2/20/16 "Higher Power" ~12 Step Soul Food for the Spirit

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Feb 20, 2016, 5:55:57 AM2/20/16
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~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*LAUGHTER Is HEALING*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The weekly meeting topic is:
How has your understanding of your higher power changed over time?
Describe what the God of your understanding looks like.

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A Safe Place to Share , Discover and Recover.
This is a SLAMMING, STRONG support group with
a whole lot of EXPERIENCE, LOVE and HOPE that is available to you.
This a message bulletin board meeting, where people post on the
weekly topic. It takes only 1 minute to enter a password and
username. Please go this page on the upper right hand corner and click
the join club link, sign in and go to the left hand side and click
messages to read what others have shared and click on the post link,
now you can share on the topic of the week or whatever you would like.
There is a lot of good experience, strength and hope in here as well
as newcomers who need our support and love, PLEASE stop by,
we will leave the light on in the room and there is coffee in the back :)
Thanks for your participation and support !!!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Please Be There For The Newcomers*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

February 20 
I know that I am being led along a path of healing today.
As I become more and more open to spirituality and recovery,
My path becomes brighter and clearer every day.
written by ~ Ruth Fishel
"Time for Joy" 
Check out Ruth's collection of
light, nourishing and nurturing Books and CD's
& some touching inspirational SPIRITLIFTER messages by email
http://www.ruthfishel.com/Books_and_CDs.html
for inspirational messages email

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Just for Today*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Higher Power

When the fog had finally lifted
I was amazed what I could see
I’d never felt like this before
It feels wonderful to be free

I never realized how blind I was
Living the way I had
Recklessly I ran my life
It’s true.......life was bad

Then I found my Higher Power
As he opened up my eyes
He showed me how my life could be
I was totally mesmerized

He’s always been there for me
I just wouldn’t have believed
My troubles could all be turned over to him
So that I could be relieved

We all have our different problems
Mine were drugs and alcohol
Unless we turn it over to a Higher Power
It’s almost certain we will fall

I’m grateful I got a second chance
And want to pass the message along
So you can read it if you’d like
Or sing it in a song

There is no pain greater than God
He’ll help to get you through
Just don’t give up five minutes before
God sends a miracle to you.

Copyright © 1997 
by Bill MacFeat

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Don't Use*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

If anyone has any original recovery poetry that they
would like to share with us please copy and paste it into the body
of an email and send it to me, Thanks for your support and contributions.
What I can't do alone, We do together.
In loving service, Scott ~   YOUn...@gmail.com

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Make A Meeting*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Just For Today 
February 20                Powerlessness, Personal Responsibility

"Through our inability to accept personal responsibilities, we were
actually creating our own problems."  Basic Text, p. 13

 When we refuse to take responsibility for our lives, we give away 
all of our personal power. We need to remember that we are 
powerless over our addiction, not our personal behavior.

 Many of us have misused the concept of powerlessness to avoid 
making decisions or to hold onto things we had outgrown. We 
have claimed powerlessness over our own actions. We have 
blamed others for our circumstances rather than taking positive 
action to change those circumstances. If we continue to avoid 
responsibility by claiming that we are "powerless;' we set 
ourselves up for the same despair and misery we experienced 
in our active addiction. The potential for spending our recovery 
years feeling like victims is very real.

 Instead of living our lives by default, we can learn how to make
responsible choices and take risks. We may make mistakes, but 
we can learn from these mistakes. A heightened awareness of 
ourselves and an increased willingness to accept personal 
responsibility gives us the freedom to change, to make choices, 
and to grow.

Just for today: My feelings, actions, and choices are mine. I will
accept responsibility for them.  pg. 52

Just For Today Daily Meditation is the property of Narcotics Anonymous ©
1991 by World Service Office Inc.


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Get Involved In Service*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

If you are enjoying this daily recovery email,
Please pass on 12 Step Soul Food For The Spirit to your online friends,
"We can only keep what we have by giving it away."
If you have received this as a forward
and  would like to subscribe please email
Thanks, In loving service, Scott :)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Get A Sponsor*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Food For Thought Meditation

Each Day a New Beginning (Women) Meditation

Touchtones (Men) Meditation

Meditation of the Day

Viking Thought of the Day

Elder's Meditation of the Day

Sober Thought of the Day

Daily Zen

Grapevine Story Today

Daily Motivator

IN THE ROOMS (ITR), is the premier FREE online social network dedicated to the global recovery community for people seeking help, in recovery and their family, friends and allies of recovery worldwide.  Our mission is to augment or enhance traditional 12 step and other recovery programs by offering a place to not only find like minded people but also people who share the same interests, passions and hobbies. Our mantra is the acronym HITCH which is the Help, Inform, Touch, Connect and Heal. 
http://www.intherooms.com/?id=younmenhp

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Use Your Sponsor*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 Getting The "Spiritual Angle"

How often do we sit in AA meetings and hear the speaker declare, 
"But I haven't yet got the spiritual angle." Prior to this statement, he 
had described a miracle of transformation which had occurred in 
him -- not only his release from alcohol, but a complete change in 
his whole attitude toward life and the living of it.  It is apparent to 
nearly everyone else present that he has received a great gift;  "
 .  .  .  except that he doesn't seem to know it yet!"  We well know 
that this questioning individual will tell us six months or a year 
hence that he has found faith in God.
LANGUAGE OF THE HEART, p.  275

A spiritual experience can be the realization that a life which 
once seemed empty and devoid of meaning is now joyous and 
full.  In my life today, daily prayer and meditation, coupled with 
living the Twelve Steps, has brought about an inner peace and 
feeling of belonging which was missing when I was drinking.

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
Daily Reflection In Loving Memory Of Scott Reeves

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Be A Sponsor*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Twenty-Four Hours A Day by Hazelden/ February 20th

A.A. Thought for the Day

Liquor used to be my friend.  I used to have a
lot of fun drinking.  Practically all the fun I had
was connected with drinking.  But the time came
when liquor became my enemy.  I don't know just
when liquor turned against me and became my
enemy, but I know it happened, because I began
to get into trouble.  And since I realize that
liquor is now my enemy, my main business is
keeping sober.  Making a living or keeping house
is no longer my main business.  It's secondary to
the business of keeping sober.  Do I realize that
my main business is keeping sober?

Meditation for the Day

I can depend on God to supply me with all the power
I need to face any situation, provided that I will
sincerely believe in that power and honestly ask for
it, at the same time making all my life conform to
what I believe God wants me to be.  I can come to
God as a business manager would come to the owner
of the business, knowing that to lay the matter
before Him means immediate cooperation, providing
the matter has merit.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may believe that God is ready and willing
to supply me with all that I need.  I pray that I may
ask only for faith and strength to meet any situation.

"Twenty-Four Hours A Day" is a © Copyrighted book of
Hazelden Foundation.  No portion of this publication may
be reproduced in any manner without the written
permission of Hazelden.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Work The Steps*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Today's Thought
FEBRUARY 20

You are reading from the book The Language of Letting Go.
Melody Beattie ©

Setting Our Own Course

We are powerless over other people's expectations of us. We 
cannot control what others want, what they expect, or what they 
want us to do and be.

We can control how we respond to other people's expectations.

During the course of any day, people may make demands on our 
time, talents, energy, money, and emotions. We do not have to 
say yes to every request. We do not have to feel guilty if we say 
no. And we do not have to allow the barrage of demands to 
control the course of our life.

We do not have to spend our life reacting to others and to the 
course they would prefer we took with our life.

We can set boundaries, firm limits on how far we shall go with 
others. We can trust and listen to ourselves. We can set goals 
and direction for our life. We can place value on ourselves.

We can own our power with people.

Buy some time. Think about what you want. Consider how 
responding to another's needs will affect the course of your life. 
We live or own life by not letting other people, their expectations, 
and their demands control the course of our life. We can let 
them have their demands and expectations; we can allow them 
to have their feelings. We can own our power to choose the
path that is right for us.

Today, God, help me own my power by detaching, and 
peacefully choosing the course of action that is right for 
me. Help me know I can detach from the expectations and 
wants of others. Help me stop pleasing other people and
start pleasing myself.

©1990, Hazelden Foundation. All rights reserved. No portion of this
publication may be reproduced in any manner without the written 
permission of the publisher.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*You Are A Miracle*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

IN THE ROOMS (ITR), is the premier FREE online social network dedicated to the global recovery community for people seeking help, in recovery and their family, friends and allies of recovery worldwide.  Our mission is to augment or enhance traditional 12 step and other recovery programs by offering a place to not only find like minded people but also people who share the same interests, passions and hobbies. Our mantra is the acronym HITCH which is the Help, Inform, Touch, Connect and Heal. 
http://www.intherooms.com/?id=younmenhp

SpiritHaven and SpiritLifter

Alan Cohen

Marianne Williamson ~ 'Return to Love'

Dr. Wayne W. Dyer

Don Miguel Ruiz ~ 'The Four Agreements'

Oriah ~ 'The Invitation'

Deepak Chopra

Louise Hay ~ 'You Can Heal Your Life'

Spirit Site~ Home for Spirituality excerpts from books

Heal Your Life~ 'You Can'

Of Spirit ~ 'Healing Body Mind and Spirit'

In Light Times ~ 'Concepts for Conscious Living'

Vision Magazine ~ 'Catalyst for Conscious Living'

Transformation Magazine ~ 'Your Resource for Personal Development'

World Forgiveness Alliance

The Association for Global New Thought

A Course In Miracles

Finding Joy

Inspirational movie, about 3 minutes long

Inspirational Spiritual Flash Movies

Meditation Rooms


Native American 10 Commandments

The Secret

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Keep It Simple*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Addiction's Underlying Needs
by Gary Reiss, LCSW

Traditional approaches to addiction emphasize stopping use of the substance. Process work emphasizes saying "no" to the substance, but also emphasizes saying "yes" to the part of the personality accessed and supported by the use of the substance. Often addictions support parts of the personality society doesn't encourage. For example, in an age of increasing tension and frenetic living, all kinds of relaxing substances are popular, especially alcohol and marijuana. We as individuals have our own addictions to grow out of, but let's not forget that our society needs to change too, and that individual and societal change go hand in hand. Substances become addictive psychologically because they help people live parts of themselves that need expression. In substance abuse, people find temporary solutions to knock out some of the intense cultural conditioning that limits their freedom.

For example, there is intense cultural pressure to work more hours to make more money to consume more. Alcohol can open the door to down time and relaxation. Getting drunk or stoned or wired on speed can be like drugging the jail guard so that you can take the keys and escape for awhile, only to be caught and have to suffer the consequences of escaping. But if you are desperate enough to escape, you will do it any way you can, including substance addiction. In small towns, community norms can become prison-like; it is hard to hide much of what goes on in a small town, and not fitting in with the norms can be devastating. Many people resort to substances as a way to access the parts of themselves that are outside cultural norms.

Many approaches to drug treatment have a goal of eliminating use. In order to eliminate substance abuse over time, deeper underlying needs must be discovered, and the client must develop more effective ways to address these needs than those provided by the substance. The person must address the substance and the deeper underlying process, with an emphasis placed on the individual's need for support for certain parts of his or her personality. Focusing on the underlying needs is the key to eliminating substance abuse over time, whether the emphasis of the treatment approach is educational, spiritual, or peer pressure.
BEYOND THE DISEASE MODEL

A major breakthrough in addiction work came when addictions stopped being identified as a moral deficiency and started to be addressed as diseases. This reduced the stigma of treatment. Along with the benefits of the disease model come some disadvantages. One of the limitations of the disease model is its emphasis on the fact that the person is ill. While this is a step away from thinking that the person is evil, as in the morality model, the emphasis is still on what is wrong with the person. This focus can build resistance in a person and make her feel even more out of personal control. The advantage to the process model is that it supports the wisdom of the person through stating that the addiction is trying to support a valuable part of the person. The problem is that the addiction supports the part in a way that makes the whole person sick. The end is the right end, but the means are a problem.

People tend to get excited about this model, and about discovering ways to get more of what they want without the negative effects of the substance. They focus not only on giving up the substance, but on getting more of what they need. This transition is not easy. For many people, giving up a substance is an incredible struggle, even with inpatient treatment, AA, and process work. Process work is not the magic answer; it just adds a powerful tool to work with addiction problems.

The personal meaning of an addiction varies. I have worked with several people who relate to marijuana or alcohol as their mother. They say things like, "I feel like the mother I never had is soothing me." In such cases it is important to focus on the issue of mothering and relaxation, discovering why the mothering didn't occur, how the person could get mothered now, and how they could mother themselves. People tend to respond well to this approach, in which the therapist works together with the person to help her learn how to care for herself without drinking or smoking, and to learn what stops her from being able to get what she needs. In many cases, this approach is effective because it is the path of least resistance. Instead of fighting the strength of an addiction through telling the person to stop and thus becoming an additional source of stress, the therapist supports the wisdom of the organism and helps people find healthier ways to get their needs met.

It is important to be able to distinguish the addictive process from the addiction itself, so that the underlying need is identified and supported. One way to discover the addictive process is to suggest that the person act as if they were on the substance. Most people can to some degree quickly access the state and start feeling and acting like they are on the drug. This is the beginning of awareness that drugs are not only substances but also states of consciousness that can be accessed without drugs. Once a person is in this state, the therapist and client together can identify what the substance does for the person, and then can work together to find other ways for the person to get the same effect.
UNDERLYING NEEDS

Let's look more closely at what might lie beneath an addictive process. I recently worked with someone I'll call Paul on his cigarette addiction. Since smoking gave him a minute to breathe and detach from his usual frantic state, picking up this detachment and supporting it was our task. While relaxation itself is important and healthful, cigarette smoking accesses relaxation in a deadly way. The therapist's task is to help separate the two. We knew that the only way Paul would stop smoking over time was if his new ways of relaxing were more effective and exciting than smoking. If Paul could learn to truly take time for himself, to detach and relax not just with a cigarette but as an ongoing part of life, then his cigarette use should fall away.

One of the most important parts of working on addictions is to help the person with the addiction access the state they are trying to reach. The person's job is to learn to consciously access those parts of themselves that the substance gave them access to. Having this kind of access lessens the chances of the person's returning to the addiction. This approach helps the person get to the root of what was behind the addiction. The work must go far enough to give the person access to the state of consciousness in a deeper, more easily accessible, and more powerful way than the substance. It is important to give the person a physical way to remember that will anchor this experience of successful accessing, without the substance. For one person, it may be putting their head back, and for another, moving their arms slowly. The easiest way to find an anchor is to ask the person how they will remember the state they accessed, and watch what their body does. They will show you how they access this state, and the therapist needs to help them remember that whenever they need to go to this place, they can use their anchor rather than the substance. This approach of accessing the state works better with someone who is in the middle of abusing, or who has been away from substance use for at least a few months. There is a risk that a client who has just quit using, and who was repressing any feelings that the substance might access, might awaken a hunger for the substance. However, I have done this with hundreds of clients at various stages of using and recovery, and have never had this experience. Here are some examples of people who were able to use this approach to help them stop using.

When Paul smoked, he would look off into the distance and his jaw would drop. Over time, he learned to look out into the distance and relax his jaw in a certain way to access his state of relaxation without needing a cigarette. Discovering how to relax his jaw provided him a safe and effective way to get the relaxation he needed. Addictive substances are by definition harmful, and they also do an incomplete job of accessing the state. The substance gives a brief experience of what the person needs, but the need is met only momentarily. For example, while Paul was smoking, he also had physical symptoms of a tight jaw and grinding of the teeth. Learning to complete the relaxation state that smoking was attempting to reach also relieved him of his physical symptoms. His access to the relaxed state without smoking was over time more complete and more useful than the smoking had been. Once you integrate your addictive tendencies, your states of consciousness are accessible whenever you need them.

Let's look at another example. I remember working with a woman who hadn't smoked marijuana for quite a while and had recently started again after some very painful experiences. In her difficult times, she had not been able to relax and nurture herself much. When she smoked marijuana, she was able to access the relaxed state she needed for her healing. The only problem was that the marijuana was having other effects she didn't want, so she wanted to access the state she desperately needed without using a drug.

I asked her to just sit like she sits when she is really stoned, and we exaggerated that sitting position. Soon she started feeling like she had smoked a lot of marijuana, except that she could still think clearly, which wasn't the case when she really smoked marijuana. This woman was able to learn to sit in a specific position and gain the relaxation she needed for healing without needing to smoke marijuana and therefore without the side effects that had been disturbing to her.
TOWARDS A NEW VISION

Because parts of ourselves that we need are hidden in addictions, campaigns that encourage people to "just say no" are popular but not highly effective. Saying no is a start, but once we say no to a substance, we need to say yes to our development. Processing the states behind addiction is one of the ways to support this development. We can see a pattern for accessing important parts of ourselves if we look at certain shamanistic cultures. Many tribes that once used hallucinogens to access altered states switched at some point to using drumming or dancing. What is important is not the substance, but accessing the state the substance provides.

Another example of positive results from drug use is the medical benefit of marijuana to relieve pain in cancer patients. I hope that as a culture we can keep an open mind so that we can work on addictions that are harmful, and focus less on those that aren't. For example, cigarette smoking kills hundreds of thousands of people each year, yet we send out the army to destroy marijuana crops while we subsidize tobacco growers.

I am not saying marijuana is fine -- I think there are more effective ways of accessing these states of consciousness that don't require drug use. However, if we have limited resources to address these problems as a culture, it makes sense to work to reduce alcohol and cigarette addiction, the causes of great damage, and to spend fewer of our resources fighting against peyote and marijuana, substances that some people find useful and some harmful. In my town, alcohol and cigarettes are the most dangerous drugs and most widely used, and crank, an amphetamine, is the other most dangerous and widely used drug.

Treatment that offers people the opportunity to process their states is far more effective in eliminating substance abuse than all the police we can hire and prisons we can build.

Gary Reiss, LCSW, is a licensed clinical social worker and has his diploma in process-oriented psychology. He is on the faculty of the Process Work Center of Portland. One of Gary's special interest in process work includes conflict work. He works extensively in Israel, India, Australia and other hot spots in the world. He is currently working on three other books: Transforming Family Life; Angry Men, Angry World; and Becoming Eagle: Moving from Fear of Life and Death to Flying Freely. He regularly appears on radio shows to talk about working on issues of racism, diversity and many other topics. Visit his website at www.GaryReiss.com


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*One Day At A Time*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

TODAY'S POSITIVE THOUGHT:

World peace begins with your inner peace.

TODAY'S POSITIVE AFFIRMATION:

I choose to think peaceful thoughts, to say
peaceful words, and to do peaceful acts.

TODAY'S POSITIVE VISUALIZATION:

I close my eyes, take in a gentle breath, and
allow the spirit of peace to expand and fill
every part of me. I imagine this peace as a
beautiful light that is filling every cell in
my body with health and vitality. The energy of
peace calms my emotions and clears my thoughts.
I see myself going through my day thinking
peaceful positive thoughts, speaking peaceful
words, and doing peaceful deeds.  In my mind's
eye I see my peaceful attitude and actions
touching others and encouraging their inner
peace.  I see this sharing of peace easily
traveling from person to person until the
whole world becomes more and more peaceful.
I combine these thoughts and images with a
feeling of joy and let them go.
Copyright © 2001 Institute For Creative Living
All rights reserved.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*First Things First*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I Am There

Do you need me?
I am there.
You cannot see me, yet I am the light you see by.
You cannot hear me, yet I speak through your voice.
You cannot feel me, yet I am the power at work in your hands.
I am at work, though you do not understand my ways.
I am at work, though you do not understand my works.
I am not strange visions. I am not mysteries.
Only in absolute stillness, beyond self, can you know me as I am, and then
but as a feeling and a faith.
Yet I am there. Yet I hear. Yet I answer.
When you need me, I am there.
Even if you deny me, I am there.
Even when you feel most alone, I am there.
Even in your fears, I am there.
Even in your pain, I am there.
I am there when you pray and when you do not pray.
I am in you, and you are in me.
Only in your mind can you feel separate from me, for only in your mind are
the mists of "yours" and "mine."
Yet only with your mind can you know me and experience me.
Empty your heart of empty fears.
When you get yourself out of the way, I am there.
You can of yourself do nothing, but I can do all.
And I am in all.
Though you may not see the good, good is there, for I am there.
I am there because I have to be, because I am.
Only in me does the world have meaning; only out of me does the world take
form; only because of me does the world go forward.
I am the law on which the movement of the stars and the growth of living
cells are founded.
I am the love that is the law's fulfilling.
I am assurance.
I am peace.
I am oneness.
I am the law that you can live by.
I am the love that you can cling to.
I am your assurance.
I am your peace.
I am one with you.
I am.
Though you fail to find me, I do not fail you.
Though your faith in me is unsure, my faith in you never wavers,
because I know you, because I love you.
Beloved, I am there.

James  Dillet  Freeman

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Easy Does It*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Rich Beyond Measure

   Today I feel rich beyond measure. What began as a new
idea for my department's celebration of the holiday season
has become a very moving and enriching experience.

   I was tired of the usual "draw names and buy a joke
gift for under $15" way of holiday celebration, so I
proposed that we try something different. "How about giving
each other the gift of acknowledgment?" I asked. Everyone
agreed; they were even enthusiastic. A few days before
Christmas, six of us gathered in my office. To start, I
asked that we all observe a few ground rules. The person
whose turn it was to be acknowledged could only say "thank
you." I also pointed out that it might be natural to feel
uncomfortable giving and receiving acknowledgment, but if
some people were truly uncomfortable, they could ask for
their acknowledgment in private. Silence and pauses were
deemed to be all right. They were probably just
opportunities to let the good stuff sink in.

   As we began our process, it struck me that the tribes
and communities that pass their cultures along through
storytelling are very wise people. Invariably, whoever was
speaking would tell a story that illustrated the
acknowledgment he or she wanted to make.

   Each of us started our communication by saying to our
colleague, "(Name), the gift you give me is ..."  As each
group member spoke to the person being acknowledged, I began
to see sides of my colleagues of which I wasn't aware. One
male staffer acknowledged another male for his state of
grace that shone through. Another said, "I rest easy knowing
you are the one in your position." Other comments included:
"You give me the gift of your patience," "You listen to me,"
"I knew the moment I met you that I belonged here," and so
on. It was a privilege to be there.

   The spirit and connectedness we shared for those 60
minutes became bigger than we were. When we finished, no one
wanted to speak; we didn't want to break the spell. It had
been woven with heartfelt, authentic, simple truths that we
had shared with each other. We were all humbled and enriched
by it.

   I believe we will always treasure the gifts we gave
each other that day. I know how priceless my own
acknowledgments were for me. It cost each of us nothing but
our willingness to see the gifts in others and to speak it
out loud.

By Christine Barnes
from Chicken Soup for the Soul at Work
Copyright 1996 by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Maida
Rogerson, Martin Rutte & Tim Clauss

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Live And Let Live*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

In the Being

Circumstances often don't allow for stopping
a  halting in the processing of life
of doing, making, driving,  working...
Then come the choices that we make
incorporated into the  mêlée
with which we surround ourselves

Yes, we do have  choices
One is
the halting/stopping as central issue ~
not-doing  is of utmost importance
though we've become hardly aware
of its  necessity
for our salvation... at the very least
for our  sanity

We owe ourselves this respite from
full tilt forward into  'success'
We owe our souls this wrapping around
in now-time
a  breathing space time

Make the choice
just stop and  breathe
and ask: Is where I'm going
where I want to be?

Love  
Stella 

©2004 Stella Raymonde Savoie Johnson

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Keep The Focus On You*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

We see ourselves as broken, and then set out on a long
and frustrating journey to fill our emptiness.
But it is not fixing that we require; it is awakening.
Alan Cohen

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Let God and Let Go*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being
can alter his life by altering his attitudes of mind.
William James 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Come*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Once we know people's stories, we feel compassion instead of judgment.
Today, practice remembering that everyone has a story.
Mary Manin Morrissey

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Come To*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

May every moment of glory
tell a kind and gentle story.
May every deed you do
show the love inside of you.
Terri McPherson

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Come To Believe*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

There's no more potent way to thank God for your gifts,
or to increase them, than by sharing them.
You will be given as much power in the world
as you are willing to use on His behalf.
Marianne Williamson, from A Return to Love

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Look For The Beauty*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I don't know where I am going,
but I do know that if I don't use and make meetings
that I am on my way.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Today Is A Gift*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

If you don't believe what you hear
Believe what you see,
We are miracles.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Keep Stepping*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

There is hope after dope.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Stay In The Light*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Faith is not seeing,
but believing.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Take A Moment To GIVE (NO COST)*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

FREE Click to GIVE @ to STOP Violence Against Women
FREE Click to GIVE Rice
FREE Click to GIVE @ the STOP HIV SiteFREE Click to GIVE @ the Hunger SiteFREE Click to GIVE @ the Breast Cancer SiteFREE Click to GIVE @ the Rain Forest SiteFREE Click to GIVE @ the Animal Rescue SiteFREE Click to GIVE @ the Children in Need
FREE Click to GIVE @ to Save Our Oceans

Track Your Impact in GIVING

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*One Promise, Many Gifts*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

IN THE ROOMS (ITR), is the premier FREE online social network dedicated to the global recovery community for people seeking help, in recovery and their family, friends and allies of recovery worldwide.  Our mission is to augment or enhance traditional 12 step and other recovery programs by offering a place to not only find like minded people but also people who share the same interests, passions and hobbies. Our mantra is the acronym HITCH which is the Help, Inform, Touch, Connect and Heal. 
http://www.intherooms.com/?id=younmenhp

Adult Children of Alcoholics

Al-Anon/Alateen 

Alcoholics Anonymous

Alcoholics Anonymous Deaf and Hard of Hearing

Artists Recovering through the Twelve Steps

Clutterer’s Anonymous

Cocaine Anonymous World Services

Co-Dependents Anonymous Home Page

Crystal Meth Anonymous

Criminal and Gangs Anonymous

Debtors Anonymous: A Twelve Step Fellowship for…

Depressed Anonymous

Dual Recovery Anonymous - a 12 Step program

Eating Disorders Anonymous

Emotions Anonymous 

Families Anonymous 

Food Addicts

Gamblers Anonymous Official Home Page

Hepatitis C Anonymous

HIV Anonymous

Internet and Tech Addiction Anonymous

Marijuana Anonymous

Methadone Anonymous

Narcotics Anonymous Official  Homepage

Nar-Anon is a family support group

Nicotine Anonymous (WWW Home Page) NA Home Page

On Line Gamers Anonymous

Overeaters Anonymous

Parents Anonymous

Recovering Couples Anonymous

Sexaholics Anonymous

Sex Addicts Anonymous

Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous

Shoplifters Anonymous

Spenders Anonymous 

Survivors Of Incest Anonymous

Workaholics Anonymous

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*@¿@*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Created in 1997 , "12 Step Soul Food for the Spirit" is intended to give readers , inspiring and thoughtful messages. To help fulfill our primary purpose which is to carry the message to the alcoholic/addict who still suffers. A spiritual adventure, a journey inwards this has a vision of opening and touching, each and everyone, with the Loving Power and Presence of the Spirit within." We invite you to share the writings by forwarding today's message to others. Share "12 Step Soul Food for the Spirit" with friends and loved ones: Please keep passing this along to online recovery friends  "We can only keep what we have by giving it away." 

12StepSoulFoodForTheSpirit does not endorse any of the advertisements that may appear in this daily mailing. Advertising is the price that we pay for a free list server that yahoo groups and google groups provides.

Putting together these Daily Recovery Emails has been such a blessing for me, Thanks for your support and contributions, "What I can't do alone we can do together." If you have any original poetry or submissions that you would like to send to me you can email me at
YOUn...@gmail.com

Anyone can subscribe to this free daily  e-zine by sending an Email message to me and write subscribe in the subject line.

Under Bill s.1618 TITLE III passed by the 105th U.S. Congress this letter cannot be considered spam as long as the following words are included: 

To unsubscribe to to this list send an Email message to the group that you belong to
or
YOUn...@gmail.com and write unsubscribe in the subject line or go to the website and unsubscribe


By the grace of God and through your efforts of passing on this email, we are reaching many recovering people in different areas of the world. If you are receiving this, from a country outside of the USA please send me an email and tell me where you are receiving this. So far we reaching over 17,000 recovering people in 66 countries including Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Bermuda, Brazil, Canada , Columbia, Costa Rica, China , Cyprus, Denmark, Egypt, England, Finland, France, Guatemala, Germany, Greece, Honduras, Hong Kong, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Japan, Korea, Lithuania, Mali West Africa, Mozambique, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico, Philippines, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia , Saudi Arabia, Scotland, Singapore, South Africa , Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Trinidad, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, U.S.A., Venezuela, Wales, West Indies, Zimbabwe.

Even if your country is listed please email me, and let me know where you are from

When we hug we pray,
Stay in the Light, 
In loving service,
Scott H. from N.Y. ~ cleandate 10/27/88
YOUn...@gmail.com
    

       ==  ==      "we are each of us angels 
  <^\()/\()/^>       with but one wing,  
      \/  \/  \/       and can only fly by 
       /  \/  \        embracing each other"
       `""``""`

Scott’s Daily Blog
http://intherooms.com/younmenhp

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