Friday, May 13, 2016
Today's Gift
As long as you keep a person down, some part of you has to be down there to hold them down, so it means you cannot soar as you otherwise might. —Marion Anderson
Because of our resentments we sometimes get tense. We say we aren't going to have contact with our parents until they do something we expect of them. Or we hold out on a friend because we want an apology for an injury or injustice.
Sadly, we become more tense, more limited in our own joy, by holding someone else to our expectations. Our lives can be much richer and more fulfilled when we let go of these expectations. We can let go of manipulating or drawing forth the responses we want. Our manipulations and pouting make life too boring and limited. No one else need stand in the way of our pleasure of being adult men.
Today, I will let go of my claims on others so I can be free to soar.
From Touchstones: A Book of Daily Meditations for Men ©
From: Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation - Thought for the Day http://www.hazeldenbettyford.org/recovery/thought-for-the-day
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Twenty-Four Hours a Day
Twenty-Four Hours a Day
Keep It Simple
Hating people is like burning down your own house to get rid of a rat.---Harry Emerson Fosdick
Hate is like an illness. It steals our hope, our love, our relationships. Hate puts distance between people. Hate can give us a false sense of power. Do I use hate to make myself feel important?
Our program tells us to let go of hate. Hate and sobriety don't mix. Hate doesn't let us connect with our Higher Power.
Ours is a program of love and respect. We're taught that if someone treats us wrong, we still should be respectful in our response. Why? Because we're changed by our actions. If we act with hate, we become hateful. If we act in a respectful way, we become respectable.
Prayer for the Day: Hate is the drug of those who are afraid. Higher Power, help me to be free from hate today.
Action for the Day: It's self-centered to hate. Today, I'll read pages 60-62 of Alcoholics Anonymous(Third Edition) about being self-centered.
From: Bluidkiti's Alcohol and Drug Addictions Recovery Help/Support Forums
Daily Recovery Readings - http://www.bluidkiti.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=2
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One Day At A Time
The Journey
I was always taught to prepare for the journey through life, never realizing until I came to AA --when I honestly became willing to be taught forgiveness and forgiving—
that life itself is the journey.
The journey of life is a very happy one, as long as I am willing to accept change and responsibility.
- Daily Reflections, p. 185
Thought to Ponder . . .
The joy is in the journey, so enjoy the ride.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
A R T = Always Remain Teachable.
From: AA Thought for the Day (courtesy AA-Alive.net)
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Daily Motivation
Excerpt of The Daily Motivator
Judgment and understanding
by Ralph Marston
On occasion, it is useful and necessary to make judgments about what other people do and say. Much of the time, though, it can be a waste of your time and energy.
In fact, one of the biggest obstacles to effective listening is the habit of continually and immediately making judgments about what is being said. When the mind is so preoccupied with judging and criticizing, it has no space left for learning and understanding.
Different people have different approaches to life and different opinions. In that diversity there is much value.
Yet when you are too quick to pass judgment, you can miss much of that value. When you become too focused on showing how clever you are or proving your point, you can pass up the opportunity to gain real wisdom.
Certainly it is appropriate and wise that you exercise judgment to prevent others from harming you or taking advantage of you. Remember, though, to balance that judgment with understanding and acceptance.
Relax your judgment and you’ll increase your awareness. The more often you practice acceptance, the more wisdom and understanding you’ll gain.
From The Daily Motivator website at http://greatday.com/
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