DAILY PONDERABLES
Together WE Trudge The Road OF Happy Destiny
Daily Reflections
LET GO AND LET GOD
. . . praying only for knowledge of his will for us and the power to carry that out.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 96
When I "Let Go and Let God," I think more clearly and wisely. Without having to think about it, I quickly let go of things that cause me immediate pain and discomfort. Because I find it hard to let go of the kind of worrisome thoughts and attitudes that cause me immense anguish, all I need do during those times is allow God, as I understand Him, to release them for me, and then and there, I let go of the thoughts, memories and attitudes that are troubling me.
When I receive help from God, as I understand Him, I can live my life one day at a time and handle whatever challenges that come my way. Only then can I live a life of victory over alcohol, in comfortable sobriety.
From the book Daily Reflections
© Copyright 1990 by Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.
Twenty-Four Hours A Day
A.A. Thought for the Day
I have lost many of my resentments. I have found that getting even with people doesn't do any good. When we try to get revenge, instead of making us feel better, it leaves us frustrated and cheated. Instead of punishing our enemies, we've only hurt our own peace of mind. It does not pay to nurse a grudge, it hurts us more than anyone else. Hate causes frustration, inner conflict, and neurosis. If we give out hate, we will become hateful. If we are resentful, we will be resented. If we do not like people, we will not be liked by people. Revengefulness is a powerful poison in our systems. Have I lost my resentments?
Meditation for the Day
It is not so much you, as the grace of God that is in you, that helps those around you. If you would help even those you dislike, you have to see that there is nothing in you to block the way, to keep God's grace from using you. Your own pride and selfishness are the greatest blocks. Keep those out of the way and God's grace will flow through you into the lives, of others. Then all who come in contact with you can be helped in some way. Keep the channel open, free from those things that make your life futile and ineffective.
Prayer for the Day
I pray that all who come in contact with me will feel better for it. I pray that I may be careful not to harbor those things in my heart that put people off.
From the book Twenty-Four Hours a Day
© Copyright 1975 by Hazelden Foundation
NA - Just for Today
Feeling God's Will
"I sincerely believed that a Higher Power could restore my sanity and that I would stop trying to figure out what God's will was, just accept things for what they were, and be grateful." Basic Text p. 198
The longer we stay clean, the less surely we "know" what our Higher Power's will for us is - and the less it matters. Knowledge of our Higher Power's will becomes less a "knowing" thing and more a "feeling" thing. We still practice the Eleventh Step faithfully. But rather than look for "signs" from our Higher Power, we begin to rely more on our intuition, trusting our feelings about what will make us comfortable.
After staying clean a few years, what we do seem to know is when we are acting against God's will for us. When we are going against God's will, we get that old uncomfortable feeling in our gut. That queasiness is a warning that, if we continue in this direction, ahead lie many sleepless nights. We need to pay attention to such feelings, for they are often signals that we are acting contrary to our Higher Power's will for us.
Our Eleventh Step clearly states the true goal of prayer and meditation: improvement of our conscious contact with the God of our understanding, bringing us clearer knowledge of our Higher Power's will for us and the power to carry it out. We know God's will most clearly by how it feels, not by "signs" or words - and it feels right.
Just for today: I will pray for the knowledge of my Higher Power's will for me and the power to carry it out. I will pay attention to my feelings, and act when they feel right.
pg. 325
From the book Just for Today
© Copyright 1991-2013 by Narcotics Anonymous World Services, Inc.
Thought for Today
"If you don’t put it in your hand you can’t put it in your body"
John M. - Serenity Improvement Group
"Beginning today, treat everyone you meet as if
they were going to be dead by midnight. Extend
them all the care, kindness and understanding you
can muster. Your life will never be the same again."
--Og Mandino, The Greatest Miracle in the World
"The wisdom you acquire with the passage of time is a useless gift unless you share it." -Esther Williams
10th Step Daily Inventory - 4 Questions
Ask yourself the following questions and write the answers daily.
This is best done just before retiring at night.
1. What did I do today that I like and respect myself for?
2. What did I do for someone else today?
3. What happened today that I enjoyed and appreciated that had nothing whatever to do with me?
4. Where did I have problems today?
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My Fathers Type of Drunk
Growing up a southern boy my father taught me things
He showed me how to fish and hunt, the joy the outdoors brings
I learned the way to cast a lure and how to tie the knot
Yet there are other things I learned I wish I had forgot
My father was a drinking man; he drank most of his life
But he was able to provide a home for sons and wife
We were not rich by any means, but always had enough
Of food to eat, new clothes to wear and all that worldly stuff
He often drank more than he should yet seldom made a scene
He was content to just get high, not angry, mad or mean
He’s what I call a passive drunk, just wanting to let be
And since I had his DNA, he passed that on to me
But like most alcoholics, he had several glaring flaws
Obstinance and selfishness were usually the cause
These traits he forward on to me, I was my father’s son
I was like him in many ways, my journey had begun
Like him I drank for many years, convinced I was ok
Provided for my family’s success in many ways
Yet selfishness lurked in my soul, I wanted things my way
And if you disagreed with me, I’d push your want away
My drinking, so I thought, did not affect a one but me
I was a happy drunk, content like Dad to just let be
When drinking I did not strike out with words or threats or fists
So, did not care to face the glaring defects on my list
As the use of alcohol began to rule my life
I did not notice the effect it had on kids and wife
Then came the day they intervened, confronted my addiction
Since they were right, I acquiesced, accepted their decision
A short term in a treatment place, and then straight to AA
I did that just to placate them, a bill I had to pay
But as I kept on coming back to several AA meetings
I noticed slowly, day by day, a life change was proceeding
Sober now for many years I sometimes think about
How like my father I behaved, not prone to rage or shout
But just like him, my selfishness, refused to let me see
The impact that my drinking had upon my family
Amends were made, forgiveness found, a new life to unfold
The way my life had been before my drinking took its toll
Yet, still I have to be on guard should I get in a funk
And not repeat or ever be my father’s type of drunk
Larry R.
Buddha/Zen Thoughts
We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think.
When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves.
Buddha (563 BC - 483 BC), The Dharmapada
Native American
"Abuse and repression have no place in a traditional family."
-- Haida Gwaii, Traditional Circle of Elders
Traditional families guided by their culture were taught how to live. The were taught about relationships, respect, and spirituality. Only since alcohol was introduced to Indians have we seen physical abuse, sexual abuse and verbal abuse. These behaviors have no room in traditional families. The cycle of abuse must be broken during this generation. We do this by asking for help to quit drinking and abusing and return to our traditional culture and spirituality.
Creator, plant inside of me the knowledge of the traditional family.
Keep It Simple
Telling the truth is a pretty hard thing. --- Thomas Wolfe
Often, we get scared to tell the truth. We wonder, “What will
happen? Will I get in trouble? Will someone be mad at me?'” These things could happen. But good things could happen too. Sometimes we want to lie.
We don't want anyone mad at us or unhappy with us. We want people off our back. So we lie. And it comes back to haunt us. We must believe that the best will happen in the long run if we tell the truth. Our program tells us that we can stay sober if we're honest. Telling the truth takes faith. We must have faith in the program. We must be honest. Our sobriety and our life depend on it.
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me remember that I'm doing things Your way when I tell the truth.
Action for the Day: I will think about what I say today. I will be as honest as I can be.
TWELVESTEPS
and
TWELVE TRADITIONS
Tradition Seven (pgs 161-162)
Despite these misgivings, we had to recognize the fact that A.A. had to function. Meeting places cost something. To save whole areas from turmoil, small offices had to be set up, telephones installed, and a few full-time secretaries hired. Over many protests, these things were accomplished. We saw that if they weren’t, the man coming in the door couldn’t get a break. These simple services would require small sums of money which we could and would pay ourselves. At last the pendulum stopped swinging and pointed straight at Tradition Seven as it reads today.
In this connection, Bill likes to tell the following pointed story. He explains that when Jack Alexander’s Saturday Evening Post piece broke in 1941, thousands of frantic letters from distraught alcoholics and their families hit the Foundation* letterbox in New York. “Our office staff,” Bill says, “consisted of two people: one devoted secretary and myself. How could this landslide of appeals be met? We’d have to have some more full-time help, that was sure. So we asked the A.A. groups for voluntary contributions. Would they send us a dollar a member a year? Otherwise this heartbreaking mail would have to go unanswered.
“To my surprise, the response of the groups was slow. I got mighty sore about it. Looking at this avalanche of mail one morning at the office, I paced up and down ranting how irresponsible and tightwad my fellow members were. Just then an old acquaintance stuck a tousled and aching head in the door. He was our prize slippee. I could see he had an awful hangover. Remembering some of my own, my heart filled with pity. I motioned him to my inside cubicle and produced a five-dollar bill. As my total income was thirty dollars a week at the time, this was a fairly large donation. Lois really needed the money for groceries, but that didn’t stop me. The intense relief on my friend’s face warmed my heart. I felt especially virtuous as I thought of all the ex-drunks who wouldn’t even send the Foundation a dollar apiece, and here I was gladly making a five-dollar investment to fix a hangover.
____________
*In 1954, the name of the Alcoholic Foundation, Inc., was changed to the General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous, Inc., and the Foundation office is now the General Service Office.
Big Book
"Most of us have been unwilling to admit we were real alcoholics. No
person likes to think he is bodily and mentally different from his
fellows. Therefore, it is not surprising that our drinking careers
have been characterized by countless vain attempts to prove we could
drink like other people. The idea that somehow, someday he will
control and enjoy his drinking is the great obsession of every
abnormal drinker. The persistence of this illusion is astonishing.
Many pursue it into the gates of insanity or death."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, More About Alcoholism, Page 30~
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