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Old 09-26-2016, 07:06 AM   #26
bluidkiti
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September 26

Step by Step

“God willing, we members of AA may never again have to deal with drinking, but we have to deal with sobriety every day. How do we do it? By learning – through practicing the Twelve Steps and through sharing at meetings – how to cope with the problems that we looked to booze to solve, back in our drinking days.” – Alcoholics Anonymous, 3rd Edition, 1976, “They Lost Nearly All,” Ch 13 (“AA Taught Him to Handle Sobriety”), p 560.

Today, my higher power’s will and the 12 Steps will steer me from dealing with drinking again because my problem now is not drinking but living sober – living no longer in the problem but being a willing participant in the answer of living sober. In drinking, I experienced the answers that drinking had for me – fear, anger, disgust, regret, loneliness, pain, resentment. In sobriety, the answers aren’t as clear because I either have lived too long in alcoholism or lived most of my life without sobriety. The key to living in the answer instead of the problem is, indeed, the 12 Steps. And if they sometimes lead me to uncertain and even scary places because they are not familiar, I know they cannot be as frightening as the certainty of where drinking will take me again. Today, I choose – because now I have a choice – to live in the solution of sobriety and not in the problem of drinking. And our common journey continues. Step by step. – Chris M.

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

SEEKING BALANCE

Success is living a life that makes a difference. The question to ask is whether or not the world is a better place because of your efforts.

~ Anonymous ~

Most of our errors are small, but they can be very painful. They range from carelessness to excessiveness. The way to a comfortable existence is a balance between overdoing everything and being complacent. Finding a "half-way" point is necessary. Otherwise, we will bounce from self-pity to arrogance.

We understand that growth stops if we cannot make up our minds between being grandiose and sitting on the pity pot. We can be troubled by an excess of love as easily as being filled with hatred. All too often, we may say with regret, "I'm killing them with kindness." Inability to find balance in what life offers us may end in our being hurt or very disappointed. When we think problems and their solutions are black or white, either-or, and this or that, we make impulsive choices between only one or two alternatives. This gets us stuck.

Unless I practice balance, I will find myself in an emotional tug-of-war between extremes.

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

The Lord created me at the beginning of his work,
The first of his acts of long ago.

~ Proverbs 8:22 ~

All of God’s creation deserves respect. Many of us have felt that we were bad or worthless, or beyond the reach of genuine acceptance. If we believed in God, perhaps we thought we deserved God’s condemnation more than we deserved grace. Today we are reminded that we are part of creation. God is everywhere in creation and within us.

Certainly some of our actions were wrong. Certainly we must be accountable for our bad deeds. But what we do is not who we are. Our deeds are not our spirit. At the core, we are sacred creatures of God. Being accountable is a high and noble thing, and it is one way that we pay respect to ourselves and our God.

Today I will respect myself as part of God’s work.

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

I used to lament, “I’m drowning in a sea of apathy!” Now I rejoice in real emotion—mine, yours, all of ours.

~ DMG ~

Many of us were used to shutting down our feelings. We gladly used whatever “medication” was at our disposal: alcohol, pills, even food. We weren’t fussy. But emotions need to be acknowledged, so ours never really went away, even though we refused to feel them. They hid. Now they are back.

Handling anger, sadness, fear, and even joy takes patience. Feelings indicate what we are thinking. They aren’t necessarily good or bad, but they do influence our actions. Being aware of them, and understanding that they are within our control, helps us accept them, understand them, absorb them, release them. Feelings let us know that we care, that we’re alive and aware of the others in our lives. Let’s use our feelings, not hide them away or let them use us.

I prefer joy, but I will acknowledge every feeling that surfaces today. My feelings mirror my thoughts.

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

To me, spirituality is taking a bath while reading People Magazine.

~ Laura Davis ~

Feeding our spirit can be an adventure in originality. There are no rules that tell us where and how to meet our deepest spiritual needs. God can be found in a rainstorm, supermarket, or temple. Perhaps an ability to slow down lays the foundation for grace and fulfillment.

Our God seems to be closest to us when we relax and let ourselves, other people, and life, be. Stress and worry can block our spiritual channels. What a wonderful opportunity to find ways to relax with a deep “let go,” opening us up to layers of peace and renewal.

When we have trouble with our spiritual connection, perhaps we need to look for God in everyday life, even in relaxation and fun.

Today let me look for my Higher Power in new places.

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

Greed is a bottomless pit which exhausts the person in an endless effort to satisfy the need without ever reaching satisfaction.

~ Erich Fromm ~

Once there was a greedy boy who wanted the biggest of everything. One evening his mother prepared two dinners: one with enormous portions and one with average-sized portions. She purposefully cooked the larger portions so they were not as tasty as the smaller ones.

When it came time to eat, the boy saw the biggest slice of meat and requested it. He asked for the biggest baked potato and the biggest ear of corn. His parents began to eat their small but very tasty portions. But the boy’s meal was thick and tough. His potato was cold in the middle. And his ear of com had hard kernels. When it came time for dessert, the boy picked the biggest piece of chocolate cake. But the cake was dry and tasteless, and the boy went unsatisfied.

Most people equate greed with money and material objects. But greed can also reflect an insatiable hunger—for love, appreciation, attention, or success. While it is okay to hope and pray for change in recovery, it is not appropriate to want more than others have, to make demands, or to take from others in order to get more for you. There is no room for greed in recovery.

Today I will appreciate all that I have been given.

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

I will not meddle with that which I cannot mend.

~ Thomas Fuller ~

Sometimes we can effect change. Speaking up about something, suggesting an improvement, or learning a new skill can bring about a longed-for change. But we have to change ourselves first, not anyone, anywhere, or anyplace else.

We can take a moment now to think of those people or things we tried to change today. Then we can resolve not to keep trying to cause change or keep wishing things could change. If a button falls off our shirt, we can pick up a needle and thread and sew it back on. But if we see someone on the street without a button, we can’t change that situation. By looking to ourselves and mending our own fences, we won't so likely try to mend the fences of others.

Tonight I can think of people, places, and things I cannot change. Then I can resolve to leave them alone and work on me.

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

Being open to new ideas

Some of us get stuck in the past, in tradition. While there is great wisdom in all who have come before us, that’s not all there is. Even if we believe that there are no new ideas, new writers can help us because they understand our culture, they speak our language.

Consider this: At one time—perhaps recently—the Twelve Step program was a new idea to us.

Can I be receptive to new ideas?

Higher Power, help me see that I will be happier and progress faster if I stay open and flexible in my thinking.

To stay open in my thinking today, I will

God help me to stay clean and sober today!

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

i found god in myself and i loved her
i Loved her fiercely.

~ NTOZAKE SHANCE ~

Newcomer

I'm beginning to feel less afraid of people. I'm beginning to think that there's a place for me in this world.

Sponsor

Our journey through Steps Four through Nine makes clear to us that we've had a significant impact on the people we've encountered in our lives. Some of us view this information in its most negative light, focusing only on the need to acknowledge and amend any harm we've done. But there's a further way to experience this information. Our ability to have an effect on others' lives means that we can have a positive effect as well.

For many of us in recovery, finding our own voice has been a lifelong issue. Who are we? What do we have to say? Does anything about us make a difference in the world? Active addiction, fear, low self-esteem, and paralyzing anger have kept us from actively exploring these questions.

Recovery gives us the opportunity to "stake a claim" in the world without the fear of being crushed. We're here. Something inside us has begun to feel solid and sure. We're entitled to be here, to have desires, to have a voice.

Today, I am willing to take up space in the world. I am willing to be seen and heard.

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~ THE EYE OPENER ~

Famous Last Words: "If I had one more drink I could cut off." "Lord, get me out this one and I'll never touch another drop." "A glass of beer won't hurt me." "I'm sober, ain't I, I don't need the meetings." The list is too long to go on.

We constantly sell ourselves a phony bill of goods and then cry our eyes out when we find we have gypped ourselves, but it wasn't our fault, understand? If the wife hadn't, if the boss hadn't, if, if...

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

Humble, Open-Minded, Willing

Into Your hands, O Lord, I praise this joy,
this sorrow, this problem, this decision.
Into Your hands I praise each moment as it comes,
each event You send to me.
Into Your hands I put this thing I have to do
or suffer.
Into Your hands this love, this responsibility.
Into Your hands this weakness, this defect, this
failure, this wrong thing that I have done.
And so, finally, into Your hands I place my life as
a whole, all that I am; be it done according to
Your will.

~ Author unknown ~

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

THE THREE GIF|S

In the old fairy tales we were often told that when a little prince was born the fairies came to the christening with gifts. One is tempted to ask what gifts we would choose for ourselves if we had the ordering of such matters. What are the three best gifts that a child could be born with?

I suggest the following three: a good constitution, a good disposition, and horse sense. I think that a child endowed with these three qualities would have very few difficulties to meet in life.

I put a good constitution first because health is the greatest of all human blessings. On the other hand, people do not always realize how much difference a good disposition makes in oiling the wheels of everyday life. Finally, plain sense. I believe that horse sense, as it is called, is more important than the possession of any kind of mere ability or even great talents. We have all known men and women of the utmost brilliance, who apparently had every gift for success in life, but who, owing to a lack of simple, plain sense, came to shipwreck.

Now, supposing you feel that you were not endowed with one or any of these gifts, what can you do? Well, the Jesus Christ teaching tells us that no good thing for which we pray is withheld. If you want any of the above gifts for yourself, pray for it each day, by claiming it; and build it into your character by acting the part in every circumstance that arises.

. . . What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them (Mark 11:24).

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

My Other Whole

True friendship can occur only among equals.

~ Plato ~

While waiting to be seated at a restaurant, I overheard a customer tell the maƮtre d', "My other half will be here in just a minute." It seems to me that we diminish ourselves by defining ourselves as "a half" when we are in a relationship. Perhaps that is why so many of us have had difficulty maintaining our whole self in a relationship; how can we remember who we are when we trade our wholeness for halfness?

Relationships are multiplicative, not additive. lf you believe that you are less than whole and you look for someone else to make you whole, you will only lose, for your premise is faulty. One-half times one-half makes one-quarter, and you end up being even less than when you started. lf you bring yourself as a whole person to another whole person, one times one is still one, and you both remain whole as individuals and as a couple.

Most popular songs in our culture keep us small and needy. Nearly every "love" song bemoans our loneliness, wrings our hands over lost love, or celebrates finding the person who finally completes us. Rarely do we hear about whole persons who join with other whole persons to celebrate the riches we already own.

Good relationships are built on two individuals walking side by side to the light. The other person is not the object of our happiness, but a partner in adventure. We do not need these other people, but we can certainly enjoy them. They do not have the power to give or take away our good, but they can add depth, color, beauty, reward, and delight to our life. We love them not because they rescue us from the abomination we are, but because they remind us how beautiful we are. In such a golden consciousness, it would constitute blasphemy to define either of us as half, and sacred to acknowledge both of us as reflections of a complete God.

Help me to remember and honor my wholeness and that of my partner.

True love makes me stronger as I share it.
__________________
"No matter what you have done up to this moment, you get 24 brand-new hours to spend every single day." --Brian Tracy
AA gives us an opportunity to recreate ourselves, with God's help, one day at a time. --Rufus K.
When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on. --Franklin D. Roosevelt
We stay sober and clean together - one day at a time!
God says that each of us is worth loving.
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