May 22, 2014 - A Day at a Time

A Day at a Time
Thursday, May 22, 2014

Reflection for the Day
When I first listened to people in The Program talking freely and honestly about themselves, I was stunned. Their stories of their own addictive escapades, of their own secret fears and of their own gnawing loneliness were literally mind-blowing for me. I discovered - and hardly dared believe it at first - that I'm not alone. I'm not all that different from everybody else and, in fact, we're all very much the same. I began to sense that I do belong somewhere, and my loneliness began to leave me.

Do I try to give to others what has been given freely to me?

Today I Pray
May I begin to see, as the life stories of my friends in The Program unfold for me, that our similarities are far more startling than our differences. As I listen to their accounts of addiction and recovery, may I experience often that small shock of recognition, a "hey-that's-me!" feeling that is quick to chase away my separateness. May I become a wholehearted member of the group, giving and taking in equal parts.

Today I Will Remember
Sameness, not differences.

Hazelden Foundation