DAILY PONDERABLES
Together WE Trudge The Road OF Happy Destiny
Daily Reflections
HOPE
Do not be discouraged.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 60
Few experiences are of less value to me than fast sobriety. Too
many times discouragement has been the bonus for unrealistic
expectations, not to mention self-pity or fatigue from my wanting to
change the world by the weekend. Discouragement is a warning
signal that I may have wandered across the God line. The secret of
fulfilling my potential is in acknowledging my limitations and believing
that time is a gift, not a threat.
Hope is the key that unlocks the door of discouragement. The
program promises me that if I do not pick up the first drink today, I
will always have hope. Having come to believe that I keep what I
share, every time I encourage, I receive courage. It is with others
that, with the grace of God and the Fellowship of A.A., I trudge the road
of happy destiny. May I always remember that the power within me is
far greater than any fear before me. May I always have patience, for
I am on the right road.
From the book Daily Reflections
© Copyright 1990 by Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.
Twenty-Four Hours A Day
A.A. Thought For The Day
Over a period of drinking years, we've proved to ourselves and to
everybody else that we can't stop drinking by our own willpower. We
have been proved helpless before the power of alcohol. So the only
way we could stop drinking was by turning to a Power greater than
ourselves. We call that Power God. The time that you really get this
program is when you get down on your knees and surrender yourself
to God, as you understand Him. Surrender means putting your life
into God's hands. Have I made a promise to God that I will try to live
the way He wants me to live?
Meditation For The Day
Spirit-power comes from communication with God in prayer and
times of quiet meditation. I must constantly seek
spirit-communication with God. This is a matter directly between me
and God. Those who seek it through the medium of the church do not
always get the joy and the wonder of spirit communication with God.
From this communication comes life, joy, peace, and healing. Many
people do not realize the power that can come to them from direct
spirit-communication.
Prayer For The Day
I pray that I may feel that God's power is mine. I pray that I may be
able to face anything through that power.
From the book Twenty-Four Hours a Day
© Copyright 1975 by Hazelden Foundation
NA - Just for Today
Success
Page 64
"Any form of success was frightening and unfamiliar."
Basic Text, p. 14
Before coming to NA, few of us had much experience with success. Every attempt to stop using on our own had ended in failure. We had begun to give up hope of finding any relief from active addiction. We had grown accustomed to failure, expecting it, accepting it, thinking it was just part of our makeup.
When we stay clean, we begin to experience success in our lives. We begin to take pride in our accomplishments. We start to take healthy risks. We may take some knocks in the process, but even these can be counted as successes if we learn from them.
Sometimes when we fulfill a goal, we hesitate to "pat ourselves on the back" for fear that we will seem arrogant. But our Higher Power wants us to succeed, and wants us to share with our loved ones the pride we take in our accomplishments. When we share our successes with others in NA, they often begin to believe that they can achieve their goals as well. When we succeed, we help lay the groundwork for others who follow in our path.
Just for Today: I will take time to savor my successes. I will share my victories with an "attitude of gratitude."
From the book Just for Today
© Copyright 1991-2013 by Narcotics Anonymous World Services, Inc.
Thought for Today
"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
Character defects are like mushrooms,
They grow in the dark and die when exposed to the Light.
Be where your feet are. (thanks Joe C.)
Buddha/Zen Thoughts
Remain silent, and you sink into a realm of shadows; speak, and you fall into a deep pit. Try, and you're as far away as sky from earth; give up, and you'll never attain. Enormous waves go on and on, foaming breakers flood the skies who's got the bright pearl that calms the oceans?
- I Ching
Native American
"The voice and the heart are not working together."
--Barney Bush, SHAWNEE
We can say any words we want with our voice but we cannot hide the true meaning and the true spirit behind the words. The true meaning is always understood. The voice is heard in the physical world, but the meaning is transmitted in the spiritual world. If our voice says one thing but the heart is saying something else, it's the something else that is heard. It is said that the truth will set you free. Reaching the truth means your voice and your words will be in alignment with the heart.
Great Spirit, let my tongue, speak the truth today.
Walk In Dry Places
Seeking Excitement____ Seeking Serenity
"I haven't found anything to replace the excitement I felt while drinking," a member complained. "Sure, I'm grateful to be sober. But sometimes it's so darned boring!
Let' talk about that need for excitement, or "high." For many of us, it was an important part of our drinking. At times, our drinking was exciting---it came with celebrations, graduations, marriage receptions, engagements, and just about anything else out of the ordinary. Along with it, we wanted other excitement: exciting love affairs, exciting experiences, exciting stories.
For us, however, excitement always ended with a crash, often a terrible one. Waking up after an exciting binge was a horrible moment. It stretched out to become horrible It never seemed to have a happy ending.
We can take this addiction to excitement in hand by recognizing it as a component of our alcoholism. We'll still be able to be excited at times, but it must be a type of excitement that brings neither crash nor hangover.
I will not let boredom push me into actions that I know will be destructive in the long run. I do not want thrills at the expense of my self-respect and sense of well-being.
Big Book - Quotes
"So our troubles, we think, are basically of our own making. They
arise out of ourselves, and the alcoholic is an extreme example of
self-will run riot, though he usually doesn't think so."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 62~
A Desire to Stop Drinking
Larry R.
How often we hear people share about something they read
And only now they realized just what the reading said
Or words we hear repeated at the start of every meeting
That sometimes make a light go on and give it a new meaning
A member shared how this had caused a new idea to sprout
Something he’d heard a thousand times but never thought about
When someone read from “How It Works”, a phrase got him to thinking
The requirement for membership, a desire to stop drinking
He came into AA because a change had to be made
Since when he drank, he could not stop, he had become afraid
Most every time he took one drink, he’d end up getting drunk
And then he would detest himself, adrift and in a funk
He despised the thought of being drunk, but not the act of drinking
He enjoyed the feeling that he got before it sent him reeling
So, he could drink like normal folks, that’s why he joined AA
But a desire to completely stop, his answer was, “no way”.
He asked himself just why he came, he felt like a pretender
Since he still wished to have a drink, could he remain a member
This caused him consternation, unintended thoughts evoked
If required into membership, could his status be revoked
He heard some other members say this thing had been removed
The urge to drink had gone away, their life had been improved
Yet, he wanted the ability to have a glass of wine
Without it end in drunkenness and further his decline
He felt he was a hypocrite for coming to the meeting
He failed at the requirement; his old thoughts kept repeating
It was no use, he told himself, the old desire lurked
I’ll never lose the urge to drink, this AA does not work
Then he resigned his membership, would find another way
There must be other groups with a solution to convey
Try as he might he could not find another easy fix
So, drunk again, alone, confined, he’d just run out of tricks
He had finally hit his bottom, this time he knew the gig was up
He realized the devil laid in wait inside that cup
Its contents looked like poison so he poured it down the sink
Its appeal was gone and in its place a desire not to drink.
With no where else to turn, he came back into the rooms
He had been beat, he realized now that drinking was his doom
He’d finally become ready, desperation made him think
To make this work I must have the desire not to drink
We’re told to keep on coming till the miracle takes place
For some it happens quickly, others at a slower pace
Until you realize that alcohol’s your worst offender
Attending meetings does not mean you really are a member
A true desire not to drink really is the only way
To save us from destruction, free to live another day
And if those thoughts arise, we know to quickly send them back
The desire not to drink insures our membership’s intact.
Larry R.
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