Today's Thought - February

[bluidkiti]

February 16

Without work all life goes rotten.
-- Albert Camus

Most would not think of work as a prize. That is often due to the concept we have of work.

Work can be that of an artist, the work of creation. Such work is not the response to a whistle or the boring activity that follows a punched time card. Creative work is the fullest human expression of being alive. It comes from the inside out and has no boss other than an inner demand to create a thing of beauty that previously did not exist.

The primary task of human beings is to creatively work at making our lives a remarkable thing of beauty. Whether we be butcher, baker, or candlestick maker there is always the opportunity to make a truly creative effort of a life's work by pounding out our dents and polishing that which is already beautiful. When we understand that life is the medium and we are the canvas, our efforts to improve become an exciting challenge rather than a boring task.

I am grateful to have the opportunity and the strength to work. I will not resent my job.

You are reading from the book:

Days of Healing, Days of Joy by Earnie Larsen and Carol Larsen Hegarty

[bluidkiti]

February 17

I wish to live without hate, whim, jealousy, envy, and fear. I wish to be simple, honest, frank, natural, clean in mind and clean in body. . . to face any obstacle and meet every difficulty unabashed and unafraid.
--Elbert Hubbard

Growing up, we learned there were many places to make wishes: the first star, a well, candles on a birthday cake. We saw Dorothy return from Oz after she wished she were back home. Fairy tales taught us wishes can come true.

We don't have to stop wishing, even though many of our wishes never came true. We may have wished for the impossible when we said, "I wish things would get better at home." But we may have gotten our way when we said, "I wish this pain would end." Our dreams came true with the program.

Our best wishes can be about ourselves and the lives we want to have. We can wish for riches and find friends with hearts of gold. We can wish for comfort and health, and get a night of uninterrupted sleep. Whatever we wish for, we can receive.

You are reading from the book:

Night Light by Amy E. Dean

[bluidkiti]

February 18

Separateness

Moving into wise and spiritual adulthood...

At our worst we may be alert to what we want from our partner but blind to what our own role requires. No doubt we can always find accurate criticisms of our mate. In all lasting relationships we will find the weaknesses and the unattractive sides of even the finest people. Finding them in our partner means little when our hope is for a good and successful partnership.

We each walk an individual path. No one else can take our footsteps. No one but us can live our unique life stories. That is the hard truth that adults have to face and children do not. The joys and pleasures of adult intimacy grow when we know our separateness. We will always yearn for a past childhood or for an unfulfilled dream enveloped in the generous care of loving parents with no stress and no demands. But as adults we live in an insecure world, and no partner can ever create that security for us. We move into wise and spiritual adulthood when we expect imperfection around us and develop a core of inner peace.

Describe a dream of peace and security that you keep in your memory or in your imagination.

You are reading from the book:

The More We Find In Each Other by Merle Fossum and Mavis Fossum

[bluidkiti]

February 19

The twilight, in fact, had several stages, and several times after it had grown dusky, acquired a new transparency, and the trees on the hillsides were lit up again.
--Henry David Thoreau

There are small candles of light we can bring into our lives to take away some of the darkness. These are the candles of the program - soft, warm lights given to us each time we open our faith and trust to the fellowship.

There is the candle we can take home from a meeting, kindled by the caring and sharing of those around us. There is the candle given to us by our sponsors and friends, which burns brighter each time we ask for help. And there is the candle given to us by our Higher Power - an eternal light reflecting strength, hope, and salvation.

It's true that it's darkest before the dawn, but we have countless candles to brighten our night.

You are reading from the book:

Night Light by Amy E. Dean

[bluidkiti]

February 20

Leave room for God to surprise you!
--Ernie K.

It is human to be disappointed when we don't get what we want. But when we dwell on our disappointment, as if we should have gotten what we wanted, then we forget to trust that God may have something different in store for us. Many of us pray, "Thy will be done," but more often than not, when we don't get what we want, we forget it may be God's will that we not get it!

We can only know the present moment. This is our life – all of it. When we worry about future wants and past disappointments, we don't leave room in ourselves for the present. When we let God take care of the future and live the best we can right now , we can feel assured we'll be ready for the better things that are in store for us.

Today help me to trust in Your will.

You are reading from the book:

Body, Mind, and Spirit by Anonymous

[bluidkiti]

February 21

Think in terms of depletion, not depression. . . . You can understand how a body can replenish itself, whereas it may be difficult to understand the way out of depression.
--Claire Weekes

Despair and depression may come over us suddenly, for no reason we can figure out. But if we stop and reflect, we may realize we are reacting to too much of something - too much work, too much excitement, too much fun. We may be having a letdown after holidays, after completing a project, or at the end of a school year.

When we feel a letdown coming on, we must give ourselves time. We need to take some time off and do nothing, plan nothing. Then we can ask God to help us let go of the negative feelings that come along with a letdown. We can plan a small gift for ourselves - a walk by the lake, for instance. In our excitement with a rush of events, we often forget that we, like the infants we once were, need to take a rest and reenergize.

Do I need to do something just for myself today?

You are reading from the book:

Today's Gift by Anonymous

[bluidkiti]

February 22

Keeping our motives honest

Motives are important in dealing with other people. If we're frank with someone and that person gets upset, we might think he or she just can't handle our directness, our honesty. But "honesty" without love is more like brutal frankness. If we want to be confrontational, we have to put up with the consequences.

But what is the real reason for being confrontational ("honest"), for pointing out others' flaws? Are we perhaps afraid that our own flaws will be discovered? Are we protecting ourselves by focusing attention on others?

Are my motives always honest?

Higher Power, help me see where my motives are selfish or mean or petty, so that I stay honest in my program.

You are reading from the book:

Day by Day - Second Edition by Anonymous

[bluidkiti]

February 23

There are sounds to seasons. There are sounds to places, and there are sounds to every time in one's life.
--Alison Wyrley Birch

Live is rich and full. Your life. My life. Even when the day feels flat or hollow, there's a richness to it that escapes our attention. We see only what we choose to see. We hear selectively, too. Our prejudgment precludes our getting the full effects of any experience. Some days we hear only the drum of the humdrum.

But the greater our faith in the program and a loving God, the clearer our perceptions become. We miss less of the day's events; we grow in our understanding of our unfolding, and we perceive with clarity the role others are playing in our lives.

We can see life as a concert in progress when we transcend our own narrow scope and appreciate the variety of people and situations all directed toward the same finale. The more we're in tune with the spiritual activity surrounding us, the more harmoniously we will be able to perform our parts.

I will listen to the music of today. I will get in tune, in rhythm. I am needed for the concert's beauty.

You are reading from the book:

Each Day a New Beginning by Karen Casey

[bluidkiti]

February 24

Second Thoughts

After an intense discussion, we might rehash what we said and wish we'd said something else. Perhaps some brilliant remark occurs to us long after the conversation has ended.

We can say only what comes to us at the time of the discussion. Our best preparation for any such discussion – however important – is to place the matter in God's hands, seeking the highest good for everyone involved.

It may be that the brilliant thoughts coming to us later would have actually been inappropriate. After all, important discussions also involve exchanges of strong feelings that influence the meeting. If our feelings are in line with the high principles of the program, the discussion should go well. In such cases, we will probably say what we're supposed to say.

I'll do my best today, without trying to second-guess every word or action.

You are reading from the book:

Walk in Dry Places by Mel B.

[bluidkiti]

February 25

Having hope makes every day easier, more gentle.

From our first introduction to other men and women who have faced firsthand the illness of chemical dependency, we sense the spirit of hope in their words and in their faces. Some of us have had little or no hope for many years. It's no wonder we initially doubt that our lives can change. We're certain our struggles are different from the struggles that brought other people to this Twelve Step program. But we listen to their stories anyway. And slowly we learn that our paths are similar. Our problems are not unique, after all.

Having hope, we come to understand, is a decision. Other men and women have made this decision. We can too. In time we will also understand that hope makes it possible for us to expect more positive outcomes to our problems. It's so often true that what we expect is just what we get. Looking on the bright side of life can't make our struggles worse!

Having hope will open the door to my Higher Power today. Help is the by-product of hope.

You are reading from the book:

A Life of My Own by Karen Casey

[bluidkiti]

February 26

There is no shortcut to life. To the end of our days, life is a lesson imperfectly learned.
--Harrison E. Salisbury

There are no perfect days. We have struggled hard against this truth. In our demanding ways, we haven't wanted life to be a process; we have wanted to reach a secure point of arrival. We have struggled against the dialogue and learning process of experience. We've looked for a "fix" and for perfection. Even now in recovery we long to "get it right." We continue to learn and to grow, but the lessons we learn are not the things we expected. We grieve the lateness of our learning, and then we go on to learn more.

As we grow in this program, we learn how to learn. We become more accepting of life as a process with no shortcut to the truth. We learn to engage in the process and accept that there usually is no right or wrong answer at the end of our search.

Today, may I accept the truth, which comes from the lessons of my experience -- and be tolerant of its incompleteness.

You are reading from the book:

Touchstones by Anonymous

[bluidkiti]

February 27

We don't need crutches.

We are unique and wonderful people. We have weaknesses, yes, and we also have strengths beyond our imagining.

Perhaps we needed a crutch at one time. We got used to it, and even though it was in our way and slowed us down, we were afraid to venture forth without it. Gradually, the crutch began to control our movements and take over our life. We became its slave.

Then we were invited to consider the possibility of a Higher Power that would eliminate our need for a crutch. Intrigued, we began to practice relying on this Higher Power in concrete ways on a daily basis.

We are learning how to walk again. Scary sometimes, without the old props, but Step by Step we're on our way to recovery.

Just for today, I will put away the crutches I no longer need and rely on my Higher Power.

You are reading from the book:

Inner Harvest by Elisabeth L.

[bluidkiti]

February 28

Reflection for the Day

"What if..." How often we hear these words from newcomers to The Program. How often, in fact, we tend to say them ourselves. "What if I lose my job?" "What if my car breaks down?" "What if I get sick and can't work?" "What if my child gets hooked on drugs?" What if -- anything our desperate imaginings can project. Only two small words, yet how heavy-laden they are with dread, fear and anxiety. The answer to "What if . . ." is, plainly and simply, "Don't project." We can only live with our problems as they arise, living one day at a time. Am I keeping my thoughts positive?

Today I Pray

May I grow spiritually, without being held back by anxieties. May projected fears not hobble my pursuits or keep me from making the most of today. May I turn out fear by faith. If I will only make a place for God within me, God will remove my fears.

Today I Will Remember

I can only borrow trouble at high interest rates.

You are reading from the book:

A Day at a Time (Softcover) by Anonymous

[bluidkiti]

February 29

Time is a dressmaker specializing in alterations.
--Faith Baldwin

We are learning as we go, and the experiences shed light on our own plans for proceeding. The steps we are taking in unison as well as on separate but parallel paths enhance the particular movements of us all.

We often expect perfection from ourselves, forgetting that we're all beginners in life. The best we can do is willingly acknowledge our errors, grateful that we can always begin again on any task - grateful that we have the experiences of others to help guide us.

Life is process. We learn, we grow, share burdens, reformulate ideas, and restructure our values. Every change we make alters the steps we take, altering in turn someone else's movements, too.

You are reading from the book:

The Promise of a New Day by Karen Casey and Martha Vanceburg