Daily Recovery Readings - June

[bluidkiti]

June 16

Daily Reflections

OPEN-MINDEDNESS

We have found that God does not make too hard terms with those
who seek Him. To us, the realm of spirit is broad, roomy, all
inclusive, never exclusive or forbidding to those who earnestly
seek. It is open, we believe, to all men.
AS BILL SEES IT, p. 7

Open-mindedness to concepts of a Higher Power can open doors
to the spirit. Often I find the human spirit in various dogmas
and faiths. I can be spiritual in the sharing of myself. The
sharing of self joins me to the human race and brings me closer
to God, as I understand Him.

************************************************** *********

Twenty-Four Hours A Day

A.A. Thought For The Day

But even faith is not the whole story. There must be service.
We must give this thing away if we want to keep it. The Dead
Sea has no outlet and it is stagnant and full of salt. The Sea
of Galilee is clear and clean and blue, as the Jordan River
carries it out to irrigate the desert. To be of service to
other people makes our lives worth living. Does service to
others give me a real purpose in life?

Meditation For The Day

Seek God early in the day, before He gets crowded out by life's
problems, difficulties, or pleasures. In that early quiet time
gain a calm, strong confidence in the goodness and purpose in
the universe. Do not seek God only when the world's struggles
prove too much and too many for you to bear or face alone.
Seek God early, when you can have a consciousness of God's
spirit in the world. People often only seek God when their
difficulties are too great to be surmounted in any other way,
forgetting that if they sought God's companionship before
they need it, many of their difficulties would never arise.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that I may not let God be crowded out by the hurly-burly
of life. I pray that I may seek God early and often.

************************************************** *********

As Bill Sees It

Progress Rather than Perfection, p. 167

On studying the Twelve Steps, many of us exclaimed, "What an order! I can't go
through with it." Do not be discouraged. No one among us has been able to maintain
anything like perfect adherence to these principles. We are not saints.

The point is that we are willing to grow along spiritual lines. The principles we have
set down are guides to progress. We claim spiritual progress rather than spiritual
perfection.

<< << << >> >> >>

"We recovered alcoholics are not so much brothers in virtue as we are brothers in our
defects, and in our common strivings to overcome them."

1. Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 60
2. Letter, 1946

************************************************** *********

Keep It Simple

AA states that resentments is the "number one offender" among our members, that it puts more alcoholics in the graves than any other thing.---Stools and Bottles

We can get high on anger. That's why it's dangerous. We get a false sense of power from being angry. Our anger turns into resentments. Resentments turn into hate. Hate eats at our spiritual core.
We can get rid of resentments and hate through prayer and helping others. That's why we we're to pray for those who have wronged us, so our hearts don't fill with hate. This why, we use our energy in a healthy way. And our serenity will grow as we see that anger no longer has so much power over our actions.

Prayer for the Day
Higher Power, help me stop using anger, resentments and hate for control over other people and advents I don't like.

Action for the Day
I'll list all the people I'm angry at. I'll say a simple prayer for each of them.

************************************************** *********

Walk In Dry Places

Solving our common problem
Recovery
Twelve Step programs bring together people who admit certain behaviors that society often views with pity or contempt. Some of these behaviors, such as alcoholism and gambling, are heavily stigmatized.
Though we often talk about "our common problem", the thing we have most in common with each other is that we're human beings who share the human condition. No one is really immune from the similar problems that beset us.
That's why somebody once remarked, only in half-jest, that "alcoholics are like normal people, only more so." We have to remember that the people around us are no different from us in that they are subject to such feelings as pride, resentment, self-pity, and discouragement.
Our common problem is really that we're human beings who need a spiritual life in order to become our true selves. This can turn a problem into a new life if we accept the program.
Today I'll look upon all people with understanding and acceptance. Everyone shares the same feelings that drive me, and everyone deserves my warmth and understanding.

************************************************** *********

Each Day a New Beginning

Wisdom never kicks at the iron walls it can't bring down. --Olive Schreiner
God grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change. Many times--yesterday, last week, today, and even tomorrow--we'll come face-to-face with a seemingly intolerable situation. The compulsion to change the situation, to demand that another person change the situation, is great. What a hard lesson it is, to learn we can change only ourselves! The hidden gift in this lesson is that as our activities change, often the intolerable situations do, too.
Acceptance, after a time, smooths all the ripples that discourage us. And it softens us. It nurtures wisdom. It attracts joy and love from others. Ironically, we often try to force changes that we think will "loosen" love and lessen struggle. Acceptance can do what our willpower could never accomplish.
As we grow in wisdom, as we grow in understanding, as we realize the promises of this program, we'll stand ready, as women, to weather all our personal storms. Like the willow in the wind, we'll bend rather than break. And we'll be able to help our sisters become wise through our example.
My lessons are not easy. But they will ease my way. Better days begin, today.

************************************************** *********

Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

BILL'S STORY

My wife and I abandoned ourselves with enthusiasm to the idea of helping other alcoholics to a solution of their problems. It was fortunate, for my old business associates remained skeptical for a year and a half, during which I found little work. I was not to well at the time, and was plagued by waves of self-pity and resentment. This sometimes nearly drove me back to drink, but I soon found that when all other measures failed, work with another alcoholic would save the day. Many times I have gone to my old hospital in despair. On talking to a man there, I would be amazingly lifted up and set on my feet. It is a design for living that works in rough going.

p. 15

************************************************** *********

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

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

This feeling of being at one with God and man, this emerging from isolation through the open and honest sharing of our terrible burden of guilt, brings us to a resting place where we may prepare ourselves for the following Steps toward a full and meaningful sobriety.

p. 62

************************************************** *********

"The secret of self-confidence and courage hinges on the kind of
thoughts you think. In the long run, your subconscious will send
up to you what you send down to it. Take charge of your mind and
begin to fill it with healthy thoughts."
--Norman Vincent Peale

Act on God's will, and you will be led to better things.
--SweetyZee

Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything he
learned in school.
--Albert Einstein

"Don't talk about what you have done or what you are going to do
--do it and let it speak for itself."
--Martin Vanbee

Thank God For What You Have,
TRUST GOD For What You Need.

If every man would sweep before his own doors, the city would soon be
clean.
-- Italian Proverb

Those who dance are thought to be quite insane by those who cannot
hear music.
-- Maggie Erotokritou

***********************************************

Father Leo's Daily Meditation

LEARNING

"Anyone who stops learning is old,
whether at twenty or eighty.
Anyone who keeps learning stays
young. The greatest thing in life is
to keep your mind young."
--Henry Ford

My life is exciting today because I am learning and creating so much in
recovery. Even things that I thought I understood have a new "ring".
Words, ideas, relationships and the awareness of God are forever
changing - usually for the better.

Sobriety is not boring. It is not stuffy, rigid or restrictive - and
discussions (not arguments) within the fellowship of recovering people
produces fresh insights. Today I am involved in the life of God. I am
creating, healing and forever learning more about the mystery of love.

O Teacher of the Universe, let me seek beyond that which I
understand.

************************************************** *********

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in
Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but
according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in
Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.
Romans 8:1-2

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Matthew 5:43-48

************************************************** *********

Daily Inspiration

Nothing is more important than your own peace of mind and ability to be happy. Lord, help me to remember that I must take care of myself because only then can I care for others.

Confront your problems so they don't gather like weights upon your back. Lord, help me to handle my concerns of today and lay them to rest.

[bluidkiti]

June 17

Daily Reflections

"DEEP DOWN WITHIN US"

We found the Great Reality deep down within us. In the last
analysis it is only there that He may be found. . . . search
diligently within yourself . . . With this attitude you
cannot fail. The consciousness of your belief is sure to come
to you.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 55

It was out of the depths of loneliness, depression and despair
that I sought the help of A.A. As I recovered and began to
face the emptiness and ruin of my life, I began to open myself
to the possibility of the healing that recovery offers through
the A.A. program. By coming to meetings, staying sober, and
taking the Steps, I had the opportunity to listen with
increasing attentiveness to the depths of my soul. Daily I
waited, in hope and gratitude, for that sure belief and
steadfast love I had longed for in my life. In this process,
I met my God, as I understand Him.

************************************************** *********

Twenty-Four Hours A Day

A.A. Thought For The Day

We in A.A. have the privilege of living two lives in one
lifetime. One life of drunkenness, failure, and defeat. Then,
through A.A., another life of sobriety, peace of mind, and
usefulness. We who have recovered our sobriety are modern
miracles. And we're living on borrowed time. Some of us might
have been dead long ago. But we have been given another chance
to live. Do I owe a debt of gratitude to A.A. that I can never
repay as long as I live?

Meditation For The Day

Thinking about God in love and worship drives away evil. It is
the thought before that the hosts of evil flee. The thought of
a Power greater than yourself is the call for a life-line to
rescue you from temptation. The thought of God banishes
loneliness and dispels gloom. It summons help to conquer your
faults. Think of God as often as possible. Use the thought
prayerfully and purposefully. It will carry your thoughts away
from material things and toward the spiritual things that make
life worthwhile.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that I may think of God often. I pray that I may rest in
peace at the thought of His love and care.

************************************************** *********

As Bill Sees It

Accepting God's Gifts, p. 168

"Though many theologians hold that sudden spiritual experiences amount to a special
distinction, if not a divine appointment of some sort, I question this view. Every
human being, no matter what his attributes for good or evil, is a part of the divine
spiritual economy. Therefore, each of us has his place, and I cannot see that God
intends to exalt one another.

"So it is necessary for all of us to accept whatever positive gifts we receive with a
deep humility, always bearing in mind that our negative attitudes were first necessary
as a means of reducing us to such a state of that we would be ready for a gift of the
positive ones via the conversion experience. Your own alcoholism and the
immense deflation that finally resulted are indeed the foundation upon which your
spiritual experience rests."

Letter, 1964

************************************************** *********

Walk In Dry Places

Is the Golden Rule Applicable?
Inventory
Some people say the Golden Rule is impractical or believe it can work only if everybody begins following it at the same time.
We learn in 12 Step programs that the Golden Rule does work. We start by taking our own inventory, whether nor not others do. We make amends for our own wrongs, even when amends are not made to us. We think rightly about others, no matter how they think about us.
>From time to time, we also receive a cosmic hint that the Golden Rule is far more than a mere human ideal expressed in an ancient time. It really appears to be one way of stating a law of life. We should treat others as we want to be treated because, in time, this is how we will be treated.
Nothing will help me more with my program today than to practice the Golden Rule, even in the face of trying situations. This will show me, more than word ever can, that God is really in charge of my life.

************************************************** *********

Keep It Simple

Each day provides its own gifts. ---Ruth D. Freedman
Life is full of wonderful gifts. Recovery is life's greatest gift to us. If we're not excited about being sober, we need to check ourselves. Are we keeping something secret? Is there a sadness we need to talk about? Are we stuffing anger? These things eat away at our excitement for life.
Many addicts never get the gift of recovery. Those of us in recovery are special. We've been given a new life. There will be hard times. But the joy of getting a second chance will be stronger. Am I grateful that I've been given recovery?
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me see recovery as a gift. I deserve this gift because I'm human. Help me to always accept this gift.
Action for the Day: At the end of the day, I'll list three gifts that this day has given me.

************************************************** *********

Each Day a New Beginning

. . . we could never learn to be brave and patient if there were only joy in the world. --Helen Keller
We chase after joy, like a child after a firefly, being certain that in joy all problems are solved, all questions are answered. Joy has its rewards, and we deserve them. But life has more to teach us.
We need to learn patience; through patience we come to respect time and its passage, and we are mellowed. We need to learn tolerance; through tolerance our appreciation of another's individuality is nurtured. We need to learn self-respect; self-respect prepares us to contribute more freely to our experiences, and we find wholeness.
Life's travails are our opportunities for lasting, enriching joy. The rough spots deepen our understandings. And these help us to bring joy to the lives of the friends near and dear.
I need not turn my back on joy. But I will be glad for all life's experiences. The panorama will sustain me more fully.

************************************************** *********

Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

BILL'S STORY

We commenced to make many fast friends and a fellowship has grown up among us of which it is a wonderful thing to feel a part. The joy of living we really have, even under pressure and difficulty. I have seen hundreds of families set their feet in the path that really goes somewhere; have seen the most impossible domestic situations righted; feuds and bitterness of all sorts wiped out. I have seen men come out of asylums and resume a vital place in the lives of their families and communities. Business and professional men have regained their standing. There is scarcely any form of trouble and misery which has not been overcome among us. In one western city and its environs there are one thousand of us and our families. We meet frequently so that newcomers may find the fellowship they seek. At these informal gatherings one may often see from 50 to 200 persons. We are growing in numbers and power.*

* In 2001, A.A. is composed of over 100,000 groups.

pp. 15-16

************************************************** *********

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Step Six - "Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character."

"This is the Step that separates the men from the boys." So declares a well-loved clergyman who happens to be one of A.A.'s greatest friends. He goes on to explain that any person capable of enough willingness and honesty to try repeatedly Step Six on all his faults--without any reservations whatever--has indeed come a long way spiritually, and is therefore entitled to be called a man who is sincerely trying to grow in the image and likeness of his own Creator.

p. 63

************************************************** *********

When you come to the end of all the light you know, and it's time to
step into the darkness of the unknown, faith is knowing that one of
two things shall happen: Either you will be given something solid to
stand on or you will be taught to fly.
--Edward Teller

Take time each day to seek out stillness, to find that sacred spot. Let
your mind and soul be at ease. Don't grasp and grab for the magic and
miracles. When you reside in that place of stillness, the joy, miracles,
and magic you're seeking will find you.
--Melody Beattie

"Give what you have. To someone, it may be better than you dare to
think."
--Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

I only have to be what I am, no more, no less.
--Robbie Rocheford

Higher Power, help me to be open, flexible, and accepting in my
recovery.

***********************************************

Father Leo's Daily Meditation

SELF-LOVE

"Only a person who can live
with himself can enjoy the gift of
leisure."
--Henry Greber

As an addict I could not tolerate my own company for long. I was
forever telephoning somebody, going over to a friend's house, inviting
people in, creating an "occasion" so I did not have to think or, at least,
think about myself. Being alone terrified me. I was terrified because I
would begin to think about what was happening in my life and I did not
want to face it.

Spirituality is reality. Some years ago I decided to encounter the
"real" me, painful but necessary. I began to develop an awareness of
who I am. Acceptance followed: I am an alcoholic.

Today I know me; today I like me; today I can love me - and this
awareness brings with it a knowledge of God, self and my neighbor.

Today I can be alone without feeling lonely.

************************************************** *********

Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is
the right thing to do. "Honor your father and mother." This is the first
of the Ten Commandments that ends with a promise. And this is the
promise: If you honor your father and mother, "you will live a long
life, full of blessing." And now a word to you fathers. Don't make your
children angry by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with
the discipline and instruction approved by the Lord.
Ephesians 6:1-4

"Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I
will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My
righteous right hand."
Isaiah 41:10

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no
law.
Galatians 5:22, 23

"And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were
called in one body; and be thankful."
Colossians 3:15

************************************************** *********

Daily Inspiration

The best thing to let go of is your past. Lord, the goodness of my past is part of whom I am now, but the rest only serves to pull me away from You. Help me to keep my thoughts only on this moment.

Imagine that you were paid for every kindness and charged for every unkindness. Would you be rich or poor? Lord, I often pray for material wealth. Let me not neglect my soul by now praying for the ability to build my spiritual wealth also.

[bluidkiti]

June 18

Daily Reflections

A FELLOWSHIP OF FREEDOM

. . . if only men were granted absolute liberty, and were compelled to obey no one, they would then voluntarily associate themselves in the common interest.
AS BILL SEES IT, p. 50

When I no longer live under the dictates of another or of alcohol, I live in a new freedom. When I release the past and all the excess baggage I have carried for so very long, I come to know freedom. I have been introduced into a life and a fellowship of freedom. The Steps are a "recommended" way of finding a new life, there are no commands or dictates in A.A. I am free to serve from desire rather than decree. There is the understanding that I will benefit from the growth of other members and I take what I learn and bring it back to the group. The "common welfare" finds room to grow in the society of personal freedom.

************************************************** *********

Twenty-Four Hours A Day

A.A. Thought For The Day

The A.A. way of living is not an easy one. But it's an adventure in living that is really worthwhile. And it's so much better than our old drunken way of living that there's no comparison. Our lives without A.A. would be worth nothing. With A.A., we have a chance to live reasonably good lives. It's worth the battle, no matter how tough the going is from day to day. Isn't it worth the battle?

Meditation For The Day

The spiritual life has two parts. One is the life apart, the life of prayer and quiet communion with God. You spend this part of your life apart with God. Every day your mind can be set in the right direction so that your thoughts will be of the right kind. The other is the life impart--imparting from others what you have learned from your own meditative experience. The victories you have won over yourself through the help of God can be shared with others. You can help them by imparting to them some of the victory and security that you have gained in your life apart.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that I may grow strong from my times apart with God. I pray that I may pass on some of this strength to others.

************************************************** *********

As Bill Sees It

Learning Never Ends, p. 169

"My experience as an oldtimer has to some degree paralleled your own and that of
many others. We all find that the time comes when we are not allowed to manage and
conduct the functional affairs of the groups, areas, or, in my case, A.A. as a whole. In
the end we can only be worth as much as our spiritual example has justified. To
that extent, we become useful symbols--and that's just about it."

<< << << >> >> >>

"I have become a pupil of the A.A. movement rather than the teacher I once thought I
was."

1. Letter, 1964
2. Letter, 1949

************************************************** *********

Walk In Dry Places
AA is an Automatic sprinkler system
Emotional emergencies
Wise managers install automatic sprinkler systems to protect their businesses. The system's great value is that it goes into action during the first few minutes of a fire, before it gets out of control. This gives the fire department precious time to arrive and put the fire out.
Our AA program gives us something like an automatic sprinkler system. We never know when the flames of resentment might leap up, seemingly our of nowhere. If we've been working our program, something takes over automatically to being dealing with resentment.
This gives us time to bring more of our valuable spiritual tools into use. Knowing that resentment is burning away, we can try one thing and then another until it is brought to rest. Perhaps we will try prayer. We might also discuss our problem with a close friend or sponsor. Maybe we'll attend a meeting and lay the matter out for the group attention. We may help somebody, even in a small way. An amazing healing of resentment can come from any helpful action. Even a simple action like helping a person in a stalled automobile can work wonders in deflecting the pain of ongoing resentment.
I need not fear the sudden appearance of resentment if I have been following my program. I already have within myself the methods for holding resentment at bay while I deal with it.

************************************************** *********

Keep It Simple

Nothing is a waste of time if you use the experience wisely. Rodin
When we first start our recovery, it hurts a lot to look at our past. We feel sad. It feels like our life was a waste.
But it wasn't a waste. The program promises that if we practice the Steps, we'll not reget the past nor wish to shut the door on it. Hard to believe? Just look at all the happy old-timers in AA. Their lives were just as messed up as ours.
Because of our addiction, we're learning a new way to live. We are getting to know ourselves, our Higher Power, and other people.
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, thanks for helping me into recovery. Help me learn from my addiction.
Action for the Day: I'll list three important things I've learned about life because of my addiction. I'll talk to my sponsor about them.

************************************************** *********

Each Day a New Beginning

One receives only that which is given. The game of life is a game of boomerangs. Our thoughts, deeds and words, return to us sooner or later, with astounding accuracy. --Florence Scovel Shin
Each of us can attest to the truth of this passage. During the difficult times, however, it is not uppermost in our minds that "what goes around, comes around." It feels all too easy to be justifiably resentful or to gossip, or to ignore another's presence. And the repercussions are seldom immediate. They will come, though.
Goodness is likewise repaid. Giving love, attention, respect to the individuals who share our lives and to the people who cross our paths by chance, will smooth our own passage day by day. The effects of our goodness will often be felt quickly. A smile elicits a smile. Kind thoughts bless us as well as the receiver. Life events do come full circle.
With a bit of effort, I can smile at someone today, even though I'm frowning inside. Both will be better for it.

************************************************** *********

Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

BILL'S STORY

An alcoholic in his cups is an unlovely creature. Our struggles with them are variously strenuous, comic, and tragic. One poor chap committed suicide in my home. He could not, or would not, see our way of life.
There is, however, a vast amount of fun about it all. I suppose some would be shocked at our seeming worldliness and levity. But just underneath there is deadly earnestness. Faith has to work twenty-four hours a day in and through us, or we perish.
Most of us feel we need look no further for Utopia. We have it with us right here and now. Each day my friend's simple talk in our kitchen multiplies itself in a widening circle of peace on earth and good will to men.

Bill W., co-founder of A.A.,
died January 24,1971.

p. 16

************************************************** *********

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Step Six - "Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character."

Of course, the often disputed question of whether God can--and will, under certain conditions--remove defects of character will be answered with a prompt affirmative by almost any A.A. member. To him, this proposition will be no theory at all; it will be just about the largest fact in his life. He will usually offer his proof in a statement like this: "Sure, I was beaten, absolutely licked. My own willpower just wouldn't work on alcohol. Change of scene, the best efforts of family, friends, doctors, and clergymen got no place with my alcoholism. I simply couldn't stop drinking, and no human being could seem to do the job for me. But when I became willing to clean house and then asked a Higher Power, God as I understood Him, to give me release, my obsession to drink vanished. It was lifted right out of me."

p. 63

************************************************** *********

"If we've been fighting something or someone, we can try gratitude & acceptance."
--Melody Beattie

"My philosophy is that not only are you responsible for your life, but doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment."
--Oprah Winfrey

"Confidence, like art, never comes from having all the answers; it comes from being open to all the questions."
--Earl Gray Stevens

"Whatever your problem, no matter how difficult, you can release spiritual power sufficient to solve your problem. The secret is--pray and believe."
--Norman Vincent Peale

"When you focus on what might have been, it gets in the way of what can be."
--Patricia Fripp

***********************************************

Father Leo's Daily Meditation

ACCEPTANCE

"Less is more."
--Mies van der Rohe

As a gambler, I always wanted more. I wanted to win more, get more, have more, spend more - always my energy was in getting "the more".
But this constant and demanding lifestyle only gave me less. I could never stop to smell the roses. Activity robbed me of satisfaction. I was running through my life and missing it.

Then somebody told me to stop and rest awhile. Don't chase life; enjoy it. The gambling had become a compulsive and obsessive disease that was ruining my life. I was losing. I was not only losing money - but family, intimacy, life. I was so busy trying to win that I missed the pain and loneliness of my daily losses.

Today I choose not to do this. I accept that the "less" in my life is giving me more. I take responsibility for me, and I share freely with other recovering gamblers.

God, teach me to see Your power and beauty in what I can give up.

************************************************** *********

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord.
Ephesians 5:8-10

Do not love sleep or you will grow poor; stay awake and you will have food to spare.
Psalm 20:13

************************************************** *********

Daily Inspiration

Live with gratitude for all that you are and all that you have because often what looks good on the outside is not really what it seems. Lord, remind me to spend a few moments each day appreciating my life and becoming aware of how good it really is.

Worse than being a quitter is the one who is afraid to begin. Lord, grant me the courage to believe in myself and the ability to focus on what I can do, not what I can't do.

[bluidkiti]

June 19

Daily Reflections

"A.A. REGENERATION"

Such is the paradox of A.A. regeneration: strength arising
out of complete defeat and weakness, the loss of one's old
life as a condition for finding a new one.
A.A. COMES OF AGE, p. 46

A thousand beatings by Barleycorn did not encourage me to
admit defeat. I believed it was my moral obligation to
conquer my "enemy-friend." At my first A.A. meeting I
was blessed with a feeling that it was all right to admit
defeat to a disease which had nothing to do with my
"moral fiber." I knew instinctively that I was in the
presence of a great love when I entered the doors of A.A.
With no effort on my part, I became aware that to love
myself was good and right, as God had intended. My feeling
set me free, where my thoughts had held me in bondage. I
am grateful.

************************************************** *********

Twenty-Four Hours A Day

A.A. Thought For The Day

We have this choice every day of our lives. We can take the
path that leads to insanity and death. And remember, our
next drunk could be our last one. Or we can take the path
that leads to a reasonably happy and useful life. The choice
is ours each day of our lives. God grant that we take the
right path. Have I made my choice today?

Meditation For The Day

Your real work in life is to grow spiritually. To do this you
must follow the path of diligently seeking good. The hidden
spiritual wonders are revealed to those who diligently seek
this treasure. From one point to the next, you have to follow
the way of obedience to God's will until finally you reach
greater and greater spiritual heights. Work on the material
plane should be secondary to your real life's work. The
material things that you need most are those that help you
to attain the spiritual.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that I may keep growing spiritually. I pray that I
may make this my real life's work.

************************************************** *********

As Bill Sees It

Whose Will? p. 170

We have seen A.A.'s ask with much earnestness and faith for God's explicit guidance
on matters ranging all the way from a shattering domestic or financial crisis to a
minor personal fault, like tardiness. A man who tries to run his life rigidly by this kind of
prayer, by this self-serving demand of God for replies, is a particularly
disconcerting individual. To any questioning or criticism of his actions, he instantly
proffers his reliance upon prayer for guidance in all matters great or small.

He may have forgotten the possibility that his own wishful thinking and the human
tendency to rationalize have distorted his so-called guidance. With the best of
intentions, he tends to force his will into all sorts of situations and problems with the
comfortable assurance that he is acting under God's specific direction.

12 & 12, pp. 103-104

************************************************** *********

Walk In Dry Places

Open minded but concerned.
Responsibility
Open-mindedness is a quality that helps us attract new ideas for our self-imporovement. Oddly, many of us though we were open-minded long before we ever considered a 12 Step program.
We learned that what we considered open-mindedness was really indifference based on self-justification. It follow that people who are deep into selfish, compulsive behavior will appear to be open-minded and even very tolerant. This attitude is really the result of a desire to be accepted in spite of questionable behavior. It reflects no concern for others.
In living the program, we seek to cultivate true open-mindedness. This means being open to new ideas and opportunities, but also being concerned about others and taking care not to harm them.
Today I'll be open to what people are thinking and saying. I will be careful not to let my own prejudices keep me from viewpoints that will help me and others.

************************************************** *********

Keep It Simple

If you tell the truth, you don't need to remember anything.---Mark Twain
One thing is a lot easier in life now is this---we can keep our story straight! We are learning that there's one really good way to get along with people. Keep It Simple. Just tell the truth.
It's hard to do at first. We might think, "If people see the real me, what will happen?" We might be afraid of what will happen if we don't lie or make excuses.
But telling the truth works! We find out we never did fool anyone anyway!
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, make me honest.
Action for the Day: I'll list all the ways honesty will help me in recovery. I'll sign-up to give a meeting on honesty.

************************************************** *********

Each Day a New Beginning

There were deep secrets, hidden in my heart, never said for fear others would scoff or sneer. At last I can reveal my sufferings, for the strength I once felt in silence has lost all its power. --Deidra Sarault
There is magic in sharing ourselves with someone else. We learn from Steps Four and Five that what we thought were heinous acts are not unusual. Our shameful acts are not unique, and this discovery is our gift when we risk exposure.
Realizing how much we are like others gives us strength, and the program paves the way for us to capture that strength whenever and wherever we sense our need. Secrets block us from others and thus from God too. The messages we need to hear, the guidance offered by God, can't be received when we close ourselves off from the caring persons in our lives. They are the carriers of God's message.
How freeing to know we share the same fears, the same worries. Offering our story to someone else may be the very encouragement she needs at this time. Each of us profits from the sharing of a story. We need to recognize and celebrate our "sameness." When we share ourselves, we are bonded. Bonding combines our strength.
Silence divides us. It diminishes our strength. Yet all the strength we need awaits us. I will let someone else know me today.

************************************************** *********

Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

THERE IS A SOLUTION

WE, OF ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS know thousands of men and women who were once just as hopeless as Bill. Nearly all have recovered. They have solved the drink problem.
We are average Americans. All sections of this country and many of its occupations are represented, as well as many political, economic, social, and religious backgrounds. We are people who normally would not mix. But there exists among us a fellowship, a friendliness, and an understanding which is indescribably wonderful. We are like the passengers of a great liner the moment after rescue from shipwreck when camaraderie, joyousness and democracy pervade the vessel from steerage to Captain's table. Unlike the feelings of the ships passengers, however, our joy in escape from disaster does not subside as we go our individual ways. The feeling of having shared in a common peril is one element in the powerful cement which binds us. But that in itself would never have held us together as we are now joined.

p. 17

************************************************** *********

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Step Six - "Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character."

In A.A. meetings all over the world, statements just like this are heard daily. It is plain for everybody to see that each sober A.A. member has been granted a release from this very obstinate and potentially fatal obsession. So in a very complete and literal way, all A.A.'s have "become entirely ready" to have God remove the mania for alcohol from their lives. And God has proceeded to do exactly that.

p. 64

************************************************** *********

"Praying is asking God for help, meditating is listening for God's answer." "Keep trying" is the rule that must be followed to become successful in anything."

It isn't "me" and "you" anymore; it's "we" and "us." I get drunk. We
stay sober! It's a we program.....

"The way to develop the best that is in a man is by appreciation and
encouragement."
--Charles Schwab

As thou valuest thyself, others will esteem thee.
--Gaelic Proverb

***********************************************

Father Leo's Daily Meditation

PREJUDICE

"A great many people think they
are thinking when they are only
rearranging their prejudices."
--William James

An aspect of prejudice in my life is my refusal to listen. I tend to stay
with my own thinking and I "shut off" people or ideas I do not want to
hear. The problem with this attitude is that it does not lead to
discussion, growth or change.

Spirituality is having the capacity to hear what others are saying, even
people you may not like or respect, and also being prepared to live
with and alongside confusion and "difference". Truth is a many-sided
diamond, and it cannot be comprehended from one viewpoint. I need to
remove my prejudices if I am ever to move towards an understanding
of God's truth.

I need to learn in my heart that there is that "image" of God in every
person I meet.

Teach me to listen so that I may hear, so that I may grow.

************************************************** *********

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.
Ephesians 2:8-9

"So don't be afraid, little flock. For it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom."
Luke 12:32

************************************************** *********

Daily Inspiration

Trust yourself more than you trust the pressures of society and the ways other people try to influence you. Lord, strengthen me and continue to bless me with wisdom so that I can stand firm on my beliefs and know that how I feel is very important to me.

It is not making a mistake, but repeating it that is cause for concern. Lord, may I use my mistakes to guide me to better choices.

[bluidkiti]

June 20

Daily Reflections

RELEASE FROM FEAR

The problem of resolving fear has two aspects. We shall
have to try for all the freedom from fear that is possible
for us to attain. Then we shall need to find both the
courage and grace to deal constructively with whatever
fears remain.
AS BILL SEES IT, p. 61

Most of my decisions were based on fear. Alcohol made life
easier to face, but the time came when alcohol was no
longer an alternative to fear. One of the greatest gifts
in A.A. for me has been the courage to take action, which
I can do with God's help. After five years of sobriety I
had to deal with a heavy dose of fear. God put the people
in my life to help me do that and, through my working the
Twelve Steps, I am becoming the whole person I wish to be
and, for that, I am deeply grateful.

************************************************** *********

Twenty-Four Hours A Day

A.A. Thought For The Day

You should be ready and willing to carry the A.A. message
when called upon to do so. Live for some purpose greater
than yourself. Each day you will have something to work for.
You have received so much from this program that you should
have a vision that gives your life a direction and a
purpose that gives meaning to each new day. Let us not
slide along through life. Let us have a purpose for each
day and let us make that purpose for something greater than
just ourselves. What is my purpose for today?

Meditation For The Day

To see God with eyes of faith is to cause God's power to
manifest itself in the material world. God cannot do His
work because of unbelief. In response to your belief, God
can work a miracle in your personality. All miracles happen
in the realm of personality and all are caused by and based
on belief in God's never-failing power. But God's power
cannot manifest itself in personalities unless those
personalities make His power available by their faith.
We can only see God with the eyes of faith, but this kind
of seeing produces a great change in our way of living.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that I may see God with the eyes of faith. I pray
that this seeing will produce a change in my personality.

************************************************** *********

As Bill Sees It

Dividends and Mysteries, p. 171

"The A.A. preoccupation with sobriety is sometimes misunderstood. To some, this
single virtue appears to be the sole dividend of our Fellowship. We are thought to be
dried-up drunks who otherwise have changed little, or not at all, for the better. Such a
surmise widely misses the truth. We know that permanent sobriety can be
attained only by a most revolutionary change in the life and outlook of the
individual--by a spiritual awakening that can banish the desire to drink."

<< << << >> >> >>

"You are asking yourself, as all of us must: 'Who am I?' . . . 'Where am I?' . . .
'Whence do I go?' The process of enlightenment is usually slow. But, in the end, our
seeking always brings a finding. These great mysteries are, after all, enshrined in
complete simplicity. The willingness to grow is the essence of all spiritual
development."

1. Letter, 1966
2. Letter, 1955

************************************************** *********

Keep It Simple

Order is heaven's first law.---Alexander Pope
We need order in our lives. It makes life simpler for us. Life without order would be like driving in a large city without traffic signals. Our lives as addicts were like this. We lived with no plan, no order.
Now that we're sober, we can put some order in our lives. We can get up every morning. We can make our beds and be on time for work. These things make life so much easier and nicer. we need this order. It allows us to depend on ourselves.
We now look at the Twelve Steps to bring order to our lives. The Steps follow each other as summer follows spring. Do I allow myself to follow the natural order or do I fight it?
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, You've put order in this world. Please put order in my life. Let me flow within this order instead of being on my own.
Action for the Day: The Twelve Steps have a natural order. Today I'll take time to read each Step and think about the order found in them.

************************************************** *********

Each Day a New Beginning

There were deep secrets, hidden in my heart, never said for fear others would scoff or sneer. At last I can reveal my sufferings, for the strength I once felt in silence has lost all its power. --Deidra Sarault
There is magic in sharing ourselves with someone else. We learn from Steps Four and Five that what we thought were heinous acts are not unusual. Our shameful acts are not unique, and this discovery is our gift when we risk exposure.
Realizing how much we are like others gives us strength, and the program paves the way for us to capture that strength whenever and wherever we sense our need. Secrets block us from others and thus from God too. The messages we need to hear, the guidance offered by God, can't be received when we close ourselves off from the caring persons in our lives. They are the carriers of God's message.
How freeing to know we share the same fears, the same worries. Offering our story to someone else may be the very encouragement she needs at this time. Each of us profits from the sharing of a story. We need to recognize and celebrate our "sameness." When we share ourselves, we are bonded. Bonding combines our strength.
Silence divides us. It diminishes our strength. Yet all the strength we need awaits us. I will let someone else know me today.

************************************************** *********

Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

THERE IS A SOLUTION

The tremendous fact for everyone of us is that we have discovered a common solution. We have a way out on which we can absolutely agree, and upon which we can join in brotherly and harmonious action. This is the great news this book carries to those who suffer from alcoholism.

p. 17

************************************************** *********

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Step Six - "Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character."

Having been granted a perfect release from alcoholism, why then shouldn't we be able to achieve by the same means a perfect release from every other difficulty or defect? This is a riddle of our existence, the full answer to which may be only in the mind of God. Nevertheless, at least a part of the answer to it is apparent to us.

p. 64

************************************************** *********

Let me tell thee, time is a very precious gift of God; so precious that it's only given to us moment by moment.
--Amelia Barr

"Having a resentment is like drinking poison and expecting someone
else to die."
--unknown

Anger is a condition in which the tongue works faster than the mind.
--Anonymous

The human contribution is the essential ingredient. It is only in the
giving of oneself to others that we truly live.
-- Ethel Percy Andrus

A man should never be ashamed to own that he has been in the wrong,
which is but saying, in other words, that he is wiser today than he was
yesterday.
--Jonathan Swift

"You can't fly a kite unless you go against the wind and have a weight
to keep it from turning somersaults. The same with man. No man will
succeed unless he is ready to face and overcome difficulties and is
prepared to assume responsibilities."
--William J. H. Boetcker

***********************************************

Father Leo's Daily Meditation

THOUGHT

"Write down the thoughts of the
moment. Those that come
unsought are commonly the most
valuable."
--Francis Bacon

My mind sometimes races with ideas: What should I do? What should I
write? Where should I go? Phrases that could prove useful in an
article. People I need to get in contact with, etc., etc. Many of these
ideas come late at night and so today I have a note pad and a pencil at
the side of my bed so that I can write down the thought and then go
back to sleep.

I am not God. I know that if I say I will remember the thought
tomorrow, it would be unrealistic. As an imperfect human being I take
any help I can get. The pad at the side of the bed is invaluable!

Let me employ discipline as an aid to joyful and creative living.

************************************************** *********

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:4-7

And in Him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in
which God lives by his Spirit.
Ephesians 2:22

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what
you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I
forsake you." So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I
will not be afraid. What can man do to me?" Remember your leaders,
who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way
of life and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and
today and forever.
Hebrews 13:5-8

************************************************** *********

Daily Inspiration

Don't allow yourself to live in constant anticipation because the time for your happiness is right now. Lord, help me to see that no matter what, there is no better time for me than right now.

Everywhere we turn, there is so much need and so little time. Lord, give me the desire to reach out to just one person in Your name and share my blessings.

[bluidkiti]

June 21

Daily Reflections

FEAR AND FAITH

The achievement of freedom from fear is a lifetime
undertaking, one that can never be wholly completed.
When under heavy attack, acute illness, or in other
condition of insecurity, we shall all react to this
emotion - well or badly, as the case may be. Only the
self-deceived will claim perfect freedom from fear.
AS BILL SEES IT, p. 263

Fear has caused suffering when I could have had more
faith. There are times when fear suddenly tears me apart,
just when I'm experiencing feelings of joy, happiness
and a lightness of heart. Faith--and a feeling of
self-worth toward a Higher Power -helps me endure
tragedy and ecstasy. When I choose to give all of my
fears over to my Higher Power, I will be free.

************************************************** *********

Twenty-Four Hours A Day

A.A. Thought For The Day

Intelligent faith in that Power greater than ourselves can
be counted on to stabilize our emotions. It has an
incomparable capacity to help us look at life in balanced
perspective. We look up, around, and away from ourselves,
and we see that nine out of ten things that at the moment
upset us will shortly disappear. Problems solve themselves,
criticism and unkindness vanish as though they had never
been. Have I got the proper perspective toward life?

Meditation For The Day

A truly spiritual man or woman would like to have a serene
mind. The only way to keep calm in this troubled world is to
have a serene mind. The calm and sane mind sees spiritual
things as the true realities and material things as only
temporary and fleeting. That sort of mind you can never obtain
by reasoning, because your reasoning powers are limited by
space and time. That kind of a mind you can never obtain by
reading, because other minds are also limited in the same way.
You can only have that mind by an act of faith, by making the
venture of belief.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that I may have a calm and sane mind. I pray that I may
look up, around, and away from myself.

************************************************** *********

As Bill Sees It

This Matter of Honesty, p. 172

"Only God can fully know what absolute honesty is. Therefore, each of us has to
conceive what this great ideal may be--to the best of our ability.

"Fallible as we all are, and will be in this life, it would be presumption to suppose that
we could ever really achieve absolute honesty. The best we can do is to strive for a
better quality of honesty.

"Sometimes we need to place love ahead of indiscriminate 'factual honesty.' We
cannot, under the guise of 'perfect honesty,' cruelly and unnecessarily hurt others.
Always one must ask, 'What is the best and most loving thing I can do?'"

Letter, 1966

************************************************** *********

Walk In Dry Places

Remember the Golden Key
Living in the Spirit
Whenever trouble arises, the first thing to do is to turn it over to our Higher Power. We can take all necessary practical steps to solve a problem, but we don't need to decide what the answer may be. Do this, and you'll soon be out of your difficulty.
This is essentially the formula of the Gold Key as taught by Emmet Fox. It is also the core idea os Steps three and Eleven. It is a manner of living one's life iwht the constant knowledge that a Higher Power is always part of it.
We should also condition ourselves to believe that our Higher Power has been with us all along and will continue to show us the way. Nothing depends on our being "spiritual" or "saintly" or perfect in behavior. With all our shortcomings, we are and ever will be children of God.
My Higher Power is always with me today, supplying whatever I need for the accomplishment of any good purpose.

************************************************** *********

Keep It Simple

The future is much like the present, only longer.---Dan Quisenberry
In many way we don't know what the future holds. But in terms of recovery, we know the future holds the Twelve steps. They will be with us for life.
We should never fall into the trap of thinking we "know" the program. We'll never know all the truth and love the Steps hold for us. "Knowing the Steps" is a project we'll never finish. As we change , the Steps change. As the seasons come and go, the same field or the same tree becomes a different picture.
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, I pray for Your help as I work the Steps and continue my recovery. Help me discover new treasures.
Action for the Day: I will ask long-time members of my program how they keep the program fresh and alive.

************************************************** *********

Each Day a New Beginning

There is no such thing as conversation. It is an illusion. There are interesting monologues, that is all. --Rebecca West
How often we want to be heard, to be truly listened to by our spouse, our children, friends and co-workers. And we deserve to be fully attended to. So do the other persons in our lives who come to us to be heard. We let our minds wander in the midst of important messages. And we may miss the very phrase that we need to hear--the answer to a problem, perhaps. Our minds wander, randomly, looking for a place to light, unconsciously searching for peace, the serenity promised by the Twelve Steps.
Living fully in the present, soaking up all the responses of the life we are immersed in for the moment, is the closest we can get to our higher power, our God. Being there--fully--is conversation with God. How can we know all that God intends for us to know if we don't take advantage of God's many messages? Every moment of every day offers us information, divine information. Each time we turn our minds away to self-centered thoughts, we're refusing the chance to grow.
As I come together with friends and family today, I will remember to listen for God's message. I will hear what I need to hear if I will but listen.

************************************************** *********

Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

THERE IS A SOLUTION

An illness of this sort—and we have come to believe it an illness—involves those about us in a way no other human sickness can. If a person has cancer all are sorry for him and no one is angry or hurt. But not so with the alcoholic illness, for with it there goes annihilation of all the things worth while in life. It engulfs all whose lives touch the sufferer's. It brings misunderstanding, fierce resentment, financial insecurity, disgusted friends and employers, warped lives of blameless children, sad wives and parents—anyone can increase the list.
We hope this volume will inform and comfort those who are, or who may be affected. There are many.

p. 18

************************************************** *********

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Step Six - "Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character."

When men and women pour so much alcohol into themselves that they destroy their lives, they commit a most unnatural act. Defying their instinctive desire for self-preservation, they seem bent upon self-destruction. They work against their own deepest instinct. As they are humbled by the terrific beating administered by alcohol, the grace of God can enter them and expel their obsession. Here their powerful instinct to live can cooperate fully with their Creator's desire to give them new life. For nature and God alike abhor suicide.

p. 64

************************************************** *********

Things turn out best for the people who make the best out of the way things turn out.
--Art Linkletter

It is in the silence of the heart that God speaks.
--Mother Teresa

"Our entire life--consists ultimately in accepting ourselves as we are."

--Jean Anouilh

"You are infinitely lovable, infinitely desirable, because the One who
most desires and loves you is also infinite."
--Deepak Chopra

You will find that the spiritual energy will permit you to perform tasks
far beyond your conditioned capacity in terms of time and
accomplishment.
--John-Roger

Gratitude is the memory of the heart.
--Italian Proverb

God, help me stay serene, confident, and joyful as I go through my
day.
--Melody Beattie

***********************************************

Father Leo's Daily Meditation

LIES

"The cruelest lies are often told in
silence."
--Robert Louis Stevenson

In treatment I said that I did not "tell" many lies - and although this
was not true (hence a lie), it missed the fact that most of my lies were
"lies of silence". It was what I did not say that produced the
confusion; the pretended self-confidence that hid the pain and shame;
the half-spoken truth that harbored the disease.

Communication is the key to any spiritual relationship and a sick
silence creates the ultimate blasphemy. God created you and me to
relate. In the interchange of our ideas is the miracle born. A sick,
angry and ego-centered silence is our shouted "no" to God.

O Lord of the paradox, let me see how the lie of silence can be used to
destroy my world.

************************************************** *********

"Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil."
Ephesians 6:11

"For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything."
I John 3:20b

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
Jeremiah 29:13

"But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who
hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully
use you."
Luke 6:27-28

"Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his
friends."
John 15:13

************************************************** *********

Daily Inspiration

Set aside time for quiet because it is here that you will come to know yourself and to know God. Lord, the distractions and interruptions of my day are many, but for a few moments each day we will talk.

When life seems hard and filled with troubles, look for reasons to be thankful. Lord, Your beautiful presence is always with me.

[bluidkiti]

June 22

Daily Reflections

TODAY, I'M FREE

This brought me to the good healthy realization that there
were plenty of situations left in the world over which I
had no personal power--that if I was so ready to admit that
to be the case with alcohol, so I must make the same
admission with respect to much else. I would have to be
still and know that He, not I, was God.
AS BILL SEES IT, p. 114

I am learning to practice acceptance in all circumstances
of my life, so that I may enjoy peace of mind. At one time
life was a constant battle because I felt I had to go through
each day fighting myself, and everyone else. Eventually, this
became a losing battle. I ended up getting drunk and crying
over my misery. When I began to let go and let God take over
my life I began to have peace of mind. Today, I am free. I
do not have to fight anybody or anything anymore.

************************************************** *********

Twenty-Four Hours A Day

A.A. Thought For The Day

If you have any doubt, just ask any of the older members of
the A.A. group, and they will readily tell you that since they
turned their lives over to the care of God as they understand
Him, many of their problems have been banished into the
forgotten yesterdays. When you allow yourself to be upset over
one thing, you succeed only in opening the door to the coming
of hundreds of other upsetting things. Am I allowing myself to
be upset over little things?

Meditation For The Day

I would do well not to think of the Red Sea of difficulties
that lies ahead. I am sure that when I come to that Red Sea,
the waters will part and I will be given all the power I need
to face and overcome many difficulties and meet what is in
store for me with courage. I believe that I will pass through
that Red Sea to the promised land, the land of the spirit where
many souls meet in perfect comradeship. I believe that when
that time comes, I will be freed of all the dross of material
things and find peace.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that I may face the future with courage. I pray that I
may be given strength to face both life and death fearlessly.

************************************************** *********

As Bill Sees It

Roots of Reality, p. 173

We started upon a personal inventory, Step Four. A business which takes no regular
inventory usually goes broke. Taking a commercial inventory is a fact-finding and a
fact-facing process. It is an effort to discover the truth about the stock in trade. One
object is to disclose damaged or unsalable goods, to get rid of them promptly and
without regret. If the owner of the business is to be successful, he cannot fool
himself about values.

We had to do exactly the same thing with our lives. We had to take stock honestly.

<< << << >> >> >>

"Moments of perception can build into a lifetime of spiritual serenity, as I have
excellent reason to know. Roots of reality, supplanting the neurotic underbrush, will
hold fast despite the high winds of the forces which would destroy us, or which we would
use to destroy ourselves."

1. Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 64
2. Letter, 1949

************************************************** *********

Keep It Simple

The confession of evil works is the first beginning of good works.---St. Augustine.
We started recovering the minute we admitted we were powerless over our illness. We crossed over from dishonesty to honesty.
Often, we don't see what power honestly has. Maybe we still aren't sure that being honest is best for us. It is! This is why the authors of the Big Book ask us to be totally honest from the start.
Just as denial is what makes addiction work, honesty is what makes recovery work.
Honesty means self-respect. Honesty heals. Honesty let us look people in the eyes. What comfort we'll feel as we deeper into our program.
Prayer for the Day: I pray that I'll let go totally. I pray that I'll keep no secrets that could put my sobriety at risk.
Action for the Day: Today, I'll read the first three pages of "How It Works" in the Big Book.

************************************************** *********

Each Day a New Beginning

I want to do it because I want to do it. Women must try to do things as men have tried. When they fail, their failure must be but a challenge to others. --Amelia Earhart
Fear of failure plagues many women, not just those who get into trouble with drugs, alcohol, food. Those of us in this recovery program may still fear failure. Halting our addiction doesn't solve all our problems, but it does allow us to realistically take stock of our assets. Knowing our assets and accepting them provides the confidence we need to attempt a project, to strive for a goal.
Another plus of this recovery program is the help available from our groups and our higher power. All things become possible when we understand we are not alone. Seeing other women strive and succeed or strive, fail, and strive again, undefeated, creates an energy flow that can spur us on, if we choose. Feeling good about others' accomplishments can motivate each of us.
Today, I will pay particular attention to the accomplishments of other women, those close to me and those I read or hear about. I will believe their example and feel the forward push.

************************************************** *********

Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

THERE IS A SOLUTION

Highly competent psychiatrists who have dealt with us have found it sometimes impossible to persuade an alcoholic to discuss his situation without reserve. Strangely enough, wives, parents and intimate friends usually find us even more unapproachable than do the psychiatrist and the doctor.
But the ex-problem drinker who has found this solution, who is properly armed with facts about himself, can generally win the entire confidence of another alcoholic in a few hours. Until such an understanding is reached, little or nothing can be accomplished.

p. 18

************************************************** *********

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Step Six - "Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character."

But most of our other difficulties don't fall under such a category at all. Every normal person wants, for example, to eat, to reproduce, to be somebody in the society of his fellows. And he wishes to be reasonably safe and secure as he tries to attain these things. Indeed, God made him that way. He did not design man to destroy himself by alcohol, but He did give man instincts to help him to stay alive.

p. 64

************************************************** *********

As you walk down the fairway of life you must smell the roses, for you
only get to play one round.
--Ben Hogan

"Ordinary riches can be stolen, real riches cannot. In your soul are
infinitely precious things that cannot be taken from you."
--Oscar Wilde

When you get into a tight place and everything goes against you, till it
seems as though you could not hang on a minute longer, never give up
then, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn.
--Harriet Beecher Stowe

My partnership with God is steady, strong and certain.
--SweetyZee

I let go of everything that is unkind and seek to enter the spirit of
kindness, and compassion.
--SweetyZee

"The measure of our life is not whether others know our name, but
whether we have touched the lives of others."
--author unknown

***********************************************

Father Leo's Daily Meditation

INDIVIDUALITY

"You'll never really know what I
mean and I'll never really know
exactly what you mean."
--Mike Nichols

There is a certain loneliness in life with which we must all live;
perhaps this is the price of individuality. I am not always sure that I
know what I am feeling or thinking and so I know I cannot be
absolutely sure of what you are feeling or thinking. Today when I say
"I know how you feel", it is with this reservation.

Another problem I face daily is finding words to express what I feel --
language seems so inadequate. Words, although bridges to meaning,
are often barriers to understanding. What I mean by what I say is
often misunderstood.

This awareness provides me with the stimulus to be more precise,
explicit and creative in my methods of communication and
understanding. Today I consider more seriously what the other person
is trying to say, rather than just listening to the words. Because I am
sensitive to my difficulties in being understood, I am becoming patient
with my neighbor.

Teach us never to become victims of our language.

************************************************** *********

"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and ONLY Son, so that whoever would believe in Him would not perish, but have everlasting life."
John 3:16

Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the
skies. Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice
like the great deep. O LORD, you preserve both man and beast. How
priceless is your unfailing love! Both high and low among men find
refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of
your house; you give them drink from your river of delights. For with
you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light. Continue your
love to those who know you, your righteousness to the upright in
heart.
Psalms 36:5-10

************************************************** *********

Daily Inspiration

We will live life fully only when we become aware of our own inner power which is our connection with God. Lord, the more I rely on You, the more I am able to accomplish.

When you need to calm your emotions, stop and turn to God. Lord, I know that You are my help right now and will show me simple answers to what seems complicated and impossible.

[bluidkiti]

June 23

Daily Reflections

TRUSTING OTHERS

But does trust require that we be blind to other people's motives or,
indeed, to our own? Not at all; this would be folly. Most certainly, we
should assess the capacity for harm as well as the capability for good
in every person that we would trust. Such a private inventory can
reveal the degree of confidence we should extend in any given
situation.
AS BILL SEES IT, p. 144

I am not a victim of others, but rather a victim of my expectations,
choices and dishonesty. When I expect others to be what I want them
to be and not who they are, when they fail to meet my expectations, I
am hurt. When my choices are based on self-centeredness, I find I am
lonely and distrustful. I gain confidence in myself, however, when I
practice honesty in all my affairs. When I search my motives and am
honest and trusting, I am aware of the capacity for harm in situations
and can avoid those that are harmful.

************************************************** *********

Twenty-Four Hours A Day

A.A. Thought For The Day

No chain is stronger than its weakest link. Likewise, if you fail in the
day-by-day program, in all probability it will be your weakest point.
Great faith and constant contact with God's power can help you
discover, guard, and undergird your weakest point with a strength not
your own. Intelligent faith in God's power can be counted on to help
you master your emotions, help you to think kindly of others, and help
you with any task that you undertake, no matter how difficult. Am I
master of my emotions?

Meditation For The Day

You need to be constantly recharged by the power of the spirit of
God. Continue with God in quiet times until the life from God, the
Divine life, by that very contact, flows into your being and revises your
fainting spirit. When weary, take time out and rest. Rest and gain
power and strength from God, and then you will be ready to meet
whatever opportunities come your way. Rest until every care and
worry and fear have gone and then the tide of peace and serenity, love
and joy, will flow into your consciousness.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that I may rest and become recharged. I pray that I may pause
and wait for the renewing of my strength.

************************************************** *********

As Bill Sees It

Constructive Forces, p. 174

Mine was exactly the kind of deep-seated block we so often see today in new people who
say they are atheistic or agnostic. Their will to disbelieve is so powerful that apparently
they prefer a date with the undertaker to an open-minded and experimental quest for God.

Happily for me, and for most of my kind who have since come along in A.A., the
constructive forces brought to bear in our Fellowship have nearly always overcome
this colossal obstinacy. Beaten into complete defeat by alcohol, confronted by the living
proof of release, and surrounded by those who can speak to us from the heart, we have
finally surrendered.

And then, paradoxically, we have found ourselves in a new dimension, the real world of
spirit and faith. Enough willingness, enough open-mindedness--and there it is!

A.A. Today, p. 9

************************************************** *********

Keep It Simple

Words are sacred, we must use them wisely. . . . They are a gift from God.
Burton Pretty-On-Top
We use words to bring peace to others. We can use words to tell God and others how much we care. Or we can use words to hurt others. We can curse them and scare them away. We often did when we used alcohol and other drugs.
In recovery, we learn to use words in a kind, wise way. We treat words as a gift from God. We use words to build our relationships.
Do I always use words in a kind way? Do I treat words as a powerful gift from God? Do my words make the world better or worse for those who hear me speak?
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, when I speak words, help me think about their power. Help me speak to others in a kind way.
Action for the Day: Today, I'll speak to others with respect. My words will add a little kindness, honesty, and love to the world today.

************************************************** *********

Each Day a New Beginning

. . . How much bondage and suffering a woman escapes when she takes the liberty of being her own physician of both body and soul. --Elizabeth Cady Stanton
If we listen to ourselves, to the innermost voice of our Spirits, we know that we have the power to heal ourselves. Self-healing begins with making our own decisions--about what we wear, what we do, who we are--and deciding that we will be true to ourselves. With the help of our spiritual guide, we can resist the temptations to betray ourselves, for these temptations are born of fear; the fear that we are not good enough to be our "own physicians."
To give away our powers bind us and cause us to suffer. But we can go to others for help without losing our own strength.
Today and every day, I will pray for the wisdom to choose wise counselors and the strength to love and heal myself.

************************************************** *********

Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

THERE IS A SOLUTION

That the man who is making the approach has had the same difficulty, that he obviously knows what he is talking about, that his whole deportment shouts at the new prospect that he is a man with a real answer, that he has no attitude of Holier Than Thou, nothing whatever except the sincere desire to be helpful; that there are no fees to pay, no axes to grind, no people to please, no lectures to be endured—these are the conditions we have found most effective. After such an approach many take up their beds and walk again.

pp. 18-19

************************************************** *********

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Step Six - "Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character."

But most of our other difficulties don't fall under such a category at all. Every normal person wants, for example, to eat, to reproduce, to be somebody in the society of his fellows. And he wishes to be reasonably safe and secure as he tries to attain these things. Indeed, God made him that way. He did not design man to destroy himself by alcohol, but He did give man instincts to help him to stay alive.

p. 64

************************************************** *********

Remember how we'd talk every night at bedtime? I miss that.
--God

If you think clothes make no difference, try walking down the street
without any.
--unknown

"The greatest treasures of your life are associated with the people
you love and who love you in return."
--Brian Tracy

Half the failures of this world arise from pulling in one's horse as he is
leaping.
--Augustus Hare

The moment you have in your heart this extraordinary thing called
love and feel the depth and delight, the ecstasy of it, you will discover that
your world is transformed.
-- Krishnamurti

The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the
past, not to worry about the future, or not to anticipate troubles, but to live
the present moment wisely and earnestly.
--Buddha

"Tis grace that brought me safe thus far.
Tis grace will lead me home."
--John Newton ("Amazing Grace")

***********************************************

Father Leo's Daily Meditation

REALITY

"Do not take life too seriously.
You will never get out of it
alive."
--Elbert Hubbard

When I used to take life too seriously, I was always miserable. I
missed so much. I placed a disproportionate amount of energy on my
own importance. I am not saying that I am not important, but I must
learn to live within the structures of this imperfect world.

For so long I made myself the "victim" of this world. Every airplane I
missed was seen as a personal abuse. I could not wait in a line without
getting angry and developing a resentment to everybody around.
Everybody was expected to revolve around my world and I felt the
world owed me a living! The result: unhappiness.

I needed to change or remain unhappy. Today I am learning to change
and I am working on patience.

Thank You for the spiritual gift of balance in my life.

************************************************** *********

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
Psalms 23:1-6

Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting
God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or
weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to
the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow
tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope
in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like
eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be
faint.
Isaiah 40:28-31

************************************************** *********

Daily Inspiration

Integrity is one of our most valuable assets. Lord, may I live responsibly and never have the need to make excuses for my behavior.

Kindness can accomplish that which force won't. Lord, may I pause when I am about to react to irritations and respond as though it is You to whom I speak.

[bluidkiti]

June 24

Daily Reflections

A SPIRITUAL KINDERGARTEN

We are only operating a spiritual kindergarten in which
people are enabled to get over drinking and find the grace
to go on living to better effect.
AS BILL SEES IT, p. 95

When I came to A. A., I was run down by the bottle and
wanted to lose the obsession to drink, but I didn't really
know how to do that. I decided to stick around long enough
to find out from the ones who went before me. All of a
sudden I was thinking about God! I was told to get a Higher
Power and I had no idea what one looked like. I found out
there are many Higher Powers. I was told to find God, as I
understand Him, that there was no doctrine of the Godhead
in A.A. I found what worked for me and then asked that
Power to restore me to sanity. The obsession to drink was
removed and--one day at a time--my life went on, and I
learned how to live sober.

************************************************** *********

Twenty-Four Hours A Day

A.A. Thought For The Day

Alcohol is our weakness. We suffer from mental conflicts
from which we look for escape by drowning our problems in
drink. We try through drink to push away from the realities
of life. But alcohol does not feed, alcohol does not build,
it only borrows from the future and it ultimately destroys.
We try to drown our feelings in order to escape life's
realities, little realizing or caring that in continued
drinking we are only multiplying our problems. Have I got
control over my unstable emotions?

Meditation For The Day

When I let personal piques and resentments interfere with
what I know to be my proper conduct, I am on the wrong track
and I am undoing all I have built up by doing the right
thing. I must never let personal piques interfere with
living the way I know God wants me to live. When I have no
clear guidance from God, I must go forward quietly along the
path of duty. The attitude of quiet faith will receive its
reward as surely as acting upon God's direct guidance. I must
not weaken my spiritual power by letting personal piques
upset me.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that I may not let myself become too upset. I pray that
I may go quietly along the path I have chosen.

************************************************** *********

As Bill Sees It

Aspects of Tolerance, p. 175

All kinds of people have found their way into A.A. Not too long ago, I sat talking in my
office with a member who bears the title of Countess. That same night, I went to an A.A.
meeting. It was winter, and there was a mild-looking little gent taking the coats. I said,
"Who's that?"

And somebody answered, "Oh, he's been around for a long time. Everybody likes him.
He used to be one of Al Capone's mob." That's how universal A.A. is today.

<< << << >> >> >>

We have no desire to convince anyone that there is only one way by which faith can
be acquired. All of us, whatever our race, creed, or color, are the children of a living
Creator, with whom we may form a relationship upon simple and understandable terms
as soon as we are willing and honest enough to try.

1. A.A. Comes Of Age, p. 102
2. Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 28

************************************************** *********

Walk In Dry Places

Expressing gratitude
Self Improvement
How can we express gratitude when we feel it? We can begin by simply using the proper forms of courtesy at all times; this reminds us that we can't live without other people.
The best way to express gratitude, however, is to "ass on" the good that has come to us. This is more effective when we share ideas and experiences that have helped us on the way to self-improvement.
It's also a good idea to dismiss thoughts and statements that are forms of prideful boasting. Even telling people how hard we've worked for the 12 Step program can detract from our gratitude. And never, under any circumstances, should we put others under obligation to us.
I'll discover ways to express my gratitude today. I'll know that my best way of doing it is to pass on good ideas to others.

************************************************** *********

Keep It Simple

Beauty is gift of God.---Aristotle
In our addiction, we often went after what was ugly in life. Maybe we hung out in bad places.
Maybe we saw people's defects instead of their beauty. Addiction is ugly, painful disease. The worst part of addiction is how it doesn't let us see beauty in the world.
There is much beauty in each of us. Recovery is beautiful. Our stories are beautiful. The way we help each other is beautiful. The way we become loving family members is beautiful. But sometimes, we may still see the world as ugly. At these times, we need to turn to our program.
Maybe we need to help someone by working Step Twelve. Maybe we need ask to give the Step at our meeting. Maybe we just need to read the Big Book. Whatever we do, one thing is sure--- if we turn to our program, we'll see how beautiful the world is.
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me see beautiful today. Help me be beautiful today.
Action for the Day: Today I'll let myself feel beautiful. I'll see recovery as beautiful.

************************************************** *********

Each Day a New Beginning

If you attach yourself to one person, you ultimately end up having an unhealthy relationship. --Shirley MacLaine
Needing people in our lives is healthy, human and natural. Needing a single person to love at a very deep level, is also soothing to the soul's well-being. Love and attachment are not synonymous, however. They are close to being opposites. If we "attach" ourselves to others, our movements as separate individuals are hampered. Attachment means dependency; it means letting our movements be controlled by the one we are "hooked" to.
Dependency on mood-altering chemicals, on food, on people, means unmanageability in our individual lives. Many of us in this recovery program, though abstinent, still struggle with our dependency on a certain person or a certain friend.
The tools we are learning apply in all cases of dependency. It is healthy independence we are striving for--taking responsibility for our own lives--making choices appropriate for our personal selves. Loving others means letting them make their own choices unhampered by our "attachment."
Are my relationships attachments or are they based on love? I will take an inventory of them today.

************************************************** *********

Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

THERE IS A SOLUTION

None of us makes a sole vocation of this work, nor do we think its effectiveness would be increased if we did. We feel that elimination of our drinking is but a beginning. A much more important demonstration of our principles lies before us in our respective homes, occupations and affairs. All of us spend much of our spare time in the sort of effort which we are going to describe. A few are fortunate enough to be so situated that they can give nearly all their time to the work.

p. 19

************************************************** *********

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Step Six - "Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character."

It is nowhere evident, at least in this life, that our Creator expects us fully to eliminate our instinctual drives. So far as we know, it is nowhere on the record that God has completely removed from any human being all his natural drives.

p. 65

************************************************** *********

God, today I give you all of the guilt from my past. Take it from me,
and allow me to begin fresh right now. Help me make the amends I
need to make, then let my guilt go.
--Melody Beattie

"Never does the human soul appear so strong as when it foregoes
revenge, and dares forgive an injury."
-- E. H. Chapin

The vision must be followed by the venture. It is not enough to stare
up the steps; we must step up the stairs.
--Vance Havner

Trust, faith, love of God, makes light all my burdens.
--SweetyZee

"It's not the load that breaks you down...it's the way you carry it."
--unknown

Worry about tomorrow saps today of its strength.
--unknown

***********************************************

Father Leo's Daily Meditation

PERFECTION

"I have offended God and
mankind because my work didn't
reach the quality it should
have."
--Leonardo da Vinci

How I used to beat myself up! I was not good enough. I was not
attractive enough. I could not speak properly. I was too small. My
family was not prestigious enough. I was boring. My breath smelled,
etc., etc. I never saw my value in life. I could never see beyond my
failings into my God-given virtues. Sin was all too evident in my life!

Today I catch an egotism in my past criticism of self and others! Who
was I to think I should be perfect? I could find fault with the Archangel
Gabriel if he came to be my neighbor. My compulsive disease
extended beyond drugs to negative attitudes about life.

Today I see my value. Sobriety has restored my dignity. Today I am in
touch with that part of me that is noble. Today in my sobriety I am a
spiritual somebody, not a nobody.

Let my desire for "perfection" be tempered by reality.

************************************************** *********

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." "Ah, Sovereign LORD," I said, "I do not know how to speak; I am only a child." But the LORD said to me, "Do not say, `I am only a child.' You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you," declares the LORD. Then the LORD reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, "Now, I have put my words in your mouth. See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant." Jeremiah 1:5-10

The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: "I have loved you with
an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness. I will build
you up again and you will be rebuilt, O Virgin Israel. Again you will
take up your tambourines and go out to dance with the joyful.
Jeremiah 31:3-4

************************************************** *********

Daily Inspiration

You will have an easier time keeping your thoughts positive if you look for good in every situation. Lord, help me change my focus and develop an awareness that situations often have more good in them than bad.

If you live in the light of God, He will bless the work of your hands and you will see your efforts flourish. Lord, I am your servant. I do my daily work for You and I am filled with peace.

[bluidkiti]

June 25

Daily Reflections

A TWO-WAY STREET

If we ask, God will certainly forgive our derelictions. But in no case
does He render us white as snow and keep us that way without our
cooperation.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 65

When I prayed, I used to omit a lot of things for which I needed to be
forgiven. I thought that if I didn't mention those things to God, He
would never know about them. I did not know that if I had just
forgiven myself for some of my past deeds, God would forgive me also.
I was always taught to prepare for the journey through life, never
realizing until I came to A.A. when I honestly became willing to be
taught forgiveness and forgiving that life itself is the journey. The
journey of life is a very happy one, as long as I am willing to accept
change and responsibility.

************************************************** *********

Twenty-Four Hours A Day

A.A. Thought For The Day

One of the most encouraging facts of life is that your weakness can
become your greatest asset. Kites and airplanes rise against the wind.
In climbing up a high mountain, we need the stony crags and rough
places to aid us in our climb. So your weakness can become an asset if
you will face it, examine it, and trace it to its origin. Set it in the very
center of your mind. No weakness, such as drinking, ever turned into
an asset until it was first fairly faced. Am I making my weakness my
greatest asset?

Meditation For The Day

Whenever we seek to worship God, we think of the great universe
that God rules over, of creation, of mighty law and order throughout
the universe. Then we feel the awe that precedes worship. I too must
feel awe, feel the desire to worship God in wondering amazement. My
mind is in a box of space and time and it is so made that I cannot
conceive of what is beyond space or time, the limitless and the eternal.
But I know that there must be something beyond space and time, and
that something must be the limitless and eternal Power behind the
universe. I also know that I can experience that Power in my life.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that I may accept the limitless and eternal Spirit. I pray that It
may express Itself in my life.

************************************************** *********

As Bill Sees It

Domination and Demand, p. 176

The primary fact that we fail to recognize is our total inability to form a true
partnership with another human being. Our egomania digs two disastrous pitfalls.
Either we insist upon dominating people we know, or we depend upon them far too
much.

If we lean too heavily on people, they will sooner or later fail us, for they are human,
too, and cannot possibly meet our incessant demands. In this way our insecurity grows
and festers.

When we habitually try to manipulate others to our own willful desires, they revolt,
and resist us heavily. Then we develop hurt feelings, a sense of persecution, and a
desire to retaliate.

<< << << >> >> >>

My dependency meant demand -- a demand for the possession and control of other
people and the conditions surrounding me.

1. 12 & 12, p. 53
2. Grapevine, January 1958

************************************************** *********

Walk In Dry Places

Transforming garbage.
Handling the past
Left to itself, nature takes ordinary garbage and transforms it into useful nutrients that help sustain life. It's usually poor human action that makes garbage a problem.
Our mental and emotional garbage takes the forms of bad memories, festering resentments, and useless regrets. We waste time berating ourselves and others about bad decisions and experiences that are behind us.
The magic of the 12 Step program is that we can use it to transform this mental garbage into useful experience. A past mistake can become as asset when we share it with others. Pain and suffering can teach a lesson that helps all of us to grow. By forgiving others, a resentment can be turned into a friendship.
I'll resolve today not to worry about garbage any longer than it takes to identify it and release it to my Higher Power for transformation.

************************************************** *********

Keep It Simple

When a man points a finger at someone else, he should remember that three of his fingers are pointing at himself.---Louis Nizer
It's so easy to blame others. Others are always making mistakes we can hide behind. That's what blame is---hiding. When we blame others for our mistakes, we're trying to hide our character defects.
It's nobody else’s fault that we act the way we do. It's our fault. We're responsible for our actions.
And with the help of our Higher Power, we can change. We can turn over our character defects. Over time, we're not afraid to learn about ourselves---even the parts we don't like---because we want to know ourselves better.
Prayer for the Day: I pray for help in facing my character defects.
Action for the Day: I'll think about the past week. I'll list times I've used blame to hide from reality.

************************************************** *********

Each Day a New Beginning

I have a simple philosophy. Fill what's empty. Empty what's full. And scratch where it itches. --Alice Roosevelt Longworth
All too often, we complicate our lives. We can wonder and worry our way into confusion; obsession or preoccupation it's often called. "What if?" "Will he?" "Should I?" "What do you think?" We seldom stop trying to figure out what to do, where to do it, how to meet a challenge, until someone reminds us to "keep it simple."
What we each discover, again and again, is that the solution to any problem becomes apparent when we stop searching for it. The guidance we need for handling any difficulty, great or small, can only come into focus when we remove the barriers to it, and the greatest barrier is our frantic effort to personally solve the problem. We clutter our minds; we pray for an answer and yet don't become quiet enough, for long enough, to become aware of the direction to go, or the steps to take. And they are always there.
Inherent in every problem or challenge is its solution. Our greatest lesson in life may be to keep it simple, to know that no problem stands in our way because no solution eludes a quiet, expectant mind.
I have opportunities every day to still my mind. And the messages I need will come quietly. My answers are within me, now.

************************************************** *********

Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

THERE IS A SOLUTION

If we keep on the way we are going there is little doubt that much good will result, but the surface of the problem would hardly be scratched. Those of us who live in large cities are overcome by the reflection that close by hundreds are dropping into oblivion every day. Many could recover if they had the opportunity we have enjoyed. How then shall we present that which has been so freely given us?
We have concluded to publish an anonymous volume setting forth the problem as we see it. We shall bring to the task our combined experience and knowledge. This should suggest a useful program for anyone concerned with a drinking problem.

p. 19

************************************************** *********

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Step Six - "Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character."

Since most of us are born with an abundance of natural desires, it isn't strange that we often let these far exceed their intended purpose. When they drive us blindly, or we willfully demand that they supply us with more satisfactions or pleasures than are possible or due us, that is the point at which we depart from the degree of perfection that God wishes for us here on earth. That is the measure of our character defects, or, if you wish, of our sins.

p. 65

************************************************** *********

It's what you learn after you know it all that counts.
--John Wooden

"Never answer an angry word with an angry word. It's the second one
that makes the quarrel."
--W.A. Nance

Don't argue for other people's weaknesses. Don't argue for your own.
When you make a mistake, admit it, correct it, and learn from
it--immediately.
--Stephen Covey

"Making prompt amends is the fresh air of each new day."
--Sandra Little

A man who has committed a mistake and doesn't correct it is
committing another mistake.
--Confucius

"He who angers you conquers you."
--Elizabeth Kenny

***********************************************

Father Leo's Daily Meditation

INTEGRITY

"Integrity has no need of rules."
--Albert Camus

The benefit of a spiritual program is the development of integrity in
my life. Integrity is having an honest respect for myself; it is
respecting who I am and how I live in the world. Integrity also
becomes a bridge by which I can reach my fellow man. My respect for
my life develops a respect for others. My determination to have
integrity affects the way I treat you. Integrity gives me freedom to be
-- and this allows for an acceptance of you.

Of course I must follow some rules and guidelines in my life but today
they are not written in cement. Today I can be flexible with me and
this means that I can be flexible with you. My past need to control has
developed into an accepting serenity that brings peace. My spiritual
program forever teaches me to be free; now I can live.

I pray that I can see beyond the rules into the beauty of Integrity.

************************************************** *********

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations. Psalm 100:4-5

For I will surely deliver you, and you shall not fall by the sword; but
your life shall be as a prize to you, because you have put your trust in
Me, says the LORD.
Jeremiah 39:18

"And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in
glory by Christ Jesus."
Philippians 4:19

"...in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ
Jesus for you."
1 Thessalonians 5:18

************************************************** *********

Daily Inspiration

Those that least deserve your love are the ones that need it the most. Lord, may I have the humbleness of spirit to reach out even when my feelings may be hurt.

If you feel the need to get even, try getting even with those that have helped you. Lord, free me from any thoughts of revenge because this only shuts the door to my own happiness.

[bluidkiti]

June 26

Daily Reflections

A GIFT THAT GROWS WITH TIME

For most normal folks, drinking means conviviality, companionship and
colorful imagination. It means release from care, boredom and worry.
It is joyous intimacy with friends and a feeling that life is good.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 151

The longer I chased these elusive feelings with alcohol, the more out
of reach they were. However, by applying this passage to my sobriety,
I found that it described the magnificent new life made available to me
by the A.A. program. It "truly does get better" one day at a time.
The warmth, the love and the joy so simply expressed in these words
grow in breadth and depth each time I read it. Sobriety is a gift that
grows with time.

************************************************** *********

Twenty-Four Hours A Day

A.A. Thought For The Day

We must know the nature of our weakness before we can determine
how to deal with it. When we are honest about its presence, we may
discover that it is imaginary and can be overcome by a change of
thinking. We admit that we are alcoholics and we would be foolish if
we refused to accept our handicap and do something about it. So by
honestly facing our weakness and keeping ever present the knowledge
that for us alcoholism is a disease with which we are afflicted, we can
take the necessary steps to arrest it. Have I fully accepted my
handicap?

Meditation For The Day

There is a proper time for everything. I must learn not to do things at
the wrong time, that is, before I am ready or before conditions are
right. It is always a temptation to do something at once, instead of
waiting until the proper time. Timing is important. I must learn, in the
little daily situations of life, to delay action until I am sure that I am
doing the right thing at the right time. So many lives lack balance and
timing. In the momentous decisions and crises of life, they may ask God's
guidance, but into the small situations of life, they rush alone.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that I may delay action until I feel that I am doing the right
thing. I pray that I may not rush in alone.

************************************************** *********

As Bill Sees It

Money--Before and After, p. 177

In our drinking time, we acted as if the money supply were inexhaustible, though between
binges we'd sometimes go to the other extreme and become miserly. Without realizing it,
we were just accumulating funds for the next spree. Money was the symbol of pleasure
and self-importance. As our drinking became worse, money was only an urgent
requirement which could supply us with the next drink and the temporary comfort of
oblivion it brought.

<< << << >> >> >>

Although financial recovery is on the way for many of us, we find we cannot place
money first. For us, material well-being always follows spiritual progress; it never
precedes.

1. 12 & 12, p. 120
2. Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 127

************************************************** *********

Walk In Dry Places

Let it Happen
Easy Does it.
Student pilots learn a simple method for getting an airplane out of a stall; Release the stick forward, and the airplane rights itself. Continue to hold the stick back, and you cause a fatal spin.
Many times, we cling too tightly to conditions that could simply right themselves if we would only let go. Situations often work themselves out when we stop pushing and pulling too hard.
If we're living on a spiritual basis and following our 12 Step program, lots of unpleasant conditions will clear up without any strain or struggle on our part. The secret, then, is to do our part and act prudently, but also to be willing to let things happen.
I'll remember today not to push or pull too hard to get my way. Things might work themselves out if I simply let natural forces work properly in every situation.

************************************************** *********

Keep It Simple

But what is happiness except the simple harmony between a man and the life he leads.---Albert Camus
Sometimes we sat we're getting out lives together. Together with what? With our selves. The Twelve Steps help us clean up the mess we've made. We're fixing our mistakes. We're looking at ourselves closely---at what we believe, what we feel, what we like to do, who we are. We're asking our High Power to help us to be our best.
No wonder over lives are coming together! No wonder we feel more peace, harmony, and happiness!
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me remember the best harmony comes when I sing from Your songbook.
Action for the Day: Today, I'll make choices that are in line with who I am.

************************************************** *********

Each Day a New Beginning

Mental health, like dandruff, crops up when you least expect it. --Robin Worthington
We're responsible for the effort but not the outcome. Frequently, a single problem or many problems overwhelm us. We may feel crazy, unable to cope and certain that we have made no progress throughout this period of recovery. But we have. Each day that we choose sobriety, that we choose abstinence from pills or food, we are moving more securely toward mental health as a stable condition.
We perhaps felt strong, secure, on top of things last week, or yesterday.
We will again tomorrow, or maybe today. When we least expect it, our efforts pay off--quietly, perhaps subtly, sometimes loudly--a good belly laugh may signal a glimmer of our mental health.
No one achieves an absolute state of total mental health. To be human is to have doubts and fears. But as faith grows, as it will when we live the Twelve Steps, doubts and fears lessen. The good days will increase in number.
Meeting a friend, asking for a raise, resolving a conflict with my spouse, or friend, will be handled more easily, when I least expect it.
Looking forward with hope, not backward, is my best effort--today.

************************************************** *********

Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

THERE IS A SOLUTION

Of necessity there will have to be discussion of matters medical, psychiatric, social, and religious. We are aware that these matters are from their very nature, controversial. Nothing would please us so much as to write a book which would contain no basis for contention or argument. We shall do our utmost to achieve that ideal. Most of us sense that real tolerance of other people’s shortcomings and viewpoints and a respect for their opinions are attitudes which make us more useful to others. Our very lives, as ex-problem drinkers, depend upon our constant thought of others and how we may help meet their needs.

pp. 19-20

************************************************** *********

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Step Six - "Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character."

If we ask, God will certainly forgive our derelictions. But in no case does He render us white as snow and keep us that way without our cooperation. That is something we are supposed to be willing to work toward ourselves. He asks only that we try as best we know how to make progress in the building of character.

p. 65

************************************************** *********

However many holy words you read, However many you speak,
What good will they do you, If you do not act upon them?
--Buddha

If you love somebody, let them go, for if they return, they were always
yours. And if they don't, they never were.
--Kahlil Gibran

The true test of character is not how much we know how to do,
but how we behave when we don't know what to do.
--John Holt

Be gentle with yourself, learn to love yourself, to forgive yourself, for
only as we have the right attitude toward ourselves can we have the
right attitude toward others.
--Wilfred Peterson

"Everything has its wonders, even darkness and silence, and I learn,
whatever state I may be in, therein to be content."
--Helen Keller

"Seven days without a meeting makes one weak."
--unknown

"There is no one giant step that does it. It's a lot of little steps."
--Peter A. Cohen

Words are powerful tools. Use them to help and not hurt.
--Cited in BITS & PIECES

***********************************************

Father Leo's Daily Meditation

GENIUS

"In the republic of mediocrity,
genius is dangerous."
--Robert G. Ingersoll

Spirituality is a creative and positive energy that forever seeks new
ways to improve and heal itself. Spirituality is never satisfied with
mediocrity. God is alive in musicians, writers, singers and prophets --
and always the standard of "excellence" is searched for; best can be
made better!

As a drunk I often settled for convenience, "no sweat", mediocrity.
My motto was "Why bother? It can be done tomorrow." I had low
energy. Addiction robs the human being of God's productive energy.

In recovery I seek the best because I believe I am the best; God made
me -- and I respect His choice!

Lord, save me from the "comfortable way" that makes no demands on
my genius.

************************************************** *********

As for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, and given him power to eat of it, to receive his heritage and rejoice in his labor -- this is the gift of God.
Ecclesiastes 5:19

"The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with
Him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, 'Return home and tell how much
God has done for you.' So the man went away and told all over town
how much Jesus had done for him."
Luke 8:38-39

"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship
with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all
sin."
1 John 1:7

************************************************** *********

Daily Inspiration

Enjoy life while you've got the chance. Lord, may I view each day as a gift and a privilege.

Knowing about God and knowing God are very different things. Lord, may I recognize Your workings in my life so that I may really know You.

[bluidkiti]

June 27

Daily Reflections

CONFORMING TO THE A.A. WAY

We obey A.A.'s Steps and Traditions because we really want them for
ourselves. It is no longer a question of good or evil; we conform
because we genuinely want to conform. Such is our process of growth
in unity and function. Such is the evidence of God's grace and love
among us.
A.A. COMES OF AGE, p. 106

It is fun to watch myself grow in A.A. I fought conformity to A.A.
principles from the moment I entered, but I learned from the pain of
my belligerence that, in choosing to live the A.A. way of life, I opened
myself to God's grace and love. Then I began to know the full
meaning of being a member of Alcoholics Anonymous.

************************************************** *********

Twenty-Four Hours A Day

A.A. Thought For The Day

If you can take your troubles as they come, if you can maintain your
calm and composure amid pressing duties and unending engagements,
if you can rise above the distressing and disturbing circumstances in
which you are set down, you have discovered a priceless secret of
daily living. Even if you are forced to go through life weighed down by
some unescapable misfortune or handicap and yet live each day as it
comes with poise and peace of mind, you have succeeded where most
people have failed. You have wrought a greater achievement than a
person who rules a nation. Have I achieved poise and peace of mind?

Meditation For The Day

Take a blessing with you wherever you go. You have been blessed, so
bless others. Such stores of blessings are awaiting you in the months
and years that lie ahead. Pass on your blessings. Blessing can and does
go around the world, passed on from one person to another. Shed a
little blessing in the heart of one person. That person is cheered to
pass it on, and so, God's vitalizing, joy-giving message travels on. Be a
transmitter of God's blessings.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that I may pass on my blessings. I pray that they may flow into
the lives of others.

************************************************** *********

As Bill Sees It

Down To Earth, p. 178

Those of us who have spent much time in the world of spiritual make-believe have
eventually seen the childishness of it. This dream world has been replaced by a great
sense of purpose, accompanied by a growing consciousness of the power of God in our
lives.

We have come to believe He would like us to keep our heads in the clouds with Him, but
that our feet ought to be firmly planted on earth. That is where our work must be done.
These are the realities for us. We have found nothing incompatible between a powerful
spiritual experience and a life of sane and happy usefulness.

Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 130

************************************************** *********

Walk In Dry Places

Have I ever been helped?
Unselfishness.
Sometimes we hear hard luck stories by people who claim they never "had a single helping hand." Everybody was against them.
It's true that certain people have had more than their share of abuse and abandonment. But it's hard to believe that helping hands haven't been extended... acts of kindness, often made by selfless but ordinary people.
Our problem has been in recognizing such helping hands. Lost in self-pity, we could hardly have recognized help when it was given. Nor were we capable of giving constructive assistance to others.
Furthermore, if people were against us, we may have provoked it. Our task is to change our thinking about the past and to be grateful for the people who were kind to us.
I realize that there are kind and decent people who have helped me. There are many such people in the world, and I want to be one of them.

************************************************** *********

Keep It Simple

Hell is not to love anymore.---Geogre Bernanos
Someone in an AA group said, "From the first day I started this program, I felt like I had died and gone to heaven." This person had walked into a room full of love. In recovery, we are spiritual people because we believe in love. We have faith in love.
Love is respect. Love is truth with kindness. Love is being willing to forgive and help others.
Love is thinking about how our Higher Power wants us to act. Love is what we do best. We have turned our will and our life over to love.
Prayer for the Day: I pray that I may love all parts of life. Higher Power, help me seek out love, not material things.
Action for the Day: Today, I'll think about what I love about recovery. I will share this with a couple of friends and my Higher Power.

************************************************** *********

Each Day a New Beginning

Often God shuts a door in our face, and then subsequently opens the door through which we need to go. --Catherine Marshall
We try and try to control the events of our lives. And not seldom the events in others' lives, too. The occasions are frequent when our will conflicts with God's. Then for a time we feel at a loss. Our direction is uncertain. But always, always, another door opens. A better way beckons. How stubborn we are! And how simple life would be were we to daily, fully, turn our will and our lives over to the care of God. God's help and direction in all things are always available. Turning a deaf ear is like trying to find a seat in a darkened movie theater unaided by the usher.
Every experience is softened when we face it accompanied by our higher power. Any past struggle, any present fear, is a testament to our attempts to do it alone. Too frequently we forge ahead, alone, only to have our way blocked. The detours need never be there. No door closes unless there is a better way. Divine order will prevail.
There is no need to struggle, today. I will breathe deeply and take my higher power with me, wherever I go. And the doors will be open for as far as I can see.

************************************************** *********

Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

THERE IS A SOLUTION

You may already have asked yourself why it is that all of us became so very ill from drinking. Doubtless you are curious to discover how and why, in the face of expert opinion to the contrary, we have recovered from a hopeless condition of mind and body. If you are an alcoholic who wants to get over it, you may already be asking—“What do I have to do?”

p. 20

************************************************** *********

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Step Six - "Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character."

So Step Six--"Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character"--is A.A.'s way of stating the best possible attitude one can take in order to make a beginning on this lifetime job. This does not mean that we expect all our character defects to be lifted out of us as the drive to drink was. A few of them may be, but with most of them we shall have to be content with patient improvement. The key words "entirely ready" underline the fact that we want to aim at the very best we know or can learn.

p. 65

************************************************** *********

Set others free to achieve and experience the path that leads to their
highest good and you, too, will become free to find yours.
--Melody Beattie

Learn a lesson from the redwoods. Let them teach the power of
patience and calm. Life goes on. Things happen. People change.
Times move along. There are stories to live and stories to tell, but we
can be calm and know that, always, all is well.
--Melody Beattie

"Forgiving is not forgetting, it's letting go of the hurt."
--Mary McLeod Bethune

"Life holds so much--so much to be so happy about always. Most
people ask for happiness on condition. Happiness can be felt only if
you don't set conditions."
--Artur Robinstein

Applaud others when they run. Console them when they fall. And
cheer them when they recover.
As water is to a flower so is praise to the heart of another.
--Unknown

Abundance comes from your gifts of love.
--unknown

***********************************************

Father Leo's Daily Meditation

HYPOCRISY
"The devil can cite scripture for his
purpose."
--William Shakespeare

This quotation reminds me that the disease of alcoholism is "cunning,
baffling and powerful". I am aware of the need to walk like I talk, to
make the action fit the word, to live my program today rather than
talk about it for tomorrow. Why? Because the disease can talk
program! I have caught myself saying things that I do not practice in
my life. I catch myself saying things to others that I do not live out in
my own life. Today I am aware of my hypocrisy. Today I am aware of
the disease in my life.

I need to be aware of this aspect of the disease because I am such a
good talker, such a convincing talker, such a practiced manipulator!
Today I know that I am not perfect, but that should never be an
excuse to avoid dealing with my character defects. I must not "con"
myself into staying sick!

I pray that I may strive to live the message.

************************************************** *********

If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.
1 John 4:15-16

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is
not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered,
it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices
with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always
perseveres. Love never fails.
1 Corinthians 13:4-8

************************************************** *********

Daily Inspiration

It is normal to make mistakes, but it is the better person who is able to grow from them. Lord, I am not perfect, but may each day bring me a little closer.

Not only must we know God's will, but we must do God's will to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Lord, I commit myself to obeying the will of my heavenly Father.

[bluidkiti]

June 28

Daily Reflections

THE DETERMINATION OF OUR FOUNDERS

A year and six months later these three had succeeded with seven
more.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 159

If it had not been for the fierce determination of our founders, A.A.
would have quickly faded like so many other so-called good causes. I
look at the hundreds of meetings weekly in the city where I live and I
know A.A. is available twenty-four hours a day. If I had had to hang on
with nothing but hope and a desire not to drink, experiencing rejection
wherever I went, I would have sought the easier, softer way and
returned to my previous way of life.

************************************************** *********

Twenty-Four Hours A Day

A.A. Thought For The Day

You can prove to yourself that life is basically and fundamentally an
inner attitude. Just try to remember what troubled you most a week
ago. You probably will find it difficult to remember. Why then should
you unduly worry or fret over the problems that arise today? Your
attitude toward them can be changed by putting yourself and your
problems in God's hands and trusting Him to see that everything will
turn out all right, provided you are trying to do the right thing. Your
changed mental attitude toward your problems relieves you of their
burden and you can face them without fear. Has my mental attitude
changed?

Meditation For The Day

You cannot see the future. It's a blessing that you cannot. You could
not bear to know all the future. That is why God only reveals it to you
day by day. The first step is to lay your will before God as an
offering, ready for God to do what is best for you. Be sure that, if
you trust God, what He does for you will be for the best. The second
step is to be confident that God is powerful enough to do anything He
wills, and that no miracle in human lives is impossible with Him. Then
leave the future to God.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that I may gladly leave my future in God's hands. I pray that I
may be confident that good things will happen, as long as I am on the
right path.

************************************************** *********

As Bill Sees It

Coping With Anger, p. 179

Few people have been more victimized by resentments than have we alcoholics. A burst
of temper could spoil a day, and a well-nursed grudge could make us miserably
ineffective. Nor were we ever skillful in separating justified from unjustified anger. As
we saw it, our wrath was always justified. Anger, that occasional luxury of more balanced
people, could keep us on an emotional jag indefinitely. These "dry benders' often led
straight to the bottle.

<< << << >> >> >>

Nothing pays off like restraint of tongue and pen. We must avoid quick-tempered
criticism, furious power-driven argument, sulking, and silent scorn. These are emotional
booby traps baited with pride and vengefulness. When we are tempted by the bait, we
should train ourselves to step back and think. We can neither think nor act to good
purpose until the habit of self-restraint has become automatic.

12 & 12
1. p. 90
2. p. 91

************************************************** *********

Walk In Dry Places

Why it works.
Confidence.
Twelve Step meetings often begin with a reading from a famous Fifth chapter, "How it works." We know that the program does work, but why? Is there a secret or magic to it?
The real reason the program works is neither secret nor magic. The program actually relies on ancient principles that always amaze people when they are employed: Help Others, and you help yourself. Clean up your own house. Put your trust in God, not frail human beings or shaky institutions. Remove false gods, such as alcohol and other drugs.
There may be additional reasons for the program's success, but these are enough for a start. The Twelve Step program does work.
I'll take comfort today in knowing that I'm walking in a way that has been tested and proven. The program works if I let it work.

************************************************** *********

Keep It Simple

The closest to perfection a person ever comes is when he fills out a job application form. --Stanley J. Randall
Trying to be perfect get us into trouble. Trying to be perfect means we're trying to control things.
We may be trying to cover up something. Maybe we aren't facing our pain. Maybe we've hurt
someone and we need to make amends.
We need to practice being human. Humans aren't perfect. In Steps Six and Seven, we face our human limits and our shortcomings. We then start the lifelong job of letting them go. To accept our human limits leads us to our Higher Power. We see how we need a guide in life. Our Higher Power makes a perfect guide.
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me accept that I can't be perfect. Help me be a good human being.
Action for the Day: Today, I'll list my shortcoming. I'll talk with a friend about them. I'll ask my friend to tell me what my good qualities are.

************************************************** *********

Each Day a New Beginning

Joy fixes us to eternity and pain fixes us to time. But desire and fear hold us in bondage to time, and detachment breaks the bond. --Simone Weil
We live both in the material realm and the spiritual. In our material dimension we seek material pleasures, inherent in which is pain. Our human emotions are tied to our material attachments, and joy, at its fullest, is never found here. Real joy lies outside of the material dimension while living fully within us too, in the secret, small place inside where we always know that all is well.
We are on a trip in this life. And our journey is bringing us closer to full understanding of joy with every sorrowful circumstance. When you or I are one with God, have aligned our will with the will of God, we know joy. We know this, fully, that all is well. No harm can befall us.
Each circumstance in the material realm is an opportunity for us to rely on the spiritual realm for direction, security, and understanding. As we turn within, to our spiritual nature, we will know joy.
Every day in every situation I have an opportunity to discover real joy. It's so close and so ready for my invitation.

************************************************** *********

Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

THERE IS A SOLUTION

It is the purpose of this book to answer such questions specifically. We shall tell you what we have done. Before going into a detailed discussion, it may be well to summarize some points as we see them.

p. 20

************************************************** *********

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Step Six - "Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character."

How many of us have this degree of readiness? In an absolute sense practically nobody has it. The best we can do, with all the honesty that we can summon, is to try to have it. Even then the best of us will discover to our dismay that there is always a sticking point, a point at which we say, "No, I can't give this up yet." And we shall often tread on even more dangerous ground when we cry, "This I will never give up!" Such is the power of our instincts to overreach themselves. No matter how far we have progressed, desires will always be found which oppose the grace of God.

pp. 65-66

************************************************** *********

I can get more out of God by believing Him for one minute than
by shouting at Him all night.
--Smith Wigglesworth

I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming
conviction that I had absolutely no other place to go.
--Abraham Lincoln

LORD, Let me want what I have.
--Anonymous

"A positive attitude is like a fire - Unless you continue to add fuel, it
goes out."
--Alexander Lockhart

What we see depends mainly on what we look for.
--John Lubbock

All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not
seen.
--Ralph Waldo Emerson

When life seems just a dreary grind; and things seem fated to annoy;
say something nice to someone else and watch the world light up with
joy.
--Unknown

Appreciative words are the most powerful force for good on earth!
--George W. Crane

***********************************************

Father Leo's Daily Meditation

WINE

"One of the disadvantages of wine
is that it makes a man mistake
words for thoughts."
--Samuel Johnson

Alcohol produced problems in my life. I was unable to control my
drinking and the result was catastrophe. I hurt people. I
endangered my health. I ruin my productivity. I became lonely. I
felt isolated. I was forever getting into arguments. The police were
often involved. People who loved me had to walk away from me
for their own sanity. Alcohol made my life a mess!

Today I can see this and I am glad I made the spiritual decision to
refuse the first drink. Today I am getting my life together. I am
becoming a productive citizen. I have friends and relationships again.
But I need to remember what I must never forget:

Alcohol + Me = Problems.

Lord, alcohol is a gift I can refuse.

************************************************** *********

"I assure you, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life."
John 5:24

Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will
set him on high, because he has known My name. He shall call upon
Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver
him and honor him.
Psalm 91:14-15

"A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver."
Proverbs 25:11
And your ears will hear a word behind you, "This is the way, walk
in it," whenever you turn to the right or to the left.
Isaiah 30:21

************************************************** *********

Daily Inspiration

Be easier on yourself and more forgiving so that you can begin to recognize the depth of the wisdom you already possess. Lord, help me look beyond my shortcomings so that I am better able to get through my difficult moments and am able to spend more time enjoying who I am.

One of life's greatest rewards is not what we get, but what we become. Lord, teach me as I am able to learn and give me the courage to be all that I can.

[bluidkiti]

June 29

Daily Reflections

A RIPPLING EFFECT

Having learned to live so happily, we'd show everyone else how. . .Yes,
we of A.A. did dream those dreams. How natural that was, since most
alcoholics are bankrupt idealists. . .So why shouldn't we share our way
of life with everyone?
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 156

The great discovery of sobriety led me to feel the need to spread the
"good news" to the world around me. The grandiose thoughts of my
drinking days returned. Later, I learned that concentrating on my own
recovery was a full-time process. As I became a sober citizen in
this world, I observed a rippling effect which, without any
conscious effort on my part, reached any "related facility or outside
enterprise," without diverting me from my primary purpose of staying
sober and helping other alcoholics to achieve sobriety.

************************************************** *********

Twenty-Four Hours A Day

A.A. Thought For The Day

The program of Alcoholics Anonymous involves a continuous striving
for improvement. There can be no long resting period. We must try to
work at it all the time. We must continually keep in mind that it is a
program not to be measured in years, because we never fully reach
our goals nor are we ever cured. Our alcoholism is only kept in
abeyance by daily living of the program. It is a timeless program in
every sense. We live it day by day, or more precisely, moment by
moment - now. Am I always striving for improvement?

Meditation For The Day

Life is all a preparation for something better to come. God has a plan
for your life and it will work out, if you try to do His will. God has
things planned for you, far beyond what you can imagine now. But you
must prepare yourself so that you will be ready for the better things to
come. Now is the time for discipline and prayer. The time of
expression will come later. Life can be flooded through and through
with joy and gladness. So prepare yourself for those better things to
come.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that I may prepare myself for better things that God has in
store for me. I pray that I may trust God for the future.

************************************************** *********

As Bill Sees It

Community Problem, p. 180

The answer to the problem of alcoholism seems to be in education--education in
schoolrooms, in medical colleges, among clergymen and employers, in families, and in the
public at large. From cradle to grave, the drunk and the potential alcoholic will have to
be completely surrounded by a true and deep understanding and by a continuous barrage
of information.

This means factual education, properly presented. Heretofore, much of this education
has attacked the immortality of drinking rather than the illness of alcoholism.

Now who is going to do all this education? Obviously, it is both a community job and a job
for specialists. Individually, we A.A.'s can help, but A.A. as such cannot, and should not,
get directly into this field. Therefore, we must rely on other agencies, on outside friends
and their willingness to supply great amounts of money and effort.

Grapevine, March 1958

************************************************** *********

Walk In Dry Places

Willingness is the Key
Strong Desire
Although willpower alone does not work in overcoming alcoholism, there is a place for the will, or willingness, in the search for a happy sobriety. Things can happen if we are willing to let them happen. More important, progress often depends on our willingness to give up what stands in our way. It also requires our willingness to take the actions necessary for success.
This same willingness, so vital to finding sobriety, is also applicable in other areas of our lives. The pioneers of AA suggested that getting sober required being willing to go to any lengths. This is the key to other achievements and to the overcoming of problems besides alcohol.
We often have to put up with unpleasant conditions simply because we do not want to change them badly enough. For example, we may dislike the unpleasant coughing and risks of smoking, but lack the willingness to quit. We may brood over lost opportunities, but be unwilling to take advantage of the opportunities we have now.

The key to constructive change in our lives is willingness...... and that applies to other matters as well as to alcohol...............I'll try to be honest today about what I really want. I will remind myself that if I want something badly enough, willingness is the key to action and to success.

************************************************** *********

Keep It Simple

I don't believe in the life afterlife, although I am bringing a change of underwear.---Woody Allen
Most of us have many questions about a Higher Power. Sometimes we have more questions than answers. No matter how much we believe about God, there are always questions. Why do bad things happen if God is good? Does God punish people?
Is God called Jesus, Buddha, the Great Spirit? Perhaps we've chosen a name for our Higher Power, or maybe we haven’t. Yet, we know there is some Power great than ourselves that's helping us in recovery.
We know what we need to know about God for today. We know how to ask for help, and how to accept help.
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me to know You more clearly. There's much I'm not sure about. For now, I will act as if the help I get comes from You.
Action for the Day: I'll think of three ways my Higher Power has done just the right thing for me.

************************************************** *********

Each Day a New Beginning

I am convinced, the longer I live, that life and its blessings are not so entirely unjustly distributed (as) when we are suffering greatly we are so inclined to suppose. --Mary Todd Lincoln
Self-pity is a parasite that feeds on itself. Many of us are inclined toward self-pity, not allowing for the balance of life's natural tragedies. We will face good and bad times--and they will pass. With certainty they will pass.
The attitude, "Why me?" hints at the little compassion we generally feel for others' suffering. Our empathy with others, even our awareness of their suffering, is generally minimal. We are much too involved in our own. Were we less self-centered, we'd see that blessings and tragedies visit us all, in equal amounts. Some people respond to their blessings with equanimity, and they quietly remove the sting from their tragedies. We can learn to do both.
Recovery is learning new responses, feeling and behaving in healthier ways. Self-pity need not catch us. We can always feel it coming on. And we can let it go.
Self-pity may beckon, today. Fortunately, I have learned I have other choices.

************************************************** *********

Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

THERE IS A SOLUTION

How many time people have said to us: “I can take it or leave it alone. Why can’t he?” “Why don’t you drink like a gentleman or quit?” “That fellow can’t handle his liquor.” “Why don’t you try beer and wine?” “Lay off the hard stuff.” “His will power must be weak.” “He could stop if he wanted to.” “She’s such a sweet girl, I should think he’d stop for her sake.” “The doctor told him that if he ever drank again it would kill him, but there he is all lit up again.”
Now these are commonplace observations on drinkers which we hear all the time. Back of them is a world of ignorance and misunderstanding. We see that these expressions refer to people whose reactions are very different from ours.
Moderate drinkers have little trouble in giving up liquor entirely if they have good reason for it. They can take it or leave it alone.

p. 20

************************************************** *********

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Step Six - "Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character."

Some who feel they have done well may dispute this, so let's try to think it through a little further. Practically everybody wishes to be rid of his most glaring and destructive handicaps. No one wants to be so proud that he is scorned as a braggart, nor so greedy that he is labeled a thief. No one wants to be angry enough to murder, lustful enough to rape, gluttonous enough to ruin his health. No one wants to be agonized by the chronic pain of envy or to be paralyzed by sloth. Of course, most human beings don't suffer these defects at these rock-bottom levels.

p. 66

************************************************** *********

A hug is a great gift. One size fits all, it can be given for any occasion
and it's easy to exchange.
--Anon

"When you've got one foot in yesterday and the other in tomorrow,
you can only piss on today."
--unknown

When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look
so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been
opened for us.
--Helen Keller

Life's short. If you don't look around once in a while you might miss it.
--unknown

The butterfly often forgets it was a caterpillar.
--Swedish Proverb

Don't reckon your eggs before they are laid.
--Italian Proverb

***********************************************

Father Leo's Daily Meditation

RISK

"We should be careful to get out of
an experience only the wisdom
that is in it."
--Mark Twain

I need to risk in life. I need to try again. I need to face life and not
run from it. Early in my sobriety I was scared to try new things
because I was afraid I might get hurt. I was afraid to express my
feelings. I hid in the idea of simply "not drinking".

Spirituality is about being willing to reach out into new areas, engage
in new and different relationships, enjoy the richness of God's world.
As I grow in sobriety I develop the capacity to react differently to
painful situations and overcome them. I learn that mistakes can make
for new conquests. That lasting joys and achievements are born in the
risk.

Teach me to overcome yesterday's sorrows with today's optimism.

************************************************** *********

And the LORD restored Job's losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.
Job 42:10

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept
the faith."
2 Timothy 4:7

Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in
me--put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
Philippians 4:9

"For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by
the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live."
Romans 8:13

"Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your
heart."
Psalm 37:4

************************************************** *********

Daily Inspiration

Spend less time trying to understand the behaviors of others and more time on the reasons you do things. Lord, help me to know myself better because then it will become possible to change the habits I don't like and improve on the ones I do.

Many of God's gifts are in the form of opportunities that we must recognize and then act upon. Lord, I will never say that You don't answer my prayers, but I will pray that I will recognize Your answers.

[bluidkiti]

June 30

Daily Reflections

SACRIFICE = UNITY = SURVIVAL

The unity, the effectiveness, and even the survival of A. A.
will always depend upon our continued willingness to give
up some of our personal ambitions and desires for the
common safety and welfare. Just as sacrifice means survival
for the individual alcoholic, so does sacrifice means unity
and survival for the group and for A. A.'s entire Fellowship.
AS BILL SEES IT, p. 220

I have learned that I must sacrifice some of my personality
traits for the good of A. A. and, as a result, I have been
rewarded with many gifts. False pride can be inflated through
prestige but, by living Tradition Six, I receive the gift of
humility instead. Cooperation without affiliation is often
deceiving. If I remain unrelated to outside interest, I am
free to keep A. A. autonomous. Then the Fellowship will be
here, healthy and strong for generations to come.

************************************************** *********

Twenty-Four Hours A Day

A.A. Thought For The Day

Alcoholics are unable or unwilling, during their addiction
to alcohol, to live in the present. The result is that they
live in a constant state of remorse and fear because of
their unholy past and its morbid attraction, or the uncertain
future and its vague foreboding. So the only real hope for
the alcoholic is to face the present. Now is the time. Now is
ours. The past is beyond recall. The future is as uncertain
as life itself. Only the now belongs to us. Am I living in
the now?

Meditation For The Day

I must forget the past as much as possible. The past is over
and gone forever. Nothing can be done about the past, except
to make what restitution I can. I must not carry the burden of
my past failures. I must go on in faith. The clouds will clear
and the way will lighten. The path will become less stony with
every forward step I take. God has no reproach for anything
that He has healed. I can be made whole and free, even though
I have wrecked my life in the past. Remember the saying:
"Neither do I condemn thee; go and sin no more."

Prayer For The Day

I pray that I may not carry the burden of the past. I pray that
I may cast it off and press on in faith.

************************************************** *********

As Bill Sees It

Imaginary Perfection, p. 181

When we early A.A.'s got our first glimmer of how spiritually prideful we could be, we
coined this expression: "Don't try to be a saint by Thursday!"

That oldtime admonition may look like another of those handy alibis that can excuse us
from trying for our best. Yet a closer view reveals just the contrary. This is our A.A. way
of warning against pride-blindness, and the imaginary perfections that we do not possess.

<< << << >> >> >>

Only Step One, where we made the 100 per cent admission that we were powerless over
alcohol, can be practiced with absolute perfection. The remaining eleven Steps state
perfect ideals. They are goals toward which we look, and the measuring sticks by which
we estimate our progress.

1. Grapevine, June 1961
2. 12 & 12, p. 68

************************************************** *********

Walk In Dry Places

Making all things new
Releasing the Past
A 12 Step program should give us a new way of life, our friends often say. We should have new attitudes, new experiences, new opportunities.
If we're to grasp this new way of life, we must let go of the old habits of the past. No alcoholic can recover, for example, by choosing to remain in the old drinking environment. We must also "recover" from other relationships and patterns that were destructive or kept us from our highest good.
"Behold, I make all things new," is the ancient promise. As our thoughts and beliefs change, the old patterns drop away and the new life reveals itself to us.
Today I'll drop the negative or outworn relics from the past and press on to find the things that are for my greatest good.

************************************************** *********

Keep It Simple

If you don't know where you are going, You'll probably end up somewhere else.---
Lawrence J. Peter
The Twelve Steps are our plan of living. We must have a plan. Without one, we waste our energy.
We react instead of think. This is what we did as an addict. We lived our lives as out-of-control people. This caused a lot of pain for us and those around us.
Recovery brings us the Twelve Steps, and each Step gives us direction and wisdom. Each Step builds on the progress we made from the Step before it. Sometimes we follow the plan well. Sometimes we think we can do better on our own. Do I believe the Twelve Steps are a good plan of living?
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, You have shown me a new way of life, a plan for living. Thank you for leading me to the Twelve Steps. Help me follow them.
Action for the Day: Today, I'll take time out to read the Twelve Steps. Then I'll list three reasons why the Steps are a good plan for living.

************************************************** *********

Each Day a New Beginning

. . . in silence might be the privilege of the strong, but it was certainly a danger to the weak. For the things I was prompted to keep silent about were nearly always the things I was ashamed of, which would have been far better aired . . . --Joanna Field
It has been said, "We are only as sick as the secrets we keep." Our emotional health as recovering women is hindered, perhaps even jeopardized, each time we hold something within that we need to talk over with others.
Sharing our fears, our hurts, our anger, keeps open our channel to God. Secrets clutter our mind, preventing the stillness within where our prayers find answers. Secrets keep us stuck. Our health, emotional and spiritual, depends on our commitment to shared experiences.
Every secret we have and tell someone, frees that person also to be herself and to grow. Sharing experiences relieves us of our shame and invites the forgiveness we must allow ourselves.
Steps Four and Five facilitate the process of sharing those secrets that block our path to God and to one another. Never can we be fully at peace with secrets left untold. Self-revelation cleanses the soul and offers us life.
I will be alert to the opportunities to share myself and cherish the freedom offered.

************************************************** *********

Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

THERE IS A SOLUTION

Then we have a certain type of hard drinker. He may have the habit badly enough to gradually impair him physically and mentally. It may cause him to die a few years before his time. If a sufficiently strong reason—ill health, falling in love, change of environment, or the warning of a doctor—becomes operative, this man can also stop or moderate, although he may find it difficult and troublesome and may even need medical attention.

pp. 20-21

************************************************** *********

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Step Six - "Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character."

We who have escaped these extremes are apt to congratulate ourselves. Yet can we? After all, hasn't it been self-interest, pure and simple, that has enabled most of us to escape? Not much spiritual effort is involved in avoiding excesses which will bring us punishment anyway. But when we face up to the less violent aspects of these very same defects, then where do we stand?

p. 66

************************************************** *********

God, help me to lower my defenses today, to be open to the good in
the people around me and to the good that I have to offer them.
--Melody Beattie

If you desire to align yourself with God's love, take an honest
assessment of where love is lacking in your life. Do you embrace the
difficult people in your family, work or neighborhood? Do you hold
grudges or do you forgive those who betray you? The only way to
keep in alignment is to practice choosing love, again and again, even
when it's difficult.
--Mary Manin Morrissey

"Don't let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do."
--John Wooden

Forget your old ideas. Forget the lies they told you.
Forget them all, and you will begin to remember.
--Marianne Williamson

Speak when you are angry and you will make the best speech you will
ever regret.
--Ambrose Bierce

Our outward behavior is just a reflection of our inner balance or our
out of balance.
--John-Roger

***********************************************

Father Leo's Daily Meditation

HUMOR

"The one serious conviction that
a man should have is that
nothing is to be taken
seriously."
--Nicholas Murray Butler

For years I used to take myself too seriously. I thought that everything
depended upon my thoughts, actions and decisions. Life was a series of
agendas that had to be met; life was too serious to be joked about. I
knew that I was not God, but I took responsibility for the whole
universe. I had opinions on everything and everybody and I was, of
course, always right.

As the years passed it grew painful being so responsible -- my control
produced stress, tension and loneliness. Then a friend said to me, "Let
go and let God." I began to detach and laugh at my insane behavior. I
laughed more as I began to accept my humanness. I discovered
spirituality in the joke. God must have a sense of humor -- after all,
He made me.

Help me to laugh at myself in my search for the Kingdom.

************************************************** *********

Though you probe my heart and examine me at night, though you test me, you will find nothing; I have resolved that my mouth will not sin. Psalms 17:3

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.
Psalms 19:14

The mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks
what is just.
Psalms 37:30

************************************************** *********

Daily Inspiration

Avoid distraction by concentrating on the task in which you are presently involved. Lord, much that bothers me is useless to my well-being. Help me identify when this happens and replace these thoughts with thoughts that treat me kindly.

God will give you strength because He will give of Himself. Lord, thank You for the many gifts of which You always bless me.