A Prayer & Some Thoughts - April

[bluidkiti]

April 1

Simple Prayer

God,
Please guide me as I walk through this life.
Help me not to act on my own wisdom,
but to seek Your will in every situation I am in.
Thank you, Lord.
Amen

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Just a Thought

A better way than judging people is to look for all the good in them.

If you look hard enough and long enough, you ought to be able to find some good in every person. In A.A., I learned that my job was to try to bring out the good, not criticize the bad. Every alcoholic is used to being judged and criticized. That has never helped anyone to get sober. In A.A. we tell people they can change. We try to bring out the best in them. We encourage their good points and ignore their bad points. People are not converted by criticism.

So ............

Do I look for the good in people?

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Just a Contemplation

Communication

Communication is much more than words. Words are merely fingers pointing the direction to understanding - they are not understanding itself. To really communicate with someone, we have to allow ourselves, just for a moment, to become that other person. When we do this, we begin to be able to see beyond the masks that hide what another person is really feeling.

When we take the time to really see others, we may discover they are frightened, timid people longing for understanding. When we get beyond reacting to their outward behavior and move toward viewing their inner selves, it is much easier to extend a hand of friendship, to say we care, and truly mean it.

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Responsibility

In the last analysis, as a recovering alcoholic I need only have two concerns. The first is to maintain my sobriety on a daily basis and to practice the program of AA one day at a time. The second is to ensure that what was here yesterday will be here tomorrow for the next alcoholic who walks through the doors of the Fellowship. And for that I am responsible.

"Thank You For Sharing" Page 181
(Thank You For Sharing: Sixty Years of Letters to AA Grapevine)

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A Hug

It's wondrous what a hug can do
A hug can cheer you when you're blue
A hug can say "I love you so"
Or "Gee, I hate to see you go."
A hug is "Welcome back again"
And "Great to see you, where've you been?"
A hug can smooth a small child's pain
And bring a rainbow after rain.
The hug: There's just no doubt about it
We scarcely could survive without it
A hug delights and warms and charms
It must be why God gave us arms
Hugs are great for fathers and mothers
Sweet for sisters, swell for brothers
And chances are your favorite aunts
Love them more than potted plants
Kittens crave them, puppies love them
Heads of state are not above them
A hug can break the language barrier
And make your travels so much merrier.
No need to fret about your store of 'em
So stretch those arms without delay
And give someone a hug today!

~ Dean Walley

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Just a Quote

"The place to start a positive attitude is with the little things. If you can learn to appreciate them and be grateful for them, you'll appreciate the big things as well as everything in between." ~ John Maxwell

[bluidkiti]

April 2


Hoarding Prayer

Lord, the materialistic temptation to gather and hoard is in us all. Self-protectionism and the false narrative of scarcity make for a toxic brew that we quaff on any normal day.


Forgive our hoarding hearts that know too well the rhythmic patterns of wanting more, taking more, storing up more.


Help us release a hold on material things and grip tightly to the treasures of kindness, mercy, justice, reconciliation, acts of charity, and love for all. We pray for ourselves, for each other, and for the world.
Amen.

~ Justin Lind-Ayres

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Just a Thought

A.A. will lose some of its effectiveness if I do not do my share.

Where am I failing? Are there some things I do not feel like doing? Am I held back by self-consciousness or fear? Self-consciousness is a form of pride. It is a fear that something may happen to you. What happens to you is not very important. The impression you make on others does not depend so much on the kind of job you do as on your sincerity and honesty of purpose.

So ............

Am I holding back because I am afraid of not making a good impression?

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Just a Contemplation

Laughter

When I first heard recovering alcoholics laughing, I thought I was in the wrong place. I was angry that they treated the disease so lightly. Then slowly I began to see that laughter is part of joy --- a deep joy that comes from personal healing. Laughter is spiritual because it is a positive response to life. It is the noise of optimism.

And there is so much in life to laugh about --- not only the funny things we did, but also the "humor" that abounds in living. How funny is our self-righteousness! How amusing we are in courtship. How ridiculous we appear when we pretend to be serious and "in charge".

Laughter is the conversation of angels.

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Atmosphere of Grace

Those of us who have come to make regular use of prayer would no more do without it than we would refuse air, food, or sunshine. And for the same reason. When we refuse air, light, or food, the body suffers. And when we turn away from meditation and prayer, we likewise deprive our minds, our emotions, and our intuitions of vitally needed support. As the body can fail its purpose for lack of nourishment, so can the soul. We all need the light of God's reality, the nourishment of His strength, and the atmosphere of His grace. To an amazing extent the facts of A.A. life confirm this ageless truth.

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions Pages 97-98

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Just a Quote

“Forgiveness means it finally becomes unimportant that you hit back.” ~ Anne Lamott

[bluidkiti]

April 3


Morning Prayer of the Optina Elders

O Lord, grant me to greet the coming day in peace, help me in all things to rely upon your holy will.
In every hour of the day reveal your will to me.
Bless my dealings with all who surround me.
Teach me to treat all that comes to throughout the day with peace of soul and with firm conviction that your will governs all.
In all my deeds and words, guide my thoughts and feelings.
In unforeseen events, let me not forget that all are sent by you.
Teach me to act firmly and wisely, without embittering and embarrassing others.
Give me strength to bear the fatigue of the coming day with all that it shall bring.
Direct my will, teach me to pray.
And you, yourself, pray for me.
Amen.

-- St. Philaret of Moscow
(This is the English Translation)

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Just a Thought

I can do things that I never did before.

Alcohol took away my initiative and my ambition. I couldn't get up the steam to start anything. I let things slide. When I was drunk, I was too inert to even comb my hair. Now I can sit down and do something. I can write letters that need to be written. I can make telephone calls that should be made. I can work in my garden. I can pursue my hobbies. I have the urge to create something, that creative urge that was completely stifled by alcohol. I am free to achieve again.

So ............

Have I recovered my initiative?

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Just a Contemplation

True Happiness

We cannot find true happiness by looking for it. Seeking pleasure does not bring happiness in the long run, only disillusionment. Do not seek to have this fullness of joy by seeking pleasure. It cannot be done that way. Happiness is a by-product of living the right kind of life. True happiness comes as a result of living in all respects the way you believe God wants you to live, with regard to yourself and to other people.

I should not always seek pleasure as a goal; I should be content with the happiness that comes when I do the right thing.

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Real Alcoholics

Despite all we can say, many who are real alcoholics are not going to believe they are in that class. By every form of self deception and experimentation, they will try to prove themselves exceptions to the rule, therefore nonalcoholic. If anyone who is showing inability to control his drinking can do the right about face and drink like a gentleman, our hats are off to him. Heaven knows, we have tried hard enough and long enough to drink like other people!

Alcoholics Anonymous Page 31

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Just a Quote

"I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do." -- Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)

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April 4

Prayer For This Day

Lord, grant me tenacious winsome courage as I go through this day.
When I am tempted to give up, help me to keep going.
Grant me a cheerful spirit when things don't go my way.
And give me courage to do whatever needs to be done.
Your will. not mine be done.
Amen


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Just a Thought

Am I critical of other members of A.A. or of new prospects?

Do I ever say about other members: "I don't think they're sincere, I think they're bluffing, or I think they're taking a few drinks on the quiet?" Do I realize that my doubtful and skeptical attitude is hurting those members, if only in my attitude toward them, which they cannot help sensing? Do I say about new prospects: "They'll never make the program," or do I say: "They'll only last a few months?"

So ............

If I take this attitude, I am unconsciously hurting those prospects' chances. Is my attitude always constructive and never destructive?

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Just a Contemplation

Getting Well

Only a short time ago, we were very sick. Getting sober made us so much better. At first, when we stopped drinking, we thought we were fixed. Then we began to see that we were not all that well.

No doctor can fix us. To get well, we need to keep living by the Twelve Steps and the slogans of our program. We need to keep on trusting that our Higher Power will heal us. One Day at a Time, day after day, we get stronger and happier. And it never has to stop. Each day, we know ourselves a little better.

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Recovery Through Giving

For a new prospect, outline the program of action, explaining how you made a self-appraisal, how you straightened out your past, and why you are now endeavoring to be helpful to him. It is important for him to realize that your attempt to pass this on to him plays a vital part in your own recovery. Actually, he may be helping you more than you are helping him. Make it plain that he is under no obligation to you.

Alcoholics Anonymous Page 94

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Just a Quote

"Look for your miracles. Hope for the best. But when you can’t change what you’re going through, let the simple, quiet, daily miracle of acceptance find you." ~ Melody Beattie

[bluidkiti]

April 5


To be Myself Prayer

Lord,
Why am I so unsatisfied? Why is it so hard for me to be me?
I reject myself even though you forgive me.
Help me accept myself for who I am, here, now.
Free me from my desire to copy others and please everyone else.
I want to be a better me.
Show me what’s really mine.
My faults, my virtues.
Then mold me, oh Lord, shape me and make me confident.
And may it all manifest in acts of kindness, mercy and love.
Let me always understand and do your will.
Amen

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Just a Thought

Do I have any hard feelings about other group members or for any other A.A. group?

So, am I critical of the way a group member thinks or acts? Do I feel that another group is operating in the wrong way and do I broadcast it? Or do I realize that all A.A. members, no matter what their limitations, have something to offer, some good, however little, that they can do for A.A. in spite of their handicaps? Do I believe that there is a place for all kinds of groups in A.A., provided they are following A.A. traditions, and that they can be effective even if I do not agree with their procedure?

So ............

Am I tolerant of people and groups?

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Just a Contemplation

Living Sober

The single goal of staying sober is so all-important in AA that side benefits are often overlooked. There is even a tendency to warn members about the hazards of attaching importance to anything except sobriety.

But we do have to become responsible people in all things, not just sober people. We can expect real sobriety to bring the confidence and well-being we expected from the bottle, but never received.

Sobriety is not likely to give us the equivalent of the euphoria we got from drinking, but a great sense of well-being based on realistic expectations is more satisfying than the ridiculous mental states we sought in drinking. Living the right kind of life will bring its own rewards.

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A Higher Power for Atheists

I have had many experiences with atheists, mostly good. Everybody in A.A. has the right to his own opinion. It is much better to maintain an open and tolerant society than it is to suppress any small disturbances their opinions might occasion. Actually, I don't know of anybody who went off and died of alcoholism because of some atheist's opinions on the cosmos.

But I do always entreat these folks to look to a 'Higher Power'--namely, their own group. When they come in, most of their A.A. group is sober, and they are drunk. Therefore, the group is a 'Higher Power.' That's a good enough start, and most of them do progress from there. I know how they feel, because I was once that way myself.

As Bill Sees It Page 276

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Just a Quote

"Our time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life." ~ Steve Jobs

[bluidkiti]

April 6


Prayer for Comforting

Dear God,
Some days feel too hard. We’re hurting. Struggling.
Fighting fear and worry at every turn.
Thank you in the midst of it all, you haven’t left us to fend for ourselves.
Forgive us for doubting you are there.
Forgive us for thinking you’ve forgotten.
Forgive us for believing we somehow know the better way.
Amen

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Just a Thought

Is it my desire to be a big shot in A.A.?

Do I always want to be up front in the limelight? Do I feel that nobody else can do as good a job as I can? Or am I willing to take a seat in the back row once in a while and let somebody else carry the ball? Part of the effectiveness of any A.A. group is the development of new members to carry on, to take over, from the older members. Am I reluctant to give up authority? Do I try to carry the load for the whole group? If so, I am not being fair to the newer members. Do I realize that no one person is essential?

So ............

Do I know that A.A. could carry on without me, if it had to?

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Just a Contemplation

Truth

Working the Twelve Steps helps us learn the truth. As we struggle with Step Four, we learn the truth about ourselves. We learn even more about ourselves by doing Steps Eight and Ten. When we admit the truth about ourselves, things come into focus. Big changes happen.

As a result, we can see other people more clearly. We see bad sides in people we thought were prefect. We see good sides in people we hated. We start to know that everyone has to work hard to find what’s right for them. No one knows all the answers.
In short, we begin to trust others who also are looking for the truth.

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Dependency

Plainly, I could not avail myself of God's love until I was able to offer it back to Him by loving others as He would have me. And I couldn't possibly do that as long as I was victimized by false dependencies. For my dependency meant demand -- a demand for the possession and control of the people and the conditions surrounding me.

The Best of Bill Page 56

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Just a Quote

"I found power in accepting the truth of who I am. It may not be a truth that others can accept, but I cannot live any other way. How would it be to live a lie every minute of your life." ~ Alison Goodman

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April 7


A Prayer to Slow Down

Slow me down, Lord. Ease the pounding of my heart by the quieting of my mind.
Steady my hurried pace with a vision of the eternal reach of time.
Give me amid the confusion of the day, the calmness of the everlasting hills.
Break the tension of my nerves and muscles with the soothing
music of the singing streams that live in memory.
Help me to know the magical, restoring power of sleep.
Teach me the art of taking minute vacations.. of slowing down to
look at a flower, chat with a friend, and read a few lines from a good book.
Remind me each day of the fable of the hare and the tortoise, that I
may know that life is not always to the swift.
That there is more to life than increasing its speed.
Let me look upward into the branches of the towering Oak and
know that it grew great and strong because it grew slowly and well.
Slow me down Lord, and inspire me to send my roots deep into
the soil of life’s enduring values that I may grow towards the stars of my greater destiny.

~ Author Unknown

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Just a Thought

In A.A. we must surrender, give up, and admit that we're helpless.

We surrender our lives to God and ask Him for help. When He knows that we're ready, He gives us by His grace the free gift of sobriety. And we can't take any credit for having stopped drinking, because we didn't do it by our own willpower. There's no place for pride or boasting. We can only be grateful to God for doing for us what we could never do for ourselves.

So ............

Do I believe that God has made me a free gift of the strength to stay sober?

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Just a Contemplation

Power

In my sobriety I still need to deal with fear. A fear of people, a fear of not being good enough, a fear of saying the wrong thing, a fear of not looking "good enough" --- fear still haunts me in sobriety.

However, my recovery also tells me that I am a child of God. I am a beautiful and powerful human being because God not only made me, but has shared something of His precious divinity with me. I am good enough. In Him I can afford to risk. Love must begin with the recognition of self.

I must remember that people are not "out to get me". I need not make myself the victim. People are much the same inside, and we all need each other to survive.

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Awakening

I think I have had a spiritual awakening, as undramatic as it may have been, and that it will go on and on as long as I continue to practice this program in my daily affairs. To me, there is no "spiritual side" to the program of Alcoholics Anonymous; the entire program is spiritual.

Came To Believe Page 48

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Just a Quote

“If you’re always racing to the next moment, what happens to the one you’re in? Slow down and enjoy the moment you’re in and live your life to the fullest.” ~ Nanette Mathews

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April 8


Guidance Prayer

Good morning, Lord!
Today's a new day, a chance for a new start.
Yesterday is gone and with it any regrets, mistakes, or failures I may have experienced.
It's a good day to be glad and give thanks.
Thank you for today, a new opportunity to love, give, and be all that you want me to be.
Amen

~ Rebecca Barlow Jordan

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Just a Thought

Is there such a thing as being too loyal to any one group?

Do I feel put out when another group starts and some members of my group leave it and branch out into new territory? Or do I send them out with my blessing? Do I visit that new offshoot group and help it along? Or do I sulk in my own tent? A.A. grows by the starting of new groups all the time. I must realize that it's a good thing for a large group to split up into smaller ones, even it if means that the large group --my own group--becomes smaller.

So ............

Am I always ready to help new groups?

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Just a Contemplation

Our Actions

We like ourselves best when we like those around us. When we smile at them, they smile back; when we ask them, they tell us about themselves. When we scowl at people, they'll frown back; when we ignore them, they'll walk away.

It's true that we get back what we put into things, whether it's work, play, love, or gardening. We decide by the extent of our commitment how valuable or enjoyable or depressing an experience can be for us.

Our actions toward others come right back to us. When we smile at people, they smile back, and we feel good. Sometimes feeling good about ourselves depends on feeling good about others. When we send out that smile of ours, those who get it pass it on, and we have added power to the happiness of the world.

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Long-Term Hope

Since most of us are born with an abundance of natural desires, it isn't strange that we often let these far exceed their intended purpose. When they drive us blindly, or we willfully demand that they supply us with more satisfactions or pleasures than are possible or due us, that is the point at which we depart from the degree of perfection that God wishes for us here on earth. That is the measure of our character defects, or, if you wish, of our sins.

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions Page 65

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Just a Quote

"One of the weakness of our age is our apparent inability to distinguish our needs from our greeds." ~ Don Robinson

[bluidkiti]

April 9


Life With Hope


Lord,
I have tried to control the uncontrollable for far too long.
I acknowledge that my life is unmanageable.
I ask for your care and guidance.
Grant me honesty, courage, humility, and serenity,
to face that which keeps me from you and others.
I give this life to you to do with as you will.

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Just a Thought

We must learn to think differently.

We must change from alcoholic thinking to sober thinking. We must reeducate our minds. We must try to help other alcoholics. We must cooperate with God by spending at least as much time and energy on the A.A. program as we did on drinking. We must follow the A.A. program to the best of our ability. Interacting with other A.A.’s often, especially before & after meetings helps develop new sober thinking.

So ............

Have I turned my alcoholic problem over to God and am I cooperating with Him?

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Just a Contemplation

Laughter

A hearty laugh can warm a cold room and make our spirits soar. But many of us are afraid to laugh, especially when we make mistakes. We think we're supposed to be perfect, and we don't allow ourselves to make mistakes. However, we're not a mold punched out by a machine. We're human beings, with all our wonderful flaws. It is those flaws that make our lives interesting and surprising. Who knows when we might accidentally bump into a chair or catch our sweater on a doorknob? We needn't feel self-conscious, it happens to many of us.

The ability to laugh at ourselves is a gift from God. All we need to do is grab it and use it. Then we will see how healthy and powerful laughter can be.

I can find the humor in my mistakes today.

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Opening Up to Change

Self-searching is the means by which we bring new vision, action, and grace to bear upon the dark and negative side of our natures. With it comes the development of that kind of humility that makes it possible for us to receive God's help. . . . we find that bit by bit we can discard the old life -- the one that did not work -- for a new life that can and does work under any conditions whatever.

As Bill Sees It Page 10

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Just a Quote

“Great opportunities to help others seldom come, but small ones surround us every day.” ~ Sally Koch

[bluidkiti]

April 10


Prayer for Empathy

Lord,
You understood the needs of those impoverished in mind,
body, or spirit, and never shamed or shunned them.
May we come to recognize our own vulnerability
and our longing to be healed.
As we encounter our own pain,
let it deepen in us a capacity to feel for others.
Enlarge our souls, expand our minds,
and soften our hearts towards all who suffer.
Amen

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Just a Thought

We finally came to the bottom.

We did not have to be financially broke, although many of us were. But we were spiritually bankrupt. We had a soul-sickness, a revulsion against ourselves and against our way of living. Life had become impossible for us. We had to end it all or do something about it.

So ............

Am I glad I did something about it?

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Just a Contemplation

Trust

How much should we trust other people? This is an important question, because many of us have erred in both directions: we've trusted people too much or not enough.

We can find our answer in the spiritual side of the program. We do have a Higher Power in whom we can have absolute trust. We can have little doubt that the spiritual presence behind everything is infallible and supreme.

As human beings, we know that we can only be trusted in certain ways. We can work to develop our trustworthiness, but it is never high enough, even with the strongest souls. All of us have weaknesses that can keep us from being what we know to be our best.

In our 12 Step living, we should work to develop trust in both ourselves and others, but not be hurt or disappointed when things go wrong. Above all, our real trust should be in our Higher Power.

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Living In The Now

First, we try living in the now just in order to stay sober -- and it works. Once the idea has become a part of our thinking, we find that living life in 24 hour segments is an effective and satisfying way to handle many other matters as well.

Living Sober Page 7

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Just a Quote

"Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced." ~ James Baldwin

[bluidkiti]

April 11


Prayer for Rest

Lord,
I am exhausted and weary beyond belief. I ask that You touch my mind and body and help me let go of these racing thoughts that keep me from relaxing and sleeping. So come to you with my burdens. May Your peace guard my heart and mind today and restore my soul.
Amen

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Just a Thought

Today, I am less sensitive and my feelings are less easily hurt.

I no longer take myself so seriously. It didn't take much to insult me, to feel that I had been slighted or left on the outside. What happens to me now is not so important. One cause of our drinking was that we couldn't take it, so we escaped the unpleasant situation. We have learned to take it on the chin if necessary and smile. When I am all wrapped up in A.A., I do not notice the personal slights so much. They do not seem to matter so much. I have learned to laugh at self-pity because it's so childish.

So ............

Am I less sensitive?

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Just a Contemplation

Enthusiasm

When enthusiasm is absent in our lives, no activity appears inviting. In fact, most situations foster fear. Enthusiasm will usually guarantee positive outcomes for our efforts, when we look to our God for the right attitude.

An open, trusting, sincere relationship with our higher power equals enthusiasm about life. But that relationship takes work on our part. When we've done our homework we discover that no lesson will baffle us. Prayer and meditation make all things understandable and guarantee that we will "pass the course" on life.

Begin this day, and every day, looking to God for the gift of zeal to live fully every moment. My attitude of gratitude will increase my happiness many fold; if I look to this day with zeal.

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Financial Recovery

Although financial recovery is on the way for many of us, we found we could not place money first. For us, material well-being always followed spiritual progress; it never preceded.

Alcoholics Anonymous Page 127

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Just a Quote

“Even the smallest shift in perspective can bring about the greatest healing.” ~ Joshua Kai

[bluidkiti]

April 12


Prayer for Inner Healing

Lord,
I turn these feelings of hopelessness and distress over to You.
I ask for You to renew me inwardly. I know that what I’m going through is temporary.
Please help me to focus on the things that are unseen and eternal, rather than these things that are wearing me down because they are transient. Please restore, confirm, strengthen and establish me.
Amen

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Just a Thought

We alcoholics were on a merry-go-round, going round and round, and we couldn't get off.

That merry-go-round is a kind of hell on earth. In A.A. I got off that merry-go-round by learning to stay sober. I pray to that Higher Power every morning to help me to keep sober. And I get the strength from that Power to do what I could never do with my own strength. I do not doubt the existence of that Power. We're not speaking into a vacuum when we pray. That Power is there, if we will use it.

So ............

Am I off the merry-go-round of drinking for good?

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Just a Contemplation

Loving Truth

Since it is the truth that sets us free - free from crippling fear - we come to love this truth, even when it hurts. It was mainly our fear that kept us from recognizing the truth about ourselves.

We needed help and support from a Higher Power before we could face reality.
Our devotion to truth may bring us into conflict with those around us. What we need to remember is that we are not responsible for convincing anyone else of what we believe to be true. We are honest about where we are, but we do not expect or demand agreement from anyone else. Since each of us has a different perspective, we can only know the truth, as we each understand it. Loving truth means that we acknowledge it to be too big for any one of us to grasp completely.

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Real Alcoholics

Despite all we can say, many who are real alcoholics are not going to believe they are in that class. By every form of self-deception and experimentation, they will try to prove themselves exceptions to the rule, therefore nonalcoholic. If anyone who is showing inability to control his drinking can do the right-about-face and drink like a gentleman, our hats are off to him. Heaven knows, we have tried hard enough and long enough to drink like other people!

Alcoholics Anonymous Page 31

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Just a Quote

“Once you choose hope, anything’s possible.” ~ Christopher Reeve

[bluidkiti]

April 13


Prayer for Guidance

Lord,
Everywhere I walk, let it be on your path. Everything I see, let it be through your eyes. Everything I do, let it be your will. Every hardship I face, let me place it in your hands. Every emotion I feel, let it be your spirit moving in me. Everything I seek, let me find it in your love. My dear God, I thank you for this day. I ask not to know where I am going, but only to know and feel in the depths of my heart and soul that you are with me. You are guiding me, and I am safe.
Amen

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Just a Thought

I have got rid of most of my inner conflicts.

I was always at war with myself. I was doing things that I did not want to do. I was waking up in strange places and wondering how I got there. I was full of recklessness when I was drunk and full of remorse when I was sober. My life didn't make sense. It was full of broken resolves and frustrated hopes and plans. I was getting nowhere fast. No wonder my nerves were all shot. I was bumping up against a blank wall and I was dizzy from it. A.A. taught me how to get organized and to stop fighting against myself.

So ............

Have I got rid of inner conflicts?

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Just a Contemplation

Self-Pity

Sometimes we get stuck in our own way of seeing things. We may feel as if everything that happens, happens to us or for us. If it rains, we may think about our ruined picnic and not about the dry fields that need the rain. We need to focus on the big picture. This keeps us from becoming self-centered. If it rains, we’ll gather indoors and be glad for the farmers. When we do our part, things go well. When we don’t we feel it. Everyone else feels it too. Self pity keeps us from doing our part.

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Greater Strength

It is now well established that willpower all by itself is about as effective a cure for alcohol addiction as it is for cancer....Most of us tried going it alone, hoping either to control our drinking or to stop, and we had no lasting success in either endeavor.

But we finally asked ourselves: Wouldn't it be more intelligent to seek out and tap a strength greater than our own than to persist in our futile solo efforts...?

Living Sober Page 73

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Just a Quote

"Peace is accepting today, releasing yesterday, and giving up the need to control tomorrow." ~ Lori Deschene

[bluidkiti]

April 14


Prayer Against Depression

Lord,
Please strengthen our hearts, and remind us to encourage one another when the troubles of life start to overwhelm us.
Please guard our hearts from depression.
Give us the strength to rise up each day and fight against the struggles which seek to weigh us down.
Amen

~ John Barnett

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Just a Thought

Can I get well?

If I mean: "Can I ever drink normally again?" The answer is no. But if I mean, "Can I stay sober?" The answer is definitely yes. I can get well by turning my drink problem over to a Power greater than myself, that Divine Principle in the universe which we call God, and by asking that Power each morning to give me the strength to stay sober for the next twenty-four hours. I know from the experience of thousands of people that if I honestly want to get well, I can get well.

So ............

Am I faithfully following the A.A. program?

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Just a Contemplation

Sharing

Though it comes without a price, the sharing we undertake in the AA program has value without limits. When we share our experience, strength, and hope with others, we become both teachers and friends.

Sometimes we are led to believe that we should share our material goods with others, but all we learn is that this often fails to help anyone. Such sharing is not wrong, but it can be misused and misdirected.

In the form of sharing we practice, there can be only gain for all involved in the exchange. Our sharing of personal experience may be just what another person needs at the time. What also matters is that we need it and can benefit from it.

True sharing of this kid is one of the great secrets of AA's success. If our program isn't working well, perhaps we should do more of this sharing.

I'll seek to share my true feelings with others today, in the hope that this will help all of us.

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"Success" in Twelfth-Stepping

We now see that in twelfth-stepping the immediate results are not so important. Some people start out working with others and have immediate success. They are likely to get cocky. Those of us who are not so successful at first get depressed.

As a matter of fact, the successful worker differs from the unsuccessful only in being lucky about his prospects. He simply hits newcomers who are ready and able to stop at once. Given the same prospects, the seemingly unsuccessful person would have produced almost the same results. You have to work on a lot of newcomers before the law of averages commences to assert itself.

As Bill Sees It Page 165

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Just a Quote

“’Thank you’ is the best prayer that anyone could say. I say that one a lot. Thank you expresses extreme gratitude, humility, understanding.” ~ Alice Walker

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April 15

The Prayer of St. Francis

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy;

O Divine Master,
Grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console;
To be understood as to understand;
To be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

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Just a Thought

In A.A. we have to re-educate our minds.

We have to learn to think differently. We have to take a long view of drinking instead of a short view. We have to look through the glass to see what lies beyond it. We have to look through the night before to the morning after. No matter how good liquor looks from the short view, we must realize that in the long run it is poison to us.

So ............

Have I learned to look through the bottle to the better life that lies ahead?

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Just a Contemplation

Gratitude

It's not only the experiences of our fellow AA members that can help us in recovery. We should also be able to see ourselves in stories about troubled people in the grip of alcoholism and anger. Quite often, if we're truly honest, we can even see ourselves in tragic accounts of alcoholics who harmed others during drunken rages or blackouts. We might have stopped short of such behavior, but could this have happened to us? We might read of a drunk driving accident, for example, and realize that we narrowly escaped one or might have caused one had we not found sobriety. Reading such accounts gives us deep pity and sympathy for all the people involved. These stories make us realize that alcoholism has many victims in addition to those who are afflicted with the same disease. And we should be grateful that sobriety enabled some of us to stay out of such news stores and not add to the world's problems.

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New Direction

Where my life had been full of mental turmoil there is now an ever-increasing depth of calmness. Where there was a hit or miss attitude toward living there is now new direction and force.

Experience, Strength and Hope Page 134

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Just a Few Quotes

“The deeds you do may be the only sermon some people will hear today.” ~ Francis of Assisi

“The only thing ever achieved in life without effort is failure.” ~ Francis of Assisi