do. And it does make a difference.
recovery. As we progress spiritually by working the Twelve Steps, we
begin to develop new values and standards. We begin to feel
used, would have left us gloating about what we had gotten away with.
In the past, we may have victimized others. However, as we draw
closer to our Higher Power, our values change. God's will becomes
when I first tried praying. I knew there was a Higher Power working
convinced he/she/it wanted to hear my prayers. People who had
program, so I persevered. With a commitment to daily prayer, I was
my place in the world. In other words, life became easier and less of
a struggle. I'm still not sure who, or what, listens to my prayers, but I'd
never stop saying them for the simple reason that they work.
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/ March 29th
A.A. Thought for the Day
Before I met A.A., I was very dishonest. I lied to
my spouse constantly about where I had been and
what I'd been doing. I took time off from my work
and pretended I'd been sick or gave some other
dishonest excuse. I was dishonest with myself,
as well as with other people. I would never face
myself as I really was or admit when I was wrong.
I pretended to myself that I was as good as the
next person, although I suspected I wasn't. Am I
now really honest?
Meditation for the Day
I must live in the world and yet live apart with God.
I can go forth from my secret times of communion
with God to the work of the world. To get the
spiritual strength I need, my inner life must be lived
apart from the world. I must wear the world as a
loose garment. Nothing in the world should seriously
upset me, as long as my inner life is lived with God.
All successful living arises from this inner life.
Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may live my inner life with God. I pray
that nothing shall invade or destroy that secret place
of peace.
"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
MARCH 29
You are reading from the book The Language of Letting Go.
Melody Beattie ©
Getting Needs Met
Picture yourself walking through a meadow. There is a path
opening before you. As you walk, you feel hungry. Look to your
left. There's a fruit tree in full ripe. Pick what you need.
Steps later, you notice you're thirsty. On your right, there's a
fresh water spring.
When you are tired, a resting place emerges. When you are
lonely, a friend appears to walk with you. When you get lost, a
teacher with a map appears.
Before long, you notice the flow: need and supply, desire and
because someone planned to fulfill it. Maybe I had to feel the
need, so I would notice and accept the gift. Maybe closing my
eyes to the desire closes my arms to its fulfillment.
Demand and supply, desire and fulfillment -- a continuous cycle,
unless we break it. All the necessary supplies have already
been planned and provided for this journey.
Today, everything I need shall be supplied to me.
©1990, Hazelden Foundation. All rights reserved. No portion of this
publication may be reproduced in any manner without the written
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Keep It Simple*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Someone Loved Is Hurting
By Lloyd J. Thomas, Ph.D.
When someone we love is hurting, how do we behave best? Our first
impulse is to comfort, to fix, to heal. Sometimes however, we are
helpless, powerless to fix or make things alright again. It's like
watching a loved pet determinedly running into a street busy with
traffic. All we can really do is stand there...yell and scream, and
hope he will turn around.
When we cope with our sense of helplessness as adults, we usually
engage in childhood patterns of feelings and behaviors we learned as
dependent children. We tend to feel and behave exactly as we did when
we were small, experiencing all the emotions we did then. As
grown-ups, we usually haven't had much practice at dealing with the
death of a parent, alcoholism of a spouse, death of a child, divorce
of a grown child, rape of a loved one, or...death of a spouse.
Sometimes we feel so overwhelmed by our feelings of helplessness, we
avoid getting involved. We choose to emotionally (or physically)
abandon the person we love, due to our own emotional suffering and
inability to cope with helplessness.
Other times we may choose to offer well-intentioned help or advice.
We may inadvertently alienate our hurting loved one by intrusively
taking control from them and superimposing our own fear-born behavior
on the situation.
And often, we worry endlessly. We neglect ourselves and our own
needs, thereby jeopardizing our own welfare, and hastening the time
when we can't "be there" for the one who is hurting.
Here are some hopefully helpful hints on learning grown-up ways of
addressing those people we love who are suffering and we "can't do
anything about it."
Be willing to reach out. Despite your own feelings of inadequacy
and helplessness, risk initiating contact. A note, a kind word, a
caring touch, or a quick phone call to say you are thinking of them,
or are available to them if they want your company. These actions may
let them know they are supported.
Rather than a helper, become a learner first. Hurting people need
to feel as powerful as they can. Allow them to teach us about their
feelings, their pain, their fears, their tears, their grief, their
sense of failure, guilt or shame. Being a receptive learner will help
them feel less useless. Besides, hurting people often show us the
meaning of patience, determination, courage, compassion, strength,
faith and love. Through their example, they make great teachers about
many important characteristics of the human spirit.
Avoid sharing your own experience with problems or pain, even if
it's an attempt to let them know you understand what they might be
going through. You do not. You cannot. You can't even imagine.
Their suffering is unique to them. Learn about it without imposing
your own.
In his little book, "Out of Solitude," Henri Nouwen wrote, "We feel
quite uncomfortable with an invitation to enter into someone's pain
before doing something about it. Still when we honestly ask ourselves
which persons in our lives mean most to us, we often find that it is
those, who, instead of giving much advice, solutions, or cures, have
chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a gentle and
tender hand." Sometimes truly being present with your love, rather
than doing anything about his or her difficulty, is the best we can
offer.
Take good care of yourself. Call on others to nurture and support
you, so you and your energy and time can remain available to your
hurting loved one. When others hurt is a poor time to become
self-neglectful, thereby becoming empty and unavailable or have
nothing to offer.
Remain vital and available in the middle of another's crisis. When
a loved one hurts, it is a wonderful opportunity to grow in our
ability to love unconditionally. In doing so, we become more fully
the human. We evolve into the being we were meant to be. So when
someone you care about is suffering, let childhood patterns of
helplessness go, and seize that opportunity.
About the Author:
Lloyd J. Thomas, Ph.D. has 30+ years experience as a Life Coach and
Licensed Psychologist. He is available for coaching in any area
presented in "Practical Psychology." As your Coach, his only agenda
is to assist you in creating the lifestyle you genuinely desire. The
initial coaching session is free. Contact him:
(970) 568-0173 or
E-mail:
DrL...@CreatingLeaders.com or
LJT...@aol.com.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*One Day At A Time*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
And then all that has divided us will merge
And then compassion will be wedded to power
And then softness will come to a world that is harsh and unkind
And then both men and women will be gentle
and then both women and men will be strong
and then no person will be subject to another's will
and then all will be rich and free and varied
and then the greed of some will give way to the needs of many
and then all will share equally in the earth's abundance
and then all will care for the sick and the weak and the old
and then all will nourish the young
and then all will cherish life's creatures
and then all will live in harmony with each other and the earth
and then everywhere will be called Eden once again.
Judy Chicago
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*First Things First*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Touch Someone
There is a place within all us
so tender
so sweet
so vulnerable
That when touched can bring tears
to your eyes.
It takes so little to open the door
to our hiding places.
A gentle word
An understanding nod
A loving gaze.
This beautiful place...
So rarely visited...
Such a shame!
Sometimes the door has been slammed shut...
Locked for years with a
DO NOT DISTURB
sign
Hanging on the face outside.
Many years ago I bought my ex-husband a bowling ball
for his 25th birthday. Instant tears for surprise and gratitude
and love filled his eyes.
"I'm so sorry your son died."
Instant watering for my deep, deep pain.
"I love you," after a fight and the soul responds with tears
of relief and love and forgiveness and thankfulness.
"I appreciate you."
"I see your specialness."
The giving of ourselves with just
a few words,
a look,
a touch
can ease a broken heart,
lift a fallen spirit
restore a lost soul.
How little it takes to touch someone with our love.
March 2002
By Ruth Fishel
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Easy Does It*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Soul Advice
The screaming of my soul
to be free
deafens me.
No more, it seems to say
just be clean
for today.
Cannot bear the pain
of your grief
yet again.
So, cry those bitter tears
that release
all your fears.
Then dry those tired eyes
and admit
to your lies.
Find the strength inside
which will help
build your pride.
Hold yourself up tall
and have faith
you won't fall.
Slowly, you will heal
it takes time
but it's real.
Give yourself a cheer
on your way...
almost here!
Thank the Lord above
for the miracle
of his Love.
With him as your guide
you will
no longer hide.
Wounds you thought still there
won't be found
anywhere.
So much life to live
once you learn
to forgive.
Finally, you See
and the truth
sets you Free!!!
written by Lori W.
missr...@aol.com©2000
Printed with Permission
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Live And Let Live*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Fight Your Way
You fight your way
Then you lose
You live your life
Just the way you choose
Burning bridges
As you blaze your trail
Thinking you'll get away
You sometimes wind up
In the county jail
Then one day you look inside
All the years you thought
You did hide
Chased your heart so many times
Love was all you ever sought
Then you got caught
Never thought about today
Seeing things differently
You now pray to be free
The years you passed pleasing me
I was the only person I could see
You fought your way only to lose
So our way you now choose
Do your best to live this way
No better choice then today
So when your done fighting
And your at your end
No better chance then today
To get up and meet a new friend
As you make your way
We will be here to help you stay
But only you can choose
To make this your new way
Daniel M Corkery
11/23/2000
DMCDR...@aol.comDMCDREAMER's Page of Poetry
www.geocities.com/dmcdreamer~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Keep The Focus On You*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"I will not die an unlived life.
I will not live in fear of falling or catching fire.
I choose to inhabit my days, to allow my living to open me,
to make me less afraid, more accessible,
to loosen my heart until it becomes a wing, a torch, a promise.
I choose to risk my significance;
to live so that which comes to me as seed
goes to the next as blossom and
that which comes to me as blossom, goes on as fruit."
Dawna Markova
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Let God and Let Go*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The Chinese have a proverb that says,
"A bit of fragrance clings to the hand that gives flowers."
This also goes for verbal or written bouquets.
Say something nice to someone,
and a bit of niceness will cling to you.
They say you can't get something for nothing.
You can't give something for nothing, either.
People who find good things to say about others
will find others saying good things about them
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Come*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The Hindu God Ganesh is an elephant
that swings its trunk to clear the path before it.
The image of the Ganesh is to teach us about this aspect of God,
that when we are aligned with the power of God,
when our will and God's will are matched up,
God's power and energy goes before us
to sweep away confusion and fear,
and we can move powerfully into a vital experience of our lives.
Mary Manin Morrissey
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Come To*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Why is it that when we talk to God we're said to be
praying, but when God talks to us we're schizophrenic?
Lily Tomlin
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Come To Believe*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Life is like a taxi. The meter just
keeps a-ticking whether you are
getting somewhere or just standing still.
Lou Erickson
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Look For The Beauty*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Love is a behavior,
If I say that I love you,
I behave accordingly.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Today Is A Gift*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
To love is to share.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Keep Stepping*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Love builds highways out of dead ends.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Stay In The Light*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
We will love you,
until you learn to love yourself.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Take A Moment To GIVE (NO COST)*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
FREE Click to GIVE @ to STOP Violence Against Women
FREE Click to GIVE @ Help people in Haiti
FREE Click to GIVE RiceFREE 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 NeedFREE 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.
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~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*@¿@*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
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."
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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
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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
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