A Prayer & Some Thoughts - February

[bluidkiti]

February 16


Turbulent Times Prayer

God, look with compassion, we pray, on your world in distress.
Comfort those who suffer, strengthen those who are weary, grant your peace to those whose thoughts are troubled, and embolden your people to be a light of hope throughout the world.
Amen

~~ Dr. John Cook

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Just a Thought

The A.A. program is a way of life.

It's a way of living and we have to learn to live the program if we're going to stay sober. The twelve steps in the book are like guide-posts. They point the direction in which we have to go. But all members of the group have to find their own best way to live the program. We don't all do it exactly alike. Whether by quiet times in the morning, meetings, working with others, or spreading the word, we have to learn to live the program.

So ............

Has the A.A. way become my regular, natural way of living?

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Just a Contemplation

Choices

Life is full of dangers and risks and challenges. We can choose to meet them fearfully or in a spirit of welcome. To choose fear, to say, "I won't take that risk because I might lose," is to prevent ourselves from ever winning. If we welcome the danger, the risk, or the challenge, we acknowledge that life is made up of losses as well as victories, of gains as well as pain.

Life holds the dangers as well as the rewards. We choose how we will act. Sometimes we may feel trapped in a cycle of fearfulness. If we examine our own part, will we find that we are neglecting to take a balanced view? Perhaps, through a fear of losing, we are missing many chances for satisfaction.

Yes, I have the power to choose what my attitude will be toward this day's offerings.

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An Open Mind

Reluctantly, I opened my mind to the fact that maybe, just maybe, there was something to this spiritual lifestyle. Slowly, but surely, I realized there was indeed a Power greater than myself, and I soon found myself with a full-time God in my life and following a spiritual path that didn't conflict with my personal religious convictions.

Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 287

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Just a Quote

"One of the biggest things I've learned is that I don't always have to be right." ~ Jeffrey B. Swartz

[bluidkiti]

February 17


Morning Prayer for Strength

Dear Lord,
This daylight, upon waking and getting ready for my day, I pray that you give me strength today, to be strong for You in this world full of temptations.

Lord, You know that there are struggles I will go through today. I pray that you be with me as I go through them. Carry me when I am too weak. If I stumble into temptation, forgive me.
Amen

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Just a Thought

The A.A. program is more a way of building a new life than just a way of getting over drinking, because in A.A. we don't just stop drinking.

We did that plenty of times in the old days when we "went on the wagon." And, of course, we always started to drink again because we were only waiting for the time when we could fall off. Once we've got sober through the A.A. program, we start going uphill. In our drinking days, we were going downhill, getting worse and worse.

So ............

We either go down or up. Am I going uphill, getting better and better?

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Just a Contemplation

Prayer and Meditation

Prayer and meditation are not necessarily connected to organized religion. Prayer and meditation are ways to improve our personal relationship with a Higher Power to benefit our life, our growth, and us. Praying is how we connect with God. We don't pray because we have to; we pray because we want to. It is how we link our soul to our Source.

We're learning to take care of our emotions, our mind, and our physical needs. We're learning to change our behaviors. But we're also learning to take care of our spirit, our soul, because that is where all true change begins.

Each time we talk to God, we are transformed. Each time we connect with our Higher Power, we are heard, touched, and changed for the best. I will practice prayer and meditation, whether I feel desperate, uneasy, or peaceful, I will make the effort to connect with my Higher Power.

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The Answer

It finally became obvious to me that the God I thought had judged and damned me had done nothing of the sort. He had been listening, and in His own good time His answer came. His answer was threefold: the opportunity for a life of sobriety; Twelve Steps to practice, in order to attain and maintain that life of sobriety; fellowship within the program, ever ready to sustain and help me each twenty-four hour day.

Came To Believe Page 11

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Just a Quote

“It’s your reaction to adversity, not adversity itself that determines how your life’s story will develop.” ~ Dieter F. Uchtdorf

[bluidkiti]

February 18


Prayer For Peace Of Mind

Dear God,
Please give me peace of mind and heart, discipline and organization skills in my life. Please help me be the best person I can be. Rid my heart of all feelings of envy and of resentment. Help me reach my goals and dreams. Help me stop loosing sleep over things I can’t control and over people that have offended me.

Lord, also please help me become an organize and discipline person; I know that much of my stress will go away if i can accomplish to learn those two very important life skills. Thank you for all the blessings you give me.
Amen

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Just a Thought

It doesn't do much good to come to meetings only once in a while and sit around, hoping to get something out of the program.

That's all right at first, but it won't help us very long. Sooner or later we have to get into action by coming to meetings regularly, by giving a personal witness of our experience with alcohol, and by trying to help other alcoholics. Building a new life takes all the energy that we used to spend on drinking.

So ............

Am I spending at least as much time and effort on the new life that I'm trying to build in A.A.?

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Just a Contemplation

All We Have Is Now

We can only live now, this moment. We cannot erase the mistakes we made yesterday or bring back the good times we had. We cannot know what tomorrow will require of us, nor can we ensure future security and happiness. Now is what we have, and now is everything.

We can deal with the problems, which confront us today as best we can, trusting God to guide us. We can be in touch with our Higher Power only in the present. As we focus on the present moment, we live it deeper, and we derive a satisfaction that we did not know when we were regretting the past and worrying about the future. Whatever happens now is all I can manage and all I need.

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Fear

This short word somehow touches about every aspect of our lives. It was an evil and corroding thread; the fabric of our existence was shot through with it. It set in motion trains of circumstances which brought us misfortune we felt we didn't deserve. But did not we, ourselves, set the ball rolling? Sometimes we think fear ought to be classed with stealing. It seems to cause more trouble.

Alcoholics Anonymous Pages 67- 68.

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Just a Quote

"Tolerance is the positive and cordial effort to understand another's beliefs, practices and habits without necessarily sharing or accepting them." ~ Joshua Liebman

[bluidkiti]

February 19


Contentment Prayer

God,
I pray that I will stay focused on today, not yesterday or tomorrow.
I pray that You will constantly remind me to be content in all of my circumstances.
I pray that You will fill me up that I may be joyful all day, even if stress creeps in.
Amend

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Just a Thought

The new life cannot be built in a day.

We have to take the program slowly, a little at a time. Our subconscious minds have to be reeducated. We have to learn to think differently. We have to get used to sober thinking instead of alcoholic thinking. Any one who tries it knows that the old alcoholic thinking is apt to come back on us when we least expect it. Building a new life is a slow process, but it can be done if we really follow the A.A. program.

So ............

Am I building a new life on the foundation of sobriety?

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Just a Contemplation

Gratitude Attitude

Every day we face interruptions, delays, changes, and challenges. We face personality conflicts and disappointments. Often when we're feeling overwhelmed, we can't see the lessons in these experiences.

One simple concept can get us through the most stressful of times. It's called gratitude. We learn to say, thank you, for these problems and feelings. Thank you for the way things are. I don't like this experience, but thank you anyway.

Force gratitude until it becomes habitual. Gratitude helps us stop trying to control outcomes. It is the key that unlocks positive energy in our life. It is the alchemy that turns problems into blessings, and the unexpected into gifts. I will start the process of turning today's pain into tomorrow's joy.

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Sponsor

If we are fooling ourselves, a competent adviser can see this quickly. And, as he skillfully guides us away from our fantasies, we are surprised to find that we have few of the usual urges to defend ourselves against unpleasant truths. In no other way can fear, pride, and ignorance be so readily melted. After a time, we realize that we are standing firm on a brand-new foundation for integrity, and we gratefully credit our sponsors, whose advice pointed the way.

As Bill Sees It Page 248

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Just a Quote

"Making amends is simple. We approach the person we have harmed and say, 'I was wrong.'" ~ Dick P.

[bluidkiti]

February 20


Prayer For Those Who Suffer

Lord,
Look with compassion upon your creatures who suffer under the weight of this pandemic.
Fill us with love toward our neighbor; deliver us from partisan motives as we strive for the common good; and strengthen those who labor for our health.
Amen

~ Juan Oliver

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Just a Thought

On the foundation of sobriety, we can build a life of honesty, unselfishness, faith in God, and love of our fellow human beings.

We'll never fully reach these goals, but the adventure of building that kind of a life is so much better than the merry-go-round of our old drinking life that there's no comparison. We come into A.A. to get sober, but if we stay long enough we learn a new way of living. We become honest with ourselves and with other people. We learn to think more about others and less about ourselves. And we learn to rely on the constant help of a Higher Power.

So ............

Am I living the way of honesty, unselfishness, and faith?

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Just a Contemplation

Struggles

The struggles of life teach us a lot. They challenge our beliefs. As we struggle, we come to believe that our friends, family, and our God will be there for us in hard times.

But we must do our part. We need to call and honestly let people know how we are doing. We need to pray and ask our God for help. If we do these things, we'll come to respect and learn from hard times.

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Attitudes

We find that our old attitudes toward our instincts need to undergo drastic revisions. Our desires for emotional security and wealth, for personal prestige and power, for romance, and for family satisfactions - all these have to be tempered and redirected. If we place instincts first, we have got the cart before the horse; we shall be pulled backward into disillusionment. But when we are willing to place spiritual growth first - then and only then do we have a real chance.

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions Page 114

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Just a Quote

"The individual is capable of both great compassion and great indifference. He has it within his means to nourish the former and outgrow the latter." ~ Norman Cousins

[bluidkiti]

February 21


Prayer For A Clear Mind

Lord, I desire to be clear-minded in a time when deceit and deception floods into our minds from so many quarters. Lord, I do not want to be swept into the world’s way of thinking, and pray that You would give me increasing and ongoing clarity of thought in my home and in the general activities of life as well as my special times of devotion, payer and fellowship meetings.

Open the eyes of my understanding, I pray, and give me real wisdom. Help me not to fall into a spiritual slumber but rather to remain alert and watchful for the truth.
Amen

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Just a Thought

In A.A. we're all through with lying, hangovers, remorse, and wasting money.

When we were drinking, we were only half alive. Now that we're trying to live decent, honest, unselfish lives, we're really alive. Life has a new meaning for us, so that we can really enjoy it. We feel that we're of some use in the world. We're on the right side of the fence, instead of on the wrong side. We can look the world in the face instead of hiding in alleys. We come into A.A. to get sober and if we stay long enough, we learn a new way of living.

So ............

Am I convinced that no matter how much fun I thought, I got out of drinking, that life never was as good as the life I can build in A.A.?

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Just a Contemplation

New Beginnings

Resentments are the blocks that hold us back from loving others and ourselves. Resentments do not punish the other person; they punish us. They become barriers to feeling good and enjoying life. They prevent us from being in harmony with the world. Resentments are hardened chunks of anger. They loosen up and dissolve with forgiveness and letting go.

Letting go of resentments does not mean we allow the other person to do anything to us that he or she wants. It means we accept what happened in the past, and we set boundaries for the future. We can let go of resentments and still have boundaries.

We try to see the good in the person or the good that ultimately evolved from whatever incident we feel resentful about. We try to see our part in it, too. Then we put the incident to rest.

Praying for those we resent helps. Asking God to take our resentments from us helps too. Asking my God to take any resentment that is hidden within me, and blocking me, to the surface. Show me what I need to do to take care of my self by letting go of resentments, and then help me do that.

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Change

I tried to change the time and place and amount of my drinking. I tried to change my environment, my place of living -- like most of us who at one time or another think that our trouble is geography rather than whiskey. I even entertained the idea of changing wives. I tried to change everything and everybody, except myself -- the only thing I could change.

Experience, Strength and Hope Page 153

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Just a Quote

"You can keep things in perspective by realizing that not much in life is as urgent as others would like you to believe. Lord, help me to know and stay focused on that which is really important to me." ~ M. Robin Sharma

[bluidkiti]

February 22

For Today Prayer

God, please come and be with me in my circumstances. Fill my thoughts with Your thoughts and Your wisdom. Please come and act on my behalf. Show me what to do and give me the power and strength to take responsibility where I can but let go of the rest and lay down the burden. Fill my heart with courage to act and to do the next right thing.

I won't let the past rob me of the peace and stability You promise me in this day. I let go of regret and shame. I will live in this new day as the new person I am when God lives in me.

For this one day I will be simple hearted and focused in my mind on what I can do and on your commitment to show me a way through the rest.
Amen

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Just a Thought

To grasp the A.A. program, we have to think things out.

We have to learn to think straight. We have to change from alcoholic thinking to sober thinking. We must build up a new way of looking at things. Before we came into A.A., we wanted an artificial life of excitement and everything that goes with drinking. That kind of a life looked normal to us then. But as we look back now, that life looks the exact opposite of normal. In fact, it looks most abnormal. We must reeducate our minds.

So ............

Am I changing from an abnormal thinker to a sober normal thinker?

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Just a Contemplation

Wants and Needs

Part of taking responsibility for us means taking responsibility for what we want and need, and knowing that's okay to do. Learning to tune in to us, learning to listen to ourselves, is an art. It takes practice.

What we want and need counts. It's important, and it's valid. It's okay to learn to participate in meeting our own needs. What does it sound like we might want and need? What would we guess would help us feel better? What are our feelings telling us? Our body? Our mind? Our intuition? If we ask, then listen closely; we'll hear the answer.

We can learn to identify what we want and need and be patient with ourselves while we're learning. I will pay attention to what I want and need. I will not discount myself.

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Restore Us to Sanity

Few indeed are the practicing alcoholics who have any idea how irrational they are, or, seeing their irrationality, can bear to face it. For example, some will be willing to term themselves "problem drinkers," but cannot endure the suggestion that they are in fact mentally ill.

They are abetted in this blindness by a world which does not understand the difference between sane drinking and alcoholism. "Sanity" is defined as "soundness of mind." Yet no alcoholic, soberly analyzing his destructive behavior, whether the destruction fell on the dining-room furniture or his own moral fiber, can claim "soundness of mind" for himself.

As Bill Sees It Page 141

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Just a Quote

“Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid only of standing still.” ~ Chinese proverb

[bluidkiti]

February 23


Prayer for Strength and Protection

Lord, you know that we are set in the midst of so many and great dangers,
that by reason of the frailty of our nature we cannot always stand upright:
Grant us such strength and protection, to support us in all danger, and carry us through all temptations.
Amen.

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Just a Thought

In the beginning, you want to get sober.

But you're helpless, so you turn to a Power greater than yourself and by trusting in that Power, you get the strength to stop drinking. From then on, you want to keep sober, and that's a matter of reeducating your mind. After a while, you get so that you really enjoy simple, healthy, normal living. You really get a kick out of life without the artificial stimulus of alcohol. All you have to do is to look around at the members of any A.A. group and you will see how their outlook has changed.

So ............

Is my outlook on life changing?

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Just a Contemplation

Appreciating Our Past

It is easy to be negative about past mistakes and unhappiness. But it is much more healing to look at ourselves and our past in the light of experience, acceptance, and growth. Our past is a series of lessons that advance us to higher levels of living and loving.

The relationships we entered, stayed in, or ended taught us necessary lessons. Our mistakes? Necessary. Our frustrations, failures, and sometimes-stumbling attempts at growth and progress? Necessary too.Each step of the way, we learned. We went through exactly the experiences we needed to, to become who we are today. Each step of the way, we progressed.

I need to let go of negative thoughts I may be harboring about my past circumstances or relationships. I can accept, with gratitude, all that has brought me to today.

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The Book

By 1937, some of us realized that AA needed a standard literature. There would have to be a book. .
Well, we did quarrel violently over the preparation and distribution of that AA Book. In fact, it took five years for the clamor to die down.
Should any AA's dream that the old-timers who put the Book together went about in serene meditation and white robes, then they had best forget it.
The inspiration that readers now say they find in the volume must have got there by the grace of God only!

The Language of the Heart Page 33

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Just a Quote

“There is no royal road to anything. One thing at a time, all things in succession. That which grows fast, withers as rapidly. That which grows slowly, endures.” ~ Josiah Gilbert Holland

[bluidkiti]

February 24


Negative Thinking Prayer

Lord,
Sometimes I have terrible thoughts that run through my head.
Remove the bad thoughts that torment me.
Cast the enemy out of my mind and my life.
Let no attack, deceit or contamination affect me any more.
Amen

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Just a Thought

Alcoholics are people whose drinking got them into a "blind alley."

They are always making the same mistakes and suffering the same consequences over and over again. They refuse to admit they're alcoholic. They still think they can handle the stuff. They won't swallow their pride and admit that they're different from ordinary drinkers. They won't face the fact that they must spend the rest of their lives without liquor. They can't visualize life without ever taking a drink.

So ............

Am I out of this blind alley?

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Just a Contemplation

Trust That Guidance Will Come

Trust and act on the guidance you have now.

Some parts of our lives appear like a long, paved highway. We can see exactly where to go; we have a panoramic view. Other times, it may feel like we’re driving in the dark with only one headlight on a winding road through the fog. We can only see a few feet in front of the car.

Don’t worry if you can’t see that far ahead, if you only have a glimmer of light to guide your path. Slow down. Listen to your heart. Guidance will come. Trust what you hear. Do the small thing. Take the one step. Go as far as you can see.

Then go back to your heart, and you’ll hear the next step. It may be a step of immediate action, or deliberate inaction. Sometimes you may have to quiet down, wait, and prepare yourself to hear what you’re to do next.

Trust and act on the guidance you have now, and more will come.

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Inspiration

At some time, perhaps in a more moderate way, nearly everyone has experienced this spirit touch of God, the fleeting feeling of insight, love, joy, and 'The world is right.' Once, I thought that only unusual circumstances made these moments possible. Actually, I now think, they are forecasts of what one can have if one is willing to take the time and make the effort. Peace, love, and joy can be sought through quiet thinking and honest prayer. The wholeness, the new awareness, that is produced affects one's relationship with God and man to a degree greater than would seem possible in ordinary life.

Came to Believe Page 65

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Just a Quote

"For many, negative thinking is a habit which, over time, becomes an addiction." ~ Peter McWilliams

[bluidkiti]

February 25


Prayer for Loving Difficult People

Lord, I have to thank You for looking beyond my faults and for loving me unconditionally.
Forgive me when I fail to love others in the same way.
Give me eyes to see the needs of the difficult people in my life, and show me how to meet those needs in a way that pleases You.
Amen

~ Mary Southerland

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Just a Thought

Alcoholics who are living in a blind alley refuse to be really honest with themselves or with other people.

They're running away from life and won't face things as they are. They won't give up their resentments. They're too sensitive and too easily hurt. They refuse to try to be unselfish. They still want everything for themselves. And no matter how many disastrous experiences they have had with drinking, they still do it over and over again. There's only one way to get out of that blind alley way of living and that's to change your thinking.

So ............

Have I changed my thinking?

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Just a Contemplation

Patience

Family life requires patience
The Greek origin of the word patience is pathos, which means "suffering." In our lives together, we often suffer. Life is full of bumps and scrapes, both physical and emotional. In our search for greater family unity and harmony we need to realize that we will not be able to escape all suffering. This is why we need patience. It is a form of love. When we suffer the bumps and scrapes and still have faith something good will come of it, we are living out our love.

By practicing our patience, we will surely find a reward.

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Compulsion

It helped me a great deal to become convinced that alcoholism was a disease, not a moral issue; that I had been drinking as a result of a compulsion, even though I had not been aware of the compulsion at the time; and that sobriety was not a matter of willpower. I was afraid to let go of what I had in order to try something new; there was a certain sense of security in the familiar. At last, acceptance proved to be the key to my drinking problem. When I stopped living in the problem and began living in the answer, the problem went away."

Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Page 417

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Just a Quote

"There is no limit to what you can accomplish in helping others." ~ Richmond Walker

[bluidkiti]

February 26


Prayer for This Day

Lord, it is so easy to focus only on my needs, but I ask that You would bless those around me.
Please help my children, family and friends to see, feel and experience your love.
Please protect and heal my loved ones.
I thank You for the wonderful people I have in my life and I ask You to guide their paths this day.
Amen

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Just a Thought

We used to depend on drinking for a lot of things. We depended on drinking to help us enjoy things.

It broke down our shyness and helped us to have a "good time." We depended on drinking to help us when we felt low physically. If we had a toothache or just a hangover, we felt better after a few drinks. We depended on drinking to help us when we felt low mentally. If we'd had a tough day at work or if we'd had a fight with our husband or wife, or if things just seemed against us, we felt better under the influence of alcohol. For us alcoholics, it got so that we depended on drinking for almost every thing.

So ............

Have I got over that dependence on drinking?

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Just a Contemplation

Life's Lessons

"When the pupil is ready, the teacher appears."
Life's lessons often come unexpectedly. They come, nevertheless. Perhaps the teacher will be a loving relationship, a difficult loss, or a truant child. The time of learning is seldom free from pain and questioning. But from these experiences and what they can teach us, we are ready to learn. As we are ready, they come.

We all enjoy the easy times when the sailing is smooth, when all is well, when we are feeling no pain. And these periods serve a purpose. They shore us up for the lessons which carry us to a stronger sense of ourselves. To understand that all is well, throughout the learning process, is the basic lesson we need to learn. All is well. The teacher is the guide up the next rung of the ladder.

I will try to be grateful for my lessons today and know that all is well.

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Choices

Our necessities are certainly immense and compelling. Each of us must conform reasonably well to AA's Steps and Traditions, or else we shall go mad or die of alcoholism. Therefore the compulsion among most of us to survive and grow soon becomes far stronger than the temptation to drink or misbehave. Literally, we must 'do or die.' So we make the choice to live. This, in turn, means the choice of AA principles, practices, and attitudes. This is our first great and critical choice. Admittedly, this is made under the fearful and immediate lash of John Barleycorn, the killer. Plainly enough, this first choice is far more a necessity than it is an act of virtue.

The Language of the Heart Pages 301-302

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Just a Quote

“Being honest may not get you a lot of friends but it’ll always get you the right ones.” John Lennon

[bluidkiti]

February 27


Immune System Prayer

Lord,
I pray that You would bless me with a strong immune system so that I have a powerful defense against bacterial and viral infections. I thank You that when You created me, You put this system within me to protect me from illness. Help me be diligent to promote a strong immune system through healthy habits and to avoid habits that compromise it.
Amen

~ John Fitzpatrick

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Just a Thought

As we became alcoholics, the bad effects of drinking came more and more to outweigh the good effects.

But the strange part of it is that, no matter what drinking did to us, loss of our health, our jobs, our money, and our homes, we still stuck to it and depended on it. Our dependence on drinking became an obsession. In A.A., we find a new outlook on life. We learn how to change from alcoholic thinking to sober thinking. And we find out that we can no longer depend on drinking for anything. We depend on a Higher Power instead.

So ...........

Have I entirely given up that obsession and dependence on drinking?

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Just a Contemplation

Attitude

Many days we may not get up with love in our hearts for our family, our friends, our co-workers. We may, in fact, want them to show their love for us first. But if we reach out, give love unconditionally; focus on another's needs, love will return tenfold. And the act of loving them will lift our own spirits. We will know love; we will feel love for ourselves and the many other persons close to us.

The attitude we cultivate, whether one of love or selfishness, inferiority or superiority, will determine how the events of our lives affect us. The principle is so simple. If we meet life with love, with a smile, we'll find love and something to smile about.

There's magic in behaving the way we want to be, even though we don't yet feel it. The behavior seems to lead the way. The attitude, the mental state, follows. "Act as if."

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Transformation

To get over drinking will require a transformation of thought and attitude. We all had to place recovery above everything, for without recovery we would have lost both home and business.

Alcoholics Anonymous Page 143

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Just a Quote

"God's plans for you are beyond your imagination. ‘Lord, may I not limit myself to my past experiences, but be willing to accept new opportunities and challenges into my life.’" ~ Robin Sharma

[bluidkiti]

February 28


Thankful Prayer

Lord,
I thank you for the direction and guidance you’ve provided me in my life, and for increasing my wisdom as the years pass.
I pray that I’ll continually see you as the source of all wisdom and that I will continue to turn to You for help in understanding myself and the world around me.
Amen

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Just a Thought

Alcoholics carry an awful load around with them.

What a load lying puts on your shoulders! Drinking makes liars out of all of us alcoholics. In order to get the liquor we want, we have to lie all the time. We have to lie about where we've been and what we've been doing. When you are lying you are only half alive because of the fear of being found out. When you come into A.A., and get honest with yourself and with other people, that terrible load of lying falls off your shoulders.

So ............

Have I got rid of that load of lying?

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Just a Contemplation

Overcritical

Being overcritical and irritable has been common to many of us. Some of us go around with controlled smiles while underneath we are grumbling. Others blast everyone around them. Some of us save our most critical reactions for those we love while staying sweet and friendly with the outside world. In any case, we are caught in a blinding trap. We may know we feel trapped but do not see that our problem is mainly with ourselves.

We need to look at our relationships. Have we been falling into a pattern where no one seems to measure up? Are we also being too critical or demanding of ourselves? Perhaps we don't need to lower our standards so much as to hold them less tightly. If we can be friends to ourselves and give ourselves a little more leeway, we can be more easygoing with others.

I can be less judgmental of others and myself.

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Priorities

I was also able to realize that this bonfire of resentment and rage was beckoning me to pick up a drink and plunge into my death. Then I realized that I had to separate my sobriety from everything else that was going on in my life. No matter what happened or didn't happen, I couldn't drink. In fact, none of these things that I was going through had anything to do with my sobriety; the tides of life flow endlessly for better or worse, both good and bad, and I cannot allow my sobriety to become dependent on these ups and downs of living. Sobriety must live a life of its own.

Alcoholics Anonymous, Fourth Edition Pages 450-451

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Just a Quote

“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.”~ William Arthur Ward