March 26, 2018 - Readings in Recovery: Today's Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation

Monday, March 26, 2018

Today’s thought from the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:

When I came in, they told me, “Let us love you until you can learn to love yourself.”

 — Anonymous

It takes a long time to learn to love ourselves. So many things we’ve done seem hard to forgive. We might be trying to dig out from under tons of negative garbage, negative images. Fortunately, our friends in this program do love us. That will sustain us as we try to get the picture of ourselves back into proper focus.

The thing we must get locked firmly in our mind is that it’s all right to be who we have been and who we are now. We know how to repair the damage now. Our program shows us the way to recovery, the way back to genuine esteem in ourselves as God’s creations. God made us, and always loves us just the way we are.

I will try to love myself, remembering that God and other people love me as I am.

You are reading from the book:

In God’s Care by Karen Casey

In God’s Care by Karen Casey. © 1991 by Hazelden Foundation

March 26, 2018 - Readings in Recovery: Step by Step

Step by Step
Monday, March 26, 2018

Today, recognize that much of my life has been expecting other people to meet my demands and expectations to fulfill my needs and wants. In selfishness and vanity, I often rejected those who failed or would not give me what I wanted or needed when I wanted or needed it. In those times of looking to the outside for fulfillment, I had not a clue how to look inside myself and beyond something stronger than other people to attain what since have become different needs and expectations. In AA, I understand that I put sobriety first and foremost above everyone and all else to earn acceptance, friendship, love and empathy. And my expectations of others were so unrealistic and selfish that I became needy to the point of being pathetic. Now I see the consequences, sometimes disastrous, of putting all my expectations on others. Now I am able to look inside myself and to a stronger power stronger to earn what I need. Today, I will take from what AA has given me to meet my needs and not weigh anyone with expectations so selfish and heavy that I ignore that they, too, have their own needs. And our common journey continues. Step by step. - Chris M., 2018

March 26, 2018 - Readings in Recovery: Twenty-Four Hours a Day

Twenty-Four Hours a Day

Monday, March 26, 2018

AA Thought for the Day

Strength comes also from working with other alcoholics. When you are trying to help a new prospect with the program, you are building up your own strength at the same time. You see the other person in the condition you might be in yourself and it makes your resolve to stay sober stronger than ever. Often, you help yourself more than the other person, but if you do succeed in helping the prospect to get sober, you are stronger from the experience of having helped another person.

Am I receiving strength from working with others?

Meditation for the Day

Faith is the bridge between you and God. It is the bridge which God has ordained. If all were seen and known, there would be no merit in doing right. Therefore, God has ordained that we do not see or know directly. But we can experience the power of His spirit through our faith. It is the bridge between us and Him, which we can take or not, as we will. There could be no morality without free will. We must make the choice ourselves. We must make the venture of belief.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may choose and decide to cross the bridge of faith. I pray that by crossing this bridge I may receive the spiritual power I need.

Hazelden Foundation

March 26, 2018 - Readings in Recovery: A Day at a Time

A Day at a Time

Monday, March 26, 2018

Reflection for the Day

I know today that getting active means trying to live the suggested Steps of The Program to the best of my ability. It means striving for some degree of honesty, first with myself, then with others. It means activity directed inward, to enable me to see myself and my relationship with my Higher Power more clearly. As I get active, outside and inside myself, so shall I grow in The Program.

Do I let others do all the work at meetings? Do I carry my share?

Today I Pray

May I realize that "letting go and letting God" does not mean that I do not have to put any effort into The Program. It is up to me to work the Twelve Steps, to learn what may be an entirely new thing with me - honesty. May I differentiate between activity for activity's sake - busy-work to keep me from thinking - and the thoughtful activity which helps me to grow.

Today I Will Remember

"Letting God" means letting Him show us how.

Hazelden Foundation

March 26, 2018 - Readings in Recovery: The Eye Opener

The Eye Opener

Monday, March 26, 2018

We in AA have many religious affiliations, and there are some of us who contend that AA is all the religion they need. Yet this fact remains: the spiritual facts on which AA is based would not have survived the ages but for the tenacity of formal religions.

Without religions, our moral, political and social structure would collapse. There is a lot in all denominations that can be criticized but, without them, life would be chaos.

Hazelden Foundation

March 26, 2018 - A blessed Holy Week of faith and reverence to those whose faith includes worship

March 26, 2018 - OK, folks, so it's Monday again ...let's do it as best we can

March 25, 2018 - Readings in Recovery: Today's Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation

Sunday, March 25, 2018

Today’s thoughts from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation are:

If you want to change who you are, change what you do.

***

The Big Book is like a cookbook – you can read it all day long and starve. You have to take the action.

***

If you stay humble, you will not stumble.

***

Our neighbor’s window looks much cleaner if we first wash our own.

***

Yesterday is a canceled check, tomorrow is a promissory note, today is cash in hand, spend it wisely.

You are reading from the book:

Keep Coming Back Gift Book by Meiji Stewart

Keep Coming Back © 1995 by Meiji Stewart

March 25, 2018 - Readings in Recovery: Step by Step

Step by Step
Sunday, March 25, 2018

Today, focus on compulsiveness so as not to react to anyone or anything with the heightened emotions that nurtured the defects of my character. From a behavioral standpoint, we alcoholics drank with compulsion. As such, my alcoholism is both physical and behavioral. To get the discipline to prevent compulsion from gaining an upper hand in all my affairs, I can work Step Three as I begin this day by handing over to my Higher Power my will and ask instead for His will. Today, as I set out, I surrender my will - or self-will run riot - to my Higher Power with faith that He will strengthen me to act accordingly and responsibly instead out of the compulsion that contributed to my spiritual and mental disease. And our common journey continues. Step by step. - Chris M., 2018

March 25, 2018 - Readings in Recovery: Twenty-Four Hours a Day

Twenty-Four Hours a Day

Sunday, March 25, 2018

AA Thought for the Day

Strength comes from coming to believe in a Higher Power that can help you. You can't define this Higher Power, but you can see how it helps other alcoholics. You hear them talk about it and you begin to get the idea yourself. You try praying in a quiet time each morning and you begin to feel stronger, as though your prayers were heard. So you gradually come to believe there must be a Power in the world outside yourself, which is stronger than you and to which you can turn for help.

Am I receiving strength from my faith in a Higher Power?

Meditation for the Day

Spiritual development is achieved by daily persistence in living the way you believe God wants you to live. Like the wearing away of a stone by steady drops of water, so will your daily persistence wear away all the difficulties and gain spiritual success for you. Never falter in this daily, steady persistence. Go forward boldly and unafraid. God will help and strengthen you, as long as you are trying to do His will.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may persist day by day in gaining spiritual experience. I pray that I may make this a lifetime work.

Hazelden Foundation

March 25, 2018 - Readings in Recovery: A Day at a Time

A Day at a Time

Sunday, March 25, 2018

Reflection for the Day

If a chemically-dependent person wants to live successfully in society, he or she must replace the power of chemicals over his/her life with the power of something else - preferably positive, at least neutral, but not negative. That is why we say to the agnostic newcomer: If you can't believe in God, find a positive power that is as great as the power of your addiction, and give it the power and dependence you gave to your addiction. In The Program, the agnostic is left free to find his or her Higher Power, and can use the principles of The Program and the therapy of the meetings to aid in rebuilding his/her life.

Do I go out of my way to work with newcomers?

Today I Pray

May the Power of The Program work its miracles equally for those who believe in a personal God or in a Universal Spirit or in the strength of the group itself, or for those who define their Higher Power in their own terms, religious or not. If newcomers are disturbed by the religiosity of The Program, may I welcome them on their own spiritual terms. May I recognize that we are all spiritual beings.

Today I Will Remember

To each his own spirituality.

Hazelden Foundation

March 25, 2018 - Readings in Recovery: The Eye Opener

The Eye Opener

Sunday, March 25, 2018

No man with certainty can see beyond this instant. Yesterday we had a friend, hale, hearty and bubbling over with energy and ambition. Today we write a letter of condolence to his widow. No one knows the day or the hour, but this we do know - we are alive right now, people are suffering right now, we can help them right now.

Hazelden Foundation

March 25, 2018 - To all whose faith includes worship, a blessed Palm Sunday of reverence

March 25, 2018 - Let's get rolling on a serene and awesome Sunday of hope and confidence

March 24, 2018 - Readings in Recovery: Today's Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation

Saturday, March 24, 2018

Today’s thought from the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:

The most important thing we are doing right now is thinking nice thoughts.

 — Jim and Marie Burns

Just thinking nice thoughts sounds so simplistic, doesn’t it! Surely there is more in life to contemplate than that. But the power of nice thoughts, the impact just such a simple decision can have on our lives and the lives of everyone around us, is awesome.

Having nice thoughts and only nice thoughts is a significant departure for most of us. Far more commonly we quietly or vocally judged every man, woman, and child in our presence. Stopping ourselves from judging, in fact, stopping a judgment in its tracks, will reveal how swamped our thinking has been by the critical, mean-spirited side of us.

Seldom do we cultivate a quiet, peaceful mind. Seemingly out of control, our minds race from one idea, one judgment, and one negative opinion to another one of equal harm to ourselves and the entire human community. Perhaps we didn’t realize that every thought we harbor has an impact, whether it’s voiced aloud or not. We can’t lay the blame for this violent, mean world solely on others. We’ve had a part in it, too. Every time we favor a nasty thought rather than a nice thought, we add to the turmoil around us. The good news is that we can choose between the two at will.

I will add to the tenor of the world today by my thoughts. I pray that I may choose them carefully.

You are reading from the book:

Keepers of the Wisdom by Karen Casey

Keepers of the Wisdom © 1996 by Karen Casey