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Post by majestyjo on Oct 23, 2017 19:32:30 GMT -5
Ocotber 23
I'm Not Ashamed
My child dreamed of becoming a firefighter, a fisherman, and a marine biologist when he grew up. Becoming an addict was not on his list. I know the child who dreamed those dreams and he is a child to be proud of. Tender and thoughtful and smart, he should be living his dreams. But my child isn't here-an addict has taken his place. Someone who looks like my child is hooked to the strings of an evil puppeteer and living a tortured life. Instead of fighting fires, my child is fighting demons. Instead of tying flies, he's flying high. Instead of reaching for the stars, he's reaching for a bottle. A life full of promise lost to a jug full of lies. Addiction took my child's dreams, chewed them up, and spat out a nightmare.
No, my child didn't dream of becoming an addict, and it certainly wasn't what I dreamed for him either. But I'm not ashamed my child is an addict. I'm sad he's an addict. By shining the light on addiction, I might just get him back.
Shame is a soul-eating emotion.
Carl Jung
You are reading from the book:
Tending Dandelions by Sandra Swenson
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Post by majestyjo on Oct 24, 2017 21:16:43 GMT -5
October 24
True expressions of love are said to come from a source which lies beneath words and thoughts.
--W. Timothy Gallwey
Remember when we just knew Grandmother loved us, even if she didn't say anything? Her smile or hug said it all. We can always feel another's love - when it's real.
Likewise, the words of love, when they come from a heart that's cold, don't ring true to our ears. We hear them, but our hearts can't feel them. So the gulf between us widens and we remain two lonely people.
Feeling true love for another may be foreign to us, and we may have to practice thinking loving thoughts and saying loving words to become familiar with the feelings love engenders. But real love lies deep within our center and only awaits our knowledge of it.
You are reading from the book:
Worthy of Love by Karen Casey
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Post by majestyjo on Oct 25, 2017 21:34:13 GMT -5
October 25
Reflection for the Day
We must never be blinded by the futile philosophy that we are just the hapless victims of our inheritance, of our life experience, and of our surroundings - that these are the sole forces that make our decisions for us. This is not the road to freedom. We have to believe that we can really choose. As addictive persons, we lost our ability to choose whether we would pursue our addictions. Yet we finally did make choices that brought about our recovery. Do I believe that in "becoming willing," I have made the best of all choices?
Today I Pray
May I shed the idea that I am the world's victim, an unfortunate creature caught in a web of circumstance, inferring that others ought to "make it up to me" because I have been given a bad deal on this earth. We are always given choices. May God help me to choose wisely.
Today I Will Remember
God is not a puppeteer.
You are reading from the book:
A Day at a Time (Softcover) by Anonymous
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Post by majestyjo on Oct 26, 2017 21:20:17 GMT -5
October 26
Aging is not easy, but what's our alternative?
- Helen Casey
The kind of attitude we developed over our lives determined how we saw every detail of each experience. Even now our attitude holds us hostage. The misunderstanding that many of us have is that we think we can't really change how we see our world. Nothing is further from the truth. We can make a large or small shift in our perceptions instantly. The outcome is that everything about our lives changes from that moment forward. Thus, how we perceive the aging process is controlled by our willingness to look at it again.
Helen has aged gracefully. At 86, she still finds time for making new friends, three bridge clubs a week, daily mass and frequent communication with her children and relatives. She carries a positive, hopeful attitude with her wherever she goes, which inspires others, young and old.
It wouldn't appear that aging has been hard on Helen. But the truth of the matter is that she has suffered many losses. What she has managed to hold onto, though, is her faith in God and her willingness to see every "glass as half full."
How lucky we are that we can "tinker" with our attitude for as long as we're alive, and if we aren't completely happy, we have work to do. As Helen says, there is no alternative to aging, except death. What happens now is up to us.
I am only as old as I decide to feel today.
You are reading from the book:
Keepers of the Wisdom by Karen Casey
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Post by majestyjo on Oct 27, 2017 21:15:26 GMT -5
October 27
You have to live on this 24 hours of daily time. Out of it you have to spin health, pleasure, money, content, respect, and the evolution of your mortal soul. Its right use, its most effective use, is a matter of highest urgency.
--Arnold Bennett
We have 24 hours to accomplish all we need tor mental, physical, and spiritual growth. Just because morning meditations have been read, the work or school day is completed, and the day is waning doesn't mean growth time is over.
The first 12 hours of a day are usually spent housecleaning, raising children, working, running errands, and so on. By the time the activities have ended, we're ready for the second 12 hours: contemplation, relaxation, communication with family and friends, socializing, eating dinner, going to a meeting, sleeping.
Our most effective use of each day means believing we can accomplish something. There is time to be grateful for each day's experiences. There is time to build relationships with ourselves and others. Each day there is time to grow.
You are reading from the book:
Night Light by Amy E. Dean
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Post by majestyjo on Oct 28, 2017 18:01:26 GMT -5
October 28
Developing ourselves
We must realize in our hearts that we are becoming better people. We do this by using our highest standards and making our best efforts. We do this, in part, by turning our lives over to God, who will guide us if we sincerely ask.
As we develop, we find we're offering much more to life than just avoiding mood-altering drugs. We are coming to love others and to help them by thinking, feeling, and behaving maturely in all situations.
Am I developing into a better person?
Higher Power, help me realize that my new life is not just about changing my past but about developing my future as well.
You are reading from the book:
Day by Day - Second Edition by Anonymous
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Post by majestyjo on Oct 29, 2017 20:38:35 GMT -5
October 29
Being able to be wrong
We had to compete with everyone, sometimes subtly, sometimes less subtly. We always had to be right, to be wrong seemed unbearable. We could never seem to bring ourselves to say simply, "I was wrong." We were afraid of what would happen to us if we did. Our egos were very fragile; we were never as strong as we had led ourselves to believe.
We came to discover, however, that real strength comes from being able to be wrong and from being willing to change our ways of thinking and living.
Can I face being wrong and learn from it?
Higher Power, help me realize each day that it is okay to be wrong, that real communication with other people depends on my being willing to see other points of view, and that being teachable is a divine quality.
You are reading from the book:
Day by Day - Second Edition by Anonymous
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Post by majestyjo on Oct 31, 2017 23:43:18 GMT -5
October 30
Willing to Make Amends
The Eighth Step is talking about a change of heart, a healing change.
This attitude can begin a great chain of repair and healing in our relationships with others and ourselves. It means we become willing to let go of our hard heartedness - one of the greatest blocks to our ability to give and receive love.
In the Eighth Step, we make a list of all people we have harmed, and we allow ourselves to experience a healing attitude toward them. It is an attitude of love.
We do not, in this Step, dash madly about and begin yelling, "Sorry!" We make our list, not to feel guilty, but to facilitate healing. Before we actually make amends or begin to consider appropriate amends, we allow ourselves to change our attitude. That is where healing begins - within us.
It can change the energy. It can change the dynamics. It can begin the process, before we ever open our mouths and say sorry.
It opens the door to love. It opens the door to the energy of love and healing. It enables us to release negative feelings and energy, and opens the door to positive feelings and energy.
That energy can be felt around the world, and it starts inside us.
How often have we, after we have been hurt, wished that the person would simply recognize our pain and say, "I'm sorry?" How often have we wished that the person would simply see us, hear us, and turn the energy of love our way? How often have we longed for at least a change of heart, a small dose of reconciliation, in relationships tainted by unfinished business and bad feelings? Often, others do too. It is no secret. The energy of healing begins with us. Our willingness to make amends may or may not benefit the other person; he or she may or may not be willing to put matters to rest.
But we become healed. We become capable of love.
Today, I will work on a change of heart if hard-heartedness, defensiveness, guilt, or bitterness are present. I will become willing to let go of those feelings and have them replaced by the healing energy of love.
You are reading from the book:
The Language of Letting Go by Melody Beattie
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Post by majestyjo on Oct 31, 2017 23:43:48 GMT -5
October 31
Our problem is that we expect to feel secure.
Many of us have had past crises and problems, yet our worries and anxieties continue in the present. We believe that our situation causes our fears and we say, "If only things were different, I could relax." Yet even when everything is going well, we still get anxious that something unseen is amiss. When we are immersed in our fears, unable to let go and live life joyfully, we may become emotionally absent from our loved ones.
Our problem is not that life is insecure. Of course it is. Our problem is that we expect to feel secure. We put great energy into achieving control and having everything "just right," but quite naturally we end up without control. Then we think something is wrong. Instead, we can choose to turn our fears over to our Higher Power. We do that by talking about our fears, taking the steps we can, and trusting our Higher Power for the outcomes. Then we return to emotional contact in our relationship.
Tell your partner something you fear and turn it over to your Higher Power.
You are reading from the book:
The More We Find In Each Other by Merle Fossum and Mavis Fossum
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Post by majestyjo on Nov 1, 2017 20:51:05 GMT -5
November 1
I Will Attend a Meeting
Creator; I will attend a meeting today.
I promise to seek out the similarities and not the differences.
I will find something good in everything that is shared.
I will praise the clean and sober and pray for the using addict.
At the end of the day I will thank You for my recovery.
It does not matter if the meeting was good or bad.
The most important thing is that I was there.
You are reading from the book:
The 12 Step Prayer Book Volume 2 by Bill P. and Lisa D.
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Post by majestyjo on Nov 2, 2017 9:22:59 GMT -5
November 2
Survival
We will never make it if we feel we are responsible for solving everyone else's problems. It is tempting to our ego to feel that we can exercise control over the lives of those around us, but it is counter to reality. We cannot protect those we love from sadness, sickness, or pain. Making martyrs of ourselves only prepares the ground for future retaliation.
Our primary task is to remember our dependence on our Higher Power and by His grace to maintain our abstinence. The problems, which we face, are best dealt with if our spiritual condition is strong. Without abstinence, we are not much help to anyone, least of all ourselves.
There are times when all we can manage is to hang on, to survive. We know in our heads that these times will eventually pass. Practicing Step Eleven convinces us in our hearts that God is in charge, no matter how far away He may seem to be.
By Your grace, may I survive the hard times.
You are reading from the book:
Food for Thought by Elisabeth L.
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Post by majestyjo on Nov 3, 2017 16:26:26 GMT -5
November 3
Being patient
Over time, we get what we want out of this program. If we seek a better way of life, for example, we will develop it. If we want to diminish our pain, we will find relief. If we want love, we will learn how to give it and receive it.
Over time, our lives can improve a great deal through the Twelve Step program. Thus, our job is to keep coming to meetings and working the Steps.
Can I do what I need to do to get what I want?
Higher Power, help me to be
Patient with myself, the program,
And the process of change.
You are reading from the book:
Day by Day - Second Edition by Anonymous
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Post by majestyjo on Nov 4, 2017 20:10:53 GMT -5
November 4
Be patient with the faults of others; they have to be patient with yours.
--Our Daily Bread
How do we feel when someone we know makes a mistake? What happens when the boss makes an error and we have to work overtime to straighten it out? How do we feel when a cashier overcharges us, the post office loses our package, or the mechanic doesn't fix a problem?
Most of us become angry. Since we have been brought up from childhood to believe we are victims, it seems only natural in adult life to feel the same way. We imagine all those people had it in for us; they were all in league somehow to make us suffer.
But everybody makes mistakes. Who among us is perfect? We have made many mistakes in our lives that have probably brought inconveniences to others. If we can learn to treat the faults of others with patience and understanding instead of anger and resentment, we may find others treating us accordingly.
I can overlook the mistakes of others as I would want them to over look mine.
You are reading from the book:
Night Light by Amy E. Dean
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Post by majestyjo on Nov 5, 2017 9:31:19 GMT -5
November 5
I will radiate love and good will to others that I may open a channel for God's love to come to all.
--Paramahansa Yogananda
Our spiritual well-being is hindered whenever we isolate ourselves, whenever we withhold our care and attention from the group or a friend. During these moments, our self-centeredness cuts off our connection to our Higher Power, causing peace to elude us and fear to set in.
The converse is also true. Whenever we selflessly express love and genuine concern for others, we can know the presence of God and can be exhilarated by that knowledge.
In this, we have freedom. No one else controls our thoughts or our decisions to give unconditional love and genuine attention to others. We are in charge. It is up to us to keep the channel to our Higher Power always open, always freely flowing. Our spiritual health is our responsibility and it's an easy one to handle. The only requirement is that we offer love and good will to others.
I will enhance my spiritual health today by focusing my love on the women and men on my path so that I may feel God's presence.
You are reading from the book:
In God's Care by Karen Casey
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Post by majestyjo on Nov 7, 2017 22:29:50 GMT -5
November 6
A crisis is an opportunity to rely on our Higher Power.
When we came to this program, we were told right away that a Higher Power is watching out for us and that we can look to that Power whenever we want guidance or peacefulness. Let's not resist this invitation.
Most of us had daily crises before turning to this program for help. Our attempts to control other people caused many of these crises. So did our reactions to the natural ebb and flow of human existence. Now we have to take the plunge and begin to rely on our God, however we understand God, to show us the way to handle every experience that's part of our Divine unfolding.
I will look to God today, and every experience will make sense in the whole of my existence.
You are reading from the book:
A Life of My Own by Karen Casey
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Post by majestyjo on Nov 7, 2017 22:30:16 GMT -5
November 7
Sobriety is a big gift box with a hundred little packages inside to unwrap.
--Oscar Morris
Sobriety is its own reward and then some. Sobriety is a condition of openness and receptivity to the treasure of life. It is the ability to view the world through gentler glasses and hear our fellows with kinder ears. It is the ability to see things as they really are, instead of how we'd like them to be. It is a condition of honesty and willingness to be true to ourselves and others.
On this day we can look out the window when we get up in the morning. No matter what we see - another building, a yard, even an airshaft - it can remind us that we're not the same people we used to be. We can look at this world without fear. It won't bite back anymore.
Sobriety is seeing the world with open eyes. It is the gift of learning how to view the world as a friendly and loving place to be. Sobriety is crying without shame and laughing with abandon. It is a gift that wakes us up with hope and puts us to sleep with peace.
Today let me cherish my gift of sobriety and not take it for granted.
You are reading from the book:
Body, Mind, and Spirit by Anonymous
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Post by majestyjo on Nov 8, 2017 19:49:32 GMT -5
November 8
The gift of love means this: I want to share with you whatever I have that is good.
--John Powell, S.J.
How loving are we, really? Do we keep score when we do favors for a friend, keeping in mind that we're owed one? Do we hoard rather than share a favorite treat, hoping to prolong our own feast? And the good mood, when it's ours, do we use it to help another raise her spirits or do we secretly gloat because we're "in a better place"?
The opportunity to respond with love visits us throughout each day. A smile, a kind gesture, including someone in a conversation, noticing a job well done, are acts of love, acts that connect our hearts, at least for a moment.
When someone has shared love with us in some form, we notice it and are moved.
You are reading from the book:
Worthy of Love by Karen Casey
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Post by majestyjo on Nov 9, 2017 22:06:15 GMT -5
November 9
Just the Two of Us
Our wedding was beautiful and so were the vows. Till death do us part was our promise. But our child's addiction is like a chainsaw, hacking away at our union-cutting apart a bond meant to last forever. It is destroying the foundation on which our family is built.
In the day-to-day survival-during the prolonged hideousness of this fight-we've lost sight of one other. We've lost sight of what matters. We no longer reach out to each other when we hurt. Instead, like wounded animals, we withdraw, trying to heal ourselves as we sit, alone, in dark corners. We snap and growl at each other like beasts. I don't know what happened to the best friends we used to be.
But it is our child's addiction we need to fight, not each other. So, like folding away the wings of a kite, I will tuck away the tension between us so it can't catch the wind. No matter what happens during the day, I will say I love you when I say goodnight.
May we shine with love, kindness, and encouragement toward ourselves and each other every day.
Lynn Dailey
You are reading from the book:
Tending Dandelions by Sandra Swenson
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Post by majestyjo on Nov 10, 2017 20:34:00 GMT -5
November 10
Nothing is more difficult than competing with a myth.
--Francoise Giroud
Sometimes we think we need to try and be something we're not. Maybe we feel pressure from friends to behave or dress like someone else.
All we need to do is remember when we were younger and dressed in our parents' clothes and shoes. We pretended to be grownups, and it was fun for a while. Then the huge shoes on our feet grew clumsy and uncomfortable and the mountain of rolled-up sleeves kept falling down and getting in the way. Soon we grew tired of the game and stopped pretending.
Today when we start feeling the pressure to be someone else, let's remember how hard it is to play a role that doesn't fit us.
You are reading from the book:
Today's Gift by Anonymous
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Post by majestyjo on Nov 11, 2017 13:41:31 GMT -5
November 11
You Give Me Strength
Lord God, thank You for loving me
Even when I turn away from You.
I am grateful for Your constant care and concern.
Though I feel unworthy of Your great love,
I thank You that through my weakness
You give me strength,
And in my wandering You show me the way.
--Author unknown
You are reading from the book:
The 12 Step Prayer Book Volume 2 by Bill P. and Lisa D.
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. I will be back looking for Lin and others.