Today's Thought - June

[bluidkiti]

June 16

Some of us became lost in the labyrinth of substances, thinking they might provide the answers to our dilemmas. We often found despair and disappointment instead. The Eighth Step—“Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all”—became a road map for taking responsibility for those times when we were truly missing in action.

The inner pathfinder often summons us more with questions than answers, reminding us of the false summits and mirages that inevitably appear on any journey. Denial and escape are replaced by the more useful compass found in really listening to our heart. Experiencing a better, more authentic, more fulfilling life comes from asking ourselves some important questions about needs, desires, purpose, and happiness. And, with right timing, an adventure or pilgrimage can add its own truth to the garden of living a good life.

We are always—every one of us—coming together and falling apart at the same time. Searching and seeking always lead to victories and defeats, illumination, and further confusion. One day at a time, with each conscious step a liberating moment, we make progress.

I am learning that an apparently easy path can become a long and suffering way, and a roadblock to an opening into liberation.

Today's reading is from the book Cornerstones, Daily Meditations for the Journey into Manhood and Recovery

[bluidkiti]

June 17

Resisting Negativity

Some people are carriers of negativity. They are storehouses of pent-up anger and volatile emotions. Some remain trapped in the victim role and act in ways that further their victimization. And others are still caught in the cycle of addictive or compulsive patterns.

Negative energy can have a powerful pull on us, especially if we’re struggling to maintain positive energy and balance. It may seem that others who exude negative energy would like to pull us into the darkness with them. We do not have to go. Without judgment, we can decide it’s okay to walk away, okay to protect ourselves.

We cannot change other people. It does not help others for us to get off balance. We do not lead others into the Light by stepping into the darkness with them.

Today, God, help me to know that I don’t have to allow myself to be pulled into negativity, even around those I love. Help me set boundaries. Help me know it’s okay to take care of myself.

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

[bluidkiti]

June 18

Any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.

~John Donne

One benefit that can emerge from suffering is a deepening compassion. To the extent we have felt hurt and terror, we are more able to reach out to someone else in pain.

Adult children have suffered. We have walked the roads of loneliness and abandonment. To that extent, we are empowered beyond others to aid in the healing of others.

We are part of mankind. We know there are countless others born and raised in dysfunctional homes. More people than we can imagine are around us seeking understanding, help, and wisdom. We are part of the universal whole. If we so choose, we can take that which has caused pain and suffering and turn it into an enormously powerful balm to heal.

Today, I will reach out to anyone who needs it. I will count it my privilege to help heal the kind of hurt I know so well.

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

[bluidkiti]

June 19

WILLPOWER = Our WILL-ingness to use a HIGHER POWER

~Anonymous

One of the greatest decisions any of us ever made concerned our Third Step. This decision seemed to go against everything we wanted to do. We all know so well that every time we tried to manage our own lives, we produced misery and heartache. Human beings seem created to fight the decision to give up control. Yet this decision in Step Three, very hard for us to make, was one of the greatest decisions we ever made.

When we did our Third Step, we merely embraced the truth. When we decided to let God be God, we were able to participate in the plan. Whenever we “Let go and let God,” we become a player on a team that will always win.

When what I knew in the past was mostly failure, the decision to let God’s will become mine continues to make sense.

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

[bluidkiti]

June 20

Fatherhood is less about biology than about showing up, since we may parent the children of another man because of our love for their mother, or we may partner with another man and adopt. However we get there, the journey of healthy fatherhood begins with the awareness that parenthood is a life-changing process. We don’t have to have all the answers, but we need to be a willing pupil. We will have to learn a whole new set of communication skills as our offspring pass from infant to teenager and beyond.

In addition to the rewards and challenges inherent in each developmental stage, fatherhood will call forth illuminating qualities from deep within us that we did not imagine we possessed. Making our children a priority by being fully present with them and gifting them our time is a great bounty beyond what we might provide materially for their betterment. Our presence is the best present! We honor them as our teachers because they test our kindness and patience in innumerable, unimaginable ways. They’ll make us laugh as never before, reminding us of the playfulness we may have lost along the way.

Remaining clean and sober is the best gift I can give my children.

Today's reading is from the book Cornerstones, Daily Meditations for the Journey into Manhood and Recovery

[bluidkiti]

June 21

Each small task of everyday life is part of the total harmony of the universe.

~Saint Thérèse of Lisieux

When we stop to think about it, it becomes clear that we are a tiny part of our Higher Power’s creation. Consider the growing seasons of plants, the daily rising and setting of the sun, the miracles of birth and death. The cycles go on, creating a rhythm, an order in nature.

We can choose to be part of nature’s order. We can eat healthy, exercise, and sleep enough to care for our health. We can keep our living space clean and neat. We can join in the work of life and be part of the human community. We can make it easy by developing good habits.

In order to go with nature’s flow, we need to pay attention. That’s what we do in our daily prayer and meditation. We work on conscious contact with our Higher Power and practice being part of the harmony of nature.
Prayer for the Day

Higher Power, please help me calm down and go with your flow. Help me contribute well to your world.
Today's Action

Today I will think about my basic living tasks. Do I do them well, making a good base for my life?

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

[bluidkiti]

June 22

We see things not as they are, but as we are.

~H. M. Tomlinson

Many days we wake up filled with confidence, enthusiasm, and gratitude for the blessings that have come to us through our recovery. We are even able to see that some of our earlier troubling moments were really blessings in disguise.

Our more positive attitude today changes our understanding of earlier experiences. And that’s the key to how the future will look. If we rely on God’s help, we’ll come to understand all our experiences as opportunities for growth and fulfillment. We can trust them, live through them, and be grateful for their contribution to our spiritual development.

The attitude we harbor is powerful. We can develop a peaceful attitude and keep it for all time if we so desire. God is always available to help us accept the circumstances of our life.

With God’s help I will believe my circumstances are as they should be today.

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

[bluidkiti]

June 23

There is no such thing as conversation. It is an illusion. There are interesting monologues, that is all.

~Rebecca West

How often we want to be heard, to be truly listened to by our spouse, our children, friends and co-workers. And we deserve to be fully attended to. So do the other persons in our lives who come to us to be heard. We let our minds wander in the midst of important messages. And we may miss the very phrase that we need to hear—the answer to a problem, perhaps. Our minds wander, randomly, looking for a place to light, unconsciously searching for peace, the serenity promised by the Twelve Steps.

Living fully in the present, soaking up all the responses of the life we are immersed in for the moment, is the closest we can get to our higher power, our God. Being there fully—is conversation with God. How can we know all that God intends for us to know if we don't take advantage of God's many messages? Every moment of every day offers us information, divine information. Each time we turn our minds to self?centered thoughts, we're refusing the chance to grow.

As I come together with friends and family today, l will remember to listen for God's message. l will hear what I need to hear if I will but listen.

Today's reading is from the book Each Day a New Beginning, Daily meditations for Women

[bluidkiti]

June 24

It is only by risking our persons from one hour to another that we live at all.

~William James

We all know men who seem to be empty bodies, walking through life. These are the guys who never talk about anything personal and never let anyone get to know them. Many of them love to complain about their job, their spouse or partner, their boss, the government, or anything outside themselves. These guys will talk about sports or the weather but never about real events or personal experiences.

Many of us have been these men. When we wake up to a real life, we become present; we are alive to our experiences, our sensations, and our feelings. This requires that we drop the shield of deadness and become personal. It involves risk and makes life incredibly interesting.

Today, I will take the risk to be present to my life in every minute, every hour.

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

[bluidkiti]

June 25

AA Thought for the Day

One of the finest things about AA is the sharing. Sharing is a wonderful thing because the more you share the more you have. In our old drinking days, we didn’t do much sharing. We used to keep things to ourselves, partly because we were ashamed, but mostly because we were selfish. And we were very lonely because we didn’t share. When we came into AA, the first thing we found was sharing. We heard other alcoholics frankly sharing their experiences with hospitals, jails, and all the usual mess that goes with drinking. Am I sharing?
Meditation for the Day

Character is developed by the daily discipline of duties done. Be obedient to the heavenly vision and take the straight way. Do not fall into the error of calling “Lord, Lord,” and not doing the things that should be done. You need a life of prayer and meditation, but you must still do your work in the busy ways of life. The busy person is wise to rest and wait patiently for God’s guidance. If you are obedient to the heavenly vision, you can be at peace.
Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may be obedient to the heavenly vision. I pray if I fall, I will pick myself up and go on.

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

[bluidkiti]

June 26

The prayer of the chicken hawk does not get him the chicken.

~Swahili proverb

Imagine flying high over the grassy plains searching with piercing eyes for dinner down below. The sun is warm on our backs as we catch the heated updrafts and rest, always watching, always praying, that dinner will be provided for the little ones back in the nest.

Dinner will be provided, of that the hawk is sure. It has faith. But the faith and the prayer will not put the chicken in its talons. It is going to have to keep looking, and, when it spots the prey, its wings will fold back, and its sleek body will plummet out of the sky. It will brake quickly with broad wings and clasp the unsuspecting supper on the fly.

Like the hawk, once we have prayed, we must get to work. Our goal isn't going to be done for us. We can pray for the strength and wisdom we will need to get it done, and that prayer will be answered. But, as the hawk knows, it's up to us to do the work.

What is my goal today, and my first step toward it?

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

[bluidkiti]

June 27

For me, the healing process starts with graciousness and forgiveness.

~India Arie

We need to forgive so we can heal. Forgiveness means not wanting to get even. Forgiveness means letting go of self-will. Anger and hate are forms of self-will that take up room in our heart. Yet a still, small voice inside of us wants to forgive. Just as others have forgiven us, we need to forgive them. When we forgive, we give our will to our Higher Power. When we forgive, we make room in our heart for our Higher Power. By giving up our anger and our hate, we let that still, small voice come through a little louder. This is how we heal. This is why forgiving is so powerful for us.
Prayer for the Day

Higher Power, help me let go of self-will. Help me forgive people. Take the anger I am harboring and replace it with understanding.
Action for the Day

I will list any anger or hate I have. I will think about how this gets in my way and what actions I can practice to break down my hatreds.

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

[bluidkiti]

June 28

Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life…Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice.

~Steve Jobs

As we develop a deeper and more reliable friendship with ourselves, we have little hunches or inner blips of feeling that tell us private truths. Ancient scriptures called it “a still, small voice.” We usually sense this inner message somewhere in our body. Some men say it’s in the heart, others say in the gut, or ears, or on their shoulders. When we are too focused on what others think and feel and what the world says is truth, we don’t notice our inner voice; it doesn’t get much chance to develop. It never hits us over the head; it requires silence and respect to be heard.

As we follow the Steps, we learn to regularly visit our intuitive center and seek its wisdom. The more we listen and the more we respect the truths we receive in our quietness, the more wisdom we are given.

I will listen to the personal wisdom whispered by that still, small voice within.

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

[bluidkiti]

June 29

Handling stress

Sometimes we feel stress—anxious, irritable, achy. We can’t think straight. We worry and wonder what’s wrong. Think of the earth’s geology: before the mountains arose, there was stress in the earth, internal pressure; something had to change.

So, too, with us. Before change happens in us, we feel stress. But if we continue to work the Steps, work with others, and attend meetings, one day we will find that we have changed for the better.

Am I learning to handle stress?

Higher Power, help me keep in mind what I want to become; help me stay faithful during times of stress.

I will change the way I handle stress today by…

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

[bluidkiti]

June 30

Reflection for the Day

If I live just one day at a time, I won’t so quickly entertain fears of what might happen tomorrow. As long as I’m concentrating on today’s activities, there won’t be room in my mind for worrying. I’ll try to fill every minute of this day with something good—seen, heard, accomplished. Then, when the day is ended, I’ll be able to look back on it with satisfaction, serenity, and gratitude. Do I sometimes cherish bad feelings so that I can feel sorry for myself?
Today I Pray

That I will get out of the self-pity act and live for today. May I notice the good things from dawn to nightfall, learn to talk about them and thank my Higher Power for them. May I catch myself if I seem to be relishing my moans and complaints more often than appreciating the goodness of my life.
Today I Will Remember

Today is good.

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