Monday, December 23, 2019
Today's Gift
There are no riches above a sound body, and no joy above the joy of the heart. —Anonymous
Holidays are a wonderful and exciting time of year - a time to enjoy snowflakes falling, company coming, and presents. Sometimes we find ourselves concentrating solely on the wrapped presents and forgetting about the presents of the heart. With our Higher Power's help, we can begin to notice such things as the hug from a sibling or freind, the laugh of a grandparent or the hand-drawn card given to us. All of these wonderful presents and more are ours for the taking; we need only to see beyond the wrapped packages. It is then we will fully experience the joys of the heart.
How many gifts do I see around me right now?
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
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Twenty-Four Hours a Day
Keep It Simple
One year, when I was a child, my father got drunk and violent at Christmas. I had just unwrapped a present, a bottle of hand lotion, when he exploded in an alcoholic rage. Our Christmas was disrupted. It was terrible. It was frightening for the whole family. Now, thirty-five years later, whenever I smell hand lotion, I immediately feel all the feelings I did that Christmas: the fear, the disappointment, the heartache, the helplessness, and an instinctive desire to control. —Anonymous
There are many positive triggers that remind us of Christmas: snow, decorations, "Silent Night," "Jingle Bells," wrapped packages, a nativity scene, stockings hung on a fireplace. These "triggers" can evoke in us the warm, nostalgic feelings of the Christmas celebration.
There are other kinds of triggers, though, that may be less apparent and evoke different feelings and memories.
Our mind is like a powerful computer. It links sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste with feelings, thoughts, and memories. It links our senses - and we remember.
Sometimes the smallest, most innocuous incident can trigger memories. Not all our memories are pleasant, especially if we grew up in an alcoholic, dysfunctional setting.
We may not understand why we suddenly feel afraid, depressed, and anxious. We may not understand what has triggered our codependent coping behaviors - the low self worth, the need to control, the need to neglect ourselves. When that happens, we need to understand that some innocuous event may be triggering memories recorded deep within us.
If something, even something we don't understand, triggers painful memories, we can pull ourselves back into the present by self care: acknowledging our feelings, detaching, working the Steps, and affirming ourselves. We can take action to feel good. We can help ourselves feel better each Christmas. No matter what the past held, we can put it in perspective, and create a more pleasant holiday today.
Action for the Day: Today, I will gently work through my memories of this holiday season. I will accept my feelings, even if I consider them different than what others are feeling this holiday. Higher Power, help me let go, heal from, and release the painful memories surrounding the holidays. Help me finish my business from the past, so I can create the holiday of my choice.
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
What is this but a miracle of healing? Yet its elements are simple.
Circumstances made them willing to believe. They humbly offered their self
to their Maker—then they knew. Even so has our Higher Power restored us all to our right
minds. To this person, the revelation was sudden. Some of us grow
more slowly. But They gave come to all who have honestly sought Them.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, (We Agnostics) p. 57
Thought to Ponder
I came; I came to; I came to believe.
AA-related 'Alconym'
G O D = Good Orderly Direction
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Daily Motivation
Excerpt of The Daily Motivator
by Ralph Marston
At this gift-giving time of year, the perfect gift cannot be bought at the shopping mall or the discount warehouse. It is found in your heart.
The best gift you can give is yourself. Your time. Your attention. Your companionship, your patience, your thoughtfulness, your compassion, your understanding, your encouragement, your guidance, your love.
The things wrapped in bright boxes are nice tokens, and much appreciated, but are not a substitute for the gift of yourself. You are the very best thing you have to give. All else pales in insignificance.
In all the rush to give just the right item, add value by adding the gift of yourself. It will make a major difference in the worth of the gift that is received.
Give the best you have to give -- you!
From The Daily Motivator website at http://greatday.com/
At this gift-giving time of year, the perfect gift cannot be bought at the shopping mall or the discount warehouse. It is found in your heart.
The best gift you can give is yourself. Your time. Your attention. Your companionship, your patience, your thoughtfulness, your compassion, your understanding, your encouragement, your guidance, your love.
The things wrapped in bright boxes are nice tokens, and much appreciated, but are not a substitute for the gift of yourself. You are the very best thing you have to give. All else pales in insignificance.
In all the rush to give just the right item, add value by adding the gift of yourself. It will make a major difference in the worth of the gift that is received.
Give the best you have to give -- you!
From The Daily Motivator website at http://greatday.com/
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