Today's Thought - August

[bluidkiti]

August 1

Many of our fears are tissue-paper-thin, and a single courageous step would carry us clear through them.

~Brendan Francis

There was a huge slide at the park and Jason was afraid to go on it. There were so many steps to climb to reach the top. All of his friends were climbing up the steps and yelling as they came down the long rolling slide.

"Come on," said his friend Steve. "It's lots of fun!" "Isn't it scary?" asked Jason.

"A little bit," answered Steve, "but you get used to it." He ran off to go again.

Jason walked to the steps of the slide, his heart pounding in his chest. Slowly he placed his foot on the first step and lifted himself up. Courageously he climbed the ladder. When he reached the high platform he felt as if he were standing on top of the world. We can learn from Jason that by taking that first step we can experience many exciting and wonderful things. We have all done it before - on the slide, on a bicycle, in school. Why not again?

What fear can I walk through today?

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

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August 2

The trouble with the rat race is that even if you win you're still a rat.

~Lily Tomlin

Alcoholism is a rat race. Drug addiction is a rat race. We were always trying to keep one or two steps ahead of the cat. We were always sneaking around, and everyone was disgusted with us.

Our goal in recovery is to stop acting like a rat and join the human race again. Recovery teaches us sayings like "Easy does it" and "One day at a time." Our sayings remind us to pace ourselves. Our sayings remind us that healing takes time.

We live by human values: honesty, respect for others, fairness, openness, self-respect. We work at just being ourselves. We learn that this is enough. We are enough.
Prayer for the Day

Higher Power, help me accept my humanness. I am part of the human race, not the rat race.
Action for the Day

Just for today, I'll pace myself. I'll list ways I often go too fast for my own good. I'll ask friends how they pace themselves.

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

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August 3

The most exhausting thing in life is being insincere.

~Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Many of us grew up in situations that required us to be constantly on our guard. We became so keenly attuned to the people around us and how to please them or avoid their anger that we lost contact with our inner messages. Rather than developing skills for drawing on our inner resources, we developed skills for looking outward and reacting to whatever confronted us.

This method of survival may have been necessary in the past while we were under stress, but it doesn't allow us any rest or the possibility of simply following what we know and feel is right. We are learning to know what we think and feel and to express it, even if it isn't always what others want to hear. We can be spontaneous now because we have room for mistakes in our lives. Our relationships are more reliable, and we have more energy from sincerity than from always striving to make a good appearance.

Today, it is more important for me to be sincere than to be on my guard.

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

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August 4

Life Is Good in Recovery

Today, I like myself, almost all the time. I have healthy, happy people in my life; I keep the unhealthy ones whom I can't remove from my life on the periphery, where I can love them from afar. I've learned how to accept them for where and who they are, not try to change them. I'm not a perfect partner, mother, grandmother, daughter, sister, or friend, but I'm pretty good, and all relevant parties know that I love them with my whole heart and that I am always trying.

They know because I tell them that I love them all the time, and I admit to them when I feel I am falling short. I give myself grace when I don't meet my own standards. I like to think that life is always good and never bad, but I also know that it can be truly great at times as well. Life is a spectrum of goodness in recovery. I'll take it.

From good to great - that's how I choose to view my life.

Today's reading is from the book She Recovers Every Day: Meditations for Women*

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August 5

Accepting change

In recovery, we have much work to do and many lessons to learn as we mend our ways and relationships. Each time we change we grow stronger and freer.

But often we are so attached to our defects and dependencies we are afraid of change, even good change. As suggested in Step Six, our job is to become willing to let change happen when the time is right.

Am I becoming willing to change?

Higher Power, help me to accept the need for change and to fear it less.

I am willing to change today by...

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

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August 6

Hang On to Your Tokens

It may sound corny, but when I got that first AA chip, I slept with it underneath my pillow - like I was waiting for the tooth fairy. Then, when I woke up in the morning, I would check for it and feel so good that it was still right there - that I was still there. I had a token to remind me that I didn't drink or black out the night before - that I had something to look forward to in the new day. I'd clutch it and say a little prayer: "Okay, let’s do this."

I carried that "tangible token" in the pocket of my uniform when I was in the Navy. I took it everywhere. It got me through the in-between times when I didn't have the "intangible tokens" at hand - like the support and love of my group, or being able to talk to anyone about my feelings.

It was important for me to have something powerful to hold on to, something I could see and touch, something to remind me to take it "One day at a time."

Today I give thanks for my tangible and intangible tokens - the everyday reminders that, no matter what challenges arise, I can make it. I can do this.

~Elora K., U.S. Navy, 1997–2007

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 7

Reflection for the Day

Sometimes through bitter experience and painful lessons, we learn in our fellowship with others in the program that resentment is our number one enemy. It destroys more of us than anything else. From resentment stems all forms of spiritual disease, for we've been not only mentally and physically ill, but spiritually ill as well. As we recover and as our spiritual illness is remedied, we become well physically and mentally. Am I aware that few things are more bitter than to feel bitter? Do I see that my venom is more poisonous to me than to my victim?
Today I Pray

I ask for help in removing the pile of resentments I have collected. May I learn that resentments are play actors, too; they may be fears - losing a job, a love, an opportunity; they may be hurts or guilty feelings. May I know that my Higher Power is my healer. May I admit my need.
Today I Will Remember

Resentments are rubbish; haul them away.

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

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August 8

"… 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 9

To enjoy freedom we have to control ourselves.

~Virginia Woolf

We've thrown off many oppressions in the process of embracing our particular identities and, for some of us, in emerging from the prison of active addiction. We want to be happy, joyous, and free. As we seek to fulfill our desires, we may sometimes be confused about the nature of freedom. We may neglect a responsibility or rebel against a commitment that feels as if it's weighing us down.

We may be shortsighted, forgetting that our long-term goals require consistent effort. Freedom does not mean being lax, selfish, or resistant. Self-discipline is not the enemy of pleasure. On the contrary, when we are faithful and steady, pursuing our goals with discipline, we enjoy a sense of mastery and self-esteem. We enjoy true freedom.

Today, in the spirit of freedom, I take one step toward keeping a promise to myself through disciplined action.

Today's reading is from the book Glad Day

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August 10

Relationship Martyrs

Many of us have gone so numb and discounted our feelings so completely that we have gotten out of touch with our needs in relationships.

We can learn to distinguish whose company we enjoy, whether we're talking about friends, business acquaintances, dates, or spouses. We all need to interact with people we might prefer to avoid, but we don't have to force ourselves through long-term or intimate relationships with these people.

We are free to choose friends, dates, spouses. We are free to choose how much time we spend with those people we can't always choose to be around, such as relatives. This is our life. This is it. We can decide how we want to spend our days and hours. We're not enslaved. We're not trapped. And not one of us is without options. We may not see our options clearly. Although we may have to struggle through shame and learn to own our power, we can learn to spend our valuable hours and days with the people we enjoy and choose to be with.

God, help me value my time and life. Help me place value on how I feel being around certain people. Guide me as I learn to develop healthy, intimate, sharing relationships with people. Help me give myself the freedom to experiment, explore, and learn who I am and who I can be in my relationships.

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

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August 11

Meditation is a mental discipline that enables us to do one thing at a time.

~Max Picard

The logic is simple enough: If your plate is full, stop piling on more. When we consistently have too many things to think about and do, we can become ragged and dysfunctional. When we get in that spot, what helps is to pull back from all of it and allow but a single thought.

It may be the loving face of someone dear to us. It may be a nature scene that we have enjoyed - a mountain view or a beach, a bunch of spring flowers or a waterfall. As we develop the mental discipline to focus on a single thought, we become able to hold it for minutes instead of seconds. And when our time of quiet contemplation is over, we find that our lists and our schedules have not devoured us after all, and that we are better able to deal with our projects - if we take them on one at a time.

I will become aware of wasting my energy by dealing with too many things at one time.

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

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August 12

I've looked inside both good and bad, evil and righteousness, and have seen hope and felt fear.

~Erik Johnson

A friend in recovery, taken from us before his time, wrote this quotation. His heart gave out; some say because it had grown too big for his body. But he died sober, living his dream. In the time he had been sober, he gave much to those he loved. He knew life was paradoxical. He knew that each of us has two sides, and life demands that we choose and be responsible for our choices.

We need to choose love and choose hope. In doing so, we will always be turning our will and lives over to the care of our Higher Power. These were Erik's choices.
Prayer for the Day

Higher Power, help me live life with respect and dignity. Help me honor those of us who have gone before.

Watch over all of us, and help me to not just find hope and love, but to be living examples of hope and love.
Today's Action

Today I will call someone who is important to me and tell that person how important he or she is to me and why.

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 13

So live that you wouldn't be ashamed to sell the family parrot to the town gossip.

~Will Rogers

It is a challenge to live in the present, but Step Ten gives us a way to do just that. It is a maintenance step, a way to stay true to ourselves. As we continue to take inventory of our attitudes and behavior, we find ourselves growing in self-acceptance and self-love. In the past, the last thing we wanted to do was be honest. Now, possessing serenity and faith, we can see that our shortcomings are only that: shortcomings. They are part of who we are, and every part of ourselves is important.

Taking a personal inventory is not a way to sit in judgment of ourselves. Rather, it enables us to examine our behavior with honesty and gentleness. It is an affirmation that growth is a process; we do it throughout our lives. Taking time for a personal inventory is a way to say that our needs are important, our good points are important, and our character defects are important. We are whole people, lovable just as we are.

I will take time for an inventory today. I will admit my wrongs, give myself credit for my accomplishments, and give the day to God with gratitude.

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

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August 14

Today Is the Now

I've shut the door on yesterday
And thrown the key away.
Tomorrow holds no fears for me
Since I have found today.

~Vivian Y. Laramore

Living in the now is one of the most important ways of finding lasting recovery. One of the favorite slogans to be followed is "One day at a time." We willingly accept the fact that yesterday is gone forever and tomorrow is only an expectation. When we have finished with yesterday and have no fear of tomorrow, we can be assured that we can truly be content with each new today.

Living in the now is an acceptance of life's realities. Honesty is the key to being happy throughout each day as it comes. Today surely is the "first day of the rest of our lives." It can be, if lived with gratitude, love, and honesty, the best day yet in our newly found today.

Today truly can be that wonderful exciting day that yesterday, I eagerly called "tomorrow". I can greet every today by exclaiming, "This day can be the start of the best years of my life."

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

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August 15

The baby learning to walk falls a lot.

~Kathleen Rowe

We are developing new attitudes, new behaviors, new patterns for nearly every activity in our lives. We can't be expected to master them immediately. The commitment to make progress on a daily basis is quite enough.

We won't be perfect. Ever. The determination to keep improving is as close to perfection as we need ever come. The challenge is in the effort. The growth is in the effort too. We are in this program to grow and change. It will happen, sometimes in spite of ourselves, if we keep showing up to do the footwork.

Falling while learning to put a better foot forward is expected. The learning process is just that: a process. A little effort, one day at a time, will hone our new skills. In no time, we will look back on our old selves with disbelief. How did we come so far, so fast?

I may make plenty of mistakes today. I can accept that I'm learning and moving forward.

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

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August 16

AA Thought for the Day

"Unless we discuss our defects with another person, we do not acquire enough humility, fearlessness, and honesty to really get the program. We must be entirely honest with somebody, if we expect to live happily in this world. We must be hard on ourselves, but always considerate of others. We pocket our pride and go to it, illuminating every twist of character and every dark cranny of the past. Once we have taken this step, withholding nothing, we can look the world in the eyes." Have I discussed all my defects with another person?
Meditation for the Day

Never yield to weariness of the spirit. At times, the world's cares and distractions will intrude, and the spirit will become weak. At times like this, carry on and soon the spirit will become strong again. God's spirit is always with you, to replenish and renew. None ever sincerely sought God's help in vain. Physical weariness and exhaustion make a time of rest and communion with God more necessary. When you are overcome by temporary conditions that you cannot control, keep quiet and wait for the power of the spirit to flow back.
Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may not speak or act in the midst of emotional upheaval. I pray that I may wait until the tempest is past.

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 17

Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors.

~African proverb

Only by meeting many different conditions and being challenged by problems do we develop great skill in dealing with life. We say a man is soft who has always had everything handed to him. We admire a man who has met great challenges and come through them. However, while we are struggling and when the challenges are really on top of us, we may not feel that we are in the midst of some admirable battle. We are more likely to simply feel burdened and stressed, not knowing what the outcome will be.

When the sailor is in the midst of the storm, he focuses intently on what he has to do right now. He learns to read the wind and the waves in these extreme conditions by being there and by learning from others who are more experienced. That is a model for developing our skills on this sea of life.

Today, I will focus on what I need to do just for today, and I will learn from those who are more experienced than I am.

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

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August 18

Connecting to Compassion

In her book Befriending Your Body: A Self-Compassionate Approach to Freeing Yourself from Disordered Eating, my friend Ann Saffi Biasetti offers an amazing perspective on compassion. Ann acknowledges that people in early recovery don't find it easy to feel self-compassion. When we embark on our healing journeys, we may not even know what compassion is, let alone feel worthy of giving it to ourselves.

In these cases, Ann suggests, we can start by looking outside of ourselves to find compassion, and then take it in. She calls this "building compassion from the outside in." We can do this by acknowledging the people around us who care about us, or we can be inspired by a song that stirs compassion or books that focus on compassion. Connecting with these external sources of compassion and focusing on what is outside of us can, as Ann reminds us, awaken what is inside of us.

We can invite compassion into our lives, embrace it, and then shower it upon ourselves.

Today's reading is from the book She Recovers Every Day: Meditations for Women*

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August 19

Having spent the better part of my life trying either to relive the past or experience the future before it arrives, I have come to believe that in between these two extremes is peace.

~Anonymous

How hard it often seems to quiet our mind so we can experience the present. We know that we’re missing God’s message now when we're obsessively caught in thoughts of another time. But too often we allow them to plague us anyway.

We're not failures if we need to repeatedly remind ourselves to be quiet, but we may think we are. It might be well for each of us to observe a small child who is learning to walk. She stumbles and falls and tries again and again, often with peals of laughter.

We, too, are children trying to master a new skill. That we didn't learn how to quiet our mind in earlier years is unimportant. We're here, now, and the opportunity to practice this skill will present itself many times today. And we will become proficient at knowing peace - with practice.

Today I'll willingly quiet my mind rather than let my thoughts carry me astray.

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

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August 20

Using the phone

There are times when it seems that nothing can stop us from reaching for that first fix, pill, or drink. At times like these, it helps to reach for the phone.

Regardless of the time, day or night, we need to call our sponsor or another addict in recovery. It's critical to call them before, not after, we use. Many are the times that such a call has saved all we have gained in the program.

Do I make good use of the phone?

Higher Power, may I not feel too shy or embarrassed to use the phone when in need.

Today I will call...

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

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August 21

Accept Life as It Comes

Acceptance is a big part of my recovery. It's given me peace. When I don't accept things, I hold on to this perception of the what if?

Today when I accept whatever I encounter in life, I get this sense of joy and peace that I used to struggle to attain. I just accept life - what it is today. I don't boast about the gifts that I get back in my life. In sobriety, I get to see the good in my life. Sobriety means accepting life as it comes and being able to move forward in your day. Today I'm very content. This is what my life has developed into.

Today I will move toward acceptance, peace, and joy.

~John F., U.S. Air Force, 1985–1996

Download recovery support apps for your Apple or Android device today.

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 22

Reflection for the Day

We've been our own worst enemies most of our lives, and we've often injured ourselves seriously as a result of a "justified" resentment over a slight wrong. Doubtless there are many causes for resentment in the world, most of them providing "justification." But we can never begin to settle all the world's grievances or even arrange things so as to please everybody. If we've been treated unjustly by others or simply by life itself, we can avoid compounding the difficulty by completely forgiving the persons involved and abandoning the destructive habit of reviewing our hurts and humiliations. Can I believe that yesterday's hurt is today's understanding, rewoven into tomorrow's love?
Today I Pray

Whether I am unjustly treated or just think I am, may I try not to be a resentful person, stewing over past injuries. Once I have identified the root emotion behind my resentment, may I be big enough to forgive the person involved and wise enough to forget the whole thing.
Today I Will Remember

Not all injustice can be fixed.

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

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August 23

"First things first" is a simple slogan we can use to determine our priorities.

There is always a sensible order for handling whatever we need to do today. Obsessing about all our responsibilities at once makes us anxious. No doubt we have all stared at stacks of work or sat at the kitchen table mulling over our "to do" list, immobilized by the quantity of work to be done. Consequently, the first time we hear the slogan "First things first," we wonder how it can be applied to our lives.

We may need to ask a sponsor for help in prioritizing our responsibilities at first. It's not easy to focus on them one at a time. But there is always a natural order to handling our responsibilities. We simply lack the objectivity to see it.

Once we have experienced setting priorities and the relief it gives us from thinking of all our tasks at once, we'll count on the slogan "First things first." It will bring balance to our lives every day.

I need to do many jobs today. To keep productive and sane, I'll use the slogan "First things first."

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

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August 24

And don't just ask for one mercy. Let them flood in.

~Rumi

Perhaps we've allowed feelings of disappointment or discouragement to take root in us. We may have decided to settle for less than our dreams, blaming the past or other people for our present dissatisfaction. We may cling to the belief that if we give up, we will somehow be taken care of. We must not give in to self-doubt or cynicism and misname it "acceptance." If we dream of pursuing education, meaningful work, a loving relationship, creative expression, spiritual practice, or something else we deeply desire, we can cultivate hope as we take steps toward our goal.

Twelve Step recovery reminds us that while we don't have the power to change others, we can affect our own lives by changing our attitudes and by taking actions. Faith in a Higher Power and the willingness to do our part are foundations for change. Open-mindedness, persistence, and patience can bring us closer to understanding and honoring ourselves, at any age, in any aspect of our lives.

Today, I see doors that are open; I walk through them with faith in my life's abundance.

Today's reading is from the book Glad Day

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August 25

I've learned that the more vulnerable I allow myself to be, the more in control of myself I really am.

~Anonymous

Many of us feel that we can only show our strong, confident side. We believe the face we have to show to the world should always be one of politeness, perfection, calm, strength, and control.

While it is certainly good and often appropriate to be in control, calm, and strong, there is another side to all of us - that part of us that feels needy becomes frightened, has doubts, and gets angry. That part of us that needs care, love, and reassurance that things will be okay. Expressing these needs makes us vulnerable and less than perfect, but this side needs our acceptance too.

Allowing ourselves to be vulnerable will help us build lasting relationships. Sharing our vulnerabilities helps us feel close to people and helps others feel close to us. It helps us grow in self-love and self-acceptance. It helps us become healing agents. It allows us to become whole and accessible to others.

Today, I will allow myself to be vulnerable with others when it's safe and appropriate to do so.

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

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August 26

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*

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August 27

Progress, not perfection.

~Alcoholics Anonymous Slogan

We don't expect our lives to be perfect. We don't expect ourselves to be perfect. We just want to stop the insanity of addiction and begin to live lives that make sense.

We don't expect to be perfect, but most of us do want to be good. We can actually live up to that goal now that we are sober. It takes a lot of work, and we are always seeing new ways to improve. Working the Steps helps us learn a great deal about how we can be better people. Having the love and support of our recovery friends and the guidance of our sponsor gives us the strength and help we need.

In fact, the work of being a good person brings many rewards. We invite spiritual teachers into our lives, we make true friends, we gain respect for ourselves, and we find that others respect us, too.
Prayer for the Day

Higher Power, help me see today how I can pitch in to make things better in some way at work, at home, or for someone who needs a bit of kindness.

Today's Action

What's one small thing I am willing to do in the next twenty-four hours to bring a bit of goodness to a situation? Call a friend who needs support? Bring flowers to work to brighten the day? Take time to really visit with a child? I will make a decision to do one special thing - and do it!

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 28

For nothing can be sole or whole
That has not been rent.

~W.B. Yeats

The power of Step Five is its ability to shatter our secrets. Once we share our inventory with another person, with the help and grace of our Higher Power, we acknowledge our membership in the human race. As our honesty strips away the charade of who we were, the dishonesty, isolation, fear, grandiosity, and self-will of our addiction begin to fade.

It is healing to talk with another person. We simply can't accomplish the same thing by ourselves. Even though we may be afraid to share our inventory, with God's help we can trust the effort and let go of the outcome.

Every admission we make, and every secret we tell during our recovery will reflect who and where we are at that moment. Telling our secrets helps us give them up. Asking for help acknowledges our need for others and helps us let go of the past.

Higher Power, please help me find the humility and honesty to hold back nothing in my admitting to you, myself, and another person the exact nature of the harm I've caused myself and others.

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

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August 29

A Selfish Program

A person shows their true self by how much they need other people.

~Anonymous

What giving we have discovered in our fellowship! From the very first meeting, we received an outstretched hand that offered us help. People gave freely and asked nothing in return. We, who had known so much taking, could hardly believe what we experienced. It just didn't seem real.

The reality is no put-on. There is a spirit of selfless fellowship in our program. But the truth is that those who are giving are also keeping. The gem they are holding onto is their recovery. Only those who give away what they have found can keep it.

Every time we share with another human being, we add something to our spiritual bank account, allowing us to draw on it when extra demands are made upon our courage. In sharing our burdens, they become lighter.

Imagine people saving their lives by giving them away! Oh, that I can only be so selfish!

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

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August 30

There is no greater joy than to see my baby's face break out in a smile. It reminds me of the significance we have in each other's lives.

~Mary Larson

We have heard, over and over, that there are no accidents in this life. But what does that really mean? Can it mean that the pain we felt when a special relationship ended was intentional? Can it mean that the illness of a friend was God's will? Can it mean the promotion we failed to get was God's plan too? We can spend a lot of valuable time trying to figure out the real reason behind any set of circumstances, and we'll only be spinning our wheels.

How we respond to these situations is what causes the pain or confusion. When we learn to trust that God initiates our experiences, we will begin to know freedom from fear and confusion.

Every day we will have opportunities to increase our understanding of God's presence in our lives. The smiles we give and get are not accidental; they are part of the divine plan. So may be the chaos. It's how we handle the chaos that matters.

Every person I meet today is in my life by design. What I give to or learn from others helps each of us to grow.

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

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August 31

Storytelling is giving shape to the amorphous chaos of life.

~Anonymous

When we put words to what has happened to us, we can begin to learn from our experience. We carry images within us that are the building blocks of our stories, but we only begin to make sense of them when we put them into words. Talking with a trusted friend, or speaking in a meeting, or telling a therapist about our experiences gives them a shape. The words give us a way to understand, and they build a bridge to others. We may feel deeply alone if we keep our memories and images to ourselves. When we begin to talk, as we tell our story, we learn from our own words, and they take us deeper into our truth.

We don't tell our story only once. We do it over and over again. It brings relief from the traumas and releases us from the prison of our past. Each time we talk, even recounting the same events, we are somewhat different because we have grown, and we see our own story from a new perspective. Listening to other men's stories and telling our own is one of the special tools for spiritual growth that we use on this recovery path.

Today, I will talk to someone about an experience or a feeling.

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