Today's Thought - May
 

May 1

A slogan that can help us is "Keep an open mind."

We are so certain we are right. And part of the time we are. However, the more we grow in Al-Anon or other Twelve Step programs, the more we'll be able to let others have their own opinions. We also strive to stay flexible ourselves, in case we want to change our opinions.

We have limited knowledge today about what might happen tomorrow. God has been careful to give us only what we need to know right now. What we learn next may change the ideas we have now. Keeping an open mind allows us to be taught by God and God's teachers, all those men and women who walk among us today.

We see many experiences differently today than we'd have seen them before discovering the Twelve Step philosophy. Maybe we've fought against having an open mind, but we've changed anyway. Making the decision to "lighten up" and try on another's idea for size will affect us immensely. Our teachers can teach us only if we're willing.

I will be teachable today.

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

May 2

Your feeling of being unforgiven and unforgivable is what makes you suffer so. But it only exists in your heart or mind.

~Sogyal Rinpoche

Step Five shows us the way to self?acceptance and self?esteem as we acknowledge to our Higher Power, to ourselves, and to a trusted person all those things we wish we'd done differently. The prospect of laying bare our whole past may seem formidable to us at first, but when we risk doing it, we can begin to change.

We can learn to forgive ourselves when we understand that we're not alone in our feelings or actions, that we are forgivable, and that we have already begun to change from the moment we became willing to admit the exact nature of our wrongs. The burden of guilt and shame is lifted from us when we let in the unconditional love of people we trust. Like all human beings, we are entitled to it.

Today, I forgive myself.

Today's reading is from the book Glad Day

May 3

Waiting

Wait. If the time is not right, the way is not clear, the answer or decision not consistent, wait. We may feel a sense of urgency. We may want to resolve the issue by doing something - anything now, but that action is not in our best interest.

Living with confusion or unsolved problems is difficult. It is easier to resolve things. But making a decision too soon, doing something before it’s time, means we may have to go back and redo it.

If the time is not right, wait. If the way is not clear, do not plunge forward. If the answer or decision feels muddy, wait. In this new way of life, there is a Guiding Force. We do not ever have to move too soon or move out of harmony. Waiting is an action - a positive, forceful action.

Often, waiting is a God-guided action, one with as much power as a decision, and more power than an urgent, ill-timed decision.

We do not have to pressure ourselves by insisting that we do or know something before it’s time. When it is time, we will know. We will move into that time naturally and harmoniously. We will have peace and consistency. We will feel empowered in a way we do not feel today.

Deal with the panic, the urgency, the fear; do not let them control or dictate decisions. Waiting isn't easy. It isn’t fun. But waiting is often necessary to get what we want. It is not dead-time; it is not down-time. The answer will come. The power will come. The time will come. And it will be right.

Today, I will wait, if waiting is the action I need in order to take care of myself. I will know that I am taking a positive, forceful action by waiting until the time is right. God, help me let go of my fear, urgency, and panic. Help me learn the art of waiting until the time is right. Help me learn timing.

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

May 4

Resolve to be thyself; and know that who finds himself, loses his misery.

~Matthew Arnold

Our need for approval compels us to try to look good - no matter what's going on. We imagine that somehow everything will be okay as long as it looks okay. Our hearts may be breaking from fear, disillusionment, and rejection, real or imagined, but we keep smiling so that no one will guess.

Why do we do this to ourselves? Is it so hard to turn to a friend and say, "Hey, I'm hurting. I’ve been having a bad time and I need help"? Would the earth tremble if we said it right out, just like that? We're not likely to get what we don't ask for. Instead of denying that our knees are shaking, our hands are sweating, and our stomachs are in torment, we can admit and share the truth. We don’t have to say "Fine!" when someone in the program asks us how we're doing. Our real friends aren't impressed by stiff upper lips; they're impressed by personal honesty.

Today, I will tell someone the truth about how I feel. If I'm not fine, I won't say that I am.

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

May 5

The purpose of life is a life of purpose.

~Robert Byrne

When we first get sober, our main job for the first couple years is just to get well. It's a big job because our disease has taken a lot out of us in every way. We have to heal our body, mind, heart, and soul. We learn to take it easy, work the Steps, talk with our sponsor, and go to meetings. In early recovery, we try to keep the rest of life simple.

Once we are healthy and settled into our new sober way of life, we can live even more fully. We will be ready to give of ourselves in new areas. We can put more energy into doing the work we are here for. That may be raising children, finding a career, or even getting involved in politics.

We are all here to help make the world a better place in some way or another. Once we are sober and stable, we will have a special purpose. We will find it by practicing Step Eleven.
Prayer for the Day

Higher Power, help me practice the idea of "First things first" in my recovery. After I am healthy, help me find your purpose for me.
Today's Action

I will talk with my sponsor today about where I am with finding my purpose. Am I ready, or am I still healing?

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

May 6

For so must it be, and help me to do my part.

~Tibetan saying

It’s been said that God exists only in the present. That means we must live in the present if we are to find God. In God's eyes, we are worthy and lovable as we are today. God never rejects part of creation.

Can we accept that our Higher Power loved us even when we were acting out? Can we accept that God loves us if we're struggling or even slipping today? If this happens, we can pick ourselves up and make the choice to go to a meeting, call a friend or a sponsor, or pray to our Higher Power.

The power of the present makes it possible for God to love us unconditionally because God doesn't expect us to be perfect, just willing to do our best. Only in the present do we have the power to choose our attitudes and actions, and it is this freedom that links us to God's power.

My Higher Power loves me because I'm human, not despite it.

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

May 7

Musts

Not what we would, but what we must makes up the sum of living.

~Richard Henry Stoddard

"We must do the things we must" is frequent advice in the program. Each Step is evidence of what our founders did in order to achieve abstinence and keep it going with serenity and security. All of the "musts" implied in the Steps and frequently mentioned throughout the Big Book are also spiritual. We will find the importance of "must" in the favorite quotes from that book.

The Steps aren't based on the theory of "thou shalt not." They are based on the theory that "thou shall." That's why we say "there are no musts" in our program. Fortunately, those Twelve Steps we work require positive action. They tell us what we can do in order that each of us can live a joyous, happy, and free existence.

"Must" appears many times in the Big Book, along with a few "absolutes." This doesn't refer to my requirements for working the program. It just lets me concentrate on what I can do, not on what I can't.

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

May 8

The luxury of doing good surpasses every other personal enjoyment.

~John Gay

Helping a friend move, listening to a troubled spouse, or doing a special favor for someone can help us in many ways. And our rewards are often quickly evident. When we help someone else experience a few moments of relief or happiness, our own needs are often addressed in loving and sometimes mysterious ways.

God will always make sure that our own needs are taken care of. Letting our needs be taken care of in God's time means we have more time to think of others.

When we work this program, we grow in our capacity to love others through our acts of kindness. And we begin to love ourselves more. As this love grows, we are changed - profoundly and forever.

God’s hope for me is that I grow in my capacity to love. I can plant many seeds today through acts of kindness.

Today's reading is from the book In God's Care: Daily Meditations on Spirituality in Recovery*

May 9

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.

Today's reading is from the book A Woman's Spirit: More meditations for Women*

May 10

Loneliness is the first thing which God's eye nam'd not good.

~John Milton

Loneliness is a dominant fact of life for many people. It is also a consequence - it is caused. Regardless of the reasons behind our feelings and actions of loneliness and withdrawal, no matter how valid and compelling those reasons may be, if we give the loneliness ball a push, it's going to start rolling. If we withdraw from company or make it difficult for people to get to know us, that behavior will cause loneliness. If we habitually wear an aloof, unapproachable expression, we will not be approached. What we do (or don't do) determines what we get. And like any habit, behaviors that serve to isolate us come to feel normal, even inevitable, over time.

As long as we're alive, we're capable of building bridges between ourselves and others. Chronic loneliness doesn't have to be a fact of life. If we're willing to work at it, we can learn to reach out, make contact, and be comfortable in the company of our fellows.

Today, I will be the first to greet others and say a kind word.

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

May 11

AA Thought for the Day

When we first came into AA, a sober life seemed strange. We wondered what life could possibly be like without ever taking a drink. At first, a sober life seemed unnatural. But the longer we’re in AA, the more natural this way of life seems. And now we know that the life we're living in AA - the sobriety, the fellowship, the faith in God, and the trying to help each other - is the most natural way we could possibly live. Do I believe it's the way God wants me to live?
Meditation for the Day

I will learn to overcome myself, because every blow to selfishness is used to shape the real, eternal, unperishable me. As I overcome myself, I gain that power which God releases in my soul. And I will be victorious. It is not the difficulties of life that I have to conquer so much as my own selfishness.
Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may obey God and walk with Him and listen to Him. I pray that I may strive to overcome my own selfishness.

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

May 12

...sparrow, your message is clear: it is not too late for my singing.

~Tess Gallagher

There was once a mother who loved to hang the laundry out on the clothesline in the backyard. Her baby crawled through the sheets and towels that almost touched the grass. The baby didn't talk yet, so nobody knew what she was thinking.

Ten years later, the baby, twelve years old, told her that her happiest memory of childhood was playing in her "playhouse" of laundry on the line. She remembered thinking that her mother hung the sheets out there just so she could play in the grass and wind and sun!

How wonderful to be living in a world where we can accidentally make people happy! This knowledge is a miraculous gift, and can give us reason to do every task well and with love, because it may be remembered for a lifetime by someone near to us.

What happy memory do I have of childhood?

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

May 13

Whoever gossips to you will gossip about you.

~Spanish proverb

Gossip can kill the trust in a Twelve Step program. We all need to feel safe when we share our personal lives with others. We need to know our private business won't be spread around.

We can do two things to help keep the trust in our groups, and in the rest of our lives too. First, don't gossip. Second, don't listen to gossip about others.
Prayer for the Day

Higher Power, help me mind my own business today. Help me honor the trust of my friends by not gossiping.
Action for the Day

Today I'll think of two ways to stop someone from telling me gossip. Then I'll put those ways to use.

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

May 14

The human heart in its perversity finds it hard to escape hatred and revenge.

~Moses Luzzatto

This program promises many rewards for those who follow it, but it does not promise to be easy. We search our conscience for resentments and face them. No man can progress in his recovery while holding on to resentments, old angers, and hatreds. When we hold them, we protect dark corners of our souls from the renewal we need. As we allow ourselves to be made new through this program, we no longer reserve those small corners for the game of power and resentment. They will eventually consume us and justify in our minds a return to the old patterns.

Nothing can be held back. We must be willing to surrender all - even if we do not know how. No one can stop being resentful simply by deciding to stop. When we are willing to be honest, to be humble, to be learners, to be led in a constructive direction, to allow time to be guided rather than seek instant cure, then we will learn trust and will surely make progress.

I do not need to know exactly how to let go of my resentments or what will happen after I do. I simply must be ready to let them go.

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

May 15

Decluttering Our Thoughts

Clutter isn't only those piles of belongings on floors or shelves that serve as barriers to comfort and serenity in your home. The clutter between my ears causes me the most stress: all those things that take up space that I really don't need anymore. My brain can be a messy place, an interesting place, and, without a doubt, an overcrowded place.

Thanks to therapy and mindfulness practice, I've learned how to pare down my thoughts. As I have made a practice of cleaning up my physical space, I can regard and contemplate the piles of thoughts that I've created in my head, decide what I need to keep and what I can throw away. Lately, I've been throwing out self-judgment and harshness. I've reorganized outdated ideas about what I need to be doing with my days and my life, scrapped fear and insecurity. Clearing out the negative mental clutter has created a lot more space for curiosity, positivity, and creativity.

How do you sort through your clutter? What are you making room for?

I hang on to thoughts that serve me well and chuck the rest.

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

May 16

Avoiding blame

It is not uncommon to hear in group, "Why do these things always happen to me?" If these things are always happening to us, the obvious answer is that we somehow bring them on ourselves. We are largely unconscious of what we're doing (wrong) until, slowly, eventually, we manage to dig ourselves out from the results. (It seems incredible that we actually seek to be hurt, but in a way many of us do so, with regularity.)

But blaming others for our problems and indulging in self-pity don’t move us along in our program.

Am I still blaming others?

Higher Power, help me take responsibility for myself and my actions, because blaming others will only keep me stuck.

I will take greater responsibility for myself today by...

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

May 17

Reflection for the Day

Can I be wholeheartedly grateful for today? If so, I'm opening doors to more and more abundant good. What if I can't be thankful for the "rain" that has fallen in my life - for the so-called bad times? What then? I can begin by giving thanks for all the sunshine I can remember, and for every blessing that has come my way. Perhaps then I'll be able to look back over the rainy periods of my life with new vision, seeing them as necessary; perhaps then, hidden blessings I've overlooked will come to my attention. Am I grateful for all of life - both the sunshine and the rain?
Today I Pray

May I be grateful for all that has happened to me, good and bad. Bad helps to define good. Sorrow intensifies joy. Humility brings spirituality. Disease turns health into a paradise. Loneliness makes love, both human and Divine, the greatest gift of all. I am grateful for all of the contrasts that have helped me connect more deeply with my Higher Power.
Today I Will Remember

I am grateful for the whole of life.

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

May 18

Impulsive reactions never benefit us.

Immediate responses to every situation aren't necessary. But sometimes we make snap decisions because we fear looking inadequate or stupid. Unfortunately, because we don't pause long enough to think through a response or to ask God for guidance, we often do look ignorant - just what we had hoped to avoid.

Our recovery program gives us permission to slow down, to wait for guidance from our Higher Power. It also helps us assess our strengths along with our weaknesses. Understanding that each of us is a worthwhile human being with a unique purpose is a gift of this program.

My contribution to every experience today can be according to God’s will, if I ask for knowledge of it.

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

May 19

The hard rain and wind are ways the cloud has to take care of us.

~Rumi

It's the nature of human life to keep changing. Sometimes, instead of joy, life seems to bring only problems. At times we may feel overwhelmed with frustration and disappointment. As a problem is resolved, it explodes with myriad seeds of new ones. The more we embrace life, the more we risk.

We can no longer withdraw into isolation or retreat from involvement with other people and life for more than a brief time. That option is no longer open to us. Whether through coming out or entering recovery - both, for many of us - we’ve taken an irrevocable step into a life touched by the lives of others. We are blessed to experience both joy and sadness as part of this life. Our griefs, instead of diminishing us, can expand our hearts with compassion for others.

Today, grief teaches me to be more compassionate and loving.

Today's reading is from the book Glad Day

May 20

Send me the right thought, word, or action. Show me what my next step should be. In times of doubt and indecision, please send Your inspiration and guidance.

~Alcoholics Anonymous

The good news of surrendering ourselves and our life to a Power greater than ourselves is that we come into harmony with a Grand Plan, one greater than we can imagine.

We are promised Divine Guidance if we ask for it, if we work the Twelve Steps. What greater gift could we receive than knowing our thoughts, words, and actions are being directed?

We aren't a mistake. And we don't have to control or repress ourselves or others for life to work out. Even the strange, the unplanned, the painful, and those things we call errors can evolve into harmony.

We will be guided into understanding what we need to do to take care of ourselves. We will begin to trust our instincts, our feelings, our thoughts. We will know when to go, to stop, to wait. We will learn a great truth: the plan will happen in spite of us, not because of us.

I pray today and each day that my thoughts, words, and actions may be Divinely led. I pray that I can move forward in confidence, knowing my steps are guided.

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

May 21

The purpose of learning is growth, and our minds, unlike our bodies, can continue growing as we continue to live.

~Mortimer Adler

In some areas of our lives, we are right on target. Our level of maturity is exactly as it should be, and we are going through the stages that people of our age ought to be going through. In other areas, this is not so. We are complex people, irregular, uneven. In all of us, there are areas fixated in some emotional ice age, areas that have not felt the freeing warmth of the sun.

We cannot expect ourselves to move forward all at once. Not only is it okay to move slowly - it's often the only way it can be. Confusion, conflict, or pain may have caused us to let our memories or feelings be frozen safely away. This has been a long process, and we can allow ourselves more time to heal. The task now is not to deny or hide from these changes, but to have confidence that the healing warmth of the program will reflect on all areas of our lives and help make us whole.

I am thankful I am given both time and patience in which to continue my growth.

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

May 22

The bluebird carries the day on his back.

~Henry David Thoreau

What a happy thought. Imagine a bluebird building its home in a nest box, chattering away to tell the world, "I'm here, and I'm busy!"

The bluebird does not think about yesterday or tomorrow but only about doing the next right thing to make the present day a good one. The bluebird listens for an inner voice - the voice that tells it when to start building a nest or when to begin its flight south for the coming winter.

We can learn from the bluebird. When we do our activities of the day, one at a time, we put together a good day - a day that is just what it is supposed to be.
Prayer for the Day

Higher Power, help me be true to myself today and to live my life just the way it is supposed to be. Help me feel the joy of it!
Today's Action

Today I will talk with my sponsor or a friend in recovery about how my days need to be at this time in my life. I will be happy that I know how to live well today.

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

May 23

Grief may be joy misunderstood; Only the Good discerns the good.

~Elizabeth Barrett Browning

It may seem strange to grieve for the loss of our addiction, but there is indeed mourning that needs to take place as we recover. There is so much to let go of as we discover and admit the toll addiction has taken on our life. Letting go includes feeling this loss.

The challenge is to grieve without judging ourselves or our feelings. Maybe our addiction helped us cope with life when we didn't have healthy coping skills. Maybe it helped cover up feelings or events that were too painful to face. Maybe living as a practicing addict was truly the best we could do with our life at the time.

The tragedy was that as we sank deeper into addiction, it began to control us. That's why it's important to grieve not only for the loss of the addiction, no matter how unhealthy it was, but for the loss of ourselves and the things we missed out on in life because of our addiction. Grief, honestly felt and expressed, is a healing experience.

If I am grieving today, I give myself permission to do so. I need not be accountable to anyone else for how I feel, but I'll simply take care of myself with gentleness and compassion.

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

May 24

Give with Humility

The greatest pleasure I know is to do a good act in secret and have it found out by accident.

~Anonymous

There is one bit of advice that is given in many ways to those of us in recovery. That advice is that we should give to others without looking for any credit for our generosity. To give something for the sheer joy of giving is the strongest step we can take in achieving the humility that is so vital to us. Humility is essential to our spiritual progress, and our spiritual progress is a necessary part of our recovery.

The encouragement to serve without seeking praise comes to us in many forms and from many places. Ancient wisdom advises us not to let our right hand know what our left hand is doing, and not to "sound a trumpet" to announce a good deed.

Let me learn to give without seeking credit. This is a humble act. It will result in the uplifting reward of humility, which is vital to my spiritual growth.

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

May 25

Fearful as reality is, it is less fearful than evasions of reality.

~Caitlin Thomas

We've become much less fearful of reality since we've come to know the principles of this program. Just about anything could have made us fearful in past years. No doubt practicing our addictions gave us a false courage for a while. But then we could no longer keep the fears away. How do we keep fear at bay now that we're free of our addictions?

Most of us have begun to rely on our Higher Power for courage, understanding, and acceptance. The challenges that we're offered are opportunities from God for our advantage. When we're in God's care these challenges are manageable, and we need no longer fear them.

We can conquer our fears as we take advantage of the help, guidance, and courage that come from God.

I know that God will be there for me through every challenge today.

Today's reading is from the book In God's Care: Daily Meditations on Spirituality in Recovery*

May 26

The expression of praise as thanksgiving, gratitude, and joy is among the most powerful forms of affirmation.

~Catherine Ponder

Praise inevitably has multiple effects. It positively acknowledges another human being, enhancing his or her well-being, while making us feel good. This offering of love, which is the substance of praise, heals all who share in its circle.

We can see the effects of affirmation in the women we admire. We can discern its absence, too, particularly among those who struggle. How difficult is it to give small acknowledgments to those we care about? Making a habit of this heals our own inner wounds too.

Affirming a friend or ourselves connects us to the spirit residing within. That bond fills in our empty spaces, making us whole and healed. Our security as women grows as we praise one another.

I will freely offer my love in the form of praise to the wonderful friends on my path today.

Today's reading is from the book A Woman's Spirit: More meditations for Women*

May 27

A Fellowship of Suffering

One of the things I like about AA is that they are people who have been marginalized. I get that.

It's a fellowship of suffering. I get that. If you hang in together, you have a chance to get through this thing.

Soldiers fight not for the hatred of the enemy in front of them, but for the love of the men behind them. Medals awarded almost always include caring for others while at peril for their own safety.

It's the same thing with recovery.

I will fight just as hard for myself as for the suffering person beside me. I will leave no one behind.

~Don E., U.S. Army, 1967–1970

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

May 28

The grand essentials of happiness are: something to do, something to love, and something to hope for.

~George Washington Burnap

A wise old man who had survived years of abuse and hard labor in a Nazi concentration camp and lost several loved ones to the gas chambers was asked how he could live without getting depressed. He answered that it was because he had a purpose in his life.

We are rebuilding our lives after the devastation of codependency and addiction. The promises of this recovery program tell us that we will experience the restoration of meaning and purpose, and we will feel like full-fledged human beings again. Now we are finding those promises coming true every day. There is always plenty to be depressed about. However, we have something to do, we have the love of others, and we have hope for our future.

Today, my gratitude and purpose carry me along with plenty to be happy about.

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

May 29

AA Thought for the Day

The prodigal son "took his journey into a far country and wasted his substance with riotous living." That's what we alcoholics do. We waste our substance with riotous living. "When he came to himself, he said: 'I will arise and go to my father.'" That’s what you do in AA. You come to yourself. Your alcoholic self is not your real self. Your sane, sober, respectable self is your real self. That's why we alcoholics are so happy in AA. Have I come to myself?
Meditation for the Day

Simplicity is the keynote of a good life. Choose the simple things always. Life can become complicated if you let it be so. You can be swamped by difficulties if you let them take up too much of your time. Every difficulty can be either solved or ignored and something better substituted for it. Love the humble things of life. Revere the simple things. Your standard must never be the world's standard of wealth and power.
Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may love the simple things of life. I pray that I may keep my life uncomplicated and free.

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

May 30

A bird does not sing because he has an answer. He sings because he has a song.

~Joan Walsh Anglund

Each of us has a song to sing, just as birds do. Part of knowing who we are is appreciating our own songs. Are our songs gentle like the robin's, or are we brilliant leaders like the blue jay? Are we easy to be around like the sparrow, or do we radiate joy and laughter like the loon?

Each of these birds has something special to offer. So do we, with our own unique personalities and talents. What a waste it would be if the loon never dashed across the lake because he wanted to be a robin instead. It is important to learn who we are and to believe we are special in our own way. We give joy to the world around us when we sing our own songs.

Have I listened to my own song lately?

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

May 31

To know all things is not permitted.

~Horace

In recovery, we give up trying to be perfect. We give up trying to know everything. We work at coming to know and accept our shortcomings. In Steps Four and Five, we look at our good points and our bad points. In Step Six, we become ready to have our Higher Power remove our "defects of character." Then in Step Seven we ask our Higher Power to remove our "shortcomings."

Recovery is about coming to accept that we're not perfect. We admit that trying to be perfect got in the way of being useful to ourselves, our Higher Power, and those around us. Pretending to be perfect doesn't allow us to be real. It's also boring and no fun - you never get to mess up.
Prayer for the Day

Higher Power, You will let me know what I need to know. Allow me to claim my mistakes and shortcomings.
Action for the Day

I will work at being okay today. Not perfect, just okay.

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