WALK IN DRY PLACES - April 17 2026

WE CAN’T GO HOME AGAIN

Living here and now

Despite all evidence that we must live for today, some of us persist in trying to recapture the past. We may be holding a few good memories that we would like to bring alive today. More likely, we may also be re-fighting old battles in the hope that this time we’ll come out winners.

But since change is taking place everywhere at every moment, we can never return to any previous place or time. Time does march on, and we are part of the parade. Whether we were winners or losers in the past, we can live only in the here and now.

The good news is that we can retain any lessons from the past and put them to use today. If we have scalding memories of twisted relationships, we can remind ourselves that growth and understanding now place us out of harm’s way. And if we remember the things that did turn our right even in the confused past, we can reflect that even greater good is possible today.

Our home is never in the past. It is in the time and place where we are today. As we make the best of it, all of our future homes in place and time will improve, for “in God’s house are many mansions.”

Accepting the value of all of its lessons, I will close the door firmly on the past, knowing that I must devote all of my interest and energies to the present moment.

© 1996 by Hazelden Foundation. All rights reserved.

ONE DAY AT A TIME #essentialsofrecovery

MEMORIES

Some memories are realities …
and are better than anything that can ever happen to one again.

~ Willa Cather 

When one is young, the world is large and the thought of exploring it is exciting. Each year that we live we add to our memory chest … and by middle age those memories are substantial. I have found as I have grown older that I remember more of the good things that have happened in my life than the bad. The good things seem to become sharper as time goes by … and the bad seem less so. It’s almost as though the memory has turned into a “feeling” rather than a specific event.

When I work on the fourth and the eighth Steps, my life flashes before me and, like one of those calendars from an old movie, time whizzes by and people who have been part of my life hurtle through space … each triggering a memory.

Memories aren’t made more poignant by time. One might think that a decade of recurring events might be remembered with more clarity than a year … but I have found in the case of my own memories that it is the quality and intensity of time that produces the kind of memories Willa Cather talks about. A year or two or three, given the right circumstances, can produce the feelings we love our memories to trigger, more than those experienced during a lifetime. And a lifetime of memories can be dwindled into just moments.

One Day at a Time . . .

I will cherish my memories ~ Because I may never experience the reality of some of them again.

~ Mari ~ 

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ONE DAY AT A TIME #essentialsofrec #memories #Step4 #Step8

MEMORIES

Some memories are realities …
and are better than anything that can ever happen to one again.

~ Willa Cather ~

When one is young, the world is large and the thought of exploring it is exciting. Each year that we live we add to our memory chest … and by middle age those memories are substantial. I have found as I have grown older that I remember more of the good things that have happened in my life than the bad. The good things seem to become sharper as time goes by … and the bad seem less so. It’s almost as though the memory has turned into a “feeling” rather than a specific event.

When I work on the fourth and the eighth Steps, my life flashes before me and, like one of those calendars from an old movie, time whizzes by and people who have been part of my life hurtle through space … each triggering a memory.

Memories aren’t made more poignant by time. One might think that a decade of recurring events might be remembered with more clarity than a year … but I have found in the case of my own memories that it is the quality and intensity of time that produces the kind of memories Willa Cather talks about. A year or two or three, given the right circumstances, can produce the feelings we love our memories to trigger, more than those experienced during a lifetime. And a lifetime of memories can be dwindled into just moments.

One Day at a Time . . .

I will cherish my memories ~ Because I may never experience the reality of some of them again.

~ Mari ~

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FR. LEO'S DAILY MEDITATION #essentialsofrecovery

MEMORIES

“History is the seedbed of the future.”
~ Leo Booth 

I talk about my drinking history because there is no gain without pain. To enjoy sobriety, I must share the reality of my disease. My pain is rooted in my history. I must live with my disease on a daily basis and be aware of the disease process in my life. This awareness requires a rigorously honest inventory of my past attitudes and behaviors. Ignorance is bliss for the disease of addiction!

Awareness and acceptance of my past are my treatment for today. My life has a history, and my spiritual program demands I understand it. While I do not wallow in the past, I recognize its influence on my present and how it informs my future.

Teach me to face my past so lean realistically live in today. 

© 2008 Leo Booth

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Father Leo’s Daily Meditation #essentialsofrecovery

MEMORY


“Every man’s memory is his private literature.”

– Aldous Huxley

What it was like. What happened. What it is like today. Memory. If I am to stay sober, I need to remember. I need to remember on a daily basis. I must never forget.

My life is reflected in my memory. The “writing on the wall” is really in my head, but am I prepared to see it and acknowledge it? For years I chose not to remember. I lived in a world of make-believe. People were exaggerating the facts! With denial at the center of my life I was able to forget the pain and drink again, only to awake to yesterday’s pain again.

My memory is the key to my recovery. Spirituality is about “seeing” — seeing my life as it is, rather than how I imagined or hoped it would be. My pain belongs in my life because it is mine! Alcohol always works; but does it work for me or against me? My remembering helps me answer that question today and hopefully tomorrow.

Thank You, God, for allowing my yesterdays to forge my tomorrows.

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WALK IN DRY PLACES #essentialsofrecovery

ERASING OLD TAPES

Living Today

The human brain works like a tape recorder. With great fidelity, this built-in recorder stores up old memories that are recalled at surprising times. There are two kinds of these “old tapes” that are dangerous to the recovering alcoholic.

One dangerous old tape is a bitter memory of an unkind word or cruel action that hurt us deeply. This kind of memory comes back to destroy our peace of mind or to intensify feelings of low self-esteem.

Equally dangerous is another old tape: the recollection of a drinking experience that may have seemed enjoyable. When we run an old tape of this kind, we are revealing that we still wish we could drink.

Our recovery program shows us how to erase these old tapes. Bitter memories and resentments can be erased by forgiving the people who hurt us. We can eliminate the desire to relive pleasure in drinking experiences by looking honestly at the total effect of alcohol on our lives. We cannot relive the past, but we can use the lessons of the past to make our lives what they can be today.

Today, I will not be troubled by anything from the past. I cannot change what happened five minutes ago, but I can refuse to entertain thoughts that will harm me.

© 1996 by Hazelden Foundation 

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KEEP IT SIMPLE #essentialsofrecovery

God gave us memory that we might have roses in December.

~ James M. Barrie ~

Do you remember what it was like to not have sobriety? Remember the shame? Remember the loneliness? Remember lying and wishing you could stop? Remember the powerlessness?

Do you remember, also, how it felt when you began to believe you had an illness? Your shame was lifted. Remember what it was like to look around at your meeting and know you belonged? Your loneliness was lifted. Remember when you family started to trust you again? Your dishonesty had been lifted.

Sobriety gives us many roses. Our memory will help to keep them fresh.

Prayer for the Day:

Higher Power, never let me forget what it was like. Why? Because I’m only one drink or pill away from losing You.

Action for the Day:

I’ll find a friend I trust. I’ll tell that person what my life was like before sobriety. I’ll also talk about how I got sober.

Copyright © 1988 by Hazelden Foundation 

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FR. LEO'S DAILY MEDITATION #essentialsofrecovery

MEMORIES

“History is the seedbed of the future.”

~ Leo Booth 

I talk about my drinking history because there is no gain without pain. To enjoy sobriety, I must share the reality of my disease. My pain is rooted in my history. I must live with my disease on a daily basis and be aware of the disease process in my life. This awareness requires a rigorously honest inventory of my past attitudes and behaviors. Ignorance is bliss for the disease of addiction!

Awareness and acceptance of my past are my treatment for today. My life has a history, and my spiritual program demands I understand it. While I do not wallow in the past, I recognize its influence on my present and how it informs my future.

Teach me to face my past so lean realistically live in today. 

© 2008 Leo Booth 

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Or Follow Us On Twitter #essentialsofrecovery

Father Leo’s Daily Meditation #essentialsofrecovery

MEMORIES

“History is the seed bed of the future.”

— Leo Booth

I talk about my drinking history, remembering the incidents and losses, because I
believe “there is no gain without pain.” To enjoy my sobriety I must share, on a
daily basis, the reality of my disease. My pain is rooted in my history. I must live with
my disease on a daily basis. I need to be aware of the disease process in my life.

This awareness requires a “rigorously honest” inventory of my past attitudes and
behaviors; ignorance is bliss for the disease of addiction! The acceptance and
awareness of my past is my treatment for today. The more I understand about my
yesterdays the better my recovery will be today. My life has a history and my spiritual
program demands that I understand it.

Teach me to face my past so that I can realistically live in my today. 

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Keep It Simple #essentialsofrecovery

We never thought we could get old.—Bob Dylan

Here we are no longer children. Yet we’re not quite grown up either. At least,
we don’t always feels grown up. Our program helps us accept the stages of our life.
And the child in our heart is getting happier. In some ways, we feel younger everyday.
We’re also starting to feel older and wiser. It feels good. We’re not so afraid of the
world, because we’re learning better ways to live in it. We can learn by having friends
who teach us to stay young at heart.

Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me be the best I can be, at the age I am today.

Action for the Day: Today, I’ll call an older friend and ask him or her this question:

“What’s the most important thing you’ve learned about life since you were my age?”

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Father Leo’s Daily Meditation #essentialsofrecovery

MEMORY

“Every man’s memory is his private literature.”

– Aldous Huxley

What it was like. What happened. What it is like today. Memory. If I am to stay sober, I need to remember. I need to remember on a daily basis. I must never forget.

My life is reflected in my memory. The “writing on the wall” is really in my head, but am I prepared to see it and acknowledge it?  For years I chose not to remember. I lived in a world of make-believe. People were exaggerating the facts! With denial at the center of my life I was able to forget the pain and drink again, only to awake to yesterday’s pain again.

My memory is the key to my recovery. Spirituality is about “seeing” — seeing my life as it is, rather than how I imagined or hoped it would be. My pain belongs in my life because it is mine! Alcohol always works; but does it work for me or against me? My remembering helps me answer that question today and hopefully tomorrow.

Thank You, God, for allowing my yesterdays to forge my tomorrows.

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Or Follow Us On Twitter #essentialsofrecovery

A DAY AT A TIME #essentialsofrec #Memories #Recovery

Reflection for the Day

I must never forget who and what I am and where I come from. I have to remember the nature of my illness and what it was like before I came to the Program. I’ll try to keep the memory green, yet not spend my time dwelling morbidly on the past. I won’t be afraid to enjoy what is beautiful, and to believe that as I give to others, so others will give to me. Can I ever afford to forget what it used to be like, even for one minute?

Today I Pray

May I never forget the painful days of my addiction. May I never forget that the same misery awaits me if I should slip back into the old patterns. At the same time, may such backwards glances serve only to bolster my own present strength and the strength of others like me. Please, God, do not let me dredge up these recollections in order to outdo or “out-drunk” my fellow members. Like others who are chemically dependent, I must be wary of my desire to be center stage in the spotlight.

Today I Will Remember

I do more when I don’t “outdo.”

© 1989 by Hazelden Foundation

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WALK IN DRY PLACES #essentialsofrec #Recovery #Memories #LettingGo

ERASING OLD TAPES

Living Today

The human brain works like a tape recorder. With great fidelity, this built-in recorder stores up old memories that are recalled at surprising times. There are two kinds of these “old tapes” that are dangerous to the recovering alcoholic.

One dangerous old tape is a bitter memory of an unkind word or cruel action that hurt us deeply. This kind of memory comes back to destroy our peace of mind or to intensify feelings of low self-esteem.

Equally dangerous is another old tape: the recollection of a drinking experience that may have seemed enjoyable. When we run an old tape of this kind, we are revealing that we still wish we could drink.

Our recovery program shows us how to erase these old tapes. Bitter memories and resentments can be erased by forgiving the people who hurt us. We can eliminate the desire to relive pleasure in drinking experiences by looking honestly at the total effect of alcohol on our lives. We cannot relive the past, but we can use the lessons of the past to make our lives what they can be today.

Today, I will not be troubled by anything from the past. I cannot change what happened five minutes ago, but I can refuse to entertain thoughts that will harm me.

© 1996 by Hazelden Foundation

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Today’s thought from Hazelden #essentialsofrec #Living #Recovery

Living today

The beginning of the New Year will often bring back sad memories. This has been the big day for hangovers, coming down, remorse, guilt, and shame. But if we stay with our new purpose – staying clean and staying close to our Higher Power – we don’t have to fear the New Year. God has forgiven our past mistakes and tomorrow is not yet here. If we do what we know is right today, all else will be taken care of.

It’s not always easy to do what is necessary today, but it’s impossible to change yesterday or to guarantee what tomorrow will bring. Our year will unfold better by living each day as it comes instead of regretting the past or anticipating the future.

Am I learning to live one day at a time?

I pray for the willingness to deal with today, instead of being obsessed with the past or the future.

From the book:



Day by Day – Second Edition by Anonymous

Day by Day © 1974, 1998 by Hazelden Foundation

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