Daily Motivation 2-1-11

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Today's Gift

You were there when I needed you. You stood above all of the others with your strength and you guided me. To each of you I offer my being, my love and all that I am. —Deidra Sarault

Each of us is guided while we act as guides to one another, throughout the day, throughout our lives. We are interdependent. Everywhere we look, someone is learning from us and we from her. We often know not what we give, when we give it. And we seldom realize the value of what we're receiving at the time we accept it.

Resistance to what another person is offering us may be our natural response. But the passage of time highlights the value of the experience. We can look for the comforters in our lives. They are there offering us strength and hope enough to see us through any difficulty.

We need both the rough times and the soft shoulders of a friend. They contribute equally to the designs our lives are weaving. The rough times press us to pray, to reach out to others for solace. And our pain gives others the chance to heal our wounds. We are all healers offering strength. And we all need healing.

One of the greatest gifts of my recovery is giving and receiving strength.

From Each Day a New Beginning: Daily Meditations for Women by Karen Casey ©

********************************

Twenty-Four Hours a Day

 

Walk In Dry Places
 
Open-mindedness Means Growth___Facing Change
While open-mindedness is supposedly virtuous, many of us have difficulty with it. In our drinking/using, we continued to suffer because we were unwilling to believe that anything could relieve us of our condition.  We also feared that change would diminish us.

Our great liberation came in opening up our minds to new ideas.  This same process might be needed to sober living. We may have an investment in old attitudes and ideas that are keeping us from constructive growth. Without giving up our attitudes immediately, we can at least give new ideas hones consideration and study.

True open-mindedness does not mean empty-mindedness. We still can have strong convictions, consistent values, and definite opinions. But in the spirit of open-mindedness, we should continuously reexamine our views and adopt new ideas for improvement and growth.

Open-mindedness helped bring us to sobriety. It can also open the doors to other blessings that will bring enrichment and happiness.

Action for the Day: I will be open-minded and curious today.  New ideas can bring wonderful benefits to me if I am willing to consider them.

 

***********************

One Day At A Time

 

"Keep Coming Back"
These words -- usually intended for newcomers --
are the best advice I can give myself.
Real wisdom, I've learned, usually does bring me back to looking at myself.
And I'm able to see that this experience of a great reality
is something we all possess and struggle to express --
regardless how each of us defines hope, intuition, awareness of a better world,
a higher self, a pervasive wisdom in the natural world.
Call it whatever you want. Just keep coming. Don't drink or use. Ask for help.
You will come to believe. If I did, anybody can.
- Thank You For Sharing, p. 31

Thought to Ponder . . .
Wisdom is knowing the right path to take. Integrity is taking it.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
K C B = Keep Coming Back.

 

******************** 
Daily Motivation

 

Add a little joy

Whatever you're doing, add a little joy to it. After all, you're much more effective when you're enjoying the moment you're in.

It takes only the slightest effort to put a gentle smile on your face. And when you do, you instantly change your perspective to a more empowered one.

 

You don't have to wait or beg or hope for joy to come to you. Simply allow joy to flow from you.

 

Remember that you're in full control of your own attitude. So choose an attitude that supports you and affirms the positive value of the moment you're in.

 

Whatever else the moment may contain, add a little joy to it. Choose to feel what feels best to you.

 

Add a little joy to each day. And add a lot of beauty to the world.

 

-- Ralph Marston