Today's Thought - May

[bluidkiti]

May 1

Healthy Limits

Boundaries are vital to recovery. Having and setting healthy limits is connected to all phases of recovery: growing in self-esteem, dealing with feelings, and learning to really love and value ourselves.

Boundaries emerge from deep within. They are connected to letting go of guilt and shame, and to changing our beliefs about what we deserve. As our thinking about this becomes clearer, so will our boundaries.

Boundaries are also connected to a Higher Timing than our own. We’ll set a limit when we’re ready, and not a moment before. So will others.

There’s something magical about reaching that point of becoming ready to set a limit. We know we mean what we say; others take us seriously too. Things change, not because we’re controlling others, but because we’ve changed.

Today, I will trust that I will learn, grow, and set the limits I need in my life at my own pace. This timing need only be right for me.

Today's reading is from the book The Language of Letting Go, Daily Meditations on Codependency

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May 2

May you live all the days of your life.

~Jonathan Swift

Indeed, life is much like a game—both a deadly serious one and one that demands laughter, relaxation, and the ability to play. Either way, life demands attention.

There is much of life that is truly exciting and fascinating—are we watching for it? There is hilarity and humor—do we see it? There are aspects of life that are touching and full of heroism—are we open to seeing them?

All these are not only present in some general, nebulous way about life, but about our lives! Right here where we live, in our lives today, there will be the hero and the goat, there will be disappointment and reason for wild celebration, there will be the beautiful and the horrible. The soap opera is not out there; it is right here with us, in us, all around us. The task is to be present in our own lives, to get our heads out of others’ reality, and to find the enormous meaning and vitality of our own.

Life is precious. Today, I will not take my life for granted.

Today's reading is from the book Days of Healing, Days of Joy, Daily Meditations for Adult Children

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May 3

Surround yourself with only people who are going to lift you higher.

~Oprah Winfrey

As we live within the recovering community, we will meet many types of people. We will meet some who take their recovery very seriously and others who don’t. We must remember that this is our life we’re fighting for. Addiction is a very dangerous and deadly illness. We need to surround ourselves with the best. We deserve it. An AA saying tells us to “Stick with the winners.” Why? So we, too, can be winners.

During our active addiction, we helped to bring out the worst in others. We supported our using friends in doing things that were dangerous and destructive. We argued and fought with our families until all sides were operating from the worst parts of their being. Now we learn attitudes and skills to support each other in being the best we can be. And the reward: we get to be the best we can be.
Prayer for the Day

Higher Power, please lift me higher. Please surround me with your love and with people who will give me love even when I don’t believe I deserve it.
Today's Action

Today I will make a list of the winners I see in my recovery community. I will make a commitment to get to know them and let them help me be a winner.

Today's reading is from the book God Grant Me, More Daily Meditations from the Authors of Keep It Simple

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May 4

Every forward step we take, we leave some phantom of ourselves behind.

~John Spalding

A recovering person once remarked that every day when he woke up, he said, “Okay, God, surprise me.” Although each day brings new challenges, there is one thing it won’t bring—perfection. Today we can expect a mixed bag of experiences with a wide range of emotions to match.

If we’re feeling discouraged or negative about our life, one way to cultivate an attitude of gratitude is to look back and see how far we’ve come. Remember, we seek “Progress, not perfection.” There is always something to be grateful for, including the ability to find something to be grateful for.

When life is so bad that I want to cry, I’ll try laughing instead.

Today's reading is from the book Answers in the Heart, Daily Meditations for Men and Women Recovering from Sex Addiction

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May 5

Being Grateful

Two kinds of gratitude: the sudden kind we feel for what we take, the larger kind we feel for what we give.

~E.A. Robinson

A wise man once said that gratitude is the “memory of the heart.” Every person in a Twelve Step group rediscovers that “memory of the heart.” The feeling of gratitude is found again in a fellowship of caring, sharing, friendship, and companionship that aims directly at recovery from whatever has possessed us. We are grateful, not only for escape from the torture of addiction, but for our freshened outlook on life as a whole.

We actually learn to be grateful for that addiction, for without it we would never have come to know the pure joy of getting clean and sober with those who understand because they are fellow sufferers wanting to stop suffering. That kind of gratitude goes beyond being thankful for the release from our addiction.

I have no reason for complaining “Why me?” for the pains unless I also exclaim “Why me!” in response to the many wonderful things that come to me in recovery.

Today's reading is from the book Easy Does It, A Book of Daily Twelve Step Meditations

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May 6

The events in our lives happen in a sequence in time, but in their significance to ourselves they find their own order.

~Eudora Welty

We will experience no coincidence today. All situations that transpire in the next twenty-four hours have their purpose. No single event, not the tired, hurried smile from a boss, the phone call from a frantic friend, or the cold response from a co-worker is without impact on our current perception of life. However, we shouldn’t try to evaluate the full significance of any passing event without God’s help. Letting our Higher Power offer us clarity regarding the circumstances in our life will ensure a healthy perspective.

We’ve all experienced trauma because we exaggerated a problem rather than calmly let our inner wisdom guide us. We’re only an impulsive thought away from a flurry of problems. Likewise, we’re only an instant away from peace and enlightenment. The quiet mind will be ever present if that’s our wish..

I’ll truly understand the events of today if I quietly let God reveal their significance.

Today's reading is from the book In God's Care, Daily Meditations on Spirituality in Recovery

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May 7

You've got to get up every morning
With a smile on your face,
And show the world all the love in your heart.
Then people gonna treat you better.
You're gonna find, yes, you will,
That you're beautiful as you feel.

~Carole King

Act "as if." There's magic in behaving the way we want to be, even though we don't yet feel it. The behavior seems to lead the way. The attitude, the mental state, follows.

Many days we may not get up with love in our hearts for our family, our friends, our co-workers. We may, in fact, want them to show their love for us first. But if we reach out, give love unconditionally, focus on another's needs, love will return tenfold. And the act of loving them will lift our own spirits. We will know love; we will feel love for ourselves and the many other persons close to us.

The attitude we cultivate, whether one of love or selfishness, inferiority or superiority, will determine how the events of our lives affect us. The principle is so simple. If we meet life with love, with a smile, we'll find love and something to smile about.

My attitude will make this day what it becomes. Meeting it head* on, with love, will assure me of a lovely day.

Today's reading is from the book Each Day a New Beginning, Daily meditations for Women

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May 8

When I hear somebody sigh, “Life is hard,” I am always tempted to ask, “Compared to what?”

~Sydney J. Harris

There is no question—life is hard at times. None of us escapes trials and challenges. And some of us truly seem to have more of them than others. So what are we to do with that realization? We cannot control most of what happens to us. We can only control how we respond to it. No two paths are the same. Self-pity is the response of someone who hasn’t yet learned to deal with adult life. Feeling sorry for ourselves is like having a hole in a bucket that allows our spirit and our strength to drain away.

Instead of reacting with self-pity, we remind ourselves that all things change and the difficulty we face today will also change. What is harder for us today will be easier tomorrow. We will have times of peace and satisfaction. Best of all, when we play a bad hand well, we have peace of mind, our inner strength grows, and we have something more in our bank of knowledge.

Today, I am grateful for life itself.

Today's reading is from the book Stepping Stones, More Daily Meditations for Men

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May 9

AA Thought for the Day

When we were drinking, most of us were full of pride and selfishness. We believed we could handle our own affairs, even though we were making a mess of our lives. We were very stubborn and didn’t like to take advice. We resented being told what to do. To us, humility looked like weakness. But when we came into AA, we began to be humble. And we found out that humility gave us the power we needed to overcome drinking. Have I learned that there is power in humility?
Meditation for the Day

I will come to God in faith and He will give me a new way of life. This new way of life will alter my whole existence, the words I speak, the influence I have. They will spring from the life within me. I see how important is the work of a person who has this new way of life. The words and the example of such a person can have a wide influence for good in the world.
Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may learn the principles of the good life. I pray that I may meditate upon them and work at them, because they are eternal.

Today's reading is from the book Twenty-Four Hours a Day, A Spiritual Resource with Practical Applications for Daily Life

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May 10

You feel the way you do right now because of the thoughts you are thinking at this moment.

~David D. Burns

Good thoughts are like bright colors in a painting. Negative thoughts are dark and dreary and drab. Each day we paint pictures of our own lives with our thoughts. If we step back and look at the canvas, we will see whether the picture is alive with bright colors or dreary and lifeless like a dark cloud.

Our thoughts have the power to bring joy or sadness our way, depending on what we expect or look for in our surroundings.

The choice of how we want our lives to be is ours. Since we paint a new picture each day, we are always free to change things when they don't please us. What better time than the present?

Is there something in my life I'd like to change today?

Today's reading is from the book Today's Gift, Daily Meditations for Families

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May 11

The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

~Chinese proverb

Life holds so many choices now that we are sober. We’d like to go so many places. We’d like to see so many things. We have so much to do.

We are slowly learning how to trust our dreams and reach for them. Our program teaches us that we live one day at a time. We make progress by doing first things first. Easy does it.

Our dreams may seem very big and far away. We wonder if we’ll ever get there, but our faith tells us to go for it. And we know how: one step at a time.
Prayer for the Day

Higher Power, help me know this gentle truth: my life matters. Help me set goals that I can grow toward, one step at a time.
Action for the Day

Today I’ll think about one of my goals. I will list ten little steps that will help me get there.

Today's reading is from the book Keep it Simple, Daily Meditations for Twelve Step Beginnings and Renewal

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May 12

Being human is difficult. Becoming human is a lifelong process. To be truly human is a gift.

~Abraham Heschel

The processes of becoming more human, becoming a real person, and finding spiritual enlightenment are very similar. They require slow growth over time. We can only follow these paths in small steps, one day or one hour at a time. Many of us grew up in families with an addicted parent. We, too, went to great excesses and have been abusive to ourselves and others. Because of these problems, we developed a distorted outlook on life. Now we still demand quick and complete fixes for recovery.

Our program says, “Look to this day.” It is a difficult path to learn, but we only take it in small steps. There are no instant fixes for any human being. Yet when we surrender to the reality of life, we are given the gift of true humanity. We feel like real people, we love others, and we enjoy the pleasure of true contact with them.

I am grateful I can be a part of the process. Help me give up my drive to control it.

Today's reading is from the book Touchstones, A Book of Daily Meditations for Men

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May 13

Dealing with anger

Anger has its place, but addicted people tend to let anger run away with them. The old saying “Be angry, but sin not” is a tall order for us. Two sins of anger are revenge and resentment. Either of them mixed with anger has a way of poisoning the angry one, both mentally and spiritually.

Since revenge and resentment are killers for us, it is best to turn over to our Higher Power the situations and people we are angry with.

How do I deal with my anger?

When I feel angry, whether justified or not, I pray that I keep my anger in check and turn it over.

Today I will deal with my anger constructively by…

Today's reading is from the book Day by Day, Daily Meditations for Recovering Addicts

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May 14

Reflection for the Day

Before finding recovery, I hadn’t the faintest idea of what it was to “Live in the now.” I often became obsessed with things that happened yesterday, last week, or even five years ago. Worse yet, many of my waking hours were spent clearing away the “wreckage of the future.” “To me,” Walt Whitman once wrote, “every hour of the day and night is an unspeakably perfect miracle.” Can I truly believe that in my heart?
Today I Pray

Let me carry only the weight of twenty-four hours at one time, without the extra bulk of yesterday’s regrets or tomorrow’s anxieties. Let me breathe the blessings of each new day for itself, by itself, and keep my human burdens contained in daily perspective. May I feel the balance of a soul that continues growing more connected to its Higher Power.
Today I Will Remember

Don’t borrow from tomorrow.

Today's reading is from the book A Day at a Time, Daily Reflections for Recovering People

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May 15

Be careful with amends.

Hurting someone thoughtlessly just to lift our own guilt is not a proper Step Nine. Amends are for rebuilding the burned bridges in our lives. But if amends will hurt someone, we must decide if it’s in that person’s best interest to be told now. Oftentimes it’s best left unsaid, but never denied to ourselves or to God.

Changing our behavior intentionally is one part of making amends, particularly to family members who may have heard us say “I’m sorry” far too many times. Repaying money, repairing damages, and making charitable contributions on behalf of the person we have harmed are all honest attempts to right our wrong. The point in every amends attempt is to take responsibility for what we did and express our regrets. Couple this with changed behavior, and our relationships will improve immediately.

I will not shy away from any amends I need to make today, but I’ll be careful not to hurt someone with information he or she doesn’t need to know.

Today's reading is from the book A Life of My Own, Meditations on Hope and Acceptance

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May 16

What is the nature of generosity? Beyond offering financial support to another being, it is an open-hearted sharing of our time, talents, and energy. How many times during our own struggles with addiction did others reach out and offer their aid? Feeling such support from others is uplifting in so many ways. It reminds us of our connection to one another and the fact that there is goodness in a world that so often seems callous to our unique suffering.

Those who consistently donate money, are emotionally available and welcoming in relationships, or volunteer in various settings comprise a force for good. Being the generous good king actually changes our neurochemistry, resulting in less depression and more happiness. It creates a life-enhancing upward spiral, a circular dance of connection in which we act our best without seeking any rewards, but receive many. As we nurture this quality in our hearts, minds, and behaviors, we become the beneficiary of tremendously favorable effects. We can gradually expand the circle of people with whom we are generous, moving from those with whom we are already comfortable or intimate to those who are not of our tribe.

I can extend a hand to anyone in need and really walk my talk.

Today's reading is from the book Cornerstones, Daily Meditations for the Journey into Manhood and Recovery

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May 17

Vulnerability

Some of us may have made a decision that no one was ever going to hurt us again. We may automatically go on “feelings freeze mode” when faced with emotional pain. Or, we may terminate a relationship the first time we feel hurt.

Hurt feelings are a part of life, relationships, and recovery.

Today, we don’t have to be so frightened of pain. It does not have to overwhelm us. We are becoming strong enough to deal with hurt feelings.

Maybe our pain is showing us we need to set a boundary; maybe it’s showing us we’re going in a wrong direction; maybe it’s triggering a deep healing process.

It’s okay to feel hurt; it’s okay to cry; it’s okay to heal; it’s okay to move on to the next feeling, when it’s time. Our willingness and capacity to feel hurt will eventually be matched by our willingness and capacity to feel joy.

Being in recovery does not mean immunity from pain; it means learning to take loving care of ourselves when we are in pain.

Today, I will not strike out at those who cause me pain. I will feel my emotions and take responsibility for them. I will accept hurt feelings as part of being in relationships. I am willing to surrender to the pain as well as the joy in life.

Today's reading is from the book The Language of Letting Go, Daily Meditations on Codependency

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May 18

Defeat may serve as well as victory
To shake the soul and let the glory out.

~Edwin Markham

So life has given us some dents. So what? Dents are necessary, besides being unavoidable and painful. Each dent is a part of the process that enables us to embrace life as a creative experience and to see the world in a new way, a way of compassion and understanding. Recovery is not a matter of escaping further blows or of disguising the dents we already have. It’s a matter of understanding what the dents mean and how we can work with them.

Dents are neither soft spots in our characters that should make us ashamed, nor saber scars that should make us proud. They are simply evidence that we have been alive for a while. Recovery offers us the chance to learn from our dents, to accept them as new spaces for growth. When we decide to see our dents as opportunities gained rather than opportunities lost, we stand much taller in our own eyes and in the eyes of others.

Today, I will look on my difficult life experiences in a new light. Today, I will plant some seeds.

Today's reading is from the book Days of Healing, Days of Joy, Daily Meditations for Adult Children

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May 19

Every passage has its price.

~Meredith Ann Pierce

Our life of active addiction had a price, and we paid it. It asked for our dignity, and we gave it up. It asked for our relationships, and we gave them up. It asked for our self-respect; we gave that up, too. We did whatever our addiction asked of us. We paid any price it asked.

Recovery will also ask us to ante up. We will need to surrender our wills and lives over to a Higher Power. We will need to go to meetings even when we don’t want to. We will have to work and help those who still suffer. We will have to make lists of wrongs done and make amends to those we have harmed. Yes, every passage has its price, even recovery.
Prayer for the Day

Higher Power, I pray for willingness to show up whenever and wherever recovery needs me to.
Today's Action

Today I will do something nice for someone. Freely doing for others helps me be more willing in the future.

Today's reading is from the book God Grant Me, More Daily Meditations from the Authors of Keep It Simple

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May 20

Spontaneity and Fun

Practice being spontaneous. Practice having fun.

The joy of recovery is that we finally get to experiment. We get to learn new behaviors, and we don't have to do them perfectly. We only need to find a way that works for us. We even have fun experimenting, learning what we like, and how to do what we like.

Many of us have gotten into a rut with rigidity, martyrdom, and deprivation. One of the “normal” experiences many of us have been deprived of is having fun. Another one is being spontaneous. We may not have the foggiest notion what we would like to do for fun. And we may hold ourselves in check so tightly that we wouldn't allow ourselves to try something fun, anyway.

We can let ourselves go a little now and then. We can loosen up a bit. We don't have to be so stiff and rigid, so frightened about being who we are. Take some risks. Try some new activities. What would we like to do? What might we enjoy doing? Then, take another risk. Pick out a movie we'd like to see; call a friend, and invite him or her to go along. If that person says no, try someone else, or try again another time.

Decide to try something, then go through with it. Go once. Go twice. Practice having fun until fun becomes fun.

Today, I will do something just for fun. I will practice having fun until I actually enjoy it.

Today's reading is from the book The Language of Letting Go

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May 21

Self-Examination

And the night shall be filled with music
And the cares that infest the day
Shall fold their tents like the Arabs
And as silently steal away.

~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Our nights once were the horror hours. Too often, our “friendly substance” had been exhausted, and we could only sob in anguish and cry out, “God help me.”

In recovery, many of us use those relaxing periods after going to bed for an examination of our victories and errors during the day that has just passed. These are the moments for seeking, through prayer and meditation, a more conscious contact with our Higher Power.

We examine what God’s will is for us and plan to carry it out. We devote time to meditating on the gifts recovery has brought us. We learn more about how to work and to profit from the Steps.

Solitude is a time to know my acts and thoughts. Have I sought gratitude and humility? Have I been helpful to others without seeking recognition? Have I been honest?

Today's reading is from the book Easy Does It, A Book of Daily Twelve Step Meditations

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May 22

I will radiate love and good will to others that I may open a channel for God’s love to come to all.

~Paramahansa Yogananda

Our spiritual well-being is hindered whenever we isolate ourselves, whenever we withhold our care and attention from the group or a friend. During these moments, our self-centeredness cuts off our connection to our Higher Power, causing peace to elude us and fear to set in.

The converse is also true. Whenever we selflessly express love and genuine concern for others, we can know the presence of God and can be exhilarated by that knowledge.

In this, we have freedom. No one else controls our thoughts or our decisions to give unconditional love and genuine attention to others. We are in charge. It is up to us to keep the channel to our Higher Power always open, always freely flowing. Our spiritual health is our responsibility and it’s an easy one to handle. The only requirement is that we offer love and goodwill to others.

I will enhance my spiritual health today by focusing my love on the women and men on my path so that I may feel God’s presence.

Today's reading is from the book In God's Care, Daily Meditations on Spirituality in Recovery

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May 23

Like an old gold-panning prospector, you must resign yourself to digging up a lot of sand from which you will later patiently wash out a few minute particles of gold ore.

~Dorothy Bryant

Sometimes we feel buried in sand, blocked, clogged, unable to move. Then we must remember that we are not alone. Help is at hand, if only we will ask for it. If we invoke our higher power, our source of spiritual strength can help us to believe that there is gold somewhere in all this sand, and that the sand itself is useful.

No one and no thing is good all the time. Let us remember that if we expect nothing but gold, we are distorting life, getting in our own way. We don't want to falsify the texture of our lives; the homespun quality helps us to appreciate the gold when it appears.

I will find some gold among the sand, today.

Today's reading is from the book Each Day a New Beginning, Daily meditations for Women

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May 24

Where there is great love, there are always wishes.

~Willa Cather

We can always think of ways to improve our intimate partnership, but usually our best ideas are for changes in our partner. We wish we had a more generous attitude from our partner; we wish we had a more agreeable partner—someone who was more fun or who would take better care of his or her health—and we want more sexual pleasure. But these ideas are the easy ones to think of. The harder and more effective ideas are those that call for changes in ourselves.

We enter into a life partnership to enjoy the relationship. We take pleasure in each other’s lives, and we are on the same team. But we don’t walk in the same footsteps because we all need to stand on our own as adults. Intimacy is not the merging of personalities but the bridge between separate people. Once we have our adult separateness, we can be more intimate, more loving, and more generous with each other.

Today, I will pay more attention to the ways I can be a better partner.

Today's reading is from the book Stepping Stones, More Daily Meditations for Men

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May 25

AA Thought for the Day

On the foundation of sobriety, we can build a life of honesty, unselfishness, faith in God, and love of our fellow human beings. We’ll never fully reach these goals, but the adventure of building that kind of a life is so much better than the merry-go-round of our old drinking life that there’s no comparison. We come into AA to get sober, but if we stay long enough we learn a new way of living. We become honest with ourselves and with other people. We learn to think more about others and less about ourselves. And we learn to rely on the constant help of a Higher Power. Am I living the way of honesty, unselfishness, and faith?
Meditation for the Day

I believe that God had already seen my heart’s needs before I cried to Him, before I was conscious of those needs myself. I believe that God was already preparing the answer. God does not have to be petitioned with sighs and tears and much speaking. He has already anticipated my every want and need. I will try to see this, as His plans unfold in my life.
Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may understand my real wants and needs. I pray that my understanding of those needs and wants may help to bring the answer to them.

Today's reading is from the book Twenty-Four Hours a Day, A Spiritual Resource with Practical Applications for Daily Life

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May 26

When you do something you are proud of, dwell on it a little, praise yourself for it.

~Mildred Newman

Each one of us is very good at something. Maybe it's baseball or tennis where we display talent. Maybe we're good in math or at giving reports. A few people are talented at being good listeners or helpful friends. To recognize our own talents, we may need help from others. It's always so much easier to see our faults, or the ways we don't meet our own expectations.

But the fact is we are all skilled in many areas of our lives. To accept praise-better yet, to quietly give it to ourselves-is a sign of healthy growth.

What things have l done well lately?

Today's reading is from the book Today's Gift, Daily Meditations for Families

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May 27

Fair play is primarily not blaming others for anything that is wrong with us.

~Eric Hoffer

It’s tempting to blame others for our problems. Recovery asks us to answer for our actions. Admitting we are powerless over alcohol and other drugs is a start. Each of the Twelve Steps asks us to answer for our actions in some way. The program shows us how to do this.

Over time, we see that being responsible for our actions is the best way to live. Our self-confidence grows as we become more responsible. We start to see just how much we can do. We have gone from being drunks to being responsible people. If we can do this, then we can do anything!
Prayer for the Day

I pray to remember that I’m responsible for my actions. Blaming puts distance between me and other people. Higher Power, help me to play fair.
Action for the Day

Today I’ll list four times I’ve blamed someone else for a problem that was really my problem.

Today's reading is from the book Keep it Simple, Daily Meditations for Twelve Step Beginnings and Renewal

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May 28

Self-realization is not a matter of withdrawal from a corrupt world or narcissistic contemplation of oneself. An individual becomes a person by enjoying the world and contributing to it.

~Francine Klagsbrun

After we admitted our self-destructive patterns and gave them up, there were many days when we said, “Now what? Is that all there is? I need some answers. How should I live? How can I feel whole? How can I feel like a real person?” These questions may feel too painful to answer. These are among the first spiritual questions we encounter in recovery, and we must not hide or escape from them. They are valuable to us, and we need to follow their urgings.

We are asking these questions as if they were new and unique. But through the centuries many people have asked them too. They found answers we can learn from. They tell us to get engaged with life, take time for reflection, learn to enjoy it where we can, and try to make a contribution.

Today, I will listen to my questions and doubts as urgings from my Higher Power, pushing me to grow. I will be involved in living.

Today's reading is from the book Touchstones, A Book of Daily Meditations for Men

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May 29

Sharing our sobriety

We cannot give away something we don’t have. And since the people closest to us forced us to see our inadequacies, our inability to love, most of us resented them. Although aware of the problem, we hated having it shown to us regularly. We were empty and scared. And there was no hope in sight, so we blamed our problems on those around us.

But in the program things change: first we get hope; then we get strength and experience to share with other alcoholics and nonalcoholics. We learn that in order to keep what we’ve been given so freely, we must give it away.

Do I share my sobriety with others?

Higher Power, help me be ever aware of the source of all the good things I’ve been given, and show me each day how to share them with others.

Today I will share my sobriety with…

Today's reading is from the book Day by Day, Daily Meditations for Recovering Addicts

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May 30

Reflection for the Day

The first psychiatrist to recognize the work of Alcoholics Anonymous, Dr. Harry Tiebout, used many concepts of the program in his own practice. Over many years, the doctor’s study of the “conversion experience” led him to see, first, that it is the act of surrender that initiates the switch from negative to positive; second, that the positive phase is really a state of surrender that follows the act of surrender; and third, that the state of surrender, if maintained, supplies an emotional tone to all thinking and feeling that ensures healthy adjustment. Am I living in a constant state of surrender?
Today I Pray

May I understand that I do not have to “unlearn” my respect for self-reliance, that trait of character that I heard praised so often from the time I was a tiny child. Only my understanding of the word must change. For as I come to know that my “self” is part of my Higher Power, there is no quarrel between self-reliance and Higher Power-reliance. May I rely upon my Higher Power and understand my Higher Power is part of me.
Today I Will Remember

I am not a Higher Power, but my Higher Power is part of me.

Today's reading is from the book A Day at a Time, Daily Reflections for Recovering People

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May 31

Believing that we deserve better is the first step.

Some people say there is magic in believing. Our expectations are powerful; they are self-fulfilling, in fact. And if our expectations are generally negative, we’ll find the circumstances of our lives pretty dismal too.

The good news is that when we expect better experiences, we’ll also find them. How does this work? Surely it requires more than just believing. But it really doesn’t. When we look for the good in every situation, we quite selectively see it. Making the choice to live this way means we’ll regularly see opportunities for opening doors to better lives.

The formula is simple: Our Higher Power’s plan for our lives is always for our benefit. Some part of that plan may be difficult to bear at first, but when we remember to believe that it is a positive opportunity, we’ll feel its potential for changing our lives.

I will monitor what I believe about every experience I have today. Looking for opportunities will help me see them.

Today's reading is from the book A Life of My Own, Meditations on Hope and Acceptance