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Today’s thought from the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:
Seeking strength from others prevents us from finding our own strength.
–Georgette VickstromThe principles of this program, the friends we have made here, sponsors, and the contact we have with an ever-available Higher Power afford us valuable strength. However, it’s important that we develop our own strength to complement what we look for in others.
Using the tools acquired in this program is a good beginning for cultivating personal strength. It’s like growing a garden. We need to tend it daily, nurturing it, discarding the unproductive behaviors like weeds. When we do, we’ll discover that the seedlings we’re planting at every meeting are taking root and developing blossoms that signal positive growth.
I will be painstaking in nurturing my growth today. My strength will be there when I need it.
You are reading from the book:
A Woman’s Spirit by Karen Casey
thought from the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:
Despair is the absolute extreme of self-love. It is reached when a man deliberately turns his back on all help from anyone else in order to taste the rotten luxury of knowing himself to be lost.
–Thomas MertonThe surest way to unhappiness is to concentrate only on ourselves. Nothing will bring on despair quicker than thinking only of our own concerns. Extreme self-centeredness brings alienation from God, from our friends, and loved ones.
The surest remedy is to pray, not for our own comfort, but for God to bless someone else. If self-centeredness is contributing to our unhappiness, focusing some attention on others is the way out. We always get help for the blues by offering a hand to another or accepting a hand ourselves.
I can avoid despair by looking beyond myself.
You are reading from the book:
In God’s Care by Karen Casey
Wine
Today’s thought from the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:
Anyone can get sober . . .
The trick is to stay and to live sober.
–Living SoberNewcomer
At one meeting someone mentioned having had a slip. He had been back in recovery for three days. No one criticized him; in fact, everyone applauded. To be honest, it makes me think about seeing what it would be like to have a few drinks or a drug again, just for a day or a weekend.
Sponsor
Over the years, I’ve watched people come and go in recovery. I’ve been grateful to the people who relapsed and were lucky enough to come back and share their experience. They taught me a lot by talking about how their disease had continued progressing even when they weren’t active in it, and about how much more quickly their misery had returned this time. I’m grateful to them for having had the slip for me; now I don’t have to risk it. There’s a danger in going back out to experiment with controlled using; few who leave ever make it back. This is a life threatening disease. People like us, who depend on using an addictive substance, can die from it. We understand the seriousness of our addictions and have no need to test recovery by trying to use “safely.”
Today, I want life – all of it. I embrace my recovery; I stick close to those who know how to stay stopped.
You are reading from the book:
If You Want What We Have by Joan Larkin
Today’s thought from the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:
The way to love anything is to realize it might be lost.
–G. K. ChestertonEvery day we take so much for granted. But we can count certain blessings: a roof over our head, food, clothing, family and friend, freedom, a Higher Power we trust. These things are special. Thinking about them wakes up our happiness. Our recovery program shows us how to be happy. We just have to remember to do what it tells us!
Step Ten helps us wake up our happiness. Each evening, as we think about our day, we can give thanks for the things we love; our recovery, our health, and the special people in our lives. If we spend part of our day thinking about these important areas, we won’t lose them.
Prayer for the Day
Higher Power, help me make the most of my blessings today.
Action for the Day
Today, I’ll tell five people I love that I’m glad to have them in my life. And I’ll tell each of them one reason why.
You are reading from the book:
Keep It Simple by Anonymous
Today’s thought from the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:
Attitudes and Limitations
“My greatest limitations,” a member said, “are in my mind. Until I came to this group, I wasn’t even aware that many of the negative circumstances in my life were the direct result of my distorted attitudes.
“I brought myself a lot of unnecessary misery by thinking it was my responsibility to manage and direct other people’s lives. I believed it was solely up to me to make everyone else happy and secure. So I continually placed everyone else’s needs first until I didn’t know who I was or what I needed for my own happiness and comfort. It’s exhausting and insane to try to second-guess everyone. Not only that, it doesn’t give me or anyone else credit for being able to think, feel, or act for himself.”
Today I will not manage or direct other people’s lives, nor will I expect any other human being to fill my inner emptiness. I have the dignity, resources, and responsibility to fulfill my own life just as others have theirs. I will find my own sources of comfort, joy, and peace no matter what others do with their lives and free choices.
You are reading from the book:
The Reflecting Pond by Liane Cordes
Today’s thought from the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:
Love “bears all things” and “endures all things.” These words say all there is to be said; nothing can be added to them. For we are in the deepest sense the victims and the instruments of cosmogonic “love.”
–Carl JungThose of us who’ve fallen in love can never forget the tender adoration of and the seeming perfection of our beloved, nor the complete abandon we felt. Later, when familiarity cleared our vision, we began trying to control the relationship and, of course, our beloved.
To bind them to our will, we wrap our loved ones in ribbons of care and concern. Or, if we are the least bit insecure, we become restrictive and possessive. Yet, as we experience the love of those who are helping us find our way – in recovery and, through them, to the love of God – we come to understand that love must be free. God’s love does not insist on fidelity, good taste, or common sense. Why then should we demand more of those we love?
No person is my private possession, no behavior the price of my love.
You are reading from the book:
In God’s Care by Karen Casey
Today’s thought from the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:
Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
We pray for “courage to change the things we can.” Change requires giving up familiar old ways to try something new. Even though the old ways brought us pain, they were known. Changing them for new ones feels risky; it could lead to pleasure . . . or to even more pain.
But if we don’t try, we’ll never know whether we can handle a new job, go back to school, work out a new relationship, or breathe new life into an old one. To try something new, we have to be willing to take risks and be vulnerable. We have to accept the responsibility and the consequences if our venture does not proceed as we had hoped it would.
Perhaps our addiction was a way of avoiding risk. Rather than take the chance of failing at something we wanted to do or being rejected by someone to whom we offered our friendship, we focused on our addiction. Are we ready, now, to take risks for something we really want?
Today, I can take a small risk in the interest of enriching my life.
You are reading from the book:
Inner Harvest by Elisabeth L.
Today’s thought from the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:
Nothing is so bad that relapse won’t make it worse.
–AnonymousThe stories we hear in meetings often shock us. It seems hard to believe that some members could have harmed themselves in such ways. We hear about arrests, bankruptcies, loss of family and home, lost jobs, violence, jail, physical injury – the list goes on. Most of us said to ourselves, “I never was that bad. Maybe I don’t really belong here.”
Our sponsors and fellow members quickly straightened us out. We were comparing our histories with other members. We were told to identify with the stories, not compare. Some of us had been lucky that worse things hadn’t happened to us while we were using. We were reminded those things hadn’t happened to us “yet.” If we relapsed, the “yets” were waiting.
Today I’ll remember to identify, not compare. I don’t want to relapse and go through THE YETS.
You are reading from the book:
Easy Does It by Anonymous
Today’s thought from the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:
When a, man leaves off believing in imaginary property, then only will he make use of his true property.
–Leo TolstoyThe original meaning of property is “belonging to the self.” In this sense, land, houses, money, paintings, jewels, cars cannot be our property; they are all things, and we enjoy using them, but they have nothing to do with our selves.
What then is our true property? It’s our moral and spiritual qualities; our capacity for love, our commitment to honesty. These are what make a difference in who we are. The difference between a lie and the truth is vastly greater than the difference between a bicycle and a Mercedes. When we appreciate this distinction, we can begin to develop our spiritual selves.
We all know that things can’t make us happy; only a loving heart and a clear conscience can do that. Yet often we act as though the piling up of things was important in itself. A little reflection can restore our balance and return our imaginary property to its true place in our lives.
True property is what nothing can take away from me.
You are reading from the book:
The Promise of a New Day by Karen Casey and Martha Vanceburg
Today’s thought from the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:
Where is God?
AA members have always had a difficult time explaining the “God business.” We didn’t want to be considered religious, but at the same time we’ve always believed some contact with a Higher Power is necessary for real personal growth.
There’s nothing wrong – for our purposes – in simply visualizing God as a Higher Power that has always been within us and around us. “Before they call, I will answer,” goes an old saying, and that was true even in our darkest days. Many of us can look back to realize that a certain force was moving us toward recovery long before we knew we needed any recovery. Many of us also believe that a Higher Power helped bring AA into being and move it along to become a worldwide force for good.
But God works in ways that can seem to come from chance or coincidence. Quite often, we’ll find that little events had far-reaching results in our lives. When we review how such things happened, we should not conclude that this happens only to certain “special” people. All human beings are part of God’s creation and can avail themselves of guidance and direction. The more serious problem is that guidance and direction are sometimes ignored or rejected.
I’ll go about my affairs today with the knowledge that my Higher Power is making the important decisions in my life. I’ll come out about where God wants me to be.
You are reading from the book:
Walk in Dry Places by Mel B.
Today’s thought from the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:
Accepting Every Task
Dear God,
Help me find the strength to be effective and accept responsibility. I am asking you for the strength I need each day. You have proven in countless lives that for every day I live, You will give me that necessary power.
I must face every challenge that comes to me during the day sure that You will give me the strength to face it. I pray that I may accept every task as a challenge. I know I cannot wholly fail if You are with me.
Adapted from Twenty-Four Hours a Day, September 29
You are reading from the book:
The 12 Step Prayer Book Volume 2 by Bill P. and Lisa D.
Today’s thought from the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:
Moving Forward
Time past is gone forever, and we can never go back to it. Even our disease progresses forward. We cannot expect to control it by a return to measures which may have worked for a time in the past. Those methods eventually failed, and trying them again will only bring us to the same point of failure.
The only way to avoid repetitious failure is to move forward creatively as our Higher Power leads us. Each day is a new creation, and each day brings new lessons and opportunities. We build on what is past, but we do not need to repeat it.
Moving forward involves risking what is unknown. The old, familiar rut, depressing as it is, is a known quantity. Moving out of it requires that we have courage and that we trust in One who knows and cares. To move on, we must act. Insights do not produce growth until they are accompanied by specific actions.
May I risk new actions as You lead me forward.
You are reading from the book:
Food for Thought by Elisabeth L.
Today’s thought from the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:
Letting go is a decision.
The obsession to pressure other people to see things our way keeps us agitated. In contrast, the wisdom to understand that every person’s view has validity, at least for that person, is a gift we receive from working the Twelve Steps. Our daily assignment, then, is to be patient and listen so that we may learn this lesson from women and men who have walked this path already, women and men who have come to understand that letting go of others and their addictions promises relief from the obsession that troubles each of us.
Look around. All of us have tried to force solutions that didn’t fit. And we drove ourselves crazy trying to control the behavior of others, certain that “doing it our way” was not only reasonable, but right. Our past sometimes may appear to be a series of failures. But our present experience can be peaceful, hopeful, and successful. It’s our decision to let go. A small decision that we can make many times today, every day.
“Let go” are tiny words with huge rewards. If I want to, I can give up my attempts to control someone today. Peace will be my reward.
You are reading from the book:
A Life of My Own by Karen Casey
?Today’s thought from the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:
Make yourself at home.
It was night, only a few months after I’d begun my skydiving adventure. It was too cold to stay in my tent; I had rented a cabin near the drop zone. Now I’d come back to hang out for a while, before retiring for the night.
One of the skydivers I’d met recently was sitting in a lawn chair, under the tarped area between the rows of trailers that had been turned into team rooms and student training areas. The evening lights had been turned on. He was wrapped up in a sleeping bag, reading a book under the hazy glow. He was one of the full-time skydivers, who had been attracted to the gypsy lifestyle of the skydiving community as much as the sport itself.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“I’m in my living room, reading a book,” he replied. “Do you like the view of the backyard?” he asked, making a gesture toward the rolling hills that cascaded gently in the background. “That’s my patio,” he said, pointing to a small area just around the corner. “The morning sun hits there. It’s a warm place to sit and eat breakfast. Sometimes I sleep in that tent,” he said, pointing off to the side.” And sometimes I take my sleeping bag and curl up under the stars in the landing area, over there.”
I looked around, almost envious of his freedom.
Sometimes, we get so busy and involved creating a “home” for ourselves that we create a structure that’s too safe, limiting, and confined. We forget about our real home, the planet earth. It’s good to sleep indoors. It’s nice to make ourselves comfortable in our home. But don’t let your cozy nest become a locked, confining box.
Stretch your arms, Push the lid off the box. Get out into the world. Walk around. Move about. See the hills, the lakes, the forests, the mountains peaks, the valleys, the rivers.
See how big your world can be. See how connected everything is. See how connected you are, too – to all that is. Make yourself comfortable, wherever you are. Make yourself a home and be at home in the world.
God, help me relax and make myself at home in your bountiful world.
You are reading from the book:
More Language of Letting Go by Melody Beattie
Today’s thought from the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:
What a man thinks of himself, that is which determines, or rather indicates, his fate.
–Henry David ThoreauLet us think of ourselves as made of dust, and allow us to be as proud of it as if it were true. For dust is everywhere. We see it in solemn rooms streaked by sun, dancing like fine angels in a cathedral light. It is the stuff of life. And it drifts down on fancy tables where the richest people eat. It cannot be denied a place. And it returns time and time again like the seasons. It is one of the wonders of the world. And when no one sees or cares, it finds a secret corner in which to keep a solitary peace. It intends no harm. We find it at home on old leather books, the ones that preserve our noblest thoughts. And from where we stand, it seems that even the stars are made of it.
When we feel low, unworthy, or useless, let’s remember that these feelings are only a small but important part of us, that even great things are made of small parts and that we, as whole beings, are always greater than the sum of these parts.
You are reading from the book:
Today’s Gift by Anonymous