Just For Today - May 8 2026

Teachable

“We have learned that it is okay to not know all the answers, for then we are teachable and can learn to live our new life successfully.”

Basic Text, p. 93

In a way, addiction is a great teacher. And if addiction teaches us nothing else, it will teach us humility. We hear it said that it took our very best thinking to get to NA. Now that we’re here, we’re here to learn.

The NA Fellowship is a wonderful learning environment for the recovering addict. We aren’t made to feel stupid at meetings. Instead, we find others who’ve been exactly where we’ve been and who’ve found a way out. All we have to do is admit that we don’t have all the answers, then listen as others share what’s worked for them.

As recovering addicts and as human beings, we have much to learn. Other addicts—and other humans—have much to teach us about what works and what doesn’t. As long as we remain teachable, we can take advantage of the experience of others.

Just for today: I will admit that I don’t have all the answers. I will look and listen to the experience of others for the answers I need.

EASY DOES IT #essentialsofrecovery

THE READY PUPIL

God gave us two ears, but only one mouth. Some say that’s because our Higher Power wanted us to spend twice as much time listening as we did talking.

~ Anonymous ~

One of the most valuable things we can do is to become a good listener. When we concentrate on absorbing what wiser and more experienced members say rather than thinking about what we imagine others want to hear from us, we will grow in our Program. We are aware that “when the pupil is ready, the teacher will appear.”

Often, the teacher is an unlikely source. Some of the things we most need to hear may come from someone new to the Program. If we are highly educated, it may come from someone with no education at all. If we are materially successful, it may come from someone who has nothing. We are all teachers and all students in the Program. We constantly learn from each other, wherever or whoever we are.

I shall never stop learning as I will always be a pupil in my Program. Thankfully, I will never graduate. There are no diplomas, only revelations. I will be a good listener.

©1990 by Anonymous. All rights reserved. Published by Hazelden. 

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AROUND THE YEAR WITH EMMET FOX #essentialsofrec #Emmet #Fox

INHERITING THE EARTH

Let us see how we are to go about inheriting the earth. This Beatitude say that dominion, that is, power over the condition of our lives, is to be obtained in a certain way, by nothing less than meekness.

The word meek in the Bible connotes a mental attitude for which there is no other single word available. It is a combination of open-mindedness, faith in God, and the realization that the will of God for us is always something joyous and interesting and vital. This state of mind also includes a perfect willingness to allow this will of God to come about in whatever way divine Wisdom considers to be best, rather than in some particular way that we have chosen for ourselves.

This mental attitude of teachableness, willingness to be led, is the key to dominion, or success in demonstration. There is no word for it in common speech, because the thing does not exist except for those who are up on the spiritual basis of the teaching of Jesus Christ. If we desire to inherit the earth we must absolutely acquire this “meekness.”

The lord reighneth; let the earth rejoice…(Psalm 97:1).

© 1931 by Emmet Fox

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Just For Today #essentialsofrecovery

Teachable

“We have learned that it is okay to not know all the answers, for then we are teachable and can learn to live our new life successfully.”

Basic Text, p. 93

In a way, addiction is a great teacher. And if addiction teaches us nothing else, it will teach us humility. We hear it said that it took our very best thinking to get to NA. Now that we’re here, we’re here to learn.

The NA Fellowship is a wonderful learning environment for the recovering addict. We aren’t made to feel stupid at meetings. Instead, we find others who’ve been exactly where we’ve been and who’ve found a way out. All we have to do is admit that we don’t have all the answers, then listen as others share what’s worked for them.

As recovering addicts and as human beings, we have much to learn. Other addicts—and other humans—have much to teach us about what works and what doesn’t. As long as we remain teachable, we can take advantage of the experience of others.

Just for today: I will admit that I don’t have all the answers. I will look and listen to the experience of others for the answers I need. 

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A DAY AT A TIME #essentialsofrecovery

Reflection for the Day

We sometimes hear humility defined as the state of being “teachable.” In that sense, most of us in the Program who are able to stay free of active addiction have acquired at least a smattering of humility, or we never would have learned to stay away from the first drink, the first tranquilizer, the first “side bet,” and similar destructive acts for those of us who are powerless over our respective addictions. Do I see increasing humility as a pathway to continuing improvement?

Today I Pray

Now that I have made a start at developing humility, may I keep it up. May I open myself to the will of God and the suggestions of my friends in the group. May I remain teachable, confrontable, receptive, and conscious that I must stay that way in order to be healthy.

Today I Will Remember

To remain confrontable.

© 1989 by Hazelden Foundation 

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AS BILL SEES IT #essentialsofrecovery

Page 28 ~

Troublemakers Can Be Teachers

Few of us are any longer afraid of what any newcomer can do to our A.A. reputation or effectiveness. Those who slip, those with mental twists, those who rebel at the program, those who trade on the A.A. reputation — all such persons seldom harm an A.A. group for long.

Some of these have become our most respected and best loved. Some have remained to try our patience, sober nevertheless. Others have drifted away. We have begun to regard the troublesome ones not as menaces, but rather as our teachers. They oblige us to cultivate patience, tolerance, and humility. We finally see that they are only people sicker than the rest of us, that we who condemn them are the Pharisees whose false rightousness does our group the deeper spiritual damage.

~ GRAPEVINE, AUGUST 1946 ~

© 1967 by Alcoholics Anonymous ® World Services, Inc 

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Daily Tao / 286 – Teaching #essentialsofrecovery

Give back what you’ve learned.
Share your experience.


If you are in the position of teaching others, then you should teach without reservations. What need is there to hold back? You could tell the secret of life ten times over, and it would still be safe. After all, the secret is only known when people make it real in their own lives, not when they simply hear it.

In the past, masters were selfish. They had only learned with extreme difficulty, and so they in turn made it difficult on others. In addition, they were afraid of being surpassed by their students, and so they always held back some key. How foolish this attitude was! How can a student ever challenge a master, unless the master allows his or her abilities to decline? You should teach dispassionately and without holding back.

When you cultivate internal power, it begins to accumulate within you. But there is one odd thing. You cannot hold it in forever. If you try to do that, the spiritual energy will destroy you. But if you use it prudently — to heal others, to teach others, to comfort others — then the energy will surge back stronger and stronger, like a well that always replenishes itself. The more you give, the more you gain in return. The more selfless you are, the more the self benefits.

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Father Leo’s Daily Meditation #essentialsofrec #recovery

PREJUDICE

“A great many people think they are thinking when they are only rearranging their prejudices.”

–William James

An aspect of prejudice in my life is my refusal to listen. I tend to stay
with my own thinking and I “shut off” people or ideas I do not want to
hear. The problem with this attitude is that it does not lead to
discussion, growth or change.

Spirituality is having the capacity to hear what others are saying, even
people you may not like or respect, and also being prepared to live
with and alongside confusion and “difference”. Truth is a many-sided
diamond, and it cannot be comprehended from one viewpoint. I need to
remove my prejudices if I am ever to move towards an understanding
of God’s truth.

I need to learn in my heart that there is that “image” of God in every
person I meet.

Teach me to listen so that I may hear, so that I may grow.

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FR.LEO'S DAILY MEDITATION #essentialsofrec #Recovery #Values #FrLeo

VALUES

“The aim of education is the knowledge not of fact, but of values.”

~ William R. Inge 

Facts can confuse. They may be used as a facade or manipulated into lies. Facts are no substitute for human values.

Today I not only value my life—I value Life itself. When I walk in nature, I observe its beauty, experience its strength, and know I am a part of it all. My values have changed because I see myself as “part of” rather than “separate from.” I belong to this planet, and what I do affects the essential value of life. With my respect for self comes a respect for property, people, cultures, and God.

What I truly value I do not pay for; what I cherish cannot be won or bought. Spirituality is free.

Teach me to value the richness of life. 

© 2008 Leo Booth

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A DAY AT A TIME #essentialsofrec #God #Happiness #Recovery

16
December

Reflection for the Day

Sometimes, on those bad days we all have from time to time, it almost seems that God doesn't want us to be happy here on earth and, for those of us who believe in an afterlife, that He demands pain and suffering in this life as the price of happiness in the next. The Program teaches me that just the opposite is the case. God wants me to be happy right here on earth—right now. When I allow Him to, He will even point out the way. Do I sometimes stubbornly refuse to look where God is pointing?

Today I Pray

I pray that I am not playing the perennial sufferer, dragging around in the boots of tragedy and acting as if suffering is the only ticket to heaven. May I look around, at the goodness and greenery of earth, which is testimony enough that our life here is meant to be more than just one pitfall after another. May no misconception of God as a master trapper, waiting in every thicket to snare us, distort my relationship with a loving, forgiving Higher Power.

Today I Will Remember

There is more to life than suffering.

© 1989 by Hazelden Foundation

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THE EYE OPENER #essentialsofrec #Forgiveness #teachable

  5
December


A man once ridiculed me in front of a large class in school and I have hated his guts ever since. That was thirty-five years ago and I do not know whether he is dead or alive. If he was aware of my intense dislike it certainly never bothered him but it certainly bothers me even now. His face springs up in my memory and I begin to hate him all over again. This situation is just pure dumbness; I’m not hurting him but I am distressing myself.

God teach me to forgive as I hope to be forgiven.

Copyright  Hazelden Foundation

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A DAY AT A TIME #essentialsofrec #addiction #Humility

16
November

Reflection for the Day

We sometimes hear humility defined as the state of being “teachable.” In that sense, most of us in the Program who are able to stay free of active addiction have acquired at least a smattering of humility, or we never would have learned to stay away from the first drink, the first tranquilizer, the first “side bet,” and similar destructive acts for those of us who are powerless over our respective addictions. Do I see increasing humility as a pathway to continuing improvement?

Today I Pray

Now that I have made a start at developing humility, may I keep it up. May I open myself to the will of God and the suggestions of my friends in the group. May I remain teachable, confrontable, receptive, and conscious that I must stay that way in order to be healthy.

Today I Will Remember

To remain confrontable.

© 1989 by Hazelden Foundation

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Elder’s Meditation of the Day #essentialsofrec #Elders #Meditation #NativeAmerican

26
October


“It seems that if Elders can feel that you are open to learning, they are more than generous with their teaching.”

–Chief Councilor, Leonard George

There is a saying, when the student is ready the teacher appears.

If the Elders sense that you are ready, they will help you see and learn new things. Most human beings love to share what they know with people who are excited to listen.

If you are talking to someone and you feel they really aren’t listening, you won’t want to tell them much.

Before you go talk to the Elders, examine your.

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Keep It Simple #essentialsofrec #Recovery #Teachable #Addiction

  4
September


In my view, we of this world are pupils in great school of life.

Bill W.

Our addiction has taught me much. It has taught us how far we can get from ourselves, our Higher Power, and those who love us.. Hopefully, we’ve learned we can’t go it alone. Do I allow myself to learn from the bad things that happened?

Recovery has much to teach us too. We need to be students of life. We need to be open to learning. Our spirits can grow if we’re willing to do three things: First, we listen. Second, we think about what we’ve learned. Third, we turn what we’ve learned into action. Listening, combined with thought and action, will help us learn life’s best lessons.

Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, You’ll test me so I can learn. Help me accept the tasks You give me. And help me learn from them.

Action for the Day: I will view today as a class. I will do three things—listen, think, act.

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Father Leo’s Daily Meditation #essentialsofrec #Recovery #FrLeo

29
August 

EDUCATION


“The university exists only to find and communicate the truth.”

– Robert Maynard Hutchins

Today in my recovery I know I am a student of Truth and will hopefully be so until the day that I die. No longer do I search for the cheap thrill or the quick fix — now I desire lasting truths.

Spirituality is about finding God in things that are true and honest, good and wholesome, creative and positive.

I battle daily with that sick side of me that is greedy, selfish and dishonest — I’m not perfect. Today I know that the sick and dishonest way of living does not work. My history teaches me that it does not work. I was never truly happy knowing that the gains came at the expense of others. Now I am a student in the “university of life”, and I enjoy learning something new about me every day. Today I am able to listen — listen to those who are wiser than I. I know that I do not have all the answers — and with this knowledge comes freedom.

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The Eye Opener #essentialsofrec #Knowledge #Recovery

 21
August

There is no man alive who is a bigger fool than he who knows everything – even God can’t teach such a one. This characteristic is common among alcoholics, and constitutes one of the greatest barriers to recovery. Our Program is best received by the humble heart and the attentive ear.

We must do a lot of “un-learning” before we are ready to start learning this new way of living.

Copyright Hazelden Foundation

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A Day At A Time #essentialsofrec #Willingness #Program

22
July

Reflection For The Day

The Program has taught me that the essence of all growth for me is a willingness to change for the getter. Following that, I must have further willingness to shoulder whatever responsibility this entails, and to courageously take every action that is required.

“I am and know and will;
I am knowing and willing;
I know myself to be and to will;
I will to be and to know.”

– Saint Augustine3

Is willingness a key ingredient of my life and the way I work The Program?

Today I Pray

I pray for willingness to do what I can, willingness to be what I can be — and what is sometimes hardest — willingness to be what I am. I pray, too, for energies to carry out my willingness in all that I do, so that I may grow in the ways of God and practice the principles of The Program in all my affairs.

Today I Will Remember

“I am and know and will.”

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Today’s Gift from Hazelden #essentialsofrec #Recovery #Life

14
 July

Life has lessons to teach. We can remember them and share them with others, or we can forget them and have to learn them again.

— Jan Pishok

What we are destined to learn in this life will keep presenting itself until “contact” has been made. Each experience is a minute part of the big picture that’s unfolding. We will receive the information we need, again and again if necessary. Let’s give up our fear about where we are going and how we’ll get there. We are in caring, capable hands. We will get to the right destination on time.

In this program we are invited to share with others what our experiences have taught us. What better way to recall, and thus relearn, what we have been taught, than to tell another about it. Every Twelve Step program is specifically designed to simplify our lives. The Steps coach us through every situation, and they never shame us for needing reminders of our lessons.

I will help others through sharing my own experiences today. In the process, I’ll recapture the essence of the lessons I have learned.

From the book:

A Woman’s Spirit by Karen Casey

A Woman’s Spirit by Karen Casey. © 1994 by Hazelden Foundation

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Father Leo’s Daily Meditation #essentialsofrec #Teaching #FrLeo

15
May

TEACHING


“To teach is to learn.”

–Japanese Proverb

The more I learn the more I know that I do not understand. Life is full of new and wonderful information; paradoxes and confusion abound; every new idea leads to a further truth – and the journey seems endless.

In a sense we are all disciples; we are all learning from each other and the role of teacher and student is forever being exchanged. In my sobriety I am able to see how many wonderful “things” exist in the world – so many fascinating and interesting places to visit, so many loving and insightful people. God has given me so much, I am so grateful to be able to learn in His garden. Teacher, may I never stop learning and being a student in Your world.

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As Bill Sees It #essentialsofrec #Recovery #Education #Alcoholism

13
 May 

Community Problem, p. 180

The answer to the problem of alcoholism seems to be in education–education in schoolrooms, in medical colleges, among clergymen and employers, in families, and in the public at large. From cradle to grave, the drunk and the potential alcoholic will have to be completely surrounded by a true and deep understanding and by a continuous barrage of information.

This means factual education, properly presented. Heretofore, much of this education has attacked the immortality of drinking rather than the illness of alcoholism.

Now who is going to do all this education? Obviously, it is both a community job and a job for specialists. Individually, we A.A.’s can help, but A.A. as such cannot, and should not, get directly into this field. Therefore, we must rely on other agencies, on outside friends and their willingness to supply great amounts of money and effort.

Grapevine, March 1958

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