Thursday, July 20, 2017
Today's Gift
If we listen in those moments when we hear a message from ourselves, we become true persons - real human beings. The message comes in our solitude, when our defenses against truth are set aside. It comes popping out without our planning it. Our solitude is a relationship with ourselves, and it might occur in silent meditation, or driving down the street, or during a dinner conversation. The message might be a painful truth like, "You just acted like a small child," or a frightening fact like, "You are deeply loved by another person."
Letting another person know what messages we are getting in solitude helps us deal with the messages. As we accept our imperfections and make peace with ourselves, we increase our sense of solitude. We become real persons, full partners in relationships and in our communities.
Action for the Day: Today, I will welcome solitude. When the messages from myself are painful or frightening, I will be gentle with myself.
Fifth Step
Having made our personal inventory, what shall we do about it? We have been trying to get
a new attitude, a new relationship with our Creator, and to discover the obstacles in our path.
We have admitted certain defects; we have ascertained in a rough way what the trouble is;
we have put our finger on the weak items in our personal inventory. Now these are about to
be cast out. This requires action on our part, which, when completed, will mean that we have
admitted to our Higher Power, to ourselves, and to another human being, the exact nature of our defects.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 72
Thought to Ponder
Clear vision for tomorrow comes only after a real look at yesterday.
AA-related 'Alconym'
F E A R = Face Everything And Recover
Excerpt of The Daily Motivator
Heart of authenticity
It is terribly amusing how many different climates of feeling one can go through in a day. —Anne Morrow Lindbergh
When we travel by canoe down a river we can notice the changes that take place. In one spot the river is wide and the water moves slowly. Around the next bend the river narrows and the current speeds up. Ahead of us we see rapids waiting to test our skill.
Our feelings can also change as quickly as the river. We may have times in our day when we feel good about ourselves. Then, all of a sudden, someone may tease us about something. We begin to feel like the scared canoeist shooting the rapids for the first time. How wonderful it is to know that we are never given a test we can't handle, that everything that happens in our lives is for the sake of our growth.
How can I use today's obstacles for my own growth?
From Today's Gift: Daily Meditations for Families ©
From: Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation - Thought for the Day http://www.hazeldenbettyford.org/recovery/thought-for-the-day
********************************
Twenty-Four Hours a Day
Keep It Simple
Without solitude there can be no real people.... The measure of your solitude is the measure of your capacity/or communion. --John Eudes
Without solitude there can be no real people.... The measure of your solitude is the measure of your capacity/or communion. --John Eudes
If we listen in those moments when we hear a message from ourselves, we become true persons - real human beings. The message comes in our solitude, when our defenses against truth are set aside. It comes popping out without our planning it. Our solitude is a relationship with ourselves, and it might occur in silent meditation, or driving down the street, or during a dinner conversation. The message might be a painful truth like, "You just acted like a small child," or a frightening fact like, "You are deeply loved by another person."
Letting another person know what messages we are getting in solitude helps us deal with the messages. As we accept our imperfections and make peace with ourselves, we increase our sense of solitude. We become real persons, full partners in relationships and in our communities.
Action for the Day: Today, I will welcome solitude. When the messages from myself are painful or frightening, I will be gentle with myself.
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
Fifth Step
Having made our personal inventory, what shall we do about it? We have been trying to get
a new attitude, a new relationship with our Creator, and to discover the obstacles in our path.
We have admitted certain defects; we have ascertained in a rough way what the trouble is;
we have put our finger on the weak items in our personal inventory. Now these are about to
be cast out. This requires action on our part, which, when completed, will mean that we have
admitted to our Higher Power, to ourselves, and to another human being, the exact nature of our defects.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 72
Thought to Ponder
Clear vision for tomorrow comes only after a real look at yesterday.
AA-related 'Alconym'
F E A R = Face Everything And Recover
From: AA Thought for the Day (courtesy AA-Alive.net)
***************************
Daily Motivation
Excerpt of The Daily Motivator
Heart of authenticity
by Ralph Marston
What if your life memories relied on the intensity of your experience instead of the sophistication of your technology? Would it change the way you approach what you do?
Imagine for a moment that there are no video cameras, no photo sharing apps. How would you make sure that twenty years from now, or even a month from now, you remember this day?
What would you do differently if you were doing it not to create a pretty picture, but to lock in a valuable memory? How would you live this day if all you could put into it were your thoughts, words and actions, and all you could take from it were memories?
Consider how you would live each moment if you never had a single thought of trying to impress others, or of doing something just because it’s popular. Challenge yourself to act from the heart of your authenticity.
Think of being in a place of incredible natural beauty, with no camera. Think of how you would take it all in, to experience it fully, not to merely record it.
Let go of the need to jump through all kinds of hoops for the purpose of projecting a certain image. Experience the genuine beauty of real life as it flows through the person you really are.
What if your life memories relied on the intensity of your experience instead of the sophistication of your technology? Would it change the way you approach what you do?
Imagine for a moment that there are no video cameras, no photo sharing apps. How would you make sure that twenty years from now, or even a month from now, you remember this day?
What would you do differently if you were doing it not to create a pretty picture, but to lock in a valuable memory? How would you live this day if all you could put into it were your thoughts, words and actions, and all you could take from it were memories?
Consider how you would live each moment if you never had a single thought of trying to impress others, or of doing something just because it’s popular. Challenge yourself to act from the heart of your authenticity.
Think of being in a place of incredible natural beauty, with no camera. Think of how you would take it all in, to experience it fully, not to merely record it.
Let go of the need to jump through all kinds of hoops for the purpose of projecting a certain image. Experience the genuine beauty of real life as it flows through the person you really are.
No comments:
Post a Comment