A Prayer & Some Thoughts - March

[bluidkiti]

March 1


Positive Thinking Prayer

Lord,
I believe in the power of positive thinking, but lately I need your help to get there.
Please fill me with faith, hope and optimism.
Thank you for helping me to be genuinely positive.
Amen

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Just a Thought

What a load hangovers put on your shoulders!

What terrible physical punishment we've all been through. The pounding headaches and jumpy nerves, the shakes and the jitters, the hot and cold sweats! When you come into A.A. and stop drinking, that terrible load of hangovers falls off your shoulders. What a load remorse puts on your shoulders! That terrible mental punishment we've all been through. Ashamed of the things you've said and done. Afraid to face people because of what they might think of you. Afraid of the consequences of what you did when you were drunk. What an awful beating the mind takes! When you come into A.A., that terrible load of remorse falls off your shoulders.

So ...........

Have I got rid of these loads of hangovers and remorse?

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Just a Contemplation

Staying in the Present

Often, one of our biggest questions is "What's going to happen?" We may ask this about our relationships, our career and our life. It is easy to tangle us up in worrisome thoughts.

Worrying about what's going to happen blocks us from functioning effectively today. It keeps us from doing our best now. It blocks us from learning and mastering today's lessons. Staying in the now, doing our best, and participating fully today are all we need to do to assure ourselves that what's going to happen tomorrow will be for the best.

Worrying about what's going to happen is a negative contribution to our future. Living in the here and now is ultimately the best thing we can do, not only for today, but also for tomorrow. It helps our relationships, our career and our life.

I will remember that staying in the present is the best thing I can do for my future. I will focus on what's happening now instead of what's going to happen tomorrow.

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Self-will

I can recognize that I'm caught up in my will, when I desperately struggle to slam a square peg into a round hole.
That's the time for me to back off and trust that God's will is far better than mine.

The AA Grapevine, November, 2013

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Just a Quote

“Out of every crisis comes the chance to be reborn, to reconceive ourselves as individuals, to choose the kind of change that will help us to grow and to fulfill ourselves more completely.” ~ Nena O'Neill

[bluidkiti]

March 2


Fellowship Prayer

Dear God,
I want to thank you for the work you are doing in my life.
I am so grateful for every new opportunity that this day will bring.
Your grace is so amazing.
As I grow stronger, my faith in you grows deeper and I am so thankful.
I know that the plan you have for my life will slowly unfold with each new day.
I will be patient as change comes because I know you are in charge.
Help me to help others today.

God, I pray for the hurting; for those still living in their misery.
I pray for those whose lives have been impacted by the disastrous touch of addiction;
for the families torn apart and especially for the children left to wonder and grieve.
God, give them your peace and guide them gently through this next twenty-four hours.
Amen

~ C.L.Murphy 2014

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Just a Thought

What a load wasting money puts on your shoulders!

It's been said that members of A.A. have paid the highest initiation fee of any club members in the world, because we've wasted so much money on liquor. We'll never be able to figure out how much it was. We not only wasted our own money, but also the money we should have spent on our families. When you come into A.A., that terrible load of wasted money falls off your shoulders. We alcoholics were getting round-shouldered from carrying all those loads that drinking put on our shoulders. But when we come into A.A., we get a wonderful feeling of release and freedom.

So ............

Can I throw back my shoulders and look the whole world in the face again?

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Just a Contemplation

Irresponsibility

Irresponsible behavior is not unfamiliar to us. Passivity is equally familiar. In the past, excusing ourselves of all responsibility prevented us from being blamed. We have learned that it also prevented us from feeling worthy, from fulfilling our potential, from feeling the excitement that comes with achievement.

Our fear of failure helped us to be irresponsible. We may still fear failure, but the program offers us an antidote. We can't fail if we have turned our lives over to our higher power. We will be shown the way to proceed. Our fellow travelers have messages for us that will smooth our path.

I will celebrate that I am taking responsibility for my life today.

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More than Comfort

When I am feeling depressed, I repeat to myself statements such as these: "Pain is the touchstone of progress." . . . "Fear no evil." . . . "This, too, will pass." . . . "This experience can be turned to benefit."

These fragments of prayer bring far more than mere comfort. They keep me on the track of right acceptance; they break up my compulsive themes of guilt, depression, rebellion, and pride; and sometimes they endow me with the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

As Bill Sees It Page 148

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Just a Quote

"I use my own greatest defeat and failure and sickness as a weapon to help others." ~ Richmond Walker

[bluidkiti]

March 3


A Prayer for a Child

From here on earth, from my small place, I ask of You way out in space:
Please tell all men in every land what You and I both understand.
Please tell all men that peace is good.
That's all that need be understood in every world in Your great sky.
We understand. Both You and I.

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Just a Thought

A drinking life isn't a happy life.

Drinking cuts you off from other people and from God. One of the worst things about drinking is the loneliness. And one of the best things about A.A. is the fellowship. Drinking cuts you off from other people, at least from the people who really matter to you, your family, your co-workers, and your real friends. No matter how much you love them, you build up a wall between you and them by your drinking. You're cut off from any real companionship with them. As a result, you're terribly lonely.

So ............

Have I got rid of my loneliness?

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Just a Contemplation

Religious Freedom

We each have the freedom to define, and understand, our Higher Power - God - as we choose.
It means that we do not try to impose our religious beliefs, or our understanding of God, on anyone else. We do not try to force the particulars of our religious beliefs on others. We give each person, the right to a personal understanding of God/ Higher Power and ourselves.

I will respect other people's understanding of God, as well as my own. I will not allow others' judgment of my beliefs to cause me anxiety and distress. I will seek to grow spiritually with or without the assistance of a particular religion or denomination. This is real religious freedom.

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Unity

Practically never have I heard a heated religious, political, or reform argument among AA members. So long as we don't argue these matters privately, it's a cinch we never shall publicly. As by some deep instinct, we AA's have known from the very beginning that we must never, no matter what the provocation, publicly take sides in any fight, even a worthy one. . . . . . We do not enter into public controversy, because we know that our Society will perish if it does. We conceive the survival and spread of Alcoholics Anonymous to be something of far greater importance than the weight we could collectively throw back of any other cause.

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions Pages 176-177

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Just a Quote

“True religion... is giving and finding one's happiness by bringing happiness into the lives of others.” ~ William J. H. Boetcker

[bluidkiti]

March 4


Guidance Prayer

Lord,
You have guided me this far and have watched out for me in tough times and dark places. Lord you blessed me with an intelligent mind, great spirit and a strong body, help me to use these attributes do well for others and make a positive influence in this life that you have given me.
Grant me success and confidence in all I do….
Amen

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Just a Thought

Drinking cuts you off from God and other people.

No matter how you were brought up, no matter what your religion is, no matter if you say you believe in God, nevertheless you build up a wall between you and God by your drinking. You know you're not living the way God wants you to. As a result, you have that terrible remorse. When you come into A.A., you begin to get right with other people and with God. A sober life is a happy life, because by giving up drinking, we've got rid of our loneliness and remorse.

So ............

Do I have real fellowship with other people and with God?

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Just a Contemplation

Going with the Flow

Going with the flow doesn’t mean that we don’t know where we’re going; it means that we are open to multiple ways of getting there. We are also open to changing our destination, clinging more to the essence of our goal than to the particulars. We acknowledge that letting go and modifying our plans is part of the process. Going with the flow means that we are aware of an energy that is larger than our small selves and we are open to working with it, not against it.

Many of us are afraid of going with the flow because we don’t trust that we will get where we want to go if we do. This causes us to cling to plans that aren’t working, stick to routes that are obstructed, and obsess over relationships that aren’t fulfilling. When you find yourself stuck in these kinds of patterns, do yourself a favor and open to the flow of what is rather than resisting it. Trust that the big river of your life has a plan for you and let it carry you onward. Throw overboard those things that are weighing you down. Be open to revising your maps. Take a deep breath and move into the current.

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Sponsorship

Dr. Bob led me through all of these Steps. At the moral inventory, he brought up some of my bad personality traits or character defects, such as selfishness, conceit, jealousy, carelessness, intolerance, ill-temper, sarcasm and resentments. We went over these at great length and then he finally asked me if I wanted these defects of character taken away. When I said yes, we both knelt at his desk and prayed . . . If I live to be a hundred, this will always stand out in my mind. I wish that every AA could have the benefit of this type of sponsorship today.

Alcoholics Anonymous, Page 292 (3rd Edition)

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Just a Quote

“Opportunities to find deeper powers within ourselves come when life seems most challenging.” ~ Joseph Campbell

[bluidkiti]

March 5


Heavy Heart Prayer

Lord,
My heart is heavy. I feel like I have to carry the burden alone. Words like overwhelmed, distraught, exhausted seem to describe where I am. I am not sure how to let you carry my heavy load, so please show me how. Take it from me. Let me rest and be refreshed so that my heart won't be so heavy in the morning.
Amen.

~ Ron Moore

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Just a Thought

Thinking about drinking!!

When we think about having a drink, we're thinking of the kick we get out of drinking, the pleasure, the escape from boredom, the feeling of self-importance, and the companionship of other drinkers. What we don't think of is the letdown, the hangover, the remorse, the waste of money, and the facing of another day. In other words, when we think about that first drink, we're thinking of all the assets of drinking and none of the liabilities. What has drinking really got that we haven't got in A.A.?

So ............

Do I believe that the liabilities of drinking outweigh the assets?

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Just a Contemplation

Noticing

Plants grow best when we pay attention to them. That means watering, touching them, putting them in places where they will receive good light. They need people around them to notice if they are drooping at the edges or looking particularly happy in the sunlight. The more attention a plant receives, the better it will grow.

We need to be noticed in the same way. If we notice a family member or friend is drooping, perhaps we can pay some special attention to him or her. All of us need someone to care about how we are and to truly listen to us. We can share and double someone's happiness by noticing and talking about it also. We help the people around us to grow by listening to their droopy edges as well as their bright days. People need this as much as plants need light and water.

How can I help someone grow today?

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Conception

In Ebby's words to Bill: "Why don't you choose your own conception of God?"

'I've tried everything else,' I thought, 'and I've got no place else to go. I might just as well.' I sat down at my desk, got a pad of paper and a pencil, and asked myself, 'If you could pick the kind of God that you could believe in, what would He be like?' I bore in mind the facts that I was an alcoholic and that I had been a perfectionist all my life. The world was never perfect enough for me. Everything that I ever believed in, every ideal that I ever followed turned out to have feet of clay. Here was my chance. For the first time in my life, I could create something perfect. All right! "I wrote across the page, 'God is the perfection I've been searching for all my life. He is too perfect to have human characteristics and faults.' That was the start. Then I wrote, 'God is the ultimate perfection. He is the perfect love, the perfect truth, the perfect goodness, the perfect understanding, tolerance, mercy, forgiveness. God is so perfect that no matter how evil, how unclean we may be, He'll forgive us if we ask, and grant us strength to overcome our shortcomings.

Came to Believe, 30th printing 2004, Pages 63-64

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Just a Quote

"Value what you have and who you are. God didn't make you purely to receive and experience problems." ~ Faith Starr

[bluidkiti]

March 6


Grace For Today Prayer

Lord, give me the grace for today.
Before me, the day looms with great possibilities and even greater challenges.
I put it all in your hands.
Help me to embrace every challenge,
to be open to all you have to give and to see all as an opportunity.
One moment at a time. One person at a time. One gift at a time.
Help me to breathe in your Spirit and to exhale any fear that may cause me to question and to worry.
The world causes stress. You offer peace.
I choose you!
Amen

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Just a Thought

Getting a real kick out of life.

We got a kick out of the first few drinks, before we got stupefied by alcohol. For a while, the world seemed to look brighter. But how about the letdown, the terrible depression that comes the morning after? In A.A., we get a real kick: not a false feeling of exhilaration, but a real feeling of satisfaction with ourselves, self respect, and a feeling of friendliness toward the world. We got a sort of pleasure from drinking. For a while we thought we were happy. But it's only an illusion. The hang over the next day is the opposite of pleasure.

So ............

In A.A., am I getting real pleasure and serenity and peace?

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Just a Contemplation

Fear & Faith

We all experience fear. Sometimes we fear small things that only seem large at the time, like a test in school, or meeting a new boss, or going to the dentist. Sometimes we fear big things like serious illness or death, or that someone we love will come to harm. Fear is healthy, and we all feel it. It keeps us from doing foolish things sometimes, but too much fear can also keep us from doing what we need for our growth.

If we have faith in God and in ourselves, we can turn and face whatever frightens us, believing we can, with help, do what seems impossible. And we will, and the fear will vanish. The important first step in dealing with fear is to take action--either by tackling what we fear ourselves, or by asking for help. Each time we face our fear, we gain strength, courage, and confidence in the doing.

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Happiness

I feel myself a useful member of the human race at last. I have something to contribute to humanity, since I am peculiarly qualified, as a fellow-sufferer, to give aid and comfort to those who have stumbled and fallen over this business of meeting life. I get my greatest thrill of accomplishment from the knowledge that I have played a part in the new happiness achieved by countless others like myself.

Alcoholics Anonymous Page 229 (3rd Edition)

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Just a Quote

"Don’t let fear or insecurity stop you from trying new things. Believe in yourself. Do what you love. And most importantly, be kind to others, even if you don’t like them." ~ Stacy London

[bluidkiti]

March 7


The Prayer for Today

Just for today, help me, God, to remember that my life is a gift, that my health is a blessing, that this new day is filled with awesome potential, that I have the capacity to bring something wholly new and unique and good into this world.

Just for today, help me, God, to remember to be kind and patient to the people who love me, and to those who work with me too. Teach me to see all the beauty that I so often ignore, and to listen to the silent longing of my own soul.

Let this be a good day, God, full of joy and love.
Amen

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Just a Thought

By drinking, we escaped from boredom for a while and almost forgot our troubles.

But when we sobered up, our troubles were twice as bad. Drinking had only made them worse. In A.A., we really escape boredom. Nobody's bored at an A.A. meeting. We stick around after it's over and we hate to leave. Drinking gave us a temporary feeling of importance. When we're drinking, we kid ourselves into thinking we are somebody. We tell tall stories to build ourselves up. In A.A., we don't want that kind of self-importance. We have real self-respect and honesty and humility.

So ............

Have I found something much better and more satisfactory than drinking?

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Just a Contemplation

Accepting Failures

Perfectionism and its control over our lives stands seriously in the way of our growth and well-being, emotionally, spiritually, and even physically. Life's lessons come through failures probably more than successes. Through our failures we learn humility. We learn to look to others for help and guidance. We learn how to let others fail, too. We fail because we are human.

When we no longer fear failure, we are free to attempt greater feats. We dare to learn more, and life is fuller for it--not just our own lives, but the lives that we touch.

Laughter over our mistakes eases the risk of trying again. Laughter keeps us young, and the lighthearted find more pleasure in each day. If I fail at something, I can laugh about it and try again.

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Consistency

What right do I have to expect perfection and efficiency in my spiritual growth when the rest of my life is so full of ups and downs, ins and outs, and backs and forths? Throughout this whole adventure, the only consistency I have maintained is an absolute and total faith in AA, come what may.

The Best of the Grapevine [Vol. 1], Page 187

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Just a Quote

“Learn from the mistakes of others. You can't make them all yourself.” ~ Usher

[bluidkiti]

March 8


Prayer for Strength

Lord, I’m struggling with Life.
My heart is weighed down with anxiety, frustration, anger and fear.
Please help me turn this over to you. I can’t fix it.
I want to trust you to handle it.
Give me the strength to let go and accept the outcome, whatever it may be.
Amen

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Just a Thought

One thing we learn in A.A. is to take a long view of drinking instead of a short view.

When we were drinking we thought more about the pleasure or release that a drink would give us than we did about the consequences that would result from our taking that drink. Liquor looks good from the short view. When we look in a package store window, we see liquor dressed up in its best wrappings, with fancy labels and decorations. They looked splendid.

So ............

Have I learned that what's inside those beautiful bottles is just plain poison to me?

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Just a Contemplation

Financial Responsibility

We are responsible for ourselves financially. What a frightening, grown up thought that is for many of us - taking responsibility for money and our financial affairs. Some of our emotional dependency on others, on this tight tie that binds us to others, not in love, but in need and desperation, is directly related to financial dependency.

Financial responsibility is an attitude. Money goes out to pay for necessities and luxuries. Money must come in, in order to go out. How much needs to come in to equal that which is going out? Taxes... savings plans...appropriate spending habits that demonstrate an attitude of financial responsibility.... Part of being alive means learning to handle money.

Self-esteem will increase when we increase our sense of being financially responsible for ourselves. We can start where we are, with what we have today.

We are responsible for ourselves financially.

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Magic

When I couldn't find an easier, softer way, I looked for the person with the magic wand, the one person in AA who could make me all better, right now. This was a frustrating task, and I finally realized that if I wanted this life, I was going to have to do what the others had done. No one made me drink, and no one was going to make me sober. This program is for people who want it, not people who need it.

Alcoholics Anonymous Page 315

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Just a Quote

"The habit of saving is itself an education; it fosters every virtue, teaches self-denial, cultivates the sense of order, trains to forethought, and so broadens the mind." ~ T.T. Munger

[bluidkiti]

March 9


For Today Prayer

God,
Give me strength to live another day;
Let me not turn coward before its difficulties or prove recreant to its duties;
Let me not lose faith in other people;
Keep me sweet and sound of heart, in spite of ingratitude, treachery, or meanness;
Preserve me from minding little stings or giving them;
Help me to keep my heart clean, and to live so honestly and fearlessly that no outward failure can dishearten me or take away the joy of conscious integrity;
Open wide the eyes of my soul that I may see good in all things;
Grant me this day some new vision of thy truth;
Inspire me with the spirit of joy and gladness.
Amen

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Just a Thought

The A.A. program is one of charity.

Because the real meaning of the word charity is to care enough about other people to really want to help them. To get the full benefit of the program, we must try to help other alcoholics. We may try to help somebody and think we have failed, but the seed we have planted may bear fruit some time. We never know the results even a word of ours might have. But the main thing is to have charity for others, a real desire to help them, whether we succeed or not.

So ............

Do I have real charity?

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Just a Contemplation

Feeling Offended

Were we offended by someone today? Do we harbor resentment for remarks, oversights, or unpleasant mannerisms? Do we feel tense or uneasy about how someone else has treated us? We can probably make a good case to justify our reactions. Perhaps we are in the right and they are in the wrong.

Yet, even if we are justified, it doesn't matter. We may be puffing ourselves up and wasting energy. When we are oversensitive, we take a self-righteous position, which leads us far from our path of spiritual awakening. Our strength is diminished.

How much better it is to let go of the lightness, let go of our grandiosity, and accept the imperfections in others. We need to accept our own imperfections too. When we do, we are better men, and our strength and energy can be focused on richer goals. I will accept others' imperfections; I do not need to be always right.

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An Allergy

We believe, and so suggested a few years ago, that the action of alcohol on these chronic alcoholics is a manifestation of an allergy; that the phenomenon of craving is limited to this class and never occurs in the average temperate drinker. These allergic types can never safely use alcohol in any form at all; and once having formed the habit and found they cannot break it, once having lost their self- confidence, their reliance upon things human, their problems pile up on them and become astonishingly difficult to solve.

Alcoholics Anonymous Page xxviii

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Just a Quote

“Even a happy life cannot be without a measure of darkness, and the word happy would lose its meaning if it were not balanced by sadness. It is far better to take things as they come along with patience and equanimity.” ~ Carl Jung

[bluidkiti]

March 10


Prayer for Direction

Lord,
Thank You for the people You have divinely placed in my life who speak the truth, love and words of wisdom. Give me a heart of discernment to know when You are using someone to speak instruction into my heart and my circumstances, and give me the strength and courage to follow through with that advice, even when it’s hard. Fill me with peace in knowing that even if I take a wrong turn, Your purpose will prevail.
Amen

~ Tracie Miles

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Just a Thought

Drinking is the way we alcoholics express our maladjustments to life.

I believe that I was a potential alcoholic from the start. I had an inferiority complex. I didn't make friends easily. There was a wall between me and other people. And I was lonely. I was not well adjusted to life.

So ............

Did I drink to escape from myself?

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Just a Contemplation

Pride

Pride, like all emotions, has two faces: one healthy and one sick. It is our challenge to use the healthy side well. Sick pride fills us with ourselves, looks down on others, and has no room for generosity. Healthy pride is heavy with humility. If we can feel joyful when we succeed, and tell others about it honestly, we are not being boastful.

Sick pride often keeps us from doing things because we are too proud to ask for help when we need it, or too proud to risk failure, or too proud to do anything that might not turn out perfect.

Healthy pride about our greatest victories always comes with the awareness that we did not do it all by ourselves. We had the aid, advice, and encouragement of loved ones. In all things that really count, we never walk alone. Even those who claim pride is not a virtue admit that it is the parent of many virtues.

Pride works from within; it is the direct appreciation of oneself.

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Awakening

I think I have had a spiritual awakening, as undramatic as it may have been, and that it will go on and on as long as I continue to practice this program in my daily affairs. To me, there is no "spiritual side" to the program of Alcoholics Anonymous; the entire program is spiritual.

Came To Believe Page 48

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Just a Quote

“As an alcoholic, you will violate your standards quicker than you can lower them.”~ Robin Williams

[bluidkiti]

March 11


Prayer for the Simple Things

God,
Sometimes life gets me down and I find it hard to see things to be thankful for.
Open my eyes to see the gifts you’ve given me in my life.

Thank you, Lord, for all your blessings to me and my family; for the strength you give me each day and for all the people around me who make life more meaningful.
Amen

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Just a Thought

In A.A., we learn to take a long view of drinking instead of a short view.

In a nightclub crowded with men and women all dressed up in evening clothes looks like a very happy place. But you should see the rest rooms of that nightclub the next morning. What a mess! People have been sick all over the place and it smells! The glamour of the night before is all gone and only the stink of the morning after is left.

In A.A. we learn to think less about the pleasure of the moment and more about the consequences.

So ............

Do I take the long view or the short view now?

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Just a Contemplation

Strength

When we think of strength, do we think of someone who shows no emotion and intimidates others with physical power? True strength is the freedom to show all kinds of feelings. Strong people aren't afraid of being vulnerable. A person who feels insecure may not feel free to show any kind of softness or be able to share gentle feelings. If we have true inner strength, we are not afraid to show what is a part of us, gentle feelings included.

It is wonderful to see a well-conditioned athlete cry tears of joy after a victory. In such an example we can see physical and emotional strength. In our lives together, we will be stronger if we do not try to hide our feelings out of fear. As our feelings flow, we will increase our self-understanding and build our true strength.

I am strong enough to show how I really feel.

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Tolerance in Practice

We found that the principles of tolerance and love had to be emphasized in actual practice. We can never say (or insinuate) to anyone that he must agree to our formula or be excommunicated. The atheist may stand up in an A.A. meeting still denying the Deity, yet reporting how vastly he has been changed in attitude and outlook. Much experience tells us he will presently change his mind about God, but nobody tells him he must do so.

In order to carry the principles of inclusiveness and tolerance still further, we make no religious requirement of anyone. All people having an alcoholic problem who wish to get rid of it and so make a happy adjustment with the circumstances of their lives, become A.A. members by simply associating with us. Nothing but sincerity is needed. But we do not demand even this.

In such an atmosphere the orthodox, the unorthodox, and the believer mix happily and usefully together. An opportunity for spiritual growth is open to all.

As Bill Sees It Page 158

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Just a few Quotes


"Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows; it empties today of its strength." ~ Corrieten Boom


"There is a calmness to a life lived in gratitude, a quiet joy." ~Ralph H. Blum

[bluidkiti]

March 12


Prayer to Release Fear

Lord,
Sometimes I feel afraid in the tough trials of life. Sometimes the darkness overwhelms me, and I grow discouraged as I face the uncertainties of life. Help me remember I am not alone in my battles.I can count on your presence wherever I go, and rely on the power and provision of your presence in my times of deepest need. Thank you for being near, for walking with me every day.
Amen

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Just a Thought.

What a change our lives are today.

When the morning sun comes up on a nice bright day and we jump out of bed, we're thankful to God that we feel well and happy instead of sick and disgusted. Serenity and happiness have become much more important to us than the excitement of drinking, which lifts us up for a short while, but lets us way down in the end. Of course, all of us alcoholics had a lot of fun with drinking. We might as well admit it. We can look back on a lot of good times, before we became alcoholics. But the time comes for all of us alcoholics when drinking ceases to be fun and becomes trouble.

So ............

Have I learned that drinking can never again be anything but trouble for me?

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Just a Contemplation

Jumbled Mess

A rolled-up ball of yarn does not take up much space - it sits, ready to be used when needed. It gets unrolled a little bit at a time - just as much as is needed and no more. But a ball of yarn that gets unraveled can be strewn across an entire room. It becomes a jumbled mess, entangled and confusing.

When we live our lives a day at a time, we are like that rolled-up ball of yarn. Our thoughts, feelings, and skills are ready to be used as they are needed. But when we worry, our spirit becomes a jumbled mass of yarn. We get ahead of and behind ourselves - our thoughts are scattered and often our feelings are confused. Worry adds clutter and confusion to life.

What is most helpful is to put the worry away--to roll up the ball of yarn and bring ourselves into the present moment. In this way, we stand ready for each new stitch--and we will never be given more than we are able to handle.

Do I have worries that are cluttering my life today?

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Release From Fear

The practice of AA's Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions in our personal lives also brought incredible releases from fear of every description, despite the wide prevalence of formidable personal problems. When fear did persist, we knew it for what it was, and under God's grace we became able to handle it.

The Language of the Heart Page 268

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Just a Quote

"Fear is the path to the Dark Side. Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering." ~ Yoda

[bluidkiti]

March 13


Powerless Prayer

Dear God, I am powerless and my life is unmanageable without Your help and guidance. I come to you today because I believe that You can restore and renew me to meet my needs today. Since I cannot manage my life or affairs, I have decided to give them to You. I put my life, my will, my thoughts, my desires and ambitions in Your hands.

I cannot control or change my friends or loved ones, so I release them into Your care for Your loving hands to do with as You will. Just keep me loving and free from judging them. If they need changing, God, You’ll have to do it; I can’t. Just make me willing and ready to be of service to You, to have my shortcomings removed, and to do my best.

~ Anonymous

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Just a Thought

In the past, we kept right on drinking in spite of all the trouble we got into.

We were foolish enough to believe that drinking could still be fun in spite of everything that happened to us. When we came into A.A., we found a lot of people who, like ourselves, had had fun with drinking, but who now admitted that alcohol had become nothing but trouble for them. And when we found that this thing had happened to a lot of other people beside ourselves, we realized that perhaps we weren't hopeless after all.

So ............

Have I learned to admit that for me drinking has ceased to be fun and has become nothing but trouble?

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Just a Contemplation

Detachment & Boundaries

At times we need to be firm, assertive. At those times we need to convince others and ourselves we have rights. We may need to get angry to make a decision or set a boundary, but we can't afford to stay resentful. It is difficult to have compassion for one who is victimizing us, but once we've removed ourselves as victims, we can find compassion.

Our path, our way, is a gentle one, walked in love - love for self, love for others. Set boundaries. Detach. Take care of ourselves. And as quickly as possible, do those things in love.

Today, and whenever possible. God let me be gentle with others and myself. Help me find the balance between assertive action taken in my own best interests, and love for others. Help me understand that at times those two ideas are one. Help me find the right path for me.

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Wants or Needs

We are taught to differentiate between our wants (which are never satisfied) and our needs (which are always provided for). We cast off the burdens of the past and the anxieties of the future, as we begin to live in the present, one day at a time. We are granted 'the serenity to accept the things we cannot change' - and thus lose our quickness to anger and our sensitivity to criticism.

Alcoholics Anonymous Page 560, 3rd Edition

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Just a Quote

“Always give without remembering and always receive without forgetting.” ~ Brian Tracy

[bluidkiti]

March 14


Stress Prayer

Lord,
I worry. Fear is a real enemy. Finances, a difficult decision, a conflict with a partner, a challenge in my work scenario… These situations matter. I know You are not asking me to deny reality here. I’m not. But whatever my case, imagined or real, I turn the worry portion of this situation back to You, here and now. Settle my stress. Calm my anxiety and the agitation in my body. I see myself handing this entire matter into Your strong and good hand. As I do that now, I won’t neglect to add, “Thank you!”
Amen!

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Just a Thought

Since I have been a member of A.A., I have realized some facts.

I realized that I had become an alcoholic and could never have any more fun with alcohol and since I knew that from then on drinking alcohol would always get me into trouble, common sense told me that the only thing left for me was a life of sobriety. But I learned another thing in A.A., the most important thing anyone can ever learn: that I could call on a Higher Power to help me keep away from the need of drinking alcohol; that I could work with that Divine Principle in the universe; and that God would help me to live a sober, useful, happy life. So now I no longer care about the fact that I can never have any more fun with drinking.

So ............

Have I learned that I am much happier without alcohol?

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Just a Completion

Letting Go of Sadness

In the past, we told ourselves many things to deny the pain: It doesn't hurt that much.... Maybe if I just wait, things will change.... It's no big deal. I can get through this.... Maybe if I try to change the other person, I won't have to change myself. We denied that it hurt because we didn't want to feel the pain.

Unfinished business doesn't go away. It keeps repeating itself, until it gets our attention, until we feel it, deal with it, and heal. Many of us didn't have the tools, support, or safety we needed to acknowledge and accept pain in our past. We can now begin the process of feeling what we have denied so long - not to blame, not to shame, but to heal ourselves in preparation for a better life.

It's okay to cry when we need to cry and feel the sadness many of us have stored within for so long. We can feel and release these feelings. Grief is a cleansing process. It's an acceptance process. It moves us from our past, into today, and into a better future - a future free of sabotaging behaviors, a future that holds more options than our past.

I ask my God, as I move through this day, let me be open to my feelings Today, help me know that I don't have to either force or repress the healing available to me in recovery. Help me trust that if I am open and available, the healing will happen naturally, in a manageable way.

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Action

In shame and despair, I went to my first AA meeting. By some minor miracle, I was able to suspend opinion, analysis, judgment, and criticism, and instead to listen and hear. I heard someone say that AA works for those who work for it, those who put action into the program. . . I heard that I should forget about yesterday and instead concentrate on today and staying away from the first drink today -- now. I tried it and it worked.

Came To Believe Page 42

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Just a Quote

"Anger is a wind which blows out the lamp of the mind." ~ Robert G. Ingersoll

[bluidkiti]

March 15


Need of a Miracle Prayer

Lord, the days ahead may be a little scary at times, but I understand now that the path to a miracle is through uncomfortable territory. I understand now that the source of a miracle will be unexpected, so I shouldn’t try to figure it out. I should just trust you. When you tell me what to do, and it doesn’t always make sense, I will still do what you want me to do. Help me to remember that you’re all I need and that where you guide, you’ll provide. I want to learn to trust you one day at a time. I want to go your way, not my way. I want to follow you, and I ask you to save me and come into my life. I claim your promise that if I trust you, you’ll meet my needs.
Amen.

~ Rick Warren

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Just a Thought

If we're going to stay sober, we've got to learn to want something else more than we want to drink.

When we first came into A.A., we couldn't imagine wanting anything else so much or more than drinking. So we had to stop drinking on faith, on faith that someday we really would want something else more than drinking. But after we've been in A.A. for a while, we learn that a sober life can really be enjoyed. We learn how nice it is to get along well with our family, how nice it is to do our work well whether at home or outside how nice it is to try to help others.

So ............

Have I found that when I keep sober, everything goes well for me?

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Just a Contemplation

Disagreements

Many of us haven't learned there is room for disagreement in a relationship. Many learned to be always pleasing and agreeable, no matter how they felt. Others took it as a personal insult when someone disagreed with them.

We choke the vitality and excitement in our relationships if we are too intent on avoiding conflict. Nothing can be resolved if we smooth everything over. Differences between people don't just go away. If we don't bring them out, they fester and create silent tension or boredom. If we willingly express our thoughts and feelings, we can learn how to resolve our disagreements and to appreciate each other for our differences as well as our similarities. If two people in a relationship were exactly alike, one of them would be unnecessary.

I will try to be more open about my differences with people, not as a way of fighting, but as a way of letting them know me better.

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Let’s Keep It Simple

We need to distinguish sharply between spiritual simplicity and functional simplicity.

When we say that A.A. advocates no theological proposition except God as we understand Him, we greatly simplify A.A. life by avoiding conflict and exclusiveness.

But when we get into questions of action by groups, by areas, and by A.A. as a whole, we find that we must to some extent organize to carry the message--or else face chaos. And chaos is not simplicity.

As Bill Sees It Page 162

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Just a Few Quotes

"Seeing a miracle will inspire you, but knowing you are a miracle will change you." ~ Deborah Brodie

"A miracle is a shift in perception from fear to love." ~ Marianne Williamson