Today's Thought - July

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July 1

We have the power to direct our minds to replace the feelings of being upset, depressed, and fearful with the feeling of inner peace.
--Gerald G. Jampolsky

Learning to identify negative thoughts is a powerful way to begin changing our negative behavior. We always think before we act, even if the thinking has become automatic.

As we become committed to being aware of negative thoughts, we can stop, take a deep breath, and repeat a positive affirmation. Practicing this process will actually change the way we feel about ourselves. By thinking about positive things, we can change how we feel about a situation and about ourselves, too. Now, life has more promise, more joy.

Today, let me have the courage to change the way I think.

You are reading from the book:

Our Best Days by Nancy Hull-Mast

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July 2

If you're never scared or embarrassed or hurt, it means you never take any chances.
--Julia Soul

Do we avoid making new friends because we're scared they won't like us? Do we get embarrassed when we make a mistake and avoid trying again? When we get our feelings hurt, do we think we're bad, or that something is wrong with us?

Being scared or shy or hurt are all part of being alive. When we try to stay away from painful feelings, we keep ourselves from having many wonderful adventures. If we're afraid to meet new people, we may never have any close friends. If we stop trying when we're embarrassed, we may never learn a better way of doing things. And if we don't share our hurt feelings, we may never find out that everyone else has the same feelings we have.

What can I try again today that I failed at yesterday?

You are reading from the book:

Today's Gift by Anonymous

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July 3

Always forgive your enemies - nothing annoys them so much.
--Oscar Wilde

According to a Japanese legend, two monks were walking down the road when they saw a finely dressed young woman standing before a large mud puddle. She explained that she had no way of crossing the water without ruining her clothes. Without saying a word, the first monk picked her up in his arms and lifted her safely across the obstacle.

A few hours later the second monk said in an accusatory tone, "How could you have picked up that lady? Don't you know that the rules strictly forbid us to touch a member of the opposite sex?" His friend smiled and then replied, "I put the woman down back at the puddle. Are you still carrying her?"

Like the second monk, many of us are still carrying old hurts, resentments, and lost opportunities that we picked up many mud puddles ago. As long as we remain stuck in the past, we cannot fully hear the inner voice, which speaks to us in the present. Thus, in order to tap our intuition, we need to release and heal our unfinished business.

By following the example of the first monk, we can put the past down and walk on. See your past experiences as teachings that have guided you to this present moment. An endless array of opportunities and possibilities lie before you. Immerse yourself in this good, and the old hurts will have no place left to make their home.

You are reading from the book:

Listening to Your Inner Voice by Douglas Bloch

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July 4

Recovery sets us free.

Freedom is what recovery is all about. Not only are we free from addictive behavior, but we are free to become who we are and enjoy all that life has to offer. We may not hear bands playing and see fireworks every day, but we will know a new dimension of peace and serenity.

Although recovery does not guarantee freedom from pain and distress, it promises us greater resources for coping with trouble. With the help of abstinence and the Twelve Steps, we become free to work toward resolving our difficulties instead of escaping into false solutions.

We must remain strong and guard the freedom that comes with abstinence. Whatever threatens abstinence should be avoided: we don't want to transfer one obsession to something else, such as compulsive shopping, or addictive relationships. To remain free, we stay in touch with others who are also recovering and with the Higher Power that guides and supports us.

I will celebrate my freedom today and every day.

You are reading from the book:

Inner Harvest by Elisabeth L.

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July 5

Opening Ourselves to Love

Open ourselves to the love that is available to us.

We do not have to limit our sources of love. God and the Universe have an unlimited supply of what we need, including love.

When we are open to receiving love, we will begin to receive it. It may come from the most surprising places, including from within ourselves.

We will be open to and aware of the love that is and has been there for us all along. We will feel and appreciate the love from friends. We will notice and enjoy the love that comes to us from family.

We will be ready to receive love in our special love relationships too. We do not have to accept love from unsafe people - people who will exploit us or with whom we don't want to have relationships.

But there is plenty of good love available - love that heals our heart, meets our needs, and makes our spirit sing.

We have denied ourselves too long. We have been martyrs too long. We have given so much and allowed ourselves to receive too little. We have paid our dues. It is time to continue the chain of giving and receiving by allowing ourselves to receive.

Today, I will open myself to the love that is coming to me from the Universe. I will accept it and enjoy it when it comes.

You are reading from the book:

The Language of Letting Go by Melody Beattie

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July 6

The Milkmaid and Her Pail

A milkmaid walked to the village with a pail of milk balanced on her head. She began to think about what she would do with the money she would make when the milk was sold, and decided she would buy some chickens. "They would lay eggs, which would bring in a good price at the market. Then I will use the money I earn to buy a new dress and hat," she said. "I will go to the market dressed so nicely, and all the young men will notice me. All the women will be jealous of me."

Eager to get on with her plans, she began to walk a little faster. "I will just look at those women, smile, and toss my head in the air." With that, she actually tossed her head. The pail fell to the ground and all of the milk spilled out.

The Moral of the Story: Do not count your chickens before they are hatched.

While it may be tempting to think being clean and sober means you can show others they were wrong about you, this is not the purpose of recovery. Recovery is a program that helps you stay clean and sober. Your work in the program is something you do for yourself.

I will not use my recovery as a means of retaliation or personal gain.

You are reading from the book:

Morning Light by Amy E. Dean

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July 7

A life without discipline is a life without joy.
-- Muriel B.

Wait a minute. Isn't joy a matter of doing what we want? Isn't freedom the state of never having to do what we don't want to do? And isn't discipline - which we learned from our parents - the burden of having to do what we don't want to do?

Actually, joy is the freedom to do what needs to be done. And gaining that freedom takes discipline. Why? Without discipline, we usually end up doing what is familiar to us. And our experience clearly tells us that old thinking and old behaviors bring us anything but joy.

It takes discipline to say no when we need to - when every fiber of our being may be urging us to give in again. It takes discipline to stand up and be counted when our pattern has been to fade into the wallpaper and blend in with any situation.

Discipline isn't easy or fun, but it's the best friend we can have. To practice self-discipline is to move through our days with a sure sense that we'll get where we're going.

Today I will remember that self-discipline is in myself.

You are reading from the book:

Days of Healing, Days of Joy by Earnie Larsen and Carol Larsen Hegarty

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July 8

We have our time together

Sometimes we feel bad because we cannot afford all the things we need or want. Whether or not we have all we want, we can get lost in the quest for material possessions and the happiness we think they will bring.

These thoughts can carry us toward a narrow and cold view of life. But we can return to the spontaneous life that surrounds us. Squirrels still chase each other through the grass. Children still engage in fanciful conversations. The joy of music can still enrich our lives. We have our time together and our imagination. When we take the time to enjoy our connection and express our love, we discover riches of far greater value than material items.

Take this moment to look around you to notice the simple things that give you pleasure.

You are reading from the book:

The More We Find In Each Other by Merle Fossum and Mavis Fossum

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July 9

And if not now, when?
--The Talmud

It's so easy to put things off. Sometimes we're like Scarlet O'Hara, who hoped and dreamed for a better life by saying, "There's always tomorrow." But is there always a tomorrow? If we live too many of our days counting on tomorrows, we may find ourselves putting off achievements and growth now.

What if tomorrow never came? What if all of our time to do what we wanted was put in the hours left in today? We'd be scurrying around like mice trying to cram as much as we could into this short period of time. But today, not having such a deadline, we believe our time is endless and no goal or task is so important that it can't be put off.

The time to achieve is now. The time to live is now. For as long as we believe tomorrow will come, we'll be living for tomorrow. If we don't believe today is the greatest gift we could receive, we'll never know how to live for today. Everything we want to achieve, to learn, to share can begin today. If we don't live the best we can right now, then when?

Higher Power, help me learn to use my time wisely. Help me avoid putting things off.

You are reading from the book:

Night Light by Amy E. Dean

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July 10

It is important that we plan for the future, imperative that we accept an outcome unplanned.
-- Molly McDonald

We sometimes feel confused over how to live just one day at a time while making strategic plans for the future. It seems contradictory to try to do both. Yet that is what a healthy recovery means.

Goals help direct our attention. They give us needed focus. They give us enthusiasm for making the most of our recovery. But just as we need goals to strengthen our resolve to move forward, we need willingness to let God be involved in our effort and, even more important, in charge of the outcome. God's role and ours, though related, are in fact quite separate. In our rush to move forward we sometimes forget to turn over the reins when our part is done.

We are learning the joys of living one day at a time. We are letting God be responsible for the outcomes of our endeavors. Each day in recovery gives us more time to practice doing only what we need to do and leaving the rest in God's hands.

I must let God take charge of the outcomes of my efforts today. If I do, I will be cared for in the most loving fashion.

You are reading from the book:

A Woman's Spirit by Karen Casey

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July 11

It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.
--Antoine de St. Exupery

A tuning fork is a small tool that is used to tune musical instruments. It is tapped softly and then set down. As it vibrates, it gives off a musical tone. When its vibrations perfectly match the vibrations of the note played on the instrument, the instrument is in tune. When the note matches the tuning fork, this can be both felt and heard.

Our hearts work like a tuning fork. When the heart feels completely in tune with a decision or thought or action in our lives, then we know it is the right one for us. We can actually feel the harmony inside our bodies.

Sometimes what we know deep in our hearts gets clouded over by doubts and questions and other people's opinions and judgments. We need to clear away such clouds and listen to our hearts, for our hearts carry the wisdom of God.

Am I in tune with my heart today?

You are reading from the book:

Today's Gift by Anonymous

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July 12

Love doesn't just sit there like a stone, it has to be made, like bread — re-made all the time, made new.
--Ursula K. Le Guin

We love to be loved; we love to be held; we love to be caressed. A show of appreciation we love too. And we love to know we've been heard. The friends, the spouses, the children in our lives want the same from us. Like a garden that needs water, sun, weeding to nurture the growth, so does love need attending to. To become whole and healthy people, we need tender nurturing. And we also need to give away what we get. Those we nurture will bless our growth.

Love is dynamic, not static. It is always changing, and it always changes those it enfolds. Since coming into this program where the sharing of oneself, the open expression of love, is profoundly evident, we each have changed. And our presence has changed others. We have learned to accept love and give it. But better yet, we have learned that we deserve love.

I will look around me today at others, and I will remember my growth and theirs depends on loving and being loved. I will reach out. I can make love new.

You are reading from the book:

Each Day a New Beginning by Karen Casey

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July 13

They are able because they think they are able.
--Virgil

For most of us, addiction was full of doubt. We stopped believing in ourselves. Our thoughts had turned to "stinkin' thinkin'." We didn't believe in much of anything. We didn't take risks. We always looked for the easier, softer way.

In recovery, we start to believe again. We believe in the program. We believe in a Higher Power. We believe in people. And, over time, we believe in ourselves again. We become better at taking risks.

We are able to stay sober because we believe, because we take risks. As we stay sober, we can face almost anything - with the help of others.

Prayer for the Day

Higher Power, I have learned to believe in You. Help me believe in myself. I have something to give to this world. Help me give it freely.

Action for the Day

Today, I'll list ten good points about myself. I'll go over these good points with a friend.

You are reading from the book:

Keep It Simple by Anonymous

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July 14

Life has lessons to teach. We can remember them and share them with others, or we can forget them and have to learn them again.
--Jan Pishok

What we are destined to learn in this life will keep presenting itself until "contact" has been made. Each experience is a minute part of the big picture that's unfolding. We will receive the information we need, again and again if necessary. Let's give up our fear about where we are going and how we'll get there. We are in caring, capable hands. We will get to the right destination on time.

In this program we are invited to share with others what our experiences have taught us. What better way to recall, and thus relearn, what we have been taught, than to tell another about it. Every Twelve Step program is specifically designed to simplify our lives. The Steps coach us through every situation, and they never shame us for needing reminders of our lessons.

I will help others through sharing my own experiences today. In the process, I'll recapture the essence of the lessons I have learned.

You are reading from the book:

A Woman's Spirit by Karen Casey

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July 15

Somebody's boring me - I think it's me.
--Dylan Thomas

Sobriety and recovery are supposed to be fun. Otherwise no one would do it. If we're bored or stagnant, it's because we're not doing recovery right.

Recovery is a wonderful adventure filled with new faces, growth, love, acceptance, laughs, peace, serenity, comfort, and fellowship. If we can't find any of that, we need to find out why. Maybe we're purposely trying to avoid the good stuff of sobriety so we can set ourselves up to use again. Or maybe we just need to try some new friends or get involved with a social activity. Today we have the power to take action on our own behalf.

Today don't let me get away with blaming my boredom on somebody or something else.

You are reading from the book:

Our Best Days by Nancy Hull-Mast