Today's Thought - January
 

January 1

I held a moment in my hand, brilliant as a star, fragile as a flower, a shiny sliver out of one hour. I dropped it carelessly. O God! I knew not I held an opportunity.

~Hazel Lee

Once, a famous artist was hired to put stained glass windows into a great cathedral. His eager young apprentice pleaded for the chance to design just one small window. The master artist feared an experiment on even a small window would prove costly, but the persistent young apprentice kept up his pleas. Finally, the master agreed that he could try his hand on one small window if he furnished his own materials and worked on his own time.

The enterprising apprentice began gathering bits of glass his master had discarded, and set to work. When the cathedral doors were open, people stood in groups before the small window, praising its delicate excellence.

Our lives are like this. If we take the time to gather together the moments and opportunities we too often discard and waste, we find we can weave them into something beautiful.

What can I make of moments I usually waste today?

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

January 2

We …

~First word of the Twelve Steps

We. This little word says a lot about the Twelve Steps. Our addiction made us lonely. The we of the program makes us whole again. It makes us a member of a loving, growing group of people.

Our addiction isolated us from others. We couldn’t be honest. We felt a lot of shame. But all this is in the past. The “we” of the program helps us live outside ourselves. Now we tell each other about our pasts. We comfort each other. We try to help each other.
Prayer for the Day

Higher Power, help me to join the “we” of the program. Help me to admit and accept my illness, so the healing can begin.
Action for the Day

Today I’ll work to make the “we” of the program even stronger. I’ll find someone to help.

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

January 3

To be alive is power,
Existing in itself,
Without a further function,
Omnipotence enough.

~Emily Dickinson

Being a person in this world is an amazing gift. A spiritual awakening promised by this program is open to us. But today, not all of us feel powerful and alive. We may feel weak, inadequate to our task, perplexed, or stymied. Is this a day in which we are filled with exuberance for the gift of life? Or is this a day when we’re feeling subdued by life’s burdens?

Perhaps we need to evaluate our perspective. Are we trying to control something or someone? Are we acting as if the world should be as we want rather than as it is? Have our individual wills exceeded their natural bounds and spoiled the simple joy of being “without a further function”?

May I find the pleasure and exuberance today that come with being alive. The simple power to be a person is “omnipotence enough.”

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

January 4

Seeking growth

We are where we are for a reason. As long as that reason remains, we remain where we are. If we aren’t where we think we should be, working the program will help us get to where our deepest self longs to be. This is growth.

And growth is work. We must be willing to do the simple things that our new understanding asks of us. We are never given more than we can handle, and the loving help we need along the way is always available. But we never get this help in advance, only as we need it.

Am I seeking growth?

Higher Power, help me want to grow and be willing to do the simple things, day by day, that add up to big changes.

I will seek growth today by…

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

January 5

Don’t Let the Past Ruin Today

When I was sobering up, I needed to be employed through a “work therapy” program. I was in a meeting with my counselor looking for jobs when I told her that I liked working at the VA hospital, so I wanted to get a job here. She looked at me like I had lost my mind. I am a convicted felon and would have to pass a background check. But I had accepted that my life was more valuable than what was on paper. I graduated drug court, and I showed up to work every day. I walked miles and rode buses to get there. I was on a mission to get hired at the VA medical center.

I realized the mountain I needed to climb to be considered for federal employment. I applied for the job, and my background was flagged. I called the background investigator and was honest about everything. He said that a housekeeping or kitchen position might be a better fit. I could have accepted that as a small victory, but it wasn’t the position that I was training for. By the end of the call, he gave me a job in what I was trained to do, sterile processing. I just celebrated my second year of federal employment. Life changed when I started believing in myself again.

Today I will live in the moment and not let my past ruin today.

~JR W., U.S. Army, 1987–1995

Today's reading is from the book Leave No One Behind: Daily meditations for Military Service Members and Veterans in Recovery*

January 6

Reflection for the Day

I’m beginning to see just how unnatural my old life actually was, and that it became increasingly unnatural as my disease progressed. The longer I’m in recovery, the more natural this new way of life seems. At first, it was impossible for me to extend my hand to a fellow person in recovery; such an act was wholly unnatural for me. But it is becoming increasingly easier for me to reach out to other people in recovery. Sharing my experience, strength, and hope is becoming a natural part of daily living. Have I learned that I can’t keep what I’ve gotten unless I “give it away”? Will I take the time to share today?
Today I Pray

May I share my love, my joy, my happiness, my time, my hospitality, my knowledge of things on earth, and my faith in a Higher Power. Even though I may not see the results of my acts of sharing, may I take joy in the acts themselves. May sharing and connecting with others become as natural to me as speaking or breathing.
Today I Will Remember

Be never sparing in caring and sharing.

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

January 7

Detachment doesn’t mean denying compassion.

Approaching life with detachment may seem cold at first. We are accustomed to offering lots of help to other people. Thus, the first few times we back off from what has become our natural inclination, we feel uncomfortable.

Through this program we are learning so much about ourselves. For example, we never knew that we attained much of our worth from how we took care of others. Detachment doesn’t mean we stop loving them. We are discovering that letting them be wholly in charge of themselves is really far more loving. And it doesn’t mean we can’t have deep feelings of care and concern. We simply need to stop doing for others what they need to do for themselves.

I will evaluate my need for taking care of a friend’s problem today. Letting others take care of themselves is far more loving.

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

January 8

Now and then, some of us are … tempted just to give up, and go back to the old misery.

~Living Sober

The pull of habit is powerful, and that of addiction almost irresistible. Our intellectual knowledge of what’s good for us, even our experience of greater well-being after we’ve let go of old behaviors for a time, sometimes can’t compete with the powerful lure of our old dependencies. Fortunately, we have equally powerful tools and resources to support new ways of being and acting. “No” is not the only word in our arsenal; the word “help” can keep us from isolation.

Attending a recovery meeting, telephoning a sponsor or trusted friend, praying for assistance from our Higher Power, reading spiritual or recovery literature, writing in a journal, doing a walking or chanting meditation, working one of the Steps, making a gratitude list—any one of these actions helps us not to have to struggle alone. Admitting that we’re powerless over an old dependency can be the door that gives us access to the power of our communities and our spiritual tools.

Today, I can ask for help.

Today's reading is from the book Glad Day

January 9

Enjoying Recovery

What a journey!

This process of growth and change takes us along an ever-changing road. Sometimes the way is hard and craggy. Sometimes we climb mountains. Sometimes we slide down the other side on a toboggan.

Sometimes we rest. Sometimes we grope through the darkness. Sometimes we’re blinded by sunlight. At times many may walk with us on the road; sometimes we feel nearly alone.

Ever changing, always interesting, always leading someplace better, someplace good.

What a journey!

Today, God, help me relax and enjoy the scenery. Help me know I’m right where I need to be on my journey.

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

January 10

God will wait as long as it takes for us.

~Rev. R. Walters

Whenever we try to understand, analyze, or probe too much into the reasons for love, we damage it. All that can really be done with love is accept it.

God has said He loves us. We are loved. Regardless of all the painful experiences we may have had that convinced us that love never lasts, or that love may be fine for others but it just doesn’t work for us—regardless of what we may have learned of love—God has said He loves us.

There is a lovely parable in Scripture about the lost sheep and the steadfast love of the shepherd. When the one sheep became lost, as the parable goes, the shepherd did not simply write it off as the cost of doing business. The shepherd searched diligently until the lost sheep was found. No mention is made of scolding, abuse, or punishment—simply the joy the shepherd felt at finding one of his own that was lost.

We are as loved as that lost sheep and, at times, as lost. Whether we feel we are worth it or not, the Shepherd patiently, faithfully searches us out. We cannot outrun God’s reach.

Today, I ask God to deepen my faith.

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

January 11

Oh, what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive.

~Walter Scott

To deceive means to fool people into believing things that are not true. As addicts, we did this in many ways. We lied. We hid facts. We were sneaky. While we were trying to fool other people, we also fooled ourselves. Every lie was like a knot. Pretty soon we were a tangled mess. Our lives became unmanageable, tangled webs of life.

Our recovery program—an honesty program—tells us how we can untangle our lives. In the First Step, we admit we are all tangled up in our life of addiction. Second, we realize we can fix it. Third, we decide to take on the job of fixing it, no matter how much work it takes. In Steps Four and Five, we find the knots with the help of another person. In Steps Six to Ten, we untangle these knots.

Without the tangles, our life is free and ready to be used for whatever we decide. Steps Eleven and Twelve help us find good ways to use the gift of life.
Prayer for the Day

Higher Power, thanks for giving me my life, strong as a good rope. Please help me keep it straight by being honest today with myself and others in everything I do.
Today's Action

Today I will work on straightening out one knot—just one.

Today's reading is from the book God Grant Me: More Daily Meditations from the Authors of Keep It Simple*

January 12

Shame corrodes the very part of us that believes we are capable of change.

~Brené Brown

Shame. Even the word is stark. When we feel shame, we feel utterly worthless, not because of what we’ve done, but because of who we think we are. We think we are unlovable, incapable of giving love. The more our addiction progressed, the more out of control and powerless we felt. That’s when we found shame waiting in the chaos. We wanted to be invisible, to disappear.

But there was something we wanted more: a way out. We found it by hanging on to the knowledge that we have dignity because we have life. It was given to us by our Higher Power, who loves us unconditionally. We no longer need to feel shame because we no longer need to use people or let ourselves be used. Instead, we live in the grace and light of recovery, with dignity and in peace.

What counteracts shame? Honesty about my feelings, boundaries, living in the present, getting out of my self-absorption. These are how I can take care of myself. Above all, gentleness and self-forgiveness will restore my emotional balance.

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

January 13

Forgiveness

Forgiveness is another word for letting go.

~Matthew Fox

What a wonderful discovery it is when we realize our Higher Power has forgiven our past actions! What a joy to know that as we have been delivered from our addiction, we also have been forgiven for our mistakes! We experience a love we never dreamed possible, one that accepts us for being exactly who we are and doesn’t put us down for all the trouble and pain we have caused.

As we have been forgiven, so must we forgive. Our program instructs us as to how we can receive our forgiveness and how we can extend forgiveness to others. Forgiveness is to recovery as oxygen is to the air we breathe.

We seek to get rid of all the conditions we place on our ability to forgive. There are no “ifs” in forgiveness. “If he apologizes first” or “if she changes her ways” are some of the ways we put conditions on forgiveness.

I realize that to keep my own forgiveness, I must give it away. Forgiveness is for sharing.

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

January 14

Success is a process, a quality of mind and way of being.

~Alex Noble

As we think, so we are. And we can use our positive thoughts for successful living by keeping our mind on God’s presence in our life, by accepting God’s love, and by being willing to trust God’s care and direction in our life.

We won’t experience failure, doubt our worth, nor question our purpose when we commit our life to the care of God each morning as we prepare for the day. The days will flow more smoothly when God leads us on our journey.

Serenity, joy, and even success can come to us when we let God into our life. Our decisions can be made with confidence when they are directed by God’s will.

I will remember God today and find peace and happiness.

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

January 15

When my heart is overflowing with gratitude, there is no room for fear.

~Kathy Kendall

Feelings can consume us. Sometimes we have positive feelings; other times we have negative feelings. The truth is, we can’t harbor opposing emotions at the same time. If we are fearful, we can’t be joyful and enthusiastic about what lies ahead. Conversely, if we are joyful and enthusiastic, we can’t be fearful about what lies ahead.

The good news is that our feelings don’t control us. It’s quite the opposite. While it may seem that feelings overcome us, the truth is, they follow our thoughts. In other words, what we manufacture in our minds gives rise to our feelings.

That means, of course, that we don’t have to harbor any feeling one minute longer than we choose. Deciding to feel grateful is just as easy as it is to feel hurt or resentful or fearful. We may not have all we desire, but we do have multiple blessings, each one of us. The more we give thanks to this program and our Higher Power, the more our blessings will multiply.

I will feel at one with my Higher Power today. I am safe, clean and sober, and in caring hands. There is nothing to fear.

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

January 16

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.

~Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

What darkness do we feel in our lives today? Are we troubled by a relationship? Is guilt about past mistakes clouding our peace of mind? Do we feel threatened by a challenge that looms before us? Perhaps we live with an illness or we feel trapped by our life’s circumstances. Darkness is universal. It is one side of the coin of life.

We must not respond to this darkness. The question always is; how will we respond? Many times our established ways of responding to our situation only perpetuate the problem. So we must now seek a way to respond differently. We can do the counterintuitive thing. If we can forgive ourselves, it is easier to forgive others. If we first calm ourselves in the face of challenge instead of letting ourselves panic, we will bring our better self to cope with it. If we respond to anger and hate with genuine loving honesty, we may change the nature of a relationship. Light and love are also universal, and we can choose to walk in the light.

Today, I will respond with calmness and a loving frame of mind.

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

January 17

AA Thought for the Day

I shall not wait to be drafted for service to AA. I shall volunteer. I shall be loyal in my attendance, generous in my giving, kind in my criticism, creative in my suggestions, loving in my attitudes. I shall give to AA my interest, my enthusiasm, my devotion, and most of all, myself. Do I accept this as my AA credo?
Meditation for the Day

Prayer is of many kinds, but of whatever kind, prayer is the linking up of the soul and mind to God. So if prayer is only a glance of faith, a look or a word of love, or just a feeling of confidence in the goodness and purpose in the universe, still the result of that prayer is added strength to meet all temptations and to overcome them. Even if no supplication is expressed, all the supply of strength that is necessary is secured, because the soul, being linked and united to God, receives from Him all spiritual help needed. The soul, when in its human body, still needs the things belonging to its heavenly habitation.
Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may be taught how to pray. I pray that I may be linked through prayer to the mind and will of God.

Today's reading is from the book Twenty-Four Hours a Day: A Spiritual Resource with Practical Applications for Daily Life*

January 18

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul
And sings the tune without the words
And never stops at all.

~Emily Dickinson

We often hum and sing to ourselves because it makes us feel content. It is the melody itself that makes us feel good—words and thoughts do not matter.

Having hope for ourselves and for our universe is like having a melody always moving inside us. The melody may be calm or exciting, but most of all it brings with it beauty and a sense of peace. Hope can overcome the need for words and thoughts and promises. Hope is the melody that keeps us going, the hum that continues even when there are no words to the song. Hope is not a melody we think about—it just comes when we believe in the goodness of our world. If we have faith in a power greater than ourselves, we will be able to find the melody of hope inside us at all times.

What is my hope for today?

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

January 19

Remember always that you have not only the right to be an individual, you have an obligation to be one.

~Eleanor Roosevelt

When we were using alcohol and other drugs, we often thought that we were different from others. We secretly thought that no one could understand us. Maybe we tried to be one of the group, but we were lonely.

Now we know for sure—we are different from others. Everyone’s unique. We all have this in common. Being like others helps us feel safe and normal. But we need to feel good about the ways we’re different from others. We think a little different, act a little different, and look a little different from anyone else. We all have our own ways to make life better for others.
Prayer for the Day

Higher Power, help me be an individual. Help me use my special gifts, not hide them.
Action for the Day

Today I’ll make a list of the things I’m good at. I’ll think about how I can use these gifts.

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

January 20

Shared joy is double joy, and shared sorrow is half-sorrow.

~Swedish proverb

As recovering men, we know relief and peace when we express our pain and share the burden of a sorrow with each other. Life is too difficult, a day is too long, to carry grief alone and keep our joys to ourselves. We have spent long periods of time in loneliness. Like anyone who has been alone and finally gets a chance to speak, we have much to say to one another.

In this program, we tell our stories, and the telling heals us. We tell about our pain and unmanageable past lives. We tell each other about our spiritual experiences. We share our honest doubts and worries about ourselves and events in our daily lives. Full communication at a truly spiritual meeting includes our questions and the incomplete thoughts in our stories, as well as the thoughts that are fully concluded. As we talk, we unburden ourselves and learn from each other about closeness and manhood.

Today, I will let the people around me know about my joys and my sorrows. It will enrich my whole experience.

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

January 21

Finding balance

Let's not forget to play. Our new way of life is a serious matter, but it is not intended as a punishment; nor do we need to repent and suffer for the rest of our lives. Our new way of life is intended to produce growth.

But growth takes work. And work needs play for balance. If we forget to play and be joyful, our life will become unbalanced and we will suffer needlessly.

Have I found some balance in my life?

Higher Power, help me remember that all living things need balance: let me laugh, let me play, let me grow.

My plan for playing today is…

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

January 22

Daily Studies

I thoroughly enjoy recovery literature and have my whole reading routine in the morning. Some books I read once a month; some daily. Around the Year with Emmett Fox is more of a religious one. I'm also in a book study with my old sponsor on Tuesday nights, reading The Untethered Soul. We do other books, like Drop the Rock. It's a really good book about Steps Six and Seven of the Twelve Step program; that's what the whole book is about.

I read As Bill Sees It, my Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, the Big Book, and the Al-Anon Service Manual. I also have the Al-Anon Blueprint for Progress. It's over eighty pages long with a thorough three-page character checklist in the back: from "trustworthy" and "prone to gossip" to "envious" and "disagreeable."

How could I carry the message without the literature? It is an integral part of my recovery.

Reading recovery-based literature inspires my daily stride in sobriety.

Today's reading is from the book Leave No One Behind: Daily meditations for Military Service Members and Veterans in Recovery*

January 23

Reflection for the Day

It was far easier for me to accept my powerlessness over my addiction than it was for me to accept the notion that some sort of Higher Power could accomplish that which I had been unable to accomplish myself. Simply by seeking help and accepting the fellowship of others similarly afflicted, the craving left me. And I realized that if I was doing what I was powerless alone to do, then surely I was doing so by some Power outside my own and obviously greater. Have I surrendered my life into the hands of my Higher Power?
Today I Pray

May my Higher Power remove from me the arrogant pride that keeps our connection from growing ever stronger. May my unhealthy dependence on substances and my clinging dependence on those nearby be transformed into a reliance on my Higher Power. Only through my reliance on a Higher Power will I find personal transformation.
Today I Will Remember

I am Higher Power-dependent.

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

January 24

Nobody can change my thoughts but me.

The first of the Twelve Steps asks us to admit we are powerless. Our first question might be, Why? Shouldn't we try to change the conditions in our lives? Shouldn't we try to influence others to change too? If we put ourselves in good hands in this fellowship, we will begin to appreciate Step One. We will begin to understand that we are indeed powerless over other people. We can plead, complain, shame, cajole, but we cannot force them to see as we see. We will also begin to understand that we are not powerless over ourselves. Not today.

It may seem simplistic to blame our problems on how we ourselves think. After all, others are participating in our lives too. But only we have the power to interpret the experiences we’re having. And we can decide to accept every experience as an opportunity for growth and adventure, as God’s will. The old-timers tell us that is what Step Three means.

I can't change anyone else; all I can change is my mind. I will carefully watch my thoughts today.

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

January 25

Is it necessary to have read Spinoza in order to make out a laundry list?

~Jeanne Detourbey

Each day presents us with decisions. Most are relatively small-what to eat or wear or read, how to organize our tasks, with whom to spend time. But at times we face life-changing decisions: where to live or work, whether to undertake more education, whether to commit ourselves to a relationship.

We can view each choice as an opportunity to express our freedom, our unique character, and our ease with ourselves. We needn't fear that we’ll make a "wrong" decision. Our mistakes are our teachers; they are essential to our process of growth and understanding. Whether our decisions come from common sense, intuition, the voice of inner guidance, or our Higher Power, our answers are already inside us. We can be confident in our innate ability to make the right choices.

Today, I make both large and small decisions with confidence.

Today's reading is from the book Glad Day

January 26

Letting Go of Confusion

Sometimes, the way is not clear.

Our minds get clouded, confused. We aren't certain what our next step should be, what it will look like, what direction we are headed.

That is the time to stop, ask for guidance, and rest. That is the time to let go of fear. Wait. Feel the confusion and chaos, then let it go. The path will show itself. The next step shall be revealed. We don't have to know now. We will know in time. Trust that. Let go and trust.

Today, I will wait if the way is not clear. I will trust that out of the chaos will come clarity.

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

January 27

He has served who now and then
Has helped along his fellow men.

~Edgar A. Guest

It's hard to be interested in something that seems too remote. Sure, we're sorry for starving people in faraway places. And the TV news story about whole villages disappearing in an earthquake makes us feel terrible - until the next news story comes on. It doesn't mean we're bad people when we don't respond much to such tragedies. It only means they're not personal - and only the personal is real.

We care most about what we're involved in directly. If we're not personally involved, we're not very enthusiastic either. If we are the ones starting a new Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACA) meeting, setting up the chairs, and making the coffee, the success of that meeting means a lot to us. If our children are on drugs, we're not bored by city council meetings where new drug programs are discussed. It's our stake in something that makes it important.

The world doesn't need any more spectators. To feel more alive, we must be more alive. Caring is life, and involvement is growth.

Today, I will not sit on the sidelines. I will act on behalf of a good cause that deserves my support.

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

January 28

Desire is the very essence of man.

~Benedict de Spinoza

There is nothing wrong with desire. It is part of being human. During our active addiction, our desires directed our lives. Our desires made our choices for us. If it felt good, well then, "Just do it!" We placed our desires ahead of our values and spiritual principles. This is the mistake we made.

Desires are like children; they need to be guided. In recovery, we use the Steps to guide and direct our desires. We now desire to do the right thing. We desire to get close to people. We desire to be good family members and good citizens. Why? Because this is what we’ve wanted all along. We desire to be good people with good lives.
Prayer for the Day

Higher Power, help me guide the energy of my desires toward what you want me to do. Help me to place principles before desire.
Today's Action

I will make a list of five times I've placed my desires ahead of what is right for me and others. I will call and share my list with someone in recovery.

Today's reading is from the book God Grant Me: More Daily Meditations from the Authors of Keep It Simple*

January 29

We seek God until He finds us.

~Madeleine L'Engle

The day comes when we suddenly realize we are not caught up in our addiction. That's the moment we know we're living in recovery, that we're practicing the principles of recovery in all areas of our lives.

This awakening can come suddenly, as the result of a crisis, or it can happen subtly, over time, bringing with it a deepening of our commitment to the Twelve Step program. We find ourselves turning away from the addiction and toward our Higher Power. We find the joy of living in God's will.

Working the Twelve Steps frees us from the tyranny of addiction by giving us the awareness that God has removed the addiction because we've let go of it. Things are restored to their proper order. The addiction is outside of us; we have ourselves and our relationship with our Higher Power. It's then that we can reach out to other addicts because we finally have someone to give them - ourselves.

I am not my addiction. My addiction is not my Higher Power.

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

Janjuary 30

What is lovely never dies, but passes into other loveliness.

~Thomas Bailey Aldrich

Thinking lovely thoughts during recovery encourages lovely acts. It is true that what starts as lovely will produce an air of loveliness around those of us who work for spiritual things. Truth has a relationship with lovely deeds. John Keats wrote that "beauty is truth and truth beauty," and also gave us the familiar words, "A thing of beauty is a joy forever."

Our thoughts determine the way we behave and shape the personal image that we pass on to those around us. There is an "outer show of an inner glow" that results from kindness and beauty of mind. Unhealthy thoughts or false fronts are destructive. We are what we think we can be and want to be. If we recognize the best and most healthy in the world around us, we will be worthy of the honest image others have of us.

Let me think only the best thoughts so that I might be the best I can be.

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

January 31

Forgiveness is the key to action and freedom.

~Hannah Arendt

Resentments keep us in the past, a past that can never be relived. Resentments keep a stranglehold on our mind. They keep us from appreciating the beauty of a moment. They stop us from hearing the loving voices of friends. We forget that we have a mission to fulfill God's Divine plan for our life.

Fortunately, we can shake this hold on us, and our freedom comes when we decide to forgive whatever transgressions are made against us. This decision, with some practice, can become second nature.

Clearly the choice to resent no one is our opportunity to free our mind and heart for the real activities God hopes we'll attend to. Our purpose in this life goes unfulfilled when we're consumed by resentments. Now we have a program of recovery to help us develop a forgiving heart and find the peace and joy that are part of God's will for each of us.

Holding resentments against others hurts me. Forgiveness can make me glad I'm alive today.

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