24 Dec, 2009
We must all hang together or we will hang separately.—Ben Franklin
We didn’t get ourselves sober. And we don’t keep ourselves sober. Our program does this. That is why the Twelfth Step is important. We must be willing to give service to our program whenever it’s needed. When a friend calls and say he or she feels like using, we don’t say we’re sorry. We get our friend and take him or her to a meeting. Our survival depends on this kind of action. We are to carry the message. We carry the message by deeds, not words. We are part of a fellowship based on action. A fellowship guided by love. It is not words that keep us sober–it is action.
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me be ready whenever there’s a need. Help me be ready to put my self-will aside. Give me strength.
Action for the Day:Â I will think of my group members. Who could use a supportive call or visit? I will call or visit those who need my help.
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When I came into Alcoholics Anonymous there were people there who immediately started in on my sobriety…Introduced themselves, Showed me around, Got me some coffee & told me I was the most important person in the room…Then they stuck their hand out to sponsor me & teach me how to do the 12 steps…In the lowest parts of my life since I have come into the rooms of AA they have helped me with support…Friendship…Guidance & sometimes just listened while I ranted about something in my life…Then they gave me good instructions on where to turn next…Today I do my best to carry on this tradition…I want to be the hand that is there when someone reaches out for help…& So goes the program of Alcoholics Anonymous & many other 12 step programs…They are there to help you to recover from your addictions…till next time…
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21 Dec, 2009
For too many years I tried to be “the same” as other people; matched their styles,
repeated their words, did what they wanted, lived to please a crowd of people I did
not really know and they certainly did not know me! I said other people’s prayers,
quoted other people’s opinions and memorized the ideas of others and I felt
empty.
Today I value the lives of others but I am slowly beginning to explore my place in this
universe. Today I accept the “specialness” that is me; that uniqueness makes me
God’s miracle. Now others are listening and benefiting from my life.
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Funny thing about me is that I spent most of my life trying to be different…Long hair, tattoo’s, drugs, alcohol. crime…All the things that i was using trying to set myself apart…I no longer have to do that…I have become happy with the person I have become…The 12 steps have helped me identify who I am & I have learned to love that person…
My uncle passed away yesterday from a heart attack…He got up yesterday morning just like he did everyday of his life but yesterday afternoon it ended…Life is not guaranteed & worrying about tomorrow is completely futile…I try to spend my life in “Today” & love the person I am…till next time…
20 Dec, 2009
“Pessimist: One who, when he has
the choice of two evils, chooses
both.”
– Oscar Wilde
Today I am able to see how I was always looking on the “gloomy” side of life. The
glass was always half empty! I can remember thinking that nothing good was ever
going to happen, life was to be endured, everybody had a price and people were all
selfishly out for themselves.
I projected onto others my own sickness, my own despair, my own pessimism. It was
a suicidal existence. Today I choose to be a positive and creative person who refuses
to be surrounded by negativism. My attitude in life makes all the difference to my
enjoyment of life. Today my glass is more than half full and I am happy.
In the gift of choice, I recognize my potential joy.
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Today’s reading mirrors my life completely…I was not only the guy who said the glass was half empty…I would say it was evaporating fast too…I try to look back at my recovery thru AA & the 12 steps…When I do it is difficult to see when things happened…All I know is now I am not pessimistic anymore…I am a very positive person…I never would have believed that a person could make that kind of change…But I have…I believe it came with my spiritual awakening…I always knew of a God but I didn’t Know God…In the first 3 steps I found out I was broken…That a Higher Power could fix me and I decided to let Him…4 thru 7 I learned true humility…The only trouble with that is once you have it you’ve lost it…Paradox…In steps 8 & 9 I began to repair damage that I had done thru-out my life & as I did I received peace…Serenity became my ally…Now I do 10,11 & 12 daily…I always talk the steps & some people get tired of hearing it…But they have changed my life & opened the door to my Higher Power who I call God…My son is in town for Christmas & last night we had a wonderful talk about life & the 12 steps & God…He revealed to me some great challenges he is going thru & I talked to him about the program of Alcoholics Anonymous…I am looking forward to today to see what God will let me see & how I can be of service…Till next time…
16 Dec, 2009
Charity sees the need, not the cause.–German proverb.
Charity is not just giving money to good causes. Charity is having a heart that’s ready to give. Charity is helping a friend at two in the morning. Charity is going early to the meeting to put on coffee without being asked.
Service is how Twelve Step programs refer to “Charity”. Service and charity are a lifestyle. We see a need, so we try to help. Our values and our heart will guide us in how we help. Service is a big part of our program. Service helps us think of others, not just of ourselves. We stop asking, “What’s in it for me?” The act of helping others is what’s in it for us. Sobriety is what’s in it for us. Serenity is what’s in it for us.
Prayer for the Day:Â Higher Power, You have given me many talents. Help me see how my talents can make the world a better place. Giving of myself is believing in You and myself.
Action for the Day: Â Today, I’ll list my talents and I’ll think of ways I can use them to help others.
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I don’t know if you would call it a talent but with God’s help I was able to quit smoking…Twice…The first time I tried for many many years & could not go for 24 hours in a row without a cigarette or tobacco of some kind…I knew that if I ever made it 24 hours without one I would have it beat…I finally came up with an idea…Pretty simple really but it worked for me…I could quit for 6 to 8 hours pretty easily…So I quit one night at 8pm & then stayed up late till 2 or 3 am…Went to bed & slept late…Till 1 or 2 in the afternoon…When I woke up I only had a few hours to go till I make it 24 hours…I did just that & then started counting…25,26,27…You get the point…I quit…For 9 years…Then 1 day I was having a stressful day in my business & a girl that worked for me was smoking…For some reason I asked her for 1…by the end of the day I had smoked 2 packs & I smoked for 10 years after that…Unbelievable right…This last time I quit with a product called “Smoke Away”…I don’t know how much it was the product or it was just time to quit again…As of October 2009 I have been quit 5 years…Today I use the 12 step program to take care of my “Stressful” times…I use the Steps for everything in my life…They are what keep me sane…I recommend getting into a 12 step program of some type to deal with your specific addiction…A Higher Power…Mine I Jesus Christ…Will help you to have the strength & courage to face whatever your having to deal with…Till next time…
13 Dec, 2009
In our addiction, we didn’t care. We didn’t care about other people, even though we wanted to. We just didn’t come through for them in ways that mattered. We didn’t care for ourselves. We let bad things happen to us. We didn’t care about living. We set no goals, had no fun, smelled no flowers.
In our recovery, we do care. We care about others, ourselves, and life. Our spirits are on the move again.
There’s life in our hearts. Our bodies are getting well. And we’re daring to dream. We’re living!
Prayer for the Day:Â Higher Power, put some life and energy into me today. Help me love my new life.
Action for the Day:Â Today, I’ll focus on being alive. As I breathe in, I’ll gather more and more life energy from nature.
11 Dec, 2009
The only courage that matters
is the kind that gets you from
one moment to the next.
– Mignon McLaughlin
I do not have to have courage for a lifetime, just for the moment. I am helped by the
philosophy that teaches me to live one day at a time, one hour at a time, one moment
at a time. It is too awesome to try to live my tomorrows today. Life is a process to be
lived not a future to be anticipated.
For years I tried to anticipate what life had to throw at me, and I always came away
confused, surprised and exhausted. I missed the joy of the moment by worrying about
the future. What was he going to do? What happens if the police get involved? Will
my mother telephone next week? Will my niece grow up to be alcoholic? Am I to
blame? I had a thousand questions that I could not answer; nobody can answer for the
future today.
I can only take responsibility for my life a day at a time. I developed the courage to
face the moment and I became a winner.
May I avoid the temptation to seek the fantasy of tomorrow for the reality of today.
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One of my most favorite passages in the Bible is “Don’t borrow trouble from tomorrow…Today has enough troubles of it’s own”
And that is the truth…There is no need to worry about tomorrow because we are not guaranteed we’ll even get there & no way to know what tomorrow will actually hold
If I live in today or actually this moment I have some idea of what I need to deal with…Problems in today need to be dealt with & if part of that needs to be put off till later then that is what you have to do & then attend to them when they come back up…Worry is a tool from the pits of Hell & that is the only place worry will get you…The 1st thing to do when you feel uncertain is to Pray…It is our best defense…Till next time…
10 Dec, 2009
Self-acceptance.
At the beginning of our AA sobriety, we were reminded that we were not reformers. Yet we sometimes have a tendency to want to “reform” ourselves or others after we’ve established sobriety.
This can become a practice of “fixing things that aren’t broken”. We may not realize it, but many things in our lives and personalities were always all right, all along. In believing that we should be changed, we may be taking on the opinions of someone else. There might be no need for change at all.
We also may be trying to please people who disapproved of us. Perhaps we’re trying to obtain the affection of a parent who always rejected us. But if we’re already on a spiritual path and are living rightly, there’s no need for change. We’d be trying to fix something that isn’t broken.
I’ll accept myself and others as we are today. We are not out to reform anyone, including ourselves.
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When we do our 4th step we look deeply at ourselves…Somethings are hard to look at…We don’t like that part of ourselves…So in those areas we try to repair the damage…But what about the areas that aren’t broken…What of those…This is what this reading is talking about & there are many aspects of ourselves that are fine…In fact good…These are the areas where we found we didn’t have a part in the resentment or that our character defects were not there…We also found in our 9th step that with a lot of people we have very redeeming qualities…It was our disease they didn’t like not us…Self appraisal can be & is very valuable…An honest look at ourselves is often just what we need & like the reading say…Don’t fix what isn’t broken…Till next time
9 Dec, 2009
Do not waste any time disliking who you are because of something you can no longer do anything about. Lord, help me to forgive myself all shortcomings of the past that I still hold on to and rather make the very best of this moment.
We never really know how far reaching our influence will be. Lord, may Your loving kindness always flow through me.
8 Dec, 2009
All animals, except man, know
that the ultimate of life is to
enjoy it.
– Samuel Butler
Today I choose to enjoy my life. Regardless of the problem and difficulties that this
day will bring, I have an inner joy that comes with my recovery from addiction. With a
clear head and body free from drugs and chemicals I can face today and look forward
to tomorrow. My life is to be enjoyed not endured. My worst days today are better
than my best days as an addict. Spiritually I am free because I have begun to
discover me. God can now be perceived in His world because I have sobriety.
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My routine used to be drink as late as posible & then pass out…Sleep as late as possible & come to
My first thought was “Oh God…not another day” I would then put on my flannel pants…Drive to the liquor
store & buy the next days supply…Everyday…Today I don’t do things that way anymore…I embrace life…
I don’t have to hide from the day with liquor & pills…The first thought in my head when I wake up is…
“Thank you God for another day” & I notice that I always seem to have a smile on my face when I wake up…
AA & my higher power(God) have made all this possible…especially now in the holiday season…Merry Christmas
to you…I enjoy life to it’s fullest…What used to be the worst time of the year for me is now one of the best…Sobriety
is wonderful & I recommend it to everyone…till next time…
6 Dec, 2009
Every year the holidays come & we start worrying…Family, friends, work, even what girts to give & where are we gonna get the money…I found a great quote this morning from an unknown author about how to address the gift giving season or anytime for that matter
The best gifts to give:
To your friend – loyalty;
To your enemy – forgiveness;
To your boss – service;
To a child – a good example;
To your parents – gratitude and devotion;
To your mate – love and faithfulness;
To all men and women – love;
To God – your life.
–unknown
We never think on this level…At least I didn’t…My addictions left me financially destitute & not able to do much recovery…I have my blogs with the ad’s on them…(Which you can click if you like)…Back to what I was saying…This type of thinking will take us out of the Christmas hu-bub & rush & put us in the frame of mind that the season is truly about…The gift of yourself to your fellow man(or woman) & most importantly…God…Look forward to this time of year because this is when great milestones can be made…till next time…Kenney
