Today's Thought - February

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February 16

One Day at a Time

Half our life is spent trying to find something to do with the time we have rushed through life trying to save.

~Will Rogers

Doesn't life sometimes seem like a jigsaw puzzle with all the pieces scattered on the floor? Our program provides us with simple instructions for matching the pieces. We are told if we follow these few instructions, in time we will begin to see the picture develop. But there can be no shortcuts. We can start anywhere, but the picture will only emerge one piece at a time.

Each day for us is like a piece of the jigsaw puzzle. It gives a glimpse of the picture of our lives. We learn that we must live the whole day through to get to the next day. There is no way to get to tomorrow but through today. "One day at a time" becomes the key to the future.

I will only be able to keep my addictions in check today. I can do anything for one day. This is the only day I have, so let me do the best I can.

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

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February 17

We become that which has influenced us the most.

~Wilferd Peterson

In the past, many of us ran with a crowd whose main intent was to be high. As a consequence, we generally behaved thoughtlessly, even toward those who were dearest in our life. We weren't surrounded by positive influences and our actions reflected it. We had not chosen a warm, caring relationship with a Higher Power. We felt isolated and suspicious about situations and most people. Most of us have observed young children who are already mean-spirited, and we can easily guess the circumstances surrounding their lives. None of us escapes being influenced by those forces and factors that, by their daily presence in our life, demand our attention.

Our program for living is daily influencing us to act from a posture of love rather than selfishness. We are thereby growing in our understanding that to give is to receive. We have to continue on our recovery path to ensure our well-being and the well-being of those people who will be influenced by our behavior.

My actions will influence others today, and I want to be remembered as a positive influence.

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

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February 18

A big part of my "conversion" has been full acceptance of myself, warts and all.

~Mary Zink

Every day is a fresh opportunity to love ourselves a little bit more and judge ourselves a little bit less. Growing up with overly critical parents, as many of us did, has made it hard to believe we're okay. But here, in a Twelve Step program, we receive the affirmation we deserve on a daily basis.

We are never going to be perfect. We can't even define what that means. Perhaps God is perfect. Elements of nature appear perfect. But we humans are flawed. And yet we are all okay just as we are. Certainly, we can improve our condition. Doing an inventory will reveal the substantive changes we might make in ourselves. It's good to remember, however, that we are loved unconditionally by our Higher Power and our friends. Learning to accept and appreciate who we are is the most productive lesson we'll ever learn.

I am worthy and lovable. My belief will grow with practice.

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

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February 19

An ounce of apology is worth a pound of loneliness.

~Joseph Joubert

The healing that comes when we make amends happens in two places. First of all, it mends the split between what we want to be and the mistake we have made. In that way, we take responsibility for our actions and reaffirm our standards for ourselves. It's a way of respecting ourselves by saying, "I believe in the standard that I didn't keep, and I will try harder next time."

The second place that healing may happen is between ourselves and the person we have harmed. If it's an old mistake, with apology long overdue, the relationship may take on renewed meaning after an apology. It opens the possibility for a discussion about the friendship and its importance to each person. In other situations, an apology doesn't heal the connection and perhaps the other person isn't willing to accept it. In such a situation, we still take comfort in knowing that we have restored the split within ourselves and that we can let go of the past.

Today, I will be sincere and quick with my apologies.

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

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February 20

AA Thought for the Day

After that first drink, we had a single-track mind. It was like a railroad train. The first drink started it off and it kept going on the single track until it got to the end of the line, drunkenness. We alcoholics knew this was the inevitable result when we took the first drink, but still we couldn't keep away from liquor. Our willpower was gone. We had become helpless and hopeless before the power of alcohol. It's not the second drink or the tenth drink that does the damage. It's the first drink. Will I ever take that first drink again?
Meditation for the Day

I must keep a time apart with God every day. Gradually I will be transformed mentally and spiritually. It is not the praying so much as just being in God's presence. The strengthening and curative powers of this I cannot understand, because such knowledge is beyond human understanding, but I can experience them. The poor, sick world would be cured if every day each soul waited before God for the inspiration to live right. My greatest spiritual growth occurs in this time apart with God.
Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may faithfully keep a quiet time apart with God. I pray that I may grow spiritually each day.

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

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February 21

Love cures people - both the ones who give it and the ones who receive it.

~Karl Menninger

Receiving a loving hug from a parent or perhaps smile from a friend or even a stranger gives us a special feeling inside. We know we are important to others when they show us their love through attention. And we sometimes forget that we matter to others. Family members and friends feel good in the same way when we show them our love. Everyone needs to be loved.

How can we show our love? Must it be through a hug? Doing a favor for someone is loving. Helping around the house or the yard is loving, particularly when we've volunteered our help. Giving an unexpected gift to a friend is a way of showing love. Showing others we care, even when they are angry, is perhaps the nicest of all expressions of love.

What new way can I show someone I care today?

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

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February 22

Friendships, like marriages, are dependent on avoiding the unforgivable.

~John D. MacDonald

We need to remember that relationships are made up of people - people who are strong, but also fragile. We don't break easily, but we do break. We need to be aware of how fragile relationships are. Don't say something that will hurt others even if it's honest. And a person who feels cared for will find it easier to hear an uncomfortable truth that must be told.

We can learn to be honest without being cruel. The backbone of any relationship is this: we need to honor the rules and agreements we make. If we promise to be faithful to someone, we follow this rule. And we need to trust the other person to do the same. When we see that our agreements don't work, we need to go to that person and talk about them.
Prayer for the Day

Higher Power, help me become a person who honors rules and agreements in my relationships.
Action for the Day

I'll make no promises today that I will not keep.

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

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February 23

There's good news and bad news about feelings in the program. The good news is, you get your feelings back. The bad news is, you get your feelings back.

~Michael Graubart

Our problems with anger and our problems in relationships go hand in hand. Some of us have held back our anger, which led to resentment of our loved ones. Some of us have indulged our anger and become abusive. Some of us have been so frightened of anger that we closed off the dialogue in our relationships when angry feelings came out.

Some of us have wasted our energy by focusing anger on people who weren't really important to us. Do we truly want them to become so important? Perhaps our important relationships got frozen because we weren't open and respectful with our anger. It isn't possible to be close to someone without being angry at times. We let our loved ones be part of our lives by feeling our anger when it is there and expressing it openly, directly, and respectfully to them - or by hearing them when they are angry. Then, with dialogue, we can let it go.

I will be aware of those people I am making important in my life and will grow in dealing with my anger.

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

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February 24

Practicing sanity

When we were getting high all the time, we were practicing insanity. It was a lot of fun. We got so good at it, however, that we couldn't see how serious it had become. Whether we're straight or high, insanity seemed to take over.

Now we can practice sanity daily. Practicing anything will eventually make us pretty good at it. In the care of our Higher Power, we can get pretty good at sanity, too.

Am I letting go of my insane behavior?

Higher Power, help me face the fears of sane living, fears I tried to hide from with addiction.

Today I will reflect on my unresolved problem behaviors by…

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

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February 25

Rule 62: Don't Take Yourself So Dam* Seriously

On bad days when I'm struggling, I pull a few coins out of my pocket that I've gathered over the years. These coins have phrases on them that remind me of key lessons I need to remember.

One of these coins has "Rule 62" on it.

Rule 62 is shorthand for an important reminder. It's the rule that says, "Don't take yourself so **** seriously." After all, sometimes the challenges we face on a daily basis seem like they are the worst thing in the world. But if I take a step back, and I remember that the most awful day in sobriety is better than sleeping on that step when I was homeless, then I can start to find the humor in what I’m going through today. I can get perspective and feel grateful for the life that God has given me.

My sober community helps too. I call them, and we laugh about what is going on in each other's lives. We keep each other grounded.

Just for today, I will keep things in perspective and not take myself so seriously.

~Dan N., U.S. Army, 1971–1977

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

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February 26

Reflection for the Day

If I become angry today, I'll pause and think before I say anything, remembering that my anger can turn back upon me and worsen my difficulties. I'll try to remember, too, that well-timed silence can give me command of a stressful situation as angry reproaches never can. In such moments of stress, I'll remember that my power over others is nonexistent, and that only God is all-powerful. Have I learned that I alone can destroy my own peace of mind?
Today I Pray

May I learn that I can choose how to handle my anger - in silence or as a tantrum, a rage, a fistfight, a pillow fight, a tirade, an elaborate plan to "get back at" whoever caused it, an icy glare, a cool pronouncement of hate - or a simple statement of fact, "I am angry at you because" (in twenty-five words or less). Or may I, if need be, turn my anger into energy and shovel the walk, bowl, play a game of tennis, or clean the house. I pray that my Higher Power will show me appropriate ways to deal with my anger.
Today I Will Remember

"I am angry because ... "

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

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February 27

We can learn to be hopeful.

Living with active alcoholism or other drug addiction can distort our perspective. Pleading with others to quit using seldom worked and often left us hopeless and angry. Today, however, we can become more positive by regularly putting ourselves in the company of friends who have hope.

Being hopeful is an attainable attitude. Coming to believe in the presence of a Higher Power in our lives will accelerate our acceptance of hope. With the help of God and our new friends, we will firmly come to know that we are never alone, that all is well. We will experience the hope we hear in the voices of others.

I can act as if I am hopeful today, and the feelings will follow.

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

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February 28

You can do foolish things, but do them with enthusiasm.

~Colette

What are the ways in which we're holding back from wholehearted participation in things that matter to us? We must evaluate circumstances and consult our own feelings and needs before plunging headlong into any situation, but when we keep postponing things we care about, inaction itself becomes our choice.

Procrastination often is caused by fear. We may be afraid of making fools of ourselves, believing deep down that we're "not good enough." We needn't remain loyal to our old fears. We can stop denying ourselves full participation in our chosen paths. When we dare to make a beginning, we're no longer alone. Our Higher Power is part of the process. Whether taking small actions or large, whether in personal relationships or programs of recovery, at work or play, we can proceed wholeheartedly. Whatever we do with enthusiasm, energy, and commitment will inspire and transform us.

Today, I don’t give my energy to hesitation. I move forward boldly, with faith in my Higher Power.

Today's reading is from the book Glad Day