Even More Recovery Readings and Meditations - February

[bluidkiti]

February 28

Step by Step

Today, take the program from theoretical to practical application to both recovery and life. If I hear “Easy Does It,” I cannot use it as “permission” to neglect daily responsibilities and what must be done today. Instead, it means not to expect too much of either myself or another person. And “Let Go and Let God” does not mean I can expect my higher power to tend to what is my responsibility and within my capability. Realize I am letting go of my own will for myself and letting God tell me what His will is for me. “One (drink) is one too many and never enough” tells me, simply, not to try to find out what is “never enough” and not to try the first one at all. “Making amends” isn’t simply saying, “I’m sorry,” but is acceptance of consequences and working harder if some of those amends are rejected. “One Day at a Time” is simple: today is all I’ve got and yesterday can’t be undone or redone, and tomorrow is not guaranteed. Even it is, I have to give today my best shot because it may well reverberate into tomorrow. Today, move from theory to the practical, and it’s time to roll up the sleeves. And our common journey continues. Step by step. – Chris M.

************************************************

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

SPONSORSHIP

Sponsors: Have one, use one, be one.

~ Anonymous ~

Before we were in the Program very long, it was suggested we find a sponsor. We found an individual who had the kind of recovery we wanted. The purpose of finding a sponsor was to have someone who would guide us through the 12 Steps and help us apply the Steps to problems we encountered.

Sponsorship is one of the important ways of carrying the message. Sponsors share their experience of working the Program freely. They do not nag or manage our lives. At times, sponsors may appear to be very strict, but they’re only trying to pass on their knowledge. They have a deep concern about our recovery.

The first thing my sponsor said to me was, “Get a check-up from the neck up.” I followed the advice. I am grateful for all the help my sponsor has given me.

************************************************

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

No man who sets out to achieve total masculinity can ever be man enough.

~ Frank Pittman ~

Some people attack the whole idea of masculinity as a problem in the world. They claim it is the cause of wars, abuse, and the reckless pursuit of power. As grown-up men, we know that those people are speaking of masculinity that has not grown up. Boys trying to be men take the appearance of masculinity to extremes. They look at masculinity from the outside: they know they have not yet achieved it, so they try to imitate it. As adult men we have come to terms with ourselves and with life. We carry the values of strength and protection of those we love, and we value our virility for all its pleasures. We also know from life experience that all men are complex; we don’t need to hide our vulnerability in order to be strong.

We don’t have to worry about our masculinity, because that is a given. We don’t have to prove it to ourselves or anyone else. From that grown-up perspective, we accept ourselves as both strong and gentle, capable both of fighting for what we believe in and yielding to others when that’s what’s called for.

Today I accept that I have nothing to prove about being a man, and I can grow in all the ways any adult needs to continue to grow.

************************************************

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

Faith and love solve many things.

~ Phyllis Elliott ~

Most of the situations we encounter need not become sticky; problems develop, however, when we insist that outcomes meet our specifications. It’s far too easy for us to forget to let God be in charge of every situation and outcome. Luckily, we have friends and sponsors who offer frequent reminders.

Having faith takes painstaking effort for most of us. Yet we will feel so much better every time we back away from a situation and let God take over; we realize that God has a better solution than the one we were proposing.

Learning to love not only others but also ourselves takes practice similar to the effort we put into developing faith. Love softens the harsh edges of conflict, and when we act from a vision of love, we see every event in our lives more positively. Choosing love as a way of life eliminates most of the conflict that undermines our well-being. Having faith that God is in charge takes care of the rest.

Having faith and feeling love are my assignments today. God can help me do both. Each person I encounter will give me an opportunity to rely on God’s help.

************************************************

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

I have friends to help me

I am having strong psychiatric symptoms these days. My doctor has given me a new medication to help manage them. Unfortunately it has some side effects that could affect my driving. So I won’t be driving my car for a while, at least until my symptoms get under better control and I adjust to the medication.

Being without a car—well, here’s another loss of freedom. It’s tough living with a dual disorder—two illnesses that regularly affect my life. But I managed before without a car (after three DUIs and losing my driver’s license). With the help of my higher power I will manage again.

I will tell my friends about my transportation problem and ask them for help.

***********************************************

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

Life is not one **** thing after another, it is the same **** thing over and over.

~ Edna St. Vincent Millay ~

In our journey into recovery, it seems as if we keep traveling the same road over and over. Wasn’t that how our illness began and how it was maintained? That we kept repeating the same behavior but expected different results? Although the answer to both these questions is yes, we aren’t repeating ourselves the same way we used to. Recovery requires that we travel the same road again and again, but only until we learn what riding down that road has to teach us.

We still get angry and wonder at life’s unfairness. We still want others to change, get bound up in their suffering, and lose sight of our own. We still feel most of the same feelings we used to feel and find ourselves in the same trap again and again.

The difference now is one of degree and duration. Now we can learn, and change our behavior. So when we find ourselves detoured down that same road again — even though we think we’ve learned all we can there — we’ll become aware of it a lot sooner than we used to. And, unlike the past, we can choose to turn back.

Today help me be aware of the many detours in my recovery. Help me recognize the “same **** thing” when it appears in my path.

************************************************

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

In walking, just walk. In sitting, just sit. Above all, don’t wobble.

~ Zen Spiritualist Yunmen Wenyan ~

How many times have you come to the realization that your life is out of control and that you need to make a change? Maybe you have come to this point not once, but several times. You may have made promises to yourself that you can and will begin a new way of living. But when morning comes, you may find that it is easier to talk yourself out of your resolution than to take the first step to making a change.

Striving to go it alone is one way to ensure failure. You can be your own worst enemy whenever you think that you alone can resolve all of your difficulties and challenges. Without trust and faith in a power greater than yourself, you can easily talk yourself out of making any change—no matter how big or small.

Today presents you with an opportunity to believe that a Higher Power can help restore sanity to your life. You have the choice to stick with old, familiar habits—the ones that haven’t served you well—or to cease going it alone and asking for spiritual help.

Today I accept that a power greater than myself can restore sanity in my life.

************************************************

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

When one knows Thee, then alien there is none, then no door is shut. Oh, grant me my prayer that I may never lose the touch of the one in the play of many.

~ Rabindranath Tagore ~

When we make a person-to-person telephone call, we want to be connected with one particular person. If that person is not in, we make no connection.

Are we taking time to make person-to-person connections? Or are we seeking situations with groups of people so we don’t have to be open and honest with just one person? We all need at least one person with whom to share confidences, laughter, tears, hugs, plans, and dreams. If we don’t have this special person, we are like one bird in a nest: safe and warm, but isolated and alone.

We can attend a meeting every night and still be isolated and alone. Being around people doesn’t necessarily mean we’re making connections with them. To truly share ourselves, we need to open the doors to our lives and let at least one person in. Just one person can make the difference between isolation and connection.

I need to connect with a special friend. How can I open the door to this one person?

************************************************

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

Becoming open-minded

When we first came into this beloved fellow-ship, some of us felt that members were narrow-minded and so it would be hard to make friends. But that was just our fear and projection talking. How many fellowships embrace members of such varied backgrounds (age, race, occupation, and income)?

Most of us had much more limited contacts before we joined the fellowship. Now, as we become less narrow-minded, we lose some of our fear and discover some very open-minded people in this fellowship.

Am I becoming more open-minded?

Higher Power, help me accept and embrace the fact that I was led to this fellowship because I truly needed help.

Today I will practice being open-minded by

God help me to stay clean and sober today!

************************************************

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

Delay is preferable to error.

~ THOMAS JEFFERSON ~

Newcomer

I don’t trust my ability to stay with anything for a long time. I’ve been so inconsistent in the past. I have the feeling that eventually I’ll get sick of all of my good new habits and go back to where I was before.

Sponsor

What happened to “One day at a time”? We’re not required to deal with tomorrow’s recovery right now. For the next twenty-four hours, any one of us can avoid picking up our drug of choice. That’s all we have to do, and just by doing it, we’re doing it perfectly.

Self-trust is a new habit that may not have put down deep roots in us yet. We’re still close to the days when the only way we knew of taking care of ourselves was to use our addictions. It’s important to remember that we are not the same people we used to be. We’re in the process of forming new habits—meetings, literature, sharing, service- that are as powerful as the old ones. If we begin drifting a little from our new habits, we notice the difference in how we’re feeling and can return to doing what worked. Every day in recovery adds to the store of sober experiences on which we can draw.

Today, I am the person I’ve always wanted to be.

************************************************

~ THE EYE OPENER ~

Many of us would have been ready to do something about our drinking problem years before we did, except for the obstinate determination not to allow the wife, mother or boss to tell us what to do.

************************************************

~ WALK SOFTLY AND CARRY A BIG BOOK ~ (Official & Unofficial Sloganeering From the 12 Step Programs) ~

1) When you feel needy, get up and give.

2) GOD: Group Of Druggies

3) Never, ever criticize yourself.

************************************************

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

Prayer for Protection

The light of God surrounds me;
The love of God enfolds me;
The power of God protects me;
The presence of God watches over me;
Wherever I am, God is!

***********************************************

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

FLEE DESOLATION

The moment you catch yourself thinking a negative thought, you should reject it instantly. Do not stop to say “goodbye” to the error but immediately switch your attention to the Presence of God. Indeed, we may say that when error presents itself to consciousness, the first five seconds are golden.

When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place (whoso readeth, let him understand:)

Then let him which is in Judea flee into the mountains;

Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take anything out of his house;

Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes (Matthew 24:15-18).

Jesus teaches this lesson in his own graphic way. The holy place is your consciousness, and the abomination of desolation is any negative thought, because a negative thought means a belief in the absence of God at the point concerned.

It is impossible to forget this illustration once we have taken it in.

************************************************

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

Come Home

Keep love in your heart. A life without it is like a sunless garden when the flowers are dead. The consciousness of loving and being loved brings a warmth and richness to life that nothing else can bring.

~ Oscar Wilde ~

In a small town in Spain, a man named Jorge had a bitter argument one morning with his young son, Paco. When he arrived home later that day, Jorge discovered that Paco’s room was empty—he had run away from home.

Overcome with remorse, Jorge searched his soul and realized that his son was more important to him than anything else. He wanted to start over. Jorge went to a well-known grocery store in the center of town and posted a large sign that read, “Paco, come home. I love you. Meet me here tomorrow morning. ”

The next morning, Jorge went to the store, where he found no less than seven young boys named Paco who had also run away from home. They were all answering the call for love, hoping it was their dad inviting them home with open arms.

Love is the great need of this world. While we have achieved all manner of material success, human beings on this planet daily cry out—and die—for love. If only we could love, how quickly would our problems dissipate! No matter how old, hardened, or sophisticated we are, there always lives within us a tender child that yearns to give and receive love.

At the age of 35, I went to visit my mother while I was hurting emotionally. She sensed my pain and invited me to sit on her lap. She held me tenderly and caressed me, and in that moment I learned that I will never be too old to receive motherly love, and that a mother will never outgrow her joy in giving it.

Consider the people in your life, including yourself, who are calling out for love. How can you give it? In your answer rests the key to your healing and freedom.

Help me to recognize calls for love, and give me the ability to respond.

My life is about connecting with my brothers and sisters. I live from the heart.