DAILY PONDERABLES Together WE Trudge The Road OF Happy Destiny Daily Reflections GIVING UP INSANITY . . . where alcohol has been involved, we have been strangely insane. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 38 Alcoholism required me to drink, whether I wanted to or not. Insanity dominated my life and was the essence of my disease. It robbed me of the freedom of choice over drinking and, therefore, robbed me of all other choices. When I drank, I was unable to make effective choices in any part of my life and life became unmanageable. I ask God to help me understand and accept the full meaning of the disease of alcoholism. From the book Daily Reflections © Copyright 1990 by Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc. Twenty-Four Hours A Day A.A. Thought for the Day This sober world is a pleasant place for an alcoholic to live in. Once you've gotten out of your alcoholic fog, you find that the world looks good. You find real friends in A.A. You get a job. You feel good in the morning. You eat a good breakfast and you do a good day's work at home or outside. And your family loves you and welcomes you because you're sober. Am I convinced that this sober world is a pleasant place for an alcoholic to live in? Meditation for the Day Our need is God's opportunity. First we must recognize our need. Often this means helplessness before some weakness or sickness and an admission of our need for help. Next comes faith in the power of God's spirit, available to us to meet that need. Before any need can be met, our faith must find expression. That expression of faith is all God needs to manifest His power in our lives. Faith is the key that unlocks the storehouse of God's resources. Prayer for the Day I pray that I may first admit my needs. I pray that then I may have faith that God will meet those needs, in the way which is best for me. From the book Twenty-Four Hours a Day © Copyright 1975 by Hazelden Foundation NA - Just for Today The big picture Page 106 "All spiritual awakenings have some things in common. Common elements include an end to loneliness and a sense of direction in our lives." Basic Text, p. 50 Some kinds of spiritual experiences take place when we confront something larger than we are. We suspect that forces beyond our understanding are operating. We see a fleeting glimpse of the big picture and find humility in that moment. Our journey through the Twelve Steps will bring about a spiritual experience of the same nature, only more profound and lasting. We undergo a continual process of ego-deflation, while at the same time we become more conscious of the larger perspective. Our view of the world expands to the point where we no longer possess an exaggerated sense of our own importance. Through our new awareness, we no longer feel isolated from the rest of the human race. We may not understand why the world is the way it is or why people sometimes treat one another so savagely. But we do understand suffering and, in recovery, we can do our best to alleviate it. When our individual contribution is combined with others, we become an essential part of a grand design. We are connected at last. Just for Today: I am but one person in the entire scheme of things. I humbly accept my place in the big picture. From the book Just for Today © Copyright 1991-2013 by Narcotics Anonymous World Services, Inc. Thought for Today Recovery is the ability to navigate through life without losing your sense of Grace ~ Mark Ludholm Fear and Faith by Gordon R.   I was standing in the darkness alone and full of fear… I was overcome with sadness as my eyes began to tear.   Fear had cast its shadow, of sorrow and despair... Driven by a hundred forms, fear was everywhere.   Fear had paralyzed me, fear had froze me in my tracks... I was mesmerized, demoralized, I was slipping through the cracks.   Fear was like a cyclone swirling, whirling, in my head… The fabric of our existence, an evil and corroding thread.   My self reliance failed me, so I called upon my faith… I asked my higher power to rid me of this wraith.   At once I had commenced, to feel an inner strength… The courage and the faith to go to any length   Fear was now a fancied foe who fought a futile fight… For faith had flung a fatal blow, as darkness soon returned to light.   The faith that  I was seeking was with me all the way… I all but had forgotten, all I need to do is pray. Gordon R. Buddha/Zen Thoughts If we are peaceful, if we are happy, we can smile and blossom like a flower, and everyone in our family, our entire society, will benefit from our peace. -Thich Nhat Hanh, "Being Peace" Native American "Together we can end the Holocaust against the environment." --Haida Gwaii, Traditional Circle of Elders We are all familiar with the Holocaust against the people. When this happens we feel bad and we vow never to let it happen again. We need to seriously examine what human beings are doing to the Earth and the environment. Many species are extinct and many more will become extinct during the next 10 years. We are methodically eliminating life that will never return again. Today, we should take time to pray real hard so we wake up before it is too late. Great Spirit, today, I pray for us to awaken to what we are doing. Keep It Simple Life I love you, all is groovy.    --- Paul Simon I haven't always known how to enjoy life, but Working the Twelve Steps is more than recovery from alcohol or other drug addiction. It's also about how to enjoy life. Our illness pulled us toward death. Our spirits were dying, and maybe our bodies were dying. Now our spirits are coming to life. We feel more alive than ever before. Our feelings are coming alive. We feel hope and faith, love, and joy, and even hurt and fear. We notice the sunshine as well as the clouds. We know life needs both sunshine and rain, both joy and pain. We are alive. You can teach me. All life is from You, so teach me to be free in Your light and love. Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me let go of my fears and enjoy life. Action for the Day: Right now, I can think of at least three things in life that make me feel like sunshine. What are they? Big Book Chapter 3 More About Alcoholism (pg 32 & top 33) Though there is no way of proving it, we believe that early in our drinking careers most of us could have stopped drinking. But the difficulty is that few alcoholics have enough desire to stop while there is yet time. We have heard of a few instances where people, who showed definite signs of alcoholism, were able to stop for a long period because of an overpowering desire to do so. Here is one. A man of thirty was doing a great deal of spree drinking. He was very nervous in the morning after these bouts and quieted himself with more liquor. He was ambitious to succeed in business, but saw that he would get nowhere if he drank at all. Once he started, he had no control whatever. He made up his mind that until he had been successful in business and had retired, he would not touch another drop. An exceptional man, he remained bone dry for twenty-five years and retired at the age of fifty-five, after a successful and happy business career. Then he fell victim to a belief which practically every alcoholic has-that his long period of sobriety and self-discipline had qualified him to drink as other men. Out came his carpet slippers and a bottle. In two months he was in a hospital, puzzled and humiliated. He tried to regulate his drinking for a little while, making several trips to the hospital meantime. Then, gathering all his forces, he attempted to stop altogether and found he could not. Every means of solving his problem which money could buy was at his disposal. Every attempt failed. Though a robust man at retirement, he went to pieces quickly and was dead within four years.