Even More Recovery Readings and Meditations - December

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December 2

Step by Step

” …Step Ten …suggests we continue to take personal inventory and continue to set right any new mistakes as we go along. We vigorously commenced this way of living as we cleaned up the past. We have entered the world of the Spirit. Our next function is to grow in understanding and effectiveness. This is not an overnight matter. It should continue for our lifetime. Continue to watch for selfishness, dishonesty, resentment and fear …We discuss them with someone immediately and make amends quickly if we have harmed anyone.” – Alcoholics Anonymous, 3rd Edition, 1976, Ch 6 (“Into Action”), p 84.

Today, if a slip or relapse are preceded by thoughts that are mostly subconscious, a more diligent practice of Step 10 might be a refuge from a return to drinking. The 10th Step, the maintenance of the Fourth, could alert us to problems in our physical, emotional and spiritual conditions, and those conditions may well have led us to drinking in the first place. The importance of the 10th cannot be underestimated. It compels us to continue the Fourth Step on a daily basis, and do it honestly and diligently. With that honesty and diligence, we may find in the 10th some of the defects we acknowledged in our Fourth Step. By recognizing them before they reach the surface, we might be able to fight off the potential slip or relapse. At the same time, if we make conscious those thoughts that are otherwise subconscious and cave in to temptation or craving anyway, we most likely have not fully embraced the First Step – “Admitted we were powerless …” Today, I choose not to neglect my 10th Step. And our common journey continues. Step by step. – Chris M.

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~ EASY DOES IT ~ (A Book of Daily 12 Step Meditations) ~

PRAYER

Prayer is the voice of faith.

~ Horne ~

Prayer is what we do before we act, not after. Prayer is our choice of whose team we are on. Since we no longer take on the job of coach, we listen when we pray. We want to hear the call of each new play. We want to hear our assignment. When it comes time to act, we act according to the plan for us. This kind of prayer helps to bring us results.

When we ask only to do God's will, we cannot fail. Sometimes when we pray, we discover great things are being asked of us. We wonder where we will get the strength and the determination to succeed. Remember, we are never asked for more than we can do. Our Higher Power understands our potential better than we do. Sometimes when we pray we discover our role is different from the one we thought it was.

I have not been the best judge of what is good for me. I trust the answers to my prayers because my Higher Power wants only what is best for me.

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

I can accept failure, but I can’t accept not trying.

~ Michael Jordan ~

Sometimes failure can be a trap that, if we let it, stops us in our development. We get discouraged and absorb failure as if it defined us. We may indulge in self-pity and wrap ourselves in the “loser” label. It’s a painful identity, but there’s a payoff: we rationalize that there’s no point in risking again, so we won’t need to put forth any more effort. That kind of choice is like a hiding place for our true self. We cannot afford to indulge in such hiding places.

On this path, hiding and self-pity only freeze our growth. We must learn to deal with failure as a part of life. We are human and that means we are incomplete as long as we live. We must accept that we will fail at many things on the way to finding achievement. If we block failure, we block success. So our true identity is that of learner, seeker, and adventurer—a man who rebounds from failure and comes back with his best shot.

Today I will fulfill my true self and learn from whatever happens.

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

First I had to learn to stand up for myself. Now I’m learning to avoid offending others while doing so. Courtesy is a virtue.

~ Rose Casey ~

As human beings we have a tendency to let our own feelings get mixed up with the feelings of other people. Thus one of the most important discoveries we make in this program is where “we end and someone else begins.”

The boundary lesson is one we probably never learned in our family of origin, and we have had many pain-filled experiences as a result. But we are learning it now. Although we occasionally step on others’ toes, if we can do it with respect and grace, it is not too costly a price for learning this most elementary lesson. The key word here is respect. Courteously owning our behavior empowers us and sets a clear and positive example for others.

Sincere efforts to grow, if not at the expense of others, will ultimately bless us many times over. Our growth will benefit the significant people in our lives too. Sincere effort, only, is required.

I am assured that courtesy can prevail in every situation. I can be kind to other people today.

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~ TODAY I WILL DO ONE THING ~ (Daily Readings for Awareness and Hope) ~

I want to be known

These days I want to tell my recovery story. It's not that I'm proud of my mental health and addiction problems. It's not that I want people to pity me. In fact, I tend to feel shy in front of a group (even when some are my friends).

But these days I need to tell my recovery story. I want people to know me, to understand me better (I want to understand myself better). Now, more than ever, I need a safe place; I need to belong.

At my next meeting I can offer to tell my story. I'll be honest, authentic, and brief

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~ BODY, MIND, AND SPIRIT ~ (Inspiration and Support for Recovery) ~

That the birds of worry and care fly about your head.
This you cannot change
But that they build nests in your hair
This you can prevent.

~ Chinese Proverb ~

Worry can light on our shoulders or sink its teeth into our flesh. Worry can become such a habit that it may actually take over most of our waking and dreaming hours. Worry can break down our immune system and weaken our natural ability to fight illness.

For some people worry is a full-time job and life companion. How much do each of us worry each day? This is a good question to ask when we are ready to get serious about changing our worry habits.

Once we have identified how and when we worry we are ready to reverse the pattern. Progress, not perfection, is the key in changing our worry habits. With an open mind and willing heart we have the power to change our habit of worry into one of trust. We know as we make this change that our Higher Power is truly at work in our lives.

Today let me begin to replace my worry with trust and faith in my ability to use my resources to face whatever life brings me.

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~ MORNING LIGHT ~ (Meditations to Begin Your Day) ~

If you were going to die soon and had only one phone call you could make, who would you call and what would you say? And why are you waiting?

~ Stephen Levine ~

Making amends is a crucial part of your recovery. But it also requires you to think before taking any action to repair damaged relationships. This thinking process enables you to distinguish between those relationships you wish to have in your life and those with whom you no longer want interaction.

Even if you do not want to maintain relationships with some—an ex-partner in business or love or former drinking buddies—you need to resolve the harm you have done, whether it is by squaring up financial debts or saying, “I’m sorry for what I have done to you.”

For those people you wish to have in your life—a partner with whom you share child care, friends, family members, and others—you need to dedicate time and patience to show your apology is meaningful. You need to back up your promised actions with trustworthy behaviors and show you are committed to making things right and better. Remember that it is not what you want or need from others that is most critical, but being able to compromise so you can honor the wants and needs of others.

I will he patient as I make amends and rebuild relationships.

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~ NIGHT LIGHT ~ (A Book Of Nighttime Meditations) ~

There is no royal road to anything. One thing at a time, all things in succession. That which grows fast withers as rapidly; that which grows slowly endures.

~ Josiah Gilbert Holland ~

During winter we can walk through a grocery store and see an array of fresh vegetables and fruits as if it were summer. Chemicals and greenhouses allow farmers to grow food year-round and produce ripe tomatoes even while a snowstorm howls outside.

Yet the tomato that took a few weeks to grow in a climate-controlled, enriched environment doesn't compare to the one that grew to fruition over months in the natural sun and soil. So it is with us. Instant recovery is like instant breakfast—it's satisfying but doesn't last long.

Many times our recovery will seem like it's proceeding at a snail's pace. But emotional growth can't be regulated like temperatures and soil conditions. Our potential for growth is a result of the effort we put into it and the time we give it.
The steady regulation of time forces growth to be gradual and balanced. For growth to be good, it must stand the test of time.

I can slow down my desires and not try to push time to move more quickly. I need to accept the pace and grow steadily and surely.

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~ DAY BY DAY ~ (Daily Meditations for Recovering Addicts) ~

The blessing of burdens

Those with the greatest burdens may be the most blessed, if they choose to take on the challenges before them. Somehow, the rich-ness of joy is measured in direct proportion to the degree of suffering. Each of us has felt the joy of achievement. The intensity of what we’ve overcome influences the depth of that joy.

Before the blooms appear so hopefully in spring, the barren winter must come and go. To bring out the best in us, we have to overcome the obstacles of life. We ask our Higher Power for the strength to deal with and to accept them daily.

Have I grown as a result of my difficulties?

Higher Power, help me accept my problems as blessings in disguise.

Today I will shoulder my heaviest burden and

God help me to stay clean and sober today!

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~ IF YOU WANT WHAT WE HAVE ~ (Sponsorship Meditations) ~

I myself must mix with action, lest I wither by despair.

~ ALFRED, LORD TENNYSON ~

Newcomer

How is it possible to apply Step Twelve, "to practice these principles in all our affairs"? Does that mean taking all Twelve Steps again?

Sponsor

The Steps can help us live more consciously. Take our relationships with other human beings, for example. How do we handle duties, disappointments, disagreements? Steps One through Three remind me that there are people and things over which I have no control, and that surrender is more effective than forcing my will. Steps Four and Ten remind me to examine and commit to writing any ways in which I may be contributing to what troubles me. Step Five reminds me of the powerful process of speaking with others. Steps Six and Seven remind me that it's my Higher Power, not me, who's in charge of my healing; Steps Eight and Nine, that I have an effect on others. The Eleventh Step reminds me to tend my relationship with the Spirit with daily practice; and the Twelfth Step, that I'm not in recovery just for myself.

Taking actions in the light of the Steps, whether or not we repeat them formally, is the next phase of recovery. Continuing to attend Step meetings where we hear other people's experience of the Steps in their recovery offers us information and wisdom. We realize that we've learned a great deal about how to live. As recovery progresses, we discover that the simple principles underlying these Steps have become deep-seated commitments.

Today, I have reliable principles for how to live.

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~ THE EYE OPENER ~

Fires, floods, and epidemics are no-body's business — they are everybody's business. Alcoholism is equally devastating and just as much a community catastrophe.

We in AA are unique in that we are trained veterans in the art of combating this disease. Its prevalence demands the complete co-operation of every qualified man or woman, and we are guilty of dereliction of duty and lacking in gratitude to the Grace of God that saved us, if we do anything less than our utmost.

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~ The 12 STEP PRAYER BOOK ~ (A Collection of Favorite 12 Step Prayers and Inspirational Readings) ~

The Simple Things

Lord, I pray to stay uncomplicated and do well
these simple tasks:
If I open it, I will close it.
If I turn it on, I will turn it off.
If I unlock it, I will lock it up.
If I break it, I will admit it.
If I borrow it, I will return it.
If I make a mess, I will clean it up.
If I value it, I will take care of it.
If it will brighten someone's day, I will say it!

~ Author unknown ~

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~ AROUND THE YEAR WITH EMMET FOX ~ (A Book of Daily Readings) ~

CONSIDERING THE SOURCE OF SUPPLY

There is not the least obligation upon anyone to tithe until he reaches the state of consciousness when he will prefer to do so. To give grudgingly or from a supposed sense of duty, is really to give from a sense of fear. Some think that because they are in pressing difficulties it is impossible for them to tithe at the present time but they propose to do so as soon as circumstances improve. This is to miss the whole point—the greater the present necessity, the greater the need for tithing.

Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measure to you again (Luke 6:38).

The secret of demonstrating prosperity in the spiritual way—and on no other basis can your prosperity ever be secure—is to know the point of realization, that the one and only source of your supply is God, and that your business or employment, your investments, your clients or customers are but the particular channel through which that supply is at the moment coming to you from God. The practice of tithing is really the concrete proof that you have accepted this position.

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~ A DEEP BREATH OF LIFE ~ (365 Daily Inspirations for Heart-Centered Living) ~

Terminal Improvements

Stop improving yourself and start living.

~ Roberta Jean Bryant ~

As I approached the departure area of an airport undergoing re-modeling, I saw a sign that grabbed my attention: Terminal Improvements. Although the sign referred to the construction, I was tickled by its double meaning.

Endless self-fixing is a detour from the spiritual path. We can become so obsessed with personal growth that we lose sight of the truth that everything we need is within us and we are good enough just as we are. The path to enlightenment is not one of self-improvement, but self-discovery. When we recognize that we are whole, the game shifts from getting some–thing from outside of us, to releasing the splendor within us.

Seminars, books, psychic and astrological readings, trainings, techniques, and practices can be extremely helpful, but they can also be a means to hide from living life where you are. At some point, we must admit that we have amassed all the data we need, and get on with applying what we have learned.

Gandhi affirmed, “My life is my message,” and we must aspire to this ideal. First, we talk the talk; then we talk the walk; then we walk the talk; then we walk the walk. Reflect the highest truth simply by living what you know and being what you are.

I am ready to get on with living my destiny. Help me go beyond words and teach love through action.

I live the truth I know.