Walk in Dry Places - May 7 2026

Did I have a dysfunctional family?
Healing the Past.

We hear much about the long-term effects of growing up in a dysfunctional family. Many alcoholics, in fact, have bitter memories of their own parents’ drinking, and may feel this caused needless deprivation and misery.
Whether our families were dysfunctional or not, we must agree that most of our parents did the best they could. We cannot bring back the past—- nor can they, —-and it is best released, forgiven, and forgotten. Our wisest course is to use the tools of the program to reach the maturity and well-being that will bring happiness into our own lives. This will not happen, however, if we believe that growing up in a dysfunctional home has left us permanently impaired.
In our fellowship, we can find endless examples of people who used the Twelve Steps to overcome all kinds of emotional and physical disabilities. Just when we start thinking something in our past is a permanent handicap, we meet other people who survived the same bitter experiences and are living life to the fullest. They’ve cleared away the wreckage of their past in order to build wisely for the future.


I’ll remember today that I am not bound or limited by anything that was ever done or said to me. I face the day with self-confidence and a sense of expectancy, knowing that I am really a fortunate person with many reasons to be grateful.

Daily Reflections - May 1 2026

HEALING HEART AND MIND

Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being
the exact nature of our wrongs.

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 55

Since it is true that God comes to me through people, I can
see that by keeping people at a distance I also keep God at
a distance. God is nearer to me than I think and I can
experience Him by loving people and allowing people to love
me. But I can neither love nor be loved if I allow my secrets
to get in the way.
It’s the side of myself that I refuse to look at that rules
me. I must be willing to look at the dark side in order to
heal my mind and heart because that is the road to freedom.
I must walk into darkness to find the light and walk into fear
to find peace.
By revealing my secrets – and thereby ridding myself of guilt

– I can actually change my thinking; by altering my thinking,
I can change myself. My thoughts create my future. 

What I will be tomorrow is determined by what I think today.

A WOMAN’S SPIRIT - - April 24 2026

Healing is learning to trust my own wisdom, my own intuition.
~ Mary Zink ~

Being insecure is common with our disease. Some think insecurity triggered our abuse of chemicals. Yet it doesn’t matter which came first, the chemical abuse or the insecurity. They were good partners for years. Unfortunately, the partnership left us bankrupt!

Getting into recovery is like putting money in the bank. Working the Steps, going to meetings, getting a sponsor, being a sponsor, and taking time every day to commune with our Higher Power are I he deposits we make in our account. When we hit u rough spot, we have something to fall back on.

Believing that we can think clearly about the important matters in our lives is concrete progress. Our confidence about handling problems is growing. In time, what used to baffle us no longer will.

I am wise. I’ll know what to do today in every situation if I open my heart to my Higher Power.

© 1994 by Hazelden Foundation

A WOMAN’S SPIRIT #essentialsofrecovery

Healing can occur when I see my family of origin as just a vessel to bring me into new spiritual growth, rather than as the predictor of all my life’s work.

~ Judi Hollis ~

Traumatic experiences often teach us the most. This surprises us at first: How could the pain have had value? How could God have allowed it? It’s futile to ponder these questions. We experienced what was necessary to fulfill our life’s purpose. We are doing so now.

Many of us came from punishing families. Our successes were ignored, our failures held up for ridicule. How we functioned in our families gave us opportunities to fail so we could then appreciate success, to experience pain so we could understand compassion, to know regret so we could nurture forgiveness. Our families educated us. What we do with what we learned determines where we go now.

Every day I am embarking on an adventure. What I do with my experiences today can be a positive reaction to what I learned from the past.

© 1994 by Hazelden Foundation 

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Today’s Gift #essentialsofrec #Healing #Recovery

Caring is everything; nothing matters but caring.

—Baron Friedrich Von Hugel

The caring we receive from someone we love when we’re sick can heal us just as much as the medicine we take. For children, Mom is usually the one who makes sure we get enough rest by having us stay in bed. By bringing us juice and aspirins she helps us keep our fevers down. She also lifts our spirits when she tells us a funny story.

Perhaps the next time a loved one is sick we can do the special and caring things. We can bring a favorite magazine or a cold glass of water, tell a joke, or just sit and be there for a while. Whether the sick person is a parent or a brother or sister, when we help care for another, we complete a circle of caring begun by a parent so long ago.

Does someone need my care today?

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Keep It Simple #Pain #essentialsofrec #Healing

Many of us as children, were taught to hide our pain, to act as if we had none. We look for ways to hide our pain. Alcohol and other drugs helped us do this. But the pain always returned. We were ashamed that we hurt. We thought we were the only one who hurt so badly. and, worst of all, we
thought our pain meant we were bad people. Ours is a program of honesty. As we live life, there will be troubles, and there will be pain. But now we know that we don’t try to hide it. If we hide our wounds, they will not heal. We will listen to others pain and ask them to listen to ours. This will help us continue our journey in recovery.
Prayer for the Day: God, help me be honest about my pain. Help me see pain not as a personal defect, but as a part of life.


Action for the Day: I’ll share my pain with a friend, a family member, my group, or sponsor. I’ll ask them to do the same with me. I’ll think of pain as part of life.

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ONE DAY AT A TIME #essentialsofrec #Recovery #OA

WORDS
“Handle them carefully …for words have more power than atom bombs.”
~ Pearl Strachan Hurd ~

A friend wrote to me tonight about the “healing power of words” I began to think about that and she was right. Words can truly heal. I thought back to times in my life when the right word at the right time by the right person made an enormous difference in my life. I also thought of the times when words devastated me.

Many times I get busy and don’t think about what I’m going to say and words come out and in my “busyness” of the moment, I don’t realize they could have a double meaning. It is afterwards … many times days afterwards …. that I realize my choice of words were inappropriate. We speak and listen to tens of millions of words in our lifetime and, perhaps, we need to weigh the words we use more carefully. I hope, however, that I don’t ever find myself saying words to others I don’t mean or out of fear restrict words that need to be said.

Although this British politician of the 1930s, Pearl Strachan Hurd, said that words have more power than atom bombs, there is something that I find even more powerful. Silence. Silence when there should be words can hurt. Silence when someone should have the courage to speak harms. I tend to think of silence as the ultimate insult. And yet some of the most beautiful words ever spoken to me were the silent ones.

One day at a time…
Let me choose my words carefully but not so carefully that I become callous. Let me use words to heal and not hurt; to make things better and not worse; to express feelings, even negative feelings to and about others, kindly … courageously … carefully.

~ Mari ~

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A WOMAN’S SPIRIT #essentialsofrec #Problems #Spirit #Women

When we loosen our grasp on our concerns, there is room for the spiritual essence of all life to move through us in such a way that healing occurs.

              ~ Carol Sheffield ~

When we stay focused on a problem, we exaggerate it. The solution can’t reach us when the mind isn’t free to accept it. What we must do is develop the desire and the skill to release all thoughts from our mind. Then and only then can we be receptive to the spiritual solutions that reside within.

This recovery program, with its Steps and slogans and principles can reeducate us. We are up to the challenge. It’s human nature to hang on to old ideas, old ways of doing things. But we are growing, perhaps in spite of ourselves, and our old methods don’t live up to current demands. It’s time to trust what our sponsors tell us. Release the grip on a problem, any problem. The answer will come.

I will not be caught in a problem today if I am quiet and ready for the solution. Stillness engulfs me now.

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AROUND THE YEAR WITH EMMET FOX #essentialsofrec #Treatment #Power

PRAYER AS TREATMENT

Treatment is a psycho-spiritual term that means knowing the spiritual truth about any person or situation.

If, like most people, you believe that appearances are realities and that they cannot be changed, then you cannot give a treatment. But if you believe that the Bible is right when it says,

For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he . . . (Proverbs 23:7).

Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment (John 7:24).

Then it is in your power to change anything for the better and to heal most things.

Begin every treatment (No matter how many you may give) by saying:

I can overcome this difficulty.

© 1931 by Emmet Fox

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A WOMAN’S SPIRIT #essentialsofre #Growth #Healing

Healing can occur when I see my family of origin as just a vessel to bring me into new spiritual growth, rather than as the predictor of all my life’s work.

~ Judi Hollis 

Traumatic experiences often teach us the most. This surprises us at first: How could the pain have had value? How could God have allowed it? It’s futile to ponder these questions. We experienced what was necessary to fulfill our life’s purpose. We are doing so now.

Many of us came from punishing families. Our successes were ignored, our failures held up for ridicule. How we functioned in our families gave us opportunities to fail so we could then appreciate success, to experience pain so we could understand compassion, to know regret so we could nurture forgiveness. Our families educated us. What we do with what we learned determines where we go now.

Every day I am embarking on an adventure. What I do with my experiences today can be a positive reaction to what I learned from the past.

© 1994 by Hazelden Foundation

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One Day At A Time #essentialsofrecovery

LOOKING AT THE STARS

“We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.”

Oscar Wilde

Before I made the Twelve Steps part of my life, I considered myself to have been in the gutter. My weight had doubled, I was in a major depression, and I was going through the motions of life. Those looking at me from afar saw only a perfect marriage, a perfect career, a perfect home, and perfect children. Although I was blessed, the disease I suffered from day in and day out made it quite obvious to anyone who truly knew me that I was not “looking at the stars.” It took my first sponsor to start the healing process for me.

As I began to work Steps One, Two and Three, I felt “different.” Nothing had changed . . . everything had changed. It’s hard to describe because outwardly I looked the same … but my entire being opened up. Weight began to come off because I was able to focus on a plan of eating. I found my feelings returned … the ability to love and accept love came back. My spirituality blossomed once again. I truly felt alive.

One day at a time…
I want to remember each time I find myself in the gutter and giving up hope … to look at the stars … and remember that my program works if I will just work it.
~ Mari 

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Keep It Simple #essentialsofrecovery

Forgiveness is all-powerful. Forgiveness heals all ills.

—Catherine Ponder

We need to forgive so we can heal. Forgiveness means not wanting to get even. Forgiveness means letting go of self-will. Anger and hate are forms of self-will take up room in our heart. Yet, a still, small voice inside of us wants to forgive. Just as others have forgiven us, we need to forgive them. When we forgive, we give our will to our Higher Power. When we forgive, we make room in our heart for our Higher Power. By giving up our anger and our hate, we let that still, small voice come through a little louder. This is how we heal. This is why forgiving is so powerful for us.

Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me let go of self-will. Help me forgive people.

Action for the Day: I will list any anger or hate I have. I will think about how this gets in my way, and I’ll pray to have this removed. 

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Daily Reflections #essentialsofrecovery

HEALING HEART AND MIND

Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 55

Since it is true that God comes to me through people, I can see that by keeping people at a distance I also keep God at a distance. God is nearer to me than I think and I can experience Him by loving people and allowing people to love me. But I can neither love nor be loved if I allow my secrets to get in the way.

It’s the side of myself that I refuse to look at that rules me. I must be willing to look at the dark side in order to heal my mind and heart because that is the road to freedom.  I must walk into darkness to find the light and walk into fear to find peace.

By revealing my secrets – and thereby ridding myself of guilt – I can actually change my thinking; by altering my thinking, I can change myself. My thoughts create my future. What I will be tomorrow is determined by what I think today. 

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AS BILL SEES IT #essentialsofrecovery

~ Page 102 ~

Healing Talk

When we consult an A.A. friend, we should not be reluctant to remind him of our need for full privacy. Intimate communication is normally so free and easy among us that an A.A. adviser may sometimes forget when we expect him to remain silent. The protective sanctity of this most healing of human relations ought never be violated.

Such privileged communications have priceless advantages. We find in them the perfect opportunity to be as honest as we know how to be. We do not have to think of the possibility of damage to other people, nor need we fear ridicule or condemnation. Here, too, we have the best possible chance of spotting self-deception.

~ GRAPEVINE, AUGUST 1961 ~

© 1967 by Alcoholics Anonymous ® World Services, Inc 

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Buddhist Meditation Music for Positive Energy: "Inner Self", Buddhist music, healing music

As Bill Sees It #essentialsofrecovery

Healing Talk, p. 102

When we consult an A.A. friend, we should not be reluctant to remind him of our need for full privacy. Intimate communication is normally so free and easy among us that an A.A. adviser may sometimes forget when we expect him to remain silent. The protective sanctity of this most healing of human relations ought never be violated.

Such privileged communications have priceless advantages. We find in them the perfect opportunity to be as honest as we know how to be. We do not have to think of the possibility of damage to other people, nor need we fear ridicule or condemnation. Here, too, we have the best possible chance of spotting self-deception.

Grapevine, August 1961

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As Bill Sees It #essentialsofrecovery

The Language of the Heart, p. 195

Why, at this particular point in history, has God chosen to communicate His healing grace to so many of us? Every aspect of this global unfoldment can be related to a single crucial word. The word is “communication.” There has been a lifesaving communication among ourselves, with the world around us, and with God.

From the beginning, communication in A.A. has been no ordinary transmission of helpful ideas and attitudes. Because of our kinship in suffering, and because our common means of deliverance are effective for ourselves only when constantly carried to others, our channels of contact have always been charged with the language of the heart.

A.A. Today, pp. 7-8 

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KEEP IT SIMPLE #essentialsofrecovery

Do not cat down the tree that gives you shade.

~ Arabian proverb 

We need to remember what got us well. The Twelve Steps heal us. The meetings we attend heal us. Reading and listening to program tapes heal us. Talking with our sponsor heals us. The time we spend with program friends heals us.

Sometimes we’re pressed for time. As a result, we have to make choices about how to use our time. We may think we know enough about the program. We may feel like cutting down on meetings. These are danger signs. We only know how to stay sober One Day at a Time: by working the Steps. Let’s not forget them as we grow in this program. It may seem like we’ve been recovering a long time, but we’re all beginners.

Prayer for the Day

Higher Power, I’ve found You in the program. Help me find ways to stay a “beginner” in the program.

Action for the Day

Today, I’ll take time to read the Twelve Steps. I’ll meditate on how much these Steps have given me.

Copyright © 1988 by Hazelden Foundation 

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DAILY TAO / 11 - Healing #essentialsofrecovery

Fire cools.
Water seeks its own level.

No matter how extreme a situation is, it will change. It cannot continue forever. Thus, a great forest fire is always destined to burn itself out; a turbulent sea will become calmer. Natural events balance themselves out by seeking their opposites, and this process of balance is at the heart of all healing.

This process takes time. If an event is not great, the balancing required is slight. If it is momentous, then it may take days, years, even lifetimes for things to return to an even keel. Actually, without these slight imbalances, there could be no movement in life. It is being off balance that keeps life changing. Total centering, total balance would only be stasis. All life is continual destruction and healing, over and over again.

That is why, even in the midst of an extreme situation, the wise are patient. Whether the situation is illness, calamity, or their own anger, they know that healing will follow upheaval. 

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A WOMAN’S SPIRIT #essentialsofrecovery

I always have a choice: to learn from the lessons life offers me or to retreat into my lonely victim role.

~ Charlotte Kasl ~

What a difference it makes in our journey to believe that every experience is an opportunity to grow and to heal the pain of being human. None of us travel this road unscathed. Our interactions are devastating on occasion, but we can survive them. And sharing how we did so can give other women hope and strength and healing when they most need it.

Luckily not every experience is hard or painful. Many moments every day are delightful. Sometimes the joy we feel and the laughter we share are simply the result of being grateful for our daily blessings. Our attitudes have far-reaching consequences in our lives. How we choose to interpret the actions of others determines how we feel. Our serenity doesn’t have to be dependent on others’ actions.

I will be as joyful as I choose today. If I’m willing to accept assistance, my Higher Power will help me make the choice.

© 1994 by Hazelden Foundation 

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