Tuesday, November 24, 2020
Today's Gift
Self-respect is the fruit of discipline; the sense of dignity grows with the ability to say no to oneself. —Abraham Heschel
Most of us have struggled with our self-esteem. We believed if we felt better about ourselves we could change some of our behavior. In adulthood we found the reverse to be true. First our behavior changed, then our self-esteem improved.
Only after we stop doing things we don't respect can we hear and accept the goodwill of others around us. Then we see our value as a person because we are upholding strong self-images by our actions. This is not easy to do. As we learn, we continue to say no to weak behaviors, and we are released to feel greater dignity.
Saying no to my negative behavior today will improve my self-respect.
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
And at the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time
---T. S. Eliot
Our spiritual path is like a search leading home. We carry within us a yearning for the ideal, the perfect acceptance and love from our fathers and mothers. We long for fulfillment of our dreams, we long to feel strong and capable, and we want to understand, to truly come into our own.
As we peel back the layers of our defenses, we find what we knew all along. On a deep level, we knew no one could be totally self-sufficient. Now we are coming back to it as if it's brand new. The best images of our parents' love and acceptance of us are what we return to as models for how we can be. It is true we can never go home again. Yet our spiritual journey mysteriously leads us back to explore what we knew deeply all along.
Action for the Day: I will make peace with my past and explore the deeper knowledge I've always held within me.
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
High and low, rich and poor, these are future fellows of Alcoholics Anonymous.
Among them you will make lifelong friends. You will be bound to them with
new and wonderful ties, for you will escape disaster together and you will
commence shoulder to shoulder your common journey. Then you will know
what it means to give of yourself that others may survive and rediscover life.
You will learn the full meaning of "Love thy neighbor as thyself."
- Alcoholics Anonymous, (A Vision For You) pp. 152 - 153
Thought to Ponder
Only in giving do we receive in full measure.
AA-related 'Alconym'
T E A M = Together Everyone Achieves More
From: AA Thought for the Day (courtesy AA-Alive.net) http://www.aa-alive.net/index.html
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Daily Motivation
Excerpt of The Daily Motivator
by Ralph Marston
You have the opportunity to make today a meaningful experience. From these moments you can create a meaningful experience not only for yourself but also for others.
Is there anything more fundamental to life than that? Of what value is everything else if it has no purpose, has no meaning?
So what exactly does make an experience meaningful? Anything is meaningful to the degree that it resonates with truth.
A meaningful experience is an authentic experience. A meaningful experience connects with your deepest idea of who you are.
It doesn’t have to be epic, or impressive, or even particularly memorable. It just has to be true, for you, for those with whom you share it.
At the heart of your life is truth, and the desire to express that truth in a million different ways. Let that truth drive you, today and every day, to create meaningful experiences.
You have the opportunity to make today a meaningful experience. From these moments you can create a meaningful experience not only for yourself but also for others.
Is there anything more fundamental to life than that? Of what value is everything else if it has no purpose, has no meaning?
So what exactly does make an experience meaningful? Anything is meaningful to the degree that it resonates with truth.
A meaningful experience is an authentic experience. A meaningful experience connects with your deepest idea of who you are.
It doesn’t have to be epic, or impressive, or even particularly memorable. It just has to be true, for you, for those with whom you share it.
At the heart of your life is truth, and the desire to express that truth in a million different ways. Let that truth drive you, today and every day, to create meaningful experiences.
From The Daily Motivator website at http://greatday.com/
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