Today's Thought - January

[bluidkiti]

January 1

A New Beginning

The new is but the old come true; each sunrise sees a New Year born.

~Helen Hunt Jackson

We know that a totally new life can begin on any day of a year, at any hour of the day, or at any moment of an hour. Our new life began the moment we decided to surrender and admit to a powerlessness over a substance or an impulse. It began when we accepted the fact that we needed help and could receive it simply by asking.

Many of us used to choose New Year’s Day as a time for making good resolutions and swearing off bad habits. When we failed, we simply shrugged and said, “Maybe I can start tomorrow, next week—or next New Year’s Day.” We were always going to “turn over a new leaf.”

Now, in recovery, we no longer depend on doing it all alone. We know we can stay abstinent only by sharing with fellow members.

Let me remember, each day in recovery is another milestone. I no longer have to use a calendar.

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

[bluidkiti]

January 2

Planning is deciding what to change today so tomorrow will be different from yesterday.

~Ichak Adizes

A house is like a lump of clay that can be molded and changed. It can be fixed and shaped, torn down and added to, painted, papered, carpeted, and paneled. We can think about how to change it, find pictures in books, and order plans. We can stock up on supplies, take fix-it classes, and get advice from others. But the house will remain unchanged until we pick up a brush, grab a bucket of paint, and get to work. Only then will we see tomorrow the results of what we did today.

Our plans help us construct a vision of how we'd like the future to be, but only actions will bring these things about. With confidence in the rightness of our desires, we can be assured that God never gives us a dream we can't reach.

What action can I take today to make tomorrow's changes?

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

[bluidkiti]

January 3

But the alcoholic…will be absolutely unable to stop drinking on the basis of self-knowledge.

~The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous

Our program says three things are more important than knowing ourselves: first, admitting we have no control over our addiction; second, believing in a Higher Power; and third, turning our lives over to the care of that Higher Power.

Knowing ourselves makes our lives better in recovery. But it does not give us sobriety. Sobriety starts with surrender to our Higher Power. We now know we need the faith and strength we get from a Higher Power. We also need the support of others in our program.
Prayer for the Day

Higher Power, thank you for my sobriety today. Teach me what I need to know about myself to do Your will today.
Action for the Day

Today I’ll talk with my sponsor about the change in my spirit that keeps me sober.

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

[bluidkiti]

January 4

mean any harm.” Overdevelopment of innocence contradicts our spiritual growth. The painful truth is, we do have an impact on other people. Many times we have cultivated innocence as a style, and it has stood in our way of being accountable.

We cannot be in a relationship without sometimes hurting the ones we love. Spiritual growth requires us to take action and to take responsibility for what we do. It is painful to acknowledge we made a mistake and hurt someone. But giving up our innocent style is constructive pain. It opens the possibility to correct our ways, make repairs, and be forgiven. Then we are in the mainstream of a hearty spiritual life.

May I have the grace to let go of my innocence by taking action and admitting my mistakes.

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

[bluidkiti]

January 5

Accepting ourselves

Many of us used to think that our Higher Power hates this or that about us or about others, but our Higher Power doesn’t hate at all. Our Higher Power accepts us and loves us no matter how we have lived. It understands that we are capable of changing.

This is the only way we come to know our Higher Power, even as we begin to accept ourselves and others. The ability to accept ourselves more and more is a gift. It comes as we build upon the strong, valuable parts of ourselves.

Am I learning to accept myself?

Higher Power, help me believe in your acceptance, forgiveness, and generosity; help me to be willing to see myself in a new way.

Today I will work on self-acceptance by…

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

[bluidkiti]

January 6

Reflection for the Day

“The language of friendship is not words, but meanings,” wrote Thoreau. Life indeed takes on new meanings, as well as new meaning in recovery. To watch people recover, to see them help others, to watch loneliness vanish, to see a fellowship grow up about you, to have a host of friends—this is an experience not to be missed. Can I recall my initial reactions when I came to recovery? Do I believe that I’ve finally come home?
Today I Pray

As recovery has given life new meanings for me, may I pass along to others that same chance to re-evaluate their lives in the light of sobriety, common purpose, friendships, and spiritual expansion. I praise my Higher Power for my new vision of human life and for restoring for me the value and purpose of living.
Today I Will Remember

I value my life.

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

[bluidkiti]

January 7

We benefit by sharing our experience, strength, and hope.

Hearing how others have handled experiences similar to ours makes us aware that our old behaviors didn’t serve us very well. We also learn that any situation can be handled with the support of the Twelve Step fellowship.

In time we also come to appreciate what we gain by sharing with newcomers how we have survived painful, humiliating experiences. This gives them hope and a pattern to follow, similar to the one we received from the old-timers. We are also reminded of our strength to handle truly difficult experiences. We aren’t guaranteed a reprieve from them just because we are in a Twelve Step program. Thus we need the reminder occasionally as an antidote to troubled times.

If a friend is troubled today, I will tap my own memory and offer what I have learned. Recalling my own troubled times will give me a measure of my growth.

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

[bluidkiti]

January 8

Indeed, this need of individuals to be right is so great that they are willing to sacrifice themselves, their relationships, and even love for it.

~Reuel Howe

We may have an inner drive to be right—and even to prove we are right. We often have been expected to know about the world and how things work, as if our manhood were tied to knowing. So when we don’t know the right answer, or when a person disagrees with us, we may get upset because we feel our masculine honor is in question.

We should always remember that our honor requires being honest, not being right. Our masculinity is being true to ourselves as men, not being invincible. Demanding that our opinions always be accepted as right is destructive to our relationships. It cuts us off from people we love, and we become hostile and selfish. We are learning to allow room for differences; we can love and respect people we disagree with. And we all have a right to be wrong part of the time.

I don’t have to have all the right answers. Today, my ideas are just one man’s honest thoughts.

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

[bluidkiti]

January 9

Peace

Anxiety is often our first reaction to conflict, problems, or even our own fears. In those moments, detaching and getting peaceful may seem disloyal or apathetic. We think: If I really care, I’ll worry; if this is really important to me, I must stay upset. We convince ourselves that outcomes will be positively affected by the amount of time we spend worrying.

Our best problem-solving resource is peace. Solutions arise easily and naturally out of a peaceful state. Often, fear and anxiety block solutions. Anxiety gives power to the problem, not the solution. It does not help to harbor turmoil. It does not help.

Peace is available if we choose it. In spite of chaos and unsolved problems around us, all is well. Things will work out. We can surround ourselves with the resources of the Universe: water, earth, a sunset, a walk, a prayer, a friend. We can relax and let ourselves feel peace.

Today, I will let go of my need to stay in turmoil. I will cultivate peace and trust that timely solutions and goodness will arise naturally and harmoniously out of the wellspring of peace. I will consciously let go and let God.

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

[bluidkiti]

January 10

When spring comes the grass grows by itself.

~The Tao

People who don’t know how to relax have a very rough row to hoe in this world. Adult children, perhaps, need to learn to relax more than anyone else.

Many of us live by one overriding code: Do more, do it better, do it faster. Since no one probably taught us that in so many words, we practiced it until it became a rule of perfection and took up residence in the control room of our being. We fail at our projects unless we work harder than everyone ever has, have greater success, and accomplish it sooner. And the most excellent outcome, of course, is not good enough. The rule of perfectionism makes it impossible for us to enjoy success.

When we apply the hurry-up rule to our own recovery, we brand ourselves fools, failures, and frauds if we don’t get freedom from the old bondage now.

But immediate recovery is impossible. The only thing we need to do immediately is to relax.

I am learning to say no to the inner voice that demands superhuman efforts.

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

[bluidkiti]

January 11

It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.

~Antoine de St. Exupéry

A tuning fork is a small tool that is used to tune musical instruments. It is tapped softly and then set down. As it vibrates, it gives off a musical tone. When its vibrations perfectly match the vibrations of the note played on the instrument, the instrument is in tune. When the note matches the tuning fork, this can be both felt and heard.

Our hearts work like a tuning fork. When the heart feels completely in tune with a decision or thought or action in our lives, then we know it is the right one for us. We can actually feel the harmony inside our bodies.

Sometimes what we know deep in our hearts gets clouded over by doubts and questions and other people's opinions and judgments. We need to clear away such clouds and listen to our hearts, for our hearts carry the wisdom of God.

Am I in tune with my heart today?

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

[bluidkiti]

January 12

I demolish my bridges behind me. Then one loses no time in looking behind when one should have quite enough to do looking ahead. Then there is no choice but forward.

~Fridtjof Nansen

In our recovery, our life of spiritual exploration, we burn all our bridges in the effort to leave our addiction behind. It takes courage to give up our old ways completely. One lure of addiction is its familiarity. Although living as an addict doesn’t work for us, we know how it feels and sometimes we settle for that.

The world of recovery can seem like uncharted territory. Only the Twelve Steps; the experience, strength, and hope of others; and our Higher Power can guide us. The risks seem great. What makes them worth taking is our realization that there is no other real choice. We go forward or, in some sense, we die. We need to trust that we can do it. In recovery we are truly explorers, and everything we discover will help others after us who want to recover from addiction.

I can see the rewards of my hard work every day as I change and grow.

Today's reading is from the book Answers in the Heart, Daily Meditations for Men and Women Recovering from Sex Addiction

[bluidkiti]

January 13

Those Who Listen

When you do all the talking, you only learn what you already know.

~Anonymous

One of the secrets for finding answers to any emotional problem is to talk with fellow members we can confide in fully. We don’t need to look any farther than our sponsor or the members who are part of our recovery. We quickly find those who always hear with a complete understanding about how we feel.

Such friends are perfect listeners because they have suffered and survived the same types of problems. They are compassionate and sympathetic. They listen to us patiently while we completely describe our emotions. Only then do they share details about how they survived. Just knowing that they understand is comforting to us.

My listeners can’t solve my problems for me. But they do show how they used the tools that are available in the program to work through the same kinds of problems.

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

[bluidkiti]

January 14

The best things in life are appreciated most after they have been lost.

~Roy L. Smith

Humankind has made such great technological progress, developing marvelous tools and instruments to make our life easier, that it is hard to imagine the struggles our ancestors endured. We are so used to these protective and labor-saving devices that we take them for granted. We fail to appreciate them.

So it is with our loved ones, our fellow workers, our friends, and our acquaintances. We are so used to the help, the cooperation, the moral support, and the love we get from them that we may take them for granted. And then we wonder why our relationships don’t always go smoothly. What if we were to show them a little appreciation? What if we were to ask God to bless them?

Today I will give thanks to my Higher Power for the people around me and tell them, one by one, how much I appreciate them.

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

[bluidkiti]

January 15

…it is a peaceful thing to be one succeeding.

~Gertrude Stein

Success is at hand. While we read these words, we are experiencing it. At this very instant, our commitment to recovery is a sign of success, and we feel peace each time we let go of our struggle, turning to another for help, for direction. Because we strive only for perfection, we recognize nothing less; we block our awareness of the ordinary successes that are ours again and again. Thus, the serenity the program promises us eludes us. But we are succeeding. Every day that we are abstinent, we succeed.

We can think of the times—perhaps only yesterday—when we listened to a friend in need, or finished a task that was nagging at us. Maybe we made an appointment to begin a project we've been putting off. Success is taking positive action, nothing more.

Many of us, in our youth, were taught that success only came in certain shapes and sizes. And we felt like failures. We need new definitions; it's time to discard the old. Luckily for us, the program offers us new ones.

Every person, every situation, can add to my success today. My attitude can help someone else succeed, too.

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