June 25th

DAILY PONDERABLES

Together WE Trudge The Road OF Happy Destiny

Daily Reflections

A TWO-WAY STREET

If we ask, God will certainly forgive our derelictions. But in no case does He render us white as snow and keep us that way without our cooperation.

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 65

When I prayed, I used to omit a lot of things for which I needed to be forgiven. I thought that if I didn't mention these things to God, He would never know about them. I did not know that if I had just forgiven myself for some of my past deeds, God would forgive me also. I was always taught to prepare for the journey through life, never realizing until I came to A.A.--when I honestly became willing to be taught forgiveness and forgiving--that life itself is the journey. The journey of life is a very happy one, as long as I am willing to accept change and responsibility.

From the book Daily Reflections

Twenty-Four Hours A Day

A.A. Thought for the Day

One of the most encouraging facts of life is that your weakness can become your greatest asset. Kites and airplanes rise against the wind. In climbing up a high mountain, we need the stony crags and rough places to aid us in our climb. So your weakness can become an asset if you will face it, examine it, and trace it to its origin. Set it in the very center of your mind. No weakness, such as drinking, ever turned into an asset until it was first fairly faced. Am I making my weakness my greatest asset?

Meditation for the Day

Whenever we seek to worship God, we think of the great universe that God rules over, of creation, of mighty law and order throughout the universe. Then we feel the awe that precedes worship. I too must feel awe, feet the desire to worship God in wondering amazement. My mind is in a box of space and time and it is so made that I cannot conceive of what is beyond space or time, the limitless and the eternal. But I know that there must be something beyond space and time, and that something must be the limitless and eternal Power behind the universe. I also know that I can experience that Power in my life.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may accept the limitless and eternal Spirit. I pray that It may express Itself in my life.

From the book Twenty-Four Hours a Day

NA - Just for Today

Not just lucky

Page 183

"The process of coming to believe restores us to sanity. The strength to move into action comes from this belief."

Basic Text, p. 25

Coming to believe is a process that stems from personal experience. Each of us has this experience; all addicts who find recovery in NA have solid evidence of a benevolent Power acting for good in their lives. Those of us who are recovering today, after all, are the fortunate ones. Many, many addicts die from our disease, never to experience what we have found in Narcotics Anonymous.

The process of coming to believe involves a willingness to recognize miracles for what they are. We share the miracle of being here clean, and each of us has other miracles that await only our acknowledgment. How many car accidents or overdoses or other near-catastrophes have we survived? Can we look back at our lives and see that we were not just "lucky"? Our experience in recovery, too, gives us examples of a Higher Power working for our good.

When we can look back at the evidence of a loving Higher Power acting on our behalf, it becomes possible to trust that this Higher Power will continue to help us in the future. And trust offers us the strength to move forward.

Just for Today: My recovery is more than coincidence. My strength comes from the knowledge that my Higher Power has never let me down and will continue to guide me.

From the book Just for Today

Thought for Today

Face the facts of being what you are, for that is what changes what you are.

~ Soren Kierkegaard

It's what you learn after you know it all that counts.

--John Wooden

Anything that hurts you can teach you, and if it keeps hurting you, its because you haven't learned

Happy, Joyous and Free - For Me?

Imagine Happy, Joyous and Free

Before AA, impossible for me

Imagine if I could find a place

Maybe help me stop my race

To my death in disgrace

Imagine a place to surrender

Never been there, but willing to go

Must go now or I will surely die.

What will I find? A place of Love or Shame?

Imagine alcoholics looking at me

Hatred or Pity I do not see.

I do see Love and Help coming to me

Imagine Why me?

I am only a drunk. Alcoholic some say.

Nothing special, but I heard them shout

“A most important newcomer is here today”

Can’t imagine that could be me.

Imagine people all around me

For sure, we would never meet

Especially someone like me.

Imagine asked.

“Come a little closer. Tell your story” So I did.

Imagine a fellowship sprouting around me

Imagine men and women accepting me

They are me and I am them

We are all different, but the same you agree?

Alcoholics one and all. Brothers and Sisters in A A.

Imagine my life. Can it be Happy and Free?

The Promises claim I will be.

Must follow The Path laid out for me.

Suggestions offered, my choice to follow

Work for the Promises and be Happy and Free?

Yes “work”, there is no easier, softer way.

Imagine something special happened to me.

Imagine an awaking of spiritual sorts.

I am not the same person who will drink again.

Not so easy to believe, but that’s what happened to me

Imagine I am one with the others and they with me

Imagine that only the A A Solution has set me free.

Imagine being grateful to be an alcoholic.

Imagine now I can live Happy, Joyousand Free

James Patrick M.

Mission Viejo, CA

Thank you John Lennon for your song “Imagine”

Buddha/Zen Thoughts

What people expect to happen is always different from what actually happens. From this comes great disappointment; this is the way the world works.

- Sutta Nipata

Native American

"We are called hollow bones for our people and for anyone else we can help, and we are not supposed to seek power for our personal use and honor."

--Fools Crow, LAKOTA

In order for us to use our power well, we must become a hollow bone. We must prepare ourselves to become a channel. Our channel must be clean before we can use our power well. We must be free of resentments, guilt, shame, anger, self pity and fear. If these things are in us, we cannot be hollow bones. These things block us from our power. The cleaner we are, the more power we move. We must become a hollow bone so the Creator can use us to do what he wants us to do.

My Creator, remove from me today all resentment, anger, fear, guilt and selfishness. Do not let my weaknesses stand in the way of my usefulness to You. Make me a hollow bone so Your power can flow through me.

Keep It Simple

When a man points a finger at someone else, he should remember that three of his fingers are pointing at himself. --- Louis Nizer

It's so easy to blame others. Others are always making mistakes we can hide behind. That's what blame is---hiding. When we blame others for our mistakes, we're trying to hide our character defects.

It's nobody else’s fault that we act the way we do. It's our fault. We're responsible for our actions.

And with the help of our Higher Power, we can change. We can turn over our character defects. Over time, we're not afraid to learn about ourselves---even the parts we don't like---because we want to know ourselves better.

Prayer for the Day: I pray for help in facing my character defects.

Action for the Day: I'll think about the past week. I'll list times I've used blame to hide from reality.

Big Book

Chapter 8 To Wives (pg 110)

Four: You may have a husband of whom you completely despair. He has been placed in one institution after another. He is violent, or appears definitely insane when drunk. Sometimes he drinks on the way home from the hospital. Perhaps he has had delirium tremens. Doctors may shake their heads and advise you to have him committed. Maybe you have already been obliged to put him away. This picture may not be as dark as it looks. Many of our husbands were just as far gone. Yet they got well.

Let’s now go back to number one. Oddly enough, he is often difficult to deal with. He enjoys drinking. It stirs his imagination. His friends feel closer over a highball. Perhaps you enjoy drinking with him yourself when he doesn’t go too far. You have passed happy evenings together chatting and drinking before your fire. Perhaps you both like parties which would be dull without liquor. We have enjoyed such evenings ourselves; we had a good time. We know all about liquor as a social lubricant. Some, but not all of us, think it has its advantages when reasonably used.