Today's Gift
Gratitude for what is prepares us for the blessings just around the corner. What is so necessary to understand is that our wait for what's around the corner closes our eyes to the joys of the present moment. We have only the 24 hours ahead of us. In fact, all we can be certain of having is the moment we are presently experiencing. And it is a gift to be enjoyed. There is no better gift just right for us than this moment, at this time.
We can, each of us, look back on former days, realizing that we learned too late the value of a friend or an experience. Both are now gone. With practice and a commitment to ourselves, we can learn to reap the benefits of today, hour by hour. When we detach from the present and wait for tomorrow, or next week, or look to next year, we are stunting our spiritual growth. Life can only bless us now, one breath at a time.
I can live in the present if I choose to. Gentle reminders are often necessary, however. I will step into my life, today. It can become a habit, one I will never want to break.
From Each Day a New Beginning: Daily Meditations for Women by Karen Casey © 1982, 1991 by Hazelden Foundation.
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Twenty-Four Hours A Day
Walk in Dry Places
Facing Difficulties
When Things are Not humanly possible.
We're reminded again and again that "No human power could have relieved our alcoholism." Whatever it is that keeps us sober must come from a Higher Power … God as we understand Him.
This fact about our alcoholism also has broader application to the general conditions of life. There's an almost endless list of conditions that are not humanly possible to change. Some of these conditions apply only to us; others, such as war and disease, cruelly afflict all of humankind. Looking at this sorry picture, many of us wish we had the power to apply Twelve Step principles to all human problems.
While we don't have such power at the moment, we do have the power to take a spiritual view of all seemingly hopeless conditions. This includes trying to do whatever we can about any problem, while recognizing that the real solution must eventually come from a Higher Power. We must never lose hope that God will cork with us and through us to create a better world. In a small way, we can help by sharing what happened to us in our recovery from alcoholism. No human power could have relieved our alcoholism, but God could and did.
Action for the Day: Though I live and work with people who may be frightened and cynical, I'll hold to the idea that a Higher Power is working ceaselessly to improve the human condition in general. There is no reason why the miraculous healing power that relieved my alcoholism should not apply to other problems in my life.
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One Day At A Time
Blessings
Today, I'm counting my blessings instead of my troubles.
When I walked into the friendly atmosphere of my first AA meeting,
I knew I was where I belonged.
Here were people who had thought and felt as I had.
Here was the understanding I'd been searching for all my life. . .
With these new and enlightening doors opening up to me,
I was able to stop drinking, a day at a time -- because I, too, was an alcoholic.
- Experience, Strength and Hope. p. 315
Thought to ponder . . .
If I don't drink today, I have the hope of a tomorrow.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
B E S T = Been Enjoying Sobriety Today?
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Daily Motivation
Allowing achievement
The most effective work is not hard work. The most effective work is work that flows easily and naturally.
Valuable results don't come from stress and anxiety. Really valuable results come from authenticity and truth.
Imagine being relaxed and confident, not fighting against the challenges but instead allowing the best possibilities. Imagine the feeling of genuine fulfillment that comes when what you do is completely aligned with who you are.
Stop trying, and allow. Stop worrying, and be.
Stop pushing, and give. Be truly thankful for the opportunity to make a difference.
Stop trying to get achievement. And start allowing achievement to get you.
-- Ralph Marston
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