More Recovery Readings - February

[bluidkiti]

February 29

You are reading from the book Today's Gift.
Belief consists in accepting the affirmations of the soul; unbelief, in denying them. --Ralph Waldo Emerson
What do we believe? Do we believe in ourselves? Do we believe we have enough time and energy to do what we
need? Or do we believe that things will turn out badly for us? Someone said that fear is faith in the negative. We can
choose to believe the worst will happen, or we can choose to believe we deserve good things. We can believe the
right things will happen at the right time. What we believe becomes true for us because we behave as though it were
true. For this reason, it is wise to choose our beliefs carefully. The more we choose the positive, the more aware we
become that our choices are many.
This means telling ourselves that we're all right just as we are, and acting as though it were true without question.
How can I make my world better today?


You are reading from the book Touchstones.
Power is strength and the ability to see yourself through your own eyes and not through the eyes of another. It is being
able to place a circle of power at your own feet and not take power from someone else's circle. --Agnes Whistling Elk
Emancipation as adult men, seeing ourselves through our own eyes, is difficult. As children, we could have our
separateness only in small measure. As men, we first bring some boyhood ideas to what we experience. We may be
arrogant, thinking we already know the answers to life's dilemmas; or defiant, thinking we don't want anyone to tell us
what to do; or self-indulgent, grabbing for the greatest pleasure. Those ideas delay seeing ourselves through our own
eyes.
Personal power comes when we listen to ourselves and to others. To be independent of everyone may have been our
youthful idea of power. In manhood, power comes in being open and honest about our dependency, yet knowing we
have no claim on anyone else to make us happy.
I will place a circle of power at my own feet and stand with dignity inside the circle.


You are reading from the book Each Day a New Beginning.
. . . I was taught that the way of progress is neither swift nor easy. --Marie Curie
We are looking for progress, not perfection; however, we sometimes get lost or confused between the two. Expecting
ourselves to be perfect at something we are only now learning is a familiar affliction. As we accept our humanness,
we'll allow the mistakes that are a normal part of the process of living and learning--a process we call progress.
Our need to be perfect will lessen with time. And we can help ourselves break the old habits. Perfection and self-worth
are not symbiotic, except in our minds. And it's a symbiosis that has done us a grave injustice. Breaking the old
thought patterns takes a commitment. We must first decide and believe that we are worthwhile, simply because we
are. There is only one of us; we have a particular gift to offer this world. And our being is perfect as is. Affirming this,
repeatedly, is our beginning. But with this, too, progress will be slow; perfection need only be worked for, not achieved.
The patterns I am weaving with my life are complex, full of intricate detail and knots. I need to go slow, taking only one
stitch at a time. With hindsight I will see that whatever the progress, it was the perfect fit to the overall design.


You are reading from the book The Language Of Letting Go.
You Are Lovable
We go back and back and back...through the layers of fear, shame, rage, hurt, and negative incantations until we
discover the exuberant, unencumbered, delightful, and lovable child that was, and still is, in us. --Beyond

Codependency
You are lovable. Yes, you.
Just because people haven't been there for you, just because certain people haven't been able to show love for you in
ways that worked, just because relationships have failed or gone sour does not mean that you're unlovable.
You've had lessons to learn. Sometimes, those lessons have hurt.
Let go of the pain. Open your heart to love.
You are lovable.
You are loved.
Today, I will tell myself I'm lovable. I will do this until I believe it.


Positive energy attracts positive energy. Today my Higher Power continues to guide my growth so that I am more and
more open. I am becoming free and unblocked and am attracting all that is good and right in my life. --Ruth Fishel

God help me to stay sober and clean today!

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Journey To The Heart

See All the Landscape
Climb to the top of a mountain. What do you see? Valleys as well as mountains.
When you're on top of a mountain, you don't think, This is all there is. Or when you're driving through a hot, dusty
valley, you don't think, This is all there is. You know there is more. You know the truth. Both exist, and more besides.
Life isn't an either/or situation. Don't work so hard forcing everything to be only good, delightful, joyous, or pleasant, for
when you reach the valley, you'll become as miserably certain that life is only pain, sadness, and tragedy. You're
wasting energy when you try to convince yourself that life is only one or the other.
Look around. See all the landscapes-- valleys, oceans, plains, and yes, mountaintops. That's what life is; all of it.

Enjoy the view.

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more language of letting go

Let go of timidity

Live big!
--Brady Michaels

Sometimes, that's the best advice we can hear. Win or lose, succeed or fail, go for it, and go all the way. As my flight
instructor told me on the first day of flying lessons, "Keep one hand on the throttle and one hand on the yoke."
"Aahhhhh!" I would say during my early lessons as the plane lifted into the air, but I kept the throttle pushed all the way
in.

There are times when it's wise to be cautious. And there are times when the best thing we can do-- the only thing we
can do-- is go for it by living big. Ask her out. Request the raise. Say no-- and mean it. Learn to drive a race car or
climb a tall hill. Learn to snorkel or surf. Dreams remain dreams until you act upon them. Then they become real life.
Will you throw a few coins into the beggar's cup, or will you bring him a hamburger and fries from the local fast-food
place? Will you do an average job at work, or will you look for ways to go big-- really give it your best-- in the everyday
areas of your job? Will you put your all-- your heart and emotions-- into the relationship with the people you love? Will
you wait for another more convenient time to pray, or will you start genuinely trusting God?
You don't have to get a life. You've already got one. Live it, and live big.

God, help me let go of my fear and timidity, and learn to live big.

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Layers of Feeling
Coping with Passive Aggression
Passive aggression is most often wielded by those who feel powerless and want to avoid their own true feelings.
Many people are taught from a young age to suppress feelings commonly regarded as negative, such as anger,
resentment, fear, and sorrow. Those who cannot or will not express these emotions tend to engage in passive-
aggressive behaviors that provide them with a means of redirecting their feelings. Passive aggression can take many
forms: People who feel guilty saying “no” may continually break their promises because they couldn’t say no when
they meant it. Others will substitute snide praise for a slur to distance themselves from the intense emotions they feel.
More often than not, such behavior is a cry for help uttered by those in need of compassion and gentle guidance.
When we recognize passive-aggressive patterns in the behavior of others, we should never allow ourselves to be
drawn into a struggle for power. Passive aggression is most often wielded by those who feel powerless in the face of
what they perceive as negative emotions because they hope to avoid confronting their true feelings. They feel they are
in control because they do not display overt emotion and often cannot understand how they have alienated their peers.
If someone close to us shows signs of frustration or annoyance but claims nothing is amiss, we can point out that
their tone of voice or gestures are communicating a different message and invite them to confide in us. When we feel
slighted by a backhanded compliment, it is important that we calmly explain how the jibe made us feel and why. And
when an individual continually breaks their promises, we can help them understand that they are free to say no if they
are unwilling to be of service.
As you learn to detect passive aggression, you may be surprised to see a hint of it in yourself. Coping with the natural
human tendency to veil intense emotions can be as simple as reminding yourself that expressing your true feelings is
healthy. The emotions typically regarded as negative will frequently be those that inspire you to change yourself and
your life for the better, whereas passive-aggressive behavior is a means of avoiding change. When you deal
constructively with your feelings, you can put them behind you and move forward unencumbered by unexplored
emotion. Published with permission from Daily OM

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A Day At A Time

Reflection For The Day

Just for today, I'll not be afraid of anything. If my mind is clouded with nameless fears, I'll track them down and expose
their unreality. I'll remind myself that God is in charge of me and my life, and that all I have to do is accept His
protection and guidance. What happened yesterday need not trouble me today. Do I accept the fact that it's in my
power to make today a good one just by the way I think about it and what I do about it?

Today I Pray

May I make today a good day. May I know that it is up to me to assign to it qualities of goodness, through a positive
attitude toward what the present is providing. May I be untroubled by vestiges of yesterday. Please, God, remain
close to me all through this day.

Today I Will Remember
To make it good.

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One More Day

Once you have experienced the seriousness of your loss you will be able to experience the wonder of being alive. --
Robert Veninga

Age and illness force us to come to terms with the sometimes harsh reality of being human. When someone close to
us dies, we may be overwhelmed with sadness. We might grieve over and over until it seems we can grieve no more.

And then we begin to heal. Granted, it takes time and a good bit of faith, but we do recover. Slowly. One day at a
time.
Many of us have experienced sorrow over changes in our health. With time and faith, however, we're learning that the
anger and sadness also heal. And eventually we recognize that our experience has made us more sensitive, more
caring, and more receptive to the gift of life.

I will grieve my losses and then move, once again, into a fulfilling, joyful life.