Daily Recovery Readings - 1/22

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Daily Reflections

"LET'S KEEP IT SIMPLE"

A few hours later I took my leave of Dr. Bob. . . The
wonderful, old, broad smile was on his face as he said
almost jokingly, "Remember, Bill, let's not louse this
thing up. Let's keep it simple!" I turned away, unable
to say a word. That was the last time I ever saw him.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS COMES OF AGE, p 214

After years of sobriety I occasionally ask myself: "Can
it be this simple?" Then, at meetings, I see former
cynics and skeptics who have walked the A.A. path out
of hell by packaging their lives, without alcohol, into
twenty-four hour segments, during which they practice a
few principles to the best of their individual
abilities. And then I know again that, while it isn't
always easy, if I keep it simple, it works.

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Twenty-Four Hours A Day

A.A. Thought For The Day

In the beginning, you want to get sober, but you're
helpless, so you turn to a Power greater than yourself
and by trusting in that Power, you get the strength to
stop drinking. From then on, you want to keep sober, and
that's a matter of reeducating your mind. After a while,
you get so that you really enjoy simple, healthy, normal
living. You really get a kick out of life without the
artificial stimulus of alcohol. All you have to do is
look around at the members of any A.A. group and you will
see how their outlook has changed. Is my outlook on life
changing?

Meditation For The Day

I will never forget to say thank you to God, even on the
greyest days. My attitude will be one of humility and
gratitude. Saying thank you to God is a daily practice
that is absolutely necessary. If a day is not one of
thankfulness, the practice has to be repeated until it
becomes so. Gratitude is a necessity for those who are
seeking a better life.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that gratitude will bring humility. I pray that
humility will bring me to live a better life.

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As Bill Sees It

Pain-Killer----or Pain-Healer, p. 291

"I believe that when we were active alcoholics we drank mostly to
kill pain of one kind or another--physical or emotional or psychic.
Of course, everybody has a cracking point, and I suppose you
reached yours--hence, the resort once more to the bottle.

"If I were you, I wouldn't heap devastating blame on myself for
this; on the other hand, the experience should redouble your
conviction that alcohol has no permanent value as a pain-killer."

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In every A.A. story, pain has been the price of admission into a
new life. But this admission price purchased more than we
expected. It led us to a measure of humility, which we soon discovered
to be a healer of pain. We began to fear pain less, and desire humility
more than ever.

1. LETTER, 1959
2. TWELVE AND TWELVE, p. 75

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Walk in Dry Places

No Humiliation in Humility____ Self-understanding.
With few exceptions, every alcoholic eventually meets humiliation and defeat. This is especially painful in a world that places high value on winning and on having the approval and admiration of others. We feel diminished by these defeats. Nobody likes to be humbled, to be made to appear less than other people.
Yet these humiliations serve a constructive purpose if they lead us to seek humility. Truly humble people cannot really be humiliated, because they no longer rely on the false supports of worldly praise and approval. We develop humility as we withdraw from a reliance on our own powers and personality and realize that we ourselves can do nothing; it is our Higher Power who does the work.
Still, there is a paradox in humility. The person who admits he or she can do nothing will, in the process, tap into powers that were never available in the previous state of mind. In truth, humility is never humiliation or weakness, though these may lead to it. Humility is really a road to the power that only God can give us.
I'll watch myself today for the crazy things that set me up for humiliation. I won't try to impress others or win their admiration today.

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Keep It Simple

Go often to the house of your friend: for weeds soon choke up the unused path. ----Scandinavian proverb.
Our program has two parts: the Steps, and the fellowship. Both keep us sober. We can't stay sober if we go it alone. We need to work the Steps. We also need people--the help of our friends daily
Recovery is about relationships. We get new friends. We get involved. We give. We get. In times of need, we may not want to ask our new friends for help. Maybe we don't want to "burden them."
"Maybe we're afraid to ask for help." Well, go ahead. Make that call. Ask your new friend to spend time with you. You deserve and need it. They deserve it; they need it.
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me to get help from my friends as if my life depends on it.
Action for the Day: Today, I'll see or call two program friends and let them know how I'm doing.

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Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

FLOODED WITH FEELING - When a barrier to God collapsed, this self-described agnostic was at Step Three.

I don't think most moderate, social drinkers remember so clearly the night they had their first drink. I'm sure that very few of them make that date into an annual celebration by getting as drunk as possible. It was in my second year of drinking that I started saying that if you can still feel your face, you're not drunk enough. In my third year I drank homemade peach wine, and when it was gone, I had some whiskey. That night, I vomited, in a blackout.

p. 370

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Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Step Five - "Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs."

What are we likely to receive from Step Five? For one thing, we shall get rid of that terrible sense of isolation we've always had. Almost without exception, alcoholics are tortured by loneliness. Even before our drinking got bad and people began to cut us off, nearly all of us suffered the feeling that we didn't quite belong. Either we were shy, and dared not draw near others, or we were apt to be noisy good fellows craving attention and companionship, but never getting it--at least to our way of thinking. There was always that mysterious barrier we could neither surmount nor understand. It was as if we were actors on a stage, suddenly realizing that we did not know a single line of our parts. That's one reason we loved alcohol too well. It did let us act extemporaneously. But even Bacchus boomeranged on us; we were finally struck down and left in terrified loneliness.

p. 57

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There is no mountain, God cannot help us to climb. --Shelley

Learn to listen to your inner voice. Listen to your heart. It's your connection to God, to people, to the universe, and to yourself. --Melody Beattie

"Peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. Peace means to be in the midst of all those things and still be calm in your heart. That is the real meaning of peace." --Author Unknown

"The tree in which the sap is stagnant remains fruitless." --Hosea Ballou

People travel to wonder at the height of the mountains, at the huge waves of the seas, at the long course of the rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motion of the stars, and yet they pass by themselves without wondering. --St. Augustine

There is a hole and empty place within us that we have tried to fill. Today we know that this is a God shaped hole, that only God can fill. A place where acceptance, understanding, love and support are a given. --Author Unknown

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Father Leo's Daily Meditation

POETRY

"Poetry is not an assertion of
truth, but the making of that
truth more fully real to us."
-- T. S. Eliot

God is able to communicate Himself in a thousand different ways and
one such way is poetry.

Spirituality is discovering God in His creation, and this involves more
than religion or denominationalism. Spirituality is a comprehensive
approach to God's world and is the unifying factor at the center of
the universe. Spirituality is about what is true --- wherever it is found
in the world.

Poetry and other art forms become part of the spiritual journey for
us as we struggle to understand and communicate truth.

In poetry may I find an expression of Your love for me; in my use of
poetry, may I express my love for You.

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"I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears." Psalms 34:4

Great is our Lord and mighty in power; His understanding has no limit. Psalm 147:5

Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Luke 6:36-38

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Daily Inspiration

Behave as though God is standing next to you because He is. Lord, we make a great team and together we are able to make a big difference.

If you think success and really believe it will happen, you will perform in a manner that leads to success. Lord, may I always avoid negative thoughts and visualize myself in the manner that You intended for me.

[admin]

You are reading from the book Today's Gift.
Animals are such agreeable friends they ask no questions, they pass no criticisms. --George Eliot
A pet is often liked by everyone and seems to have no enemies. Why is this? Pets are friendly and interested in others. They seem to get joy out of just being with us. They do not have a critical attitude. When mistreated or neglected for a while, they are quick to forgive and quickly seek once again to be by our side. Each of us is a valuable part of the family. When we treasure one another and don't waste our time finding each other's faults, we will begin to have fewer faults. When we accept our loved ones as they are and enjoy sharing our lives with them, our lives become more enjoyable, and our family love grows because we are each more lovable.
What can I accept in others today?


You are reading from the book Touchstones.
The human heart in its perversity finds it hard to escape hatred and revenge. --Moses Luzzatto
This program promises many rewards for those who follow it, but it does not promise to be easy. We search our conscience for resentments and face them. No man can progress in his recovery while holding onto resentments, old angers, and hatreds. When we hold them, we protect dark corners of our souls from the renewal we need. As we allow ourselves to be made new through this program, we no longer reserve those small corners for the game of power and resentment. They will eventually consume us and justify in our minds a return to the old patterns.
Nothing can be held back. We must be willing to surrender all - even if we do not know how. No one can stop being resentful simply by deciding to stop. When we are willing to be honest, to be humble, to be learners, to be led in a constructive direction, to allow time to be guided rather than seek instant cure, then we will learn trust and will surely make progress.
I do not need to know exactly how to let go of my resentments or what will happen after 1 do. I simply must toe ready to let them go.


You are reading from the book Each Day a New Beginning.
One cannot have wisdom without living life. --Dorothy McCall
Living life means responding, wholly, to our joys and our pitfalls. It means not avoiding the experiences or activities that we fear we can't handle. Only through our survival of them do we come to know who we really are; we come to understand the strength available to us at every moment. And that is wisdom.
When we approach life tentatively, we reap only a portion of its gifts. It's like watching a movie in black and white that's supposed to be in Technicolor. Our lives are in color, but we must have courage to let the colors emerge, to feel them, absorb them, be changed by them. Within our depths, we find our true selves. The complexities of life teach us wisdom. And becoming wise eases the many pitfalls in our path.
Living life is much more than just being alive. I can choose to jump in with both feet. Wisdom awaits me in the depths.


You are reading from the book The Language Of Letting Go.
Appreciating Our Past
It is easy to be negative about past mistakes and unhappiness. But it is much more healing to look at ourselves and our past in the light of experience, acceptance, and growth. Our past is a series of lessons that advance us to higher levels of living and loving.
The relationships we entered, stayed in, or ended taught us necessary lessons. Some of us have emerged from the most painful circumstances with strong insights about who we are and what we want.
Our mistakes? Necessary. Our frustrations, failures, and sometimes--stumbling attempts at growth and progress? Necessary too.
Each step of the way, we learned. We went through exactly the experiences we needed to, to become who we are today. Each step of the way, we progressed.
Is our past a mistake? No. The only mistake we can make is mistaking that for the truth.
Today, God, help me let go of negative thoughts I may be harboring about my past circumstances or relationships. I can accept, with gratitude, all that has brought me to today.


I deserve to have wonderful things to happen in my life today. --Ruth Fishel

[admin]

You are reading from the book Food for Thought.

There Is No Such Thing as "Have To"

The serenity and insight, which we gain from this program, help us realize that we do not have to do anything. There is always a choice. We may even choose not to live.

Our lives are gifts from our Higher Power, and the choice of what to do with them is ours. We can continue to overeat and watch our illness get progressively worse. We can isolate ourselves from other people and console ourselves with food. We can do as little as possible each day just in order to survive.

We do not have to follow the program; we also do not have to overeat. We do not have to turn our lives over to God; we also do not have to continue to bear the burden of self and self-will. It is a proven fact of experience for countless people that the most satisfying thing to do with the life given to each of us is to give it back to our Higher Power to use as He wills.

Thank You for my freedom, Lord.

[admin]

Wisdom for Today
I used to be a real show off, and I acted like a real know-it-all. I really tried to impress people a lot. I would show off and drink one shot after another to impress people. When I was using drugs, I would cut myself a bigger line than everybody else. I also would talk and talk about things I really didn't know much about but somehow would manage to lie my way through each story. I acted like a big shot and would buy other people drinks or turn people on so that they thought I was doing okay financially. I did all these things and more for two reasons. One was to bolster my own denial system; if I pretended hard enough, then even I might start to believe my own games. The other reason was to try and prove to others that I really amounted to something.
The reality was that I wasn't selling this game to anyone, not the people I tried to impress and certainly not myself. I was a loser and didn't fool anyone. Even in recovery I have a tendency to get a big ego. I spent time in early recovery trying to make myself look good to others. But it was still a game. This defect of character can be dangerous because I might get a big head and then even think I am smart enough or cool enough that I can drink or use again. Can I afford to get a swelled ego in recovery?
Meditations for the Heart
Grasping that which is spiritual is not something you can do with your mind. God is beyond all our understanding. We can only grasp pieces of understanding with our mind. We cannot grasp an understanding of God with our hearts. He is beyond our emotional understanding; we can only try to make of Him what we want Him to be. In fact, the only understanding we can truly have comes through faith. It is God who helps us understand Who He is. My Higher Power reveals Himself to me. I do not need to go looking for Him. He comes to me in my prayer and meditation. He comes to me in and through other people. He comes to me through many of the things I read. I don't go looking for a Higher Power; God comes looking for me. All I have to do is let Him find me. Am I still trying to find a Higher Power; or have I decided to let God, as I understand Him, come looking for me?
Petitions to my Higher Power
God,
I see You in the shadows of life and in the brightness of my days. You are all around me and always have been. It was I who was hiding, not You. Walk with me on my journey today. Help me to find and keep humility in my thoughts, words and deeds today. Teach me about Who You are, so that my simple understanding will grow along with my faith.
Amen.