Nov. 3, 2012 - Just for Today

Just for Today
Saturday, Nov. 3, 2012

"There is no more 'aloneness,' with that awful ache, so deep in the heart of every alcoholic that nothing, before, could ever reach it. That ache is gone and never need return again.
"Now there is a sense of belonging, of being wanted and needed and loved. In return for a bottle and a hangover, we have been given the Keys of the Kingdom." - Alcoholics Anonymous, 3rd Edition, 1976, "Personal Stories, Pioneers of AA," Ch 12 ("The Keys of the Kingdom"), p 312.

Just for today, I cannot minimize or take for granted that I indeed have been given "the keys of the kingdom" by surrendering in Step One and then proceeding to the bolts of the Program. But I also cannot take for granted that the keys given to me will be taken away in a disastrous split second in which I cave into self-pity, anger, remorse or hopelessness and pick up the bottle again. If I do, perhaps the single most anguishing emotion of alcoholism - desperate loneliness - once again will enshroud me and all that I have worked for thus far will lay in ruins. But, today, I need not cave into those temptations or my own self-defeating character if I internalize the Steps and their principles, and they can and will get me through any situation and over any mountain of any height. Today, I will not trade my "keys to the kingdom" for "just one more." And our common journey continues. Just for today. - Chris M., 2012

Nov. 3, 2012 - Twenty-Four Hours a Day

Twenty-Four Hours a Day
Saturday, Nov. 3, 2012

AA Thought for the Day
I have charity, another word for love. That right kind of love which is not selfish passion but an unselfish, out-going desire to help other people. To do what is best for the other person, to put what is best for him or her above my own desires. To put God first, the other person second and myself last. Charity is gentle, kind, understanding, long-suffering and full of desire to serve. AA has given me this. What I do for myself is lost; what I do for others may be written somewhere in eternity.

Have I charity?

Meditation for the Day
"Ask what you will and it shall be done unto you." God has unlimited power. There is no limit to what His power can do in human hearts. But we must will to have God's power and we must ask God for it. God's power is blocked off from us by our indifference to it. We can go along our own selfish way without calling on God's help and we get no power. But when we trust in God, we can will to have the power we need. When we sincerely ask God for it, we get it abundantly.

Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may will to have God's power. I pray that I may keep praying for the strength I need.

Hazelden Foundation

Nov. 3, 2012 - A Day at a Time

A Day at a Time
Saturday, Nov. 3, 2012

Reflection for the Day
The Program's Twelve Steps comprise a body of living spiritual wisdom. To the degree that we continue to study The Steps and apply them to our daily lives, our knowledge and understanding expands without limitation. As we say in The Program, "It gets better ...and better ...and better." The Eleventh Step speaks of prayer and meditation, urging us to apply our minds quietly to the contemplation of spiritual truth. By its nature, the Eleventh Step illuminates for us the purpose and value of the other Steps. As we seek through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, the remaining Steps become ever more useful in our new way of life.

Do I take the time each day to pray and meditate?

Today I Pray
May I seek - as the Eleventh Step says - to know God better through prayer and meditation, talking to and listening for God. As my life becomes more full of the realities of earth - and the goodness thereof - may I always keep aside a time for communion with God. May this communion define my life and give it purpose.

Today I Will Remember
Take time out for God.

Hazelden Foundation

Nov. 3, 2012 - The Eye Opener

The Eye Opener
Saturday, Nov. 3, 2012

Our philosophy of living does not reach as far as immortality - it concerns itself with living this life one day at a time.

We do feel, however, that if we live this day to the best of our ability, endeavoring each day to improve over the preceding day, then when the time comes for us to consider immortality, we will be in a very favorable position, to say the least.

Hazelden Foundation

Nov. 3, 2012 - Today's Gift from Hazelden

Saturday, Nov. 3, 2012

Today's thought from Hazelden is:

When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you. -- Tao Te Ching

Working the Twelve Steps is the process of being and becoming. It is finding, knowing, and accepting who we are. It is having the willingness to fall down, stumble around, and make mistakes. It is being in tune with the constant process of death and rebirth that is part of life's rhythm.

Each of us has an internal timetable. The rhythm of our spirit. Discovering what it is and living according to its direction can bring us untold serenity and joy. It also brings us energy, because we're not fighting ourselves and reality. So often, we are our own worst enemy. But to face who we are and to learn from it is to be created anew. In the process, we discover our own truths. Maybe that's part of what a spiritual awakening is -- seeing the truth in a new way.

Living according to the guidance of our spirit and in harmony with our body, mind, and emotions is a solitary journey, but one that brings us close to other people and to life. It takes patience, and it brings true peace.

I am able to trust that in my recovery I am learning new things, as I need to learn them, I am comfortable with the pace of my recovery.

From the book:

Answers in the Heart by Anonymous

Answers in the Heart © 1989 by P. Williamson and S. Kiser. All rights reserved.

Nov. 2, 2012 - Just for Today

Just for Today
Friday, Nov. 2, 2012

" ...(Y)ou are ready to take certain steps.
"At some of these we balked. We thought we could find an easier, softer way. But we could not. With all the earnestness at our command, we beg of you to be fearless and thorough from the very start. Some of us have tried to hold on to our old ideas and the result was nil until we let go absolutely." - Alcoholics Anonymous, 3rd Edition, Ch 5 ("How It Works"), p 58.

Just for today, after concluding I want what AA and its Program of recovery offer, I stand on the ledge of a journey that might appear uncertain and terrifying, at least as much as the certainty and terror of continued drinking. But I must begin; if I don't, the certain terror of an alcoholic disintegration or death are all that await me. And as I set out on this journey of recovery, grant me the wisdom to yield to the experience of those who have already been where I am headed, and the humility to seek and do only the will of whatever Higher Power I define. Let me also understand completely and be willing and ready to accept whatever change comes about as I hopefully leave behind those days of drinking and take on whatever changes come about in sobriety. Today, if I am setting out on the path toward recovery, let me be sensitive to and appreciate how demanding it will be and that I must be "fearless and thorough from the very start." Any less is a prescription for certain relapse. And our common journey continues. Just for today. - Chris M., 2012

Nov. 2, 2012 - Twenty-Four Hours a Day

Twenty-Four Hours a Day
Friday, Nov. 2, 2012

AA Thought for the Day
I have faith. That thing that makes the world seem right. That thing that makes sense at last. That awareness of the Divine Principle in the universe which holds it all together and gives it unity and purpose and goodness and meaning. Life is no longer ashes in my mouth or bitter to the taste. It is all one glorious whole, because God is holding it together. Faith - that leap into the unknown, the venture into what lies beyond our ken, that which brings untold rewards of peace and serenity.

Have I faith?

Meditation for the Day
Keep yourself like an empty vessel for God to fill. Keep pouring out yourself to help others so that God can keep filling you up with His spirit. The more you give, the more you will have for yourself. God will see that you are kept filled as long as you are giving to others. But if you selfishly try to keep all for yourself, you are soon blocked off from God, your source of supply, and you will become stagnant. To be clear, a lake must have an inflow and an outflow.

Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may keep pouring out what I receive. I pray that I may keep the stream clear and flowing.

Hazelden Foundation

Nov. 2, 2012 - A Day at a Time

A Day at a Time
Friday, Nov. 2, 2012

Reflection for the Day
The more self-searching we do, the more we realize how often we react negatively because our "pride has been hurt." Pride is at the root of most of my personal problems. When my pride is "hurt," for example, I almost invariably experience resentment and anger - sometimes to the point where I'm unable to talk or think rationally. When I'm in that sort of emotional swamp, I must remind myself that my pride - and nothing but my pride - has been injured. I have to pause and try to cool off until such time as I can evaluate the problem realistically.

When my pride is injured or threatened, will I pray for humility so that I can rise above myself?

Today I Pray
May I know that if my pride is hurt, the rest of me may not be injured at all. May I know that my pride can take a battering and still come back stronger than ever for more. May I know that every time my pride takes a blow, it is liable to get more defensive, nastier, more unreasonable, more feisty. May I learn to keep my upstart pride in another place, where it will not be so easily hurt - or so willing to take credit.

Today I Will Remember
Humility is the only authority over pride.

Hazelden Foundation

Nov.2, 2012 - The Eye Opener

The Eye Opener
Friday, Nov. 2, 2012

Have you ever visited the General Service Headquarters in New York? Do you have any conception of the vast amount of work that passes through the Foundation every year?

It is highly possible that your Group would not exist today were it not for them. It is likewise probable that if your Group did not exist, you would still be beating your brains out.

The New York Office is functioning beautifully, but they require the support of every Group to do so. Make it your business to see that your Group is doing its share.

Hazelden Foundation

Nov. 2, 2012 - Today's Gift from Hazelden

Friday, Nov. 2, 2012

Today's thought from Hazelden is:
Fearful as reality is, it is less fearful than evasions of reality. -- Caitlin Thomas
We've become much less fearful of reality since we've come to know the principles of this program. Just about anything could have made us fearful in past years. No doubt practicing our addictions gave us a false courage for a while. But then we could no longer keep the fears away.

How do we keep fear at bay now that we're free of our addictions? Most of us have begun to rely on our Higher Power for courage, understanding, and acceptance. The challenges that we're offered are opportunities from God for our advantage. When we're in God's care these challenges are manageable, and we need no longer fear them.

We can conquer our fears as we take advantage of the help, guidance, and courage that come from God.

I know that God will be there for me through every challenge today.

From the book:

In God's Care by Karen Casey

In God's Care by Karen Casey. © 1991 by Hazelden Foundation. All rights reserved.

Nov. 1, 2012 - Just for Today

Just for Today
Thursday, Nov. 1, 2012

Just for today, remembering that working the Steps as hard as I could when I surrendered in Step One, I must know that I will have to rework them again if I choose to slip or relapse. Some of the Steps required to gain and maintain sobriety require some of the brute honesty possible, and seeing myself as I truly was coming off drinking is an experience I hope not to repeat. Thus, the solution to avoid having to muster such brute honesty and seeing myself as I was is simple: don't slip, don't relapse. Sometimes easier said than done, but the power of the 12 Steps gives us the control not to bow to that which we cannot control - alcohol. It is a fact that the sober alcoholic has another drunk inside but may not have another recovery. For me, even if I have another recovery, I don't want to have to go through the grueling experience of seeing myself as I might become during a slip or relapse. And my insurance against having to go through that is the Program. Today, I'll use it. And our common journey continues. Just for today. - Chris M., 2012

Nov. 1, 2012 - Twenty-Four Hours a Day

Twenty-Four Hours a Day
Thursday, Nov. 1, 2012

AA Thought for the Day
I have hope. That magic thing that I had lost or misplaced. The future looks dark no more. I do not even look at it, except when necessary to make plans. I try to let the future take care of itself. The future will be made up of todays and todays, stretching out as short as now and as long as eternity. Hope is justified by many right nows, by the rightness of the present. Nothing can happen to me that God does not will for me. I can hope for the best, as long as I have what I have and it is good.

Have I hope?

Meditation for the Day
Faith is the messenger that bears your prayers to God. Prayer can be like incense, rising ever higher and higher. The prayer of faith is the prayer of trust that feels the presence of God which it rises to meet. It can be sure of some response from God. We can say a prayer of thanks to God every day for His grace, which has kept us on the right way and allowed us to start living the good life. So we should pray to God with faith and trust and gratitude.

Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may feel sure of some response to my prayers. I pray that I may be content with whatever form that response takes.

Hazelden Foundation

Nov. 1, 2012 - A Day at a Time

A Day at a Time
Thursday, Nov. 1, 2012

Reflection for the Day
Those whom I most respect in The Program - and, in turn, those from whom I've learned the most - seem convinced that pride is, as one person put it, the "root-sin." In moral theology, pride is the first of the seven deadly sins. It is also considered the most serious, standing apart from the rest by virtue of its unique quality. Pride gets right into our spiritual victories. It insinuates itself into all our successes and accomplishments, even when we attribute them to God.

Do I struggle against pride by working the Tenth Step regularly, facing myself freshly and making things right where they've gone wrong?

Today I Pray
May I be on guard constantly against the sneakiness of pride, which can creep into every achievement, every triumph, every reciprocated affection. May I know that whenever things are going well for me, my pride will be on the spot, ready to take credit. May I watch for it.

Today I Will Remember
Put pride in its place.

Hazelden Foundation

Nov. 1, 2012 - The Eye Opener

The Eye Opener
Thursday, Nov. 1, 2012

If life is only a preparation for something yet to come, as many believe, then the manner of our living will determine the success or failure in this preparation. It would naturally follow, therefore, that a man could not live a devil and die a saint.

We do not feel that we are qualified to evaluate the worth of deathbed repentance, but this we do feel - if you live right, deathbed repentance would hardly seem necessary.

Hazelden Foundation

Nov. 1, 2012 - Today's Gift from Hazelden

Thursday, Nov. 1, 2012

Today's thought from Hazelden is:

Always think of what you have to do as easy and it will become so. -- Emile Corie

How we think about the activities before us is very important. If we think cleaning the garage is hard, dirty, and no chance for fun, that's just how it will feel. We'll be tired before we even begin. However, if we approach it like a treasure hunt, expecting to rediscover some long-forgotten treasures, we'll enjoy the task. In fact, it will feel like a game.

The thoughts we carry in our minds determine whether our tasks are fun or not. What good fortune it is that we can control those thoughts. If we approach an assignment for school or a job believing that we're able to do it, that it's not too hard for us, we'll finish with ease. Our thoughts determine our successes. In this way, our lives are in our own hands.

How much better can I make my life today?

From the book:

Today's Gift by Anonymous

Today's Gift © 1985, 1991 by Hazelden Foundation. All rights reserved.