Daily Reflections
THE CIRCLE AND THE TRIANGLE
The circle stands for the whole world of A.A., and the triangle stands for A.A.’s Three Legacies of Recovery, Unity, and Service. Within our wonderful new world, we have found freedom from our fatal obsession.
–A.A. COMES OF AGE, p. 139
Early in my A.A. life, I became employed in its services and I found the explanation of our society’s logo to be very appropriate. First, a circle of love and service with a well-balanced triangle inside, the base of which represents our Recovery through the Twelve Steps. Then the other two sides, representing Unity and Service, respectively. The three sides of the triangle are equal. As I grew in A.A. I soon identified myself with this symbol. I am the circle, and the sides of the triangle represent three aspects of my personality: physical, emotional sanity, spirituality, the latter forming the symbol’s base. Taken together, all three aspects of my personality translate into a sober and happy life.
Twenty-Four Hours A Day
A.A. Thought For The Day
There are no leaders in A.A., except as they volunteer to accept responsibility. The work of carrying on A.A.–leading group meetings, serving on committees, speaking before other groups, doing twelfth-step work, spreading A.A. among the alcoholics of the community–all these things are done on a volunteer basis. If I don’t volunteer to do something concrete for A.A., the movement is that much less effective. I must do my fair share to carry the load. A.A. depends on all its members to keep it alive and to keep it growing. Am I doing my share for A.A.?
Meditation For The Day
When you look to God for strength to face responsibility and are quiet before Him, His healing touch causes the Divine Quiet to flow into your very being. When in weakness you cry to God, His touch brings healing, the renewal of your courage, and the power to meet every situation and be victorious. When you faint by the way or are distracted by feelings of inferiority, then rely on the touch of God’s spirit to support you on your way. Then arise and go forth with confidence.
Prayer For The Day
I pray that I may lay myself open today to the healing touch of God.
I pray that I may not falter or faint by the wayside, but renew
my courage through prayer.
Walk In Dry Places
How do we communicate?
Carrying the message.
What we are always carries a stronger message than what we say.
This is why we’re sometimes turned off by people who seek to
overwhelm us with charm. It’s also why we can sometimes be
drawn to people who are quiet and unassuming.
However it works, there is a powerful message in one’s unspoken
thoughts and feelings. We can usually sense, for example, the
mood of people in a room, even when little is being said. If we
spend any time with others, they will soon know much about us
even if we say little.
This silent communication may be the great secret of AA’s success
in reaching those who still suffer. If we are living sober and want to
help others, that’s he message we give out. That’s also a form of
carrying the message.
I’ll communicate today by maintaining a warm and friendly attitude
toward every person I meet, knowing that thoughts and feelings
speak louder than words.
Keep It Simple
If we follow the Twelve Steps, we’ll leave failure behind. We may
have tried and tired to be sober, good people, but failed if we were
doing it our way. Now is the time to stop listening to ourselves and
start listening to pros, those who have gone before us.
When we follow their lead, exciting changes happen. First we stay
sober. We regain self-respect. We meet people we respect and become
friends. Our families start to trust us again. And why? Because we gave
up doing it our way and listened. We listened to the experts.
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, allow me to become an expert listener.
Action for the Day: Today, I’ll find someone I respect and ask how
they work their program. I’ll ask them to share their wisdom.
Let your ears hear what your mouth says.
–Jewish Proverb
The difference between the right word and the almost right word is
the difference between lightning and the lightning bug.
–Mark Twain
“Seek first to understand, then to be understood.”
–Stephen Covey
“Truly, it is in darkness that one finds the light, so when we are in sorrow, then this light is nearest to all of us.”
–Meister Eckhart
Father Leo’s Daily Meditation
PATIENCE
“Prayer of the modern
American: ‘Dear God, I pray for
patience. And I want it right
now!'”
–Oren Arnold
How I appreciate those times when I experience the gift of patience in
my life, not as often as I would like. That is an interesting point: I am
impatient about having patience!
Seriously, patience is when I recognize the need to “back off” — allow
God into the driver’s seat, resting in the knowledge that things happen
in God’s time. This does not mean that I am not involved, but it allows
for God’s comprehensive plan for His world. I can experience patience
usually when I get in touch with gratitude. Once I stop giving energy
to the “I wants”, the joy of serenity breathes through my life and I
can rest. Sometimes I need to “stop” and say a loud and resonant
“thank you”.
Lord, let me breathe these words into my life: “Thy will be done.”
TOUCHSTONES MEDITATIONS FOR MEN
The man who never alters his opinion is like standing water, and breeds reptiles of the mind. –William Blake
We seek the answer. Sometimes we think we have found a central truth and later learn that beneath it is another truth. Or what seemed so crucial as a guiding principle for our lives last year is still true but not as crucial. It is like trying to take a snapshot of a changing world while the camera itself is changing.
Some of us in our hunger for security grab for “absolute” truths, which are not absolute. We must continue forever to be eager learners. In stepping across a stream from one floating log to another, we must resist the temptation to become over-committed to staying in an especially secure looking place, or we will never reach the opposite shore. Even the Twelve Steps of this program are given to us as a “suggested” program of recovery. It is a program that works because it takes us out of our rigid ways. We are continually made new. That is the vitality of the spiritual life.
God, help me to be open to new opinions – to things I had never thought of on my own.