[bluidkiti]

July 4

Step by Step

" ...(T)here is a substitute ...It is a fellowship in Alcoholics Anonymous. There you will find release from care, boredom and worry. Your imagination will be fired. Life will mean something at last. The most satisfactory years of your existence lie ahead." - Alcoholics Anonymous, 3rd Edition, 1976, Ch 11 ("A Vision for You"), p 152.

Today, if I have not already, let me take the first step toward a life that finally means something other than how bad the next hangover will be or how severe the consequences of my misconduct and, as promised by the program, a belief and faith that the "most satisfactory years of (my) existence" do, indeed, lay ahead. And if I have taken the first step toward the promise of the program, let me not squander it on some folly like self-pity or a thought that "just one, this one time" won't hurt. Whether I have or have not already embarked on my journey of recovery, let me believe that sobriety and recovery can provide a life that is better, one that is more satisfactory than the one I have in drinking. Today, let me believe that I am worthy to work toward something better. And our common journey continues. Step by step. - Chris M.

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~ EASY DOES IT ~ (A Book of Daily 12 Step Meditations) ~

EASY DOES IT

The great mind knows the power of gentleness.

~ Robert Browning ~

We have learned to become gentle with ourselves and other people. The slogan "Easy Does It" works in all situations. We created confusion in our lives when we lost our light touch and our softspoken word. We were like a tornado, upsetting everything in our path. Nothing was ever changed by our power-driven tantrums.

When we are stopped dead on the freeway, will shaking our fist at every passing car get us where we're going any faster? Easy Does It is our way of reminding our-selves to go slow, let God work His will, everything is O.K. We have learned to walk more softly and with more consideration.

I am not lazy when I slow down and take life on life's terms. I am simply tuned into the secret of how life actually works.

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~ WISDOM TO KNOW ~ (More Daily Meditations For Men) ~

Some people are so afraid to die that they never begin to live.

~ Henry Van Dyke ~

Fear is a dirty word for most guys. We find it hard to admit the truth. But the truth is, in our denial of fear we have often been ruled by it. We certainly know the fear of going without the comfort we had in our addictive and codependent ways. Our anxiety was hidden under our controlling behaviors when we said, “I’m only doing it because I love you,” or “I’m only going to take a little hit.” Many of us have felt so alone and grew up in such a stressful world that we learned to be constantly on guard against danger, even as we denied our fears.

Life inherently involves risk. There is such a thing as too much control. In its ultimate form, control is static and dead. That is why spiritual awakening is so central to our healing and recovery. We can stay spiritually alive, aware of life’s risks but remaining calm. When we fear what this day will bring, or what the future holds, we place our fears in the hands of God as we understand God. What happens next is beyond rational explanation, but it lets us go forward without grasping for our old self-destructive comforts.

Today I will admit that I feel fear as any man does, and I stay calm in the care of God.

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~ A WOMAN’S SPIRIT ~ (More Meditations For Women) ~

My name is Elizabeth. I have a gift. It is called alcoholism.

~ Elizabeth Farrell ~

Many of us didn’t feel alcoholism or other drug addiction was a gift when we first got into recovery. We felt shame or perhaps anger that we couldn’t drink or use like other women. Alcohol or other drugs made us feel less self-conscious and more courageous. Accepting that we couldn’t handle chemicals meant feeling the fear of many situations, perhaps for the first time.

But most of us have come to appreciate the rewards of sobriety. When we were using, our lack of consistent values caused us to stumble many limes. Now we have the Steps as guiding principles for every action we take.

We also have warm friendships that are healing our loneliness. We no longer harbor anger and self- pity. We are more peaceful and secure. Having a Higher Power we can trust makes any new experience tolerable. Addiction and sobriety are gifts we have been graced with, and we are coming to appreciate this more each day.

I will show God my appreciation for the gift of addiction and sobriety by carrying the message through my behavior today.

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~ TODAY I WILL DO ONE THING ~ (Daily Readings for Awareness and Hope) ~

I now have choices

Before I got into recovery I didn't really know what my problem was. I just knew I was anxious and fearful. I didn't know I had a dual disorder and that each disorder can affect the other. I only knew that with my moods, I kept thinking about suicide and felt I had to keep using.

Looking back I see how stuck I was. But I am no longer caught in that cycle of symptoms and intoxication. I'm psychiatrically stable and I no longer need street drugs to cope with my symptoms. I am learning about my problems and learning to work on solutions. I feel new freedom and strength.

I will take ten minutes today to think about my freedom and how I can use it in my life .

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~ BODY, MIND, AND SPIRIT ~ (Inspiration and Support for Recovery) ~

i thank You God... for everything which is natural which is infinite which is yes.

~ e. e. cummings ~

Within any twenty-four hours free from active dependency, our answer to small and major decisions is “yes.” We are experiencing life fully and courageously, regardless of outcomes. Our feelings surface and subside like light on water. The words we share loudly or in whispers are as vivid and colorful as the world surrounding us. Our new reality is a natural gift on our spiritual journey back to friendship and health. And as our active recovery fills each day with choices, duties, events, work, and play, we are often surprised by how swiftly time passes. Each minute in recovery, as long as we work our program, we are growing. Even the hard days, when we feel the old doubts and fear and pain, are days of healing. Our Higher Power has given us a new life, a new chance to say “yes” to the best in ourselves and the world.

Today let me gratefully accept what is offered to me.

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~ MORNING LIGHT ~ (Meditations to Begin Your Day) ~

Memory itself is an internal rumour.

~ George Santayana ~

There is a difference between minor forgetfulness— walking into a room and forgetting why you went there or not being able to recall the name of someone you just met—and the more significant memory loss that results from an addiction. Alcohol abuse can often result in fragmentary memory loss. You may not remember something that happened while you were drunk until prompting provides you with clues. Or you may experience blackouts, when you are incapable of remembering what happened during a previous binge no matter how much you are prompted.

Prolonged alcohol abuse can lead to the development of alcohol dementia. Poor nutrition during the time when you were actively using can lead to memory loss as well as decrease your ability to learn new information or solve problems. In recovery, it is essential that you exercise regularly, improve your nutrition, and take vitamin supplements to develop a healthy body and improve your memory. Engage in memory-building activities and learn something new each day so that your brain gets healthy exercise as well.

Taking control now of any memory issues brought on by your addiction will strengthen your mind for the future.

Today I will exercise my brain by using memory-enhancing techniques.

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~ NIGHT LIGHT ~ (A Book Of Nighttime Meditations) ~

Patience is a virtue that carries a lot of WAIT!

~ Our Daily Bread ~

Before we came into the program, we may have had little patience. We may have been tired of waiting for our parents to sober up and live up to their promises. We may have impatiently crossed off the days until we were legally free to leave home.

When we entered the program, we again found we had to wait for so many things. We learned the Twelve Steps couldn't be done in twelve days. We listened to people talk about the years of recovery they had. We may have privately thought it wouldn't take us that long. We were going to be in and out of the program in a matter of weeks—and we would be cured!

Good things come to those who wait could be another program slogan because it is so true. To truly master any skill requires long hours of study and continual practice. Like playing the piano, we start out with short, easy chords that build to full-length concertos. Our goal in the program is to play concertos for the rest of our lives. That will not happen today, nor tomorrow but will come in time.

I can use what I've learned in the program to begin my lifelong study. Higher Power, help me have patience.

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~ DAY BY DAY ~ (Daily Meditations for Recovering Addicts) ~

Praying

Our prayers are always answered, but some-times the answer is no and sometimes the answer is one we cannot understand. (How can we understand the plans of our Higher Power? If we trust our Higher Power to keep us clean and sober, perhaps our faith can extend to other areas of our lives.

There is a saying in the program about prayer that makes a lot of sense: We should work every day as if everything depended on us and pray every day as if everything depended on God.

Am I praying with faith?

Higher Power, help me ask for what I need and to trust what I get.

Today I will pray for

God help me to stay clean and sober today!

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~ IF YOU WANT WHAT WE HAVE ~ (Sponsorship Meditations) ~

If you're going to be able to look back on something and laugh about it, you might as well laugh about it now.

~ MARIE OSMOND ~

Newcomer

I spoke to someone I work with about how I’ve been perceiving a particular situation between us, and disaster resulted. I tried hard to speak respectfully, to take responsibility for my own part and not blame the other person, but I wasn’t heard at all. He attacked me and put me down; he really crossed the line. I was speechless at first, and then I yelled back; I had to defend myself. How do you fight fair when someone else is fighting dirty? The situation feels hopeless.

Sponsor

Perhaps you unwittingly touched a nerve, if the other person responded so explosively. His anger may have been waiting to erupt even before you spoke. He doesn’t have the skill you’ve been trying to develop, of owning our own feelings without attacking. Perhaps attack is all he knows right now.

We don’t have to assume that one unfortunate encounter is the end of a relationship. In a situation like the one you’ve described, we can remind ourselves that we’re adults, dealing with someone who’s behaving like a hurt or cornered child. We can be generous and compassionate to ourselves and the other person by detaching from the need to agree. Instead of trying to convince him or her to see things our way, we let go for now.

When we’re ready, we may say something simple: “Sorry things got out of hand between us. Your opinion does matter to me.” We can allow ourselves the freedom not to participate in arguments. Arguments require two participants.

Today, I step back from argument, with myself and with others.

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~ THE EYE OPENER ~

It is not possible to help a man as long as he stands in his own way, nor can anyone or anything else.

A vast host of drinkers could quit if they could get a job, but they can’t get a job because they are drinking.

They could quit if they could get their families back but they can’t get their families back because they persist in drinking.

We are all too prone to get a new man “fixed up” so he can stop drinking instead of making him realize that he must stop drinking so he can “fix himself up.” He must get out of his own way first.

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~ The 12 STEP PRAYER BOOK ~ (A Collection of Favorite 12 Step Prayers and Inspirational Readings) ~

Life Is a Gift

Thank you, God. May I remember during periods of depression,
The many times in my life when things do seem right, when I have those moments of clarity,
When I feel there is hope, when the sun shines down on me and warms my face, when Your love warms my heart.
I am reminded that life is a gift . . . this I pray.

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~ AROUND THE YEAR WITH EMMET FOX ~ (A Book of Daily Readings) ~

YOUR OWN PLACE

If you say that you are unhappy, dissatisfied, perhaps ill or impoverished, a failure, this is simply another way of putting the fact that you are not allowing the will of God to have free play in your life—you are not doing the thing that He meant you to do.

Discontent is not necessarily a bad thing. It is your duty to be discontented with anything less than complete harmony and happiness. A wholesome discontent with dullness, failure, and frustration is your incentive for overcoming such things. Whoever you are, your true place is calling, and, because you really are a spark of the Divine, you will never be content until you answer.

Remember that this call is the call of God, and when God calls you to His Service, He pays all the expenses. Whatever you may require to answer that call—all will He furnish, if you be about His business and not your own.

Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit , and that your fruit should remain (John 15:16).

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~ A DEEP BREATH OF LIFE ~ (365 Daily Inspirations for Heart-Centered Living) ~

Declaration of Inner Independence

If I have freedom in my love,
and in my soul I am free,
Angels alone that soar above,
enjoy such liberty.

~ Richard Lovelace ~

Today we celebrate the birth of our free nation. Yet even more important than national freedom is internal freedom. We may live in a democratic society, but unless we are free of the inner bondage of fear and separation, we are not truly free.

Today, break free of the power you have given others to make or break your life. While others may invite, suggest, guide, or influence you, ultimately you alone must live with the choices you make, and so you must choose in accordance with your heart's guidance. lf you have given any person power over your life, take back your power now. No one can hurt you, and no one can save you unless you ordain it.

Today, declare a revolution of consciousness. Oust the old dictators of self-doubt, attack thoughts, jealousy, and the replaying of old negative patterns of thought and feeling, and replace them with a belief in yourself, trust in the wisdom of life, positive visualization and speech, and the willingness to be grand.

Today, move beyond human politics, and find unity at the core of your being. At the center of yourself, all states of consciousness within you merge into wholeness. Your economy is based on love: the more love you give, the more you have.

Today, let the world know that you are a sovereign and powerful nation, comprised of all the experiences and wisdom you have gleaned over a lifetime. Raise the lamp of liberty high, that all may know that you stand for truth.

I pray to walk in peace and freedom, shining as a model of integrity to all.

I am free, and I give freedom.