Daily Recovery Readings

Many daily readings and links to recovery sites



Please find a daily reading and start your day off with a positive attitude. This is a recovery group and does not advocate or represent any one group. This is a social and information group about recovery. no one can see what is here but other members of the group. You are free to leave whenever you want. If you do not know how you got here and want to leave and do not know how to message me and I will delete from the group. Privacy setting on secret Good morning here is your daily readings From many different daily meditation books. also, there will be recovery links at the end of the readings please check them out if you need resources. There will be links to all forms of recovery. Let this be part of your daily toolbox. -----------------Dennis Knapp

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NA Just For Today

Regular Prayer And Meditation

"Most of us pray when we are hurting. We learn that if we pray regularly, we won't be hurting as often or as intensely."

Basic Text, p.44

Regular prayer and meditation are two more key elements in our new pattern of living. Our active addiction was more than just a bad habit waiting to be broken by force of will. Our addiction was a negative, draining dependence that stole all our positive energy. That dependence was so total, it prevented us from developing any kind of reliance on a Higher Power.

From the very beginning of our recovery, our Higher Power has been the force that's brought us freedom. First, it relieved us of our compulsion to keep taking drugs, even when we knew they were killing us. Then, it gave us freedom from the more deeply ingrained aspects of our disease. Our Higher Power gave us the direction, the strength, and the courage to inventory ourselves; to admit out loud to another person what our lives had been like, perhaps for the first time; to begin seeking release from the chronic defects of character underlying our troubles; and, at last, to make amends for the wrongs we'd done.

That first contact with a Higher Power, and that first freedom, has grown into a life full of freedom. We maintain that freedom by maintaining and improving our conscious contact with our Higher Power through regular prayer and meditation.

Just for today: I will make a commitment to include regular prayer and meditation in my new pattern of living.

pg. 232

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Daily Reflections 

REDOUBLING OUR EFFORTS

To a degree, he has already done this when taking moral inventory, but now the time has come when he ought to redouble his efforts to see how many people he had hurt, and in what ways.

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS , p. 77

As I continue to grow in sobriety, I become more aware of myself as a person of worth. In the process, I am better able to see others as persons, and with this comes the realization that these were people whom I had hurt in my drinking days. I didn't just lie, I lied about Tom. I didn't just cheat, I cheated Joe. What were seemingly impersonal acts, were really personal affronts, because it was people - people of worth - whom I had harmed. I need to do something about the people I have hurt so that I may enjoy a peaceful sobriety.


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Twenty-Four Hours A Day

A.A. Thought For The Day

"The tremendous fact for every one of us is that we have discovered a common solution. We who have found this solution to our alcoholic problem, we who are properly armed with the facts about ourselves, can generally win the entire confidence of another alcoholic. We who are making the approach to new prospects have had the same difficulty they have had. We obviously know what we are talking about.

Our whole deportment shouts at new prospects that we are people with a real answer." Am I a person with the real answer to the alcoholic problems of others

Meditation For The Day

For straying from the right way there is no cure except to keep so close to the thought of God that nothing, no other interest, can seriously come between you and God. Sure of that, you can stay on God's side. Knowing the way, nothing can prevent your staying in the way and nothing can cause you to seriously stray from it. God has promised peace if you stay close to Him, but not leisure. You still have to carry on in the world. He has promised heart-rest and comfort, but not pleasure in the ordinary sense. Peace and comfort bring real inward happiness

Prayer For The Day

I pray that I may keep my feet on the way. I pray that I may stay on God's side.

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As Bill Sees It

Who Is To Blame?, p. 222

At Step Four we resolutely looked for our own mistakes. Where had we been selfish, dishonest, self-seeking, and frightened? Though a given situation had not been entirely our fault, we often tried to cast the whole blame on the other person involved.

We finally saw that the inventory should be ours, not the other man's. So we admitted our wrongs honestly and became willing to set these matters straight.

Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 67

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Walk In Dry Places

Am I getting too busy?

Time Management. 

It's always risky when a recovering person gets too busy for meetings. It's also dangerous when business and personal concerns crowd out interest in the program.

We should never deceive ourselves by thinking that we're somehow safe just because our time is filled with useful and interesting work. Many of us have a tendency to become addicted to "busy-ness". Though less destructive than drinking, this serves as an escape, just as alcohol did.

The danger is that when the work no longer satisfies us, we'll find our lives becoming empty again. We could then be very vulnerable to taking a drink.

We should never be too busy for the wonderful, constructive work of the program. Far from taking time away from our other actives, work in the program will enhance everything we do.
I'll try to balance my activities today, making sure that I have time for the program.


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Keep It Simple

There are time we must grab God's and walk forward.--- Anonymous

Sometimes we struggle with being part of the problem, instead of being part of the solution.

Inside we know this, but somehow we can't Let Go and Let God.

To let go takes faith that the outcome will be okay. When we have faith, we know our Higher Power believes in us and will guide us. When we have faith, we believe in ourselves.

When we let go, we let go of our need to always be right. Letting go first takes place on the inside. Letting go allows us to change how we view what's happening. Often, all we really need is this change of attitude. This is the beauty of faith: it allows us to see the same thing in different Ways.

Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, permit me to let go. Let me see that believing in You must also mean believing in myself.

Action for the Day: I will review my life since entering the Twelve Step program. I will work at seeing what good partners my Higher Power and I make.


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Each Day a New Beginning

The growth of understanding follows an ascending spiral rather than a straight line. --Joanna Field

We each are traveling our own, very special path in this life. At times our paths run parallel to each other. On occasion they may intersect. But we do all have a common destination: knowledge of life's meaning. And we'll arrive at knowledge when we've arrived at the mountain's summit, separately and yet together.

We do not go straight up the side of the mountain on this trip. We circle it, slowly, carefully, sometimes losing our footing, sometimes back-tracking because we've reached an impasse. Many times we have stumbled, but as we grow in understanding, as we rely more and more on our inner strength, available for the taking, we become more sure-footed.

We have never needed to take any step alone on this trip. Our troubles in the past were complicated because we did not know this; but now we do. Our lifeline is to our higher power. If we hang onto it, every step of the way will feel secure. The ground will be stable under us.

I am on a path to full understanding. I am learning to trust the lifeline offered by the program and God and my friends. As I learn, my footing is less tentative, and it supports me more securely.

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Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

MORE ABOUT ALCOHOLISM

Fred’s story speaks for itself. We hope it strikes home to thousands like him. He had felt only the first nip of the wringer. Most alcoholics have to be pretty badly mangled before they really commence to solve their problems.
p. 43

 

MY BOTTLE, MY RESENTMENTS, AND ME - 

From childhood trauma to skid row drunk, this hobo finally found a Higher Power, bringing sobriety and a long-lost family..

Other hobos I met taught me the safest way to hop on a moving freight train and how to protect myself. They told me who were the easiest people to get a handout from and how to scam them. My biggest problem at the time was to find a way to get enough to drink to keep the reality of my life at bay. I was consumed by hate! For the next six years I went from skid row to skid row. One boxcar headed in any direction was as good as the another. I had no place to go. One thing about it, I never got lost, because I never cared where I was! I crossed the United States three times, with no plan, no reason, not eating half the time. I hung out with other misfits like myself. Someone would say they were hiring in Florida, or New York, or Wyoming, and off we'd go. But by the time we would finally get there, they would say they were not hiring anymore. That was all right, because we didn't want to work anyway.
p. 440


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Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Step Five - "Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs."

More realism and therefore more honesty about ourselves are the great gains we make under the influence of Step Five. As we took inventory, we began to suspect how much trouble self-delusion had been causing us. This had brought a disturbing reflection. If all our lives we had more or less fooled ourselves, how could we now be so sure that we weren't still self-deceived? How could we be certain that we had made a true catalog of our defects and had really admitted them, even to ourselves? Because we were still bothered by fear, self-pity, and hurt feelings, it was probable we couldn't appraise ourselves fairly at all. Too much guilt and remorse might cause us to dramatize and exaggerate our shortcomings. Or anger and hurt pride might be the smoke screen under which we were hiding some of our defects while we blamed others for them. Possibly, too, we were still handicapped by many liabilities, great and small, we never knew we had.

pp. 58-59

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Joy is the echo of God’s life in us.

--Abbot Columba Mormion

"It is only possible to live happily ever after on a day to day basis."

--Margaret Bonnano

Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart ... Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens.

--Carl Jung

"We generally change ourselves for one of two reasons: inspiration or desperation."

--Jim Rohn

"The time is always right to do what is right."

--Martin Luther King, Jr.

"What the caterpillar calls the end, the rest of the world calls a butterfly."
--Lao Tsu


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Father Leo's Daily Meditation

FAITH "Faith must trample underfoot all reason, sense and understanding."-- Martin Luther

An obstacle to my understanding the spiritual life was my intellectualization; my head was forever getting in the way of my heart. It was much easier to me to think rather than to feel; my faith was smothered by logic. My manipulating and controlling mind was stopping me experiencing the adventure of faith.

The poet in me grew as I began to trust others. God became alive in my confusion. The answer was in not having to have the answers. Today spirituality involves all the varied confusions and paradoxes of life that I have discovered in me and in others --- and it's okay.

Today the love I give and receive is beyond my wildest dreams, and I smile at the joy of my confusion.

May my head unite with my heart in the daily maze of life.

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"Seek the Lord and His strength; seek His face evermore!"

1 Chronicles 16:11

"For all of God's promises have been fulfilled in him. That is why we
say "Amen" when we give glory to God through Christ."
2 Corinthians 1:20




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Daily Inspiration


Whatever the problem, stressing over it will not solve it. Lord, I turn to You for solutions because I believe that You care for all of my needs. Bless me with the ability to remain level headed and calm as we work our way through my day.
Never forget that home is Heaven and life on earth is only temporary. Lord, may I live with deep awareness of my spiritual nature and live a life of truth.


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Today's Gift.

It may be those who do most dream most. --Stephen Leacock

Where would we be without the dreamers of the world--the ones who took the time to balance on the edge of wonder? Amazing connections, powerful images, and creative ideas come to us in daydreams. They creep in when we least expect them, like sleek cats, then make their presence known to us with a gentle pounce.

When we give ourselves permission to daydream--to sit for a while and do nothing but be quiet with our thoughts, we give ourselves a precious gift. And who knows, we just might be giving the world a priceless gift, too! Out of the seeds of some of our dreams, great ideas will blossom.
What first step can I take today to make a dream come true?


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Touchstones.

According to the teachers, there is only one thing that all people possess equally. This is their loneliness. --Hyemeyohsts Storm

Many of us have tried to find a way to outwit our loneliness, or to escape its truth. We have learned that we cannot. As fathers looking at our children we may wish to spare them this pain. As men with our mates, we have dreamed of an ideal connection where all loneliness was dispelled.

We can't obliterate loneliness. But we can learn to accept and deal with it. There is no need to compulsively cover all traces and all reminders that we are alone. We can accept this universal truth. We are alone, but so is everybody. We can make true contact with each other out of our aloneness. True intimacy with another man or woman comes out of first seeing our separateness, and then bridging the gap.

Today, I accept the feeling of loneliness as part of life. I can make contact with my brothers and sisters, knowing we are all in the same condition.


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Each Day a New Beginning

....the growth of understanding follows an ascending spiral rather than a straight line. --Joanna Field

We each are traveling our own, very special path in this life. At times our paths run parallel to each other. On occasion they may intersect. But we do all have a common destination: knowledge of life's meaning. And we'll arrive at knowledge when we've arrived at the mountain's summit, separately and yet together.

We do not go straight up the side of the mountain on this trip. We circle it, slowly, carefully, sometimes losing our footing, sometimes back-tracking because we've reached an impasse. Many times we have stumbled, but as we grow in understanding, as we rely more and more on our inner strength, available for the taking, we become more sure-footed.

We have never needed to take any step alone on this trip. Our troubles in the past were complicated because we did not know this; but now we do. Our lifeline is to our higher power. If we hang onto it, every step of the way will feel secure. The ground will be stable under us.

I am on a path to full understanding. I am learning to trust the lifeline offered by the program and God and my friends. As I learn, my footing is less tentative, and it supports me more securely.


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The Language of Letting Go.

Letting Go of Perfection

As I journey through recovery, more and more I learn that accepting myself and my idiosyncrasies - laughing at myself for my ways - gets me a lot further than picking on myself and trying to make myself perfect. Maybe that's really what it's all about - absolute loving, joyous, nurturing self-acceptance. --Anonymous

Stop expecting perfection from yourself and those around you.

We do a terrible, annoying thing to others and ourselves when we expect perfection. We set up a situation where others, including ourselves, do not feel comfortable with us. Sometimes, expecting perfection makes people so uptight that they and we make more mistakes than normal because we are so nervous and focused on mistakes.

That does not mean we allow inappropriate behaviors with the excuse "nobody's perfect." That doesn't mean we don't have boundaries and reasonable expectations of people and ourselves.
But our expectations need to be reasonable. Expecting perfection is not reasonable.

People make mistakes. The less anxious, intimidated, and repressed they are by expectations of being perfect, the better they will do.

Striving for excellence, purity in creativity, a harmonious performance, and the best we have to offer does not happen in the stymied, negative, fear-producing atmosphere of expecting perfection.

Have and set boundaries. Have reasonable expectations. Strive to do your best. Encourage others to do the same. But know that others and we will make mistakes. Know that others and we will have learning experiences, things we go through.

Sometimes, the flaws and imperfections in ourselves determine our uniqueness, the way they do in a piece of art. Relish them. Laugh at them. Embrace them, and ourselves.

Encourage others and ourselves to do the best we can. Love and nurture others and ourselves for being who we are. Then realize we are not merely human - we were intended and created to be human.

Today, God, help me let go of my need to be perfect and to unreasonably insist that others are perfect. I will not use this to tolerate abuse or mistreatment, but to achieve appropriate, balanced expectations. I am creating a healthy atmosphere of love, acceptance, and nurturing around and within me. I trust that this attitude will bring out the best in other people and in me.

Today I know my Higher Power is guiding me through the changes I choose to make in my life. I have all the energy I need today to make these changes as easily and effortless as I wish. --Ruth Fishel


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Journey to the Heart

Find Places of Healing

Find places of healing. Discover people, things, and places that nourish your soul, bring you back to center, help you heal.

Life is not an endurance contest. Not anymore. We are not in a race to see how long we can go without, how much we can go without, how much pain we can stay in. Although sometimes we go through dry spells and droughts, we are not cactuses.

There is a place in each of us that wants to heal, that can heal, that will heal. It's a peaceful place, one of nourishment, replenishment, peace, safety, comfort, and joy. It's a place of love and acceptance. It's a place of forgiveness, honesty, openness, nurturing, and kindness. You can find it quickly, if that's what you're seeking. You will recognize it instantly because of how it feels. It will bring you back to center. It will bring you back to calm. It will bring you back to joy.

Find places of healing. Then go there often. They are yours for the asking, yours for the seeking. Healing places are an important part of the journey.

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More Language of letting go

It's all a gift Men are not angered by mere misfortune but by misfortune conceived as injury. And the sense of injury depends on the feeling that a legitimate claim has been denied.--C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters

Oh, the grousing about we do, especially when we feel denied of one thing or another-- some reward, or achievement, or position that we felt belonged to us.

How enraged we may become when a wish, a hope, a dream, or a want is blatantly denied.

How easy it is to be jealous of the success or happiness of another, even convincing ourselves that the person has laid claim to something that rightfully belonged, instead, to us.

The lesson here is simple.

Remember to be grateful. God doesn't owe us anything. All of it is a gift.

God, thanks for everything, just as it is.

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Worthiness

Accepting Our Calling by Madisyn Taylor

Our worth of being on the planet at this time cannot be judged as we are all worthy and essential to being here now.

The issue of worthiness may come up in many areas of our lives, as we ask, often unconsciously, whether we are worthy of success, love, happiness, and countless other things, from supportive relationships to a beautiful home. In the end, though, it all comes down to one thing: our willingness to claim our space in this life as humans on this planet at this time. When we accept our divinity, we no longer question whether we are worthy, because we know that we are meant to be here to fulfill a particular purpose, a purpose that no one other than us can fulfill.

There are no replacements who can take over and live our lives for us, no other person who has had the experiences we have had, who has access to the same resources and relationships, who carries the same message to share with the world. Our purpose may be large or small, and in most cases it is multi-leveled, with important actions taking place on the interpersonal level, as well as in terms of the work we do in the world. Small acts of kindness share the stage with large acts of sacrifice, and only through accepting and honoring our divinity can we know what we are called to do and when.
Ultimately, we are all equally, exactly, completely worthy of being here in this life. Moreover, we are all essential to the unfolding plan of which we are each one small, but important, part. If we suffer from low self worth, it is because we have lost track of understanding this truth, and allowing it to guide our actions in the world. Seeing ourselves as part of something larger, as beings called to serve, is the ultimate cure for feelings of unworthiness. In the end, it’s not about evaluating ourselves as worthy or unworthy, so much as it’s about accepting that we have been called here to serve and taking the steps required to listen and respond to what our lives are asking us to do. Published with permission from Daily OM


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One More Day 

Few men are so miserable as not to like to talk of their misfortunes…. – Maria Edgeworth

“Don’t get stuck in a conversation with Harry. He’ll bore you to death telling you his problems.” We have all had the experience of being warned away from a certain person. There have probably even been times when we were the “Harry” others tried to avoid. It’s normal to dwell on our troubles, and we all like to talk about them. There is an added responsibility on our shoulders now that there is a medical problem present.

We can minimize that problem by becoming aware of what we are doing and by saving our long medical conversations for the people who really care and need to know. Otherwise, we will find that our friends will slip away, uncertain of how to bear the burden of our changed health.
Caution will become my watchword as I learn to live with my altered health problems.


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A Day At A Time

Reflection For The Day

We’ve been our own worst enemies most of our lives, and we’ve often injured ourselves seriously as a result of a “justified” resentment over a slight wrong. Doubtless there are many causes for resentment in the world, all of them providing “justification.” But we can never begin to settle all the world’s grievances or even arrange things so as to please everybody. If we’ve been treated unjustly by others or simply by life itself, we can avoid compounding the difficulty by completely forgiving the persons involved and abandoning the destructive habit of reviewing our hurts and humiliations. Can I believe that yesterday’s hurt is today’s understanding, rewoven into tomorrow’s love?

Today I Pray

Whether I am unjustly treated or just think I am, may I try not to be a resentful person, stewing over past injuries. Once I have identified the root emotion behind my resentment, may I be big enough to forgive the person involved and wise enough to forget the whole thing.


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In God’s Care

August 10

God has an exasperating habit of laying his hands on the wrong man. ~~Joseph D. Blinco

At times it seems grossly unfair that we are in the position we find ourselves. Either we aren’t ready to deal with the circumstances we encounter, or the people we find ourselves with don’t understand our problems. We feel we’re with the wrong people in the wrong place at the wrong time. But is this true?

How many times have we heard a nugget of wisdom from an unlikely source? Each of us can remember the comfort of a smile, a kind word, or a piece of sound advice from someone whom we least expected it from. Perhaps this was God’s way of reminding us that we all have value to each other and to God. We are never in the wrong place or in the wrong hands.
I will try to remember that there is a purpose for everything in my life.


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Food For Thought

No Compromises

Where abstinence is concerned, there can be no compromising. In order to control our illness, we are willing to go to any lengths to maintain abstinence. Nothing else is as important to us.

If we are eating in a restaurant where the right kind of vegetable is not available, we can order two salads or do without a vegetable for one meal, rather than substitute a starch which will activate our disease. We learn what we can handle and what is not for us, and then we act on that knowledge in every situation. To compromise “just this once” is an invitation to trouble.

Just as we have a certain way of eating for the maintenance of our recovery, so we have a way of living based on the principle of rigorous honesty. Honesty in all of our activities is what makes us strong and effective. Where the core principles of our program are concerned, we do not compromise.
By Your grace, may I maintain my integrity in all situations.


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One Day At A Time

LOSS“

The act of giving something up is painful. But as we negotiate the curves and corners of our lives, we must continually give up parts of ourselves. The only alternative is not to travel at all on the journey of life.” M. Scott Peck

As I look back over my life, I can remember many losses. Some came about by death, some by the circumstances of life, and others by choices I made. All of my losses were painful, but only three were traumatic. Whenever I gave something up there was a period afterwards when my life wasn’t the same as it had been before. The amount of pain I experienced and the length of its duration were not contingent upon the seeming “severity” of the loss. Death was final, but not the most traumatic for me. Letting go of something takes many forms.

Though my most traumatic losses were those I experienced at the end of a relationship, there were other losses, too. I lost my youth and I mourned that. I lost a part of my life when a decades-long career gave way to retirement. I lost my role as mother when my children grew up and I found myself with an empty nest. I lost my identity when the disease I have had for a lifetime caused me to reach bottom and, in the process, took the “me who was” along with it. And I lost another part of myself when I accepted the reality of my marriage and let go of the storybook dreams I once had.

My Twelve Step program has enabled me to go through a mourning process for each loss I experienced. I have allowed myself to grieve and feel the feelings. And when all this was done, God’s grace allowed me to heal.

One day at a time ... I will learn from those things I had to give up ...
and I will continue my journey in serenity and peace.

~ Mari

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AA 'Big Book' - Quote

Alcoholics who have derided religious people will be helped by such contacts. Being possessed of a spiritual experience, the alcoholic will find he has much in common with these people, though he may differ with them on many matters. If he does not argue about religion, he will make new friends and is sure to find new avenues of usefulness and pleasure. He and his family can be a bright spot in such congregations. He may bring new hope and new courage to many a priest, minister, or rabbi, who gives his all to minister to our troubled world. We intend the foregoing as a helpful suggestion only. So far as we are concerned, there is nothing obligatory about it. As non-denominational people, we cannot make up others' mind for them. Each individual should consult his own conscience. - Pgs. 131-132 - The Family Afterward

Self Importance

I will get my mind off of the treadmill. There is more to life than my worries and obsessions. Just for today I won't give every little thing more importance than it deserves. In the scheme of things, all of my petty annoyances aren't all that important. I don't have to take them so seriously that they disturb my inner peace. When I am constantly preoccupies with all that's wrong, I forget to remember all that's right. Self importance is different from valuing myself. Self importance gets me tied up in mental knots, valuing myself is nourishing and loving.

I will get out of my own way today

- Tian Dayton PhD

August 10 

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Step by Step 

"I did not know that I had no power over alcohol, that I, alone and unaided, could not stop; that I was on a downgrade, tearing along at full speed with all my brakes gone, and that the end would be a total smash-up, death or insanity. I had already feared insanity for a long time ...I was not just drunk, I was crazy." - Alcoholics Anonymous, 3rd Edition, 1976, "They Stopped in Time," Ch. 13 ("Stars Don't Fall"), p 408. 

Today, let me not forget that drinking propelled me not into mere drunkenness but into a blackened fog that defies any definition of responsible conduct. As such, my recovery hinges not only on total abstinence but also on spiritual and emotional repair of the dysfunctional thought and behavioral patterns that were either acquired by my drinking or worsened by it. And, even if I tell myself I am still unconvinced of a higher power, let me thank whatever force pulled me back from the "crazy" to find this program and let me not claim "credit" for finding it alone. Likewise, just as I did not come into the program on my own strength, let me accept that not drinking also cannot depend on my own strength. May I cling to whatever it was that rescued me so that I can progress in the program and in sobriety. Today, let me remember that I am doomed to repeat my past if I don't learn from it, and the most important lesson that I have is to continue trusting whatever force salvaged me from "crazy." 

And our common journey continues. Step by step. - Chris M. 

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~ EASY DOES IT ~ 

(A Book of Daily 12 Step Meditations) 

A SELFISH PROGRAM

A person shows their true self by how much they need other people. ~ Anonymous ~

What giving we have discovered in our Fellowship! From the very first meeting, we received an outstretched hand that offered us help. People gave freely and asked nothing in return. We, who had known so much taking, could hardly believe what we experienced. It just didn't seem real.

The reality is no put-on. There is a spirit of selfless fellowship in our Program. But the truth is that those who are giving are also keeping. The gem they are holding onto is their recovery. Only those who give what they have found away can keep it.

Every time we share with another human being, we add something to our spiritual bank account, allowing us to draw on it when extra demands are made upon our courage. In the measure in which we share our burdens, they become lighter.

Imagine people saving their lives by giving them away! Oh, that I can only be so selfish! 

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~ WISDOM TO KNOW ~ 

(More Daily Meditations For Men) 

In every marriage more than a week old, there are grounds far divorce. The trick is to find, and continue to find, grounds for marriage. ~ Robert Anderson ~

What is the purpose of a loving partnership? It is to enjoy the relationship. We reach adulthood with only the tools and expectations we learned as children about close relationships. Those childhood experiences, good or bad, are what we unconsciously play out unless we continue to develop. The intensity of adult love and passion can carry us into deep water, beyond our ability to trust, honor, and partner with someone. When we look at what we are asking from our partner, it is often the thing we would ask of the perfect parent. 

Now it is time to become adult and carry our share. Rather than focus on what we want in a partner, we need to learn to be the best partner we can be. Each partner sets the standards for a good relationship. We cannot allow ourselves to say, “I only act this way because my partner acts that way.” When we don’t give that excuse, when we expect the best of ourselves regardless of our partner, we set the standard that we seek, and the relationship changes. 

Today I will be the best partner I can be, regardless of what my partner does. 

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~ A WOMAN’S SPIRIT ~ 

(More Meditations For Women)

 Life is short; eat dessert first. ~ Joy Sommers ~

Some say that attitude is everything. Many of us have endured abusive families, unreasonable bosses, and the uncertainty of illness. But not all of us carry the pain and fear of the past into the present. We have found new patterns of thinking and behaving now that we’ve come to this program for help. Here we cultivate the attitude that we each are doing the best we can with the knowledge we have. We can forgive ourselves for our transgressions.

When we decide to let go of experiences that can’t be changed, we find so much more joy in the present. The decision to seek joy and love now is like eating dessert first. The quickening pace of our lives as we age is reason enough to grasp every moment and savor its joy.

Being more light-hearted today promises me memories worth savoring. 

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~ TODAY I WILL DO ONE THING ~ 

(Daily Readings for Awareness and Hope)

I want to face my anxieties

I used to always think something bad was going to happen. It was less a thought than a general feeling. I wasn't aware of it all of the time—but it was there. I wanted to prevent it, but I didn't know how. I didn't really know what to prevent. Worrying like that made it harder for me to relax, harder for me to get anything done.

One day I finally got tired of worrying so much, realized I needed help, and contacted my counselor. First, she reassured me that many folks in recovery from addiction experience anxiety. She said it might subside over time, but that I could talk with a psychiatrist if I wanted to. Then she taught me a helpful relaxation exercise that I could practice at home, whether I consulted a doctor or not. Just acknowledging my anxiety helped me feel better that day-just as it does today.

I will make a list of what I am worried about today and trust that I can get help. 

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~ BODY, MIND, AND SPIRIT ~ 

(Inspiration and Support for Recovery) 

Forgiveness is better than revenge; for forgiveness is the sign of a gentle nature, but revenge the sign of a savage nature.~ Epictetus ~

We remember how it felt when we plotted revenge against past enemies. If we are honest with ourselves we probably will remember feelings of anger, power, control, and frustration. If the actual vengeful act was carried out, we probably then experienced more anger, more frustration, and more pain. 

These feelings have no place in a successful recovery. They inhibit our growth by keeping alive our past guilt, envy, and anger. Now that we have come to learn the wisdom of a Twelve Step approach to life, we can see the folly of revenge. This cannot be positive when our feelings are so destructive.
Forgiveness grants us a different kind of power. It gives us a chance to experience kindness, understanding, and humility. We become gentle in nature and more able to use our minds for positive change. We can recognize the destructive powers of vengeful thoughts, and work to change. We can understand why people have hurt us, and learn to forgive. In forgiveness, we heal, and we are healed.

Today let me build a friendship with forgiveness. 

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~ MORNING LIGHT ~ 

(Meditations to Begin Your Day) 

To change one’s life: Start immediately. Do it flamboyantly. No exceptions. ~ William James ~

Did you know that a mayfly, an aquatic insect, has a life span that ranges from thirty minutes to nearly a day? So when you hear people say, “Life is short,” it may seem to be a false statement when you compare the life span of a human being to other living creatures.

You may live for many more years, but each of these years is made up of precious moments. Squander these moments, put off doing something that needs immediate attention, or take for granted that you will have plenty of time to do what you need to do in the future, and you may find—at some point in your life—that you have wasted the time you had.

Strive to live each day as if it were your one and only beginning. Imagine that you are like the mayfly, with only a single twenty-four-hour period in which to fully appreciate your life and to take care of all of those things that need tending. Start now on your new beginning, and you will be that much farther down that road tomorrow.

I only have one today. How can I make it into a new beginning? 

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~ NIGHT LIGHT ~ 

(A Book Of Nighttime Meditations) 

. . . We look upon Niagara and say, wonderful—thinking nothing of all that makes its glory and majesty possible. We look upon a man or woman of character; we are lost in admiration, but we omit to consider the thousand influences, conscious and unconscious, which have gone to make up the result.~ Stephen S. Wise ~

We are molded and influenced by countless people, beginning with our parents. Relatives, friends, lovers, co-workers, and neighbors all play a role in making us who we are.

We may wish to blame others for who we are when we see only our negative sides. But we have positive sides, too, that may be admired. And just like our negative sides, people help shape our positive sides.

A lake at the base o[a mountain range gets its origin from the highest mountain, when its snowy cap is melted by the sun. This one trickle of melted snow expands into a stream, and then a river, by the countless trickles that feed into it. We, too, are like that lake. We are beautiful as we stand alone. Yet we must remember all the energy that contributed to our beauty.

Tonight I can be grateful for the people who have had a positive influence on me. I am beautiful because they showed me I am. 

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~ DAY BY DAY ~ 

(Daily Meditations for Recovering Addicts)

Adapting to the world

“Live only in today; don’t worry about to-morrow.” That’s a fine ambition, we may think, but what does it mean? “Living in today” means dealing only with what is at hand now and the available courses of action.

If we are worrying about matters in the past or future, or out of our realm, we can disengage ourselves from them. We cannot bend the world to our will.

Am I learning to fit myself to the world?

Higher Power, help me remember to conquer myself, not the world.
Today I will practice adapting myself to whatever happens by

God help me to stay clean and sober to day! 

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~ IF YOU WANT WHAT WE HAVE ~ 

(Sponsorship Meditations) Nursing her wrath to keep it warm . . .~ ROBERT BURNS ~

Newcomer

A friend of mine treated me badly in the past. I feel uncomfortable whenever I think of her. Do I have to forgive her? Does she belong on my amends list?

Sponsor

Anger is a common human feeling; we can discharge it in a variety of ways that don't hurt us or anyone else, then move on. But grudges long and deeply held are something else. Obsession with what others have done poses a threat to our recovery.

Suppose we've taken an honest look at our own role and know that we ourselves did no harm. We may even have reviewed the conflict with a sponsor therapist, or spiritual adviser and are convinced that we're not deluding ourselves. We don't make amends to those we haven't harmed.

Relief comes only if we understand and accept that there are sick and suffering people, both in and out of recovery. We don't have to tolerate further harm, but we can choose not to pursue revenge or confrontation with those who are deluded, spiritually ill, or undeveloped. We can pray for their healing, as well as our own.

Today, I entrust the healing of all forms of sickness to my Higher Power. 

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~ THE EYE OPENER ~

As it is almost impossible to remain entirely anonymous, our membership carries with it grave responsibility.

Once we were drunks and we “ain't any more.” All your friends and neighbors know it. Sooner or later they will ask you about it and if you answer them at all it is probable that you will have to admit your membership in our Fellowship.

We will be watched constantly thereafter, for AA is on trial with a hopeful yet skeptical world, and as we succeed or fail so will AA succeed or fail.

Guard your anonymity well, if you can, but, if you can’t—then guard AA well. 

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~ The 12 STEP PRAYER BOOK ~ 

(A Collection of Favorite 12 Step Prayers and Inspirational Readings)

Surrender to God's Will

O Lord, You know what is best for me. Let this or that be done as You please. Give what You will, How much You will, When You will. 

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~ AROUND THE YEAR WITH EMMET FOX ~ 

(A Book of Daily Readings) 

GOD'S ABUNDANCE FOR YOUR NEED 

THE TENTH COMMANDMENT 

Thou shalt not covet . . . any thing that is thy neighbor's (Exodus 20:17).

There are several phrases concerning coveting, You are not to covet your neighbor's house, nor his wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his cattle, nor anything that is his. Much of the evil in the world is caused by wanting something to which one is not entitled. Moses knew what covetousness does to us in what we call today the unconscious or the subconscious.

Coveting affects the soul of man. Even if your coveting never leads you to take anything that does not belong to you, it undermines and ultimately rots your soul. It shuts you off from God. Why? Because to covet something means that you do not understand the Law of Being. You do not understand that whatever you are getting or lacking is the out picturing and expression of your consciousness. Until you understand that you cannot be saved.

There is not anything in the world that you ever conceived of that God has not got in abundance. God's supply is infinite, and to envy someone else because he seems to have more is to deny your own contact with God. 

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~ A DEEP BREATH OF LIFE ~

(365 Daily Inspirations for Heart-Centered Living) 

The Lord in the Tree Pray as if all depends on God, and act as if all depends on you. ~ George Washington Carver ~

Two men were walking in a field when a bull charged them. One man scampered up a tree while the other stood defiantly in the bull's path. "Get up here, you idiot!" called the man in the branches.

"The Lord will protect me!" retorted the other man.

The bull butted the man vehemently and went on his way triumphantly, leaving the obstinate fellow dazed and confused. The first man came down from the tree to help his bruised friend.

“I thought for sure the Lord would help me!'' complained the injured man.

"He tried," answered his friend. "Didn't you hear Him calling you from the tree?"

A request for help from an unseen power often manifests itself through earthy channels. God's wonders are not restricted to supernatural miracles. Often miracles occur through people and tangible messages here on earth.

If you are looking for an answer to a question or problem, you may receive it through physical means. Someone may hand you a book, invite you to a lecture. Or speak a phrase that resonates within you. You may feel a tingling in your spine, get goose bumps, or simply feel a sense of clarity or fulfillment. Be sensitive to your feelings and energies when such a sign is presented. The word angel means "messenger,” and your message may come anytime through any means stay awake to listen!

Help me stay open to hear Your voice. Let me receive Your answer and act upon it.

I act upon the messages Spirit sends me. 

Recovery links below

In the rooms
AA
NA
CA
ACOA
Co-Counseling
AA Fourth edition Big Book
NA White Booklet, Narcotics Anonymous
Links to AA
Agnostic AA 12 Steps
Letting Go
We died
Co-Dependency and Enabling.
HOW TO JEOPARDIZE YOUR RECOVERY:
How Alcohol Causes Depression
Recovery Pictures
No Matter What
Spiral Steps
Oxford House
AA GRAPEVINE