Daily Reflections
December 4
INTO ACTION
“A.A. is more than a set of principles; it is a society of alcoholics in action. We must carry the message, else we ourselves can wither, and those who haven’t been given the truth may die.”
—AS BILL SEES IT, p. 13
I desperately wanted to live, but if I was to succeed, I had to become active in our God-given program. I joined what became my group, where I opened the hall, made coffee, and cleaned up. I had been sober about three months when an old-timer told me I was doing Twelfth-Step work. What a satisfying realization that was! I felt I was really accomplishing something. God had given me a second chance, A.A. had shown me the way, and these gifts were not only free—they were also priceless! Now the joy of seeing newcomers grow reminds me of where I have come from, where I am now, and the limitless possibilities that lie ahead. I need to attend meetings because they recharge my batteries so that I have light when it’s needed. I’m still a beginner in service work, but already I am receiving more than I’m giving. I can’t keep it unless I give it away. I am responsible when another reaches out for help. I want to be there—sober.
Twenty-Four Hours A Day
December 4
A.A. Thought For The Day
If we allow an alcoholic thought to lodge in our minds for any length of time, we are in danger of having a slip. Therefore we must dispel such thoughts at once, by refusing their admittance and by immediately putting constructive thoughts in their place. Remember that alcohol is poison to you. Remember that it is impossible for you to drink normally. Remember that one drink will lead to another and you will eventually be drunk. Remember what happened to you in the past as a result of your drinking. Think of every reason you have learned in A.A. for not taking that drink. Fill your mind with constructive thoughts. Am I keeping my thoughts constructive?
Meditation For The Day
Always seek to set aside the valuations of the world which seem wrong and try to judge only by those valuations which seem right to you. Do not seek too much the praise and notice of men. Be one of those who, though sometimes scoffed at, have a serenity and peace of mind which the scoffers never know. Be one of that band who feel the Divine Principle in the universe, though He be often rejected by men because He cannot be seen.
Prayer For The Day
I pray that I may not heed too much the judgment of men. I pray that I may test things by what seems right to me.
Walk In Dry Places
December 4
The Lure of Greener Pastures
Gratitude
One of our old-timers spent a great deal of time trying to find a new job but never succeeding. When he finally retired, on a good pension, it became clear that the job he had kept was probably better and provided more benefits than any job he had been seeking. He was fortunate that none of his proposed job searches ever worked out.
The fantasy of finding “greener pastures” is something many of us face, in both drinking and sobriety.
We may be very well off where we are, yet feel that something rich and exciting is over in the next meadow. We can feel this way about our jobs, our lifestyles, and our locations.
The answer to this greener-pastures obsession is to feel more gratitude for what we have here and now. We might also focus more upon today’s activities and less upon impossible dreams of other places.
There may be greener pastures somewhere, but I’ll first look for the opportunities and benefits of my own life and surroundings. I may be richly blessed without knowing it.
Keep It Simple
December 4
“And to practice these principles in all our affairs.”
—Third part of Step Twelve
This is a statement about us. We are now people of values. These values reflect our spiritual growth. We know how to help others. We know how to admit our wrongs.
We know how to look at ourselves and change our defects. We know how to live an honest life.
Step Twelve tells us. “Go use these tools for better living. Go be all you can be. Enjoy life and live a life you can be proud of.” Step Twelve also tells us about how to have loving relationships. By the time we complete Step Twelve, we make or regain many relationships. The most important one is with our Higher Power. As we grow in the program, we realize all our relationships are spiritual gifts.
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, I now have one face instead of many masks. Help me be a person who will stand before You with pride, not shame.
Action for the Day: Today, I’ll talk with a friend and talk about my new values. I will talk about how much my life has changed.
“Gratitude is one of the sweet shortcuts to finding peace of mind and happiness inside. No matter what’s going on outside of us, there’s always something we could be grateful for.”
—Barry Neil Kaufman“One moment of patience may ward off a great disaster; one moment of impatience may ruin a whole life.”
—Chinese proverb“I am getting to know myself today. I accept who I am today. I like myself today.”
—Ruth Fishel“The Lord will drench you with His showers, but He will dry you with His sun.”
—Czech Proverb
Father Leo’s Daily Meditation
December 4
PREJUDICE
“Everyone is a prisoner of his own experiences. No one can eliminate prejudices, just recognize them.”
—Edward R. Murrow
In recovery, I am accepting that I am not perfect and some prejudices are part of my life and what it is to be human. On a daily basis, I am trying to deal with them, and talking about them helps. They don’t go away just because I talk about them, but I get them in perspective and I grow in an understanding of myself through the recognition of my prejudices.
Alcoholism made me into a ” fake.” I appeared to be what I was not, and my prejudices were part of the camouflage. My prejudices revealed my fears and my need to “people-please.” Slowly, in my daily spiritual program, I am discovering the courage to stand alone.
Daily Inspiration
December 4
Be yourself in all that you do, and you will soon learn that you are very special. Lord, help me find the peace that You have already placed within my soul.
Take less for granted, and you will become very busy enjoying all that you have. Lord, thank you for my blessings and for all those that I am able to share them with.
Elder’s Meditation of the Day
December 4
“In the end I tell my children, there’s no way I can tell you how to be an Acoma, how to be an Indian. You have to experience it.”
—Stanley Paytiamo, ACOMA PUEBLO
Each person must make their own journey. It is like every human is given a life canoe. The canoe has one seat and one paddle. In order to get anything out of life we must be in the canoe and we must paddle down the river of life. Now, I can share with you how my journey has been, but I cannot paddle your canoe. You must paddle your own. Good luck!
Creator, I’m so glad I have You to guide my path.
Today’s Gift
December 4
“They were the first … self-created people in the history of the world. And their manners were their own business. And so were their politics. And so, but ten times so, were their souls.”
—Archibald MacLeish
There once was a child named Yemaya. Even before she could walk or talk, her mother introduced her to the trees. Yemaya touched them and they accepted her. They told her she was wonderful and she knew it was true.
As she grew up, Yemaya occasionally met people who said unkind things to her. When this happened, she went back to her trees, who continued to tell her she was just fine. She couldn’t understand what was wrong with those who were mean to her. Whenever they appeared and insisted on being mean, she pretended what they said was an arrow that sailed right by as she stepped out of the way.
We can do the same. What others say or think is part of them and their lives, not ours. When we are wise enough to let go of things that don’t belong to us, we will find our own treasures.
What can I step out of the way of today?
Touchstones Meditations For Men
December 4
“He doesn’t talk to me,” says a woman. “I don’t know what she wants me to talk about,” says a man.
—Lillian B. Rubin
We have often heard that it’s better to be men of deeds, not words. In our relationships with other males, we have learned to do things together, work together, or play a sport together. But in our relationships with women, we often see the other side of this coin. If we haven’t learned to express our thoughts and feelings, the women in our lives may request or demand that we learn now. There is nothing wrong with our not yet having this skill, and there is nothing wrong with women longing to talk with us.
A close relationship promotes talking, and revealing thoughts and feelings. Words, when we are honest, are ways of becoming clearer and being more personal. We have the right to stumble around with our words. We also have the right to feel unsure of ourselves or frightened of saying what we feel. That kind of fear is the excitement of being close to someone we love.
Today, I will express my feelings and ideas so others can know me better.
Daily TAO
December 4
EXPRESSION
There’s nothing to paint anymore.
We’ve seen everything from the classical to the absurd.
There’s nothing to write anymore.
As many books are shredded as read.
There’s nothing to sing anymore.
The once avant-garde is now background music.
In a world where expression seems futile, it is hard to maintain creativity. But creativity is a primal impulse. Cave people painted on walls; everyone’s house has some image on display. Primitive scribes wrote records of their experiences; people still keep diaries. Early shamans sang; we still live with music. We cannot abandon creative expression in our daily lives, though it seems hard to come up with something new.
The only way to have fresh expression is to go deep within. In a sense, today’s extreme pluralism eliminates the obligation to do the same as others. At one time, artists, priests, writers, musicians, and craftsmen were obligated to their feudal lords. Today we are not constrained by hierarchical standards. We are free to commune directly with our inner callings.