GRATEFUL FOR WHAT I HAVE

During this process of learning more about humility, the most profound result of all was the change in our attitude toward God.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 75

Today my prayers consist mostly of saying thank you to my Higher Power for my sobriety and for the wonder of God's abundance, but I need to ask also for help and the power to carry out His will for me. I no longer need God each minute to rescue me from the situations I get myself into by not doing His will. Now my gratitude seems to be directly linked to humility. As long as I have the humility to be grateful for what I have, God continues to provide for me.

from the book Daily Reflections

loyalty

Reflection for the Day

One thing that keeps me on the right track today is a feeling of loyalty to other people in recovery, no matter where they may be. We depend on each other. I know, for example, that I’d be letting them down if I ever took a drink or used. When I entered recovery, I found a group of people who were not only helping each other, but who were loyal to each other. Am I loyal to my group and to my friends in recovery?

Working on our Recovery

Each of us has been given recovery. Now it’s up to each of us what we do with it. At times, we’ll work hard and grow quickly. At other times, our growth will be slower. This is okay. We’re not in a race. Our pace is not important. What is important is that we’re always working on our recovery.

We’re all part of a fellowship, a caring group. We’re one of many. But each of us is important. Each one of us will have a special way to work our programs through our readings, friends, meetings, and what we know of how life works. Each of us puts together a miracle of recovery. We then take our miracle and share it with others, so they can build their miracle.

Prayer for the Day

Higher Power, help me work at growing. Help me be a person who is an important part of a group.

Action for the Day

Today I’ll work at seeing myself as very important. I’ll remind myself that others’ recovery also depends on my recovery. I am needed.

from the book Keep it Simple, Daily Meditations for Twelve Step Beginnings and Renewal

It is a mistake to look too far ahead. Only one link in the chain of destiny can be handled at a time.

~Sir Winston Churchill

How many times today will we think or say, “I wish I knew what was going to happen”? We can find contentment in the knowledge that God will take care of us, regardless of the outcome of any situation. And even more importantly, God already knows the outcome, and we’ll know it, too, when the time is right. We never need to worry; all is well. We’re given the knowledge and direction we need when we’re ready for it.

Laughter

The most useless day of all is that in which we have not laughed.

~Sebastien R.N. Chamfort

When we wallowed in the self-pity of obsession, we were sure we’d never laugh again. How easy it was to weep, alone and secretly, inspired by sad music like “Born to Lose” or “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry.”

What a shock it was to hear people laugh in our first few meetings! How could they laugh about something as serious as addiction? What an awakening when we were able to join the laughter!

Living on the edge

Keeping life simple and quiet may at first seem boring. Many of us were used to living in extremes: situations were either going our way and we were ecstatic, or all hell had broken loose and we were enraged, perhaps even suicidal. It was our perspective, often a faulty one, that defined the way situations appeared. Creating chaos had become normal.

Our new life in recovery may at first seem strange. But in time deciding we want to live serenely and slowing down so we can think through circumstances before responding will begin to feel normal. How fortunate that we have a blueprint for doing this. The Twelve Steps and the slogans will make possible whatever change we want to make.

I didn’t know what serenity was before coming to a Twelve Step program. But it’s mine today and every day if I want it.

from the book A Life of My Own, Meditations on Hope and Acceptance

Observe always that everything is the result of a change, and get use to thinking that there is nothing Nature loves so well as to change existing forms and to make new ones like them.  -Marcus Aurelius-

With all our hearts we want to live healthier, more inspired lives. We want ot embrace new ways of living. Yet something inside us resists change.

 Whats keeping us from taking the actions that will improve our well-being? Why aren't we pursing  the goals we've longed for?  What's preventing us from turning our will and life over to the care of a loving God?

  For most of us,the answer, in a word, is fear. We're fearful of the transition between the familiar an the unknown. We're afraid of the learning process as well as the discipline and the effort that will be required. One of greatest concerns is that we we'll fail.

Willingness

"A willingness to do whatever I was told to do simplified the program for me. Study the A.A. book - don't just read it. They told me to go to meetings, and I still do at every available opportunity, whether I am at home or in some other city. Attending meetings has never been a chore for me. Nor have I attended them with a feeling of just doing my duty. Meetings are both relaxing and refreshing to me after a hard day. They said 'Get active' so I helped whenever I could, and still do."
1976 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 381

Thought to Consider . . .

The ankle-biters of everyday struggles will eat away at me unless I go to meetings and call my sponsor.

AACRONYMS
A C T I O N
Any Change Toward Improving One's Nature

The Ready Pupil

God gave us two ears but only one mouth. Some say that’s because our Higher Power wanted us to spend twice as much time listening as we did talking.

~Anonymous

One of the most valuable things we can do is to become a good listener. When we concentrate on absorbing what wiser and more experienced members say, rather than thinking about what we imagine others want to hear from us, we will grow in our program. We are aware that “when the pupil is ready, the teacher will appear.”

Often, the teacher is an unlikely source. Some of the things we most need to hear may come from someone new to the program. If we are highly educated, it may come from someone with no education at all.If we are materially successful, it may come from someone who has nothing. We are all teachers and all students in the program. We constantly learn from each other, wherever or whoever we are.

I shall never stop learning as I will always be a pupil in my program. Thankfully, I will never graduate. There are no diplomas, only revelations. I will be a good listener.