Daily Reflections
July 1
THE BEST FOR TODAY
The principles we have set down are guides to progress.
-ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 60
Just as a sculptor will use different tools to achieve desired effects in creating a work of art, in Alcoholics Anonymous the Twelve Steps are used to bring about results in my own life. I do not overwhelm myself with life’s problems, and how much more work needs to be done. I let myself be comforted in knowing that my life is now in the hands of my Higher Power, a master craftsman who is shaping each part of my life into a unique work of art. By working my program I can be satisfied, knowing that in the doing the best that we can for today, we are doing all that God asks of us.”
Twenty-Four Hours A
Day
July 1
A. A. Thought for the Day
In following the A. A. program with its twelve steps, we have the advantage of a better understanding of our problems. Day after day our sobriety results in the formation of new habits, normal habits. As each twenty-four-hour period ends, we find that the business of staying sober is a much less trying and fearsome ordeal than it seemed in the beginning. Do I find it easier as I go along?
Meditation for the Day
Learn daily the lesson of trust and calm in the midst of the storms of life. Whatever of sorrow or difficulty the day may bring, God’s command to you is the same. Be grateful, humble, calm, and loving to all people. Leave each soul the better for having met you or heard you. For all kinds of people, this should be your attitude: a loving desire to help and an infectious spirit of calmness and trust in God. You have the answer to loneliness and fear, which is calm faith in the goodness and purpose in the universe.
Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may be calm in the midst of storms. I pray that I may pass on this calmness to others who are lonely and full of fear.
Keep It Simple
July 1
Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
—Step Seven
In Step Six, we got ready to give up our shortcomings. In Step Seven, we ask God to remove them. There is one catch. We humbly as God to remove them.
Being humble means we remember who we are: human beings who need God’s help. Being humble means not pretending we’re God. We admit we need God’s help. Being humble means seeing ourselves as we are. We’re a small but important part of God’s plan. We can change much, but only God can change some things about us. This is why we ask. Being humble is not a weakness, but a true strength.
Prayer for the Day: God, please remove my shortcomings.
Action for the Day: Throughout the day, I’ll pray to God to remove my shortcomings.
I welcome solitude into my life today. I welcome the peace, serenity, wisdom and spirituality I find when I take that special time for me.
–Ruth Fishel
Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant.
–Robert Louis Stevenson
“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”
–Norman MacEwan
We’re not invited into relationship with God at a deeper level in the absence of our challenges, but in the midst of all of life, including our challenges. Difficulties provide us a chance for greater closeness. Every situation in life carries with it an incredible opportunity for sweetness, depth and wonder. Receive every experience today as an opportunity and a gift.
–Mary Manin Morrissey
“It is easy enough to be pleasant, When life flows by like a song, But the man worth while is the one who can smile, When everything goes dead wrong. For the test of the heart is troubled, And it always comes with the years. And the smiles that is worth the praises of earth, Is the smile that shines through tears.”
–Ella Wheeler Wilcox
Life consists not in holding good cards but in playing those you hold well.
–Josh Billings
“Character is what you are in the dark.”
–Dwight L. Moody
Father Leo’s Daily
Meditation
July 1
BELIEF
“Seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you understand.”
–St. Augustine
For years I tried to understand my behavior around alcohol and I only came away more confused. Sometimes my efforts to understand led me into dishonesty and manipulation. I drank because I was lonely, angry, happy, overworked or because I had problems with my parents. You see, I tried to understand “why”!
Science has no definitive answer as to why some people are alcoholic other than to postulate the disease factor, with the emphasized advice, “Don’t pick up the first drink.” So today I don’t understand why I am an alcoholic. I also believe that I can never drink alcohol without having alcohol problems. This cherished belief keeps me sober and gives me a God I can understand; a life that I can love; and a world I can live in.
Oh yes — and I can remember where I have been today!
Help me to believe in what I know and to be content with the imperfection of my knowledge.
Daily Inspiration
July 1
It’s easy to give up, but no matter what the outcome is, if you do your best, you are always the winner. Lord, may I truly realize that it is the way I participate in life that counts for me.
Example is the best way to teach. Lord, may I teach Your goodness by the way I live my life.
Elder’s Meditation of the Day July 1
“I’m an Indian, I’m one of God’s children.”
–Mathew King, LAKOTA
My Creator, today let me remember the reason I’m here on Mother Earth. Let me look into my own eyes and see the beauty You have created. Let me have good thoughts.
Being Indian is not the color of my skin. Being Indian is to listen to my heart, to think only the things You have taught, to watch nature and live in harmony.
Being Indian is to walk in prayer, to talk to You constantly during the day. Being Indian is to act and to walk in a sacred way.
Today, let me think in beauty, let me walk in beauty, let me pray in beauty.
Today’s Gift
July 1
Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts.
—Rachel Carson
Beauty is everywhere. It is in the daisies, in the lavender wildflowers, in the new green grass of spring. As we walk through life, noticing such beauty strengthens us. It reminds us of the spiritual creative force alive in this world. On better days, we can feel our own creativity gaining power from such beauty. On harder days, nature’s sunset can help us step out of our suffering for a moment to be comforted and inspired by its splendor.
Even storms, in their wild and angry way, show us a power greater than ourselves. Such awesome beauty is beyond our understanding, and yet it is part of the earth we live on.
What lessons will nature teach me today?
Touchstones
Meditations For Men
July 1
If you are seeking creative ideas, go out walking. Angels whisper to a man when he goes for a walk.
—Raymond Inmon
We all seek creative ideas from time to time – perhaps when we have a problem resting heavily on our minds, or when we are simply in a bad mood. We need to refresh ourselves at those times. Refreshment doesn’t solve a problem, but it can revitalize our thinking. Sometimes when we are feeling hopeless, we neglect to care for ourselves, forgetting a better environment will give us a stronger attitude, even toward the most difficult problems.
We must learn our own best methods for being refreshed – ways that allow angels to whisper to us. They should be simple, inexpensive, and accessible daily. Going for a walk is a very good example. Daily reading and study is another possibility. Observing nature, doing handicrafts or hobbies are refreshing for some men. These activities allow us to temporarily set aside our tasks and concerns and open us to creative ideas.
Today, I will give myself a creative break from the concerns I am facing.
Daily TAO
July 1
Flow
If the boulders are moved,
Even a river will change its flow.
Except for occasional flooding, the mightiest river keeps to its bed. It flows where it finds openings between cliffs and rocks. If the river is dammed, if the cliff walls are moved, if the boulders are shifted, it will flow a different course. It could even be made to flow backward if the earth moved enough.
So it is with the flow of our lives. Once the fixed objects of our lives shift, our circumstances change. If we move to another city, life will change. If we marry one person over another, life will be different. If we situate our business in a good neighborhood, life will be prosperous. If we choose a house in a good setting, life will be healthy. If we arrange our furniture properly, life will be comfortable. If we eat correctly, life will be prolonged. In short, followers of Tao realize the flow of life can be affected and to some degree consciously manipulated simply by altering its parameters.
Life is the flow of energy. It is the air that we breathe, the force that moves the weather, the force of all minds combined. It keeps the rivers flowing, our hearts beating, and the sky blue. This flow of energy moves constantly according to the fixed points that exist at any given moment. Therefore, by manipulating the cardinal points of our lives, we can change the flow. The freedom to choose and to change belong to us.