Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Today's Gift
Nobody's family can hang out the sign, "Nothing's the matter here." --Chinese Proverb
None of us come from a perfect family, but if we have any family at all, it's worth the effort to see what there is to enjoy about it. Sometimes it's difficult or impossible, because there's been so much damage. If there's really nothing left, we have to look for family in the fellowship of other sober people.
A family is not always people who are blood related. A family can be people who are so committed to the growth of each other and the relationship that they've become brothers and sisters of a sort. A family is two or more people who care deeply for one another and who are comfortable with each other. We can choose to surround ourselves with others who we feel this way about.
Today let me recognize something good in my family and work at building a relationship.
None of us come from a perfect family, but if we have any family at all, it's worth the effort to see what there is to enjoy about it. Sometimes it's difficult or impossible, because there's been so much damage. If there's really nothing left, we have to look for family in the fellowship of other sober people.
A family is not always people who are blood related. A family can be people who are so committed to the growth of each other and the relationship that they've become brothers and sisters of a sort. A family is two or more people who care deeply for one another and who are comfortable with each other. We can choose to surround ourselves with others who we feel this way about.
Today let me recognize something good in my family and work at building a relationship.
You are reading from the book:
Our Best Days by Nancy Hull-Mast
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Twenty-Four Hours A Day
Keep It Simple
The best leaders are those who know how to follow.---Anonymous
Am I a leader or a follower? The fact is, I am responsible for where I end up. If I choose to be a follower, I'd better follow leaders who know where they are going. And I had better know where they're going.
If I choose to be leader, I'd better know that I'm responsible for getting myself on the right path. I also must be honest with my followers, so they can make good choices. I'm not responsible for my followers choices, but I must give them the truth. Being a leader doesn't always mean that I know where I'll end up. But it can mean that I know I'm on the right path, following the lead from my Higher Power---one step at a time.
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, give me the faith and courage to choose good leaders to follow. When it is Your will, help me be a good leader.
Action for the Day: Today, I'll list my leaders. They might be a Higher Power, a sponsor, or a friend. I'll think of why I choose to follow these leaders.
The best leaders are those who know how to follow.---Anonymous
Am I a leader or a follower? The fact is, I am responsible for where I end up. If I choose to be a follower, I'd better follow leaders who know where they are going. And I had better know where they're going.
If I choose to be leader, I'd better know that I'm responsible for getting myself on the right path. I also must be honest with my followers, so they can make good choices. I'm not responsible for my followers choices, but I must give them the truth. Being a leader doesn't always mean that I know where I'll end up. But it can mean that I know I'm on the right path, following the lead from my Higher Power---one step at a time.
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, give me the faith and courage to choose good leaders to follow. When it is Your will, help me be a good leader.
Action for the Day: Today, I'll list my leaders. They might be a Higher Power, a sponsor, or a friend. I'll think of why I choose to follow these leaders.
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One Day At A Time
One Day At A Time
Letting Go
~ Scroll down for share ~
The ideas that got so deeply embedded in our lives during drinking do not
disappear quickly, as if by magic, the moment we start keeping the plug in the jug.
Our days of wine and "Sweet Adeline" may be gone, but the malady lingers on.
So we have found it therapeutic to nip off old ideas that start to sprout up again.
And they do, over and over.
- Living Sober, p. 70
Thought to Ponder . . .
When I struggle, I sink. When I let go, I float.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
A A = Altered Attitudes.
A MEMBER SHARES:
Hi y'all, I'm Sherri, an alcoholic sober since July 6, 1994. The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous says on page 58, "Some of us have tried to hold on to our old ideas and the result was nil until we let go absolutely." At first, I did not want to let go of my old ideas, for that would mean letting go of everything I knew about my life at that point. But I was told that I could not get the benefits, the promises, of this program until I let go completely. I thought life would be boring and sad. It meant finding something new to do on the weekends. It meant finding new friends, letting go of my two best friends since high school. I didn't think it would be possible to find a happy life without drinking. But I did. Today, my life is rich and full, with people who love me just as I am, but who are also willing to help me find my faults when I can't find them on my own. I no longer carry the weight of the world on my shoulders. I no longer have to worry who I made mad or who I flashed the night before. I no longer have to be concerned about what my friends are saying behind my back. My friends today, almost all of whom are in AA, provide me with a love that I have never known before. As a result, I get to love my family, my friends, my son, and all of you in a way I didn't know was possible. If you told me 16 years ago that at 11:40 on a Saturday night I would happily be in your company instead of at a club, I would have thought you were crazy. But this is what happens when I let go of my old ideas: My HP stepped in and has given me a life that I could have never dreamed of. Thank you for such a wonderful topic, and for reminding me of the blessings I have today in my life.
~ Scroll down for share ~
The ideas that got so deeply embedded in our lives during drinking do not
disappear quickly, as if by magic, the moment we start keeping the plug in the jug.
Our days of wine and "Sweet Adeline" may be gone, but the malady lingers on.
So we have found it therapeutic to nip off old ideas that start to sprout up again.
And they do, over and over.
- Living Sober, p. 70
Thought to Ponder . . .
When I struggle, I sink. When I let go, I float.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
A A = Altered Attitudes.
A MEMBER SHARES:
Hi y'all, I'm Sherri, an alcoholic sober since July 6, 1994. The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous says on page 58, "Some of us have tried to hold on to our old ideas and the result was nil until we let go absolutely." At first, I did not want to let go of my old ideas, for that would mean letting go of everything I knew about my life at that point. But I was told that I could not get the benefits, the promises, of this program until I let go completely. I thought life would be boring and sad. It meant finding something new to do on the weekends. It meant finding new friends, letting go of my two best friends since high school. I didn't think it would be possible to find a happy life without drinking. But I did. Today, my life is rich and full, with people who love me just as I am, but who are also willing to help me find my faults when I can't find them on my own. I no longer carry the weight of the world on my shoulders. I no longer have to worry who I made mad or who I flashed the night before. I no longer have to be concerned about what my friends are saying behind my back. My friends today, almost all of whom are in AA, provide me with a love that I have never known before. As a result, I get to love my family, my friends, my son, and all of you in a way I didn't know was possible. If you told me 16 years ago that at 11:40 on a Saturday night I would happily be in your company instead of at a club, I would have thought you were crazy. But this is what happens when I let go of my old ideas: My HP stepped in and has given me a life that I could have never dreamed of. Thank you for such a wonderful topic, and for reminding me of the blessings I have today in my life.
*********************
Daily Motivation
Daily Motivation
In a great place
Instead of placing judgments on where you find yourself, consider the positive possibilities. Instead of extending assumptions out from your limitations, imagine your most treasured dreams extending out from your current situation.
If you feel stuck where you are, you're mistaken. Anything is possible, when you engage the power of your imagination.
The things that have already happened can give you some useful insight and perspective. Yet your future is whatever you choose right now to make it.
You don't have to be magically transported away from where you are in order to experience fulfillment. You can begin making your way forward from wherever you may be, in whatever direction you choose.
It's easy to blame your circumstances for holding you back. It's much more powerful, though, to accept those circumstances and begin working with the value they offer.
You're in a great place, because from where you are you can go anywhere. Look around, with positive expectations, and step forward in the direction of your dreams.
-- Ralph Marston
Instead of placing judgments on where you find yourself, consider the positive possibilities. Instead of extending assumptions out from your limitations, imagine your most treasured dreams extending out from your current situation.
If you feel stuck where you are, you're mistaken. Anything is possible, when you engage the power of your imagination.
The things that have already happened can give you some useful insight and perspective. Yet your future is whatever you choose right now to make it.
You don't have to be magically transported away from where you are in order to experience fulfillment. You can begin making your way forward from wherever you may be, in whatever direction you choose.
It's easy to blame your circumstances for holding you back. It's much more powerful, though, to accept those circumstances and begin working with the value they offer.
You're in a great place, because from where you are you can go anywhere. Look around, with positive expectations, and step forward in the direction of your dreams.
-- Ralph Marston
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