Just for today

Fulfilling our dreams

“Dreams that we gave up long ago can now become realities.”

Basic Text, p. 71

––––=––––

All things begin with a dream. But how many of us fulfilled our dreams while using? Even if we managed to complete something we had started, our addiction usually robbed us of any pride in our accomplishment. Perhaps when we used, we dreamed of the day when we would be clean. That day has come. We can use this day to make our dreams come true.

To fulfill our dreams we must take action, but our lack of self-confidence may keep us from trying. We can begin by setting realistic goals. The success we experience when we attain our initial goals allows us to dream bigger dreams the next time around.

Some of our members share that when they compare the ambitions they had when they first got clean with what they have actually achieved in recovery, they are astounded. In recovery, we often find more dreams come true than we could ever have imagined.

––––=––––

Just for today: I will remember that all things begin with a dream. Today, I will allow myself to make my dreams come true.

Today’s Gift - May 13 2026

Talent–I don’t know what that is. It’s will. You dream a dream and then you build it.

—Philippe Petit

Even the most accomplished pianists begin at some point by playing simple scales and exercises. With daily practice, their hands learn to find the correct notes and become limber enough to play well. They learn each new piece of music very slowly at first, until, with study and practice, they can play almost without effort.

In the beginning, the pianist only dreams of being an accomplished musician. This dream helps the artist through many hours of practice and study.

Talent is really the combination of a dream and the time spent building it. We develop our ability by devoting time to the skills that interest us. Like the musician, we become talented through daily practice – the daily building of a dream. By developing our talents, we develop who we are.

Who am I becoming today?

One Day At A Time - 8th September 2025

DREAMS


“You’ve got to have a dream in order to make a dream come true.”

Oscar Hammerstein II

Since first hearing this saying many years ago, I have come to believe in it. I have always had the dream of being happy, healthy, helpful and whole, but it wasn’t until I found this program (or it found me) that I am learning I can have all of these things. Through the program I am being shown a way to achieve them.

When I first joined the program, I just wanted to lose weight. But as I continue to understand and learn about the program, my dream is slowly coming true. It’s a slow path for me right now, but as long as I keep the dream alive in my mind, heart and soul, I know I’ll be able to accomplish it one day at a time!

One day at a time…
I ask my Higher Power to keep me on the right path toward my dream of being happy, healthy, helpful and whole. And right now, in this moment, I am grateful for my dream and for the opportunity to fulfill it.

~ Lorraine ~  

FR. LEO'S DAILY MEDITATION #essentialsofrecovery

DREAMS

If one advances confidently in the direction of one’s dreams and endeavors to live the life which one has imagined, one will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.”

~ Henry David Thoreau 

Drugs brought me nightmares, never dreams. For years, I lived in fear. In the night, I imagined horrible shapes, strange colors and sounds, experienced unspeakable tortures, and awoke in tension and sweat.

Today in sobriety, my dreams are serene and tranquil. I remember friends, loved ones, and those I most admire. I imagine God in the beauty of Creation.

God breathes love through me. My dreams are part of my wellness.

God, who created people to dream their dreams, help me live mine.

© 2008 Leo Booth 

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A WOMAN’S SPIRIT #essentialsofrec #Recovery #Women #Miracles

Absolute miracles happen when I can trust enough and be vulnerable enough to get honest feelings out of my mouth to another person.

~ Kathy Kendall 

Seldom do we know in detail what we or others need at any moment. All of us harbor desires and dreams, but they are frequently fanciful and motivated by our not-so-healthy egos.

Nevertheless, we want to grow and that’s good. We want to feel more secure in our journey. We will have made real progress when we have learned to trust that what we need is contained in every experience, every conversation.

We are miracle makers, each of us. Though much that happens between us seems unimportant, none of it is accidental. We can’t be sure what information is needed by our sister travelers. We can know only that God has brought us together. If we share with honesty and genuine compassion, we participate in God’s plan.

I can trigger a miracle in someone else’s life today by being honest and compassionate in every shared experience.

© 1994 by Hazelden Foundation

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One Day At A Time #essentialsofrecovery

DREAMS


“You’ve got to have a dream in order to make a dream come true.”

Oscar Hammerstein II

Since first hearing this saying many years ago, I have come to believe in it. I have always had the dream of being happy, healthy, helpful and whole, but it wasn’t until I found this program (or it found me) that I am learning I can have all of these things. Through the program I am being shown a way to achieve them.

When I first joined the program, I just wanted to lose weight. But as I continue to understand and learn about the program, my dream is slowly coming true. It’s a slow path for me right now, but as long as I keep the dream alive in my mind, heart and soul, I know I’ll be able to accomplish it one day at a time!

One day at a time…
I ask my Higher Power to keep me on the right path toward my dream of being happy, healthy, helpful and whole. And right now, in this moment, I am grateful for my dream and for the opportunity to fulfill it.

~ Lorraine ~ 

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Just For Today #essentialsofrec #Dreams #NA

 Fulfilling Our Dreams

“Dreams that we gave up long ago can now become realities.” 

Basic Text, p. 68

All things begin with a dream. But how many of us fulfilled our dreams while using? Even if we managed to complete something we had started, our addiction usually robbed us of any pride in our accomplishment. Perhaps when we used, we dreamed of the day when we would be clean. That day has come. We can use this day to make our dreams come true. To fulfill our dreams we must take action, but our lack of self confidence may keep us from trying. We can begin by setting realistic goals.

The success we experience when we attain our initial goals allows us to dream bigger dreams the next time around.Some of our members share that when they compare the ambitions they had when they first got clean with what they have actually achieved in recovery, they are astounded. In recovery, we often find more dreams come true than we could ever have imagined.

Just for today: I will remember that all things begin with a dream. Today, I will allow myself to make my dreams come true.

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Just For Today #essentialsofrec #NA

Using Our “Using Dreams”

“Do we fully accept the fact that our every attempt to stop using or to control our using failed?”

 Basic Text, p. 18

The room is dark. Your forehead is bathed in cold sweat. Your heart is racing. You open your eyes, sure that you’ve just blown your clean time. You’ve had a “using dream”, and it was just like being there-the people, the places, the routine, the sick feeling in your stomach, everything. It takes a few moments to realize it was just a nightmare, that it didn’t actually happen. Slowly, you settle down and return to sleep.

The next morning is the time to examine what really happened the night before. You didn’t use last night – but how close are you to using today? Do you have any illusions about your ability to control your using? Do you know, without a doubt, what would happen once you took the first drug? What stands between you and a real, live relapse? How strong is your program? Your relationships with your sponsor, your home group, and your Higher Power?

Using dreams don’t necessarily indicate a hole in our program; for a drug addict, there’s nothing more natural than to dream of using drugs. Some of us think of using dreams as gifts from our Higher Power, vividly reminding us of the insanity of active addiction and encouraging us to strengthen our recovery. Seen in that light, we can be grateful for using dreams. Frightening as they are, they can prove to be great blessings – if we use them to reinforce our recovery.

Just for today: I will examine my personal program. I will talk with my sponsor about what I find, and seek ways to strengthen my recovery.

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Walk In Dry Places #essentialsofrec #Recovery #Objectives

The Possible Dream
Reaching objectives.

Although we hear people ridicule the practice of daydreaming, we also hear them express admiration for people who pursued and realized their dreams. How do we know when we are pursing the right dreams?

Useful, effective dreams may seem farfetched, but they still have a possibility of fulfillment. In some ways, they’re tied to what we can do if we have the right opportunities and use our talents properly.

Fantasies, or useless dreams, can never happen. Fantasies are often based on our past and how it might have been different. It’s also useless to fantasize about feats that are completely beyond anything we could ever do. These dreams are a waste of time and energy.

What’s exciting, however, is that very person can find dreams that are possible and based on reality. It’s important to pursue these dreams and bring them into realization.

I’ll keep my realistic dreams very much alive today, knowing they’re the patterns I need for reaching my long-term objectives. 

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Keep It Simple #essentialsofrec #Recovery

I have a dream.

~Martin Luther King Jr.


During our addiction, maybe we dreamed of joy and laughter with our family—only to find tears and anger. Maybe we dreamed of respect at our job—only to be fired. Our dreams began to feel like burdens. We had lost hope.
With recovery, the hope starts to return. We start to trust ourselves again. We start to trust others again. We start to trust in our Higher Power. Over time, we even dare to dream again. In our dreams, we are loving people. We have something to offer others. We are not scared. This is a sign that hope is returning. We fall in love again with the world, our Higher Power, and ourselves.

Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, thank-you for giving back my future. Thank-you for giving back my dreams.
Action for the Day: Today, I’ll tell my dreams to a friend. Do my future dreams include improving myself through the program? 

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FR.LEO'S DAILY MEDITATION #essentialsofrec #Dreams #Fear

DREAMS

“If one advances confidently in the direction of one’s dreams and endeavors to live the life which one has imagined, one will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.”

~ Henry David Thoreau ~

Drugs brought me nightmares, never dreams. For years, I lived in fear. In the night, I imagined horrible shapes, strange colors and sounds, experienced unspeakable tortures, and awoke in tension and sweat.

Today in sobriety, my dreams are serene and tranquil. I remember friends, loved ones, and those I most admire. I imagine God in the beauty of Creation.

God breathes love through me. My dreams are part of my wellness.

God, who created people to dream their dreams, help me live mine.

© 2008 Leo Booth

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Or Follow Us On Twitter #essentialsofrec

One Day At A Time #essentialsofrecovery

DREAMS


“You’ve got to have a dream in order to make a dream come true.”

Oscar Hammerstein II

Since first hearing this saying many years ago, I have come to believe in it. I have always had the dream of being happy, healthy, helpful and whole, but it wasn’t until I found this program (or it found me) that I am learning I can have all of these things. Through the program I am being shown a way to achieve them.

When I first joined the program, I just wanted to lose weight. But as I continue to understand and learn about the program, my dream is slowly coming true. It’s a slow path for me right now, but as long as I keep the dream alive in my mind, heart and soul, I know I’ll be able to accomplish it one day at a time!

One day at a time…
I ask my Higher Power to keep me on the right path toward my dream of being happy, healthy, helpful and whole. And right now, in this moment, I am grateful for my dream and for the opportunity to fulfill it.

~ Lorraine ~ 

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Or Follow Us On Twitter #essentialsofrecovery

One Day At A Time #essentialsofrecovery

DREAMS


“You’ve got to have a dream in order to make a dream come true.”

Oscar Hammerstein II

Since first hearing this saying many years ago, I have come to believe in it. I have always had the dream of being happy, healthy, helpful and whole, but it wasn’t until I found this program (or it found me) that I am learning I can have all of these things. Through the program I am being shown a way to achieve them.

When I first joined the program, I just wanted to lose weight. But as I continue to understand and learn about the program, my dream is slowly coming true. It’s a slow path for me right now, but as long as I keep the dream alive in my mind, heart and soul, I know I’ll be able to accomplish it one day at a time!

One day at a time…
I ask my Higher Power to keep me on the right path toward my dream of being happy, healthy, helpful and whole. And right now, in this moment, I am grateful for my dream and for the opportunity to fulfill it.

~ Lorraine ~

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One Day At A Time #essentialsofrecovery

DREAMS


“You’ve got to have a dream in order to make a dream come true.”

Oscar Hammerstein II

Since first hearing this saying many years ago, I have come to believe in it. I have always had the dream of being happy, healthy, helpful and whole, but it wasn’t until I found this program (or it found me) that I am learning I can have all of these things. Through the program I am being shown a way to achieve them.

When I first joined the program, I just wanted to lose weight. But as I continue to understand and learn about the program, my dream is slowly coming true. It’s a slow path for me right now, but as long as I keep the dream alive in my mind, heart and soul, I know I’ll be able to accomplish it one day at a time!

One day at a time…
I ask my Higher Power to keep me on the right path toward my dream of being happy, healthy, helpful and whole. And right now, in this moment, I am grateful for my dream and for the opportunity to fulfill it.

~ Lorraine ~ 

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Today’s Gift #essentialsofrecovery

I have spread my dreams under your feet;  Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.

—William Butler Yeats

When we hold a piece of crystal to the light, it paints rainbows on the wall. When we tap it lightly with a spoon, it sings like a bell. But when we drop it, it shatters in colorless, silent pieces on the floor.

Human beings, sometimes to our amazement, can be as fragile as glass. It’s especially easy to forget what makes people we live with or have known for a long time shine or sing. We take for granted the very qualities that made us love them in the first place.

When we forget how to see and hear the people we love, how to appreciate them, we grow careless. Too often, from sheer neglect, the relationship between us grows dull and silent, then slips, falls, and shatters. Paying attention to other people’s needs and feelings can prevent this.

Whose presence can I appreciate today? 

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Today's Gift #essentialsofrecovery

Hold fast to dreams, For if dreams die, Life is a broken-winged bird That cannot fly

—Langston Hughes

Watching birds spread their wings and soar can remind us of the best in ourselves. In joyful moments we all feel our own desire to fly, to reach toward what we dream of doing.

Our dreams give us a direction to fly. Birds fly toward the light for joy, toward green leaves for shelter, to water and berries for food. In the same way, our dreams direct us to the course of our own joy, shelter, and nourishment.

Sometimes as we fly, we bump into disappointments. They may temporarily stun us or slow us down. But just like birds that are occasionally wounded, we can heal ourselves and fly again. We can choose to not let the hardships of life break our spirited wings. Rather, we can keep spreading our wings, soaring in the spirit of joy.

Am I flying today, or must I heal a wound first? 

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KEEP IT SIMPLE #essentialsofrecovery

Hold fast to dreams for if dreams die, life is broken winged bird that cannot fly.

~ Langston Hughes ~

Many of our dreams died as our addiction got worse. We felt the loss but couldn’t speak it. With recovery, we regain our ability to dream. Dreams of sharing our lives with family and friends return. They push out thoughts of getting high. Dreams of pride and self-respect reappear. They replace the awful feeling of shame.

Like the quote above says, “Hold fast to dreams….” Our dreams are our wishes for the future. They hold a picture of who we want to be. In our dreams, we let our spirits soar. Often, we fell close to God, others and ourselves. Thanks God, we can dream again.

Prayer for the Day:

Higher Power, thanks to you, my wings have been mended. Guide me as I fly.

Action for the Day:

Today, I’ll take time out to dream and share my dream with those I love.

Copyright © 1988 by Hazelden Foundation 

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One Day At A Time #essentialsofrecovery

DREAMS


“You’ve got to have a dream in order to make a dream come true.”

Oscar Hammerstein II

Since first hearing this saying many years ago, I have come to believe in it. I have always had the dream of being happy, healthy, helpful and whole, but it wasn’t until I found this program (or it found me) that I am learning I can have all of these things. Through the program I am being shown a way to achieve them.

When I first joined the program, I just wanted to lose weight. But as I continue to understand and learn about the program, my dream is slowly coming true. It’s a slow path for me right now, but as long as I keep the dream alive in my mind, heart and soul, I know I’ll be able to accomplish it one day at a time!

One day at a time…
I ask my Higher Power to keep me on the right path toward my dream of being happy, healthy, helpful and whole. And right now, in this moment, I am grateful for my dream and for the opportunity to fulfill it.

~ Lorraine ~

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Or Follow Us On Twitter #essentialsofrecovery

One Day At A Time #essentialsofrecovery

DREAMS


“You’ve got to have a dream in order to make a dream come true.”

Oscar Hammerstein II

Since first hearing this saying many years ago, I have come to believe in it. I have always had the dream of being happy, healthy, helpful and whole, but it wasn’t until I found this program (or it found me) that I am learning I can have all of these things. Through the program I am being shown a way to achieve them.

When I first joined the program, I just wanted to lose weight. But as I continue to understand and learn about the program, my dream is slowly coming true. It’s a slow path for me right now, but as long as I keep the dream alive in my mind, heart and soul, I know I’ll be able to accomplish it one day at a time!

One day at a time…
I ask my Higher Power to keep me on the right path toward my dream of being happy, healthy, helpful and whole. And right now, in this moment, I am grateful for my dream and for the opportunity to fulfill it.

~ Lorraine ~

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Or Follow Us On Twitter #essentialsofrecovery

One Day At A Time #essentialsofrecovery

DREAMS


“You’ve got to have a dream in order to make a dream come true.”

Oscar Hammerstein II

Since first hearing this saying many years ago, I have come to believe in it. I have always had the dream of being happy, healthy, helpful and whole, but it wasn’t until I found this program (or it found me) that I am learning I can have all of these things. Through the program I am being shown a way to achieve them.

When I first joined the program, I just wanted to lose weight. But as I continue to understand and learn about the program, my dream is slowly coming true. It’s a slow path for me right now, but as long as I keep the dream alive in my mind, heart and soul, I know I’ll be able to accomplish it one day at a time!

One day at a time…
I ask my Higher Power to keep me on the right path toward my dream of being happy, healthy, helpful and whole. And right now, in this moment, I am grateful for my dream and for the opportunity to fulfill it.

~ Lorraine ~ 

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