Today's Thought - December

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December 1

As far as my life is concerned, poetry has saved me again and again.

~Muriel Rukeyser

Reading and writing are among the tools many of us find most powerful in our process of personal transformation. For those who struggle with issues of identity or who are recovering from the isolation and denial of addiction, both reading and writing offer inspiration and validation.

It is rare that we turn to such media as newspapers, television, or the products of popular culture for reflections of our real selves, our struggles, and our celebrations. But we do find lives like our own represented in a wealth of literature, whether of liberation or recovery, whose purpose is to tell the truth and to tell it in memorable language.

It’s not surprising that so many of us—whether or not we are professional writers—find healing expression in creating poems, stories, and plays, keeping journals, or making written inventories as part of the Twelve Step recovery process. We can write truthfully from our deep places. Whether or not we wish to share our writing with others, we can use it as part of our process of healing and growth.

Today, I use reading and writing as ways to connect to the truth within me.

Today's reading is from the book Glad Day

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December 2

Accepting Our Best

We don’t have to do it any better than we can—ever. Do our best for the moment, then let it go. If we have to redo it, we can do our best in another moment, later. We can never do more or better than we are able to do at the moment. We punish ourselves and make ourselves feel crazy by expecting more than our reasonable best for now.

Striving for excellence is a positive quality. Striving for perfection is self-defeating. Did someone tell us or expect us to do or give or be more? Did someone always withhold approval?

There comes a time when we feel we have done our best. When that time comes, let it go. There are days when our best is less than we hoped for. Let those times go too. Start over tomorrow. Work things through, until our best becomes better.

There is a time for constructive criticism, but if that’s all we give ourselves, we’ll give up. Empowering and complimenting ourselves will not make us lazy. It will nurture us and enable us to give, do, and be our best.

Today, I will do my best, then let it go. God, help me stop criticizing myself so I can start appreciating how far I’ve come.

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

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December 3

God respects me when I work, but He loves me when I sing.

~Rabindranath Tagore

What image does the word “God” conjure up? For many of us, the word “God” simply throws up the image of yesterday—unexamined, untested, uncontested. Like so many other concepts, our old idea of God needs to be considered again in the light of recovery.

Many of yesterday’s images would have God as some stern, white-clad figure sitting above, casting a critical eye on all we are and do. We may have believed that God’s only desire for us is that we work hard and suffer bravely. Oftentimes the God of our childhood thinks work is all that counts.

Upon consideration, however, we may come to a more enlightened, loving image of God. As we learn more about what love is and looks like, we may come to the understanding that what God most wants for us is our happiness, contentment, and peace. We may arrive at the lovely situation of coming to understand that God is as happy with us at play as He is with us at work. Or even more so.

Today, I know that “God the task maker” was a figment of my imagination. As I come to know myself better, I am coming to know God better.

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

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December 4

We recovered alcoholics are not so much brothers in virtue as we are brothers in our defects and in our common striving to overcome them.

~Bill Wilson

Our primary purpose in recovery is to help each other and those who will come after us. What an interesting task for self-centered people! By helping each other overcome defects of character, we forget about ourselves, and the voice of our ego grows less intense. The fellowship of recovery works to break down self-centeredness and to remind us that we cannot do it alone.

We must never forget that it is in the “we” of the program that we find relief from the “me” of addiction. It is in the “we” that we find the answers to the troubles and challenges life will give us. Loving relationships ask that we step outside of ourselves into a larger world. Do we believe more in the “we” of recovery or in the “me” of ego?
Prayer for the Day

Higher Power, help me overcome my defects of character by guiding me deeper into the “we” of recovery.
Today's Action

Today I will call my sponsor and talk with him or her about how I can be of better service to others.

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

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December 5

At the bottom of the modern man there is always a great thirst for self-forgetfulness, self-distraction … and therefore he turns away from all those problems and abysses which might recall to him his own nothingness.

~Henri Amiel

Do we rush around or slide off into the world of fantasy to distract ourselves from looking at ourselves too closely? Are we afraid that we might find nothing but our own … nothingness? Is our acting out a misguided search for some kind of identity at any price?

Identity is not something given, once and for all. And perhaps there is never a fixed point at which we can say, “I am that.” Life is process, upheaval, reversal, change, and a continuous process of becoming. If we are brave enough to welcome change and the pains it can cause, we may never have to fear the vertigo of nothingness or the madness of distraction that becomes self-destruction.

I ask for the courage to welcome change so that I may continue to participate in the energy of the life process.

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

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Deccember 6

Tomorrow

The future you shall know when it has come; before then, forget it.

~Aeschylus

The fellowship keeps us grounded in the current moment. We learn to live today. Our planning and scheming and dreaming about tomorrow becomes less time consuming. The idea of living one day at a time makes sense to us. Our program teaches us that life is not about to happen, it is happening, and each moment is important.

When we concentrated only on the future, we couldn’t be happy with today. We thought if we could only get to tomorrow, things would be better. Tomorrow never comes, so we were always trapped in a hopeless situation. Now we live one day at a time and grow moment by moment.

Recovery is about today and living life in the present. Since I no longer have to manage the universe, I have only myself to worry about today. I can let my Higher Power take care of tomorrow.

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

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December 7

So often we try to alter circumstances to suit ourselves, instead of letting them alter us.

~Mother Maribel

Our attempts to control the uncontrollable—the people we work with, the traffic, or friends—tire us out emotionally. And yet, many of us keep trying. Some people and situations might change to our liking, but we have less to do with that than we might think.

It’s far easier on our emotional health to change ourselves. When we make this choice, we find ourselves coming back to the people we work with and the traffic and our friends with a new attitude. Our serenity is very dependent on our attitude. When we cultivate an attitude of acceptance and gratitude for what is, we find the energy to change what we can, and the serenity to let go of the rest.

God can do what we can’t. When we understand, once again, our partnership with God, our struggles quietly vanish.

I will let God be in charge of my life—and everyone else’s—today.

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

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December 8

Life is short; eat dessert first.

~Joy Sommers

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

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

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

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

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December 9

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

~Proverbs 8:22

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

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

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

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

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December 10

AA Thought for the Day

“We must continue to take personal inventory and continue to set right any new mistakes as we go along. We should grow in understanding and effectiveness. This is not an overnight matter; it should continue for our lifetime. Continue to watch for selfishness, dishonesty, resentment, and fear. When these crop up, we ask God at once to remove them. We must not rest on our laurels. We are headed for trouble if we do. We are not cured of alcoholism. What we really have is a daily reprieve, contingent on the maintenance of our spiritual condition.” Am I checking my spiritual condition daily?
Meditation for the Day

Happiness cannot be sought directly; it is a byproduct of love and service. Service is a law of our being. With love in your heart, there is always some service to other people. A life of power and joy and satisfaction is built on love and service. Persons who hate or are selfish are going against the law of their own being. They are cutting themselves off from God and other people. Little acts of love and encouragement, of service and help, erase the rough places of life and help to make the path smooth. If we do these things, we cannot help having our share of happiness.
Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may give my share of love and service. I pray that I may not grow weary in my attempts to do the right thing.

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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December 11

It may be those who do most dream most.

~Stephen Leacock

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

When we give ourselves permission to daydream—to sit for a while and do nothing but be quiet with our thoughts, we give ourselves a precious gift. And who knows, we just might be giving the world a priceless gift, too! Out of the seeds of some of our dreams, great ideas will blossom.

What first step can l take today to make a dream come true?

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

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December 12

You will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it.

~AA Promises

As we work the Steps, we fix our broken life. Many things in our life have been painful. Our addiction to alcohol or drugs made it all worse. But if things hadn’t gotten so bad, we might not have gotten into recovery.

We have changed so much! We have learned so much! Why? Because we have to learn so much about life, our Higher Power, and ourselves in order to fix our lives. We can’t act like nothing in the past matters. It does matter, because it brought us to this new life. And it’s better already!
Prayer for the Day

Higher Power, help me face my past and heal my wounds and others’ wounds.
Action for the Day

Today I’ll list three things I’m ashamed of. How can I make amends for them when I work Step Nine? I will call my sponsor if I need help.

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

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December 13

The irony of your present eating habits is that while you fear missing a meal, you aren’t fully aware of the meals you do eat.

~Dan Millman

Many of us have had problems with eating. Some of us eat compulsively. We may have become overly focused on diet or abused ourselves by mindlessly indulging in unhealthy eating.

We all grow by becoming more aware of our relationship to food. Our spiritual life is nourished by fully experiencing all our sensations concerning food. We can begin with awareness of our empty stomach and take pleasure in feeling hungry. We can give time to eating and use a meal as a time for relationships. Taking pleasure in the preparation of healthy food, making it look attractive, smelling the aromas, tasting the flavors, and enjoying the fullness and renewed energy after eating are all ways of growing spiritually as we become healthier in our use of food.

Today, I will take pleasure as I eat. I will make room in my life for healthy nourishment of body and spirit.

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

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December 14

Paying attention

Planning our own speech during a discussion meeting makes it hard to listen. Recovery requires silence and attention.

Sometime, somewhere, something we’ve heard in a meeting may come to mind just when we need it. But if we sit at meetings engrossed in our own thoughts, we can’t pick up on the suggestions we may need to help us in times of danger.

Do I pay close attention at meetings?

Higher Power, help me to open my ears and close my mouth just a little more today.

I will practice staying focused today by…

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

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December 15

Planting Seeds

Being a leader in the military is a lot like being a sponsor. If you take that responsibility to heart, you’re helping people every day. It’s not just with alcoholism—it’s helping them to be a better person, worker, air traffic controller, parent, father, mother, whatever it is that you’re helping them with.

If you’re truly being a leader, it’s rewarding. You invest in people. You don’t do it for you; you do it for them. You’re planting seeds. I planted a lot of seeds in my life, my career.

It’s not often that you talk about your accomplishments in recovery, and they’re so intertwined with the accomplishments of your profession. When you combine the two, they go hand in hand.

A rewarding role in leadership is rooted in recovery.

~Joe H., U.S. Navy, 1988–2015

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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December 16

Reflection for the Day

Conditioned as we are by our old ideas and old ways of living, it’s understandable that we tend to resist certain suggestions made to us when we first come to the program. If that’s the case, there’s no need to permanently reject such suggestions; it’s better, we’ve found, just temporarily to set them aside. The point is, there’s no hard-and-fast “right” way or “wrong” way. Each of us uses what’s best for ourselves at a particular time, keeping an open mind about other kinds of help we may find valuable at another time. Am I trying to remain open-minded?
Today I Pray

May I be enlightened about the real meaning of an open mind, aware that my onetime definition of open-minded as “broad-minded” doesn’t seem to fit here. May I constantly keep my mind open to the suggestions of the solid many who came into the program before me. What has worked for them may work for me, no matter how far-fetched or how obvious it may be.
Today I Will Remember

Only an open mind can be healed.

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

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December 17

Anonymity makes it possible for anyone to receive help.

Many of us wandered into our first meeting afraid we’d see someone we knew who would find out that drug addiction had touched us. Being told that “whatever is said here, stays here” relieved us some, but we were still leery.

We discover early in our recovery that meetings are like a “safe house,” a place where we can go and talk openly about who we are and the pain in our lives. Meetings are also a place where we can expect to receive the support we have craved for so long. Our backgrounds don’t matter. What we do for a living is unimportant. We are people in need and in that way absolute equals. Sharing the most intimate details of our lives with people whose last names we do not know awakens our sense of sameness with others. It’s profoundly healing to acknowledge how alike we are.

I am on equal footing with everyone I meet in the program. Remembering that today will keep me humble and hopeful.

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

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December 18

Your feeling of being unforgiven and unforgivable is what makes you suffer so. But it only exists in your heart or mind.

~Sogyal Rinpoche

Step Five shows us the way to self-acceptance and self-esteem as we acknowledge to our Higher Power, to ourselves, and to a trusted person all those things we wish we’d done differently. The prospect of laying bare our whole past may seem formidable to us at first, but when we risk doing it, we can begin to change.

We can learn to forgive ourselves when we understand that we’re not alone in our feelings or actions, that we are forgivable, and that we have already begun to change from the moment we became willing to admit the exact nature of our wrongs. The burden of guilt and shame is lifted from us when we let in the unconditional love of people we trust. Like all human beings, we are entitled to it.

Today, I forgive myself.

Today's reading is from the book Glad Day

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December 19

Making Life Easier

Life doesn’t have to be hard.

Yes, there are times we need to endure, struggle through, and rely on our survival skills. But we don’t have to make life, growth, recovery, change, or our day-to-day affairs that hard all the time.

Having life be that hard is a remnant of our martyrdom, a leftover from old ways of thinking, feeling, and believing. We are worthy even when life isn’t that hard. Our value and worth are not determined by how hard we struggle.

If we’re making it that hard, we may be making it harder than it needs to be, said one woman. Learn to let things happen easily and naturally. Learn to let events, and our participation in them, fall into place. It can be easy now. Easier than it has been. We can go with the flow, take the world off our shoulders, and let our Higher Power ease us into where we need to be.

Today, I will stop struggling so hard. I will let go of my belief that life and recovery have to be hard. I will replace it with a belief that I can walk this journey in ease and peace. And sometimes, it can actually be fun.

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

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December 20

At 70, my dad is just like he was at 35—only more so. It’s frightening that the same thing could happen to me.

~Jerry Z.

More of the same gets more of the same. What we were given to practice, we practiced. What we practiced, we became. What we became, we are continuing to become—only more so—every day of our lives. We can do ourselves a favor by being aware of what we practice. Has the past taught us to withdraw? Think of how isolated we’ll be twenty years from now! Have we practiced generalized distrust? Imagine how deep the roots of fear are growing.

But there’s another side to that truth. If we practice finding beauty today, we’ll find twice as much beauty tomorrow. If we work on forgiveness today, tomorrow we may be free of resentments. If we choose to relate rather than isolate, we can walk with friends through all the years that stretch before us. What will the future bring us? Whatever we have invested in it.

I pray for the wisdom to see my future as largely the work of my own hands and heart. I pray for the courage to take responsibility for choosing my own direction.

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

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December 21

When it is dark enough, you can see the stars.

~Charles A. Beard

We human beings seem to prefer to be in the light. Most of us rely on the daylight to move around safely and do our work. In the light we feel like we have more control. At night, when the world is dark, we feel less in control. We do two things: we turn on the lights so we can continue our daytime activity, or we go to sleep.

But darkness has gifts for us—different gifts than we get from light. Darkness changes how we see things. In the dark we see less, but we pay better attention. As we let go of our fears and let our eyes adjust to the dark, we find that we can see more than we first thought. We can see enough to take the next step. There are some things, like the stars, that we can see better in the dark.
Prayer for the Day

Higher Power, let me learn the lessons of loving the dark. Let me learn to really see the gifts that surround and support me, and the beautiful possibilities that life holds for me.
Today's Action

Tonight as I get ready for bed, I will get a different view of my surroundings. I will sit up in the dark for a few minutes. I will feel the floor or bed supporting me, and I will let my eyes adjust to the dark.

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

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December 22

In every person, even in such that appear most reckless, there is an inherent desire to attain balance.

~Jakob Wasserman

In contrast to compulsivity is inactivity. Since many of us tend toward compulsivity, do we sometimes find ourselves going to the other extreme and not doing anything? Not doing anything is one way to try to control our addiction. It can be difficult to get going once we no longer use addiction as our energizer. It can be just as difficult to slow down if we substitute mindless activity for addiction in order to dull our feelings.

What we need is the faith that life is safe, and that we are safe within it. We also need the energy that comes from a Power greater than ourselves. There is a healthy balance that is neither the activity of compulsion nor the inactivity of fear and control. When we are moving to our own internal rhythm, we feel a serenity that brings the pleasure of the present into focus and lets us enjoy it.

What do I need today? If I must get going, I can act as if. If I want to slow down, I can let myself stop and take a break.

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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December 23

Procrastination

Procrastination is the thief of time.

~Edward Young

The habit of putting off actions until things get better is one of the most destructive detours from common sense we can make. Delays never make problems go away; they only make success harder to attain. If we shy away from bringing out problems to others, we are sure to cause stress and misunderstanding.

Quite often, postponing facing up to reality results from fear that others will laugh at us. That is self-pity in action. Solutions come from direct and specific action. We always remember that others in our group give us “the right to be wrong,” knowing that a change in direction is always possible for anyone with problems. Procrastination wastes precious time.

When I procrastinate about solving problems, I am only making sure they will get worse. Let me remember that solutions come from taking action.

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

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December 24

The worst moment for the atheist is when he is really thankful and has nobody to thank.

~Dante Gabriel Rossetti

We can look back on our old life and be thankful for what we are like now. Although it is useless to dwell on the past, it is sometimes helpful to cast a backward glance. It sharpens our gratitude. The blessings we experience today are in such stark contrast to the misery we used to endure.

We examine the serendipity—all the good things that are happening to us—and we know not to take credit ourselves. We express gratitude to God because we know the good things are not accidental.

I pray that I remain grateful for God’s help.

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

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December 25

Celebration is a forgetting in order to remember. A forgetting of ego, of problems, of difficulties. A letting go.

~Matthew Fox

Whether we celebrate a holiday today or not, we can practice setting our troubles aside and finding fellowship with others. A holiday presents us with an opportunity to practice the letting go of this program. This is a special day to set aside our work and our routines, to put our problems and burdens on the shelf. Let us join and celebrate with others who are also letting go on this day. Maybe we can learn from them how they do it.

We may have been too compulsive on past holidays to celebrate. Or perhaps our holidays are clouded with painful memories. We might miss loved ones, or we may recall disappointments or the chaos of earlier holidays. There is no need for perfection in our celebration. We can have some tension, or pain, and yet set it aside as we join with others for a special day.

Today, I will set my ego aside and let go of the usual things in my life in order to reach out to others and participate in celebration.

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

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December 26

Rediscovering love

We know that in each of us, a fountain of love lies buried, ready to be discovered. If we practice our newfound principles and continue searching, we’ll uncover our treasure, little by little, beneath our resentments, unhealthy style, and shame.

Our Higher Power and the Twelve Step program give us the guidance, strength, and tools necessary to uncover it.

Am I finding love?

Higher Power, help me use the tools you give me so that I may reconnect with my reservoir of love.

I will make myself open to love today by…

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

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December 27

AA Thought for the Day

We must know the nature of our weakness before we can determine how to deal with it. When we are honest about it, we can change our lives through a change of thinking. We admit that we are alcoholics and we would be foolish if we refused to accept our disease or do something about it. So by honestly facing our weakness and keeping ever present the knowledge that for us alcoholism is a disease with which we are afflicted, we can take the necessary steps to arrest it. Have I fully accepted my handicap?
Meditation for the Day

There is a proper time for everything. I must learn not to do things at the wrong time, that is, before I am ready or before conditions are right. It is always a temptation to do something at once instead of waiting until the proper time. Timing is important. I must learn, in the little daily situations of life, to delay action until I am sure that I am doing the right thing at the right time. So many lives lack balance and timing. In the momentous decisions and crises of life, they may ask God’s guidance, but into the small situations of life, they rush alone.
Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may delay action until I feel that I am doing the right thing. I pray that I may not rush in alone.

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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December 28

Men will find that they can prepare with mutual aid far more easily what they need and avoid far more easily the perils which beset them on all sides, by united forces.

~Baruch Spinoza

Three travelers stopped in a small town on their way to the city. They had tents to sleep in, but no food or money. They knocked on doors asking for a little food, but the people were poor. with little to eat and nothing to spare.

Cheerfully, they returned to their camp and built a fire. "What are you doing?" asked a bystander, "Building a fire with nothing to cook?"

"But we do have something to cook!" they said. "Our favorite dish, stone soup. We only need a pot." "I think I can find one," said one of the bystanders, and she ran home to fetch it.

When she returned, the travelers filled the pot with water and placed two large stones in it. "This will be the finest soup we've ever made!" said the first traveler. "I agree," said the second, "but don't you think it would taste better with a cabbage in it?"

"I think I can find one," said another bystander. And so it went the whole afternoon until, by evening, the travelers had a hearty, fragrant feast, which they shared with the hungry townspeople.

What can I do with help today, that I couldn't do alone?

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

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December 29

Anyone can blame: it takes a specialist to praise.

~Konstantin Stanislavski

Are we blamers? We sure were blamers when we were using alcohol and other drugs. Then everything was someone’s fault. Some of us did our blaming out loud. And some of us blamed others silently.

It’s harder to praise than to blame people. Faults stand out like street signs, but the good things about people may be harder to see. We can see the good in people when we slow down, watch, and listen.
Prayer for the Day

Higher Power, help me pay attention to people around me. Help me praise them.
Action for the Day

Today I’ll list three people who mean a lot to me. I’ll write what I like about each of them. I’ll talk to them and tell them what I wrote.

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

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December 30

When you least expect it is when you are overwhelmed with the generosity of others.

~Iris Timberlake

Expectations can be both good and bad. At times positive expectations are appropriate and healthy. For instance, when we prepare for a job interview, it is far better to visualize in great detail a positive experience. This can lessen the anxiety we might feel in the actual interview. In other situations, however, our expectations set us up for major disappointment. Maybe we hope a friend will acknowledge our birthday in a special way, but she forgets it entirely. In this case, expectations have done us an unnecessary injury.

Sometimes having no expectations is best. Then whatever happens can gratify us. At those times we can simply thank our Higher Power for blessing us as the divine plan has called for. It’s these unexpected gifts that help us realize the power of God in our lives. We are being taken care of every moment, even when we are least aware of it.

I will be very conscious of my expectations today. I won’t set myself up for disappointment if I’m aware of my thoughts.

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

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December 31

Working so hard for the rewards we want, we miss the gifts, already present, that God wants to give us.

~Anonymous

We cannot win many of the good things in life; we can only receive them. It is like falling asleep. No one can will himself to sleep. If we could, there would be no such thing as a sleepless night. The harder we try, the more awake we become. We can only allow ourselves to fall asleep. We cannot create a sunny day or a beautiful sight in nature, but we can block them from our awareness. We cannot fall in love by force of will, but we can prevent it from happening by our willfulness or busy habits. Our raging appetites and anxious state of mind can drive us willy-nilly in search of satisfaction—while more profound gifts are already in our hands.

Many valuable gifts are available only if we stay open to receive them. A wise man grows past our society’s mainstream idea that anything worth having requires hard work. The ultimate truth is that God’s grace provides what we need. Our work is in learning how to let go and be receptive.

Today, I will open myself to the gifts already in my hands.

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