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Post by majestyjo on Apr 3, 2018 13:02:59 GMT -5
April 3
Music drives the devil away.
--Martin Luther
How many times have we seen a movie and liked the music so much we went out and bought the sound track? It may have been classical music in the background, or country, western, jazz, or even rock music. Perhaps the music was soothing, or fun and spirited. It made us want to sing or dance. It was so good to listen to it made us feel good all over!
Music of many kinds can enrich the spirit, drive away our worries, and soothe tension. It's a gift we all can have as long as we can hear. And many who are hearing-impaired may still benefit from the rhythmic vibrations of music that are felt more than heard, but which can still be soothing.
When we take some time each day to stop and listen to music, we contribute to our physical well-being and our spiritual health. And we appreciate it when those who have the gift of making music share that gift with others. We may even find a music-making gift in ourselves that we can share and enjoy.
Today help me take time from the hectic part of my day and allow music to heal and refresh me.
You are reading from the book:
Body, Mind, and Spirit by Anonymous
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Post by majestyjo on Apr 4, 2018 6:00:41 GMT -5
April 4
There is no such thing as "best" in the world of individuals.
--Hosea Bellou
We live in a society driven by the concept of competition. "We are Number One" is drummed in our ears daily via advertising and sporting events. The message is that we must be or must have something "better than" if we have any sense of pride at all. Failure is the only other option.
But human behavior can't be judged according to this kind of rating system. How could we ever determine who is the best listener, the most insightful or compassionate? At any given moment, the best for us may not be the best for someone else. If it goes right to the heart, a simple word spoken at a meeting is the best word. If someone we hardly know nods and smiles from across the room, that smile is the best smile for us, here and now. The extended hand, the brief word of encouragement, will never be proclaimed "Number One" on television, never be memorialized in record books as better than the support someone else got, but for us, it's the best.
I am surrounded by a multitude of blessings. I need look no further for what I need.
You are reading from the book:
Days of Healing, Days of Joy by Earnie Larsen and Carol Larsen Hegarty
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Post by majestyjo on Apr 5, 2018 13:27:58 GMT -5
April 5
Keep your recovery First to make it Last.
--Anonymous
We all encounter places, people, and times of the year which trigger memories of our old lifestyle, pleasant or painful events. Holidays and family gatherings may be especially stressful times for us.
There have always been a lot of expectations associated with holidays. Many of us may feel pressured to fulfill those expectations. We need to remember that it is a naturally stressful time and we may feel more nervous than usual. We can avoid forcing moods or events on ourselves or those around us.
In recovery, we are given tips that have helped many members during the holidays. We plan extra Program activities and keep our phone list handy. We skip any slippery occasions that make us uneasy. We attend special Program events. We take a fellow member with us to a possibly slippery party if we feel uncomfortable going alone.
When I keep my recovery Number One in my mind, the holidays, with the help of my friends, will be enjoyable and less stressful.
You are reading from the book:
Easy Does It by Anonymous
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Post by majestyjo on Apr 6, 2018 8:01:06 GMT -5
April 6
Even though I can't solve your problems, I will be there as your sounding board whenever you need me.
--Sandra K. Lamberson
The prize we each have been given is our ability to offer full and interested attention to people seeking our counsel. And seldom does a day pass that we aren't given the opportunity to listen, to nurture, to offer hope where it's been dashed.
We are not separate, one from another. Interdependence is our blessing; however, we fail to recognize it at our crucial crossroads. Alone we ponder. Around us, others, too, are often suffering in silence. These Steps that guide our lives push us to break the silence. The secrets we keep, keep us from the health we deserve.
Our emotional well-being is enhanced each time we share ourselves - our stories or our attentive ears. We need to be a part of someone else's pain and growth in order to make use of the pain that we have grown beyond. Pain has its purpose in our lives. And in the lives of our friends, too. It's our connection to one another, the bridge that closes the gap.
We dread our pain. We hate the suffering our friends must withstand. But each of us gains when we accept these challenges as our invitations for growth and closeness to others.
Secrets keep us sick. I will listen and share and be well.
You are reading from the book:
Each Day a New Beginning by Karen Casey
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Post by majestyjo on Apr 7, 2018 8:59:11 GMT -5
April 7
There is nothing permanent except change.
--Heraclitus
Most of us don't like change very much. Getting sober is like stepping into a rushing river of change that will take us to new places in our lives. We sense that. We are learning to trust it more each day. But even though life keeps getting better for us, we still keep some of that fear inside us about what will happen if we keep working our recovery program and life keeps changing for us.
Maybe we get a good job, and we are afraid we will louse it up. Maybe we make new friends, and we are afraid they will find out what a jerk we really are. Maybe our kids are speaking to us again and want to have a better relationship, and we are afraid of the responsibility.
You know what? It'll be okay. It's okay to have good things happen. It's okay to trust ourselves to handle responsibility. Nobody knows how to do life perfectly - that's why we need our Higher Power to guide us.
Prayer for the Day
Higher Power, Help me listen for Your directions today as I walk through a new day in sobriety. Together we can handle any surprises and changes the day may bring.
Today's Action
Today I will write down three ways fear of change is holding me back, and I will talk with my sponsor about these things. What do I need to do to be ready for these changes?
You are reading from the book:
God Grant Me... by Anonymous
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Post by majestyjo on Apr 8, 2018 13:01:14 GMT -5
April 8
Anyone can get sober . . .
The trick is to stay and to live sober.
--Living Sober
Newcomer
At one meeting someone mentioned having had a slip. He had been back in recovery for three days. No one criticized him; in fact, everyone applauded. To be honest, it makes me think about seeing what it would be like to have a few drinks or a drug again, just for a day or a weekend.
Sponsor
Over the years, I've watched people come and go in recovery. I've been grateful to the people who relapsed and were lucky enough to come back and share their experience. They taught me a lot by talking about how their disease had continued progressing even when they weren't active in it, and about how much more quickly their misery had returned this time. I'm grateful to them for having had the slip for me; now I don't have to risk it. There's a danger in going back out to experiment with controlled using; few who leave ever make it back. This is a life threatening disease. People like us, who depend on using an addictive substance, can die from it. We understand the seriousness of our addictions and have no need to test recovery by trying to use "safely."
Today, I want life - all of it. I embrace my recovery; I stick close to those who know how to stay stopped.
You are reading from the book:
If You Want What We Have by Joan Larkin
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Post by majestyjo on Apr 9, 2018 6:44:17 GMT -5
April 9
In the long run, it's easier to carry out our Higher Power's will than our own.
The good news of the Twelve Step program is that we don't have to continue trying to make self-will work. Attempting to make the rest of the world conform to what we think we want is a little like trying to push water uphill. It's not only frustrating - it's exhausting.
Getting in touch with a Higher Power frees us from the trap of self-will. We can move with the rhythm of reality instead of being stuck in fantasy. We can discover how we can be useful and what it is we do best.
How can I be sure I'm doing my Higher Power's will? There is, of course, no certain way to know, but what I rely on is an inner sense of lightness and rightness. I pray for guidance, I ask for answers, I listen to my inner voice, and I talk to people whose opinion I respect. I also believe if what I'm doing is not my Higher Power's will for me, I'll find out, since it won't work.
I ask to know my Higher Power's will for me today and/or the ability to carry it out.
You are reading from the book:
Inner Harvest by Elisabeth L.
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Post by majestyjo on Apr 10, 2018 12:10:32 GMT -5
April 10
We lie loudest when we lie to ourselves.
--Eric Hoffer
When we're not honest with others, we're not being honest with ourselves. In recovery, we're taught how to heal our hearts. We admit we're wrong, and we do it quickly. We let our spirit speak out. We listen to our spirit. We let our spirit have the loudest voice. This way, lies lose power over us. We find a way to be true to our spirit.
Prayer for the Day
Higher Power, You have a soft, quiet voice inside of me. Help me, through meditation, to hear You better. Yours is the voice I want to follow.
Action for the Day
I'll listen to my Higher Power. I'll list any lies I've been telling myself and others lately. Then I'll find someone I trust and tell that person what I've lied about.
You are reading from the book:
Keep It Simple by Anonymous
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Post by majestyjo on Apr 11, 2018 20:32:59 GMT -5
April 11
What would it be like if you lived each day, each breath, as a work of art in progress? Imagine that you are a masterpiece unfolding, every second of every day, a work of art taking form with every breath.
-- Thomas Crum
So many of us avoid living in the present moment. We worry about the future.
Daydreaming and pondering are necessary in moderation, but we try to stay in the present moment for most of the day. To do this, we return to the most basic element - our breath. We concentrate on taking deep breaths. Barring a respiratory disorder, breathing is simple. When we return to the simplicity of breathing, we automatically simplify our life by focusing only on what's happening to one part of our body in one moment in time.
Today, when I have trouble living in the present, I will concentrate on my breathing.
You are reading from the book:
Letting Go of Debt by Karen Casanova
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Post by majestyjo on Apr 12, 2018 13:28:33 GMT -5
April 12
The Man, the Boy, and the Donkey
A man and his son headed to market with their donkey. A man on a horse passed them and asked, "Why aren't you riding your donkey?"
The man placed his son on the donkey, and they continued on their way. They passed by a family working in their fields. A young girl said. "Look at that lazy boy riding while his father is walking."
The man told his son to get off the donkey, and he climbed on. They passed a group of women and one said, "What a selfish man, making his son walk while he rides."
The man asked his son to climb up on the donkey with him. They passed a traveler on the road, who said, "That poor donkey is carrying too much weight."
Not knowing what to do, the man and his son began to carry the donkey. But the donkey kicked so violently they released their hold and the donkey ran away.
The Moral of the story: In striving to please everyone, you end up pleasing no one.
Striving to be a people-pleaser can make you feel as if what you are doing is never right, and you lose your ability to make your own decision.
I will choose to do what is right for me.
You are reading from the book:
Morning Light by Amy E. Dean
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Post by majestyjo on Apr 13, 2018 22:55:53 GMT -5
April 13
Life is like a library owned by an author. In it are a few books, which he wrote himself, but most of them were written for him.
--Harry Emerson Fosdick
In our minds there are multitudes of stored memories, knowledge, and skills. Some of these are the results of living and learning, but most are information given to us by others. Our family, friends, co-workers, teachers, and children are the greatest sources for our storehouses of information.
Most of our learning comes from others. Teachers give us much in the way of facts. Our family instructs us in morals. Friends show us different personalities and lifestyles. Our children reflect what we've taught them and give us their views of the world.
All the information we have is valuable to our growth and maturity - every person we meet, each place we visit, and everything we try contribute to our library of knowledge and experience. At times we may borrow from what is on our shelves, but we must keep our shelves stocked with fresh material. Each night we can write a new volume based on the day's experiences.
I have more valuable contributions to make to my library of knowledge and experience.
You are reading from the book:
Night Light by Amy E. Dean
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Post by majestyjo on Apr 14, 2018 17:41:11 GMT -5
April 14
I feel we have picked each other from the crowd as fellow travelers, for neither of us is to the other's personality the end-all and the be-all.
-- Joanna Field
It's not mere chance that we gravitate toward those who become our friends. Nor is it only happenstance that we are picked by others. We are, in fact, on a journey and have much to learn. From our friends and even more so from those not so friendly, we are destined to learn what our souls yearn for. The journey is the process of enlightenment for which we all have gathered. From one another we are receiving that which we're ready to learn. All of us students. Each of us a teacher.
How comforting to know that the pain of a particular experience, or the confusion over a set of circumstances, will become understandable with the passage of time. All experience plays its part. All of our acquaintances share destinies overlapping our own. There is security in knowing that our journeys are necessary and right for us.
I'll not discount the value of any person or any experience that circumstances offer today.
You are reading from the book:
The Promise of a New Day by Karen Casey and Martha Vanceburg
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Post by majestyjo on Apr 16, 2018 20:25:22 GMT -5
April 15
Reflection for the Day
If I am troubled, worried, exasperated or frustrated, do I tend to rationalize the situation and lay the blame on someone else? When I am in such a state, is my conversation punctuated with, "He did." "She said." "They did."? Or can I honestly admit that perhaps I'm at fault. My peace of mind depends on overcoming my negative attitudes and tendency toward rationalization. Will I try, day by day, to be rigorously honest with myself?
Today I Pray
May I catch myself as I talk in the third person, "He did..." or "They promised..." or "She said she would..." and listen for the blaming that has become such a pattern for me and preserves delusion. May I do a turnabout and face myself instead.
Today I Will Remember
Honesty is the only policy.
You are reading from the book:
A Day at a Time (Softcover) by Anonymous
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Post by majestyjo on Apr 16, 2018 20:26:01 GMT -5
April 16
It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.
--Antoine de St. Exupery
A tuning fork is a small tool that is used to tune musical instruments. It is tapped softly and then set down. As it vibrates, it gives off a musical tone. When its vibrations perfectly match the vibrations of the note played on the instrument, the instrument is in tune. When the note matches the tuning fork, this can be both felt and heard.
Our hearts work like a tuning fork. When the heart feels completely in tune with a decision or thought or action in our lives, then we know it is the right one for us. We can actually feel the harmony inside our bodies.
Sometimes what we know deep in our hearts gets clouded over by doubts and questions and other people's opinions and judgments. We need to clear away such clouds and listen to our hearts, for our hearts carry the wisdom of God.
Am I in tune with my heart today?
You are reading from the book:
Today's Gift by Anonymous
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Post by majestyjo on Apr 17, 2018 16:19:58 GMT -5
April 17
Spring is when you feel like whistling even with a shoe full of slush.
--Doug Larson
Life is never just one thing. It is quite possible to feel optimistic and happy even when some things are not right with us. An optimistic outlook gives us energy to handle the harder things that we have to deal with. Research shows that people who have a positive attitude have a stronger immune system, are healthier, live longer, and are even more likely to recover from serious illness.
To believe in hopeful outcomes is largely a matter of choice. Many of us have experienced big disappointments and defeats in life. But having come this far, we can look back and see that somehow we had the capacity to deal with it. The Second Step guides us to believe in hopeful possibilities. We can't say that things will always turn out just the way we hope, but that we can cope with whatever happens.
Today I choose to believe that a power greater than myself can help me deal with life, and I have reason to be optimistic.
You are reading from the book:
Wisdom to Know by Anonymous
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Post by majestyjo on Apr 18, 2018 11:33:02 GMT -5
April 18
The man who never alters his opinion is like standing water and breeds reptiles of the mind. -- William Blake
We seek the answer. Sometimes we think we have found a central truth and later learn that beneath it is another truth. Or what seemed so crucial as a guiding principle for our lives last year is still true but not as crucial. It is like trying to take a snapshot of a changing world while the camera itself is changing.
Some of us in our hunger for security grab for "absolute" truths, which are not absolute. We must continue forever to be eager learners. In stepping across a stream from one floating log to another, we must resist the temptation to become overcommitted to staying in an especially secure looking place, or we will never reach the opposite shore. Even the Twelve Steps of this program are given to us as a "suggested" program of recovery. It is a program that works because it takes us out of our rigid ways. We are continually made new. That is the vitality of the spiritual life.
God, help me to be open to new opinions - to things I had never thought of on my own.
You are reading from the book:
Touchstones by Anonymous
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Post by majestyjo on Apr 19, 2018 16:23:54 GMT -5
April 19
Worry and Stress
"Make plans but don't plan results." This is a simple phrase cautioning us against unnecessary worry and stress.
If our plans involve other people, we would be wise to work joyfully toward realizing our dreams, but we should not expect or worry if others do not want the same goals. Nor should we worry if others are not as enthused about our ideas as we are. We know, by applying the Serenity Prayer, that we can only change ourselves; we cannot force changes in others.
Another cause of unnecessary stress in planning results comes from our ingrained habit of regarding ourselves as inadequate. All too often, those of us who make plans give up on ourselves when we predict the outcome of our dreams on the basis of our past experiences. We falsely conclude that because we failed or felt empty in the past, we'll most certainly not succeed in the future; thus, we quit too soon and rationalize our resignation with a "Why bother to try?" attitude.
TODAY I will make plans but not plan results. I will work out my plan, one day at a time, knowing that my past performance is NOT an infallible indicator of my present or future success. I will look forward with hope, not despair.
You are reading from the book:
The Reflecting Pond by Liane Cordes
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Post by majestyjo on Apr 20, 2018 20:43:12 GMT -5
April 20
Taking Care of Ourselves
It's healthy, wise, and loving to be considerate and responsive to the feelings and needs of others. That's different from caretaking. Caretaking is a self-defeating and, certainly, a relationship defeating behavior - a behavior that backfires and can cause us to feel resentful and victimized - because ultimately, what we feel, want, and need will come to the surface.
Some people seem to invite emotional caretaking. We can learn to refuse the invitation. We can be concerned; we can be loving, when possible; but we can place value on our own needs and feelings too. Part of recovery means learning to pay attention to, and place importance on, what we feel, want, and need, because we begin to see that there are clear, predictable, and usually undesirable consequences when we don't.
Be patient and gentle with yourself as you learn to do this. Be understanding with yourself when you slip back into the old behavior of emotional caretaking and self-neglect.
But stop the cycle today. We do not have to feel responsible for others. We do not have to feel guilty about not feeling responsible for others. We can even learn to let ourselves feel good about taking responsibility for our needs and feelings.
Today, I will evaluate whether I've slipped into my old behavior of taking responsibility for another's feelings and needs, while neglecting my own. I will own my power, right, and responsibility to place value on myself.
You are reading from the book:
The Language of Letting Go by Melody Beattie
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Post by majestyjo on Apr 21, 2018 7:31:15 GMT -5
April 21
Don't sweat the small stuff, and remember, it's all small stuff.
*****
Drinking didn't cause my problems, living did.
*****
The practicing alcoholic is the only person in the world who can lie in the gutter and still look down on others.
*****
AA meetings are the jumper cables God uses to get love flowing from one alcoholic to another.
You are reading from the book:
My Mind Is Out to Get Me by Dr. Ron B.
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Post by majestyjo on Apr 22, 2018 11:44:16 GMT -5
April 22
Misery is optional.
We may have learned to be miserable, but we can choose to unlearn it. Though we can't control what happens to us, we can determine how we will interpret and react to what happens. We can moan about the things we don't like, using them as excuses for self-pity ("poor me"), or we can implement the Serenity Prayer, accepting what we can't change and changing what we can.
In the past, we often made ourselves miserable by over-doing things. Now, how often do we continue to invite misery by thinking we ought to be able to control other people? What part do unrealistic expectations play in the creation and continuation of our misery?
When we're hurting, we need to do something about it. A physical hurt may require a doctor; an emotional pain may call for a therapist or friend, and spiritual distress may indicate the need for more prayer and meditation, closer contact with a Higher Power. We can accept responsibility for our feelings, become willing to go to any lengths to get well, and choose not to be miserable.
Responding with misery is not on my list of options for today.
You are reading from the book:
Inner Harvest by Elisabeth L.
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. I will be back looking for Lin and others.