Daily Recovery Readings - September

[bluidkiti]

September 3

Daily Reflections

BUILDING A NEW LIFE, p.255
We feel a man is unthinking when he says sobriety is enough.
Alcoholics Anonymous, p.82

When I reflect on Step Nine, I see that physical sobriety must be
enough for me. I need to remember the hopelessness I felt before
I found sobriety, and how I was willing to go to any lengths for
it. Physical sobriety is not enough for those around me, however,
since I must see that God's gift is used to build a new life for my
family and loved ones. Just as importantly, I must be available to
help others who want the A.A. way of life.
I ask God to help me share the gift of sobriety so that its benefit may
be shown to those I know and love.

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Twenty-Four Hours A Day

A.A. Thought For The Day

"Offer new prospects friendship and fellowship. Tell them that if
they want to get well you will do anything to help. Burn the idea into
the consciousness of new prospects that they can get well,
regardless of anyone else. Job or no job, spouse or no spouse, they
cannot stop drinking as long as they place dependence on other
people ahead of dependence on God. Let no alcoholic say they
cannot recover unless they have their family back. This just isn't so.
Their recovery is not dependent upon other people. It is dependent
on their own relationship with God." Can I recognize all excuses
made by a prospect?

Meditation For The Day

The spiritual life depends upon the unseen. To live the spiritual
life you must believe in the unseen. Try not to loose the
consciousness of God's spirit in you and in others. As a child in its
mother's arms, stay sheltered in the understanding and love of
God. God will relieve you of the weight of worry and care, misery
and depression, want and woe, faintness and heartache, if you will let
Him. Lift up your eyes from earth's troubles and view the glory of
the unseen God. Each day try to see more good in people, more of
the unseen in the seen.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that I may rest and abide in the presence of the unseen God. I
pray that I may leave my burdens in His care.

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As Bill Sees It

Singlehanded Combat, p.245

Few indeed are those who, assailed by the tyrant alcohol, have
ever won through in singlehanded combat. It is a statistical fact
that alcoholics almost never recover on their personal resources
alone.

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'Way up toward Point Barrow in Alaska, a couple of prospectors got
themselves a cabin and a case of Scotch. The weather turned bitter,
fifty below, and they got so drunk they let the fire go out. Barely
escaping death by freezing, one of them woke up in time to
rekindle the fire. He was prowling around outside for fuel, and he
looked into an empty oil drum filled with frozen water. Down in the
ice cake he saw a reddish-yellow object. When thawed out, it was
seen to be an A.A. book. One of the pair read the book and sobered
up. Legend has it that he became the founder of one of our farthest
north groups.

1. 12 & 12, p.22
2. A.A. Comes Of Age, pp. 82-83

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Walk In Dry Places

What is Possible?
Spiritual Power.
With God, all things are possible, goes an old saying. Yet most of us haven't seen any
evidence of doing the impossible.
But through our program, we have truly accomplished things that we had
considered nearly impossible at one time. No human power could
have relieved our alcoholism, we read in the AA Big
Book. How many more conditions are we accepting because no human
power ..... particularly ours... can relieve them?
As we grow in sobriety, we should continuously reinforce our belief that God is
living and working in our lives. The impossible
problems we'll need to work on will have roots in our own habits and
feelings, but even if one of these deeply rooted problems has gone on for
years, we need not despair of finding an answer.
If we persist in prayer and in turning the problem over to our Higher power, an
answer must come. It is never too late to find the changes we need and
deserve.
Even if I haven't solved all my problems, I'll take the position
today that correct solutions exist in the mind of God. I'll be open to
signs that changes are coming.

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Keep It Simple

You will not regret the past nor wish ti shut the door on it. . . --- Alcoholics Anonymous
As we work the Steps, we fix our broken life. Many things in our new life have been painful. Our addiction to alcohol or drugs made it all worse. But if things hadn’t gotten so bad we might not have gotten into recovery.
We have changed so much! We have learned so much about life, our Higher Power, and ourselves in order to fix our lives. We can’t act like nothing in the past matters. It does matter, because it brought us to this new life. And is better already!
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me face my past and heal the wounds---my wounds and others’ wounds.
Action for the Day : Today, I’ll three things I’m ashamed of. How can I make amends for them when I work Step Nine? I will call my sponsor if I need help.

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Each Day a New Beginning

... satisfaction is a lowly thing, how pure a thing is joy. --Marianne Moore
Our perfectionism generally dashes all hopes of self-satisfaction. But the program is here to show us that we can make progress. We can learn to believe that we are doing any task as well as we need to do it, at this time. Our job is the effort. The outcome is part of a larger plan, one that involves more than ourselves.
We'll find joy when we find acceptance of ourselves and our efforts and the belief that we are spiritual beings whose lives do have purpose and direction.
The wisdom that accompanies spiritual growth offers us security, that which we have sought along many avenues. And when we feel secure, we can trust that the challenges confronting us are purposeful and to our advantage.
One day at a time, one small prayer at a time, moves us even closer to spiritual security. We can look with glad anticipation at our many responsibilities and activities today. They are our opportunities for spiritual security. We can trust our growing inner resources by simply asking for guidance and waiting patiently. It will find us.
I must exercise my prayers if I want the spiritual security where I can find joy. I will ask for guidance with every activity today.

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Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

WE AGNOSTICS

When, therefore, we speak to you of God, we mean your own conception of God. This applies, too, to other spiritual expressions which you find in this book. Do not let any prejudice you may have against spiritual terms deter you from honestly asking yourself what they mean to you. At the start, this was all we needed to commence spiritual growth, to effect our first conscious relation with God as we understood Him. Afterward, we found ourselves accepting many things which then seemed entirely out of reach. That was growth, but if we wished to grow we had to begin somewhere. So we used our own conception, however limited it was.

p. 47

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Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Step Ten - "Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it."

Finally, we begin to see that all people, including ourselves, are to some extent emotionally ill as well as frequently wrong, and then we approach true tolerance and see what real love for our fellows actually means. It will become more and more evident as we go forward that it is pointless to become angry, or to get hurt by people who, like us, are suffering from the pains of growing up.

p. 92

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I will take time today to stop and give a gift to someone needy, smile
at a stranger or help a small child. I will take the time to do at least
one thing that I usually find myself too busy to do, and I will inwardly
smile at myself, taking the time to experience the feelings of my own
kindness.
--Ruth Fishel

Just for today: I will strive to be an active listener. I will practice
active listening when others share and when I share with others.
--Just For Today Daily Meditation

For us, if we neglect those who are still sick, there is unremitting
danger to our own lives and sanity.
--Twelve Steps And Twelve Traditions, p. 151

God, give me the courage and strength to see clearly.
--Melody Beattie

Tell your partner, your children, your parents: "I love you"
frequently.
Let them know the difference they make in your life. Miss no
opportunities for loving.
--Mary Manin Morrissey

"Never ask a barber if he thinks you need a haircut."
--Roy Rogers

WHAT CAN I DO?"
My child, I've often heard your question. This is my answer:
You feel compassion for those who suffer pain, sorrow and
despair ... and you ask, "What can I do?" - COMFORT ONE
Your heart goes out to the lonely, the abused, and the imprisoned ... and
you ask, "What can I do?" - LOVE ONE

"What is oxygen to the lungs, such is hope to the meaning of life."
--Unknown

"Kindness pays most when you don't do it for pay."
--Unknown

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Father Leo's Daily Meditation

SOLITUDE

"One of the greatest necessities
in America is to discover
creative solitude."
-- Carl Sandburg

I need to be alone. Being alone is not the same as being lonely. I
need to be alone with me in order to love me, understand me, hear
my needs and plan my day.

Also solitude is a spiritual experience because it enables me to center
on what God is doing and creating in my life. Solitude enables me
to think and cooperate with His will for me in our world.

As an addict I was always running around being "busy". Today I rest
within myself in order to be more active and creative.

Let me be still so that I can enjoy my world.

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"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe
yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and
patience."
Colossians 3:12

"But you, keep your head in all situations..."
2 Timothy 4:5

"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility
consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not
only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your
attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus."
Philippians 2:3-5

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Daily Inspiration

Today be kind and loving and expect nothing in return. When you lift your consciousness above the darkness, you will understand that the life of Christ is the only enduring life. Lord, teach me to see You in my neighbor.

Dear Lord, open our hearts to be able to see you anywhere, anytime, in all the ways that you choose to be present. Amen.