We Do Recover

[MajestyJo]

It was really important for me to trust the process. To know that things happen when they should. When I am ready, the teacher will appear, if I am open and willing to change.

As it says in the reading, that it doesn't happen over night. We didn't get this way overnight. We have a lot of fears and phobia to overcome. A lot of mixed messages to identify and accept or reject according to the person we want to be in today.

Trust that through my Higher Power I will know what is good for me. If I turn my day over, then I will get the Good Orderly Direction that I need daily. Divine Orderly Good will be there if I am willing to acknowledge it and apply it to my life.

Through trusting a Higher Power, I can learn to trust myself. To hear those Messages and know what is my God's will for me.

When I think of an abrasion on my body, I know that it has to heal inside and out. It has many layers, and often when it scabs over, I think it is okay and yet, if I were to take off the scab, I would recognize raw skin underneath. The same with us, many things have underlying issues that we need to deal with. It is seldom one thing, often compunded interest from something that goes way back, which we only recognize in today.

One day at a time, life doesn't get better, I do.

Something I posted on another site in 2011.

[MajestyJo]

There is a hymn that says, "Without Him, I can do nothing." That is so true in my life. Some days I don't do nothing, and I know He is saying, "That is OK."

Elvis Presley Lyrics
"Without Him"

Without Him I could do nothing
Without Him I'd surely fail
Without Him I would be drifting
Like a ship without a sail

Without Him I would be dying
Without Him I'd be enslaved
Without Him life would be worthless
But with Jesus thank God I'm saved

Oh Jesus, oh Jesus
Do you know Him today
Please don't turn Him away
Oh Jesus, my Jesus
Without Him how lost I would be
Without Him how lost I would be.

[MajestyJo]

"We Are In This Together "

I did not know what I would find here, but surely it had to he better than the ugly mess that had become my life. What I have found here (and what has found me), is a spiritual connection, a new purpose in life, a safe haven where I may come and be spiritually recharged. From these rooms have come the sponsors who unselfishly gave of their time and shared their experience, strength, and hope, and guided me through the indispensable Twelve Steps of this spiritual path. They did not judge me as I bared my soul to them and stumbled through the highs and lows and self-pity-run riot of the early days of my sobriety. Then I learned to impart these miracle-making principles to others, and so I became a fellow of Alcoholics Anonymous. I learned to love all alcoholics and Alcoholics Anonymous and to desire that AA be forever available to all who need and want it.

---from Stan C. in AA Grapevine, January 2004, pages 12-13

AA Grapevine

When I got to the doors of AA, I felt like I had finally found a place that I could call home, even though I didn't think I qualified. I thought if I told them I was an alcoholic, they would let me stay and I could find out what it was they had, and I could get a little bit of what they had for myself.

I brought the body, and the mind followed. I knew I was an addict, but don't put that alcoholic label on me. In today, I know I didn't have a drinking problem, I had a thinking problem. I used alcohol like I used everything else. It doesn't what you call me, I can't use safely, no matter what substance I pick up.



The skunk means respect. How little we respected ourselves. Respect has to be earned. It took a while.

[MajestyJo]

I know that when I make it to a meeting, I will always feel better afterward, no matter how yucky I felt before I went there. Meetings helpp in more ways than one. You will be surprised what you hear. Sometimes words that are echoing around in your own head.

I know that I will be recharged spiritually.

[MajestyJo]

~ WISDOM TO KNOW ~ (More Daily Meditations For Men) ~

No one has completed his education who has not learned to live with an insoluble problem.

~ Edmund J. Kiefer ~

Facing, for the first time, a stone wall that we cannot change can be quite a shock. It’s a huge emotional challenge that changes us from boys to men. Some people first meet their insoluble problem in the form of the death of a loved one, others through a child with an incurable handicap, and others by way of a chronic illness or an addiction. Whatever form a man’s stone wall takes, he naturally responds first with a refusal to accept it and a search for a way around it. But when he ultimately learns to accept reality, he changes in a profound way. He has stepped into the world of adults.

We used to feel that our addiction and codependency were burdens, tragedies that we had to carry. But there is a bright side to the dark stories of our past: when we got honest about our powerlessness, we became real men.

Today I accept my powerlessness once again and feel grateful for the wisdom it has taught me.

It is important for me to remember that I am as powerless over my son's addiction as I am over my own. It is only when I surrender that I am empowered to do what I need to do on a daily basis for my recovery.

[MajestyJo]

~ A WOMAN’S SPIRIT ~ (More Meditations For Women) ~

Laughter, like a drenching rain, settles the dust, cleans and brightens the world around us, and changes our whole perspective.

~ Jan Pishok ~

Laughter’s power is awesome. Some might say miraculous. We all know the effects of laughter, liven in the midst of frustrating circumstances, nothing seems as bleak or hopeless after being observed through the twinkling eyes of laughter.

How is it that our perspective changes after a moment or two of laughter? Does laughing shake loose the cobwebs that clutch the grim realities? All we know for certain is that nothing appears quite the same after we’ve loosened our hold on life’s dark explanations.

Laughter refreshes us. We can’t change the people we love, we can’t determine outcomes, we can’t control how God works in our lives. But we can laugh. And laughing about our experiences gives us the chance to accept them and make them work to our advantage.

Nothing is quite as serious as I make it today. Lightening up and laughing a little makes every minute easier.

It is hard to laugh when we are caught up in the chaos in our lives. Detaching from it and not taking it on or just decide to take a time out to enjoy life and put trouble on a back burner for a short time, to take time for yourself. I was told by a friend on FB to lighten up.

[MajestyJo]

Journey to the Heart

Heal Your Resentments

How fast resentments creep in during the course of an ordinary year. How much faster they can creep in during intense times, times of change, times of evolution-- the kind of times we've been experiencing on our journey.

Things shift. Things change. We let go of the old and stumble toward the new. And resentments crop up along the way. People become angry with us for changing, we become angry with them because we believe their experiences have unjustly impacted us.

Resentments are tricky little things, devious little devils of energy that block and damage our souls and hearts. They tell us they're justified. They tell us we need them to protect ourselves. They tell us we should have adopted them a long time ago. They tell us we're not safe if we release them, if we send them packing.

Those are lies, illusions that keep us blocked, stuck, and often quite uncomfortable.

Go deeper into yourself. What do you feel underneath the resentment? Betrayed? Hurt? Ashamed? Embarrassed? Left out? Forgotten? Misunderstood? You're safe now. Go ahead and feel whatever you need to feel. Honor and recognize your gentler, softer side-- those other feelings that make you feel vulnerable, those more tender feelings hiding behind, underneath, or to the side of the resentment.

Feel and release your resentment. Feel the feelings underneath it,too. You'll become clear. The resentment will dissolve. And you'll return to love.

A good recovery reminder, resentments kill, they lead to relapse. To use is to die. We don't pray for others to heal them, we pray to change our thinking, to let go of our anger, and find that peaceful place within, that a resentment can invade.

[MajestyJo]

Each Day a New Beginning

Acceptance is not submission; it is acknowledgment of the facts of a situation. Then deciding what you're going to do about it. --Kathleen Casey Theisen

Recovery offers us courage to make choices about the events of our lives. Passive compliance with whatever is occurring need no longer dominate our pattern of behavior. Powerlessly watching our lives go by was common for many of us, and our feelings of powerlessness escalated the more idle we were.

Today, action is called for, thoughtful action in response to the situations begging for our attention. Recovery's greatest gift is the courage to take action, to make decisions that will benefit us as well as the people who are close to us. Courage is the byproduct of our spiritual progress, courage to accept what we cannot change, believing that all will be well, courage to change in ourselves what we do have control over.

An exhilaration about life accompanies the taking of action. The spell that idleness casts over us is broken, and subsequent actions are even easier to take. Clearly, making a choice and acting on it is healthful. The program has given us the tools to do both.

Decisions will be called for today. I will be patient with myself, and thoughtful. I will listen closely to the guidance that comes from those around me.

Acceptance is not submission means much the same as my favorite saying in today, "Surrender doesn't mean giving up, it means giving over." Accepting what is, knowing it is subject to change.

[MajestyJo]

Journey to the Heart

Heal Your Resentments

How fast resentments creep in during the course of an ordinary year. How much faster they can creep in during intense times, times of change, times of evolution-- the kind of times we've been experiencing on our journey.

Things shift. Things change. We let go of the old and stumble toward the new. And resentments crop up along the way. People become angry with us for changing, we become angry with them because we believe their experiences have unjustly impacted us.

Resentments are tricky little things, devious little devils of energy that block and damage our souls and hearts. They tell us they're justified. They tell us we need them to protect ourselves. They tell us we should have adopted them a long time ago. They tell us we're not safe if we release them, if we send them packing.

Those are lies, illusions that keep us blocked, stuck, and often quite uncomfortable.

Go deeper into yourself. What do you feel underneath the resentment? Betrayed? Hurt? Ashamed? Embarrassed? Left out? Forgotten? Misunderstood? You're safe now. Go ahead and feel whatever you need to feel. Honor and recognize your gentler, softer side-- those other feelings that make you feel vulnerable, those more tender feelings hiding behind, underneath, or to the side of the resentment.

Feel and release your resentment. Feel the feelings underneath it,too. You'll become clear. The resentment will dissolve. And you'll return to love.

A good recovery reminder, resentments kill, they lead to relapse. To use is to die. We don't pray for others to heal them, we pray to change our thinking, to let go of our anger, and find that peaceful place within, that a resentment can invade.

[MajestyJo]

A Day At A Time

Reflection For The Day

I’ll begin today with prayer — prayer in my heart, prayer in my mind, and words of prayer on my lips. Through prayer, I’ll stay tuned to God today, reaching forward to become that to which I aspire. Prayer will redirect my mind, helping me rise in consciousness to the point where I realize that there’s no separation between God and me. As I let the power of God flow through me, all limitations will fall away. Do I know that nothing can overcome the power of God?

Today I Pray

Today may I offer to my Higher Power a constant prayer, not just a “once-in-the-morning-does-it” kind. May I think of my Higher Power at coffee breaks, lunch, tea time, during a quiet evening — and at all times in between. May my consciousness expand and erase the lines of separation, so that the Power is a part of me and I am a part of the Power.

Today I Will Remember

To live an all-day Prayer.

Like this concept. A prayer to last all day long. Maybe a blanket order, saying to God, "This is what I need, just in case You have forgotten." TeeHee! Doesn't sound like a lot of faith.

It is good to live in concordance to what we pray for, and yet they say, "Be careful what you pray for, you just might get it.

So glad this is a one day at a time program. Progress not perfection. A program of practice, practice, practice.

[MajestyJo]

September 16

One Day At A Time

REDISCOVERY

“When you come right down to it,

the secret of having it all is loving it all.”

Dr. Joyce Brothers

In dealing with compulsive eating issues, we tend to lose ourselves to the darkness of low self-esteem and self-criticism. We are our own worst enemies and we don't know how to nurture ourselves. We don't like who we have become. We feel like failures to ourselves and to all of those around us.

In working through the program, we learn to surrender and to accept the things we cannot change. We gain wisdom and strength. As we learn to take care of ourselves, we begin to feel good. We become self-aware. We recognize our needs and work aggressively to make sure they are being fulfilled.



We realize that we can choose how to react to the things around us. We accept our true selves, we voice our opinions, and we make changes. We realize that people do accept us the way we are and we don't have to hide anymore. For the first time, we are able to re-discover our true identity.

One day at a time...

I learn something new about myself. I accept myself for who I am as I surrender myself to my Higher Power. I prioritize my needs and all of the responsibilities in my life. I find the courage to change the things I can, and I accept the things I cannot. I look in the mirror and, with each passing day in recovery, I like who I see.

~ Lori

Many times when we are hurting, we reach for other things, for me it was food. My eating disorder was generally ruled by my emotions. How often I felt like I was hitting back. I got so I didn't care about me, and thanks to the program, I was able to turn that around.

[MajestyJo]

September 19

Daily Reflections

ACCEPTANCE

We admitted we couldn't lick alcohol with our own remaining resources, and so we accepted the further fact that dependence upon a Higher Power (if only our A.A. group) could do this hitherto impossible job. The moment we were able to accept

these facts fully, our release from the alcohol compulsion had begun.

AS BILL SEES IT, p. 109



Freedom came to me only with my acceptance that I could turn my will and my life over to the care of my Higher Power, whom I call God. Serenity seeped into the chaos of my life when I accepted that what I was going through was life, and that God would help me through my difficulties--and much more, as well. Since then He has helped me through all of my difficulties! When I accept situations as they are, not as I wish them to be, then I can begin to grow and have serenity and peace of mind.

Sobriety for me is soundness of mind. Until I have some form of acceptance, I stay stuck in my recovery, the program doesn`t work for me without it. Someone argued with me many years ago about acceptance not in the first 164 pages so it isn`t required to stay sober and I was misleading people. Not sure if the person was right or wrong, I just know for me that I not only need to accept my alcoholism, but I had to accept that I needed a program of recovery.

[MajestyJo]

Journey To The Heart
October 14
Clear Out the Clutter

Have you ever noticed how easy it is to accumulate possessions and clutter in your home, things you pick up along the way? Have you ever noticed how easy it is to begin accommodating this clutter, getting used to it, thinking of it as just part of your environment?

It can be that way with our emotions,too. No matter how hard we strive to stay clear, we pick up bits of clutter along the way.

It’s so easy to ignore deeply embedded emotions and their impact on our lives. Many of us have undercurrents of old emotional energy that have been with us for so long we don’t see them. We don’t see the anger, the fear, the sadness. We’ve lived with these feelings for so long they have become embedded in us, part of us. When one of these nudges us, we tuck it back in, pack it away, and go on about our lives. But the feelings stays with us until we consciously acknowledge and address it. It affects us and our lives until we heal it.

Find a way to heal those old feelings, perhaps journaling or writing your memoirs. Whatever technique you choose to begin this journey of deep healing, deep cleansing, take the time to become conscious of what you really feel. Observe yourself; listen closely to yourself. Is there an edge to your voice? Do you talk about a particular person or place with a high degree of emotional energy? Learn to become comfortable with the rhythm of allowing these emotions to surface. They aren’t that hard to find. When it’s time to heal them, they’ll present themselves.

Release your fear of facing what’s there. Tap into that deeper part of you. Acknowledge your emotional energy, and heal.

Start cleaning house. Each piece of emotional clutter you clear out will bring you closer to your soul.

This is why I have to work on my emotional sobriety (soundness of mind) daily.

[MajestyJo]

October 22

One Day At A Time

Scars

“Dwelling on the negative

simply contributes to its power.”

Shirley MacLaine

I’ve lived most of my life filled with bitterness towards people, God and myself. My mind, soul, and body were consumed by hatred, self-pity, pain, hopelessness, and a complete sense of powerlessness. I focused my energy on reviewing my scars. I counted them, checked them, nurtured them, and flaunted them. They were proof of all the wrongs I’d endured. They were my source of energy. They were my identity. They were my badge of sorrow.

As I work my recovery, I am beginning to see everything from a new perspective. Gradually my head is lifted and my eyes are turned away from my once-beloved scars. The more I allow myself to accept that my powerlessness is not a prison of doom, the more I discover that it is my doorway to faith, surrender, and serenity.

My scars are still here. There is no magic potion to remove them. What is magical, however, is that I see them so differently. I find that I have a choice to make every day: I can cherish my scars as proof of the pain I have suffered, or I can be thankful for them as evidence of things I have survived. Scar tissue forms and creates a stronger, thicker skin in its place. I can either pick at it and make it bleed, or I can welcome the lessons and endurance it has built into my life.

One day at a time...

I will choose to see my scars as proof of the difficulties I have survived. I will choose to appreciate them as evidence that God has brought me through suffering and has used all things to strengthen my faith in Him, my hope for tomorrow, and my serenity for today.

~ Lisa

Have a friend who once said to me. I wish I could heal scars, but I can't. I said that is because they run deep, and are often rooted to emotions as well as the physical. The surface may seem small, but what lies underneath the scar can be a lot of pain and suffering, often compounded interest, especially if we tend to internalize things and not bring them out into the moment. We need to bring things out of the darkness into the light in order to heal.

[MajestyJo]

October 26

One Day At A Time

Paths

“I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood and I --

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.”

Robert Frost

As a compulsive overeater, I longed to find a solution to my problems. Like so many of us, I tried all the heavily traveled roads ~ the endless means to lose weight and to alleviate my indulgent eating behaviors. But at the end -- and there was always an end -- of every new "method of weight loss" I returned to walking my old path of destructive compulsive overeating. I always went back to the old eating behaviors as well as the consequences of those behaviors. I had heard of OA but did not know anyone who belonged to its groups. It seemed like the whole world was on the latest fad diet -- diets that I could never continue for more than a few days or weeks.

Since joining The Recovery Group, I now walk a new path and have abandoned the old roads and the diet of the week. I have been on this road nearly a year now, and it is a wonderfully pleasant trek. I indeed believe "I shall be telling this with a sigh, somewhere ages and ages hence." I have found an incredible amount of recovery spiritually, emotionally and physically. I am traveling on “the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference!”

One day at a time...

I will enjoy this road less taken...a path of acceptance and surrender. It is a path of spiritual, emotional and physical recovery!

~ Karen A.

My drug of choice is but a symptom of my disease. The problem is me. A drug is a drug.