
************************************************** *********
Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition
My Chance To Live
A.A. gave this teenager the tools to climb out of her dark abyss of despair.
Through a chain of events I choose to believe were the actions of a Higher Power, they convinced me to go to a meeting. I was told it was a special A.A. anniversary open meeting, which meant that anyone could attend. I thought to myself: What could it hurt? I wait on these people; perhaps it will help me to better understand them.
p. 313
************************************************** *********
Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions
Tradition Five - "Each group has but one primary purpose - to carry it's message to the alcoholic who still suffers."
"Thank heaven I came up with the right answer for that one. It was based foursquare on the single purpose of A.A. `You have faith,' I said. `Perhaps far deeper faith than mine. No doubt you're better taught in religious matters than I. So I can't tell you anything about religion. I don't even want to try. I'll bet, too, that you could give me a letter-perfect definition of humility. But from what you've told me about yourself and your problems and how you propose to lick them, I think I know what's wrong.'
"`Okay,' he said. `Give me the business.'
"`Well,' I said, `I think you're just a conceited Irishman who thinks he can run the whole show.'
"This really rocked him. But as he calmed down, he began to listen while I tried to show him that humility was the main key to sobriety. Finally, he saw that I wasn't attempting to change his religious views, that I wanted him to find the grace in his own religion that would aid his recovery. From there on we got along fine.
"Now," concludes the oldtimer, "suppose I'd been obliged to talk to this man on religious grounds? Suppose my answer had to be that A.A. needed a lot of money; that A.A. went in for education, hospital, and rehabilitation? Suppose I'd suggested that I'd take a hand in his domestic and business affairs? Where would we have wound up? No place, of course."
Years later, this tough Irish customer liked to say, "my sponsor sold me one idea, and that was sobriety. At the time, I couldn't have bought anything else."
pp. 153-154
************************************************** *********
Hope is the companion of power, and mother of success; for who so
hopes strongly has within him the gift of miracles.
--Samuel Smiles
It is better to live one day wisely and reflectively than to live a
hundred years in ignorance and indulgence."
--Buddha
Without forgiveness life is governed...by an endless cycle of
resentment and retaliation.
--Robert Assaglioli
Those who are free of resentful thoughts surely find peace.
--Buddha
Do not fear going forward slowly; fear only to stand still.
--Chinese Proverb
Wrinkles should merely indicate where the smiles have been.
--Mark Twain
And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in
your years.
--Abraham Lincoln
Sometimes even to live is an act of courage.
--Seneca
***********************************************
Father Leo's Daily Meditation
THOUGHT
"Thought makes the whole
dignity of man; therefore
endeavor to think well, that is
the only morality."
-- Blaise Pascal
I think that human beings are very imitative creatures; we imitate
clothes, hair styles, mannerisms and lifestyles. A man's mind will be
influenced by what he listens to and what he reads. And what we think
is very important to sobriety.
Today I make an effort to examine my thinking and check it out with a
sponsor or in a support group. I know that my dignity in sobriety is
connected not only with what I do but also with my attitudes and
thoughts --- when my thinking begins to go crazy, I know I am in a
dangerous place and I need to talk. God created me with the ability to
think, therefore, I need to safeguard the information I put in my mind.
Let me learn to develop morality of mind.
************************************************** *********
"Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained."
Philippians 3:12-16
"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and
admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,
singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord."
Colossians 3:16
************************************************** *********
Daily Inspiration
Whatever your problem, know that there is a solution. Lord, I trust in You always even to the point of a miracle.
God is always at work in your life. Notice His light on the events of your day. Lord, I sometimes look without really seeing. Help me to pause and notice.