Even More Recovery Readings and Meditations - July

[bluidkiti]

July 17

Step by Step

Today, I absolutely must be grateful instead of crediting myself for all things good that happen today, however small. My spiritual fitness depends on humility, and humility crumbles into self-importance and egoism if I think that I and I alone worked hard and "deserve" the good and accomplishments of today. Although it is appropriate to hope that my decisions and actions contributed to some good, gratitude has to be given to my higher power for my correct decisions and actions. With AA, my spiritual and emotional foundations would not be as solid as they have become since I surrendered and set out on its charted course to recovery. Today, I am grateful to AA for empowering me with the ability to do whatever is right that returns to me in the form of something good. While I can say I grabbed the lifeline, it is that lifeline - not me - that is owed the gratitude for the good I have today. And our common journey continues. Step by step. - Chris M.

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~ EASY DOES IT ~ (A Book of Daily 12 Step Meditations) ~

QUIET TIME

Each morning sees some task begun. Each evening sees it done. Something attempted, something done.

~ Longfellow ~

Every day for us is a period of spiritual growth. Restful sleep prepares us for fruitful days. As each day begins, a new adventure in growth lies ahead. We seek strength and an attitude of making our lives more meaningful and positive through prayer and meditation at the start of each new day during our quiet time. We prepare ourselves emotionally for the busy hours ahead.

With positive action planned ahead, we arise to a day dedicated to accomplishment. We know we have little time for standing and idly staring. We accept new challenges as we carry out each day’s plans. We encourage those around us to join us in seeking to see the best in everything that makes up our daily lives.

Restful sleep, meditation, planning and turning it over starts my day with a quiet time and keeps it manageable.

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~ WISDOM TO KNOW ~ (More Daily Meditations For Men) ~

Man is harder than iron, stronger than stone and more fragile than a rose.

~ Turkish proverb ~

It is a boy’s idea of a real man that leaves no room for softness or weakness. In his view, a real man is either strong or weak, either tough or soft. But a boy is not yet a man, and he can only imitate grown men. As we develop into adults with real life experience, and as we get to know ourselves with honesty, we no longer have to view our masculinity as a caricature. We know that our true nature contains both toughness and gentleness. When we are at peace with ourselves, we don’t have to hide our gentleness to prove that we are strong.

We no longer have to prove anything. We have self-acceptance, including the whole complex mixture of elements that make up our character. And with self-acceptance, we don’t need to focus on the image we portray to others. We just let ourselves be and express the truth of how we feel and who we are. That is the sign of a real man who has grown up.

Today I am growing in self-knowledge and I accept myself as a complex mixture.

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~ A WOMAN’S SPIRIT ~ (More Meditations For Women) ~

Filling the hole in our soul with contemplation, meditation, and prayer will teach us that the God of our understanding is there.

~ Jan Lloyd ~

We are coming to understand that our Higher Power has always been present. That’s why we survived our addiction. However, cultivating a friend-ship with this unseen presence takes willingness and discipline. It helps if we converse with this God of our understanding every day. This friendship is much like all our other friendships in that it can be strengthened by attention.

The more time we give to God, the smoother our lives will unfold. When we learn to make no decision without first consulting God, we will dramatically change the outcome of many of our experiences. Even while in the midst of a trying situation, we can seek God’s guidance and be freed from unnecessary harm.

In the past we desperately tried to fill the void with alcohol or other drugs; now we’re filling it with love for our Higher Power. How lucky we are that we have lots of living yet to do.

My experiences today will reflect my closeness to the God I trust. Remembering this assures me of a peaceful day.

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~ TODAY I WILL DO ONE THING ~ (Daily Readings for Awareness and Hope) ~

I will be abstinent today

It used to be that my most important goal each day was to cope with the pain of my dual disorder. I did it mostly by using chemicals. Mostly it didn't work.

Today, that "solution" seems ironic. Because in recovery, the way I stop the pain is to not use chemicals. Today, abstinence is my most important goal. And I know I can do it. I have done it before. I have several tools to work with, especially meetings, the telephone, and my sponsor. With the help of my higher power, today I will be gratefully, humbly abstinent.

Today I will meditate on the value of abstinence in my recovery and check in with my sponsor.

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~ BODY, MIND, AND SPIRIT ~ (Inspiration and Support for Recovery) ~

...All things... that men should do to you, do ye even so to them.

~ Matthew 7:12 ~

In the midst of active addiction, the drug dictates how we relate to others: on good days, overly cautious, boastful, effusive; on bad days, nasty, negative, rude, sometimes cruel. Recovery means being aware that others are affected by our behavior. And that only abstinence grants us the freedom to choose our actions.

When we first go into recovery, we are terrified by the openness we feel emotionally. We often feel wide open to others. We don’t have the drugs to hide behind. We don’t have a way to manipulate our moods and to make sure we are acting in the “right” manner. It is a new feeling, and often frightening, to realize that our moods have been so manipulated by our using.

But as our spiritual life grows, we find a new peace. We learn to trust ourselves and others in a new way. With the help of our Higher Power and others in recovery, we become confident that our love and good intentions are lasting. Our love, joy, and sharing are beginning to seem real, and straight from the heart. Soon, we will feel proud of the way we treat others.

Today give me the courage to treat other people the way I would like to be treated.

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~ MORNING LIGHT ~ (Meditations to Begin Your Day) ~

My aim in life has always been to hold my own with whatever’s going. Not against: with.

~ Robert Frost ~

Once there was an old man who needed to transition from his beloved home into an assisted care facility. Before he moved, a home care worker visited with him. “This must be very difficult for you,” she remarked. “It’s not hard at all,” he said to her with a smile.

When moving day arrived, the home care worker drove him. “This must be very difficult for you,” she said. The old man smiled at her. “It’s not hard at all.”

The woman grew concerned. She had taken many people to the facility, and most were far less cheery. “Let me tell you about this facility,” the woman said as she escorted him through the lobby. “I love it here,” the old man replied as he looked around him.

“I’m really worried about you,” she began. “I’ve never seen someone so cheery about leaving his home and coming to this facility.” The old man patted her arm. “I make it a point of asking God to give me the strength to accept each moment as it comes. So when I asked this time, He assured me that no matter where I live, He is always with me.”

I greet this new day with acceptance of all that will happen.

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~ NIGHT LIGHT ~ (A Book Of Nighttime Meditations) ~

The world is full of people looking for spectacular happiness while they snub contentment.

~ Doug Larson ~

Before we came into the program, our lives were like roller coaster rides. We'd either be on a downward plunge of despair or an upward lift of ecstasy. When we were on a high, it seemed as if nothing could take that feeling away from us. We kept going from high to high and began calling our highs happiness.

Today our lives aren't so dramatic, nor filled with such radical swings. Because we can't equate our happiness with those highs, we are often uncomfortable with feelings that don't include ecstasy or depression. Today we feel contentment, cheerfulness, serenity, and peace.

Just like we do with a pair of new shoes, we need to try on our new feelings. We need to wear them through our daily routines and our nightly schedules. It won't be long before they fit us well. Then, it won't feel so strange when we feel stability and gentleness. We'll soon learn these feelings have always been within our reach. We've just been too afraid to feel them.

Tonight I am grateful to be off the roller coaster. I am unafraid of the content feelings that I have.

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~ DAY BY DAY ~ (Daily Meditations for Recovering Addicts) ~

Becoming willing to act

The miracles in our program don’t simply rub off at meetings. The key to getting clean and sober—and staying clean and sober—is a willingness to act.

Once we feel scared enough or strong enough to do something—once the willing-ness appears—miracles can happen. Action is the magic word. We must not wait for some-thing to “rub off.” Rather, we must act as soon as possible. An important phrase in the program describes this: “acting as if.”

Am I learning to “act as if”?

Higher Power, help me become willing to act so that I don’t fall into a spiritual sleep.

Today I will take action on

God help me to stay clean and sober today!

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~ IF YOU WANT WHAT WE HAVE ~ (Sponsorship Meditations) ~

She who tells the truth is not well liked.

~ BAMBARA PROVERB ~

Newcomer

An old friend of mine showed up at a meeting last week. He needs this program, and I was glad to see him. He told me how overjoyed he was to begin recovery. The next day he showed up again. He was late, but he made more than half the meeting. He said he’d see me here again today, but he didn’t show up or call. I’m going to phone him and try to find out what happened.

Sponsor

“Easy does it” may apply here. I’d be cautious about saying more than “I missed seeing you at the meeting.” More might make your friend feel guilty. No one’s ever stayed in recovery out of a sense of guilt, as far as I know.

Our friends know where to find meetings. We’re not their sponsors or their only source of information and help. We—and they—may have no doubt that they need recovery. Whether they want it is another matter. Our simply being here indicates to friends and family members that recovery is possible for people like them, but to serve as examples, we have to maintain our own recovery.

I’m not suggesting that we never do anything for others. Far from it. But we can’t force anyone to recover. Where friends or relatives are concerned, our intense interest may paradoxically, make it more difficult for us to be helpful. A light touch is required.

Today, as I share my love for recovery, I have a light touch. I trust that each of us is in the care of a Higher Power.

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~ THE EYE OPENER ~

It is not possible for man to live without emotions, and all emotions are passions. Emotions are as good as our control over them. Even those which we look upon as bad are bad only because they are not under proper control.

The Creator of man endowed him with emotions as part of the necessary equipment to live a full and useful life. We live our lives and enjoy them only to the extent we curb and regulate our feelings.

God put nothing evil in man. Man has diverted his blessings to evil purposes.

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~ The 12 STEP PRAYER BOOK ~ (A Collection of Favorite 12 Step Prayers and Inspirational Readings) ~

For Loved Ones Far Away

O Great Spirit, Whose care reaches to the farthest parts of the earth,
We humbly ask You to see and bless those whom we love
Who are now absent from us,
And defend and protect them from all dangers of mind, body, and spirit.

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~ AROUND THE YEAR WITH EMMET FOX ~ (A Book of Daily Readings) ~

THE GOLDEN RULE

Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law of the prophets (Matthew 7:12).

Here in the sublime precept that we call the Golden Rule, Jesus reiterates that great Law in a concise summing up. This repetition follows upon his wonderful statement of the fatherhood of God. The underlying explanation for the existence of the great law is the fact that we are fundamentally all parts of the Great Mind. Because we are all ultimately one, to hurt another is really to hurt oneself, and to help another is really to help oneself. The fatherhood of God compels us to accept the brotherhood of man, and spiritually, brotherhood is unity.

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~ A DEEP BREATH OF LIFE ~ (365 Daily Inspirations for Heart-Centered Living) ~

No Small Plans

Make no little plans: They have no magic to stir men’s blood.

~ Daniel H. Burnham ~

“Quit your job; you are to work with Robert Redford,” a firm voice spoke from a place deep within Judy. The intuition was so compelling that she had to follow it. Soon Robert Redford’s production company came to Salt Lake City, and Judy signed up to be an extra in a movie. After a few days, she learned of a need for volunteers in the office, and the work she did there won her an invitation to join the paid accounting staff. At that time, Robert Redford was searching for a personal assistant, and Judy was offered the job. She went on to work closely with Mr. Redford for years.

As divine beings, we are here to do magnificent things, and smallness does not befit us. Anyone who has ever improved her life or changed the world has had to think big, think radically, and be willing to venture into unknown worlds. The voice of transformation begins with a tiny hint whispered to our inner self. If we follow it, we will be on our way to the life we wish for.

What visions or dreams have you denied because you believe they are too big for you? What would you love to do that you have shied away from pursuing because it feels like too much of a stretch? What possibilities send a current of enthusiasm through your body and spirit? These are precisely the avenues that you must pursue to live on the cutting edge of your own destiny.

Help me to think big and act on my dreams. I trust that if You give me an idea, You will give me the means to manifest it. Help me to move beyond fear into magnificence.

I can do great things because a great Source guides and supports me.