Today's Thought - August

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August 1

There is a basket of fresh bread on your head, and yet you go door to door asking for crusts.

~Rumi

We have often tried to satisfy a deep inner hunger that we could not describe and didn’t understand. We followed the seductive call of physical pleasures, the allure of alcohol or other drugs, the excitement of gambling, or even the satisfactions of being the "helpful" codependent hero, trying to save others from their problems. These hollow attractions never satisfied our hunger. No matter how much we tried, they only left us more trapped in a dead-end search and less satisfied than ever.

We find genuine satisfactions for our hunger when we develop self-respect, form caring bonds with friends, develop a relationship with our Higher Power, and follow a path with heart. All of that is available to us, and we only need to turn toward it to find it.

Today, I seek a real slice of satisfaction in life rather than settling for crumbs.

Today's reading is from the book Stepping Stones: More Daily Meditations for Men*

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August 2

AA Thought for the Day

Having found my way into this new world by the grace of God and the help of AA, am I going to take that first drink, when I know that just one drink will change my whole world? Am I deliberately going back to the suffering of that alcoholic world? Or am I going to hang on to the happiness of this sober world? Is there any doubt about the answer? With God's help, am I going to hang on to AA with both hands?
Meditation for the Day

I will try to make the world better and happier by my presence in it. I will try to help other people find the way God wants them to live. I will try to be on the side of good, in the stream of righteousness, where all things work for good. I will do my duty persistently and faithfully, not sparing myself. I will be gentle with all people. I will try to see other people's difficulty and help them to correct it. I will always pray to God to act as interpreter between me and the other person.
Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may live in the spirit of prayer. I pray that I may depend on God for the strength I need to help me to do my part in making the world a better place.

Today's reading is from the book Twenty-Four Hours a Day: A Spiritual Resource with Practical Applications for Daily Life*

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August 3

There is glory In a great mistake.

~Nathalia Crane

Once there was a big girl who liked to play with little kids and their toys. One day she rode one of their small bikes and her foot slipped off the little pedal and her leg got caught and dragged along the sidewalk.

She went home, limping and howling. Her mother put ice on the terrible scrape. The next day, the girl's mother told her she was too big for the little kids' toys. The girl looked up defiantly and said, "I can TOO ride that baby bike!"

The girl's mother didn't say anything else. She knew people must be free to make mistakes. We cannot protect another person from the experiences of the world. It would be harmful to both of us to try.

What mistakes have I made more than once before I learned my lesson?

Today's reading is from the book Today's Gift: Daily Meditations for Families*

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August 4

Some things have to be believed to be seen.

~Ralph Hodgson

In recovery, we learn to trust. We trust that our Higher Power is on our side. Maybe we can't see our Higher Power, but once we start trusting, things change. Step Two says, "Came to believe..." Once we come to believe, we start to see our Higher Power working in many ways. We make new program friends. We find new peace. Our family and friends trust us again.

Life won't always be fair. We won't get all we want. But we'll find the love and care we need. If we're open to believing in love, the easy times will be easier and the harder times a bit softer. Do I believe in love?
Prayer for the Day

Higher Power, help me believe, especially when times are hard. Help me not blame You for the hard times.
Action for the Day

I will write what I believe the program and my Higher Power want for me.

Today's reading is from the book Keep it Simple: Daily Meditations for Twelve Step Beginnings and Renewal*

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August 5

If I had my life to live over...I'd relax. I would take fewer things seriously. I would take more chances. I would climb more mountains and swim more rivers. I'd start barefoot earlier in the spring and stay that way later in the fall. I would go to more dances. I would ride more merry-go-rounds. I would pick more daisies.

~Nadine Stair

"Letting go" is a theme with many variations. When we live with gusto and are released to experience the full excitement of life, we are letting go. When we turn our lives and wills over to the care of our Higher Power, we are freed of many cares.

If we orient our lives with a compass that always points to fear and insecurity, or to power and success, we are giving ourselves over to those forces. But we can orient our lives to our Higher Power's care and support. That makes it possible to drop our guard, allow for some mistakes, and delight in the pleasures of creation.

Today, let me forget my worries and enjoy the fullness of life.

Today's reading is from the book Touchstones: A Book of Daily Meditations for Men*

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August 6

Strengths over Defects

When I first got into recovery, the program that I belonged to - the one that saved my life - emphasized the importance of working on my character defects. That concept resonated for me because, at the time, I felt like I was just one big, walking defect. It felt natural for me to ask questions and try to fix those things that were wrong about me, to dig into all the things that I did or didn't do that created problems for me.

Don't get me wrong; I needed to become aware of thoughts, habits, and behaviors that didn't serve me or hurt me or others. That remains true today. I will always have something to work on. But as I've grown in recovery, what I have found to be helpful is that focusing on my strengths and the things that I am doing well yields much better outcomes than focusing on where I fall short.

Have you experienced something similar in your journey? Has it seemed easier to see the negatives instead of the positives? That's also part of our growth. Our self-talk moves from negative to positive as we grow and learn to trust ourselves more.

What receives attention grows.
I choose to focus on my strengths.

Today's reading is from the book She Recovers Every Day: Meditations for Women*

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August 7

Practicing HALT

The acronym HALT means never get too Hungry, too Angry, too Lonely, or too Tired. Each of these conditions can fog our minds so that we lose sight of our purpose - abstinence and recovery - and have a slip.

If we can become more aware of our thoughts and feelings, we will avoid some pain and some slips. HALT is a good slogan to keep in mind.

Do I practice HALT?

Higher Power, help me slow down and become more self-aware.

Today when I feel myself getting hungry, angry, lonely, or tired, I will..

Today's reading is from the book Day by Day: Daily Meditations for Recovering Addicts*

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August 8

Pulling Others Off the Battlefield

When I was in the Marine Corps, it was pounded into your head that you never leave a buddy behind; you never leave a fellow Marine behind. You don't give up on them or leave them on their own.

That message has carried through to me my whole life - especially now in AA. Because the addiction fight is like a battlefield. If I see somebody on that battlefield, and I think I can share something from my knowledge or experience that will help them get off that battlefield, I'm gonna do it. Because I've been on that battlefield and other sober people helped pull me off. I owe it to the next guy to help out if I can.

Today I will remember to help others out where I can.

~Mike D., U.S. Marine Corps, 1970–1974

Today's reading is from the book Leave No One Behind: Daily meditations for Military Service Members and Veterans in Recovery*

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August 9

Reflection for the Day

In a very real sense, we are imprisoned by our inability or unwillingness to reach out for help to a Power greater than ourselves. But in time, we pray to be relieved of the bondage of self, so that we can better do our Higher Power's will. In the words of Ramakrishna, "The sun and moon are not mirrored in cloudy waters, thus the Almighty cannot be mirrored in a heart that is obsessed by the idea of 'me and mine.'" Have I set myself free from the prison of self-will and pride that I myself have built? Have I accepted freedom?
Today I Pray

May the word freedom take on new meanings for me, not just "freedom from" my addiction, but "freedom to" overcome it. Not just freedom from the slavery of self-will, but freedom to hear and carry out our Higher Power’s will.
Today I Will Remember

Freedom from means freedom to.

Today's reading is from the book A Day at a Time: Daily Reflections for Recovering People*

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August 10

We are empowered to decide exactly what kind of day we will have, every day.

So many times throughout the day we are inclined toward anger, frustration, criticism, or perhaps all three. We love to blame a situation or another person for how we are feeling. Many of us have shirked responsibility for our feelings and our behavior.

When we came into the program and first learned that we needed to be wholly accountable both for our feelings and for our behavior, we panicked. The responsibility seemed overwhelming. On occasion, it still does. But it's also exhilarating to know that we, and only we, can decide how we are going to feel. No one can trigger behavior that we aren't willing to display. No one can decide who we will be or how we will feel; we are the ones in charge. That's a wonderful gift.

I am in charge of myself today. I'll enjoy my life, all of it, if I choose to.

Today's reading is from the book A Life of My Own: Meditations on Hope and Acceptance*

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August 11

In that case, what is the question?

~Gertrude Stein

Sometimes, we're thrown off balance by another person's questions - or by the confidence of his or her assumptions. Our certainties may be shattered when the way we see our identity, circumstances, or commitments seems to be called into question.

We don't have to come up with an answer simply because we have been questioned. Instead of rushing to defend ourselves when we feel put on the spot, we can take a deep breath and stop to consider what it is about ideas and beliefs different from our own that challenges us. We have choices about how to respond.

Some circumstances require that we simply state our own truth, others that we protect ourselves from an invasion of our boundaries, and still others that we keep an open mind and consider broadening our point of view. We can take time to decide which response is appropriate.

Today, I don't react; I respond from my understanding of the truth.

Today's reading is from the book Glad Day

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August 12

Fun becomes fun, love becomes love, life becomes worth living. And we become grateful.

~Beyond Codependency

There is a new energy, a new feeling coming into our life. We cannot base our expectations about how we will feel tomorrow, or even a few hours from now, on how we feel at this moment.

There are no two moments in time alike. We are recovering. We are changing. Our life is changing. At times, things haven't worked out the way we wanted. We had lessons to learn. The future shall not be like the past.

The truly difficult times are almost over. The confusion, the most challenging learning experiences, the difficult feelings are about to pass.

A new energy is coming. A new feeling is on the way. We cannot predict how it will be by looking at how it was or how it is, because it shall be entirely different. We have not worked and struggled in vain. It has been for and toward something.

Times are changing for the better. Continue on the path of trust and obedience. Be open to the new.

Today, God, help me not judge or limit my future by my past. Help me be open to all the exciting possibilities for change, both within and around me.

Today's reading is from the book The Language of Letting Go: Daily Meditations on Codependency*

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August 13

I may not be there yet, but I'm closer than I was yesterday.

~Susie McD.

Many adult children, for very understandable reasons, feel unworthy, guilty, and ashamed much of the time. We may feel a kind of gnawing at our self-esteem that makes it hard for us to see our own progress. We may be afraid to feel good.

It takes courage to look back down the road to see how far we have come toward daylight. But the rewards are great. When we give ourselves credit for all the progress, desire, and willingness to investigate the dark corners of our souls, we have good cause to celebrate who we are! Facing up to and facing down the demons of guilt and low self-esteem require great courage. And when we can look not only backward but forward - our task is more courageous still.

It's not where we came from, or even where we are, that tells the story. It's where we are headed that gives rise to hope and the joyous shout, "I'm getting there! I'm doing just fine!"

Today, I will be grateful for the freedom I am capable of claiming and, in fact, am claiming every day I work my program.

Today's reading is from the book Days of Healing, Days of Joy: Daily Meditations for Adult Children*

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August 14

God, grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change...

~The Serenity Prayer

The Serenity Prayer starts by having us ask our Higher Power to grant serenity that leads to acceptance of the unchangeable. We reach out. We let our Higher Power put an end to our struggle.

As using addicts, we refused to accept our illness; we struggled against chains that we could not remove. The good thing about acceptance is that it saves energy. When we accept our illness, energy that went to our illness and defenses is freed up to be used for our recovery, our healing.

Prayer is always about reaching outside of ourselves, about stepping outside of our egos, our instincts, our all-consuming troubles. The Serenity Prayer is about us reaching out for our Higher Power's peace, grace, and healing.
Prayer for the Day

Higher Power, touch me with your peace and grace. Help me to accept my illness and the things I can't change. Please use the energy that acceptance frees up to help me be the person you want me to be.
Today's Action

Today I will make a list of all the things I am now struggling against that I can't change. Throughout the day, I will ask my Higher Power to help me accept the things I can't change.

Today's reading is from the book God Grant Me: More Daily Meditations from the Authors of Keep It Simple*

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August 15

I never found the companion that was so companionable as solitude.

~Henry David Thoreau

There will be times when we find ourselves alone, despite our best efforts to reach out. That's often when we most need help, and it's usually when nobody is home or it's the middle of the night. The reality of being alone can lead to panic and to the belief we will be alone forever. But after the initial fear passes, we need to believe we can take care of ourselves. We have many more resources in us than we may realize.

If we ask ourselves what we really need, we'll find an answer. It may be a walk, doing the dishes, sitting down with our journal or praying. It may even be finding the courage to experience our feelings all alone and let go of the outcome.

The voice that tells us we can't manage alone will have its say, but it can't run the show. Our inner voice, by which we know what's best for us, is doing that.

If I am unable to be with others, I will accept that and be with myself. I may just find I'm pretty nice to be with.

Today's reading is from the book Answers in the Heart