Daily Reflections, April 3rd

ACCEPTING OUR HUMANNESS

We finally saw that the inventory should be ours, not the other man's. So we admitted our wrongs honestly and became willing to set these matters straight.

AS BILL SEES IT, p. 222

Why is it that the alcoholic is so unwilling to accept responsibility? I used to drink because of things that other people did to me. Once I came to A.A. I was told to look at where I had been wrong. What did I have to do with all these different matters? When I simply accepted that I had a part in them, I was able to put it on paper and see it for what it was---humanness. I am not expected to be perfect! I have made errors before and I will make them again. To be honest about them allows me to accept them---and myself---and those with whom I had the differences; from there, recovery is just a short distance ahead.

Twenty-Four Hours A Day, April 3rd

A.A. Thought For The Day

When I was drinking, I was absolutely selfish, I thought

of myself first, last, and always. The universe revolved

around me at the center. When I woke up in the morning

with a hangover, my only thought was how terrible I felt

and about what I could do to make myself feel better. And

the only thing I could think of was more liquor. To quit

was impossible. I couldn't see beyond myself and my own

need for another drink. Can I now look out and beyond my

own selfishness?

Meditation For The Day

Remember that the first quality of greatness is service.

In a way, God is the greatest servant of all, because He

is always waiting for us to call on Him to help us in all

good endeavors. His strength is always available to us,

but we must ask it of Him through our own free will. It

is a free gift, but we must sincerely seek for it. A

life of service is the finest life we can live. We are

here on earth to serve others. That is the beginning and

the end of our real worth.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that I may cooperate with God in all good things.

I pray that I may serve God and others and so lead a

useful and happy life.

NA - Just for Today, April 3rd

For you alone

Page 97

"The idea of a spiritual awakening takes many different forms in the different personalities that we find in the fellowship."

Basic Text, p. 49

Though we all work the same steps, each of us experiences the spiritual awakening resulting from them in our own way. The shape that spiritual awakening takes in our lives will vary, depending on who we are.

For some of us, the spiritual awakening promised in the Twelfth Step will result in a renewed interest in religion or mysticism. Others will awaken to an understanding of the lives of those around them, experiencing empathy perhaps for the first time. Still others will realize that the steps have awakened them to their own moral or ethical principles. Most of us experience our spiritual awakening as a combination of these things, each combination as unique as the individual who's been awakened.

If there are so many different varieties of spiritual awakenings, how do we know if we've truly had one? The Twelfth Step provides us with two signs: We've found principles capable of guiding us well, the kind of principles we want to practice in all our affairs. And we've begun to care enough about other addicts to freely share with them the experience we've had. No matter what the details of our awakenings are like, we all are given the guidance and the love we need to live fulfilling, spiritually oriented lives.

Just for Today: Regardless of its particular shape, my spiritual awakening has helped me fill my place in the world with love and life. For that, I am grateful.

Thought for Today, April 3rd

"Waiting until everything is perfect before making a move is like waiting to start a trip until all the traffic lights are green."

"I can't drink successfully. I'll always think I can."

Jennifer A.

"Life doesn't happen to you, It happens for you!"

 Rabbi Jenny

"At the end of the day, it's not about what you have or even what you've accomplished. It's about what you've done with those accomplishments. It's about who you've lifted up, who you've made better. It's about what you've given back."-

Denzel Washington   (thanks Gary M.)

Buddha/Zen Thoughts, April 3rd

Meditate on that which is beyond words and symbols. Forsake the demands of the self. By such forsaking you will live serenely.

-Sutta Nipata

Native American, April 3rd

"We know that in all creation/Only the human family/Has strayed from the Sacred Way."

-OJIBWA Prayer

How have we gotten so far off track? What has happened to us? What is happening to our family? How did it happen so quickly? Every individual needs to answer these questions for themselves. What do we need to do to start living the Sacred Way again? Pray! Today I will start praying. I pray the Creator will lead all Native People to a great healing. I pray we'll be free from alcohol and drugs. I pray we will return to the culture, to spirituality and to unity.

My Mother, help us to heal ourselves. Make us strong again.

Keep It Simple, April 3rd

Rest is the guardian of health.  

- Melba Colgrave

Now that we are sober, we're feeling better than we have in years. We're busy too. We attend meetings and visit friends. We have work, school, families, and homes to keep up with.

It's easy to forget to rest. We forgot that our bodies and minds need time off. We need plenty of sleep each night.

And we need a lazy weekend now and then to let our bodies recover from to go, go, go of daily life.

Prayer for the Day: 

Higher Power, help me listen to my body. Remind me to slow down and rest now and then.

Action for the Day: 

How much have I rested lately? Have I gotten enough sleep each night? What can I do in the next two days to rest my body, mind, and spirit?

Big Book, April 3rd

Chapter 2 THERE IS A SOLUTION (pg 22 & top 23)

This is by no means a comprehensive picture of the true alcoholic, as our behavior patterns vary. But this description should identify him roughly.

Why does he behave like this? If hundreds of experiences have shown him that one drink means another debacle with all its attendant suffering and humiliation, why is it he takes that one drink? Why can't he stay on the water wagon? What has become of the common sense and will power that he still sometimes displays with respect to other matters?

Perhaps there never will be a full answer to these questions. Opinions vary considerably as to why the alcoholic reacts differently from normal people. We are not sure why, once a certain point is reached, little can be done for him. We cannot answer the riddle.

We know that while the alcoholic keeps away from drink, as he may do for months or years, he reacts much like other men. We are equally positive that once he takes any alcohol whatever into his system, something happens, both in the bodily and mental sense, which makes it virtually impossible for him to stop. The experience of any alcoholic will abundantly confirm this.