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September 29

Step by Step

"12. - ...(W)e of Alcoholics Anonymous believe that the principle of anonymity has an immense spiritual significance. It reminds us that we are to place principles before personalities; that we are actually to practice a genuine humility. This to the end that our great blessings may never spoil us; that we shall forever live in thankful contemplation of Him who presides over us all." - Alcoholics Anonymous, 3rd Edition, 1976, Appendices, "The Twelve Traditions" (long form), pp 567-68.

Today, Traditions 9-12, that anonymity of all those in the program is a principle rather than a courtesy. If we can understand that a principle is an ethic that governs AA, any personal grievances we have become insignificant and futile in the goal of our individual recoveries and the effectiveness of the program as a whole. As the 12th Tradition promises, anonymity has the spiritual power for us to be hungry for "genuine humility," or our desire to know and carry out the will of our higher power as we understand Him and not our will. Today, I renew my commitment to respect the 12th Tradition and all others as AA's code of ethics. In the process, God granting, may I know the humility of the principle of anonymity and, maybe more, develop a higher sense of responsibility to my sobriety. And our common journey continues. Step by step. - Chris M.

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

DEPRESSIONS

Don't look down unless you plan on staying there.

~ Anonymous ~

Depressions and setbacks are a part of life for us even when we are solidly active in our Program. We were told early that an addict's highs are always higher than the ordinary and their lows lower. When things begin going wrong (and the law of averages predicts that things will), we can feel depressed even when we compare these lows with the good feelings we experience when we grow spiritually.

At times of depression, we can find relief and change our attitude by entering into the caring and sharing of our Program. It is certain that we can never overcome our down times alone and without help. We always remind ourselves that depressions will not fade unless we have the help of others, sometimes professional help. Many are also helped with the blues when they get out of themselves and help others.

To handle my depressions and low points, I need the help of my friends in the Program. I can't do it alone.

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

Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves.

~ Henry David Thoreau ~

Growth and development never happens in a straight line. Events may surprise and challenge us. A man thinks he is on a path to success and suddenly loses his job. A student takes a challenging class and fails an important test. A professional truck driver is involved in a serious accident. These events that fall into our lives are horrible things to deal with. Yet we have to respond to them. They show us the edge of what we know and force us to push further.

It is always the lost feeling that opens us up to grow and learn. When we are lost, it is in finding ourselves again that we grow deeper.

Today I accept the challenges I face because I have no other option, and I will use them to shape my growth in a positive direction.

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

It is the long stretch of time that gives us our viewpoint.

~ Florida Scott-Maxwell ~

In the heat of an experience, our emotions own us. Hurt feelings, anger, or fear pushes away the rational explanation of what occurred. It’s often not until hours or maybe days later that we understand the dynamics of that moment.

Wishing we could gather all the facts immediately is understandable. It might save us from losing control of our emotions. But learning to step back before responding to an experience takes discipline.

Hindsight is perhaps our best teaching tool. We can review the past and see how every experience, even the most painful, has added to our development. Trusting that the same will be true of whatever appears on our horizon today relieves us of the need to worry and overreact. Since we know we’ll understand in due time, let’s relax now.

I remember some difficult periods that benefited me. If something troubles me today, perhaps I can trust that it, too, is for my good.

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

I lose control when I use

I realize now that when I use, I forget to take my meds and go to support group meetings. Sometimes I even forget to eat or go to work. Basically I don't seem to care what happens to me. I don't like myself. When I use, my psychiatric illness often gets worse. I'm glad I've stopped using again, and this time I want to stay stopped.

I used to think that drugs and alcohol were the only way I could survive. I thought I could use and still manage my life. But I can't. Using only makes me sicker. When I'm using, I'm not taking care of myself. I see now how powerless I am over my addiction. I want to stay abstinent. I think I can.

I will ash my support group and my therapist for help in staying clean and sober.

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

The best way to forget a problem is to learn something.

~ T.H. White ~

Boredom can be a real problem in recovery. We may spend too much time thinking about our-selves and not enough time thinking about other things. A whole world of knowledge is there for us, ours for the taking.

A 77-year-old man told a meeting he’d recently taken up painting with watercolors. He’d never touched a brush before in his life, but thought it might be fun. He got some inexpensive paper, borrowed a few books from the library, and gave it a try. Every sunny morning he went to the park and painted pigeons or squirrels, people walking by, or trees, thoroughly enjoying himself. He soon discovered he could have the time of his life doing something new, learning as he went.

That man knew an important secret about life. When we’re feeling down or depressed, feeling that our lives are worn out and over, we can do something different, try something new, learn something, take a chance. Our minds brought us this far in recovery, and a whole world is there for us, if only we reach out for it.

Today help me remember all my choices and take advantage of all that life has to offer.

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

You receive through the same door through which you give.
The way to receive freely is to give freely.

~ Brad Jensen ~

While you know the value of service and giving to others, you may feel as if you have very little to give. Because you live paycheck-to-paycheck, there may be no money you can give to charity. Because every minute of your day is filled with obligations, there may be no time you can devote to a worthwhile cause. Because you are immersed In your recovery, there may be no energy left to assist others. Even if these are your circumstances, there are a number of ways to give to others that may benefit you as well:

• Give out five hugs a day. A hug costs nothing. In giving someone a hug, you also receive one in return.

• Give someone five minutes of your time. Even if you i are a perpetually busy person, giving someone f your attention for five minutes will not throw your entire day out of whack.

• Offer to help someone with a problem. By offering to I listen to what someone else is experiencing, you may find solutions that can help you work through a similar situation in your life.

I can be a giving person even though I may have little. I have more to give to others than I think.

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

Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards.

~ Soren Kierhegaard ~

One of Mark Twain's most interesting writings states we should live life backwards from the age of eighty to the time we were just a gleam in someone's eye. How much more we'd learn, he felt, if we already knew how to live before we had to.

We may fantasize sometimes about going back with the tools of the program we're using today to our families, our high schools, or our dating years. It may please us to think of how "together" we would be with such tools, knowing what we know now.

But we can't live backwards. Every year we move along in age, experience, maturity, and wisdom. Sometimes we only see such growth on birthdays, when we look back to a year ago at who we were then and who we are now. As our years advance, so do we. Sometimes we need to take a brief look backward in order to see this.

Tonight I'll remember that to see my growth all I have to do is look at where I was a year ago. I have advanced in age, but I've also advanced in wisdom and maturity.

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

Taking things in stride

When we first begin to recover—feel a connection to our Higher Power, work the first three Steps, and begin to change—we might feel grateful, giddy, self-conscious, happy, proud, and special, among others.

It may seem odd, but some people may react negatively to us. They may look at us with jealousy, irritation, shame, skepticism, or mistrust. But it makes sense: We’re different and they don’t know quite what to make of us yet. It helps if we can be aware of this and not overreact, just keep up our good work and trust that it will all get resolved in time.

Can I have faith and stay focused?

Higher Power, help me to relax and take others’ reactions to my changes in stride.

I will focus on my own recovery today by

God help me to stay clean and sober today!

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

You have to give it away in order to keep it.

~ SAYING HEARD IN MEETINGS ~

Newcomer

One of the meetings I go to is relatively small. Apparently the same people have been taking various service positions over and over; at every meeting there's a request for volunteers. I've been wondering if I ought to put my hand up and offer to do something.

Sponsor

Since this is a meeting you like going to, why hesitate to help? Offering to fill a service position not only helps guarantee that the meeting will take place, but also gives you a good reason for showing up at it.

Meetings are the core of our sober lives. At the beginning, we don't stop to wonder how the tasks get done: we depend on meetings to be there for us when and where they're supposed to. As we mature in recovery, we become aware that other people have cooperated to make the meeting what it is. Some have found the space and arranged for rental; some are responsible for the treasury and regular payment of the group's expenses. Still others set up the room, make coffee, contact speakers, chair meetings, or buy literature. Commitment to a service position is an important step in recovery. We also give something, of course, simply by showing up, sharing, and listening.

Today, I don't take meetings for granted, I help ensure that they happen.

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~ THE EYE OPENER ~

We members of AA have a tremendous responsibility. We must in our work discuss the most personal matters with the new guy or gal. This information is given us under desperate circumstances and should be treated as most confidential. Carelessness in this respect can and does do a lot of harm at times. Let us confine our conversations with each other to only that part of the new man's problem that pertains to his actual drinking, because that is the only phase of the problem that we can efficiently advise him on, anyway. These personal matters are matters of trust and they deserve the same confidential treatment as a church confessional.

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

Mend Me

Lord, help me to right my wrongs.
There are so many years of pain and heartache.
I seek the words that will help to heal the hearts
of those I have broken—there are many.
I must mend them without further damaging them.
Some heal with each day I remain clean and sober.
Others will take more time.
Guide me and grant me patience and sympathy for
the ones I have hurt and want only to love.

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

IMMUTABLE LAW

I once came across an old sermon that was delivered in London during the French Revolution. The author said, referring to the Sermon on the Mount: "Surely it is justifiable to hate the Arch-Butcher, Robespierre, and to execrate the Bristol murderer." This pronouncement perfectly illustrates the fallacy that we have been considering.

You might just as well swallow a dose of prussic acid in two gulps, and think to protect yourself by saying, “This one is for Robespierre; and this one for the Bristol murderer." You will hardly have any doubt as to who will receive the benefit of the poison.

A woman said: "I have a right to be angry" meaning that she had been the victim of very shabby treatment. This, of course, is absurd. There is no one to give such a permit, and if general laws could be set aside in special instances, we should have, not a universe, but a chaos. If you drank a deadly poison inadvertently, you would die because such is the law. For the same reason, to entertain negative emotions is to order trouble—quite independently of any seeming justification that you may suppose yourself to have.

Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life (Proverbs 4:23).

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

A man's heart deviseth the way, but the Lord directeth his steps.

~ Proverbs 41:9 ~

Do you remember the children's game of "Hot and Cold?" In the game, a player would step out of a room while others hid an object. Then the player returned and tried to find the hidden item. As he or she searched, the others would call out, "Getting warmer" when the seeker approached the object, and "Getting colder" when the seeker moved away from it, until the object was found. In the game of life, joy and enthusiasm are the voice of Spirit letting you know that you are "getting warmer." Boredom and fatigue are the universe's clues that you are "getting colder." We are led to our good by the energy of delight.

If you are accustomed to relying only on your mind to make decisions, you will become confused and bewildered. The mind is but one component of successful decision making. The other is the heart. One can go only so far using the mind as a tool; eventually the heart must be honored as a source of wisdom and insight.

The next time you have to make a decision, ask yourself how you feel about any given alternative. If the direction warms, delights, stimulates, or interests you, it is a sign to step toward it. If the possibility leaves you cold or flat, do not pursue it. The universe will warm or cool you as you move toward, or away from, your objective. Trust the voice of Spirit; it will speak if you will listen.

Thank You for speaking to me through the voice of joy.

The loving voice of God guides me to my Good.