Today's Thought - April

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April 1

Hope is a good breakfast, but it is a bad supper.
--Francis Bacon

Each day we hope for accomplishment and satisfaction and we'll achieve these when we scale our hopes to our real capacities. There's no more satisfying feeling than finishing a project we've set up ourselves, tailored to our abilities, and worked at with patience and care. Our lives can be filled with such successes.

Learning to live means learning to keep ourselves in the present. This day is all we really have to work with. 0f course today will be influenced by what has already happened; and its influence will extend to tomorrow, next week, and beyond. But all we can make or do lies here, within this window of space and time.

May my supper be contentment. I'll breakfast on hope again.

You are reading from the book:

The Promise of a New Day by Karen Casey and Martha Vanceburg

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April 2

Awareness, Acceptance, Action

Dear God,

Slow me down when all I do is try to fix and control things and people. Help me to first accept situations, as they are when I become aware of them.

Slow me down in your stillness.

Mark my awareness with unselfishness, my acceptance with humility, and my actions with usefulness to me and others.

You are reading from the book:

The 12 Step Prayer Book Volume 2 by Bill P. and Lisa D.

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April 3

Conflict can produce positive results.

If our policy is to avoid conflict at all cost, we may impede our growth by trying to sweep important issues under the rug and refusing to deal with them. The issues don't disappear, however, and by sweeping them under the rug, we make them more toxic and unwieldy.

Conflict is bound to occur in any vital, important relationship, and the question is how to handle it. Allowing conflict to be brought into the open usually makes it much more manageable than trying to ignore it. If there's fear of conflict, we're less likely to feel free to be ourselves.

When I am willing to talk about what's bothering me, to state my position and listen to yours, to ask for help from a Higher Power, it's very possible that we will reach an understanding that enhances our relationship. Conflict does not need to destroy. Using the Steps, we can build on our differences and both come out stronger.

If I find myself in a situation of conflict today, I will try working through it rather than attempting to avoid it.

You are reading from the book:

Inner Harvest by Elisabeth L.

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April 4

Today's thought from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:

If I should lose, let me stand by the road and cheer as the winners go by.
--Berton Bradley

If we are to be among the winners in the recovery from addiction and obsession, we must maintain the attitude of success. Winners in any Twelve Step program take fearless inventories, correct shortcomings, and willingly make amends. By taking charge of ourselves in this manner, we neither blame nor credit others or events. With confidence and willingness, we hold ourselves responsible for our lives.

We take responsibility for our pre-program faults and conduct. We can then count ourselves among those who, with the help of our Higher Power, can control compulsive and excessive behavior. But we don't do it with pride. We do it with humility and gratitude.

I will begin to lose hold of a winning attitude if I choose to leave spiritual growth to chance. I must make life happen, not let it happen to me.

You are reading from the book:

Easy Does It by Anonymous

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April 5

Reflection for the Day

The Program is a road, not a resting place. Before we came to The Program - and, for some of us, many times afterward - most of us looked for answers to our living problems in religion, philosophy, psychology, self-help groups, and so on. Invariably, these fields held forth the goals that were precisely what we wanted; they offered freedom, calm, confidence and joy. But there was one major loophole: They never gave us a workable method of getting there. They never told us how to get from where we were to where we were supposed to be. Do I truly believe that I can find everything that I need and really want through the Twelve Steps?

Today I Pray

May I know that, once through the Twelve Steps, I am not on a plane surface. For life is not a flat field, but a slope upward. And those flights of steps must be taken over and over and remembered. May I be sure that once I have made them totally familiar to me, they will take me anywhere I want to go.

Today I Will Remember

The Steps are a road, not a resting place.

You are reading from the book:

A Day at a Time (Softcover) by Anonymous

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April 6

Reflection for the Day

Every person, no matter what his or her balance for good or evil, is a part of the Divine economy. We are all children of God, and it is unlikely that God intends to favor one over another. So it is necessary for all of us to accept whatever positive gifts we receive with a deep humility, always bearing in mind that our negative attitudes were first necessary as a means of reducing us to such a state that we would be ready for a gift of the positive ones via the conversion experience. Do I accept the fact that my addiction and the bottom I finally reached are the bedrock upon which my spiritual foundation rests?

Today I Pray

May I know that from the first moment I admitted my powerlessness, God-given power was mine. Every step taken from that moment of defeat has been a step in the right direction. The First Step is a giant step. Though it is often taken in despair, may I realize that I must be drained of hope before I can be refilled with fresh hope, sapped of willfulness before I can feel the will of God.

Today I Will Remember

Power through powerlessness.

You are reading from the book:

A Day at a Time (Softcover) by Anonymous

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April 7

I can live for two months on a good compliment.
-- Mark Twain

Newcomer

At a meeting I shared about a loss I've gone through, and the response was amazing. People expressed sympathy and understanding, and a number of them shared experiences of their own that were similar to mine. It surprised me. I'd told the same story at a different meeting, and people there didn't say a thing to me. I had left feeling like there was something wrong with me. I can't figure out what I did differently this time, maybe there was something about the way I shared.

Sponsor

My hunch is that the difference in response to your sharing from different groups of people had to do with things over which you had no control. There are many possible explanations for people's responses to us; we needn't assume we're responsible for what they do or don't do.

There's an Al-Anon slogan (nicknamed "The Three C's") that says, "I didn't cause it, I can't control it, and I can't cure it." For me, it's a helpful one to remember, especially when people in my life are active in an addiction or are on a "dry drunk." It's useful in situations with non-addicts, too. Most human beings behave as they do for reasons that have little to do with us.

We're entitled to support and response from other human beings. When I find myself in a group where I experience a warm, engaged response from others, I make a point of returning. Support and validation from others quenches one of my deepest thirsts. But we can't rely on others to give us a sense of self-esteem. That comes from within, it grows as we do the work of recovery.

Today, I go where I find food for my spirit.

You are reading from the book:

If You Want What We Have by Joan Larkin

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April 8

Goodwill

Have you ever envied someone else's good fortune? Consider the friend who calls with a different ring to her voice. Instead of sharing her troubles and woes, she proceeds to tell you good news. Something exciting, financially beneficial, glamorous, wonderful beyond belief has happened in her life. It's not a fantasy. It's one of those rare moments when a dream has come true.

"That's wonderful," you may say, meaning every word. At first.

"Why her?" You may later think. "What about me? When am I going to get a break?" As hard as we may try not to feel that way, a little jealousy, envy, and self-pity replace the joy we felt for our friend.

Most of us want other people to be successful and happy. We really do. That's not the problem. The problem comes when we think they're going to be happier or better than we are.

Sometimes we know when we're envying and resenting others. Other times it's a subtle undercurrent that we're not aware of, but it invades our lives. It may only be a slight feeling of smugness when we hear that something unfortunate has happened to someone we perceive as being more fortunate than we are.

Goodwill isn't just the name of a secondhand store or a phrase used in songs during the holiday season.

You are reading from the book:

52 Weeks of Conscious Contact by Melody Beattie

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April 9

Today's thought from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:

Rebellion against your handicaps gets you nowhere. Self-pity gets you nowhere. One must have the adventurous daring to accept oneself as a bundle of possibilities and undertake the most interesting game in the world - making the most of one's best.
--Harry Emerson Fosdick


What am I doing with what I've got? Instead of despairing over my lack of abilities in certain areas, am I doing the best with the talents I've been given?

All of us have unique gifts and abilities. Some of us work well with our hands; others are gifted at working with abstract ideas. Whatever our abilities, we would do well to concentrate on bringing those we can do to fruition rather than focus on our limitations.

Greek philosopher Epictetus put it this way: "He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has." German poet and dramatist Goethe said, "The man who is born with a talent which he is meant to use finds his greatest happiness in using it."

TODAY, let me not concentrate on my handicaps as much as on my abilities. I know I have been given all I need to make my life a success.

You are reading from the book:

The Reflecting Pond by Liane Cordes

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April 10

Martyrs set bad examples.
--David Russell

Sometimes we call people "martyrs." We think of them as victims. They suffer, but sometimes not for a cause. They play "poor me." They want people to notice how much they suffer. They are afraid to really live. These are the people who set bad examples.

True martyrs died for causes they believed in. We remember them because they were so full of energy and spirit.

We can also live a life full of energy and spirit. Recovery helps us live better. Let's go for it!

Prayer for the Day

Higher Power - thanks for giving me energy and for healing my spirit. Help me live fully by putting my life in Your care.

Action for the Day

What kind of example do I set? Does my life reflect joy for life and recovery?

You are reading from the book:

Keep It Simple by Anonymous

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April 11

Sharing is healing.
--Cathy Stone

It's not easy to share the intimate details of our lives. We have guarded our secrets for years. But now it's suggested that we tell our secrets to people whose names we barely know. That's certainly not the way we were raised, and listening to others reveal their awful truths startles us initially. However, we can't help but notice how much better than us other people seem to feel. We eventually understand that the more we open up, the less encumbered we'll feel by the past.

The magic in sharing our experience, strength, and hope with others is hard to define. We simply know that when we do it, we feel relieved of our burden and we help someone else feel less isolated. We have come together because we want to get well.

I will make sure I'm not keeping something to myself today that's causing me pain. Whoever I share it with will be helped too.

You are reading from the book:

A Woman's Spirit by Karen Casey

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April 12

To try to extinguish the drive for riches with money is like trying to quench a fire by pouring butterfat over it.
--Hindu proverb

In recovery, we learn what we truly want and what is only a symbol of our desires. Do we truly want to use our energies pursuing success, or are we seeking approval from others? Do we truly want money so much, or are we attempting to escape the basically insecure nature of life? Do we truly enjoy the pleasure of food so much, or are we in search of comfort for our emotions?

Our desires, our wants, and our anxieties are spiritual issues. What at first we think we want may only hide deeper, more vulnerable, and painful feelings. When we admit the deeper fears and desires, we move closer to the spiritual truths of our lives. We can search for acceptance within ourselves and from God. We can learn to have spiritual peace in an insecure world. We can learn to accept the love of others even though we know we're not perfect.

Today, I will ask myself what I want and listen with courage to my answer. It will lead me in my spiritual progress.

You are reading from the book:

Touchstones by Anonymous

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April 13

Place yourself in the middle of the stream of power and wisdom, which flows through your life. Then, without effort, you are impelled to truth and to perfect contentment.
--Ralph Waldo Emerson

When the renowned composer Johann Sebastian Bach was praised for his music, he responded, "To God goes the glory." When a well-known writer was asked to reveal his secret, he said, "I am simply the person whom the words came through." Like many who have excelled in their field, these artists know that it is God who makes us great, that it is the spirit within that expresses its perfect purpose through us.

God wants to do great things through you, too. In your prayers and meditation, ask that Infinite Intelligence work through you for the highest good of yourself and others. Ask to be a channel for the expression of the Divine plan. Then trust that spirit will guide you each step of the way, ensuring the right outcome of every situation and providing for all your needs.

You have a purpose and a mission - something to contribute during your stay on earth. Even now, spirit is beckoning you to fulfill your unique greatness. Listen and you will hear the call.

You are reading from the book:

Listening to Your Inner Voice by Douglas Bloch

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April 14

Bring Any Request to God

Bring any request you have to God.

No request is too large; none too small or insignificant.

How often we limit God by not bringing to God everything we want and need.

Do we need help getting our balance? Getting through the day?

Do we need help in a particular relationship? With a particular character defect? Attaining a character asset?

Do we need help making progress on a particular task that is challenging us? Do we need help with a feeling? Do we want to change a self-defeating belief that has been challenging us? Do we need information, an insight? Support? A friend?

Is there something in God's Universe that would really bring us joy?

We can ask for it. We can ask God for whatever we want. Put the request in God's hands, trusting it has been heard, and then let it go. Leave the decision to God.

Asking for what we want and need is taking care of ourselves. Trust that the Higher Power to whom we have turned over our life and will really does care about us and about what we want and need.

Today, I will ask my Higher Power for what I want and need. I will not demand - I will ask. Then I will let go.

You are reading from the book:

The Language of Letting Go by Melody Beattie

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April 15

Love is the lamp that lights the universe: without that light . . . the earth is a barren promontory and man the quintessence of dust.
--Mary Elizabeth Braddon

All of us are lighted by love. Childcare, car repair, concluding a report - are easier tasks when we know we're loved. We don't feel quite as alone and conspicuous in a crowd of strangers when we recall that someone special loves us. No new adventure, first plane trip, or first day of a class or new job feels quite as threatening when we've got the company of a loved one in our hearts and minds.

You might be thinking, "But I don't have a special loved one now." How narrowly we define being loved. We have friends who love us, who think of us even when we're not present - just as we think of them. And no one of us is ever away from the protective realm of a Higher Power who loves us always and everywhere we go.

Wherever we look there is someone who, like us, will find the day easier if he remembers he's loved.

You are reading from the book:

Worthy of Love by Karen Casey