Daily Reflections
September 18
LOVED BACK TO RECOVERY
Our whole treasured philosophy of self-sufficiency had to be cast aside. This had not been done with old-fashioned willpower; it was instead a matter of developing the willingness to accept these new facts of living. We neither ran nor fought. But accept we did. And then we were free.
-BEST OF THE GRAPEVINE, Vol. I, p. 198
I can be free of my old enslaving self. After a while I recognize, and believe in, the good within myself. I see that I have been loved back to recovery by my Higher Power, who envelops me. My Higher Power becomes that source of love and strength that is performing a continuing miracle in me. I am sober … and I am grateful.
Twenty-Four Hours A Day
September 18
A.A. Thought For The Day
Step Two is: “Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.” Step Three is: “Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.” Step Eleven is: “Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, as we understood Him, praying only for the knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.” The fundamental basis of A.A. is the belief in a Power greater than ourselves. Let us not water this down. We cannot get the program without this venture of belief. Have I made the venture of belief in a Power greater than my own?
Meditation For The Day
“He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High, shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” Dwell for a moment each day in a secret place, the place of communion with God, apart from the world, and thence receive strength to face the world. Material things cannot intrude upon this secret place, they cannot ever find it, because it is outside the realm of material things. When you abide in this secret place, you are under the shadow of the Almighty. God is close to you in this quiet place of communion. Each day, dwell for a while in this secret place.
Prayer For The Day
I pray that I may renew my strength in quietness. I pray that I may find rest in quiet communion with God.
Walk In Dry Places
September 18
The role of humor
Attitudes
There’s a lot of humor among recovery groups, which probably came out of the bizarre drinking stories told by speakers. It’s also a reflection of our real personalities.
The right kind of humor helps us achieve balance and not take ourselves too seriously. Meetings can be terribly suffocating when they have neither lightness or gaiety.
There is also a wrong kind of humor that should be avoided. It’s very easy to let joking and good-natured ribbing take the place of the honest discussions all of us need. It’s too easy in AA for a member to become known and liked as a charming jokester, even though he or she may be quietly feeling lots of inner pain. People are often surprised when such a person runs into trouble, because they had accepted the humorous surface personality without knowing the real person. In such a case, humor can send the wrong message.
Most of the time, however, humor helps keep us on the right track. Let’s keep it in our picture, but also in the proper focus.
I’ll not be afraid to laugh at myself or about myself today. Perhaps my right-spirited laughter also reflects the laughter of God.
Keep It Simple
September 18
We feel that the elimination of our drinking is but a beginning.
—Alcoholics Anonymous
Giving up alcohol or other drugs is just the start. Even if we give up chemicals, can we be happy if we have our old life back in every other way?
We have to do more. We have to see how our illness has changed us. To do this, we turn to the Steps. Our program teaches us to become new persons. We will change. And the changes will make us happy. That’s the best part of recovery—change.
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, make me open to changes that will heal me. Help see I’m not cured just because I stopped drinking or using drugs.
Action for the Day: Today, I’ll chose one thing about myself I want to change.
Each Day a New Beginning
September 18
The future is made of the same stuff as the present.
-Simone Weil
The moment is eternal. It is unending. When we move with the moment, we experience all that life can offer. Being fully awake to right now guarantees rapture even when there’s pain, because we know we are evolving, and we thrill with the knowledge. We are one with all that’s going on around us. Our existence is purposeful and part of the whole of creation, and we can sense our purpose.
Nothing is-but now. And when we dwell on what was, or what may be, we are cut off from life- essentially dead. The only reality is the present, and it’s only in the present that we are invited to make our special contribution to life; perhaps at this moment our special contribution is to reach out to another person, an act that will change two lives, ours and hers.
We must cling to the present, or we’ll miss its invitation to grow, to help a friend perhaps, to be part of the only reality there is. The present holds all we need and all we’ll ever need to fulfill our lives. It provides every opportunity for our happiness-the only happiness there is.
Abstinence offers me the gift of the present. I will cherish it, be grateful, relish it.
If you tell the truth you don’t have to remember anything.
–Mark Twain
“Peace is not something you wish for; it’s something you make, something you do, something you are, something you give away.”
–Robert Fulghum
Father Leo’s Daily Meditation
September 18
OPEN-MINDEDNESS
“A fanatic is one who can’t change his mind and won’t change the subject.”
— Winston Churchill
In my addiction I had a closed mind because I was afraid to be seen to be wrong. I had to be right, I had to be in control, and I had to be perfect. To say “I don’t know the answer” would make me weak, vulnerable and human! So I developed a closed mind: my way, my thoughts, my ideas, my life, my God. And I was in pain.
Then I had a moment of clarity. I heard that I was sick. I heard that if I really wanted help, I could receive it. I put away the alcohol and I became vulnerable. Slowly I faced the confusion of life and I discovered the human race. I was no longer alone.
Today the spiritual life is more about living with the questions than providing the answers.
I pray that I may continue to find Truth in variety.
Elder’s Meditation of the Day
September 18
“I walk in and out of many worlds.”
–Joy Harjo, CREEK/CHEROKEE
In my mind are many dwellings. Each of the dwellings we create ourselves – the house of anger, the house of despair, the house of self pity, the house of indifference, the house of negative, the house of positive, the house of hope, the house of joy, the house of peace, the house of enthusiasm, the house of cooperation, the house of giving. Each of these houses we visit each day. We can stay in any house for as long as we want. We can leave these mental houses any time we wish. We create the dwelling, we stay in the dwelling, we leave the dwelling whenever we wish. We can create new rooms, new houses. Whenever we enter these dwellings, this becomes our world until we leave for another. What world will we live in today?
Creator, no one can determine which dwelling I choose to enter. No one has the power to do so, only me. Let me choose wisely today.
Today’s Gift
September 18
It’s better to know some of the questions than all of the answers.
– James Thurber
Recovery is an inner journey, but it often means going outside ourselves. In the past, we often were deaf to the words of others. Now we are discovering that God gave us ears for a reason.
Listening to others may be new to us, but we have so much to gain. Others may have learned ways to solve problems we can’t figure out. We may think our lives are unique, only to discover others have had the same experiences. There is so much insight, wisdom, and love to share. Now that we’re stronger, we can admit we need help, and accept that help with a joyful heart.
Today let me have the courage to listen to those people whom I respect.
Journey To The Heart
September 18
Open Up to New Energy
As you change, what works for you may change.
The purpose of the journey is to open up. But with it comes the responsibility of watching how we feel, how our bodies feel in certain circumstances. With it comes the responsibility of knowing that certain things that used to work for us, certain things we used to be able to handle, may not work as well any longer.
As we change, we will want and need the energy around us to change,too. We’ll want it to feel better, energize us, be good for us. At first we may say, This never bothered me before. I don’t know why I’m so sensitive now. Then we may wait for our bodies and lives to return to normal, to return to how they used to be.
You are becoming more sensitive, more open than you’ve ever been. When you were closed, you didn’t feel as much, didn’t respond as much. Sometimes you weren’t aware of what you were feeling or how your body reacted. Now that you are more open, your body, mind, spirit, and soul will be far more effected by what you take in– whether it is food, drink, or the energy of a person or situation. You will feel more intensely. You may want different foods, different people, different places, different clothing, different activities. As your energy changes, you will likely want different energy around you.
Listen to your body and emotions when they tell you something no longer works for you. Let the old fall away. Listen to your inner guidance as your heart leads you to someplace new.
Touchstones Meditations For Men
September 18
Grace strikes us when we are in great pain and restlessness. It strikes us when we walk through the dark valley of a meaningless and empty life.
—Paul Tillich
We are men who know the consequences of alcoholism, codependency, and addiction. We have walked dark valleys. We have felt meaningless and empty in our lives. Each of us has a story. The harder we worked to overcome those feelings by our individual efforts, the worse the feelings got. This program suggested we try something radically new – something we couldn’t think up on our own.
Grace is the love and generosity of God, which comes through no effort of our own. Not until we felt defeated would we open ourselves to this gift of help from our Higher Power. Grace comes in many forms. It is in the hope we feel in the morning after a night of rest, and it’s in the good feeling we get attending our meetings. Before this program, most of us were trying so hard to control our lives we couldn’t notice any gifts that came from outside our efforts. These Twelve Steps train us for becoming receptive to the healing grace of God.
The grace of God surrounds me – even in difficult times. Returning to that message renews my strength.
Daily TAO
September 18
SILENCE
Seek silence.
Gladden in silence.
Adore silence.
As one progresses on the path, one seeks silence more and more. It will be a great comfort, a tremendous source of solace and peace.
Once you find deep solitude and calm, there will be a great gladness in your heart. Here finally is the place where you need neither defense nor offense — the place where you can truly be open. There will be bliss, wonder, the awe of attaining something pure and sacred.
After that, you will feel adoration of silence. This is the peace that seems to elude so many. This is the beauty of Tao.