Today's Thought - January

[bluidkiti]

January 16

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.

~Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

What darkness do we feel in our lives today? Are we troubled by a relationship? Is guilt about past mistakes clouding our peace of mind? Do we feel threatened by a challenge that looms before us? Perhaps we live with an illness or we feel trapped by our life’s circumstances. Darkness is universal. It is one side of the coin of life.

We must not respond to this darkness. The question always is; how will we respond? Many times our established ways of responding to our situation only perpetuate the problem. So we must now seek a way to respond differently. We can do the counterintuitive thing. If we can forgive ourselves, it is easier to forgive others. If we first calm ourselves in the face of challenge instead of letting ourselves panic, we will bring our better self to cope with it. If we respond to anger and hate with genuine loving honesty, we may change the nature of a relationship. Light and love are also universal, and we can choose to walk in the light.

Today, I will respond with calmness and a loving frame of mind.

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

[bluidkiti]

January 17

AA Thought for the Day

I shall not wait to be drafted for service to AA. I shall volunteer. I shall be loyal in my attendance, generous in my giving, kind in my criticism, creative in my suggestions, loving in my attitudes. I shall give to AA my interest, my enthusiasm, my devotion, and most of all, myself. Do I accept this as my AA credo?
Meditation for the Day

Prayer is of many kinds, but of whatever kind, prayer is the linking up of the soul and mind to God. So if prayer is only a glance of faith, a look or a word of love, or just a feeling of confidence in the goodness and purpose in the universe, still the result of that prayer is added strength to meet all temptations and to overcome them. Even if no supplication is expressed, all the supply of strength that is necessary is secured, because the soul, being linked and united to God, receives from Him all spiritual help needed. The soul, when in its human body, still needs the things belonging to its heavenly habitation.
Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may be taught how to pray. I pray that I may be linked through prayer to the mind and will of God.

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

[bluidkiti]

January 18

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul
And sings the tune without the words
And never stops at all.

~Emily Dickinson

We often hum and sing to ourselves because it makes us feel content. It is the melody itself that makes us feel good—words and thoughts do not matter.

Having hope for ourselves and for our universe is like having a melody always moving inside us. The melody may be calm or exciting, but most of all it brings with it beauty and a sense of peace. Hope can overcome the need for words and thoughts and promises. Hope is the melody that keeps us going, the hum that continues even when there are no words to the song. Hope is not a melody we think about—it just comes when we believe in the goodness of our world. If we have faith in a power greater than ourselves, we will be able to find the melody of hope inside us at all times.

What is my hope for today?

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

[bluidkiti]

January 19

Remember always that you have not only the right to be an individual, you have an obligation to be one.

~Eleanor Roosevelt

When we were using alcohol and other drugs, we often thought that we were different from others. We secretly thought that no one could understand us. Maybe we tried to be one of the group, but we were lonely.

Now we know for sure—we are different from others. Everyone’s unique. We all have this in common. Being like others helps us feel safe and normal. But we need to feel good about the ways we’re different from others. We think a little different, act a little different, and look a little different from anyone else. We all have our own ways to make life better for others.
Prayer for the Day

Higher Power, help me be an individual. Help me use my special gifts, not hide them.
Action for the Day

Today I’ll make a list of the things I’m good at. I’ll think about how I can use these gifts.

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

[bluidkiti]

January 20

Shared joy is double joy, and shared sorrow is half-sorrow.

~Swedish proverb

As recovering men, we know relief and peace when we express our pain and share the burden of a sorrow with each other. Life is too difficult, a day is too long, to carry grief alone and keep our joys to ourselves. We have spent long periods of time in loneliness. Like anyone who has been alone and finally gets a chance to speak, we have much to say to one another.

In this program, we tell our stories, and the telling heals us. We tell about our pain and unmanageable past lives. We tell each other about our spiritual experiences. We share our honest doubts and worries about ourselves and events in our daily lives. Full communication at a truly spiritual meeting includes our questions and the incomplete thoughts in our stories, as well as the thoughts that are fully concluded. As we talk, we unburden ourselves and learn from each other about closeness and manhood.

Today, I will let the people around me know about my joys and my sorrows. It will enrich my whole experience.

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

[bluidkiti]

January 21

Finding balance

Let's not forget to play. Our new way of life is a serious matter, but it is not intended as a punishment; nor do we need to repent and suffer for the rest of our lives. Our new way of life is intended to produce growth.

But growth takes work. And work needs play for balance. If we forget to play and be joyful, our life will become unbalanced and we will suffer needlessly.

Have I found some balance in my life?

Higher Power, help me remember that all living things need balance: let me laugh, let me play, let me grow.

My plan for playing today is…

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

[bluidkiti]

January 22

Daily Studies

I thoroughly enjoy recovery literature and have my whole reading routine in the morning. Some books I read once a month; some daily. Around the Year with Emmett Fox is more of a religious one. I'm also in a book study with my old sponsor on Tuesday nights, reading The Untethered Soul. We do other books, like Drop the Rock. It's a really good book about Steps Six and Seven of the Twelve Step program; that's what the whole book is about.

I read As Bill Sees It, my Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, the Big Book, and the Al-Anon Service Manual. I also have the Al-Anon Blueprint for Progress. It's over eighty pages long with a thorough three-page character checklist in the back: from "trustworthy" and "prone to gossip" to "envious" and "disagreeable."

How could I carry the message without the literature? It is an integral part of my recovery.

Reading recovery-based literature inspires my daily stride in sobriety.

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

[bluidkiti]

January 23

Reflection for the Day

It was far easier for me to accept my powerlessness over my addiction than it was for me to accept the notion that some sort of Higher Power could accomplish that which I had been unable to accomplish myself. Simply by seeking help and accepting the fellowship of others similarly afflicted, the craving left me. And I realized that if I was doing what I was powerless alone to do, then surely I was doing so by some Power outside my own and obviously greater. Have I surrendered my life into the hands of my Higher Power?
Today I Pray

May my Higher Power remove from me the arrogant pride that keeps our connection from growing ever stronger. May my unhealthy dependence on substances and my clinging dependence on those nearby be transformed into a reliance on my Higher Power. Only through my reliance on a Higher Power will I find personal transformation.
Today I Will Remember

I am Higher Power-dependent.

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

[bluidkiti]

January 24

Nobody can change my thoughts but me.

The first of the Twelve Steps asks us to admit we are powerless. Our first question might be, Why? Shouldn't we try to change the conditions in our lives? Shouldn't we try to influence others to change too? If we put ourselves in good hands in this fellowship, we will begin to appreciate Step One. We will begin to understand that we are indeed powerless over other people. We can plead, complain, shame, cajole, but we cannot force them to see as we see. We will also begin to understand that we are not powerless over ourselves. Not today.

It may seem simplistic to blame our problems on how we ourselves think. After all, others are participating in our lives too. But only we have the power to interpret the experiences we’re having. And we can decide to accept every experience as an opportunity for growth and adventure, as God’s will. The old-timers tell us that is what Step Three means.

I can't change anyone else; all I can change is my mind. I will carefully watch my thoughts today.

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

[bluidkiti]

January 25

Is it necessary to have read Spinoza in order to make out a laundry list?

~Jeanne Detourbey

Each day presents us with decisions. Most are relatively small-what to eat or wear or read, how to organize our tasks, with whom to spend time. But at times we face life-changing decisions: where to live or work, whether to undertake more education, whether to commit ourselves to a relationship.

We can view each choice as an opportunity to express our freedom, our unique character, and our ease with ourselves. We needn't fear that we’ll make a "wrong" decision. Our mistakes are our teachers; they are essential to our process of growth and understanding. Whether our decisions come from common sense, intuition, the voice of inner guidance, or our Higher Power, our answers are already inside us. We can be confident in our innate ability to make the right choices.

Today, I make both large and small decisions with confidence.

Today's reading is from the book Glad Day

[bluidkiti]

January 26

Letting Go of Confusion

Sometimes, the way is not clear.

Our minds get clouded, confused. We aren't certain what our next step should be, what it will look like, what direction we are headed.

That is the time to stop, ask for guidance, and rest. That is the time to let go of fear. Wait. Feel the confusion and chaos, then let it go. The path will show itself. The next step shall be revealed. We don't have to know now. We will know in time. Trust that. Let go and trust.

Today, I will wait if the way is not clear. I will trust that out of the chaos will come clarity.

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

[bluidkiti]

January 27

He has served who now and then
Has helped along his fellow men.

~Edgar A. Guest

It's hard to be interested in something that seems too remote. Sure, we're sorry for starving people in faraway places. And the TV news story about whole villages disappearing in an earthquake makes us feel terrible - until the next news story comes on. It doesn't mean we're bad people when we don't respond much to such tragedies. It only means they're not personal - and only the personal is real.

We care most about what we're involved in directly. If we're not personally involved, we're not very enthusiastic either. If we are the ones starting a new Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACA) meeting, setting up the chairs, and making the coffee, the success of that meeting means a lot to us. If our children are on drugs, we're not bored by city council meetings where new drug programs are discussed. It's our stake in something that makes it important.

The world doesn't need any more spectators. To feel more alive, we must be more alive. Caring is life, and involvement is growth.

Today, I will not sit on the sidelines. I will act on behalf of a good cause that deserves my support.

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

[bluidkiti]

January 28

Desire is the very essence of man.

~Benedict de Spinoza

There is nothing wrong with desire. It is part of being human. During our active addiction, our desires directed our lives. Our desires made our choices for us. If it felt good, well then, "Just do it!" We placed our desires ahead of our values and spiritual principles. This is the mistake we made.

Desires are like children; they need to be guided. In recovery, we use the Steps to guide and direct our desires. We now desire to do the right thing. We desire to get close to people. We desire to be good family members and good citizens. Why? Because this is what we’ve wanted all along. We desire to be good people with good lives.
Prayer for the Day

Higher Power, help me guide the energy of my desires toward what you want me to do. Help me to place principles before desire.
Today's Action

I will make a list of five times I've placed my desires ahead of what is right for me and others. I will call and share my list with someone in recovery.

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

[bluidkiti]

January 29

We seek God until He finds us.

~Madeleine L'Engle

The day comes when we suddenly realize we are not caught up in our addiction. That's the moment we know we're living in recovery, that we're practicing the principles of recovery in all areas of our lives.

This awakening can come suddenly, as the result of a crisis, or it can happen subtly, over time, bringing with it a deepening of our commitment to the Twelve Step program. We find ourselves turning away from the addiction and toward our Higher Power. We find the joy of living in God's will.

Working the Twelve Steps frees us from the tyranny of addiction by giving us the awareness that God has removed the addiction because we've let go of it. Things are restored to their proper order. The addiction is outside of us; we have ourselves and our relationship with our Higher Power. It's then that we can reach out to other addicts because we finally have someone to give them - ourselves.

I am not my addiction. My addiction is not my Higher Power.

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

[bluidkiti]

Janjuary 30

What is lovely never dies, but passes into other loveliness.

~Thomas Bailey Aldrich

Thinking lovely thoughts during recovery encourages lovely acts. It is true that what starts as lovely will produce an air of loveliness around those of us who work for spiritual things. Truth has a relationship with lovely deeds. John Keats wrote that "beauty is truth and truth beauty," and also gave us the familiar words, "A thing of beauty is a joy forever."

Our thoughts determine the way we behave and shape the personal image that we pass on to those around us. There is an "outer show of an inner glow" that results from kindness and beauty of mind. Unhealthy thoughts or false fronts are destructive. We are what we think we can be and want to be. If we recognize the best and most healthy in the world around us, we will be worthy of the honest image others have of us.

Let me think only the best thoughts so that I might be the best I can be.

Today's reading is from the book Easy Does It: A Book of Daily Twelve Step Meditations*