Alcoholic Anonymous - Daily Ponderables - Together we trudge the
Road of Happy Destiny – Sunday, 5 January 2014 - Daily Reflections
TOTAL ACCEPTANCE
He cannot picture life without alcohol. Some day he will be
unable to imagine life either with alcohol or without it. Then he will know
loneliness such as few do. He will be at the jumping-off place. He will wish
for the end.(ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, page 152)
Only an alcoholic can understand the exact meaning of a
statement like this one. The double standard that held me captive as an active
alcoholic also filled me with terror and confusion: "If I don't get a
drink I'm going to die," competed with "If I continue drinking it’s
going to kill me." Both compulsive thoughts pushed me ever closer to the
bottom. That bottom produced a total acceptance of my alcoholism-- with no
reservations whatsoever-- and was a dilemma unlike anything I had ever faced,
but as I found out later on, a necessary one if I was to succeed in this
program.(From the book Daily Reflections © Copyright 1990 by Alcoholics
Anonymous World Services, Inc.)
Twenty-Four Hours A Day
A.A. Thought for the Day
Have I turned to a Higher Power for help? Do I believe that each
man or woman I see in A.A. is a demonstration of the power of God to change a
human being from a drunkard into a sober, useful citizen? Do I believe that
this Higher Power can keep me from drinking? Am I living one day at a time? Do
I ask God to give me the power to stay sober for each twenty-four hours? Do I
attend A.A. meetings regularly?
Meditation for the Day
I believe that God's presence brings peace and that peace, like
a quiet-flowing river, will cleanse all irritants away. In these quiet times,
God will teach me how to rest my nerves. I will not be afraid. I will learn how
to relax. When I am relaxed, God's strength will flow into me. I will be at
peace.
Prayer for the Day
I pray for that peace which passes all understanding. I pray for
that peace which the world can neither give nor take away.(From the book
Twenty-Four Hours a Day © Copyright 1975 by Hazelden Foundation)
NA - Just for Today
Recovery at home
"We can enjoy our families in a new way and may become a credit
to them instead of an embarrassment or a burden."(Basic Text, page 104)
We're doing great in recovery, aren't we? We go to a meeting
every day, we spend every evening with our friends in the fellowship, and every
weekend we dash off to a service workshop. But if things are falling to pieces
at home, we're not doing so great after all.
We expect our families to understand. After all, we're not using
drugs anymore. Why don't they recognize our progress? Don't they understand how
important our meetings, our service, and our involvement with the fellowship
are?
Our families will not appreciate the change NA is working in our
lives unless we show them. If we rush off to a meeting the same way we rushed
off to use drugs, what has changed? If we continue to ignore the needs and
desires of our partners and children, failing to accept our responsibilities at
home, we aren't "practicing these principles in all our affairs."
We must live the program everywhere we go, in everything we do.
If we want the spiritual life to be more than a theory, we have to live it at
home. When we do this, the people we share our lives with are sure to notice
the change and be grateful that we've found NA.
Just for Today: I will take my recovery home with me.(From the
book Just for Today © Copyright 1991-2013 by Narcotics Anonymous World
Services, Inc.)
Thought for Today
"To swear off making mistakes is very easy. All you have to
do is swear off having ideas."(Leo Burnett)
Buddha/Zen Thoughts
Better indeed is knowledge than mechanical practice (of
religious ritual). Better than knowledge is meditation. But better still is
surrender of attachment to results (of one's actions), because there follows
immediate peace.(Bhagavad Gita 12:12)
Native American
"But first, let us join hands and pray."(Starleaf,
SHINNECOCK)
Where two or more human beings joined together for a common
cause, the helpers and the Grandfathers will show up to help. When our Indian
people come together, the Elders say, "Always pray first-do a ceremony and
ask the Creator to be with us and to help us. We can never pray enough."
The Elders also say, "Pray in a circle because the Creator made things in
circles. When we stand in a circle and pray together, a sacred hoop will form
above the people. This is the spiritual way."
Oh Great Spirit, through my prayers I can find YOUR guidance. I
pray YOU guide my path today. Touch my life with YOUR holy breath.
Keep It Simple
The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.(Chinese
proverb).
Life holds so many choices now that we are sober. We'd like to
go so many places. We'd like to see so many things. We have so much to do. We
are slowly learning how to trust our dreams and reach for them. Our program
teaches us that we live One Day at a Time. We make progress by doing First
Things First. Easy Does It. Our dreams may seem very big and far away. We
wonder if we'll ever get there. But our faith tells us to go for it. And we
know how: one step at a time.
PRAYER FOR TODAY: Higher Power, help me know this gentle truth:
my life matters. Help me set goals that I can grow toward, one step at a time.
ACTION FOR TODAY: Today, I'll think about one of my goals. I
will list ten little steps that will help me get there.
Big Book
"...I would enter upon a new relationship with my Creator;
that I would have the elements of a way of living which answered all my problems.
Belief in the power of God, plus enough willingness, honesty and humility to
establish and maintain the new order of things, were the essential requirements."(Alcoholics
Anonymous, 4th Edition, Bill's Story, Page 13)
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If you're not enjoying your sobriety it's your own damn fault
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