I just opened a greeting card from Barb “do not open until Sept 5th”. With all the chaos being out of the house and without air conditioning, hotel living, I forgot to open it yesterday. She is so sweet! I am so grateful to have her for a friend. She is true definition of a good person. We are still in the hotel, but someone from New Air is finally at the house looking at the AC. Hope it is something easy to fix so we can get back into the house. This too shall pass. One day at a time. I will try to focus on the card more than the ac troubles, I can choose to set my focus on and to focus on the negative is not healthy.
Daily Reflections
September 6
REMOVING THREATS TO SOBRIETY
… except when to do so would injure them or others.
-ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS , p. 59
Step Nine restores in me a feeling of belonging, not only to the human race but also to the everyday world. First, the Step makes me leave the safety of A.A., so that I may deal with non-A.A. people “out there,” on their terms. It is a frightening but necessary action if I am to get back into life. Second, Step Nine allows me to remove threats to my sobriety by healing past relationships. Step Nine points the way to a more serene sobriety by letting me clear away past wreckage, lest it bring me down.
Twenty-Four Hours A Day
September 6
A.A. Thought For The Day
Another of the mottoes of A.A. is “Live and Let Live.” This, of course, means tolerance of people who think differently than we do, whether they are in A.A. or outside of A.A. We cannot afford the luxury of being intolerant or critical of other people. We do not try to impose our wills on those who differ from us. We are not “holier than thou.” We do not have all the answers. We are not better than other good people. We live the best way we can and we allow others to do likewise. Am I willing to live and let live?
Meditation For The Day
“And this is life eternal, that we may know Thee, the only true God.” Learning to know God as best you can draws the eternal life nearer to you. Freed from some of the limitations of humanity, you can grow in the things that are eternal. You can strive for what is real and of eternal value. The more you try to live in the consciousness of the unseen world, the gentler will be your passing into it when the time comes for you to go. This life on earth should be largely a preparation for the eternal life to come.
Prayer For The Day
I pray that I may live each day as though it were my last. I pray that I may live my life as though it were everlasting.
Walk In Dry Places
September 6
Change is sometimes necessary
Improvement.
Despite the fact that many of us live turbulent, chaotic lives, we may find in sobriety that we don’t like change. This causes us to seek our security in familiar places, rather than reach out for the unknown that lies ahead.
This may not be real security, however, because familiar places and situations also change. Our resistance to change may simply be the fear of trying something new.
If we find that fear of change is causing us to put up with a situation that’s become unsatisfactory, we need to adjust our attitude toward it.
While we view change as risky, it may be the necessary route for improvement. Let’s start by simply accepting the idea that change is sometimes necessary. After that, we can expect our Higher Power to guide us to the new situations that are right for us.
Today I may find myself fearing change. I’ll remind myself that nothing ever stays the same, and that only change can bring the true good I’m always seeking.
Keep It Simple
September 6
Addiction is answering the spiritual calling inside us by going to the wrong address.
—Chris Ringer
Where can we go to feel better, to feel spiritually alive? Not to alcohol or other drugs. Not to compulsive spending, gambling, or sex. Not to overeating or overworking. When we turn to these things to feel better, we’re trading one addiction for another, we’re going to the “wrong address.”
What is the right address? Our inner needs. Our Higher Power. Our recovery program. Our friends. Soon, we become part of a network of “safe addresses.”
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, keep me on the right path. I don’t want to go to the wrong address anymore.
Action for the Day: Today, I’ll make sure I have at least three “right address” in my wallet or purse. I’ll list names and day and evening phone numbers of people who will love and help.
Each Day a New Beginning
September 6
We can build upon foundations anywhere if they are well and firmly laid.
—Ivy Compton-Burnett
Recovery is a process, one that rebuilds our lives. And the Twelve Steps provide the foundation to support our growth as healthy, productive women. But each Step must be carefully and honestly worked, or the whole foundation will be weakened.
How lucky we are to have found this program and the structure it offers. We looked for structure in our past. We searched, maybe for years, running from one panacea to another, hoping to find ourselves. Booze – pills – food – lovers – causes; none gave us the security we longed for. We couldn’t find ourselves because we hadn’t defined ourselves. At last we’ve come home. Self-definition is the program’s guarantee. Not only can we discover who we are, now, but also we can change, nurture those traits that we favor, diminish those that attract trouble.
My actions today are the key. They tell who I am at this moment. Who I become is up to me. I will pick a Step and reflect before I move ahead. The strength of my foundation depends on it.
Alcoholics Anonymous
September 6
He Sold Himself Short
But he found there was a Higher Power that had more faith in him than he had to himself. Thus, A.A. was born in Chicago.
I grew up in a small town outside Akron, Ohio, where the life was typical of any average small town. I was very much interested in athletics, and because of this and parental influence, I didn’t drink or smoke in either grade or high school.
p. 258
Father Leo’s Daily Meditation
September 6
FEAR
“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”
– Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Fear is a killer. It is a killer because it drains us of life, energy and creativity. Fear petrifies the human spirit.
I spent a lot of yesterdays afraid. Afraid of people finding out. Afraid of the telephone. Afraid of where it would all end. Afraid of me! I did not realize that I was feeding the fear with my behavior. I drank myself into fear. The day I stopped drinking alcohol was the day I stopped giving energy to my fear.
Today I live my life without abnormal or unrealistic fears. Today I enjoy my life. I work through my problems. I am not afraid of my shadow. Today I love me.
Lord may I always connect my unrealistic fears with my behavior — and begin the change.
A Day At A Time
September 6
Reflection For The Day
“During acute depression,” wrote A.A. co-founder Bill W., “avoid trying to set your whole life in order at once. If you take on assignments so heavy that you are sure to fail in them at the moment, then you are allowing yourself to be tricked by your unconscious. Thus you will continue to make sure of your failure, and when it comes you will have another alibi for still more retreat into depression. In short, the ‘all or nothing’ attitude is a most destructive one. It is best to begin with whatever the irreducible minimums of activity are. Then work for an enlargement of these — day by day.” When I’m discouraged by setbacks, am I willing to start over?
Today I Pray
When I am immobilized by depression, may I set small, reasonable goals — as miniature perhaps as saying hello to a child, washing my own coffee cup, neatening my desk, offering a short prayer. May I scrap my own script for failure, which sets me up for deeper depression.
Today I Will Remember
Goals set too high set me back.
One More Day
September 6
Lie down and listen to the crabgrass grow, the faucet leak, and learn to leave them so.
–Marya Mannes
Sometimes we are driven by a need to get everything done. We have an inner sense of what we should be, and we work toward meeting that expectation. But we may strive beyond those goals because of what we believe our friends, our coworkers, and even the advertising media expect of us.
Only we decide which expectations to satisfy. But first, we must be sure that the things we strive for are really our needs and goals. If an alphabetized spice rack or an organized workbench gives us no satisfaction, why should we alphabetize or organize? If an imperfect lawn doesn’t bother us, we can let go of our concern and let the crabgrass grow.
Today, I will hold on only to my goals and expectations. I will let go of those which give me no joy.
Elder’s Meditation of the Day
September 6
“We all form self-images and much of our behavior is pretty well determined by how we feel about ourselves.”
–Eunice Baumann-Nelson, Ph.D., PENOBSCOT
There is a cycle of building beliefs called the self talk cycle. Our self talk builds our self image and our self image determines our behavior, our actions, and our self worth – how we feel about ourselves. If we want to change the way we feel about ourselves we need to change our self talk. We need to build ourselves up. We need to talk to ourselves in a kind, positive, uplifting, good way. We need to talk to ourselves about the good things that are happening and know that we are worthy and expect abundance.
Oh Great Spirit, today help me to know myself. Help me to see the joy, kindness, strength and beauty that I am.
Today’s Gift
September 6
I never lose sight of the fact that just being is fun.
—Katharine Hepburn
The first good news each day is that we wake up. We are breathing. Our heats are beating, our minds working. The adventure of living begins. What does the day hold in store? We have no way of knowing what surprises lie in wait for us today.
We may look forward, not just to the expected, but to the unexpected. Whom shall we meet? What will we see? What will we learn? How will we be entertained? What changes to help others will come our way? What chances to love and be loved?
Now that our eyes are opened to today’s beauty, let us remain alert for new sights. Let us cry when sad, smile when touched, and laugh at what is funny in a whole new lifetime before us.
What can I be thankful for today?
Touchstones Meditations For Men
September 6
I learned to listen to my body with an inner concentration like meditation, to get guidance as to when to exercise and when to rest. I learned that healing and cure are active processes in which I myself needed to participate.
—Rollo May
In our spiritual growth, one of our movements is from passive to active, from helpless to responsive. For example, we are passive if we don’t take responsibility for our bodies and don’t care for our wellness and conditioning. Do we passively leave our health in the doctor’s hands?
Do we take responsibility for our relationships? Are we active in nurturing them? We could add our own interests and positive energy to enrich them.
Our Higher Power speaks to us in a quiet, subtle voice, which can easily be ignored until we learn to listen. It takes courage to listen to this inner voice. When we listen, we develop a relationship that is a strong force moving us into recovery. We are still powerless over many things, but we can make active choices in how we will grow and how we will respond.
I will be guided in my choices by my inner voice.
Daily TAO
September 6
OUTLOOK
Spawned from a mountain cataract,
The long river surges to the sea.
Its torrents savage its igneous bed,
Yet one blade of rock twists it tightly.
Angry waves plow stone furrows into a maze,
And boats find it difficult to maneuver.
From this point, one man held off an entire army,
And poets found inspiration among the nests of eagles.
Along the Yangtze River is a high cliff. The space for the river narrows dramatically at this point, and the water must back up into a large bay before plunging through the difficult passage. Rocks underneath are treacherous, and even today boats find it difficult to negotiate this stretch.
At the crown of the cliff is the Temple to the White King, in honor of a man from ancient times. Numerous historical events took place here. In medieval times, a famous strategist was able to defeat an entire army with a much smaller force. Later, famous poets found inspiration from the high view of the river and mountains. In more recent times, the high cliff served as the headquarters of a warlord.
There are places in nature that can give people great power, but the character of the individuals determines whether the power is used for war or peace. It is not enough to struggle for vantage points. Position must be used with wisdom.
Daily Zen
September 6
With the cessation of defilements,
There is no high or low place.
The pure original face cannot be assailed.
In ice, flames appear;
The bright light is all pervasive
The subtle Dharma,
Limitless as sands
Along the Ganges,
Adorns the entire world.
– Kusan Sunim (1909-1983)