A Prayer & Some Thoughts - November

[bluidkiti]

November 14

Turbulent Times Prayer

God,
Look with compassion, we pray, on your world in distress.
Comfort those who suffer, strengthen those who are weary, grant your peace to those whose thoughts are troubled, and embolden your people to be a light of hope throughout the world.
Amen

~ Dr. John Cook

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Just a Thought

The A.A. program is a way of life.

It's a way of living and we have to learn to live the program if we're going to stay sober. The twelve steps in the book are like guide-posts. They point the direction in which we have to go. But all members of the group have to find their own best way to live the program. We don't all do it exactly alike. Whether by quiet times in the morning, meetings, working with others, or spreading the word, we have to learn to live the program.

So ............

Has the A.A. way become my regular, natural way of living?

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Just a Contemplation

Choices

Life is full of dangers and risks and challenges. We can choose to meet them fearfully or in a spirit of welcome. To choose fear, to say, "I won't take that risk because I might lose," is to prevent ourselves from ever winning. If we welcome the danger, the risk, or the challenge, we acknowledge that life is made up of losses as well as victories, of gains as well as pain.

Life holds the dangers as well as the rewards. We choose how we will act. Sometimes we may feel trapped in a cycle of fearfulness. If we examine our own part, will we find that we are neglecting to take a balanced view? Perhaps, through a fear of losing, we are missing many chances for satisfaction.

Yes, I have the power to choose what my attitude will be toward this day's offerings.

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An Open Mind

Reluctantly, I opened my mind to the fact that maybe, just maybe, there was something to this spiritual lifestyle. Slowly, but surely, I realized there was indeed a Power greater than myself, and I soon found myself with a full-time God in my life and following a spiritual path that didn't conflict with my personal religious convictions.

Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 287

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Just a Quote

"One of the biggest things I've learned is that I don't always have to be right." ~ Jeffrey B. Swartz

[bluidkiti]

November 15

Loneliness Prayer

Lord, it’s hard to stay motivated when I feel lonely.
There are so many things I should be doing, but I cannot bring myself to get started.
Help me, Lord, to find ways to stay productive and moving forward during this time.
I ask that you, please bring people into my life who will be there for me.
Amen

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Just a Thought

An alcoholic carries an awful load around with them.

What a load lying puts on your shoulders! Drinking makes liars out of all of us alcoholics. In order to get all the alcohol we wanted, we have to lie all the time. We have to lie about where we've been and what we've been doing. When you are lying you are only half alive, because of the fear of being found out. When you come into A.A., and get honest with yourself and with other people, that terrible load of lying falls off your shoulders.

So ............

Have I got rid of that load of lying?

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Just a Contemplation

Freedom & Choices

Freedom is a funny thing, in a way, it can make life harder. We are free to do what we want, but every choice makes a difference in our lives. Some choices make us happy and some bring trouble.
We can make good choices. We can control our actions. We can start by having control in little ways: follow the law, pay the rent, and make the bed every day. These choices put order in our lives. Eat right, exercise, and get enough sleep. These choices make us strong enough to live each day to the fullest.

These kinds of choices set us free.

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Grudges & Revenge

When we harbored grudges and planned revenge for defeats, we were really beating ourselves with the club of anger we had intended to use on others. We learned that if we were seriously disturbed, our very first need was to quiet that disturbance, regardless of who or what we thought caused it.

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions Page 47

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Just a Quote

"The most terrible poverty is loneliness, and the feeling of being unloved." ~ Mother Teresa

[bluidkiti]

November 16

Lead Me Lord

Lord,
I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following Your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please You does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that, if I do this, You will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it. Therefore, I will trust You always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for You are ever with me, and You will never leave me to face my perils alone.

~ Thomas Merton (1915-1968)

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Just a Thought

After we have found sobriety through the A.A. program, we gradually began to get a peace of mind and serenity which we never thought were possible.

This peace of mind is based on a feeling that fundamentally all is well. That does not mean that all is well on the surface of things. Little things can keep going wrong and big things can keep on upsetting us. But deep down in our hearts we know that everything is eventually going to be alright, now that we are living sober lives.

So ............

Have I achieved a deep down, inner calm?

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Just a Contemplation

Relaxing

Relaxing is one of the little joys of life. We can learn to take time from our busy day to chat with a friend, take a hot bath, or spend a few moments sitting alone under a tree. The busier we are, the more we need to take time to relax.
When we rest, we stop fussing about the outside world. We find out how we're doing inside. While relaxing, we can best listen to our Higher Power. Our minds calm down. We put busy thoughts aside. Sometimes, we can almost hear our Higher Power say, "Stay quiet and listen! I have something to tell you!"

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The Obsession

The idea that somehow, some day, he will control and enjoy his drinking is the great obsession of every abnormal drinker. The persistence of this illusion is astonishing. Many pursue it into the gates of insanity or death.

Alcoholics Anonymous Page 30

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Just a Quote

"Love is caring for another human being and allowing them to be who they are and make their own choices without any demand that they meet yours." ~ Vickie Dishner

[bluidkiti]

November 17

Prayer for Laughter

Dear God,
As I stumble through this life, help me to create more laughter than tears, dispense more cheer than gloom, spread more cheer than despair. Never let me become so indifferent, that I will fail to see the wonders in the eyes of a child, or the twinkle in the eyes of the aged. Never let me forget that my total effort is to cheer people up, make them happy, and forget momentarily, all the unpleasantness in their lives. And in my final moment, may I hear You whisper: When you made My people smile, you made Me smile.
Amen

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Just a Thought

Fear and worry had me down.

My drinking increased them. I worried about what I had done when I was drunk. I was afraid of what the consequences might be. I was afraid to face people because of the fear of being found out. Fear kept me in hot water all the time. I was a nervous wreck from fear and worry. I was a tied-up bundle of nerves. I had a fear of failure, of the future, of growing old, of sickness, of hangovers, of suicide. I had a wrong set of ideas and attitudes. When A.A. told me to surrender these fears and worries to a Higher Power, I did so. I now try to think of faith instead of fear.

So ............

Have I put faith in place of fear?

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Just a Contemplation

Pain

Our pain is often associated with events in the past, which are still troubling us unconsciously. If we are willing to stay with the emotional discomfort and pain, we will eventually gain understanding.

When we are able to identify the source of the pain, we can examine it in the light of our present maturity and begin to put it behind us. As long as we avoid feeling the pain, we deny ourselves the healing which our Higher Power can give us.

Can & will I accept the pain that is necessary for continued growth?

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Lessons

I find the willingness to give thanks by contemplating the lessons learned from past suffering--lessons which have led to blessings I now enjoy. I can remember how the agonies of alcoholism, the pain of rebellion and thwarted pride, have often led me to God's grace, and so to a new freedom.

As Bill See It Page 266

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Just a Quote

"A tree is known by its fruit; a man by his deeds. A good deed is never lost; he who sows courtesy reaps friendship, and he who plants kindness gathers love." ~ Basil (329-379 A.D.)

[bluidkiti]

November 18

Resentment Prayer

Dear God,
Please help me to honestly take stock. Help me to search out the flaws in my make-up which caused my failure. Help me to see where resentment has plagued me and resulted in spiritual malady, but more importantly help me to understand my part in these resentments. Help me to resolutely look for my own mistakes and to understand where I had been selfish, dishonest, self-seeking and frightened. Please help me to be searching and fearless in my endeavor to write my inventory.

(aka 4th Step Prayer)

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Just a Thought

Step One is, "We admitted we were powerless over alcohol - that our lives had become unmanageable."

This step states the membership requirement of A.A. We must admit that our lives are disturbed. We must accept the fact that we are helpless before the power of alcohol. We must admit that we are licked as far as drinking is concerned and that we need help. We must be willing to accept the bitter fact that we cannot drink like normal people. And we must make, as gracefully as possible, surrender to the inevitable fact that we must stop drinking.

So ............

Is it difficult for me to admit that I am different from normal drinkers?

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Just a Contemplation

Self-love

An important part of our lives is simply tending to our basic needs. Paying attention to these things only when they become crises makes our lives unbalanced and crisis oriented.

Self-love allows us to be responsible for our care, and it puts us in a stronger position to help others, to be creative. I have to look after the essentials of my personal care and my family's care before I take on other things.

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God Is Here

The Power, which restores us to sanity, is not something remote and abstract, which we must search for by reading books and performing great feats. Our Higher Power is with us constantly and is involved in the minute details of every day. We do not have to wait and work to become acceptable to God. He accepts us now, just as we are.

To be aware of the presence of God in our lives every day, all we need is the willingness to be open to Him. What we may have spent years searching for or denying turns out to be the ground of our existence and the Power that sustains us every minute.

(Not sure who the author is)

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Just a Quote

"We must positively and definitely extend forgiveness to everyone to whom it is possible that we can owe forgiveness, namely, to anyone who we think can have injured us in any way." ~ Emmet Fox

[bluidkiti]

November 19

Prayer of Celebration

Great Spirit,
We join our minds and hearts in prayer and celebration. We celebrate Your essence within each of us. We celebrate the Love which connects us. We celebrate the work that we have before us. Today, we reach out and bless each and every person. We embrace each other like the members of a big family that we really are and we commit ourselves to live from love in all ways. Each of us is Your ambassador and we let Your light shine through our lives into each workplace, town and home that we touch. Together, we proclaim the Truth that You,Great Spirit, are Love, and that You love each person just as they are. Thank You. Thank You. And so it is. Amen.

(Based on an Old American Native Prayer)

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Just a Thought

A drinking life isn't a happy life.

Drinking cuts you off from other people and from God. One of the worst things about drinking is loneliness. And one of the best things about A.A. is the fellowship. Drinking cuts you off from other people, at least from the people who really matter to you, your wife and children, your family and real friends. No matter how much you love them, you build up a wall between you and them by drinking. You're cut off from any real companionship with them. As a result, you're terribly lonely.

So ............

Have I got rid of my loneliness?

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Just a Contemplation

Outlook

We choose the lives we lead. Accepting full responsibility for our actions is one of the requirements of maturity. Not always the easiest thing to do. An unexpected benefit of accepting our responsibility is that it heightens our awareness of personal power. Our attitude about any condition, present or future, is within our power, if we take it.

Life is "doing unto us" only what we allow. And it will favor us with whatever we choose. If we look for excitement, we'll find it. We can search out the positive in any experience. All situations present seeds of new understanding, if we are open to them. Our responses to the events around us determine whatever meaning life offers. We are in control of our outlook. And our outlook decides our future.

(From the writings of Karen Casey)

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Maintenance and Growth

It is plain that a life which includes deep resentment leads only to futility and unhappiness. To the precise extent we permit these, do we squander the hours that might have been worthwhile. But with the alcoholic, whose hope is the maintenance and growth of a spiritual experience, this business of harboring resentment is infinitely grave. For then we shut ourselves off from the sunlight of the spirit. The insanity of alcohol returns and we drink again. And with us, to drink is to die.

If we were to live, we had to be free of anger. The grouch and the sudden rage were not for us. Anger is the dubious luxury of normal men, but for us alcoholics it is poison.

Alcoholics Anonymous, Page 66

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Just a Quote

“God doesn’t give you the people you want, he gives you the people you need. To help you, to hurt you, to leave you, to love you and to make you the person you were meant to be.” – Anonymous A.A.

[bluidkiti]

November 20

Today's Prayer

Lord,
Shape me this day in ways that are in keeping with your will and purposes.
When I am weary, please lift me up.
When I am drawing inward, show me the way to community and serving.
When I am confused, grant a clarity that cuts through the many things that masquerade as truth.
When I am feeling alone, keep me company.
I ask you for this gift of hope to sustain and strengthen me.
Amen

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Just a Thought

There are no leaders in A.A., except as they volunteer to accept responsibility.

The work of carrying on A.A. --leading group meetings, serving on committees, speaking before other groups, doing twelfth-step work, spreading A.A. among the alcoholics of the community--all these things are done on a volunteer basis. If I don't volunteer to do something concrete for A.A., the movement is that much less effective. I must do my fair share to carry the load. A.A. depends on all its members to keep it alive and to keep it growing.

So ............

Am I doing my share for A.A.?

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Just a Contemplation

Struggles

The struggles of life teach us a lot. They challenge our beliefs. As we struggle, we come to believe that our friends, family, and Higher Power will be there for us in hard times. But we must do our part. We need to call and honestly let people know how we are doing. We need to pray and ask our Higher Power for help. If we do these things, we'll come to respect and learn from hard times.

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Antidote For Fear

When our failings generate fear, we then have soul-sickness. This sickness, in turn, generates still more character defects.

Unreasonable fear that our instincts will not be satisfied drives us to covet the possessions of others, to lust for sex and power, to become angry when our instinctive demands are threatened, to be envious when the ambitions of others seem to be realized while ours are not. We eat, drink, and grab for more of everything than we need, fearing we shall never have enough. And, with genuine alarm at the prospect of work, we stay lazy. We loaf and procrastinate, or at best work grudgingly and under half steam.

These fears are the termites that ceaselessly devour the foundations of whatever sort of life we try to build.

As Bill Sees It Page 196

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Just a Quote

“The heart of human excellence often begins to beat when you discover a pursuit that absorbs you, frees you, challenges you, or gives you a sense of meaning, joy, or passion.” ~ Terry Orlick

[bluidkiti]

November 21

Give Us Hope

When evil darkens our world, give us light.
When despair numbs our souls, give us hope.
When we stumble and fall, lift us up.
When doubts assail us, give us faith.
When nothing seems sure, give us trust.
When ideals fade, give us vision.
When we lose our way, be our guide!
That we may find serenity in Your presence, and purpose in doing Your will.

~ John D. Rayner

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Just a Thought

One of the finest things about A.A. 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 A.A., 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.

So ............

Am I sharing?

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Just a Contemplation

Growth

All of us are a little afraid of growth. We wonder how growth will change our lives. Who will we be? Will our friend still love us? Can't we grow up and get over with it? Why does it take so long?
All of us have a need to keep growing. There is no age when we're "all grown up" and all done learning. But we don't need to rush our growth. Like a child on a too-big bicycle, at times we'll find ourselves out of control. We'll tip over. We can grow at our own pace, but we must grow. We must make changes. Or else, like an athlete on a too-small bicycle, we won't get far. We'll tip over too!

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Resolving Fear

Fear somehow touched about every aspect of our lives. It was an evil and corroding thread; the fabric of our existence was shot through with it. It set in motion trains of circumstances which brought us misfortune we felt we didn't deserve. But did we not often set the ball rolling ourselves?

Alcoholics Anonymous, pages 67-68

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Just a Quote

“You have the power to change your thoughts and your thoughts have the power to change your life.” ~ Ron Willingham

[bluidkiti]

November 22

Worry Prayer

Lord, it’s so easy to fall into worry.
When my fears are reverberating in my mind, help me stop trying to fix everything myself.
Teach me to turn to You in prayer, trust You to be in charge and let Your peace reign over me.
Amen.

~ Francine Rivers

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Just a Thought

In Alcoholics Anonymous there is no thought of individual profit.

No greed or gain. No membership fees, no dues. Only voluntary contributions of our money and ourselves. All that we hope for is sobriety and regeneration, so that we can live normal, respectable lives and can be recognized by others as men and women willing to do unto others as we would be done by. These things we accomplish by the help of each other, by following the twelve steps and by the grace of God.

So ............

Am I willing to work for A.A. without material gain to myself?

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Just a Contemplation

Progress

One guiding factor in 12 Step groups is the sharing of experience and knowledge. The fact that a few people seem especially gifted as speakers and workers doesn't relieve us of the need for every person's participation.

Such group efforts are important to all human progress. For every outstanding person, there are hundreds who contribute to the success of any venture.

What we bring to the group is our experience as well as a strong commitment to the group's purpose. This makes our meetings warm, interesting, and helpful. The group can always be such a center if its members really are part of it.

I'll remind myself today that I can draw strength from the group and also make it stronger with my participation.

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Gratitude

I try to hold fast to the truth that a full and thankful heart cannot entertain great conceits.
When brimming with gratitude, one's heartbeat must surely result in outgoing love, the finest emotion we can ever know.

As Bill Sees It Page 37

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Just a Quote

“Remember the five simple rules to be happy:
1. Free your heart from hatred.
2. Free your mind from worries.
3. Live simply.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less.
~ Unknown Author

[bluidkiti]

November 23

A Simple Prayer of Gratitude

Thank you, Lord, for the blessings you have bestowed on my life. You have provided me with more than I could ever have imagined. You have surrounded me with people who always look out for me. You have given me family and friends who bless me every day with kind words and actions.

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Just a Thought

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) describes obtaining serenity and gratitude as two of the most characteristic markers of success in the AA program.
AA, describes gratitude as “an emotion-virtue {that} disposes us morally to act right and emotionally to feel right, to do good as regards others and to do well as regards our {own} mental condition.”

So ............

Do I have an attitude of gratitude??

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Just a Contemplation

Gratitude

With gratitude, people acknowledge the goodness in their lives. In the process, people usually recognize that the source of that goodness lies at least partially outside themselves. As a result, being grateful also helps people connect to something larger than themselves as individuals — whether to other people, nature, or a higher power.
Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships.

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Assets

An honest regret for harms done, a genuine gratitude for blessings received, and a willingness to try for better things tomorrow will be the permanent assets we shall seek.

Twelve Steps & Twelve Traditions Page 95

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Just a Quote

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words but to live by them.”~ John F. Kennedy

[bluidkiti]

November 24

Simple Prayer of Gratitude

Lord,
Thank you for caring for us in our daily journeys. Thank you for guiding us in our decisions, thank you for giving us wisdom when we stumble, and thank you for leading us to support one another. Thank you for caring for us in our daily journeys. Thank you for guiding us in our decisions, thank you for giving us wisdom when we stumble, and thank you for leading us to support one another.

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Just a Thought

Some of the rewards that have come to us as a result of our new way of living:

We have found that we have got rid of many of our fears, resentments, inferiority complexes, negative points of view, self-centeredness, inner conflicts, the habits of procrastination, undisciplined sex, wasting money, boredom, false perfectionism, and jealousy and envy of others. We are glad to be rid of our drinking, and we are also very glad to be rid of these other things. We can now go forward in the new way of life, as shown us by A.A.

So ............

Am I ready to go forward in my new life?

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Just a Contemplation

Blessings

Every day we take so much for granted. But we can count certain blessings: a roof over our head, food, clothing, family, and friends, freedom, a Higher Power we trust. These things are special.
Thinking about them wakes up our happiness. Our recovery program shows us how happy we are. We just have to remember to do what it tells us!

Each evening, as we think about our day, we can give thanks for the things we love: our recovery, our health, and the special people in our lives. If we spend part of our day thinking about these important areas, we won't lose them.

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There Is A Solution

If you are as seriously alcoholic as we were, we believe there is no middle-of-the-road solution. We were in a position where life was becoming impossible, and if we had passed into the region from which there is no return through human aid, we had but two alternatives: One was to go on to the bitter end, blotting out the consciousness of our intolerable situation as best we could; and the other, to accept spiritual help. This we did because we honestly wanted to, and were willing to make the effort.

Alcoholics Anonymous Page 25

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Just a Quote

“When you arise in the morning, give thanks for the food and for the joy of living. If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies only in yourself.” -- Tecumseh (1768 1812)

************ Off Topic ************

Thanksgiving Is

Thanksgiving is
a time of gratitude to God, our Creator and Provider,
whose guidance and care go before us...
and whose love is with us forever.

Thanksgiving is
a time to reflect on the changes,
to remember that we, too, grow and change
from one season of life to another.

Thanksgiving is
a time of changing seasons, when leaves turn golden
in Autumn's wake and apples are crisp
in the first chill breezes of fall.

Let us remember the true meaning of Thanksgiving.
As we see the beauty of Autumn,
let us acknowledge the many blessings which are ours...
let us think of our families and friends..
and let us give thanks in our hearts.

~ Unknown Author

[bluidkiti]

November 25

Day After Thanksgiving Prayer

May we remember that thanks-giving isn’t a day or a celebration. May we remember that the act of giving thanks is a daily commitment, an intentional act of love, a spiritual practice of sorts, and an understanding that we are all a little broken, that we are all desperately in need of grace. The act of giving thanks is gritty and clumsy, awkward and vulnerable, constant and filled with kind truth.

May we remember that gratitude is a peaceful appreciation for the absolute privilege of life, with its inherent flaws, messiness, and organized chaos. May we remember that gratitude isn’t just obligatory thank-you’s for gifts and favors or bold professions of our blessings. Gratitude is a deeply felt inner truth, a delicate art form to be practiced, and refined over the course of a lifetime.

~ Unknown Author

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Just a Thought

Prospects must be convinced that they honestly want to stop drinking.

They must see and admit that their life is unmanageable. They must face the fact that they must do something about their drinking. They must be absolutely honest with themselves and face themselves as they really are. They must be convinced that they must give up drinking and they must see that their whole life depends on this conviction.

So ............

Do I care enough about other alcoholics to help them reach this conviction?

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Just a Contemplation

Respect

We owe each other respect. We cannot expect to be respected if we don't respect others around us. When we respect others, we respect their property and personal belongings as well as their self-esteem and their right to voice an opinion. Respect is a way of cooperating with each other.

In a family we live in close quarters. Respect for each other is one of the things, which keeps chaos from breaking out. When we grow in respect for each other's property, abilities, and self-esteem, we soon see how valuable each member of our family really is.

I will try and show respect to those around me today.

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Pickles

We are also convinced, after the countless attempts we made to prove otherwise, that alcoholism is incurable -- just like some other illnesses. It cannot be "cured" in this sense: We cannot change our body chemistry and go back to being the normal, moderate social drinkers lots of us seemed to be in our youth. . . we can no more make that change than a pickle can change itself back into a cucumber.

Living Sober Page 8

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Just a Quote

"You Won’t Feel Happy If You Have Never Experienced What Makes You Unhappy." ~ Lifehack Quotes

[bluidkiti]

November 26

Prayer for Guidance

God,
Help me trust you with my decisions and future.
Let me lean on you with all my heart instead of relying on my own imperfect understanding.
Give me clear guidance in my life. I ask for your help to direct my path.
Give me confidence that your direction is always the best way to go.
Amen

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Just a Thought

Making amends and restitution for the wrongs we have done is often very difficult.

It hurts our pride. But the rewards are great. When we go to a person and say we are sorry, the reaction we get is almost invariably good. It takes courage to make the plunge, but the results more than justify it. A load is off your chest and often an enemy has been turned into a friend.

So ............

Have I done my best to make all the amends and restitution possible?

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Just a Contemplation

Being Human

Being human means, we'll have hard times along with pleasant ones. Whether with friends, at school, or at home, we'll find reasons for sadness or anger as easily as for laughter. In every part of our lives, we're offered just what we need for growth.

Being the best, we know how to be doesn't mean we'll escape confusion or pain. Through the troubling times we learn to trust in a Higher Power; we learn patience; we learn to let go and let God decide outcomes. The troubling times offer us growth and serenity, our keys to happiness.

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"Loners"--but Not Alone

What can be said of many A.A. members who, for a variety of reasons, cannot have a family life? At first many of these feel lonely, hurt, and left out as they witness so much domestic happiness about them. If they cannot have this kind of happiness, can A.A. offer them satisfactions of similar worth and durability?

Yes-- whenever they try hard to seek out these satisfactions. Surrounded by so many A.A. friends, the so-called loners tell us they no longer feel alone. In partnership with others--women and men--they can devote themselves to any number of ideas, people, and constructive projects. They can participate in enterprises which would be denied to family men and women. We daily see such members render prodigies of service, and receive great joys in return.

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions Page 120

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Just a Quote

“It’s amazing what we can do if we will trust God enough to step out of our comfort zones!” ~ Brett Harris

[bluidkiti]

November 27

Tolerance Prayer

Lord, give me tolerance towards those whose thoughts and ways conflict with mine. For though I would, I cannot always know what constitutes the Absolute Truth. The other person may be right, while I may be all wrong, yet unaware.

Lord, make my motives right, for only this can ease my conscience when I sometimes err.

Lord, give me tolerance, for who am I to stand in judgment on another person's mistakes? No one knows better than my inward self how many little blunders I have and can make.

Life is full of stones that somehow trip us, and meaning not, we stumble now and then.

Lord, give me tolerance, for only you are rightly fit to judge my fellow travelers.

(From: Global Steps, Bristol, CT)

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Just a Thought

By submitting to God, we're released from the power of alcoholism.

It has no more hold on us. We're also released from the things that were holding us down: pride, selfishness, and fear. And we're free to grow into a new life, which is so much better than the old life that there's no comparison. This release gives us serenity and peace with the world.

So ............

Have I been released from the power of alcohol?

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Just a Contemplation

Self-will

The biggest danger we face as recovering people is self-will. Do we try to control others?
Do we always put ourselves before others? Are we full of self-pity? These are all ways that bind us to our self-will.
In recovery, we put our lives in the hands of a loving God. Here, we find a new home. Our goal is to lose as much of our self-will as we can. We then put love in place of self-will. Recovery is truly about love.

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Tolerance

During nine years in AA, I have observed that those who follow the Alcoholics Anonymous program with the greatest earnestness and zeal not only maintain sobriety but often acquire finer characteristics and attitudes as well. One of these is tolerance. Tolerance expresses itself in a variety of ways: in kindness and consideration toward the man or woman who is just beginning the march along the spiritual path; in the understanding of those who perhaps have been less fortunate in education advantages; and in sympathy toward those whose religious ideas may seem to be at great variance with our own.

~ Dr. Bob S., July, 1944

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Just a Few Quotes

"Tolerance is the positive and cordial effort to understand another's beliefs, practices, and habits without necessarily sharing or accepting them." ~ Joshua Liebman

"Tolerance implies no lack of commitment to one's own beliefs. Rather it condemns the oppression or persecution of others." ~ John F. Kennedy

[bluidkiti]

November 28

Prayer to Start This Day

Lord,
Please keep me safe From all danger, hurt, and harm.
Help me to start this day and every day With a new attitude and plenty of gratitude.
Let me make the best of each and every day, To clear my mind so that I can follow your will.
Amen

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Just a Thought

In A.A. we learn that since we are alcoholics, we can be uniquely useful people.

That is, we can help other alcoholics when perhaps somebody who has not had our experience with alcoholism could not help them. That makes us uniquely useful. The A.A.s are a unique group of people because they have taken their own greatest defeat and failure and sickness and used it as a means of helping others. We who have been through the same thing are the ones who can best help other alcoholics.

So ............

Do I believe that I can be uniquely useful?

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Just a Contemplation

Courage

As we grow in recovery, we'll need to change our behaviors, values, and beliefs to stay sane. This takes courage. Courage is doing what is needed in spite of fear.
Courage means facing what we can't change. We can't change the fact that we have hurt people. We can't change the fact we have an illness. And we can't change the fact that we need help from others.
Courage also means facing those things we can change. We need courage to be honest, to have faith, and to be humble. And we need courage to let people know how important they are.
Courage is more than being tough. Courage means being human.


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A New Life

Regardless of worldly success or failure, regardless of pain or joy, regardless of sickness or health or even of death itself, a new life of endless possibilities can be lived if we are willing to continue our awakening, through the practice of A.A.'s Twelve Steps.

As Bill Sees It Page 8

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Just a Few Quotes

"The key to developing the courage to change is to first accept that change is inevitable." ~ Wallace Nesbitt

"Change your thoughts and you change your world." ~ Norman Vincent Peale