Daily Reflections
March 10
TODAY, IT’S MY CHOICE
” … we invariably find that at some time in the past we have made decisions based on self, which later placed us in a position to be hurt.”
—ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p.62
With the realization and acceptance that I had played a part in the way my life had turned out came a dramatic change in my outlook. It was at this point that the A.A. program began to work for me. In the past, I had always blamed others, either God or other people, for my circumstances. I never felt that I had a choice in altering my life. My decisions had been based on fear, pride, or ego. As a result, those decisions led me down a path of self-destruction. Today I try to allow my God to guide me on the road to sanity. I am responsible for my action—or inaction—whatever the consequences may be.
Twenty-Four Hours A Day
March 10
A.A. Thought For The Day
We also strengthen our faith by working with other alcoholics and finding that we can do nothing ourselves to help them, except to tell them our own story of how we found the way out. If the person is helped, it’s by the grace of God and not by what we do or say. Our own faith is strengthened when we see another alcoholic find sobriety by turning to God. And, finally, we strengthen our faith by having quiet times every morning. Do I ask God in this quiet time for the strength to stay sober this day?
Meditation For The Day
My five senses are my means of communication with the material world. They are the links between my physical life and the material manifestations around me. But I must sever all connections with the material world when I wish to hold communion with the Great Spirit of the universe. I have to hush my mind and bid all my senses be still, before I can become attuned to receive the music of the heavenly spheres.
Prayer For The Day
I pray that I may get my spirit in tune with the Spirit of the universe. I pray that through faith and communion with Him I may receive the strength I need.
Walk in Dry Places
March 10
Ousting the Green Demon
Victory over Jealousy.
We hear of successful people who drop their old friends after moving up the ladder. Maybe, however, it wasn’t their choice. Maybe they were driven to do so because their friend’s jealousy made the friendship unworkable. We have little trouble accepting a stranger’s good fortune; it’s a different feeling, however, when friends and coworkers move ahead of us.
If the green demon of jealousy strikes during the day, we can come to terms with it in several ways. First, accept no guilt that it happens, because jealousy is part of the human condition. Next, depersonalize it by remembering that good fortune comes to all people in various ways. Then check your own gratitude level to make sure that it hasn’t been sinking. This serves as a reminder that there’s no shortage of the things that really make for happiness and personal well-being in life.
We can easily tell when we’ve been able to oust the green demon. We’ll be able to be relaxed and gracious while extending congratulations for another person’s good fortune. And months down the road, we’ll be genuinely sympathetic … Not vindictive … if the other person’s luck turns sour.
While I don’t expect to feel jealousy today, I accept the fact that it can happen. Should it appear, I’ll work calmly to deal with it.
Keep It Simple
March 10
“Little things affect little minds.”
—Benjamin Disraeli
Before recovery, we liked things our way. We thought every new thing we tried should go right the first time. Little problems could really upset us. We let little things spoil our day. We let little things affect big things—our entire lives. And our bad moods affected people around us. Funny how we have fewer of those problems now. The program is teaching us to let go. What a relief when we know we don’t have to control every little thing. How nice when things get done without our “expert advice!” We are starting to see what’s really important, and what’s not. One promise of the program is coming true: we know how to handle situations better.
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me see what is really important for me today. Help me to stop worrying about what’s not.
Action for the Day: When I’m upset, I’ll ask myself, “Is this problem really so bad?” If I can’t change it. I’ll let go.
“If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop digging.”
—Will Rogers“The time to relax is when you don’t have time for it.”
—Sydney J. Harris“The time is always right to do what is right.”
—Martin Luther King, Jr.“When God calls, God makes a way.”
—Lynn Sloan Barnes
Father Leo’s Daily Meditation
March 10
SCIENCE
“We have to live today by what truth we can get today and be ready tomorrow to call it falsehood.”
—William James
To change is to be imperfect and to be imperfect is to be wrong—at times! As an alcoholic, I have a problem with ego; always wanting to be right, hating to say, “I am sorry,” not wishing to appear out of control. In sobriety, I must wrestle with my ego on a daily basis.
However, although I find it difficult to accept that I am imperfect, I know that I am! I know that I need to make amends. I know that I produce most of the pain in my life. Today’s facts are stepping stones to tomorrow’s falsehoods—and I grow with this knowledge.
Spirituality is growing in the knowledge that I do not have all the answers.
Let me experience joy and growth in the dilemmas of life.
Daily Inspiration
March 10
Home is a place where we can have a bit of heaven on earth. Lord, bless our home and help make it a place of love and kindness.
It is you, not where you are or what you have, that makes the difference. Lord, may I always blossom where I am planted.
Elder’s Meditation of the Day
March 10
“I know Grandpa told me that to smoke is wakan (holy). The smoke you inhale represents the spirits of everything you put into the pipe. When you breathe in the smoke, you are asking to become one with everything or to become whole.”
—Dr. A.C. Ross (Enhanamani), LAKOTA
The smoke allows us to go from the Seen World to the Spirit World. It is in the Spirit World where we are all connected. In this way, we can become one with all things. Our pipe is sacred. We need to be respectful of our medicine. When we smoke the pipe, we need to have good thoughts because these thoughts are shared with the Spirit World. The pipe, the smoke, the spirits, our thoughts—these things are Wakan.
Great Spirit, today, let my thoughts be Wakan.
Journey to the Heart
March 10
Beware of Gossip
Gossip is a seductive pastime that can be harmful to others, harmful to ourselves. Some gossip is innocent. We chatter about the experiences of others lightly, joyfully, in a way that doesn’t hurt. Other gossip isn’t so innocent. It’s rooted in anger, jealousy, betrayal, and sometimes hatred. We feel deprived and cheated—hurt—so we want to hurt another.
Would you stand and throw darts at someone? Would you pick up a knife and stab that person in the back? I think not. Yet, when we gossip, we do the same thing. Words, especially those coated with emotion, carry energy, sometimes potentially damaging energy. When we hurt another, we hurt ourselves. Both are injured. We need to deal with our feelings of anger, hurt, betrayal, or jealousy before they wound through gossip.
While walking this journey, you must learn of the dangers. Gossip is one of them. Heal the feelings underneath so you can speak lightly with words of love.
Today’s Gift
March 10
“The older you get the more you realize that kindness is synonymous with happiness.”
—Lionel Barrymore
Once in a while, we forget about the kind things people have done for us. Do we remember the next-door neighbor who helped us get our kite out of a tree, or the brother who helped us finish a project for school? If we think about these kindnesses, we will remember how happy we were to receive them.
These people and others may need a kindness we can give. Our next-door neighbor may get sick and need us to go to the store, a brother or sister may need to borrow a radio, or the elderly person down the street may need the lawn mowed. Whenever we take the time to give a kindness, we will find that like the boomerang, it returns to us in the form of happiness.
Will I be alert to my chances to give kindness today?
Touchstones Meditation For Men
March 10
“There is no king who has not had a slave among his ancestors, and no slave who has not had a king among his.”
—Helen Keller
The human race is a huge mixture of dignity and degradation and every man inherits the blend. We can respect the slave in us for his endurance and suffering. And the king in us earns our respect for his leadership and justice. Are we ashamed of who we are or where we have come from? Then we may have to look deeper and ask if we are really different from any other man.
Do we believe we must conform to some mold of acceptability, some proper appearance? Are we so focused on the surface that we miss the deeper values of our humanness? Sometimes we take on a reverse smugness and become judgmental of the person who looks successful or speaks well. We think, “I can’t like him, he’s in a different class.” We all need acceptance and respect, and in this program we are equals from the first day.
God, grant me the self-esteem to accept the whole mixture that comes together in me and in the people around me.
Daily TAO
March 10
ILLUMINATION
Fire feeding on fire.
Everyone understands that burning wood produces fire. But when fire feeds on fire, that is a rare condition that yields the greatest illumination. Two flames come together and yield light more magnificent than either could have given forth alone.
In the case of community activity, this means that when one cooperates with others, the accomplishments are greater than what the individuals can do on their own. Such a situation requires a harmony that will generate ideas, inspiration, as well as momentum for growth and action. If the combinations occur properly, the results will be like fire upon fire and will illuminate the world. Sometimes, the combination comes down to just two people. If two people join forces, neither sacrificing their individuality, but only lending their power to an endeavor, there will be a wonderful situation that will both benefit others and encourage greater growth in the two people as well.
Fire feeding on fire can also mean the swift exhaustion of all energies involved. One must be careful not to lose one’s own personality in any joining. The idea is integration, not assimilation. No matter what can be achieved in joining with others, it is wise to remember that we each walk this path independently. The ultimate truth of the journey and its final rewards are still for each of us to face alone.
Daily Zen
March 10
A Spring View
With warm winds and long days
The hundred living things revive
Alone, I’m ashamed of my fussy self
Before Spring’s radiant newness.
Water blurs into sky, both gem-green;
Blossoms hide the trees,
All garish and crimson!
Pleasure-wagons, sightseers’ horses,
Rush to be first;
Dancing swallows, wheeling warblers,
Frolic to their heart’s content.
Most charming of all,
There’s a haze-distant village
And wrapped in its smoke,
The thousandfold ranks of willows.
– Kokan Shiren (1278-1346)