Daily Reflections, April 20th

SELF-EXAMINATION

. . . we ask God to direct our thinking, especially asking that it be divorced from self-pity, dishonest or self-seeking motives.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 86

When said sincerely, this prayer teaches me to be truly unselfish and humble, for even in doing good deeds I often used to seek approval and glory for myself. By examining my motives in all that I do, I can be of service to God and others, helping them do what they want to do. When I put God in charge of my thinking, much needless worry is eliminated and I believe He guides me throughout the day. When I eliminate thoughts of self-pity, dishonesty, and self-centeredness as soon as they enter my mind, I find peace with God, my neighbor and myself.

Twenty-Four Hours A Day, April 20th

A.A. Thought for the Day

The satisfaction you get out of living a sober life is, made up of a lot of little things, but they add up to a satisfactory and happy life. You take out of life what you put into it. So I'd say to people coming into A.A.: "Don't worry about what life will be like without liquor. just hang in there and a lot of good things will happen to you. And you'll have that feeling of quiet satisfaction and peace and serenity and gratitude for the grace of God." Is my life becoming really worth living?

Meditation for the Day

There are two paths, one up and one down. We have been given free will to choose either path. We are captains of our souls to this extent only. We can choose the good or the bad. Once we have chosen the wrong path, we go down and down, eventually to death. But if we choose the right path, we go up and UP, until we come to the resurrection day. On the wrong path, we have no power for good because we do not choose to ask for it. But on the right path, we are on the side of good and we have all the power of God's spirit behind us.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may be in the stream of goodness. I pray that I may be on the right side, on the side of all good in the universe.

NA - Just for Today, April 20th

Detachment

Page 114

"Addiction is a family disease, but we could only change ourselves."

Many of us come from severely damaged families. At times, the insanity that reigns among our relatives feels overwhelming. Sometimes we feel like packing our bags and moving far, far away.

We pray that our family members will join us in recovery but, to our great sadness, this does not always happen. Sometimes, despite our best efforts to carry the message, we find that we cannot help those we hold most dear. Our group experience has taught us that, frequently, we are too close to our relatives to help them. We learn it is better to leave them in our Higher Power's care.

We have found that when we stop trying to settle the problems of family members, we give them the room they need to work things out in their own lives. By reminding them that we are not able to solve their problems for them, we give ourselves the freedom to live our own lives. We have faith that God will help our relatives. Often, the best thing we can give our loved ones is the example of our own ongoing recovery. For the sake of our family's sanity and our own, we must let our relatives find their own ways to recover.

Just for Today: I will seek to work my own program and leave my family in the care of a Higher Power.

Thought for Today, April 20th

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an  honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.

- Leo Buscaglia

If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else.

- Booker T. Washington (thanks Gene H.)

A fourth dimension

by Gordon R.

Riding on a rocket,

headed to a fourth dimension...

Won't be making any stops along the way.

Once I start it, I can't stop it,

as I launch into ascension...

Go'in on a supernatural getaway.

Once I reach my destination,

there will be no hesitation...

Gonna find myself a meeting right away.

Won't be resting on my laurels,

I don't need no inner quarrels...

Gonna live the way I'm spose to live today.

Gonna find myself some new friends,

need to make a few amends...

Wanna bask within the Sunlight of the Spirit...

Gonna give back all I can,

to my God and fellow man...

Got my hands upon the wheel but I don't steer it.

Got a clearer point of view,

of a world I never knew...

Of true brotherhood I now have  comprehension...

It's a better place to be,

it's a happy destiny...

I'm  now liv'in life inside a fourth dimension.

Sobriety Is Never Owned, It’s Rented.  And Rent Is Due Everyday. 

- Unknown  

Buddha/Zen Thoughts

Contrary to what some people might believe, there is nothing wrong with having pleasures and enjoyments. What is wrong is the confused way we grasp onto these pleasures, turning them from a source of happiness into a source of pain and dissatisfaction.

-Lama Thubten Yeshe, "Introduction to Tantra"

Native American, April 20th

"You must be prepared and know the reason why you dance."

-Thomas Yellowtail, CROW

Inside every human being is a need to dance. We dance to music. Have you even wondered why people are moved when they hear an Indian Drum? The drum is the heartbeat of the Mother Earth. Every Indian dance is for a purpose and a reason. Every Song is for a reason. The beat of the drum makes our bodies, minds and spirits join together in harmony. It allows us to connect to Mother Earth and to each other. The dance aligns our minds to think spiritual thoughts. Dancing to the drum is healthy.

Great Spirit, today, I dance to honor you.

Keep It Simple, April 20th

A great obstacle to happiness is to expect too much happiness.

- Fontenelle

Our disease is sometimes call the disease of “always wanting more.”

We push ourselves to get as much pleasure as we could. If one was good , two was better.

We didn’t see that what we were lacking was faith.

At times in recovery, we still crave “more.”

We must pay attention to these cravings. When we have a craving, maybe we’re scared, and our Higher Power is trying to tell us that, if we have faith, we’ll be taken care of. Perhaps our Higher Power just has a message of love for us. All we need to do is listen. It may be that this is only “more” we really need.

Prayer for the Day: I pray to see my as spiritual needs. I pray to turn to my Higher Power instead of to alcohol or other drugs.

Action for the Day: Today, I’ll think about how much recovery has given me. I will share this with a friend and with my Higher Power

Big Book

Chapter 3 More About Alcoholism (pg 40 & top 41)

We heard no more of Fred for a while. One day we were told that he was back in the hospital. This time he was quite shaky. He soon indicated he was anxious to see us. The story he told is most instructive, for here was a chap absolutely convinced he had to stop drinking, who had no excuse for drinking, who exhibited splendid judgment and determination in all his other concerns, yet was flat on his back nevertheless.

Let him tell you about it: "I was much impressed with what you fellows said about alcoholism, and I frankly did not believe it would be possible for me to drink again. I rather appreciated your ideas about the subtle insanity which precedes the first drink, but I was confident it could not happen to me after what I had learned. I reasoned I was not so far advanced as most of you fellows, that I had been usually successful in licking my other personal problems, and that I would therefore be successful where you men failed. I felt I had every right to be self-confident, that it would be only a matter of exercising my will power and keeping on guard."

"In this frame of mind, I went about my business and for a time all was well. I had no trouble refusing drinks, and began to wonder if I had not been making too hard work of a simple matter. One day I went to Washington to present some accounting evidence to a government bureau. I had been out of town before during this particular dry spell, so there was nothing new about that. Physically, I felt fine. Neither did I have any pressing problems or worries. My business came off well, I was pleased and knew my partners would be too. It was the end of a perfect day, not a cloud on the horizon."