'G' TOPIC DISCUSSIONS

[majestyjo]

GRIEF

Greed according to Zen, is wanting to be other than where you are at the moment.

It is really difficult to let go of loved ones so that they may rest in peace. I don't have the right to keep them here by prayer and thought when they have an opportunity to pass onto greater and better things.

I need to hang onto the memories not the person.

The same applies to our addiction and our past life. We are free to move on to bigger and better things, yet we cling to the past, fear letting it go because it is the known.

May I continue to let go of my past, stop grieving the coulda, woulda, shouldas and get on with living my life in today. I believe those of us who make it to the rooms of recovery have been given a second chance at life because many of us 'missed' out on a great portion of our previous one.

Let us remember that each day is a new beginning and to have a good one, free from the past and giving praise and glorifying another new today.

[majestyjo]

GET OUT OF YOURSELF

I've always been a runner trying to run away from life,

Running away from challenges, and any pain or strife.

I'd end up in a brand new town, but wouldn't be there long,

My problems would start up again, because I'd brought myself along.

I'd pack my bags and wander, always searching but never free,

Until one day I realized- the problem was with me.

After all those years of running, with alcohol and pain,

I'd finally hit my bottom, and I KNEW I was insane.

I began to go to meetings; my mind was in a daze,

It didn't really make much sense, but I listened anyway.

So I saved up mental scraps of advice, and put them on a shelf,

Until one day I pulled one out: It read," GET OUT OF YOURSELF"

I thought, "If I keep on thinking about me, I'm going to end up dead.

Maybe for once, what I'll try doing, is think of you instead!

They told me I had to give it away, it's better to give than receive.

You can't keep sobriety all for yourself, and so I began to believe.

So I joined a group and helped set up and stayed around late at the end,

And whenever a newcomer walked through the door, I just tried to be a friend.

This happened a number of years ago, and I hope that I'm here to stay.

And I keep on praying for the grace of God, so that SELF doesn't get in the way.

I'll always be grateful for the scrap of advice at the back of a dusty shelf,

And I'll always remember what the Old Timer said:

"Ye must get out of yourself!"

- from The Five As

[majestyjo]

G is for Get Honest. Be honest with yourself, quit turning a blind eye. Quit pulling on the blanket of denial. Don't say what you think people want to hear, speak your own truth. Be honest with yourself, your God, and others. When you are honest, you don't have to remember all those lies and stories you told.

My God's Grace is Sufficient to me. Without it, I would not be here today clean and sober. Get out of Self and live God-Centered.

Be gracious in all that you do. A few manners go a long way. Give thanks, not only to God but to those who He has put on your recovery path to guide you along the way.

[Lin]

My favorite g is gratitude. When I came to alanon we shared a room with another AA meeting. There were posters on all of the walls with slogans. I sat facing one that said...an attitude of gratitude. I could not understand why a person would be grateful to be an alcoholic or to love one. So that confused me. The first time I was on a pity pot my sponsor told me to write a gratitude list. I followed her direction. And it worked. In no time at all I was feeling better. I kept that list for a long time. I would read it often and add more to it. And I learned that if something in my life was dragging me down I could look at the list and most of the time that same thing was on my list as a positive thing. It helped me see that things are not so bad and I can pull out of my funk by being grateful

LIN

[Lin]

G is forGod i call myhigher power God he helps me in any way i need help
Lin

[Lin]

G is for GETTING OUT OF God's way! "Let go and get out of the way!"

LIN

[majestyjo]

Good Morning!






This morning when I wakened,

And saw the sun above,

I softly said,

"Good morning, Lord,

Bless everyone I love."



And, right away I thought of you,

And said a loving prayer,

That He would bless you specially,

And keep you free from care.



I thought of all the happiness

A day could hold in store.

I wished it all for you because

No one deserves it more.



Received with thanks from my friend Maureen

[majestyjo]

[majestyjo]

G is for more Gratitude. When I first came into recovery, I could not figure what an alcoholic or an addict could be grateful about. I could not understand why family and friend could be grateful either. But I soon learned...if we find something about every part of our life and find something about to be grateful for, we soon have a much better outlook on our life. I am grateful for the tools and the 12 Steps that have allowed me to heal, and the many gifts like detachment, boundaries, and focusing on ourselves not the A in my life.

[majestyjo]

When I look at where I was when I came into recovery and what I have in today, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically, I can't help but be grateful. I try to look at what I have, not at what I don't have. I no longer eat off borrowed dishes, sleep on a mattress on the floor, or put up with blowing fuses because of my two burner stove, wouldn't let me put a kettle on. Prosperity isn''t just measured in $s and cents. When I get needy, I get greedy.

www.whats-your-sign.com/octopus-animal-symbolism.html

[majestyjo]

G is for Gratitude.  Have it if you can.

[majestyjo]

[majestyjo]

G is for Gratitude.   We need to be grateful for this wonderful world we live in.  We are given a second chance at life.  Stop and look around and appreciate the beauty of the Creator's Gifts to us all.

w

[majestyjo]

In God's Care

Solitude is not something you must hope for in the future. Rather, it is a deepening of the present.

-Thomas Merton

We can take a few moments, right now, to really quiet ourselves, and not think of anything. We can give our mind an unexpected rest, and let the peace of God' s care envelop us like a soft blanket.

In these moments of quiet, we discover solitude. We realize that solitude is available to us in a moment's decision. Within solitude we find God's promise of serenity, and we're renewed once again. And we can find this renewal again and again in the serenity that awaits us each moment we choose solitude.

The pace at which most of us live is so tiring, and our busyness depletes our physical, emotional, and spiritual energy hour by hour, day by day. The renewal we long for is ours; we just need to make the decision.

I'll be quiet, now, and feel renewed and in touch with God.

This is good for me today as I am going through some stress, and I know that in order to cope and deal with things, or more importantly, lovingly detach, I need that quiet and a time with the God of my understanding. I know that a little talk with my God makes it alright. He doesn't do it for me, I just take comfort in the knowledge that if He leads me to it, He will see me through it, and give me just what I need to deal with it on life's terms without having to pick up a drink or a drug.

[majestyjo]

[caressa222]

more language of letting go
Be a good guest

Guests come and go at the Blue Sky Lodge. Sometimes a sky diver comes to the drop zone for the weekend from a nearby town and needs a place to shower and sleep for one evening. Often, people come from around the world to train and jump at Skydive Elsinore, and it is a particular pleasure to offer our international friends a bed, showers, and the amenities of the Lodge.

Martin was one such guest.

After spending years in the military, he decided to have some fun with what he had learned. He now recruits skydiving trainees from the United Kingdom and plans training excursions at Lake Elsinore, staying for several weeks at a time. He frequently brings his wife with him, but occasionally comes here alone. On one such solo visit, we invited him to stay at the Blue Sky Lodge and were thrilled when he accepted our invitation.

All Blue Sky Lodge guests are told the same thing: Make yourself at home. The pool, hot tub, miniature golf course, DVD player, stereo, showers, food, beverages, books, prayer room, stunning mountain view, musical instruments, and contents of the refrigerator are here for your enjoyment. Help yourself!

"Martin was a good guest," Chip commented recently. "He swam, used the hot tub, ran, and sat outside and enjoyed the view."

I agreed. It gave us both pleasure to see Martin make himself at home and enjoy the gifts the Lodge has to offer. He was respectful and grateful-- a delightful humble air-- but he was also confident, and confidently enjoyed the pleasures and gifts available and offered to him.

What kind of a guest are you? Are you making yourself at home on this planet, whatever the circumstances you find yourself in? Are you taking delight and pleasure in the gifts and moments available to you, each day? Or are you sitting uncomfortably on the edge of a straight-backed chair, wondering if it's okay to help yourself?

We each have different gifts and pleasures available to us at any given time in our lives. Sometimes, we have to look to see what these gifts are. The pleasures may be as simple as a view of an old oak tree from our kitchen window, a big bath tub that fills up with hot water and comforts our body and soul, or a walk around the city block surrounding the apartment we rent.

Sometimes, the best way to say thanks is to simply enjoy with humble confidence the gifts and pleasures that are offered to us today.

Are you a good guest? Make yourself at home. It's your world,too.

God, teach me how to enjoy and savor the pleasures, gifts, and talents that are spread out before me. Help me learn to make myself at home, wherever I find myself today.

[majestyjo]

Twenty-Four Hours A Day

A.A. Thought For The Day

Another of the mottoes of A.A. is "But for the Grace of God." 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. Am I truly
grateful for the grace of God?

Meditation For The Day

A consciousness of God's presence, as One who loves you makes all
life different. The consciousness of God's love promotes the
opening of your whole being to God. It brings wonderful relief from
the cares and worries of our daily lives. Relief brings peace and
peace brings contentment. Try to walk in God's love. You will have
that peace which passes all understanding and a contentment that
no one can take from you. Feel sure of God's unfailing love and
care for you and for all His children. There is freedom and serenity
in those who walk in God's love, held safe in His loving care.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that I may walk in God's love, I pray that, as I go, I may feel the
caring of God's power in my steps and the joy of His love in my heart.

My name means God's gracious gift. My got gave me the gift of recovery, and I shall always be grateful.

[majestyjo]

Walk In Dry Places

When should I be Grateful?

Gratitude

One spiritual writer believed that our only reason for gratitude should

be that we are part of God's universe. Others point out that gratitude

helps us, not God or the other people to whom we are grateful.

Their point is that it's not very uplifting simply to tie our gratitude to

certain gifts or benefits. Such gratitude is fairly shallow and is almost

no more than good manners. As recovering alcoholics, we need more

than that.

The best reason for gratitude is the outlook it creates as we cultivate it

within ourselves. We will actually feel mentally and physically uplifted if

we know true gratitude. This is the true spiritual outlook alcoholics seek

in the bottle but can find only in the new way of life.

I'll find ways to practice gratitude today without letting others know what

I'm doing.

[majestyjo]

Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition Stories

Gratitude In Action

The story of Dave B., one of the founders of A.A. in Canada in 1944.

In my new enthusiasm, and having found an answer to my problem, I told Dorie, my wife, "You can quit your job now; I will take care of you. From now on, you will take the place you deserve in this family." However, she knew better. She said, "No, Dave, I will keep my job for a year while you go save the drunks." That is exactly what I set out to do."

pp. 196-197

[majestyjo]

One More Day

It is well to give when asked, but it is better to give when unasked through understanding. -Kahlil Gibran

Some of us wonder how we will live the rest of our lives with the problems we are currently carrying. The days loom long, with no specific goals in sight; so it is up to us to formulate new plans and goals for ourselves.

These plans — social, spiritual, academic, or volunteer — are good for us if they revolve around other people, many of whom have even greater problems than ours. Sharing our hope, faith, and varied experiences with others who also suffer is a caring gesture and an opportunity to see ourselves and our problems more clearly within the total human picture.

Today, I will choose some way to help myself and others. Sharing my experiences and skills keeps me in touch with my humanness.