For My Brother Seamus - A beautiful person through and through

You were a beautiful gift. We loved you more than anyone could and we will miss you until God takes us. May Your Soul Rest In peace. 

DAILY TAO - Funeral #essentialsofrecovery

Hearse of weathered black enamel,
Undertakers fingering cigarettes.
Family, some crying, some bored,
Some only thinking of themselves.
Hired marching band out of tune.
Even in death we find no accord.

If you look closely at a dead person, can you truly see a soul? Is there anything left of the person that you knew? No. There is only a corpse, one that doesn’t even look familiar; whatever animates people is gone. Have they flown to heaven? Have they gone into some cycle of transmigration? I don’t know. Theories about what happens after death can only be conjecture.

A funeral is for those left behind. It is a ritual for us to come to grips with what has happened. Sometimes, one wonders if the weeping is more out of fear for ourselves than it is sympathy for the deceased.

All our lives, we seek union. We try to please our parents, we try to do well for our teachers and society, we try to make love and get married, we try to touch the universal through art, music, and meditation. Yet all our lives, our every attempt is flawed. Accord and harmony are transitory states. Their duration and quality come only from our determination. Once our mind gives way, we can no longer hold the connections that we want.

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KEEP IT SIMPLE #essentialsofrecovery

I’m gonna die with my boots on.
~ Gene Autry ~
Most of us don’t like to think about death. But it’s a sure thing, and we have to face it. First, we face the deaths of people around us. Then, some day, we’ll face our own.

Most of us want to go quickly—“with our boots on”—when we die. We’re afraid of illness, of pain, of being helpless. We’re afraid of needing other people.

But being in the program teaches us it’s okay to need other people. It’s nice to accept their care and love for us. And no matter how we die, our trust in our Higher Power lets us face our fears with courage.

Prayer for the Day

Higher Power, help me live fully today. Help me put my life in Your hands.

Action for the Day

Is there anything I need to do before I die? Can I do it today? If I can, I will.

Copyright © 1988 by Hazelden Foundation

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THE EYE OPENER #essentialsofrecovery

We alcoholics were saved from un-numbered deaths in our drinking days and preserved for a purpose that only we could accomplish. God has His way of doing things and He selects people to be the instrumentality through which He works.

If you fail to fulfill your appointed function, then just that much of God’s work goes undone until He finds another instrument through which to work.

You were not dragged from the gutter so that you might be able to enter your home and lounge before an open fire in ease. God saved you because He had work for you to do. Go do it.

Published by Hazelden 

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DAILY ZEN #essentialsofrecovery

Trust has nothing to do with moral courage. It occurs when we have nowhere else to turn, when we reach the end of our need to control.

-Rodney Smith, "Lessons from the Dying" 

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DAILY TAO / 50 - DEATH #essentialsofrecovery

Death is
The opposite
Of time.

We give death metaphors. We cloak it in meaning and make up stories about what will happen to us, but we don’t really know. When a person dies, we cannot see beyond the corpse. We speculate on reincarnation or talk in terms of eternity. But death is opaque to us, a mystery. In its realm, time ceases to have meaning. All laws of physics become irrelevant. Death is the opposite of time.

What dies? Is anything actually destroyed? Certainly not the body, which falls into its constituent parts of water and chemicals. That is mere transformation, not destruction. What of the mind? Does it cease to function, or does it make a transition to another existence? We don’t know for sure, and few can come up with anything conclusive.

What dies? Nothing of the person dies in the sense that the constituent parts are totally blasted from all existence. What dies is merely the identity, the identification of a collection of parts that we called a person. Each one of us is a role, like some shaman wearing layers of robes with innumerable fetishes of meaning. Only the clothes and decoration fall. What dies is only our human meaning. There is still someone naked underneath. Once we understand who that someone is, death no longer bothers us. Nor does time. 

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Daily Tao / 49 – Death #essentialsofrec #Tao #Taoism #Zen

Death is
The opposite
Of time.

We give death metaphors. We cloak it in meaning and make up stories about what will happen to us, but we don’t really know. When a person dies, we cannot see beyond the corpse. We speculate on reincarnation or talk in terms of eternity. But death is opaque to us, a mystery. In its realm, time ceases to have meaning. All laws of physics become irrelevant. Death is the opposite of time.

What dies? Is anything actually destroyed? Certainly not the body, which falls into its constituent parts of water and chemicals. That is mere transformation, not destruction. What of the mind? Does it cease to function, or does it make a transition to another existence? We don’t know for sure, and few can come up with anything conclusive.

What dies? Nothing of the person dies in the sense that the constituent parts are totally blasted from all existence. What dies is merely the identity, the identification of a collection of parts that we called a person. Each one of us is a role, like some shaman wearing layers of robes with innumerable fetishes of meaning. Only the clothes and decoration fall. What dies is only our human meaning. There is still someone naked underneath. Once we understand who that someone is, death no longer bothers us. Nor does time.

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TWENTY-FOUR HOURS A DAY #essentialsofrec #Recovery #Alcohol #Poision

A.A. Thought for the Day

Alcohol is poison to the alcoholic. Poison is not too strong a word, because alcoholism leads eventually to the death of the alcoholic. It may be a quick death or a slow death. When we go by package stores and see various kinds of liquor all dressed up in fancy packages to make it look attractive, we should always make it a point to say to ourselves so we’ll never forget it: “That stuffs all poison to me.” And it is. Alcohol poisoned our lives for a long time. Do I know that since I’m an alcoholic all liquor is poison to me?

Meditation for the Day

I must somehow find the means of coming nearer to God. That is what really matters. I must somehow seek the true bread of life, which is communion with Him. I must grasp for the truth at the center of all worship. This central truth is all that matters. All forms of worship have this communion with God as their purpose and goal.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may meet God in quiet communion. I pray that I may partake of the soul-food that God has provided for me.

© 1954, 1975, 1992 by Hazelden Foundation

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Just for today

Spiritual death

                      “For us, to use is to die, often in more ways than one.”

Basic Text, p. 82

––––=––––

As newcomers, many of us came to our first meeting with only a small spark of life remaining. That spark, our spirit, wants to survive. Narcotics Anonymous nurtures that spirit. The love of the fellowship quickly fans that spark into a flame. With the Twelve Steps and the love of other recovering addicts, we begin to blossom into that whole, vital human being our Higher Power intended us to be. We begin to enjoy life, finding purpose in our existence. Each day we choose to stay clean, our spirit is revitalized and our relationship with our God grows. Our spirit becomes stronger each day we choose life by staying clean.

Despite the fact that our new life in recovery is rewarding, the urge to use can sometimes be overwhelming. When everything in our lives seems to go wrong, a return to using can seem like the only way out. But we know what the consequence will be if we use—the loss of our carefully nurtured spirituality. We have traveled too far along the spiritual path to dishonor our spirit by using. Snuffing the spiritual flame we have worked so hard to restore in our recovery is too dear a price to pay for getting high.

––––=––––

Just for today: I am grateful that my spirit is strong and vital. Today, I will honor that spirit by staying clean.

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Today’s Gift #essentialsofrecovery

“Take it away at once,” stormed the Princess, stamping her tiny foot in its embroidered slipper. “I hate real flowers; their petals fall off and they die.”

—Hans Christian Andersen

If love is reserved for things that never die, love is doomed to die. If flowers fade in a minute or two, will not stones wear to sand in time? Even this earth, this garden of life, one day will be like the dust of stars. We must walk gratefully, carefully on it now. Now is the lifetime that passes here, now is the best of all days; now is the flower’s eternity in the sun, our chance of a lifetime.

This is all we have, this moment. Within it, anything can be done, any dream fulfilled, if we only use it well. Why hold back? There is nothing to stop us.

What can I do to use this moment well? 

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As Bill Sees It #essentialsofrecovery

Life Is Not A Dead End, p. 85

When a man or a woman has a spiritual awakening, the most important meaning of it is that he has now become able to do, feel, and believe that which he could not do before on his unaided strength and resources alone. He has been granted a gift which amounts to a new state of consciousness and being.

He has been set on a path which tells him he is really going somewhere, that life is not a dead end, not something to be endured or mastered. In a very real sense he has been transformed, because he has laid hold of a source of strength which he had hitherto denied himself.

12 & 12 pp. 106-107 

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Daily TAO /048 - DEATH #essentialsofrecovery

Death is

The opposite

Of time.

We give death metaphors. We cloak it in meaning and make up stories about what will happen to us, but we don’t really know. When a person dies, we cannot see beyond the corpse. We speculate on reincarnation or talk in terms of eternity. But death is opaque to us, a mystery. In its realm, time ceases to have meaning. All laws of physics become irrelevant. Death is the opposite of time

What dies? Is anything actually destroyed? Certainly not the body, which falls into its constituent parts of water and chemicals. That is mere transformation, not destruction. What of the mind? Does it cease to function, or does it make a transition to another existence? We don’t know for sure, and few can come up with anything conclusive.

What dies? Nothing of the person dies in the sense that the constituent parts are totally blasted from all existence. What dies is merely the identity, the identification of a collection of parts that we called a person. Each one of us is a role, like some shaman wearing layers of robes with innumerable fetishes of meaning. Only the clothes and decoration fall. What dies is only our human meaning. There is still someone naked underneath. Once we understand who that someone is, death no longer bothers us. Nor does time.

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The Eye Opener #essentialsofrecovery

All men eventually die; it might be said that we live to die. The way we die is usually the way we live. Dying is the last thing we do on this earth, but certainly we do not live just to die. Living would not be worthwhile if that were so.

The only worthwhile purpose of living is that those whose lives we come in contact with will be enriched thereby. If you live so that others will live more abundantly, then you are performing the purpose of your little life.

Copyright Hazelden Foundation

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Just For Today #essentialsofrecovery

Facing Death


“Often we have to face some type of crisis during our recovery, such as the death of a loved one…”

Basic Text, p. 98

Every life has a beginning and an end. However, when someone we love a great deal reaches the end of their life, we may have a very hard time accepting their sudden, final absence. Our grief may be so powerful that we fear it will completely overwhelm us – but it will not. Our sorrow may hurt more than anything we can remember, but it will pass.
We need not run from the emotions that may arise from the death of a loved one. Death and grieving are parts of the fullness of living “life on life’s terms.” By allowing ourselves the freedom to experience these feelings, we partake more deeply of both our recovery and our human nature.

Sometimes the reality of another’s death makes our own mortality that much more pronounced. We reevaluate our priorities, appreciating the loved ones still with us all the more. Our life, and our life with them, will not go on forever. We want to make the most of what’s most important while it lasts.

We might find that the death of someone we love helps strengthen our conscious contact with our Higher Power. If we remember that we can always turn to that source of strength when we are troubled, we will be able to stay focused on it no matter what may be going on around us.

Just for today: I will accept the loss of one I love and turn to my Higher Power for the strength to accept my feelings. I will make the most of my love for those in my life today.

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Father Leo’s Daily Meditation #essentialsofrecovery

“It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live.”

–Marcus Aurelius

For years I did not live I simply existed. What many people take for granted I did not have: friends, vacations, job satisfaction, gratitude, family, communication and love of self. An aspect of my disease, my denial, was that I thought I was happy without having any evidence for such a feeling. Indeed, my lifestyle indicated progressive isolation. That’s illusion. A recovering alcoholic priest shared that early in recovery he saw a sunset and remarked, “How long has that been happening?” Like him, I missed so much!

Life is to be lived or endured. My spiritual recovery means that every day I reach out to life and grasp it, hold it, smell it–and smile.

God of life, let me live today. Let my “high” be the glory of the day.

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Twenty-Four Hours A Day #essentialsofrecovery

A.A. Thought For The Day
We have this choice every day of our lives. We can take the path that leads to insanity and death. And remember, our next drunk could be our last one. Or we can take the path that leads to a reasonably happy and useful life. The choice is ours each day of our lives. God grant that we take the right path. Have I made my choice today?

Meditation For The Day

Your real work in life is to grow spiritually. To do this you must follow the path of diligently seeking good. The hidden spiritual wonders are revealed to those who diligently seek this treasure. From one point to the next, you have to follow the way of obedience to God’s will until finally you reach greater and greater spiritual heights. Work on the material plane should be secondary to your real life’s work. The material things that you need most are those that help you to attain the spiritual.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that I may keep growing spiritually. I pray that I may make this my real life’s work.

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ELDER'S MEDITATION OF THE DAY #essentialsofrecovery

"There is no death. Only a change of worlds.”

~ Chief Seattle, SUQWAMISH AND DUWAMISH ~

The Elders tell us of the other dimension, the Spirit World. Our spirit in our bodies does not die, it only looks that way to our eyes and our brains. Some of our ceremonies allow us to see into the Spirit World. Death is only part of a process of life. It shows the transition into the Spirit World. The Elders tell us this is a joyful life journey.

My Creator, help me to understand both the seen world and the unseen world. Let me not be afraid of the world You live in. 

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ELDER'S MEDITATION OF THE DAY #essentialsofrecovery

“Our circle is timeless, flowing, it is a new life emerging from death-life winning out over death.”

~ Lame Deer, LAKOTA ~

When we look at the world in the manner which the Great Spirit designed it, we can see why it makes sense to live in harmony with it: the trees grow and bear fruit, the fruit has seeds, the seeds fall to the ground, the ground grows new trees, old trees die to make way for the young. Any time we think we can interrupt this cycle or change it we will experience turmoil and confusion. The Human Cycle exists as the baby becomes the youth, the youth becomes the adult, the adult has children, the adult becomes the Elder, and the Elder teaches the youth. Elders go on to the Spirit World. Spirit comes into babies to produce new life. Flow into the flow. Be the path of least resistance.

My Creator and my Maker, today, teach me to just flow with the river of life. 

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A WOMAN’S SPIRIT #essentialsofrecovery

Death, I now see, may not come when I am eighty-five and weary…. It will come whenever it damn well pleases.

~ Joyce Wadler 

Seldom do we pause to absorb the fact of our mortality thoroughly. The unexpected death of an acquaintance can shock us into this realization, but it’s far better to remember that all we have is now.

Using this recovery program to guide our thinking and our behavior helps us live more in this moment. The slogan “One day at a time” specifically addresses our need to be here, now. Deciding that our destiny is in the reliable hands of our Higher Power gives us a respite from worrying about the future. The miracle of our specific recovery, particularly in light of all those who don’t receive the gift, should convince us that our journey is by design. So is our death.

I have today. I’ll make the most of it and leave the future to God.

© 1994 by Hazelden Foundation 

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Keep It Simple #essentialsofrecovery

The distance doesn’t matter; only the first step is difficult.
—Mme. Marquise du Deffand

During our addiction, we were on a path leading to death—death of our spirit, mind, and body.

On that path, we tried not to think about where it would lead. We didn’t want to get there. We just followed the path toward death, with one drink, pill, snort or toke at a time.

Now we’ve chosen a new path for our lives. Making that choice was hard. We knew only the old path. We were afraid to change. But we did it. That was the hardest part.

We are excited to follow our new path. We know it leads to good things. We can follow the map—the Twelve Steps—and enjoy the trip. It will last as long as we live, and the map will guide us.

Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, thanks for helping me choose the path of life.

Action for the Day: Today: I’ll study the map for my life by reading the Twelve Steps 

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