Friday, October 23, 2015
Today's Gift
The universal human yearning [is] for something permanent, enduring, without shadow of change. --Willa Cather
The specter of change builds dread in most of us. We fear the effects on our personal lives. We lack faith that the impending change will benefit us. Only time can assure us of that. And it will, just as every change we've survived up to now has done.
Changes are gifts, really. They come as hallmarks to our present attainments. They signify successful growth. How we struggle to understand this, and how quickly we forget it once we have adapted to the change. The struggle is then repeated the next time change visits us.
We long for permanence, believing it guarantees security, not realizing the only real security available to us comes with our trust in our Higher Power, from whom all change comes as a blessing on the growth we've attained. If we were to experience total lack of change, we'd find death. Life is challenge, continued change, always endurable and growth-enhancing. We can reflect on what's gone before, and trust that which faces us now.
Change means I am progressing, on course.
Keep It Simple
From Each Day a New Beginning: Daily Meditations for Women by Karen Casey ©
From: Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation - Thought for the Day http://www.hazeldenbettyford.org/recovery/thought-for-the-day
********************************
Twenty-Four Hours a Day
We may ask, “Do I have to do an Eighth or Ninth Step?” “Do I really need a sponsor?” “Hmm…can I get by without going to so many meetings?” Having faith means putting our questions aside. So…what do we do? We work the program. We accept that those who’ve gone before us were right. We accept the idea that we need others. Faith is knowing that others love and care for us. Faith is also about action. The main way we know that we have faith is by looking at our behavior. Ask yourself this: “Are my actions those of a person with faith?”
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me remove the questions that get in my way. Help me act like a person with faith.
Action for the Day: I’ll list four parts of my program that I have faith in, such as, “I believe honesty is important to my sobriety.”
From: Bluidkiti's Alcohol and Drug Addictions Recovery Help/Support Forums
Daily Recovery Readings - http://www.bluidkiti.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=2
****************************
One Day At A Time
Honesty
I know the biggest word for me in AA is "honesty."I don't believe this program would work for me if I didn't get honest with myself about everything.
Honesty is the easiest word for me to understand because it is the exact opposite of what I've been doing all my life.
Therefore, it will be the hardest to work on.
But I will never be totally honest with myself -- that would make me perfect, and none of us can claim to be perfect.
Only our Higher Power is. If I work on it every day, it will be easier to be honest with myself.
- Experience, Strength and Hope, pp. 400-401
Thought to Ponder . . .
Honesty isn't an event -- it's a process.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
H O W = Honesty, Open-mindedness, Willingness.
From: AA Thought for the Day (courtesy AA-Alive.net)
http://www.aa-alive.net/index.html
http://www.aa-alive.net/index.html
***************************
Daily Motivation
Excerpt of The Daily Motivator
Respond with kindness
by Ralph Marston
Kindness makes life better for those who give it, for those who receive it, and for those who are around it. Kindness is something you can give, that continues to give to life as it goes far beyond you.
Being kind does not mean letting people take advantage of you. Being kind does not mean being naive or allowing others to get away with injustice.
Being kind is a matter of making the most powerful, positive choice in the way you respond. It’s easy to react with anger, spite, pity, revulsion or smugness, but more powerful, in the long run, to respond with kindness and respect.
Kindness makes life better for those who give it, for those who receive it, and for those who are around it. Kindness is something you can give, that continues to give to life as it goes far beyond you.
Being kind does not mean letting people take advantage of you. Being kind does not mean being naive or allowing others to get away with injustice.
Being kind is a matter of making the most powerful, positive choice in the way you respond. It’s easy to react with anger, spite, pity, revulsion or smugness, but more powerful, in the long run, to respond with kindness and respect.
There’s nothing of value to be gained by trying to prove how much better you are. There is much to be gained, for everyone concerned, with kindness.
Whatever happens, see if you can find a way to respond with kindness. Keep kindness in your heart, and you’ll add real richness to your life.
Read the full message at http://greatday.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment