Today's Thought - June

[bluidkiti]

June 1

The truest measurement of my growth and accomplishments is in remembering where I came from, where I’ve been, and where I’m going.

~Joan Rohde

Our daily routines can be so absorbing that we lose perspective on how we used to live. That’s okay. We need to be present to the moment. However, it benefits us to remember occasionally what our lives used to be like. Never getting too far from the insanity of our past helps us be grateful for the gifts that have become commonplace now.

We’ve grown as the result of recovery. For many of us, very little in our lives looks or feels the same. We have new friends, sober relationships, more self-esteem, and a positive direction.

A true gift of this new life is that we have hope. We know we can do great things. We know we lived through our traumas because we had not yet fulfilled our purpose, our part of God’s destiny. And we know we’ll get the guidance we need to fulfill that destiny if we remain committed to the program’s principles.

I am in a “growing” state of mind. My life is a rich and purposeful play directed by my Higher Power.

Today's reading is from the book A Woman's Spirit: More meditations for Women*

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June 2

Acceptance frees us.

Conflict can result from trying to change a person or situation that we don’t like. And conflict causes stress and agitation, both of which limit our lives. They steal our ability to be open to opportunities for growth and change.

Why is it so hard to accept situations we don’t like? Twelve Step programs tell us it’s because of our ego. We feel diminished when others don’t agree with our plan or our opinion. Our self-worth is tied to other people’s reactions.

But we can change. We can let the success stories we hear in this program inspire us to let others be. We will discover how much better we feel when we’re not on the battlefield with our friends and loved ones.

I don’t have to have conflict with other people today. I can let others be themselves and do what feels right to them. I’ll feel more at ease too.

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

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June 3

If you tell the truth, you don’t need to remember anything.

~Mark Twain

One thing that’s a lot easier in our life now is this—we can keep our story straight! We are learning that there’s one really good way to get along with people: Keep it simple. Just tell the truth.

It’s hard to do at first. We might think, “If people see the real me, what will happen?” We might be afraid of what will happen if we don’t lie or make excuses.

But telling the truth works! We find out we never did fool anyone anyway.
Prayer for the Day

Higher Power, make me honest.
Action for the Day

I’ll list all the ways honesty will help me in recovery. I’ll sign up to give a meeting on honesty.

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

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June 4

I loaf and invite my soul, I lean and loaf at my ease observing a spear of summer grass.

~Walt Whitman

How foreign the thought is to many men that we might make progress by loafing. Yet we probably have experienced it. We have felt more in tune with ourselves after taking a break. After an especially relaxing weekend, we feel more alive or clearer about ourselves. At those times, we have invited our soul and have been rejuvenated.

Centuries of spiritual practice from different ideologies have taught the need for quiet relaxation in some form to invite the soul. Some have practiced a Sabbath day each week, others a time of prayer every day—even several times a day. Others have practiced a daily period of deep meditation. Simply a period of loafing, with no particular goal in mind, may invite conscious contact with our Higher Power.

I pray for the ability to set aside my busy pace of life, my worrying and fretting, and my “take charge” attitude for a period of time today.

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

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June 5

Wisdom never kicks at the iron walls it can' t bring down.

~Olive Schreiner

God grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change. Many times—yesterday, last week, today, and even tomorrow—we'll come face-to-face with a seemingly intolerable situation. The compulsion to change the situation, to demand that another person change the situation, is great. What a hard lesson it is to learn we can change only ourselves! The hidden gift in this lesson is that as our activities change, often the intolerable situations do, too.

Acceptance, after a time, smooths all the ripples that discourage us. And it softens us. It nurtures wisdom. It attracts joy and love from others. Ironically, we often try to force changes that we think will "loosen" love and lessen struggle. Acceptance can do what our willpower could never accomplish.

As we grow in wisdom, as we grow in understanding, as we realize the promises of this program, we'll stand ready, as women, to weather all our personal storms. Like the willow in the wind, we'll bend rather than break. And we'll be able to help our sisters become wise through our example.

My lessons are not easy. But they will ease my way. Better days begin today.

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

[bluidkiti]

June 6

Helping “slippers”

Why do some of us suffer? Some of us have found stability in this fellowship, but others seem unable to, and still others must first experience untold hardships before they can accept it. Many times our hearts have ached at the seeming failure of Twelfth Step work.

We watch others suffer needlessly and sometimes die. We watch others repeatedly slip, and our hearts cry out to them. But remember, it could just as easily have been us. Let us reach out with humility; let us make the effort even if we can’t control the outcome.

Am I learning to live one day at a time?

When we surrender to our Higher Power, we put our lives in our Higher Power’s hands. Higher Power, help me express and show gratitude for the ways you lead my daily life.

Today I will try to help a person who has slipped by…

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

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June 7

Reflection for the Day

I believe today that I have a right to make spiritual progress. I have a right to be emotionally mature. I have a right to take pleasure in my own company, and that makes me more pleasant to be with. I also have a right to become willing—deeply willing, entirely willing—to make amends to all those I’ve harmed. Because I can now accept myself the way I am, I can accept other people the way they are—not entirely, but to a much greater degree than in the past. Have I begun to make friends with my Higher Power and thus with myself?
Today I Pray

May my Higher Power show me that it’s okay to like myself, even while trying to repair old wrongs and rebuild from splinters. May I keep telling myself that I am different, now, I have changed, I am a better and wiser and healthier person, I have made some good choices. As this “new person,” may I find it easier to make atonements for what happened long ago and in another spiritual place. May those I have wronged also find it easier to accept my amends.
Today I Will Remember

It’s okay to like myself.

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

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Jine 8

Fear not that life shall come to an end, but rather fear that it shall never have a beginning.

~Sebastian R. N. Champort

Our fears lock us up if we let them. They can prevent us from tasting adventure, from experiencing new wonders. We are often terrified of unknowns and fret about what might happen if we try something new. We worry if new people will like us—if we'll fit in.

It is natural to be cautious about the unknown, and anything new is just that. But we can keep our caution from becoming fear by taking action, with the faith that we never encounter anything we can't handle in some way.

Unknowns are merely joys we haven't met. We hold the keys to our own cages and can free ourselves when we use our courage and inner strength to overcome our fears.

What new joy can I discover beneath my fear today?

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

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June 9

If I don’t paint for one day, I don’t feel well physically or mentally.

~Raphael Soyer

Simple disciplines and routines that we establish in our lives can be nourishing and health-giving. Taking a morning walk, preparing a healthful breakfast, writing journal pages, setting aside time for meditation, attending a meeting of a Twelve Step fellowship, phoning a sponsor or sponsee—perhaps our daily routine includes one or more such activities.

At times we may be distracted from the disciplines we’ve created or tempted to rebel against them. We may mistakenly equate following a routine with dullness or lack of growth. In fact, the opposite is true. Routines can serve our recovery, creativity, and freedom. When our lives are rocked by change, whether positive or negative, our daily routines can help us to stay centered. Keeping to them faithfully sustains and strengthens us.

Today, I am faithful to routines that support my physical, mental, and spiritual health.

Today's reading is from the book Glad Day

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June 10

Having boundaries doesn’t complicate life; boundaries simplify life.

~Beyond Codependency

There is a positive aspect to boundary setting. We learn to listen to ourselves and identify what hurts us and what we don’t like. But we also learn to identify what feels good.

When we are willing to take some risks and begin actively doing so, we will enhance the quality of our life. What do we like? What feels good? What brings us pleasure? Whose company do we enjoy? What helps us to feel good in the morning? What’s a real treat in our life? What are the small, daily activities that make us feel nurtured and cared for?

What appeals to our emotional, spiritual, mental, and physical self? What actually feels good to us?

We have deprived ourselves too long. There is no need to do that anymore, no need. If it feels good, and the consequences are self-loving and not self-defeating, do it!

Today, I will do for myself those little things that make life more pleasurable. I will not deny myself healthy treats.

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

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June 11

You may drive out Nature with a pitchfork, yet she will hurry back.

~Horace

Birds don’t chirp because they want to please their listeners. They chirp because they’re birds, and they do it whether anyone listens or not. Like them, we are what we are—many of our best qualities are results of our individual natures, and the influence of other people has little to do with it.

Jane drinks because she’s an alcoholic, not because her husband is a nag. Kim is affectionate with her husband because she’s affectionate with everyone she loves. Kim is a toucher and a patter—that’s her nature. Kevin enjoys home building and repair projects. Kevin’s family may or may not deserve or appreciate his skill—but that’s not why he’s doing it.

We have little power to change anyone’s nature—even our own. It is a delusion to imagine that if others love us they would change or would do things the way we want them to. No one can manipulate a lion or chirp like a bird. Fundamental orientations to life are not amenable to manipulation.

As I grow in self-acceptance, I am learning to accept other people as they are.

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

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June 12

I really do believe that every human being has serious value. I’m in most people’s corner.

~Elaine Brown

To look past people’s flaws and see them as basically good is rare. There are many days when it is hard to look past our own flaws and see the goodness that lies behind our moods.

But we seem to be able to do just that when we sit in our meetings. We look past the illness of addiction; we look past each other’s character defects and keep reminding each other of the good that is part of us all. We cannot afford to let others give up on themselves. Our recovery is based on a collective “we.” If one of us does not have faith in themselves, then we allow shame to plant a seed.

There will be times we want to hide in our character defects; we will want to hide in shame. At these times we must remember, if we really believe we are good people, then aren’t we responsible to be good people? We must always ask ourselves, “Am I refusing to be in my own corner?”
Prayer for the Day

Higher Power, you are always in my corner. Help me to believe in myself and others. Help me to see past my character defects and to be responsible.
Today's Action

Today I will write down three times I thought I wasn’t “good enough” so that I could avoid responsibility.

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

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June 13

Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist when you grow up.

~Pablo Picasso

To be an artist is to be tuned in to and turned toward the new, saying yes to life in all its diversity and richness. Healthy children face life with openness and creativity. They make things, play make-believe, and create a world of beauty and delight.

We are still children if we dare to welcome the creative force within us and relate it back to the spontaneity and newness of our childhood. There may be shadows and even darkness to overcome, but if we are brave we can rediscover that childlike energy and freshness.

Picasso went on creating for over ninety years. He kept the child alive in himself for our delight. Even if we do not have his talent, we can be inspired by his example—to bring to life the creative child in us again.

I am glad to be getting in touch with the creative child who is still alive within me.

Today's reading is from the book Answers in the Heart

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June 14

Effort

We are responsible for the effort, not the outcome.

~Anonymous

During our addictive years, it was a common practice to work things backward. We were known to eat our dessert before our main meal, to celebrate before we won, to assume the outcome before the event.

The problem with this behavior is that it takes no account of reality. Things move from beginning to end. The alphabet reads from A to Z. This seems so simple, but it can be tricky for people who are used to taking shortcuts. Our program is best utilized by starting with Step One and moving through each Step in sequence. We often hear of people Two-Stepping the program, moving from Step One immediately to Step Twelve. This practice often causes relapse.

It is essential that I put all my effort into every Step. If I do, the outcome will take care of itself. All I affect is my effort, and that will always speak for itself.

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

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June 15

To be surprised, to wonder, is to begin to understand.

~José Ortega y Gasset

This universe is full of marvels. No one can begin to count them. Science, using advanced technology, uncovers more wonders of nature all the time. And for every one science explains, a dozen more come along to excite and baffle us. Even so, some of us, worshipping facts, tend to make a religion of science even when the “facts” keep changing. We would do better to make a religion of what science can’t even begin to explain. When we deaden our curiosity and abandon our sense of wonder, we lose touch with our Maker.

What a pity. For it is by observing the miracles of nature, the imponderables, that we can begin—just barely—to get a sense of the majesty of creation and the Force behind it. It’s when we realize there’s no way we can understand, that a glimmer of wisdom comes. And, if we’re lucky, a sense of awe.

Today I will yield to wonder and give thanks that I am part of something bigger than I can imagine.

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

[bluidkiti]

June 16

AA Thought for the Day

In AA we have three things: fellowship, faith, and service. Fellowship is wonderful, but its wonder lasts just so long. Then some gossip, disillusionment, and boredom may come in. Worry and fear come back at times and we find that fellowship is not the whole story. Then we need faith. When we’re alone, with nobody to pat us on the back, we must turn to God for help. Can I say: “Thy will be done”—and mean it?
Meditation for the Day

There is beauty in a God-guided life. There is wonder in the feeling of being led by God. Try to realize God’s bounty and goodness more and more. God is planning for you. Wonderful are His ways—they are beyond your knowledge. But God’s leading will enter your consciousness more and more, and bring you ever more peace and joy. Your life is being planned and blessed by God. You may count all material things as loss if they prevent your winning your way to the consciousness of God’s guidance.
Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may earn the rewards of God’s power and peace. I pray that I may develop the feeling of being led by God.

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

[bluidkiti]

June 17

Seeking strength from others prevents us from finding our own strength.

~Georgette Vickstrom

The principles of this program, the friends we have made here, our sponsors, and the contact we have with an ever-available Higher Power afford us valuable strength. However, it’s important that we develop our own strength to complement what we look for in others.

Using the tools acquired in this program is a good beginning for cultivating personal strength. It’s like growing a garden. We need to tend it daily, nurturing it, discarding the unproductive behaviors like weeds. When we do, we’ll discover that the seedlings we’re planting at every meeting are taking root and developing blossoms that signal positive growth.

I will be painstaking in nurturing my growth today. My strength will be there when I need it.

Today's reading is from the book A Woman's Spirit: More meditations for Women*

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June 18

Changing what we can is essential.

We come into this program exasperated because our attempts to change others have failed. We’d been certain that if the drinker stopped drinking and the boss quit nagging and the kids settled down, we’d be happy and secure. However, none of the above happened. Our subsequent desperation brought us to the program, and now good fortune is beginning to strike.

The first valuable lesson we learn is that we can’t change anyone else, no matter how lofty our motives or how domineering our personality. Screaming, pouting, pleading, bartering, crying, or leaving won’t make other people change. If they change, it’s because they have decided to change, not because we won.

Our second valuable lesson is that we can change. We can change what we expect of others. We can decide to let a Higher Power guide our actions. We can “lighten up.” We can focus our attention on this day only. We can trust that there is a plan for our lives and that all is well.

There is a lot I can do today. I’ll begin by keeping my attention on my behavior and working on my relationship with God.

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

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June 19

If and when we do become fathers, we will realize that, despite doing the very best we can, we are passing both gifts and wounds onto our children—just as our parents passed gifts and wounds on to us. We may react with dismay when our offspring use a similar nasty tone of voice or develop some of the same negative habits we exhibited in the past. Becoming a father always sheds new light on the struggles our own father experienced.

Though we may be very different from our parents, the process of raising children is a common bond we have with all our ancestors. In our attempts to correct the mistakes our parents made, we may choose a completely different style of parenting from that of our father, but we still walk in his shoes some of the time. This opens the door for us to have compassion for the times he was not the father we wanted, hoped, and needed him to be.

Perhaps, for instance, when we were in the throes of our addictions, our father had to withdraw to protect himself, even though we longed for his support. We do not condone his most serious errors, but we hold them in a larger field of understanding. This new perspective can help put us on a path of healing our relationship with him.

Raising my own children offers new possibilities for healing with my father.

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

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June 20

Dropping biases

Addiction is not biased, nor should we be biased in the program. Whatever our beliefs before we found this solution, it helps if we avoid letting them interfere with our Step Twelve work. There are few enough places where people are accepted regardless of status, religion, nationality, or appearance.

Each of us needs everyone else in the fellowship. Whatever the person’s background, skills, income, or looks, if an addict or alcoholic can carry the message of recovery, that person can save your life.

Am I letting go of all bias?

Higher Power, help me let go of my biases so that I can better help save lives.

Today I will take an inventory of my biases and practice letting them go by…

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

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June 21

I don’t ask for the meaning of the song of a bird or the rising of the sun on a misty morning. There they are, and they are beautiful.

~Pete Hamill

Nature is the mystical, spiritual miracle present all around us every day. A walk in the woods or a hike in a park provides us with abundant evidence that we are part of something much bigger than ourselves. No one sent the bird to sing its song; no person designed a tree and planned its leaves to come forth. They are just doing their own thing. Our whole world is generously decorated by spontaneous beauty, and our senses take them in at no cost.

When we feel burdened by our problems and when we are too focused on ourselves, a walk outdoors will surely lighten the load. We can feel the wind in our face, look up at the sky and see the big and ever-changing heavens, or lie on the ground and feel the support of the earth. It is always a good practice to turn to the natural world when we feel the need for spiritual refreshment.

Today, I will get outside myself by noticing the eternal world of nature.

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

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June 22

Reflection for the Day

Somewhere along the line, as we become more involved in the program, we reach a sharp awareness of the growth value of honesty and candor. When this happens, one of the first things we’re able to admit is that our past behavior has been far from sane or even reasonable. As soon as we can make this admission—without shame or embarrassment—we find still another dimension of freedom. In my gradual recovery, am I expectant that life will become ever richer and ever more serene?
Today I Pray

May I know—even as I take that mighty First Step, which may be the first really honest move I have made in a long time—that honesty takes practice. My old, deluded, head-tripping self is as different from the honest self that I must become as night is from day. May I realize that it will take more than just one gray dawn to change me.
Today I Will Remember

Honesty takes practice.

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

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June 23

My father didn’t tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it.

~Clarence Budington Kelland

We learn much of what we need to know about being men from models we have in other men. Some of us have fond memories of being next to our fathers and imitating their ways. Many of us also have the feeling of a gap in our models. Perhaps our fathers weren’t around enough, or we may have rejected some of their habits and values, creating an uncertainty about masculine roles. We may feel unsure of ourselves, or we may berate ourselves for what we don’t know.

It is well to remember how much we have already learned in our adult years. It is never too late. No man ever reaches adulthood having learned everything from his father that he will need to know about masculinity. We can look around us for more models in the men we know. For a man to be our model, we first choose someone we admire and then get to know him well. In this way, we carry on the human tradition of one man learning from another.

I am continuing to grow, and I can learn from the men I know now.

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

[bluidkiti]

June 24

Let the gentle bush dig its root deep and spread upward to split one boulder.

~Carl Sandburg

There is a fable about the sun and wind having a contest to see who can get the old man to take his coat off first. The wind blows fiercely, but the old man just pulls his coat tighter around him. Finally, the wind gives up and the sun comes out. The sun shines a steady warm light down on the old man, who soon takes his coat off.

More and better things are accomplished in this world by kindness and gentleness than by force. When we find ourselves most frustrated, it is often because we are trying to force certain things to happen. Our own patient and steady desire to grow, fed by the love and kindness of others, will not be stopped by anything or anyone. Our own gentleness is a powerful force in our lives. It is like the gentle bush that grows through granite.

What can I gain by gentleness today?

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

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June 25

Service is the rent you pay for room on this earth.

~Shirley Chisholm

None of us could have reached this day entirely on our own. Each of us can look back at moments in our lives when we’ve been helped or encouraged by another person. A family member, teacher, sponsor, or friend may have offered us mentoring or unconditional love. The words or example of a stranger, a public figure, an artist, or a writer may have afforded us inspiration at just the moment when we needed encouragement.

We can do no less for others as we continue on our journeys. We do not have to take responsibility for others’ lives, nor should we disregard our own needs. But there are many ways we can make a difference, each according to our preference. We can offer time and talent to our community, recovery program, or family of choice. We can share our experience, strength, and hope with individuals or groups. We can show up and do some of the work that’s necessary to maintain the institutions that have offered so much to us. We can keep it by giving it away.

Today, I express my gratitude through service, freely given.

Today's reading is from the book Glad Day: Daily Meditations for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender People*

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June 26

Letting Go of Old Beliefs

Try harder. Do better. Be perfect.

These messages are tricks that people have played on us. No matter how hard we try, we think we have to do better. Perfection always eludes us and keeps us unhappy with the good we’ve done.

Messages of perfectionism are tricks because we can never achieve their goal. We cannot feel good about ourselves or what we have done while these messages are driving us. We will never be good enough until we change the messages and tell ourselves we are good enough now.

We can start approving of and accepting ourselves. Who we are is good enough. Our best yesterday was good enough; our best today is plenty good too. We can be who we are, and do it the way we do it—today. That is the essence of avoiding perfection.

God, help me let go of the messages that drive me into the crazies. I will give myself permission to be who I am and let that be good enough.

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

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June 27

I made you a kite so you would have to look up.

~Uncle Pete

Friends and helpers. No matter how bleak the times, if we keep looking we can almost always find one of these human rays of sunshine. But we have to keep looking.

A man at a meeting of adult children told about just such a person in his past. It was his Uncle Pete, a man who was well aware of his nephew’s heavy problems. Although he couldn’t do much about the boy’s unhappy situation, Uncle Pete did the one thing he could do—he built the boy a kite. As he told the story now, the nephew said that he had flown the kite once in a while, but he really hadn’t liked it much.

Years later, he asked his uncle why he had given him that particular gift. And the uncle answered, “I made you a kite so you would have to look up.”

Chances are that in our past—and perhaps still today—there are those who try the best they can to build us a kite. They encourage us and compliment us; they tell us they care while we question their motives and doubt their sincerity. We can look for such people in our lives.

Today, I will be less guarded, less defensive, less suspicious.

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

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June 28

Live your beliefs and you can turn the world around.

~Henry David Thoreau

Having beliefs is one thing, but living them is—well, that’s hard.

Living by the Steps is a different type of living. The Steps are a set of beliefs that are spiritual in nature. Living these beliefs will turn a person’s world around, from decay and isolation to growth and fellowship. Living by spiritual beliefs releases healing, transformative powers. We just need to hang on! Spiritual adventures are coming our way.

Spiritual adventures occur because our Higher Power believes in us and will continue to place us in situations that demand that we believe more and more in ourselves. With each new adventure, we end up loving ourselves more and more.
Prayer for the Day

Higher Power, help me to live my beliefs so I can be touched by you. I need your strength and the adventures you will give to me.
Today's Action

I will write down what my beliefs are. How do I see and allow spiritual beliefs to direct my life?

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

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June 29

It is not only for an exterior show or ostentation that our soul must play her part, but inwardly within ourselves, where no eyes shine but ours.

~Michel de Montaigne

One of the first things we learn in recovery is that we have choices. This can be a startling realization, for as addicts, we gave our lives over to the comforting delusion that we had no choices, that we were victims of life.

We face many choices during the day. In fact, everything we do is a choice. We may think the small choices—what to wear, what to eat, whether to call a friend, whether to go to a meeting—are unimportant, but together they make up the fabric of our lives.

It is those choices, made one at a time, that we lean on when we have to make big choices. And our ability to be abstinent, the most important choice of all, is determined by the small choices we’ve made out of love for ourselves and commitment to our recovery. We can be grateful that recovery has restored to us the power of choice.

I may be powerless over my addiction, but I’m not helpless. I can make choices.

Today's reading is from the book Answers in the Heart

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June 30

Fear

Fear is the darkroom where negatives are developed.

~Michael Pritchard

Fear haunts so many of us. Fear is behind all our resentments. It attacks us when we are alone and isolated. It can wreak havoc on us when we are by ourselves. We see only dark clouds over our heads; all appears hopeless and negative.

We have meetings because we do not face our fears alone. The program is not a program of us talking to ourselves. We need the fellowship and our fellow travelers. When we overcome the fear of asking for help, the program will give us all the support we need. But the fellowship is not composed of mind readers. We have to open our mouths and share our struggles. Remember, when we share experience, we can also be sharing our troubles. We share problems as well as solutions.

My fears have a way of dissolving when I share them with my sponsor and fellow members.

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