Daily Recovery Readings - September

[bluidkiti]

September 18

Daily Reflections

LOVED BACK TO RECOVERY

Our whole treasured philosophy of self-sufficiency had
to be cast aside. This had not been done with old-fashioned
willpower; it was instead a matter of developing the
willingness to accept these new facts of living. We neither
ran nor fought. But accept we did. And then we were free.
BEST OF THE GRAPEVINE, Vol. I, p. 198

I can be free of my old enslaving self. After a while I
recognize, and believe in, the good within myself. I see
that I have been loved back to recovery by my Higher Power,
who envelops me. My Higher Power becomes that source of
love and strength that is performing a continuing miracle
in me. I am sober . . . . and I am grateful.

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Twenty-Four Hours A Day

A.A. Thought For The Day

Step Two is: "Came to believe that a Power greater
than ourselves could restore us to sanity." Step Three
is: "Made a decision to turn our will and our lives
over to the care of God as we understood Him." Step
Eleven is: "Sought through prayer and meditation to
improve our conscious contact with God, as we understood
Him, praying only for the knowledge of His will for us
and the power to carry that out." The fundamental basis
of A.A. is the belief in a Power greater than ourselves.
Let us not water this down. We cannot get the program
without this venture of belief. Have I made the venture of
belief in a Power greater than my own?

Meditation For The Day

"He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High,
shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty." Dwell for
a moment each day in a secret place, the place of
communion with God, apart from the world, and thence
receive strength to face the world. Material things cannot
intrude upon this secret place, they cannot ever find it,
because it is outside the realm of material things. When
you abide in this secret place, you are under the shadow
of the Almighty. God is close to you in this quiet place
of communion. Each day, dwell for a while in this secret
place.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that I may renew my strength in quietness.
I pray that I may find rest in quiet communion with God.

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As Bill Sees It

Inward Reality, p.260

It is being constantly revealed, as mankind studies the material
world, that its outward appearance is not inward reality at all. The
prosaic steel girder is a mass of electrons whirling around each other
at incredible speed, and these tiny bodies are governed by precise
laws. Science tells us so. We have no reason to doubt it.

When, however, the perfectly logic assumption is suggested that,
infinitely beyond the material world as we see it, there is an all
powerful, guiding, creative Intelligence, our perverse streak comes to
the surface and we set out to convince ourselves that this isn't so.
Were our contention true, it would follow that life originated out of
nothing, means nothing, and proceeds nowhere.

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Walk In Dry Places

The role of humor
Attitudes
There's a lot of humor among recovery groups, which probably came out
of the bizarre drinking stories told by speakers. It's also a reflection of
our real personalities.
The right kind of humor helps us achieve balance and not take ourselves
too seriously. Meetings can be terribly suffocating when they have
neither lightness or gaiety.
There is also a wrong kind of humor that should be avoided. It's very
easy to let joking and good-natured ribbing take the place of the honest
discussions all of us need. It's too easy in AA for a member to become
known and liked as a charming jokester, even though he or she may be
quietly feeling lots of inner pain. People are often surprised when such
a person runs into trouble, because they had accepted the humorous
surface personality without knowing the real person. In such a case,
humor can send the wrong message.
Most of the time, however, humor helps keep us on the right track.
Let's keep it in our picture, but also in the proper focus.
I'll not be afraid to laugh at myself or about myself today. Perhaps
my right-spirited laughter also reflects the laughter of God.

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Keep It Simple

We feel that the elimination of our drinking is but a beginning.---Alcoholics Anonymous
Giving up alcohol or other drugs is just the start. Even if we give up
chemicals, can we be happy if we have our old life back in every other way?
We have to do more. We have to see how our illness has changed us.
To do this, we turn to the Steps. Our program teaches us to become
new persons. We will change. And the changes will make us happy. That’s
the best part of recovery---change.
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, make me open to changes that will
heal me. Help see I’m not cured just because I stopped drinking or using drugs.
Action for the Day: Today, I’ll chose one thing about myself I want to change.

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Each Day a New Beginning

The future is made of the same stuff as the present. --Simone Weil
The moment is eternal. It is unending. When we move with the moment,
we experience all that life can offer. Being fully awake to right now,
guarantees rapture even when there's pain, because we know we are
evolving, and we thrill with the knowledge. We are one with all that's
going on around us. Our existence is purposeful and part of the whole
of creation, and we can sense our purpose.
Nothing is--but now. And when we dwell on what was, or what may be,
we are cut off from life--essentially dead. The only reality is the present,
and it's only in the present that we are invited to make our special
contribution to life; perhaps at this moment our special contribution is to
reach out to another person, an act that will change two lives, ours and hers.
We must cling to the present, or we'll miss its invitation to grow, to help a
friend perhaps, to be part of the only reality there is. The present holds all
we need and all we'll ever need to fulfill our lives. It provides every opportunity
for our happiness--the only happiness there is.
Abstinence offers me the gift of the present. I will cherish it, be grateful, and relish it.

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Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

WE AGNOSTICS

When we saw others solve their problems by a simple reliance upon the Spirit of the Universe, we had to stop doubting the power of God. Our ideas did not work. But the God idea did.

p. 52

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Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Step Eleven - "Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out."

The actual experience of meditation and prayer across the centuries is, of course, immense. The world's libraries and places of worship are a treasure trove for all seekers. It is to be hoped that every A.A. who has a religious connection which emphasizes meditation will return to the practice of that devotion as never before. But what about the rest of us who, less fortunate, don't even know how to begin?
Well, we might start like this. First let's look at a really good prayer. We won't have far to seek; the great men and women of all religions have left us a wonderful supply. Here let us consider one that is a classic. Its author was a man who for several hundred years now has been rated as a saint. We won't be biased or scared off by that fact, because although he was not an alcoholic he did, like us, go through the emotional wringer. And as he came out the other side of that painful experience, this prayer was his expression of what he could then see, feel, and wish to become:
"Lord, make me a channel of thy peace--that where there is hatred, I may bring love--that where there is wrong, I may bring the spirit of forgiveness--that where there is discord, I may bring harmony--that where there is error, I may bring truth--that where there is doubt, I may bring faith--that where there is despair, I may bring hope--that where there are shadows, I may bring light--that where there is sadness, I may bring joy. Lord, grant that I may seek rather to comfort than to be comforted--to understand, than to be understood--to love, than to be loved. For it is by self-forgetting that one finds. It is by forgiving that one is forgiven. It is by dying that one awakens to Eternal Life. Amen."
As beginners in meditation, we might now reread this prayer several times very slowly, savoring every word and trying to take in the deep meaning of each phrase and idea. It will help if we can drop all resistance to what our friend says. For in meditation, debate has no place. We rest quietly with the thoughts of someone who knows, so that we may experience and learn.
As though lying upon a sunlit beach, let us relax and breathe deeply of the spiritual atmosphere with which the grace of this prayer surrounds us. Let us become willing to partake and be strengthened and lifted up by the sheer spiritual power, beauty, and love of which these magnificent words are the carriers. Let us look now upon the sea and ponder what its mystery is; and let us lift our eyes to the far horizon, beyond which we shall seek all those wonders still unseen.

pp. 98-100

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If you don't like what you're getting, change what you're doing.
--Cited in BITS & PIECES

Love grows best when watered daily with kind words.
--Cited in BITS & PIECES

If you tell the truth you don't have to remember anything.
--Mark Twain

"Peace is not something you wish for; it's something you make,
something you do, something you are, something you give away."
--Robert Fulghum

"At the moment we are trying to put our lives in order. But this is not
an end in itself. Our real purpose is to fit ourselves to be of maximum
service to God and the people about us."
--c. 1976, Alcoholics Anonymous, page 77

"My life's purpose is much clearer when I just work to help, not to
possess."
--c. 1990, Daily Reflections, page 89

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Father Leo's Daily Meditation

OPEN-MINDEDNESS

"A fanatic is one who can't
change his mind and won't
change the subject."
-- Winston Churchill

In my addiction I had a closed mind because I was afraid to be seen to
be wrong. I had to be right, I had to be in control, and I had to be
perfect. To say "I don't know the answer" would make me weak,
vulnerable and human! So I developed a closed mind: my way, my
thoughts, my ideas, my life, my God. And I was in pain.

Then I had a moment of clarity. I heard that I was sick. I heard that if
I really wanted help, I could receive it. I put away the alcohol and I
became vulnerable. Slowly I faced the confusion of life and I
discovered the human race. I was no longer alone.

Today the spiritual life is more about living with the questions than
providing the answers.

I pray that I may continue to find Truth in variety.

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"Love does no harm to its neighbor."
Romans 13:10

Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong;
for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon
die away. Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy
safe pasture. Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the
desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and
he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn,
the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. Be still before the
LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in
their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Refrain from
anger and turn from wrath; do not fret--it leads only to evil. For evil
men will be cut off, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the
land.
Psalm 37:1-9

Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of
God. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake:
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:9-10

And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other,
even as God also in Christ forgave you.
Ephesians 4:32

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Daily Inspiration

Great power comes from being able to appreciate your own goodness and
anticipate goodness in others. Lord, help me to focus on that which will bring
me peace and lift my spirit.

Worry about nothing, pray for everything, and thank God for His answers.
Lord, I ask You to handle my problems with me and care for my needs.