Even More Recovery Readings and Meditations - September

[bluidkiti]

September 1

Step by Step

Today, the "spiritual awakening" asked in Step 12, the culmination of fierce and thorough practice of the previous 11 steps and mandated of us to be effective carriers of the program's message. There is no single definition of spiritual awakening for it is as unique to the individual as his or her recovery program. But, in general, if I can say honestly that I no longer schedule my day around my drinking and don't want to, if I can say I am healthier mentally and emotionally by weakening those character flaws that fed my drinking, if I can say in honesty that I want to help the addict still using, if I can admit that my will is self-will run riot and that the will of a wiser and stronger higher power must be my guide - then, and only possibly then, can I say I have undergone the awakening of a "new" and better character than the one that prevailed in my drinking days. On the other hand, if I can say honestly I have not undergone a fundamental change in character, emotion and morality, I best backtrack to the very beginning, to Step One: "Admitted (I am) powerless ..." And our common journey continues. Step by step. - Chris M.

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

LIVE AND LET LTVE

No matter how it feels, we’re moving forward. No matter how good it gets, the best is yet to come.

~ Anonymous ~

It is hard to live more than one life at a time. Try as we did to organize everyone’s life according to our plan, it just didn’t work. We learned in our First Step that we were not masters of the universe, that our very best efforts got us into the Program. We had to file away the little manager in our heads that found it necessary to bark out all the orders to God.

Once we did, and took our rightful place as just a fellow traveler on the road to recovery, we finally began to live and allow others the opportunity to live.

Live and let live is a simple idea that, when practiced, produces lasting results, more serenity, and peace of mind. It permits us to turn over our self-assumed responsibility for other people's lives to our Higher Power. And what a relief that is!

Live and let live is the 12 Step way of life. When I live my own life and let others live theirs, I am letting go and letting God be in charge.

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

I have a great deal more respect for someone who keeps coming back after losing heartbreaker after heart- breaker than I do for the winner who has everything going for him.

~ Wilt Chamberlain ~

One aspect of recovery is dealing with relapse. After we have been in recovery and then fall back into our addiction or codependent behaviors, we are filled with regret. We may also be stricken with strong feelings of shame and a defeatist attitude. But if we come back to our meetings and get back on the program, we deserve only self-respect. We are not defeated unless we give up on ourselves.

No bad experience is a total loss unless we refuse to learn something from it. Recovery from relapse begins when we relearn that we are powerless over our addiction. It calls for us to make something positive out of the negative experience. We examine the point where we resumed our addictive and codependent thinking, even before we realized it. Experienced people in the program know that we learn to prevent relapse by returning to recovery after we have fallen away.

Today I have the greatest respect for those who keep coming back.

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

We get so bogged down in worldly things, we don’t understand that we’re here for a spiritual quest.

~ Oprah Winfrey ~

Those of us in recovery are perhaps luckier than most; we have learned that our journey is spiritual. We have come to believe that we each have a special mission and that a Higher Power travels every step with us. However, we can get bogged down. We can get upset by the experiences that come to us hour by hour, forgetting they are part of our unfolding divine life.

Because we are human and imperfect, we forget that we are in God’s care at every moment. We also forget that the people who share our lives now are helping us learn the lessons we need for this stage of our development. Some people will leave us and others will join us when the time is right. The plans have been made. All we have to do is show up and peacefully trust that God is in charge.

I am here for a purpose bigger than I might imagine. God’s guidance will be clear if I follow my inner voice throughout this day.

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

I can accept my shortcomings

It hurt to become so aware of my shortcomings through Step Four. I did feel better—less guilty and shameful—when I admitted them to another person in Step Five. But what I really wanted was to get rid of them quickly and completely

However, I am slowly coming to see that my shortcomings are not all bad. Some were useful to me at one time-and some are now blocking my spiritual progress. Only my higher power knows which are which. What I need to do is to work Steps Six and Seven by accepting myself, becoming open to change, and by letting my higher power decide which shortcomings to remove and when to remove them.

I will pray the Serenity Prayer and pray to follow the will of my higher power.

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

Spirituality is an individual matter. I can tell you what it means to me, but it might be different for you.

~ Jake T. ~

Many of us get confused when we begin to talk about religion and spirituality. We hear newcomers ask if the two are the same. If they aren’t, how are they different?

The simplest explanation we’ve heard is this one: you can be spiritual but not necessarily religious. Or you can be religious and spiritual. But being religious doesn’t necessarily mean you are also a spiritual person.

We have found our spirituality clearly reflected in our daily lives: how we treat others, how we treat ourselves. Are we honest? Caring? Sharing? Do we listen? Do we have time for other people?

For many of us, spirituality does not come easy. Our feelings have been numbed by alcohol, food, and other substances. We lost touch with our faith and became isolated from the world. We were left with a tremendous inner void. Now, we’re learning that spirituality can help us fill it. Our spiritual growth is one sure signpost on the road to recovery.

Today through prayer and meditation, guide me to find what spirituality means to me. Help me become a spiritual person..

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

Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.

~ Step Nine ~

A prayer is a humble and heartfelt communication with a power greater than yourself. A prayer can admit a weakness, communicate a need, or convey praise and gratitude. Prayers can unburden your heart, give you strength and courage, and deepen your faith and trust in a Higher Power. Use the following prayer as you work on your understanding and acceptance of Step Nine.

Step Nine Prayer

Higher Power, I have made a list of those I have harmed in my addiction. I have become willing to make amends lo them all. I ask for your help now so that I may have the courage to make direct amends. I ask for your wisdom and guidance. I need to face those I have let down or mistreated and those to whom I have told lies in an effort to avoid giving up my addiction. I will not let shame lead me down a path of falsehood. I will speak with sincerity, openness, and honesty.

Grant me the wisdom to exhibit actions that are reflective of a person who has compassion and understanding. Let me be your humble servant who shows patience, kindness, respect, and love to everyone. Higher Power, thank you for listening to my prayer.

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

I like trees because they seem more resigned to the way they have to live than other things do.

~ Willa Cather ~

If a tree's soil becomes dry or low in valuable minerals, it can't pull up its roots and move to a better place. Instead, the tree spreads its roots deeper and wider, seeking fertile ground. It makes the surrounding soil richer by dropping dead branches and leaves to mulch the ground below. It remains firm in the wind, bends but doesn't break under the weight of ice and snow, and gives shade, shelter, and nourishment to the ground below.

Beginning tonight, if we think of ourselves as trees firmly placed, we can learn to be more accepting of our surroundings. We can learn to grow no matter how difficult it may seem. Such growth can enrich our lives and make us stronger so we don't break with the weight of problems or difficulties. We, too, can be as strong and enduring as trees.

I can learn to move with the winds of change and bend with the weight of difficulties—and still stand tall and firm.

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

Coming to believe

Many of us come to the Twelve Step program with little or no belief in a Higher Power. Perhaps we tried religion and it didn’t help, or perhaps we prefer science to religion. In either event, we need not turn away from the program; what we need is support until we can take Step Two.

It will help if we can see that alcohol and other drugs can no longer be our Higher Power, that we cannot recover on our own, and that a Higher Power may be anything that helps us stay clean and sober.

Can I find something to believe in?

I know I need help. I want to find someone or something in which I can put my faith.

Today I will look for a Higher Power by

God help me to stay clean and sober today!

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

God grant me the serenity
To accept he things I cannot change,
The courage to change the things I can,
And the wisdom to know the difference.

~ THE SERENITY PRAYER ~

Newcomer

What if the person to whom I'm trying to make amends is still too angry to accept my apology or doesn't want anything to do with me?

Sponsor

This is an important question. When we speak our amends aloud or write them in a letter as long as we have acknowledged the harm we've done and are committed to doing things differently, then our amends are genuine and we've done our part.

One of the things over which we have no control is the way another person reacts to our amends. He or she may be understanding, even loving and generous, or may not be as ready to forgive us as we are to acknowledge harm we've done. Hearing from us may revive old anger or pain. Some may think we're trying to get off easy. Our recovery itself may cause resentment.

In time, friends' or relatives' attitudes may change—or they may not. We can't force other human beings to forgive us or to want us in their lives, and we can't make things happen on our timetable.

Today, I do my part by taking appropriate actions; I turn over the results of those actions to my Higher Power.

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~ THE EYE OPENER ~

The alcoholic is usually conscious of his shortcomings but he resents any well-meant attempt to discuss the matter with him. He knows that has no defense. Logic is against him; lying frequently backfires on him and is therefore unreliable. He has but one avenue of escape and that is the bottle, the very thing the well intentioned friend is trying to avoid.

Our only approach that makes sense to him is the visible evidence that we are doing it, and acquainting him with the fact that it can be done.

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

Change Me—Ruth C.'s Prayer

Change me, God,
Please change me.
Though I cringe
Kick
Resist and resent.
Pay no attention to me whatsoever.
When I run to hide
Drag me out of my safe little shelter
Change me totally.
Whatever it takes.
However long You must work at the job.
Change me—and save me
From spiritual self-destruction.

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

DIVINE LOVE NEVER FAILS

Read 1 Corinthians 13.

Divine Love never fails. Divine Love solves every problem. Statements like these appear again and again in metaphysical books, and, of course, they are perfectly true; certain it is that many people firmly believe them, and yet have obviously been unable to prove them in demonstration. Why is this?

The explanation is that, consciously or unconsciously, people think of Love as some sort of Power outside of themselves; and they expect that presently, if they beg hard enough, this Power will come down and rescue them. There is, in fact, no such outside power, and therefore you cannot receive help in that way. The only place where Love can exist, as far as you are concerned, is in your own heart. Any love that is not in your heart does not exist for you.

The thing for you to do, then, is to fill your own heart with Love, by thinking it, feeling it, and expressing it; and when this sense of Love is vivid enough it will heal you and solve your problems, and it will enable you to heal others too. That is the Law of Being and none of us can change it.

Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love . . . (Jeremiah 31:3).

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

The Matchmaker

Resign your destiny to higher powers.

~ William James ~

Susan's friend Tanya insisted that she would be a good match for Gerald, a wealthy and successful New York executive after she initially resisted, Susan took Gerald's phone number and contacted him when she was in New York several months later. Although he was surprised by Susan's call, Gerald made a date to meet her after work that day. While waiting for him, Susan called Tanya and left a message on her answering machine, letting her know she was about to meet the man Tanya had referred her to. Susan and Gerald met, sparks of romance flew, and the couple spent a delightful evening together. When Susan returned to her hotel room, she found 11 messages from Tanya, who frantically pleaded, "Call me immediately!"

Susan called her back to hear Tanya confess, "My suggestion to call Gerald was a joke; he was just a famous guy I heard of; I don't know him at all." Upon further investigation, Susan learned that Tanya was a pathological liar. This, however, did not preclude Susan and Gerald's marriage a year later.

The Cosmic Coincidence Control Center gets people together in any number of ways. Sometimes important meetings occur consciously, and often they occur through means that seem haphazard, chaotic, or downright ridiculous. Nevertheless, there is a wise and meaningful plan behind the appearances.

Even when we do something foolish or unkind, we may be participating in a plan that ultimately serves everyone involved. In retrospect, even those who tried to hurt us ultimately contributed to our healing if we are better off after an adventure, we can thank everyone involved, no matter what part they played in the drama.

Trust that good things can come out of an apparent mistake. The big picture reveals that love is always present.

Help me to trust that I am serving You always. I pray to have faith in the divine plan.

My life is guided by intelligent action.