A Prayer & Some Thoughts - May

[bluidkiti]

May 16


Prayer For Patience

Lord,
Teach us what it means to have faith in silence.
When we face trials that are beyond our understanding, help us to find peace.
Help me be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer.
You set all things in accordance with your time.
Remind us to wait patiently, and find peace in your plan.

~ Dick Woodward

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Just a Thought

One of the best things about the A.A. program is the peace of mind and serenity that it can bring us.

In our drinking days, we had no peace of mind or serenity. We had the exact opposite, a kind of turmoil and that "quiet desperation" we knew so well. The turmoil of our drinking days was caused partly by our physical suffering, the terrible hangovers, the cold sweats, the shakes and the jitters. But it was caused even more by our mental suffering, the loneliness, the feeling of inferiority, the lying, the remorse that every alcoholic understands.

So ............

Have I achieved more peace of mind?

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Just a Contemplation

Responsible

It's tempting to blame others for our problems. Recovery asks us to answer for our actions. Admitting we are powerless over our actions. Admitting we are powerless over our alcohol is a start.

Each of the Twelve Steps asks us to answer for our actions in some way. And the program shows us how to do this. Over time, we see that being responsible for our actions is the best way to live. Our self-confidence grows as we become more responsible. We start to see just how much we can do. We have gone from being drunks to being responsible people. If we can do this, then we can do anything!

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Language of the Heart

Why, at this particular point in history, has God chosen to communicate His healing grace to so many of us? Every aspect of this global unfoldment can be related to a single crucial word. The word is "communication." There has been a lifesaving communication among ourselves, with the world around us, and with God.

From the beginning, communication in A.A. has been no ordinary transmission of helpful ideas and attitudes. Because of our kinship in suffering, and because our common means of deliverance are effective for ourselves only when constantly carried to others, our channels of contact have always been charged with the language of the heart.

As Bill Sees It Page 195

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Just a Quote

“I’ve learned that anything in life worth having comes from patience and hard work.” ~ Greg Behrendt

[bluidkiti]

May 17


Guidance Today Prayer

Lord,
Today's a new day, a chance for a new start.
Yesterday is gone and with it any regrets, mistakes, or failures I may have experienced.
It's a good day to be glad and give thanks.
Thank you for today, a new opportunity to love, give, and be all that you want me to be.

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Just a Thought

Alcohol is poison to the alcoholic.

Poison is not too strong a word, because alcoholism leads eventually to the death of the alcoholic. It may be a quick death or a slow death. When we go by package stores and see various kinds of liquor all dressed up in fancy packages to make it look attractive, we should always make it a point to say to ourselves, so that we'll never forget it: That stuff's poison to me. And it is. Alcohol poisoned our lives for a long time.

So ............

Do I know that since I am an alcoholic all liquor is poison to me?

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Just a Contemplation

Negative Thinking

When we are locked within negative, hostile thinking patterns, we go around in mental circles. What seems perfectly rational to us at the time looks misguided and blind when we look back.

Carrying a grudge or a desire to get even with someone is a cancer inside us. It belittles us and holds back our spirit. We break through our mental circles by revealing our anger to others. We talk with other people, we trust and let them know the details of our resentments. We listen to their experiences and apply them in our lives. As long as we keep our thoughts and feelings to ourselves, we only recycle the same thinking system. When we take the risk and talk to friends, we build bridges that bring in new ideas.

I will try not harbor my resentments within myself. I will talk with a trusted friend so I can learn to let them go.

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Listening

For weeks I sat in the back of the rooms, silent when others shared their experience, strength and hope. I listened to their stories and found so many areas where we overlapped -- not all of the deeds, but the feelings of remorse and hopelessness. I learned that alcoholism isn't a sin, it's a disease. That lifted the guilt I felt.

Alcoholics Anonymous Page 344

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Just a Quote

"All of us, at certain moments of our lives, need to take advice and to receive help from other people." ~ Alexis Carrel

[bluidkiti]

May 18


Prayer Against Frustration

Lord, although I am frustrated with things in my life right now, I am trying to surrender it to You.
Your Word states that if I lack wisdom, I should ask.
Lord at this moment, I need wisdom from You.
In the situation that I am in, help me to respond to things calmly.
Amen

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Just a Thought

Some of the rewards that come to us as a result of our new way of living:

I understand myself more than I ever did before.
I have learned what was the matter with me and I know now a lot of what makes me tick.
I will never be alone again.
I am just one of many who have the illness of alcoholism and one of many who have learned what to do about it.
I am not an odd fish or a square peg in a round hole.
I seem to have found my right place in the world.

So ............

Am I beginning to understand myself?

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Just a Contemplation

Know How to Play

As days of childhood give way to adulthood, we sometimes forfeit too much of the child. We become what we think is mature — serious and busy. Quite unintentionally we might become caught up in the importance of being married, working hard at our jobs, raising children, or paying off the mortgage. Even at home we might be rushing here and there – mowing the lawn, getting a haircut, buying clothes or groceries, and performing all the small household chores which need doing regularly.

Where is the time we need for ourselves, to spend with friends, or just to play? We can find time, right now, if we want to. We can momentarily shrug off the demands of home or career and lend ourselves to carefree play. Sometimes it’s easy to be too serious. Today, I will let myself participate in play.

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Way of Strength

We never apologize to anyone for depending upon our Creator. We can laugh at those who think spirituality the way of weakness. Paradoxically, it is the way of strength. The verdict of the ages is that faith means courage. All men of faith have courage. They trust their God. We never apologize for God. Instead, we let Him demonstrate, through us, what He can do. We ask Him to remove our fear and direct our attention to what He would have us be. At once, we commence to outgrow fear.

Alcoholics Anonymous Page 68

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Just a Quote

“You have control over you and that is the only person you can change. When you realize this, you will save yourself a lot of frustration.” ~ Catherine Pulsifer

[bluidkiti]

May 19


Recovery from Alcohol Prayer

God,
Thank you for the gift of new life after the fear of addiction to alcohol.
With Your help, we have walked from darkness into light, from addiction into recovery.
Thank you for everyone who has supported and loved us during this difficult journey.
May You continue to bless us and heal us on this road of recovery, and always.
Amen

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Just a Thought

What makes A.A. work?

The first thing is to have a revulsion against myself and my way of living. Then I must admit I was helpless, that alcohol had me defeated and I couldn't do anything about it. The next thing is to honestly want to quit the old life. Then I must surrender my life to a Higher Power, put my drinking problem in His hands and leave it there. After these things are done, I should attend meetings regularly for fellowship and sharing. I should also try to help other alcoholics.

So ............

Am I doing these things?

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Just a Contemplation

Trust

During our illness, we hurt others. We hurt ourselves. We messed up a lot.
So, a lot of us come to recovery not trusting ourselves very much. The truth is, as alcoholics, we couldn't be trusted.

But in recovery, we can be trusted again. We can again live and love ourselves. We do this by finding our spiritual center. This is the place inside of us where our Higher Power lives. We turn our will and our lives over to this spiritual center. We do as our spiritual center tells us. And from our spiritual center, we'll find our values. We'll live better lives. We'll come to trust ourselves again.

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Faith

When I was driven to my knees by alcohol, I was made ready to ask for the gift of faith. And all was changed.

Never again, my pains and problems notwithstanding, would I experience my former desolation. I saw the universe to be lighted by God's love; I was alone no more.

As Bill Sees It Page 51

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Just a Quote

"Your life begins to change the day you take responsibility for it." ~ Steve Maraboli

[bluidkiti]

May 20

Expressing Gratitude Prayer

Lord,
My blessings are many and my heart is filled with gratitude for the gift of living, for the ability to love and be loved, for the opportunity to see the everyday wonders of creation, for sleep and water, for a mind that thinks and a body that feels.

I thank you, too, for those things in my life that are less than I would hope them to be. Even the things that seem challenging, unfair, or difficult. I rejoice that I am growing and learning. I thank you most of all for your unconditional and eternal love.
Amen

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Just a Thought

I no longer try to escape life through alcoholism.

Drinking built up an unreal world for me and I tried to live in it. But in the morning light the real world was back again and facing it was harder than ever, because I had less resources with which to meet it. Each attempt at escape weakened my personality by the very attempt. Everyone knows that alcohol, by relaxing inhibitions, permits a flight from reality. Alcohol deadens the brain cells that preside over our highest faculties and we are off to the unreal world of drunkenness. A.A. taught me not to run away, but to face reality.

So ............

Have I given up trying to escape life?

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Just a Contemplation

Choice

Sobriety is about choice. Each day we choose to stay sober, we teach ourselves how to make better choices.

Life is about choice. To be spiritual people, we must make spiritual choices. Honesty is a spiritual choice. And working the Steps is a spiritual choice. Our life is the sum total of our choices. We owe it to ourselves to choose wisely. We can do that now, thanks to the program.

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Good Question

When we find ourselves up-tight and even frantic, we can ask ourselves occasionally, Am I really that indispensable? or Is this hurry really necessary? What a relief to find the honest answer is frequently no! And such devices actually serve, in the long run, not only to help us get over the drinking problem and its old ways; they also enable us to become far more productive, because we conserve and channel our energy better. We arrange priorities more sensibly. We learn that many actions once considered vital can be eliminated if they are thoughtfully reexamined. How much does it really matter? is a very good question.

Living Sober, Pages 45-46

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Just a Quote

"Today, 1 will practice a welcoming attitude toward everyone I meet." ~ Edith Wharton

[bluidkiti]

May 21


Prayer For Today’s Tasks
Lord,
I stand before You today in Your presence to ask that You grant me strength.
I ask You to give me the strength to power through all of the tasks today — whether little or big.
It is by Your will that I live oh Lord. And I know it is also by Your will I will not go weak today.
Lord, thank you for giving me the opportunity every day to learn a little more of how to let go and let God.
Amen

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Just a Thought

Today, I try to live a sober life.

Since I've been putting sobriety into my life, I've been taking out a lot of good things. I can describe it best as a kind of quiet satisfaction. I feel good. I feel right with the world, on the right side of the fence. As long as I put sobriety into my life, almost everything I take out is good. The satisfaction you get out of living a sober life is made up of a lot of little things. You have the ambition to do things you didn't feel like doing when you were drinking.

So ............

Am I getting satisfaction out of living a sober life?

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Just a Contemplation

Love & Happiness

Sometimes we think our life would be fine if that dream person showed up. But loving someone isn’t easy. Our bad habits cause problems. We have to change. Sometimes we aren’t ready to have one special person. We have to have a group of people---our recovery group---to love and help us get healthy. We must learn to trust, to be honest, to give help, and to love others. The truth is, no one person can make our life wonderful---except us. We hold happiness inside of us. It’s in our spirit. Look no further.

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Requirements

What if the doors to AA could really be locked against me?
What if it was possible to take away my membership?
Maybe because I hadn't paid my dues, or because I didn't meet some ethical or ethnic standards, or maybe because I "broke the rules" by going out and getting drunk, as I have a few times during my long association with the Fellowship? But then I recall the Preamble, and the Third Tradition . . . "The only requirement for AA membership," it says, "is a desire to stop drinking."

The Home Group: Heartbeat Of AA Page 69

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Just a Quote

"Never look back with regret because life is never perfect, but it offers us the perfect moment to start anew which is right now." ~ Jessica Mesman Griffith

[bluidkiti]

May 22


Anxiety & Stress Relief Prayer


Lord,
I am weary and tired. The world around me has become difficult and hard to bear.
I lay all these burdens down before you. You are my strength and rock in times of trouble.
I listen and hear your presence in the trees and the flowers and all the beauty of nature.
I know you are involved in every aspect of my life whether I see it now or not.
I will choose to breathe deep, let go of fear and anxiety, and rest in you.
Amen


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Just a Thought


The gratification of living a sober life is made up of a lot of little things.

But they do add up to a satisfactory and happy life. You take out of life what you put into it. So I'd say to people coming into A.A.: "Don't worry about what life will be like without alcohol. Just hang in there and a lot of good things will happen to you. And you'll have that feeling of quiet satisfaction and peace and serenity and gratitude for the grace of God."

So ............

Is my life becoming really worth living?

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Just a Contemplation

Remember

We must never forget our past. We need to remember the power that our illness has over us. Why? So we can remember how our recovery began. So we can remember we’re not cured. So we can tell our stories.

We must remember how we acted. Why? So we don’t act and think like alcoholics. Most of us had poor relationships with friends, family, and ourselves. We need to remember how lonely we felt. That way, we’ll make recovery grow stronger One Day at a Time.

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Choice

Any number of alcoholics are bedeviled by the dire conviction that if they ever go near A.A. they will be pressured to conform to some particular brand of faith or theology.

They just don't realize that faith is never an imperative for A.A. membership. that sobriety can be achieved with an easily acceptable minimum of it, and that our concepts of a Higher Power and God--as we understand Him--afford everyone a nearly unlimited choice of spiritual belief and action.

As Bill Sees It Page 201

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Just a Quote

"When I look back on all these worries, I remember the story of the old man who said on his deathbed that he had had a lot of trouble in his life, most of which never happened." ~ Winston Churchill

[bluidkiti]

May 23


Prayer for Strength and Courage

Lord,
Please give me strength when I am weak,
love when I feel forsaken,
courage when I am afraid,
wisdom when I feel foolish,
comfort when I am alone, hope when I feel rejected,
and peace when I am in turmoil.
Amen

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Just a Thought

For us humility and sobriety go hand in hand.

After we've been in A.A. for a while, we find out that if we're going to stay sober, we have to be humble people. The men and women in A.A. who have achieved sobriety are all humble people. When I stop to think that but for the grace of God I might be drunk right now, I can't help feeling humble. Gratitude to God for His grace makes me humble. When I think of the kind of person I was not so long ago, when I think of the person I left behind me, I have nothing to be proud of.

So ............

Am I grateful and humble?

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Just a Contemplation

Listening

Often we try to please everyone around us. But this may not make us happy, and so we get angry.
We feel taken advantage of.
We may be kind to others, but first we must love ourselves. How? By learning to listen to ourselves. To our dreams. To our higher power. By doing this we’ll be more happy. And those around us will probably be more happy too.

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Today

But today is always here. Life is daily; today is all we have; and anybody can go one day without drinking.
First, we try living in the now just in order to stay sober -- and it works.
Once the idea has become a part of our thinking, we find that living life in 24-hour segments is an effective and satisfying way to handle many other matters as well.

Living Sober Page 7

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Just a Quote

"It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit." ~ Harry S Truman

[bluidkiti]

May 24


Prayer for Strength

God, please give me strength when I am weak,
love when I feel forsaken, courage when I am afraid,
wisdom when I feel foolish,
comfort when I am alone,
hope when I feel rejected,
and peace when I am in turmoil.
Amen

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Just a Thought

People believe in A.A. when they see it work.

An actual demonstration is what convinces them. What they read in books, what they hear people say doesn't always convince them. But when they see a real honest to goodness change take place in a person, a change from a drunkard to a sober, useful citizen, that's something they can believe because they can see it. There's really only one thing that proves to me that A.A. works.

So ............

Have I seen the change in people who come into A.A.?

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Just a Contemplation

Freedom

We are free of alcohol. We’ve been given a second chance or third chance.
For that, we thank our Higher Power. We’ve started a new life. But to keep this life, we need to change. We need new friends. We need to let a Higher Power guide our hearts, minds, and bodies. We need new friends. We need to let a Higher Power guide our hearts, and bodies. We need to learn new values and how to stand up for them. We need to learn how to give and receive.

Freedom from dependence is not enough. We also want to be happy, and to do something with our lives. So each day we keep learning, we keep growing. Each day without alcohol is a gift, a gift from God.

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Obsession

Most of us have been unwilling to admit we were real alcoholics. No person likes to think he is bodily and mentally different from his fellows. Therefore, it is not surprising that our drinking careers have been characterized by countless vain attempts to prove we could drink like other people. The idea that somehow, someday he will control and enjoy his drinking is the great obsession of every abnormal drinker. The persistence of this illusion is astonishing. Many pursue it into the gates of insanity and death. We learned that we had to fully concede to our innermost selves that we were alcoholics. This is the first step to recovery.

Alcoholics Anonymous Page 30

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Just a Quote

"We can develop acceptance of any circumstances, but our success in doing so comes mainly through our reliance on God to show us the way." ~ Karen Casey

[bluidkiti]

May 25


Denial Prayer

Lord,
Forgive me for the ways I’ve sought to escape responsibility for my actions through various forms of denial.
I invite You to reveal to me the truth about the impact of my past actions and behavior.
I ask you to fill me with strength and courage to acknowledge and deal with what You reveal to me.
I come to You weary of my burdens.
I desire the new life of healing and hope that You promise when I live in truth.
Amen

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Just a Thought

In A.A. we live in today.

We know from experience that as time goes on, the future takes care of itself. Everything works out well, as long as we stay sober. All we need to think about is today. When we get up in the morning and see the sun shining in the window, we thank God that He has given us another day to enjoy because we're sober, a day in which we may have a chance to help somebody.

So ............

Do I know that this day is all I have and that with God's help I can stay sober today?

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Just a Contemplation

Sharing Love

When we used alcohol, we shared as little as possible. There was little love in our hearts. We had become selfish. This caused us to be lonely.

Then something happened to change all of that. Remember the first time you walked into a meeting? You were met by people who shared. Maybe they shared a smile, their story, or just a cup of coffee with you. The sharing that goes on in a Twelve Step program is great. We learn that the more we give, the more we get. We get well by giving to others. Helping others is a great way to hold on to sobriety. Love is the reward of love.

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Change

Let us never fear needed change. Certainly we have to discriminate between changes for worse and changes for better. But once a need becomes clearly apparent in an individual, in a group, or in AA as a whole, it has long since been found out that we cannot stand still and look the other way. The essence of all growth is a willingness to change for the better and then an unremitting willingness to shoulder whatever responsibility this entails.

As Bill Sees It Page 115

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Just a Quote

“Honesty is more than not lying. It is truth telling, truth speaking, truth living, and truth loving.” ~ James E. Faust

[bluidkiti]

May 26


Making Wise Choices Prayer

Lord, please give me the wisdom to know when I’m being tempted. Be with me when I am angry, so I don’t make a bad situation much worse. In these times, give me the strength to keep my mouth closed. Keep me from reacting. Keep the sharp words out of my heart, so I don’t use them for destruction.

Please give me the strength to be someone who is patient, and who thinks before I speak. May I have the strength to listen and not be angry. Grant me the wisdom to know when to speak and what to speak, so that others will hear my words and know that they come from a heart that is grateful

Lord, help me to be wise counsel for others. Help me to be a person who lifts others up, who is helpful, and who is loving.
Amen

~ James C.

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Just a Thought

Sometimes we try too hard to get this program.

It is better to relax and accept it. It will be given to us, with no effort on our part, if we stop trying too hard to get it. Sobriety can be a free gift of God, which He gives us by His grace when He knows we are ready for it. But we have to be ready. Then we must relax, take it easy, and accept the gift with gratitude and humility. We must put ourselves in God's hands. We must say to God: "Here am I and here are all my troubles. I've made a mess of things and can't do anything about it. You take me and all my troubles and do anything You want with me."

So ............

Do I believe that the grace of God can do for me what I could never do for myself?
(Let go and let God)

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Just a Contemplation

Trust

During our illness, we hurt others. We hurt ourselves. We messed up a lot.
So, a lot of us come to recovery not trusting ourselves very much. The truth is, as alcoholics, we couldn't be trusted.

But in recovery, we can be trusted again. We can again live and love ourselves. We do this by finding our spiritual center. This is the place inside of us where our Higher Power lives. We turn our will and our lives over to this spiritual center. We do as our spiritual center tells us. And from our spiritual center, we'll find our values. We'll live better lives. We'll come to trust ourselves again.

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Perception of Humility

An improved perception of humility starts a revolutionary change in our outlook. Our eyes begin to open to the immense values which have come straight out of painful ego-puncturing. Until now, our lives have been largely devoted to running from pain and problems. Escape via the bottle was always our solution.

Then, in A.A., we looked and listened. Everywhere we saw failure and misery transformed by humility into priceless assets.

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions Pages 74-75

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Just a Quote

"God didn't promise days without pain, laughter without sorrow, sun without rain, but He did promise strength for the day, comfort for the tears, and light for the way." ~ Helen West

[bluidkiti]

May 27


Humility Prayer

God,
I am far too often influenced by what others think of me.
I am always pretending to be either richer or smarter or nicer than I really am.
Please prevent me from trying to attract attention.
Don't let me gloat over praise on one hand or be discouraged by criticism on the other.
Nor let me waste time weaving imaginary situations in which the most heroic, charming, witty person present is myself.
Show me how to be humble of heart, like you.

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Just a Thought

It's been proven that we alcoholics can't get sober by our willpower.

We've failed again and again. Therefore I believe there must be a Higher Power, which helps me. I think of that power as the grace of God. And I pray to God every morning for the strength to stay sober today. I know that Power is there because it never fails to help me.

So ............

Do I believe that A.A. works through the grace of God?

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Just a Contemplation

New Way

Our Twelve Step program promises us a new way of life. But most of us won’t just wake up one day with a new attitude. We only gain this new way of life if we get involved.

The Twelve Steps are tools to build a new life. The more we use a tool, the easier it is to use. The same goes for the Twelve Steps, just as carpenters depend on their tools. If we only wait for the new way of life, it’ll never come. The quicker we get involved, the quicker we’ll get fixed.

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Helping Others

We realize now that we were excessively self-centered, chiefly concerned about our feelings, our problems, other people's reactions to us, and our own past and future.
Therefore, trying to get into communication with and help other people is a recovery measure for us, because it helps take us out of ourselves.
Trying to heal ourselves by helping others works, even when it is an insincere gesture. Try it some time.

Living Sober Page 85

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Just a Quote

“Losers live in the past. Winners learn from the past and enjoy working in the present toward the future.” ~ Denis Waitley

[bluidkiti]

May 27


Technology Wisdom Prayer

Spirit of love and connectivity, originator of emerging technologies, and ever evolving intelligences, you give me both a gift and challenge.
Help me choose wisely amid the endless tweets and plethora of knowledge that daily saturate my consciousness.
Immerse me in the power of your Providence.
Let it always be the well of wisdom from which I can draw meaning to make sense of the madness of my life.
That’s enough for me.

~ Sister Cathy Campbell
(Sisters of Providence)

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Just a Thought

Seeing is believing.

I don't believe that A.A. works because I read it in a book or because I hear people say so. I believe it because I see people getting sober and staying sober. An actual demonstration is what convinces me. When I see the change in people, I can't help believing that A.A. works. We could listen to talk about A.A. all day and still not believe it, but when we see it work, we have to believe it. Seeing is believing.

So ............

Do I see A.A. work every day?

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Just a Contemplation

Freedom

Sobriety is freedom. With this freedom, we have a responsibility to help other alcoholics who still suffer. The program tells us this in Step Twelve. We do this by telling our stories and offering hope.

We must be ready to care, to give ourselves. This is what spirituality is about. When we help others, we prepare the road for those who enter the program after us.

Tradition Five of the Twelve Traditions says, “Each group has but one primary purpose---to carry its message to the alcoholic who still suffers.” It means we get better by helping others.

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Expectations

Peace is possible for me only when I let go of expectations.
When I am trapped in thoughts about what I want and what should be coming to me, I'm in a state of fear or anxious anticipation and this is not conducive to emotional sobriety. I must surrender -- over and over -- to my dependence on God, for then I find peace, gratitude and spiritual security.

Daily Reflections Page 197

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Just a Quote

" I Understood Myself Only After I Destroyed Myself. And Only In The Process Of Fixing Myself, Did I Know Who I Really Was." ~ John Gillen

[bluidkiti]

May 29

Morning Prayer

God,
Thank you for the gift of today.
Refresh me. Invite me to discover your presence
In each person that I meet
And every event that I encounter.
Teach me when to speak and when to listen
When to ponder and when to share.
In moments of challenge and decision
Attune my heart to the whisperings of your Wisdom.
As I undertake ordinary and unnoticed tasks,
Gift me with simple joy.
When my day goes well, may I rejoice.
When it grows difficult, surprise me with
New possibilities.
When life is overwhelming, call me to
Sabbath moments
To restore your Peace and Harmony.
May my living today reveal your Goodness.

~ Pat Bergen, C.S.J, Xavier University

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Just a Thought

The A.A. program is one of submission, release, and action.

When we're drinking, we're submitting to a power greater than ourselves, alcohol. Our own wills are no use against the power of alcohol. One drink and we where powerless over alcohol. In A.A. we stop submitting to the power of alcohol. Instead, we submit to a Power, also greater than ourselves, which we call God.

So ............

Have I submitted myself to that Higher Power?

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Just a Contemplation

Crises

Yet we are not alone. An animal caught in a hole would cry out until someone came along and helped it out. We, too, can call out for help - to our Higher Power and to the important people in our lives. We can learn to trust that, with the help of our friends and our God, we will be able to crawl out of our holes.

With trust, we will climb out of our crises and be healed with the passage of time. Such holes are a part of our landscape, yet every time we will be able to climb out and walk, leaving the darkness behind us.

If I need help, will I ask for it?

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My Solution

Bewilderment, fear, and resentment moved into my life. And yet my ability to lie outwardly and to kid myself inwardly grew with every drink I took. Indeed, I had to drink now to live, to cope with the demands of everyday existence. When I encountered disappointments or frustrations - as I did more and more frequently - my solution was to drink. I had always been oversensitive to criticism and was acutely so now. When I was criticized or reprimanded, the bottle was my refuge and comfort.

Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Page 555

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Just a Quote

“Recovery is all about using our power to change our beliefs that are based on faulty data.” ~ Kevin McCormick

[bluidkiti]

May 30


Prayer for This Day

God,
Thank you for Your gift of recovery; that through this Program,
I have come to know myself better than ever before, and that I have come to know others better as well.
I pray that I may be eternally grateful for this blessing.
Amen

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Memorial Day Prayer


God,
We thank You for bringing us together at this Memorial Day celebration to acknowledge the debt we owe to the men and women of the United States military who have guarded this country with their lives. We especially honor those who lost their lives while defending this nation. They fought on land, at sea, and in the air, always understanding that they may not come back from the mission and accepting that as part of the job. They were willing to risk death to protect this land we hold so dear and the American people along with it. We thank them for their sacrifice and promise we'll carry on their legacy to ensure they did not die in vain.


Father, we pray that You strengthen and protect all our military personnel who are serving presently and in the future. Give them the courage to face whatever comes, protect them in battle, and help them prosper in times of peace. Watch over their families, Lord, as You watch over us all. We put our trust and faith in You and even though we don't always understand Your ways, we accept that You have a plan for each and every one of us. Please help us fulfill our personal missions, whatever they may be.
Amen

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Just a Thought

We have slips in A.A.

It has been said these are not slips but premeditated drunks, because we have to think about taking a drink before we actually take one. The thought always comes before the act. It has been suggested that people should always get in touch with an A.A. before taking that first drink. The failure to do so makes it probable that they decided to take the drink anyway. And yet the thoughts that come before taking a drink are often largely subconscious. People usually don't know consciously what made them do it. Therefore, the common practice is to call these things slips.

So ............

Am I on guard against wrong thinking?

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Just a Contemplation

Humility

What, exactly, is humility? Does it mean that we are to be submissive, accepting everything that comes our way, no matter how humiliating? Does it mean surrender to ugliness and a destructive way of life? To the contrary. The basic ingredient of all humility is simply a desire to seek and do God's will.

Am I coming to understand that an attitude of true humility confers dignity and grace on me, strengthening me to take intelligent spiritual action in solving my problems?

Today I Will Remember
Humility is awareness of God.

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Humor

Don't take yourself too damned seriously.
Rule #62, AA's Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions (page 149)

In the years of my existence, before I got into recovery, I would run from one self-important crisis to another. Everything was so important, so heavy! What laughter there was ended up directed derisively at others. I treated my life with self-importance and pomposity.

It took sitting in the rooms, day after day and night after night, listening to how recovering people were able to laugh at themselves. Oh, they were deadly serious when it came to working the Steps and the traditions. After all, if not for them, they'd be dead or crazy. But as they would share things where they had shown the heavy-does-it attitude, they would see the folly of their ways and start a good belly laugh that would cascade through the room and have us all wiping our eyes.

As I work my program, I realize that there are some things that need more prayer and meditation than others. Then there are those things in my life that, under the light of my recovery, are just plain flat-out silly. My Higher Power gives me the ability to cry and grieve where appropriate. My Higher Power also has taught me that laughter, indeed, is often the best medicine.

From: One Day At A Time

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Just a Quote

"You can clutch the past so tightly to your chest, that it leaves your arms too full to embrace the present." ~ Jan Glidewell