A Prayer & Some Thoughts - September

[bluidkiti]

September 16

Prayer of Surrender

Lord, take my life I pray, and use it as You will. I choose today to surrender my all to You. You know the thoughts of my heart, and I have not come to this decision lightly, but know that this must be the path that I take from now on.

Lord, I ask that You do whatever it takes for me to live entirely in Your will and to be able to say in every circumstance of my life, “Your will be done and not mine”

Search out my heart and change me into the person that You desire me to be.
Amen

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Just a Thought

"Easy Does It."
Means that we just go along in A.A. doing the best we can and not getting steamed up over problems that arise in A.A. or outside of it. We alcoholics are emotional people and we have gone to excess in almost everything we have done. We have not been moderate in many things. We have not known how to relax. Faith in a Higher Power can help us to learn to take it easy. We are not running the world. I am only one among many. We are resolved to live normal, regular lives. From our A.A. experience we learn that "easy does it."

So ............

Have I learned to take it easy?

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Just a Contemplation

Stop making excuses for other people and for ourselves.

Our goal to accept reality and hold people accountable for their behavior. We can also hold ourselves accountable for our own behavior and, at the same time, have compassion and understanding for others and ourselves.

Today, I will avoid making excuses for my own or someone else's behavior. I will let consequences and responsibility fall where they belong.

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Pipeline to God

I am a firm believer in both guidance and prayer. But I am fully aware,
and humble enough, I hope, to see there may be nothing infallible about
my guidance.

The minute I figure I have got a perfectly clear pipeline to God, I have
become egotistical enough to get into real trouble. Nobody can cause
more needless grief than a power-driver who thinks he has got it straight
from God.

As Bill Sees It Page 38

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Just a Quote

“Ninety-nine percent of all failures come from people who have a habit of making excuses.” ~~ George Washington Carver

[bluidkiti]

September 17


A Short Morning Prayer

Lord, I am so sorry for the way I complain about my circumstances.
Please forgive me for my bad attitude when things don’t go my way.
Help me learn how to face every storm with confidence, knowing that you really are in control even though I cannot hear Your voice or see Your hand at work.
Amen.

~~ Mary Southerland

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Just a Thought

Once we have fully accepted the program we become humble about our achievement. We do not take too much credit for our sobriety. When we see another suffering alcoholic in the throes of alcoholism, we say to ourselves: "But for the grace of God, there go I." We do not forget the kind of people we were. We remember those we left behind us. And we are very grateful to the grace of God, which has given us another chance.

So ............

Am I truly grateful for the grace of God?

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Just a Contemplation

Change

We are often so busy trying to control the outcome of the happenings in our daily lives, so intent on projecting our tomorrows that we let life slip by. Life is today.

Life is a series of things to let go of - our friends and loved ones, our children as they grow, our dreams, or our youth. Only we ourselves, our inner selves, are a constant to be found and learned about every day, in the present moment.

How well can I enjoy each moment today?

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Spiritual Angle

How often do we sit in AA meetings and hear the speaker declare, "But I haven't yet got the spiritual angle." Prior to this statement, he had described a miracle of transformation which had occurred in him -- not only his release from alcohol, but a complete change in his whole attitude toward life and the living of it. It is apparent to nearly everyone else present that he has received a great gift; " . . . except that he doesn't seem to know it yet!" We well know that this questioning individual will tell us six months or a year hence that he has found faith in God.

Language Of The Heart Page 275

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Just a Quote

“Decision is the spark that ignites action. Until a decision is made, nothing happens.” ~~ Wilfred A. Peterson

[bluidkiti]

September 18


Prayer to Let Go Disappointments

Lord, please help me to let go of all the disappointments of the past and to forgive those that have hurt and disappointed me so deeply. Keep me from all bitterness Lord. I know that I am holding resentment in my heart, and that this is destructive to my own peace.

Lord, I am finding forgiveness so very difficult. Help me I pray, I know in my heart that forgiveness is a choice that I have to make. Help me to make the right choice. Help me to choose to let forgiveness flood my heart, so that I am not nursing grievances within, and so that healing of my own heart can start to take place.
Amen

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Just a Thought

When alcoholics are offered a life of sobriety by following the A.A. program, they will look at the prospect of living without alcohol and they will ask: "Am I to be consigned to a life where I shall be stupid, boring and glum, like some of the righteous people I see? I know I must get along without liquor, but how can I? Have you a sufficient substitute? Many have, in the change offered by of the 12 Steps of A.A.

So ............

Have I found a more than sufficient substitute for drinking?

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Just a Contemplation

Perspective will come in retrospect

We do not always know why things are happening the way they are. We do not always know how a particular relationship will work out. We do not always understand the source of our feelings, why we've been led down a particular path.

Today, I will let things happen without trying to figure everything out. If clarity is not available to me today, I will trust it to come later, in retrospect. I will put simple trust in the truth that all is well, events are unfolding as they should, and all will work out for good in my life - better than I can imagine.

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Amends to Others

The people most affected by our disease were undoubtedly the members of our own family. Then came our closest friends, if we had any left. These people were directly affected by our negative moods and by our withdrawal.

Making amends is sometimes embarrassing and often difficult. It involves much pride swallowing. A simple, sincere apology may be all that is necessary. There may be concrete acts, which we can perform. As with making amends to ourselves, the best way we can make up for the hurt we have caused to family and friends is by abstaining from alcohol. As we abstain, we reach out to those around us instead of withdrawing. Our own sanity is the best gift we can give to others.

~~ From the writings of Cristina Ferrare

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Just a Quote

"What do you do when disappointment comes? When it weighs on you like a rock, you can either let it press you down until you become discouraged, even devastated, or you can use it as a stepping-stone to better things." ~~ Joyce Meyer

[bluidkiti]

September 19


Prayer of Celebration

Great Spirit,
We join our minds and hearts in prayer and celebration. We celebrate Your essence within each of us. We celebrate the Love which connects us. We celebrate the work that we have before us. Today, we reach out and bless each and every person. We embrace each other like the members of a big family that we really are and we commit ourselves to live from love in all ways. Each of us is Your ambassador and we let Your light shine through our lives into each workplace, town and home that we touch. Together, we proclaim the Truth that You,Great Spirit, are Love, and that You love each person just as they are. Thank You. Thank You. And so it is. Amen.

Based on an Old American Native Prayer

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Just a Thought

The things we put in place of drinking are more than substitutes for it. One is the fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous. In this company, you find release from care, boredom, and worry. Your imagination will be fired. Life will mean something at last. The most satisfactory years of your existence lie ahead. Among other A.A.s you will make lifelong friends. You will be bound to them with new and wonderful ties.

So ............

Does life mean something to me now?

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Just a Contemplation

Self-approval

Most of us want to be liked. We want other people to think of us as nice, friendly, kind, and loving. Most of us want the approval of others. We may look for approval from people who have none to give. We may not know that we're lovable now and can learn to approve of ourselves.

The unmet needs for approval and love from our past give others control over us today. These needs can prevent us from acting in our best interest and being true to ourselves.

I will try to let go of my need for approval and my need to be liked. I will replace them with a need to like and approve of myself. I will enjoy the surprise I find when I do this. The people who count, including myself, will respect me when I am true to myself.

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Life's Promises

Life doesn't promise us anything, except a chance. We have a chance to live any way we like. No matter how we choose to live, we'll have pain and we'll have joy. And we can learn from both.
Because of our recovery program, we can have life's biggest wonder---love. We share it in a smile, a touch, a phone call, or a note. We share it with our friends, our partners, our family. Life didn't promise to be wonderful, but it sure is full of little wonders! And we only have to open up and see them, feel them, and let them happen.

~~ Simon Tyler

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Just a Quote

"You have it easily in your power to increase the sum total of this world's happiness now. How? By giving a few words of sincere appreciation to someone who is lonely or discouraged. Perhaps you will forget tomorrow the kind words you say today, but the recipient may cherish them over a lifetime." ~~ Dale Carnegie

[bluidkiti]

September 20


A Morning Resolve

I will try this day to live a simple, sincere and serene life, repelling promptly every thought of discontent, anxiety, discouragement, impurity, and self-seeking; cultivating cheerfulness, magnanimity, charity, and the habit of holy silence; exercising economy in expenditure, generosity in giving, carefulness in conversation, diligence in appointed service, fidelity to every trust, and a childlike faith in God.

And as I cannot in my own strength do this, nor even with a hope of success attempt it, I look to thee, O Lord to help fulfill my resolve.
Amen

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Just a Thought

The answers to the question of how a person can live without liquor and be happy, we say: "You will be bound to the other A.A.’s with new and wonderful ties, for you and they will escape disaster together and all will commence shoulder to shoulder the common journey to a better and more satisfactory life. You will know what it means to give of yourself that others may survive and rediscover life. You will become happy, respected, and useful once more. Since these things have happened to us, they can happen to you."

So ............

Have these things happened to me?

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Just a Contemplation

Friendship

A good friendship is like a flower garden. It needs attention and care. Like a garden, friendships need care and love in order to thrive. We nourish friendships with visits, thoughtful favors, and trust. When we are feeling down or in need of help, a friendship can offer us more than just beauty.

When we work at our friendships, they are not seasonal but bloom in any weather, and they surround us with comfort and the knowledge that we have, and deserve, love.

How can I nurture a friendship today?

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How Much Anonymity

As a rule, the average newcomer wanted his family to know immediately what he was trying to do. He also wanted to tell others who had tried to help him--his doctor, his minister, and close friends. As he gained confidence, he felt it right to explain his new way of life to his employer and business associates. When opportunities to be helpful came along, he found he could talk easily about A.A. to almost anyone.

These quiet disclosures helped him to lose his fear of the alcoholic stigma, and spread the news of A.A.'s existence in his community. Many a man and woman came to A.A. because of such conversations. Since it is only at the top public level that anonymity is expected, such communications were well within its spirit.

As Bill See It Page 43

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Just a Quote

“Hard things are put in our way, not to stop us, but to call out our courage and strength.” ~~Anonymous

[bluidkiti]

September 21


Prayer for Calm

Lord,
My mind prowls around, looking for someone to blame, hunting for a way to release the anger I feel. I am trapped, enraged by these feelings. Resentment weighs me down and revenge follows me. It overtakes my life.
Lord, guide my thoughts and calm my fears,steady my emotions. Guide my feelings, so I may not be overcome by upset. Show me a encouraging vision for the future, and hope for tomorrow.

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Just a Thought

Paradoxes

Our program contains some surprising paradoxes. When we admit that we are powerless, we can receive Power. When we accept what we do not like, then a change can begin.

Until we admit defeat, we will not succeed with the AA program. The biggest defeat is the one that is dealt to our illusions of self-reliance and self-sufficiency. As long as we insist on trying to control our lives by ourselves, we will be confused. It is by relinquishing control that we gain strength and are freed from our compulsion and obsession. We save our lives by giving them away.

The key to these paradoxes is our willingness to believe in a Higher Power. By ourselves, we are weak, ineffectual, and sick. When operating in accordance with the will of the Power greater than ourselves, our potential is limitless.

So ............

Can I accept the paradoxes that I do not understand ?

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Just a Contemplation

Guidance

Does guidance from our Higher Power always come through? We must believe that it does, even when we don't seem to receive a visible answer.
Spiritual guidance usually doesn't come as we think it should. What we're likely to find instead is that over time, a number of unrelated events come together for a good purpose. Although this appears to be chance or coincidence, very important outcomes often develop from simple happenings___ maybe just from meeting someone on the street.
We can never really determine how any chain of events will play out. The best we can do is to continue seeking guidance while following the highest principles in our program. Many chance happenings will be recognized as guidance when we look back at an entire chain of events.

My best way to seek guidance is simply to remember today that my life and affairs are in God's care and keeping. The highest good will come from this.

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Neither Dependence nor Self-Sufficiency

When we insisted, like infants, that people protect and take care of us or that the world owed us a living, then the result was unfortunate. The people we most loved often pushed us aside or perhaps deserted us entirely. Our disillusionment was hard to bear.

We failed to see that, though adult in years, we were still behaving childishly, trying to turn everybody--friends, wives, husbands, even the world itself--into protective parents. We refused to learn that overdependence upon people is unsuccessful because all people are fallible, and even the best of them will sometimes let us down, especially when our demands for attention become unreasonable.

"As Bill See It" Page 265

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Just a Quote

"Your present circumstances don't determine where you can go; they merely determine where you start." -- Nido Qubein

[bluidkiti]

September 22


Prayer to Loving Difficult People

Lord, I have to thank You for looking beyond my faults and for loving me unconditionally.
Forgive me when I fail to love others in the same way.
Give me eyes to see the needs of the difficult people in my life, and show me how to meet those needs.
Amen

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Just a Thought

What draws newcomers to A.A. and gives them hope? They hear the stories of men and women whose experiences tally with their own. The very practical approach to their problems, the absence of intolerance of any kind, the informality, the genuine democracy, the uncanny understanding which these people in A.A. have is irresistible.

So ............

Have I found a real haven in A.A.?

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Just a Contemplation

Disagreements

A good relationship includes some disagreement. Anger and disagreement, when we express them respectfully, are important ways of renewing communication and breaking through the walls that sometimes built up.

In any relationship we care about, there will be differences. When we avoid all confrontations, our relationships go stale because all emotional issues are avoided. Carefulness and over control undermine love because they don't give it room to breathe, but disagreement and anger expressed in honest and respectful ways will help love grow.

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Carrying the Message

We do not keep our program unless we give it away.
Our participation in meetings is a means of sharing with others what AA has given us. We are genuinely interested in newcomers, because they remind us of where we came from and because they give us an opportunity to strengthen our own program by sharing what we have received. Practicing the AA principles in all areas of our life is carrying the message.

Abstinence and the AA program now occupy the central place in our lives. Following the will of our Higher Power means that we carry the message as He directs us. We are willing to be used in whatever way God moves us to give away our program.

~~ Arianna T.
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Just a Quote

“In some ways, we will always be different. In other ways, we will always be the same. There is always room to disagree and blame, just as there is always room to take a new perspective and empathize. Understanding is a choice.” -- Vironika Tugaleva

[bluidkiti]

September 23


Prayer for Self Control

Lord,
I’m asking you to help me think before I speak and to think before I act.
Infuse me with the self discipline I need to walk in your ways, not my own.
Help me Lord to control my thoughts, my words and my actions.
Let me honor the pause, before I choose to respond.
Strengthen me to resist temptation and choose your best for me.
Amen

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Just a Thought

No one is too discredited, nor has sunk too low, to be welcomed cordially into A.A., if he or she means business. Social distinctions, petty rivalries and jealousies are laughed out of countenance. Being wrecked in the same vessel, being restored and united, with hearts and minds attuned to the welfare of others, the things which matter so much to some people no longer signify much to us. In A.A., we have true democracy and true brotherhood.

So ............

Has A.A. taught me to be truly democratic?

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Just a Contemplation

Pain & Change

Pain, repeatedly experienced, indicates a need for self-assessment, an inventory of our behavior. Honest self-appraisal may well call for change, a change in attitude perhaps, a change in specific behavior in some instances, or maybe a change in direction.

Each of us must find our own willingness. Each of us must develop attentiveness to the signs that repeatedly invite changes in our behavior. But most of all, each of us has to travel the road to change, singly. Changes we must find the courage to make will never be exactly like someone else's changes.

Courage to change accompanies faith. My fears are telling me to look within to the spiritual source of strength, ever present but often forgotten.

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That First Drink

After that first drink, we had a single track mind. It was like a railroad train. The first drink started it off and it kept going on the single track until it got to the end of the line, drunkenness.

We knew this would happen when we sat down at a bar to have the first drink, but still we couldn't keep away from liquor. Our will-power was gone. We had become helpless and hopeless before the power of alcohol. It's not the second drink or the tenth drink that does the damage. It's the first drink.

Will I ever take that first drink again?

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Just a Quote

“See, alcoholism is exactly like bubble gum. You know when you blow a bubble and it bursts, some of the gum sticks to you chin? What's the only thing that gets the bubble gum off your chin? Bubble gum. You have to take the bubble gum out of your mouth and press it against the gum on your chin and it'll pick it up. Only an alcoholic can treat another alcoholic. Only other alcoholics can get you sober.” -- Augusten Burroughs

[bluidkiti]

September 24


Prayer for Patience

Lord, teach me to be patient - with life, with people,and with myself. I sometimes try to hurry things along too much, and I push for answers before the time is right. Teach me to trust Your sense of timing rather than my own and to surrender my will to Your greater and wiser plan. Help me let life unfold slowly, like the small rosebud whose petals unravel bit by bit, and remind me that in hurrying the bloom along, I destroy the bud and much of the beauty therein.

Instead, let me wait for all to unfold in its own time. Each moment and state of growth contains a loveliness. Teach me to slow down enough to appreciate life and all it holds.
Amen

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Just a Thought

For many of us, our spiritual awakening began when we first heard our Higher Power might be our group. We learned that God may exist in the connections between people in our group just as well as within each individual.

When we ask another member to listen to us, we contribute to the strength of this spirit. When we give someone a ride to a meeting or spread the word about this program to other suffering men and women, we make a contribution and receive its benefits. Even now, if we need a renewal of confidence in God's presence in our lives, we can telephone another member and just talk. We will quickly sense the spirit.

So ............

Am I grateful to feel God's presence in my life and within the people around me?

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Just a Contemplation

Getting Through Hard Times

Hard times, stressful times, are not all there is to life, but they are part of life, growth, and moving forward. What we do with hard times, or hard energy, is our choice.

Hard times can motivate and mold us to bring out our best. We can use these times to move forward and upward to higher levels of living, loving, and growth. The choice is ours.

We do not always require hard energy, or stress, to motivate us to grow and change. We do not have to create stress, seek it, or attract it. But if it's there, we can learn to channel it into growth and use it for achieving what's good in life.

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Compliance Isn’t Acceptance

We are sometimes mystified when people come into the AA program, respond to its message for months or years, and then disappear, seemingly without a trace. Later, we may be shocked to learn that they’re drinking again. One possible explanation is that they were practicing compliance without really accepting the program. The danger of compliance is that it may simply be an outward show of working the program while leaving one’s real thoughts and feelings unchanged. For example, to “bring the body” to meetings in the belief that they heart will follow. This does little good if one’s heart does not follow!

The only solution is to continue the difficult but rewarding search for honesty in all things. When we examine ourselves honestly, we will recognize when we are truly accepting and when we are merely complying.

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Just a Quote

“Each morning we are born again. What we do today is what matters most.” -- Mithra Phukan

[bluidkiti]

September 25


Prayer for Sobriety Today

God, direct my thinking today so that it be empty of self-pity, dishonesty, self-will, self-seeking and fear.
God, inspire my thinking, decisions and intuitions. Help me to relax and take it easy.
Free me from doubt and indecision. Guide me through this day and show me my next step.
God, show me what I need to do to take care of any problems.
I ask all these things that I may be of maximum service to you and my fellow man.
In the spirit of the Steps I pray.
Amen

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Just a Thought

Let us begin a short study of The Twelve Steps of A.A. These Twelve Steps seem to embody five principles. The first step is the membership requirement step. The second, third, and eleventh steps are the spiritual steps of the program. The fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and tenth steps are the personal inventory steps. The eighth and ninth steps are the restitution steps. The twelfth step is the passing on of the program, or helping others, step. So the five principles are membership requirement, spiritual basis, personal inventory, restitution, and helping others.

So ............

Have I made all these steps a part of me?

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Just a Contemplation

Revenge

No matter how solid our spiritual ground, we may still feel an overwhelming desire at times to punish, or get even, with another person. We want revenge. We want to see the other person hurt the way he or she has hurt us.

Those are normal feelings, but we do not have to act on them. We can allow ourselves to feel the anger. But our goal is to release the feelings, and be finished with them.

Today, I will be as angry as I need to be, with a goal of finishing my business with others. Once I have released my hurt and anger, I will strive for healthy forgiveness - forgiveness with boundaries. I understand that boundaries, coupled with forgiveness and compassion, will move me forward.

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Gratitude In Recovery

The mindset of Alcoholics is: “I’m different,” “Me vs. the world” or “Everyone is out to get me” are all common ways of selfish thinking when in the throes of addiction. It’s actually a defense mechanism to protect our erratic behaviors. How does gratitude help this? It’s the opposite of virtually all these behaviors. One gets to thinking less of self and more on the efforts of those trying to help. It develops humility and gratefulness. By cultivating this in recovery, we develop a better mindset overall and have a much more positive perspective on life. Gratitude is even backed by science studies. Those who practice gratitude are generally happier people.

One such study also revealed that grateful people are:

More Optimistic
Stronger at Dealing with Challenges
Have more Energy
More in Control of Their Lives
Think More Clearly
Experience less Stress
Live Longer

Adapted from “Cirque Lodge”

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Just a Few Quotes

“An eye for an eye will only make the whole world blind.” ~~ Mahatma Gandhi

“Revenge, the sweetest morsel to the mouth that ever was cooked in hell.” ~~ Walter Scott

[bluidkiti]

September 26


Start This Morning Prayer

Lord,
Help me remember what a difference it makes when I make time with You a priority in my morning.
Awaken me in body and spirit each day with a desire to meet with You and to hear You speak words of affirmation, assurance, and wisdom over my heart as I prepare to go into my day.
Amen

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Just a Thought

When we came into A.A., we came to believe in a Power greater than ourselves. We came to believe in that Divine Principle in the universe which we call God, and to whom we could turn for help. Each morning we have a quiet time. We ask God for the power to stay sober for the next twenty-four hours. And each night we thank Him for helping us to keep sober for that day.

So ............

Do I believe that each man or woman I see in A.A. is a demonstration of the power of God to change a human being from a drunkard to a sober person?

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Just a Contemplation

Happiness

We have striven for happiness, generally in self-centered ways. We expected others to favor us with their attention. Or we waited for invitations or gifts. We have probably tried to buy happiness with the purchase of a new clothes or shoes. But soon we became discontented, once again. And the search was begun anew.

Today, we are learning that happiness that comes from "giving." Giving to others, giving attention, sharing hope, sharing our own stories, listening to theirs, is the key to finding the happiness for which we've searched so long. We must get outside of ourselves and focus on another's joy or sorrow. Only then do we get a clear perspective on who we are and the necessary role we play in the lives of others who need our attention and who have a message we also need to hear. Looking deeply into another person, listening intently to the stirring will elicit joy.

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True Independence of the Spirit

The more we become willing to depend upon a Higher Power, the more independent we actually are. Therefore, dependence as A.A. practices it is really a means of gaining true independence of the spirit.

At the level of everyday living, it is startling to discover how dependent we really are, and how unconscious of that dependence. Every modern house has electric wiring carrying power and light to its interior. By accepting with delight our dependence upon this marvel of science, we find ourselves personally more independent, more comfortable and secure. Power flows just where it is needed. Silently and surely, electricity, that strange energy so few people understand, meets our simplest daily needs.

Though we readily accept this principle of healthy dependence in many of our temporal affairs, we often fiercely resist the identical principle when asked to apply it as a means of growth in the life of the spirit. Clearly, we shall never know freedom under God until we try to seek His will for us. The choice is ours.

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions Page 36

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Just a Quote

“I can’t give you a sure-fire formula for success, but I can give you a formula for failure: try to please everybody all the time.” -- Herbert Bayard Swope

[bluidkiti]

September 27


Prayer For Loneliness

Lord, it’s hard to stay motivated when I feel lonely.
There are so many things I should be doing, but I cannot bring myself to get started.
Help me, Lord, to find ways to stay productive and moving forward during this time.
I ask that you, please bring people into my life who will be there for me.
Amen

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Just a Thought

An alcoholic carries an awful load around with them. What a load lying puts on your shoulders! Drinking makes liars out of all of us alcoholics. In order to get all the liquor we want, we have to lie all the time. We have to lie about where we've been and what we've been doing. When you are lying you are only half alive, because of the fear of being found out. When you come into A.A., and get honest with yourself and with other people, that terrible load of lying falls off your shoulders.

So ............

Have I got rid of that load of lying?

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Just a Contemplation

Freedom & Choices

Freedom is a funny thing, in a way, it can make life harder. We are free to do what we want, but every choice makes a difference in our lives. Some choices make us happy and some bring trouble.
We can make good choices. We can control our actions. We can start by having control in little ways: follow the law, pay the rent, and make the bed every day. These choices put order in our lives. Eat right, exercise, and get enough sleep. These choices make us strong enough to live each day to the fullest.

These kinds of choices set us free.

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Grudges & Revenge

When we harbored grudges and planned revenge for defeats, we were really beating ourselves with the club of anger we had intended to use on others. We learned that if we were seriously disturbed, our very first need was to quiet that disturbance, regardless of who or what we thought caused it.

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions Page 47

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Just a Quote

"The most terrible poverty is loneliness, and the feeling of being unloved." -- Mother Teresa

[bluidkiti]

September 28


Lead Me

My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following Your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please You does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that, if I do this, You will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it. Therefore I will trust You always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for You are ever with me, and You will never leave me to face my perils alone.

-- Thomas Merton (1915-1968)

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Just a Thought

After we have found sobriety through the A.A. program, we gradually began to get a peace of mind and serenity which we never thought were possible. This peace of mind is based on a feeling that fundamentally all is well. That does not mean that all is well on the surface of things. Little things can keep going wrong and big things can keep on upsetting us. But deep down in our hearts we know that everything is eventually going to be all right, now that we are living sober lives.

So ............

Have I achieved a deep down, inner calm?

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Just a Contemplation

Mature Living

Being in error now and then is part of our human existence. Many of us, however, feel unbearable self-reproach when we make a mistake. Some compulsive people even blame themselves for errors beyond their control.

But the worst mistake is the refusal, or denial, of responsibility for mistakes. This comes from a strange belief that we can erase the mistake by refusing to accept it. It may stem from the belief that we should be above mistakes. This is immature thinking.

We are learning and growing when we accept our mistakes graciously and immediately move to correct them. Most of the time, when this is done, the distress passes quickly and we can go on to other matters.

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The Obsession

The idea that somehow, some day, 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 Page 30

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Just a Quote

"Love is caring for another human being and allowing them to be who they are and make their own choices without any demand that they meet yours." - -- Vickie Dishner

[bluidkiti]

September 29


Resentment Prayer

Dear God,
Please help me to honestly take stock. Help me to search out the flaws in my make-up which caused my failure. Help me to see where resentment has plagued me and resulted in spiritual malady, but more importantly help me to understand my part in these resentments. Help me to resolutely look for my own mistakes and to understand where I had been selfish, dishonest, self-seeking and frightened. Please help me to be searching and fearless in my endeavor to write my inventory.

(aka 4th Step Prayer)

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Just a Thought

Step One is, "We admitted we were powerless over alcohol - that our lives had become unmanageable."

This step states the membership requirement of A.A. We must admit that our lives are disturbed. We must accept the fact that we are helpless before the power of alcohol. We must admit that we are licked as far as drinking is concerned and that we need help. We must be willing to accept the bitter fact that we cannot drink like normal people. And we must make, as gracefully as possible, surrender to the inevitable fact that we must stop drinking.

So ............

Is it difficult for me to admit that I am different from normal drinkers?

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Just a Contemplation

Self-love

An important part of our lives is simply tending to our basic needs. Paying attention to these things only when they become crises makes our lives unbalanced and crisis oriented.

Self-love allows us to be responsible for our care, and it puts us in a stronger position to help others, to be creative. I have to look after the essentials of my personal care and my family's care before I take on other things.

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God Is Here

The Power, which restores us to sanity, is not something remote and abstract, which we must search for by reading books and performing great feats. Our Higher Power is with us constantly and is involved in the minute details of every day. We do not have to wait and work to become acceptable to God. He accepts us now, just as we are.

To be aware of the presence of God in our lives every day, all we need is the willingness to be open to Him. What we may have spent years searching for or denying turns out to be the ground of our existence and the Power that sustains us every minute.

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Just a Quote

"We must positively and definitely extend forgiveness to everyone to whom it is possible that we can owe forgiveness, namely, to anyone who we think can have injured us in any way." ~~ Emmet Fox

[bluidkiti]

September 30


Empty Vessel

Behold, Lord,
An empty vessel that needs to be filled. My Lord, fill it. I am weak in faith; Strengthen thou me. I am cold in love; Warm me and make me fervent That my love may go out to my neighbour. I do not have a strong and firm faith; At times I doubt and am unable to trust thee altogether. O Lord, help me. Strengthen my faith and trust in thee. In thee I have sealed the treasures of all I have. I am poor; Thou art rich and didst come to be merciful to the poor. I am a sinner; Thou art upright. With me there is an abundance of sin; In thee is the fullness of righteousness. Therefore, I will remain with thee of who I can receive But to whom I may not give.
Amen.

–- Martin Luther (1483-1546)

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Just a Thought

A drinking life isn't a happy life. Drinking cuts you off from other people and from God. One of the worst things about drinking is the loneliness. And one of the best things about A.A. is the fellowship. Drinking cuts you off from other people, at least from the people who really matter to you, your wife and children, your family and real friends. No matter how much you love them, you build up a wall between you and them by your drinking. You're cut off from any real companionship with them. As a result, you're terribly lonely.

So ............

Have I got rid of my loneliness?

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Just a Contemplation

Outlook

We choose the lives we lead Accepting full responsibility for our actions is one of the requirements of maturity. Not always the easiest thing to do. An unexpected benefit of accepting our responsibility is that it heightens our awareness of personal power Our attitude about any condition, present or future, is within our power, if we take it.

Life is "doing unto us" only what we allow. And it will favor us with whatever we choose. If we look for excitement, we'll find it. We can search out the positive in any experience. All situations present seeds of new understanding, if we are open to them. Our responses to the events around us determine whatever meaning life offers. We are in control of our outlook. And our outlook decides our future.

(From the writings of Karen Casey)

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Maintenance and Growth

It is plain that a life which includes deep resentment leads only to futility and unhappiness. To the precise extent we permit these, do we squander the hours that might have been worthwhile. But with the alcoholic, whose hope is the maintenance and growth of a spiritual experience, this business of harboring resentment is infinitely grave. For then we shut ourselves off from the sunlight of the spirit. The insanity of alcohol returns and we drink again. And with us, to drink is to die.

If we were to live, we had to be free of anger. The grouch and the sudden rage were not for us. Anger is the dubious luxury of normal men, but for us alcoholics it is poison.

Alcoholics Anonymous, Page 66

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Just a Quote

“God doesn’t give you the people you want, he gives you the people you need. To help you, to hurt you, to leave you, to love you and to make you the person you were meant to be.” – Anonymous A.A.