Today's Thought - August

[bluidkiti]

August 1

It is what we all do with our hearts that affects others most deeply.

~Gerald Jampolsky

If we vigilantly let our heart determine how we are to respond to every situation or experience in our life and to every person with whom we’re sharing our journey, our path will be less bumpy. We have the opportunity every moment to ensure a smooth trip today. By choosing to see and speak from our heart, we’ll find peace. We’ll be offering the gift of peace to others, too.

Our heart is the home of our Higher Power, whose wish for us is peace, joy, and a constant state of inner well-being. These gifts are ours to experience through the act of sharing our peace, joy, and love with others.

We never need to long for security, stability, or better outcomes in our life. We can learn how these gifts are contained in our own actions.

I desire peace and joy in my life today and I will feel it every moment that I listen and act from my heart.

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

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August 2

I used to think, this is just the way I am. Now I know that I create myself anew—every day.

~Jill Clark

Even when we wallowed in drugs and self-pity, we were in charge of our choices. Try as we might to blame others for our failures, the buck stops here.

The necessity of taking responsibility for our entire life may be one of the hardest lessons we have to learn. We can start accepting responsibility by following the example of others in this circle of recovery. We can quit blaming parents, teachers, siblings, or neighbors for our problems and habitual defects of character.

We must finally accept that we always had choices on how to respond to every transgression against us. As youngsters we may not have felt empowered to stand up for ourselves, but we must take that step now or be forever stuck in the patterns of the past.

Today is a clean slate. I will be me, whoever I decide “me” is. I will become a work of art today.

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

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August 3

The wise person questions himself, the fool others.

~Henri Arnold

We pray for wisdom, and sometimes we achieve it. The strongest and wisest of men are not threatened by questioning their own answers. If we draw conclusions and blindly stick to them, we can never learn anything new. We have often made the mistake of avoiding the appearance of ignorance.

Instead, we are at our best when we give ourselves the privilege of being a learner. When someone tells us something we don’t understand or agree with, our best response is to ask for more information. We can take our ego out of the equation, surrender our need to be right, and simply try to learn what is being told to us. What is it that I don’t understand here? What does the other person see that I am missing? When we attain a moment of wisdom, we are open to learning.

Today, I will give myself the privilege of being a learner.

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

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August 4

AA Thought for the Day

“There was nothing left for us but to pick up the simple kit of spiritual tools laid at our feet by Alcoholics Anonymous. By doing so, we have a spiritual experience which revolutionizes our whole attitude toward life, toward others, and toward God’s universe. The central fact of our lives today is the absolute certainty that our Creator has entered into our hearts and lives there in a way which is indeed miraculous. He has commenced to accomplish those things for us that we could never do for ourselves.” Have I let God come into my life?
Meditation for the Day

The moment a thing seems wrong to you or a person’s actions to be not what you think they should be, at that moment begins your obligation and responsibility to pray for those wrongs to be righted or that person to be changed. What is wrong in your surroundings or in the people you know? Think about these things and make these matters your responsibility. Not to interfere or be a busybody, but to pray that a change may come through your influence. You may see lives altered and evils banished in time. You can become a force for good wherever you are.
Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may be a co-worker with God. I pray that I may help people by my example.

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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August 5

Young man, the secret of my success is that at an early age I discovered I was not God.

~Oliver Wendell Holmes

Sometimes, in our families, we try to get parents or brothers or sisters to treat us the way we want them to, to do things we want them to. When they're upset or angry with us, we try to get them to stop, rather than allowing them to be angry.

But our feelings are ours alone, and only we are responsible for how we feel. Those around us are not the cause of our feelings. We are.

This knowledge is a big responsibility, because we know we cannot blame others for our bad moods. But it is a fact. And this fact is also a wonderful freedom for us, for it means that we also have the power to make ourselves happy, no matter what goes on around us.

How can I make myself happy today?

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

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August 6

The future is made of the same stuff as the present.

~Simone Weil

We found we didn’t need magic to recover—we needed a miracle! Now we are walking miracles. Part of our miracle is that we see how important today is. We can’t change our future unless we change today. So we live “One day at a time.” By living today well, we make our future better. There is comfort in knowing that the program will be there. Friends will be there. Hope will be there.

Old-timers say sobriety is easy if we go by one simple rule: don’t drink or do drugs and go to meetings. Life can get simpler for us. The rules of life are simple: they don’t change much. Staying sober will be easier for us over time.
Prayer for the Day

Higher Power, help me keep my sobriety simple. Help me accept the rules of life.
Action for the Day

I will list three things that will be there for me tomorrow and the next day, because I’m working on them today.

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

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August 8

One cannot always be a hero, but one can always be a man.

~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

In our former grandiose, all-or-nothing lifestyles, many of us have had a lot of experience being heroes and being failures. Until we had achieved some sanity, we didn’t have much experience with being ordinary, genuine men. Many of us thought there was something fundamentally wrong with us. We tried to be great, and when we failed we felt less than human. Our shame in those experiences seemed to say we would never be normal again.

We are learning that being genuine is far more fulfilling than being great. We no longer have to swing between the opposite extremes of hero and coward. When we become honest with ourselves, we develop an internally respectful relationship with ourselves. That is when we become true men. The courage it has taken for us and others on this journey to become honest is heroic in the deepest sense of the word.

As I find the courage to be honest, I will become more genuine.

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

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August 8

Adapting to the world

“Live only in today; don’t worry about tomorrow.” 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…

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

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August 9

Sharing My Story Helps Me Stay Sober

About five years ago, long after discharge and well into recovery, I had the honor of speaking to a lot of people at a recovery reunion. Telling my story helps keep me sober. And it’s great to meet all these individuals who get it—they understand even though they didn’t go through the exact same things. They’ve got similar struggles. Similar stories.

You get together with guys from all over the country and you talk about all the stuff you’ve experienced—your parents, your military time, whatever—all the insanity that we inflicted on ourselves and others when we were trying to numb ourselves with alcohol. The dishonesty, the craziness. The way we used people.

You hear it all the time: stay connected, stay connected, stay connected. And I do. If I’m having a bad day, I know I can pick up the phone and call any one of them and they’ll be there for me. We’ll talk for fifteen or twenty minutes. It helps, and that bad day is not as bad as it first seemed.

Today I’ll connect with a friend in recovery to thank them for being there for me and to assure them I’m there for them too.

~Joe K., U.S. Coast Guard, 1988–1996

Today's reading is from the book Leave No One Behind: Daily meditations for Military Service Members and Veterans in Recovery*

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August 10

Reflection for the Day

Inventory taking isn’t always done in red ink. It’s a rare day when we haven’t done something right. As I uncover and face my shortcomings, my many good qualities will be revealed to me also, reminding me that they have the same reality as my faults. Even when we’ve tried hard and failed, for instance, we can chalk that up as one of the greatest credits of all. I’ll try to appreciate my good qualities, because they not only offset the faults but give me a foundation on which to grow. It’s just as self-deceptive to discount what’s good in us as to justify what is not. Can I take comfort in my positive qualities, accepting myself as a friend?
Today I Pray

If I find only defects when I look in that Fourth Step mirror, may I be sure that I am missing something—namely my good points. Although my ultra-modesty may be approved socially, may I learn that it is just as dishonest as rationalizing away my faults. Even an out-and-out failure, if examined from all sides, may turn up a plus along with the obvious minuses.
Today I Will Remember

To give myself, if not an A for effort, at least an average B?minus.

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

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August 11

“… our lives had become unmanageable.”

The busyness of our lives keeps us believing that we are in control, that we are managing just fine. And no doubt there are some things we are handling: Meals are cooked. We haven’t missed many days of work. We’re on top of the bills too, maybe. But we aren’t peaceful. What’s wrong?

For many of us, our incessant thinking, running, doing, is what’s wrong. We are on a treadmill of activity that passes for good management. We are desperate to show other people that we are just fine. In reality, we are being managed by our obsession to stay busy. If we are busy, our lives don’t seem so close to falling apart.

What a gift this program is offering us! We can get off the treadmill. We can slow our thoughts to a more natural pace. We can prioritize the things we must do today. We can follow the example of others who understand our obsession.

I will quietly go about my life today. Doing one thing peacefully is enough to accomplish.

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

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August 12


Way down yonder by myself, oh I couldn’t hear nobody pray.

~African American Spiritual

Most of us have experienced, at some time or another, how a simple word of encouragement from another person can suddenly ease our labor. We may have been struggling under the burden of what seemed like an insurmountable task, weighed down by fear, depression, shame, or self-hate. Simple words of reassurance from one other person were all it took to turn us around. Hearing positive words from another gave us faith and confidence. We felt comforted, enlivened, and motivated to continue our efforts.

We, too, have the ability to make a difference by speaking simple words of encouragement. We only need to remember how far we have come and to trust the capacity of our spirits to grow and expand in unexpected and positive directions.

Today, I speak simple words of encouragement to others and to myself.

Today's reading is from the book Glad Day

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August 13

we have done or our part in a problem. Other times, instead of saying “I’m sorry,” what we need to do is work on changing our behavior with a person.

There are times when bringing up what we have done and apologizing for it will make matters worse.

We need to trust timing, intuition, and guidance in this process of making amends. Once we become willing, we can let go and tackle our amends in a peaceful, consistent, harmonious way. If nothing feels right or appropriate, if it feels as if what we are about to do will cause a crisis or havoc, we need to trust that feeling.

Attitude, honesty, openness, and willingness count here. In peace and harmony, we can strive to clear up our relationships.

We deserve to be at peace with ourselves and others.

Today, I will be open to making any amends I need to make with people. I will wait for Divine Guidance in the process of making any amends that are not clear to me. I will act, when led. God, help me let go of my fear about facing people and taking responsibility for my behaviors. Help me know I am not diminishing my self-esteem by doing this; I am improving it.

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

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August 14

the principle is that battles aren’t wars but rather a series of campaigns. No one wins every time, or can expect to. And some battles aren’t worth fighting anyway.

Fighting a battle isn’t hell—our unrealistic expectations are. When we strike out against some old attitude or behavior, we have to realize we’re in for the long haul. When the enemy is some aspect of ourselves, we are up against a formidable opponent that won’t give up easily. We have to expect that there will be many battles—and not a few defeats. The winner is the one who perseveres longest.

Only continued effort wins the war; we can’t lose if we don’t quit.

Today, I pray for persistence in the face of many defeats. I ask my Higher Power for courage to keep at it.

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

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August 15

The human mind treats a new idea the way the body treats a strange protein; it rejects it.

~P. B. Medawar

All of us are guilty of rejecting what seems foreign to us. As active addicts we heard, “You should get sober,” and we rejected the idea. We rejected any idea that got in the way of our using. As our illness progressed, we became closed-minded and rigid. The primitive parts of our brain controlled our lives.

Recovery pushes us to be open-minded—to put ideas before instincts, to place principles before personalities. We are to stop and think about what will happen if we start using again. We call it thinking through the high. One of the most beautiful gifts of recovery is that we get our mind back. Whether we choose to use it or not is up to us.
Prayer for the Day

Higher Power, you gave me a wonderful gift: my mind. Help me to use it to better my life and the lives of others. Help me to not be rigid and close-minded.
Today's Action

Today I will list the ways I became rigid and closed-minded. Because fear most often creates rigidity, I will ask myself what I may be afraid of.

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

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August 16

Wisely and slow. They stumble that run fast.

~William Shakespeare

Many sayings and proverbs advise us to take our time. This popular wisdom, often coming from people far from hectic cities, speaks of life’s natural rhythm and tempo. It reminds us that we are better off if we stay in touch with the measured turning of the world reflected in the passing of the seasons.

Many of us may have forgotten to take time to look at the stars or watch a bird in flight. It’s as if we have our eyes always on success and our noses to the grindstone. And from there, how easy it is to move back into actively practicing our addiction and to end up blotting out the real world altogether.

Time is given to us all, to measure and lend form to our roles as participants in creation. Let’s take time to enjoy it. We can find more than mere relaxation in time; we may even discover wisdom.

I can slow down to experience the rhythm of time in the here and now.

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

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August 17

Reading

Reading makes a complete person.

~Anonymous

When humans first found a way to turn spoken words into symbols, knowledge became available to untold numbers.

Through carvings on stone and scribblings on parchment, a method of communication became available to all who truly cared to learn. The simplest of words were used in the first efforts to teach humans.

Simplicity is still the recommended way of working a recovery program. We both read and hear that the program is “simple—though not always easy.”

Reading, study, and meditation can give us the basis of wisdom. The knowledge we gain from reading helps us understand ourselves and our world better. The wisdom we gather from books helps us on our journey of recovery.

The fogginess and lack of concentration I had when I first started recovery has faded away. Reading has become an important part of my program.

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

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August 18

The first step toward inner peace is to decide to give love, not receive it.

~Bernie S. Siegel

“This is a selfish program.” How many times have we heard this? It is true, of course. Whenever we make a Twelfth Step call we are doing it essentially for ourselves. We always benefit. God has given us this direct access to happiness. It is a lovely paradox that when we give, we also receive. We are always helped by trying to help another.

Our decision to give love, then, can be a calculated one—we already know the results. This shouldn’t be our motive though. Wondering what we are getting out of giving to others can be a hindrance to our peace of mind because we’re missing God’s point. If we concentrate on the giving, the receiving will take care of itself.

Today I will try to give unselfishly.

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

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August 19

It is as blessed to receive as it is to give and a lot harder.

~Ruth Humlecker

We think we are unworthy. Compliments on our appearance, praise for our work, strokes for our efforts to help others often go unappreciated by us. Why can’t we hear them? Why don’t we take them in? No doubt it’s because of our shame for not being perfect. None of us are perfect, but all of us think that perfection is possible and we have failed the test. How futile the thought. How harmful the result.

We are adept at many things; we are perfect at none. That’s a fact of human life. But we are good enough, providing we do our best and rely on God for direction. Coming to believe this is perhaps our most important lesson in life.

If someone blesses me with a compliment today, I will quietly listen and believe it is true.

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

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August 20

The name of this infinite and inexhaustible depth and ground of all being is God. That depth is what the word God means. And if that word has not much meaning for you, translate it, and speak to the depths of your life, of the source of your being, of your ultimate concern, of what you take seriously without any reservation.

~Paul Tillich

In the words of the Twelve Steps, we are guided toward God, as we understand God. Many of us are at first turned off by the word God. Some of us received early spiritual guidance through childhood religious training, but others had none at all—and some of us had negative experiences with organized religion.

Now we are guided to grow into an adult form of spirituality. The words of today’s quotation come from a great theologian who understood the same wisdom that the founders of Alcoholics Anonymous did. We don’t have to limit our understanding of God by confining, dogmatic definitions. Our spiritual life is grounded in a sense of awe and rises from the deepest part of our being.

Today, my recovery is restored by God, who surpasses all understanding.

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

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August 21

AA Thought for the Day

“Outline the program of action to new prospects, explaining how you made a self-appraisal, how you straightened out your past, and why you are now endeavoring to help them. It is important for them to realize that your attempt to pass this on to them plays a vital part in your own recovery. The more hopeless they feel, the better. They will be more likely to follow your suggestions. Tell them about the fellowship of AA, and if they show interest, lend them a copy of the Big Book.” Can I tell the AA story to another alcoholic?
Meditation for the Day

You should try to stand aside and let God work through you. You should try not to block Him off by your own efforts or prevent His spirit working through you. God desires your obedient service and your loyalty to the ideals of the new life you are seeking. If you are loyal to God, He will give you protection against mistakes. His spirit will plan for you and secure for you a sufficiency of all spiritual help. You will have true victory and real success, if you will put yourself in the background and let God work through you.
Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may not interfere with the working of God’s spirit in me and through me. I pray that I may give it full rein.

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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August 22

A tree grown in a cave does not bear fruit.

~Kahlil Gibran

A tree planted in a cave would soon be stopped short in its growth. There would be no room for it to grow tall or blossom. It would only grow so far and then would grow no bigger.

Fear can be like a cave. We sometimes become fearful for the same reason we might enter a cave, looking for protection. But fear protects us from the new ideas and behavior we need in order to grow. Fear can keep us huddling inside it, watching life's opportunities pass by. When fear threatens to enclose us, we can take a deep breath and begin to do what we are afraid of doing. The cave will fade away as we step out into the sun, fresh air, and storms that are a part of growing.

What fear can l overcome today?

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

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August 23


To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance.

~Oscar Wilde

There’s a big difference between being self-centered and having self-love. We’re self-centered when we think we don’t need people. We might think, “I’m more important than others.” Being self-centered ends up hurting us. It makes us lonely. It keeps us from our Higher Power. Addiction is about being self-centered.

Recovery and the Twelve Steps are about self-love. If we love ourselves, we’d say, “We’re all equal and in need of each other.” Self-love includes having good relationships. It includes trusting that we’ll do what is best, with the help of our Higher Power. We must believe in ourselves to trust others.
Prayer for the Day

Higher Power, help me love myself as You love me. Help me take good care of myself.
Action for the Day

Today I’ll list three things I like about myself. I’ll talk with a friend and share these things. I’ll ask my friend what he or she likes about me.

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

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August 24

If you wish to make an apple pie truly from scratch, you must first invent the universe.

~Carl Sagan

Everything is given to us. Our lives came forth with no plan on our part. We have no lease on life and no control, ultimately, over any possession. In the addictive and codependent families most of us came from, we learned something else. We learned a lonely arrogance that said, “I should be self?sufficient. I have earned everything that ever came to me.” Deep down we probably knew how untrue that was, and we felt great self-doubt.

The cure we learn in this program for our lonely arrogance is a miracle and a blessing. We accept that we are part of a larger whole. Now it dawns on us—all of our friends and relatives share this basic powerlessness. We are all pilgrims. We are all guests. We are all stewards of creation. We can be close, and we must help one another because everyone is equally vulnerable.

I am grateful to my Higher Power today for the life that has been given me. I pray for greater understanding of my responsibilities.

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

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August 25

Working the Twelve Steps

The Twelve Steps are numbered because they are meant to be taken in order. For instance, we must admit we are powerless over our addiction before the other Steps can help us. Likewise, Step Four would be too painful if we had not turned our wills and our lives over in Step Three. And how can we make amends before we realize whom we have hurt? We take Step Twelve only after we have completed all the other Steps.

The hop-skip-jump method of working the Steps is not reliable and might hop-skip-jump us back to addiction.

Do I work all Twelve Steps of the program in order?

Higher Power, give me the strength to take each Step in order.

Today I will review my progress on each of the Steps and re-enter the order with…

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

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August 26

Having Each Other’s Backs

If someone in my recovery family is struggling, we immediately connect to form a circle of support. For example, when a friend—also a veteran—was suicidal, her therapist contacted all of us, asking if we would come in to be her support system. Our friend was able to see how much we loved and cared about her. We assured her we weren’t there to “fix” her; we wanted her to know we had her back. It was truly deep.

We learn and grow together. We’re doing a book study on nonviolent communication. Three of us veterans went on a retreat called “horse sense.” We also walk by the river where I live and have campfires. During COVID, I started a women’s meeting by the river. There’s solid sobriety in the group. I have thirty-one years; some have even more. There’s always someone to talk to about feelings—always someone to have my back.

We have traditions like carving pumpkins and making Christmas wreaths. We can be real with each other without having to fix each other. We can just be together and share how we’re doing, and it’s enough. It’s everything.

Today I am secure in the knowledge that no matter what happens, my sisters in recovery will have my back.

~Deb L., U.S. Army, 1981–1996

Today's reading is from the book Leave No One Behind: Daily meditations for Military Service Members and Veterans in Recovery*

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August 27

Reflection for the Day

The program’s Fourth Step suggests that we make a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. For some of us, no challenge seems more formidable; there’s nothing more difficult than facing ourselves as we really are. We flee from one wrongdoing after another as they catch up with us, forever making excuses, pleading always that our virtues in other areas far outweigh our flaws. Yet once we become willing to look squarely and self-searchingly at ourselves, we’re then able to illuminate the dark and negative side of our natures with new vision, action, and grace. Am I willing to open my eyes and step out into the sunlight?
Today I Pray

May my Higher Power stop me in my tracks if I am running away from myself. For I will never overcome my misdeeds, or the flaws in my character that brought them about, by letting them chase me. May I slow down and turn to face them with the most trusty weapon I know—truth.
Today I Will Remember

I will not be a fugitive from myself.

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

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August 28

We can accept unconditional love.

Believing that we can be loved regardless of our defects is not easy. Most of us didn’t experience that kind of love as children. What’s more, the God we grew up with may have been shaming. Now that we are adults, the criticism we’ve received from employers, friends, spouses, and other people reinforces our doubt. When our new program friends tell us that our Higher Power loves us unconditionally, we think they are being unrealistic. We can’t even love ourselves!

Let’s give ourselves time to change what we believe and who we believe. Our program will help us. If relied on, the slogans and the Steps will give us a new perspective on every experience. Coming to believe that a Higher Power can wholly love us is a gift of recovery. Then we can begin loving ourselves a little too. Next we’ll even begin to love others.

I will believe in unconditional love if I let this program work in my life today.

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

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August 29

Know that your brother’s life was not what you imagined.

~Michael Lassell

It may be tempting, once we’ve committed ourselves to a profound change in our lives, to think that we know what others, too, ought to do to heal or grow. We want our friends and loved ones to experience the same relief and joy, the same freedom, that we’re experiencing. We forget that we ourselves have often resisted advice. No one could have told us who we were, what to do, or when to do it. Enormous changes such as coming out or entering recovery are deeply personal choices, and the timing of a decision is individual and delicate.

What’s exactly right for us at this particular moment in time may not be at all right for someone else. Instead of judging another’s needs and choices, we can cultivate sensitivity to the ways that his or her path or rate of unfolding may differ from our own. The more secure we are in our own identities, the easier it is to allow others to be who they are.

Today, I live and lovingly let live.

Today's reading is from the book Glad Day

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August 30

Friends

Don’t overlook the value of friendship. Don’t neglect friends. Friends are a joy. Adult friendships can be a good place for us to learn to have fun and to appreciate how much fun we can have with a friend.

Friends can be a comfort. Who knows us better, or is more able to give us support, than a good friend? A friendship is a comfortable place to be ourselves. Often, our choice of friends will reflect the issues we’re working on. Giving and receiving support will help both people grow.

Some friendships wax and wane, going through cycles throughout the years. Some trail off when one person outgrows the other. Certainly, we will have trials and tests in friendships and, at times, be called on to practice our recovery behaviors.

But some friendships will last a lifetime. There are special love relationships, and there are friendships. Sometimes, our friendships—especially recovery friendships—can be special love relationships too.

Today, I will reach out to a friend. I will let myself enjoy the comfort, joys, and enduring quality of my friendships.

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

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August 31

Every mountain and hill shall be made low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain.

~From Isaiah 40:4

Recovery can be compared to climbing a hill. And as with all skills, the more we practice the better we become. There comes a time in the course of recovery when we view a hill that once would have caused us to quake in our boots or to quit altogether. But using the skills achieved by working an intelligent, consistent program, we can simply take it in stride.

When we came into the program, we were asked if we were willing to go to any lengths to win our freedom from bondage. As we grew and developed a positive response, all sorts of things became possible that at one time were not. We are often told in the program that “the best way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time.” We don’t have to do it all at once. All recovery is made inch by inch.

Now we can look at yonder hill and accept it as just another obstacle to be conquered—and not a very big obstacle at that.

I am amazed and encouraged by the gains I’ve already made. Today’s challenges do not intimidate me.

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