Essentials Of Recovery

Wednesday, 22 January 2020

Big Book -Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 79

Reminding ourselves that we have decided to go to any lengths to find a spiritual experience, we ask that we be given strength and direction to do the right thing, no matter what the personal consequences may be.

~ Big Book -Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 79

Trusted Servant _ Recovery

DAILY DOSE OF EMMET FOX

SHARING THE KEY

In order to “Golden Key” a troublesome person or difficult situation, think, “Now I’m going to Golden Key John, or Mary, or that threatened danger”; then lift John or Mary or the danger into the presence of God and think only of God.

There after the person is certain to be in some better, wiser, and more spiritual person. A pending lawsuit or other difficulty will probably fade out without coming to a crisis, justice being done to all parties concerned.

. . . O Lord God, thou art that God, and thy words be true, and thou hast promised this goodness unto thy servant (2 Samuel 7:28).

© 1931 by Emmet Fox

Daily Reflections #essentialsofrecovery

“LET’S KEEP IT SIMPLE”

A few hours later I took my leave of Dr. Bob. . . The wonderful, old, broad smile was on his face as he said almost jokingly, “Remember, Bill, let’s not louse this thing up. Let’s keep it simple!” I turned away, unable to say a word. That was the last time I ever saw him.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS COMES OF AGE, p 214

After years of sobriety I occasionally ask myself: “Can it be this simple?” Then, at meetings, I see former cynics and skeptics who have walked the A.A. path out of hell by packaging their lives, without alcohol, into twenty-four hour segments, during which they practice a few principles to the best of their individual abilities. And then I know again that, while it isn't always easy, if I keep it simple, it works.

Just For Today #essentialsofrecovery

The School Of Recovery

“This is a program for learning.” Basic Text p. 16

Learning in recovery is hard work. The things we most need to know are often the hardest to learn. We study recovery to prepare ourselves for the experiences life will give us. As we listen to others share in meetings, we take mental notes we can refer to later. Tobe prepared, we study our notes and literature between “lessons.” Just as students have the opportunity to apply their knowledge during tests, so do we have the opportunity to apply our recovery during times of crisis.

As always, we have a choice in how we will approach life’s challenges. We can dread and avoid them as threats to our serenity or we can gratefully accept them as opportunities for growth. By confirming the principles we’ve learned in recovery, life’s challenges give us increased strength. Without such challenges, however, we could forget what we’ve learned and begin to stagnate. These are the opportunities that prod us to new spiritual awakenings.

We will find that there is often a period of rest after each crisis, giving us time to get accustomed to our new skills. Once we’ve reflected on our experience, we are called on to share our knowledge with someone who is studying what we’ve just learned. In the school of recovery, all of us are teachers as well as students.

Just for today: I will be a student of recovery. I will welcome challenges, confident in what I’ve learned and eager to share it with others

Twenty-Four Hours A Day #essentialsofrecovery

A.A. Thought For The Day

In the beginning, you want to get sober, but you’re helpless, so you turn to a Power greater than yourself and by trusting in that Power, you get the strength to stop drinking. From then on, you want to keep sober, and that’s a matter of reeducating your mind. After a while, you get so that you really enjoy simple, healthy, normal living. You really get a kick out of life without the artificial stimulus of alcohol. All you have to do is look around at the members of any A.A. group and you will see how their outlook has changed. Is my outlook on life changing?

Meditation For The Day

I will never forget to say thank you to God, even on the greyest days. My attitude will be one of humility and gratitude. Saying thank you to God is a daily practice that is absolutely necessary. If a day is not one of thankfulness, the practice has to be repeated until it becomes so. Gratitude is a necessity for those who are seeking a better life.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that gratitude will bring humility. I pray that humility will bring me to live a better life.

As Bill Sees It #essentialsofrecovery

Fear as a Steppingstone, p. 22

The chief activator of our defects has been self-centered fear–primarily fear that we would lose something we already possessed or would fail to get something we demanded. Living upon a basis of unsatisfied demands, we were in a state of continual disturbance and frustration. Therefore, no peace was to be had unless we could find a means of reducing these demands.

**********************************************

For all its usual destructiveness, we have found that fear can be the starting point for better things. Fear can be a steppingstone to prudence and to a decent respect for others. It can point the path to justice, as well as to hate. And the more we have of respect and justice, the more we shall begin to find the love which can suffer much, and yet be freely given. So fear need not always be destructive, because the lessons of its consequences can lead us to positive values.

1. 12 & 12, p. 76

2. Grapevine, January 1962

Walk In Dry Places

No Humiliation in Humility
Self-understanding.

With few exceptions, every alcoholic eventually meets humiliation and defeat. This is especially painful in a world that places high value on winning and on having the approval and admiration of others. We feel diminished by these defeats. Nobody likes to be humbled, to be made to appear less than other people.

Yet these humiliations serve a constructive purpose if they lead us to seek humility. Truly humble people cannot really be humiliated, because they no longer rely on the false supports of worldly praise and approval. We develop humility as we withdraw from a reliance on our own powers and personality and realize that we ourselves can do nothing; it is our Higher Power who does the work.

Still, there is a paradox in humility. The person who admits he or she can do nothing will, in the process, tap into powers that were never available in the previous state of mind. In truth, humility is never humiliation or weakness, though these may lead to it. Humility is really a road to the power that only God can give us.

I’ll watch myself today for the crazy things that set me up for humiliation. I won’t try to impress others or win their admiration today.

Keep It Simple #essentialsofrecovery

Go often to the house of your friend: for weeds soon choke up the unused path.

–Scandinavian proverb.

Our program has two parts: the Steps, and the fellowship. Both keep us sober. We can’t stay sober if we go it alone. We need to work the Steps. We also need people–the help of our friends daily

Recovery is about relationships. We get new friends. We get involved. We give. We get. In times of need, we may not want to ask our new friends for help. Maybe we don’t want to “burden them.”

“Maybe we’re afraid to ask for help.” Well, go ahead. Make that call. Ask your new friend to spend time with you. You deserve and need it. They deserve it; they need it.

Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me to get help from my friends as if my life depends on it.

Action for the Day: Today, I’ll see or call two program friends and let them know how I’m doing.

Father Leo’s Daily Meditation #essentialsofrecovery

A Day At A Time #essentialsofrecovery

Reflection For The Day

In a very real sense, we are imprisoned by our inability or unwillingness to reach out for help to a Power greater than ourselves. But in time, we pray to be relieved of the bondage of self, so that we can better do God’s will. In the words of Ramakrsihna, “The sun and moon are not mirrored in cloudy waters, thus the Almighty cannot be mirrored in a heart that is obsessed by the idea of ‘me and mine.'” Have I set myself free form the prison of self-will and pride which I myself have built? Have I accepted freedom?

Today I Pray

May the word freedom take on the meanings for me, not just “freedom from” my addiction, but “freedom to” overcome it. Not just freedom from the slavery of self-will, but freedom to hear and carry out the will of God.

Today I Will Remember

Freedom from means freedom to.

One Day At A Time #essentialsofrecovery.

~ SERVICE ~

The only ones among you who will be really happy are those who will have sought and found how to serve.

–Albert Schweitzer

In my first few 12 step meetings, I was so angry. On one hand, I didn’t think I needed to be there, although deep inside, I knew I did. People were nice enough, greeted me, made me feel welcome, but I kept myself apart with my anger. I was angry that there seemed to be a small core group of members who attended weekly and obviously knew each other well. I didn’t think they’d let me in their inner group; I didn’t get invited.

Next, I tried to get the program without working the Steps. That inner group talked about the Steps all the time. I’d show them how good I was; I’d get the program, get the recovery they’d gotten, by taking a shorter route. The Steps were for dummies, and I wasn’t dumb. I quickly found out the Steps are the only way to get the 12 step program, hence its name.

I struggled for a long time. Then I started giving service to my group. It started off by simply straightening up the room because I always got there early. I asked for a key so I could put out the books. I started greeting newcomers, who usually showed up early. When the person who’d signed on to do the topic didn’t make it one week, I agreed to lead the meeting.

To my shock, I was giving service. In looking back at my first weeks in the program, I realized that the “inner core” of my home group had become my very good friends. When had I been asked in? Never. I joined when I began to give service and became one of them, the service-givers to the group. I learned why they seemed to have such effortless growth– it came from giving service. With service I always get back much more than I put in.

One Day at a Time …

I will remember to give of myself. I will remember that giving service in the program gives me so many gifts in return.

~ Rhonda ~

Elder’s Meditation of the Day #essentialsofrecovery

“The first factor in the revolution of consciousness is the mystic death of the ego- the death of negative thinking, negative personalities. We must purify the soul of the inner enemies. Every time a defect manifests- envy, gluttony, anger, lust, whatever-that impulse to the heart. Ask, `Do I really need to invoke this?’ And then honor the heart.”

–Willaru Huayta, QUECHAU NATION, PERU

Our egos have character defects. These character defects we sometimes act out and they invariably bring results to our lives that we might not want. If we continue to use these character defects, we will continue to have undesirable results in our lives. How do we change ourselves or get rid of a character defect We can go to the heart-ask a question, make a decision-then honor the heart. For example, say I get angry today. I would go to the heart and ask, would I rather be right or would I rather be happy? How we answer this question can have an enormous impact on how our day goes. Once we decide the answer to this question, we need to honor the heart by saying, “Thank you for the power of changing my thoughts. I choose to be happy and to experience peace of mind.”

Great Spirit, today, let me teach only love and learn only love.

Today’s Gift

Animals are such agreeable friends they ask no questions, they pass no criticisms.

—GEORGE ELIOT

A pet is often liked by everyone and seems to have no enemies. Why is this? Pets are friendly and interested in others. They seem to get joy out of just being with us. They do not have a critical attitude. When mistreated or neglected for a while, they are quick to forgive and quickly seek once again to be by our side.

Each of us is a valuable part of the family. When we treasure one another and don’t waste our time finding each other’s faults, we will begin to have fewer faults. When we accept our loved ones as they are and enjoy sharing our lives with them, our lives become more enjoyable, and our family love grows because we are each more lovable.

What can I accept in others today?

DAILY TAO / 022 - COMMUNICATION

Movement, objects, speech, and words :
We communicate through gross symbols.
We call them “objective,”
But we cannot escape our point of view.

We cannot communicate directly from mind to mind, and so misinterpretation is a perennial problem. Motions, signs, talking, and the written word are all encumbered by miscommunication. A dozen eyewitnesses to the same event cannot agree on a single account. We may each see something different in cards set up by a circus magician. Therefore, we are forever imprisoned by our subjectivity.
Followers of Tao assert that we know no absolute truth in the world, only varying degrees of ambiguity. Some call this poetry; some call this art. The fact remains that all communication is relative. Those who follow Tao are practical. They know that words are imperfect and therefore give them limited importance : The symbol is not the same as the reality.

Daily Zen #essentialsofrecovery

To study the Buddha way is to study the self. To study the self is to forget the self. To forget the self is to be actualised by myriad things. When actualised by myriad things, your body and mind as well as the bodies and minds of others drop away. No trace of realisation remains, and this no-trace continues endlessly.

-Dogen, "Actualizing the Fundamental Point"