Today's Readings

Today's For Today:

"Life was meant to be lived,
and curiosity must be kept alive.
One must never, for whatever reason,
turn his back on life."
Eleanor Roosevelt

"To be as a child is a great and worthy goal. curiosity and enthusiasm are the two outstanding characteristics of children, and the most blessed of humans are those who keep these qualities all their lives.
"I live life by going out and exploring it, digging into it just for the pleasure of feeling alive - which is reward enough.
"Meeting life head-on has the great virtue of allowing me to see everything, to know in the instant how best to proceed - and then go ahead and do it. I am here for the purpose of living, which means putting all my God-given faculties to their fullest and best use.
"For today: I have a program that encourages curiosity and enthusiasm for living; and what I manage to find for myself I share with others."


Today's Voices of Recovery:

"It is essential that all of us understand and respect anonymity if OA is to survive and we are to find recovery here." OA 12 & 12 p. 199

"It's not often you see the words 'it is essential.' this tells me how important anonymity is. OA's survival and my recovery depends on it. What does this mean? For me, it means that I always hold in confidence what I hear at a meeting or from another OA member. It means that no matter what, I maintain my anonymity at the level of press, radio, films, and television. For me, it also means that I let people in OA know my last name so that if I am needed, I can be found. It means that I don't place myself above or below anyone else. It reminds me that we are all equal. It tells me that my job is of no importance. What counts is that we are both compulsive overeaters trying to recover through the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous.

Today's In This Moment:

"In This Moment, love finds me.

"I kept praying for my Higher power to bring me love. Today, while I was sitting on the couch, my kitten climbed my leg looking to play and receive affection. I realized, in that moment, that love comes in many shapes and forms. God, help me keep my eyes open for all gifts of love."

Today's Language of Letting Go

"Near the Top
"I know you're tired." Oh. Yes! I know you feel overwhelmed. you may feel as though this crisis, this problem, this hard time will last forever.
"It won't. You are almost through." Oh, I love hearing this.
"You don't just THINK it has been hard; it has been hard. You have been tested, tried, and retested on what you have learned.
"Your beliefs and your faith have been tried in fire. You have believed, then doubted, then worked at believing some more. You have had to have faith even when you could not see or imagine what you were asked to believe. Others around you may have tried to convince you not to believe in what you were hoping you could believe.
"You have had opposition. You have not gotten to this place with total support and joy. You have had to work hard, in spite of what was happening around you. Sometimes, what motivated you was anger; sometimes fear.
"Things went wrong - more problems occurred than you anticipated. There were obstacles, frustrations, and annoyances en route. you did not plan on this being the way it would evolve. Much of this has been a surprise; some of it has not been at all what you desired.
"Yet, it has been good." Really? Oh good. "Part of you, the deepest part hat knows truth, has sensed this all along, even when your head told you that things were out of whack and crazy, that there was no plan or purpose, that God had forgotten you.
"So much has happened, and each incident - the most painful, the most troubling, the most surprising - has a connection. you are beginning to see and sense that.
"You never dreamt things would happen this way, did you? But they did. Now you are learning the secret - they were meant to happen this way, and this way is good, better than what you expected." Okay. Good. And I do believe that. Wow.
"You didn't believe it would take this long, either - did you? but it did. You have learned patience.
"You never thought you could have it, but now you know you do.
"You have been led. Many were the moments when you thought you were forgotten, when you were convinced you had been abandoned. now you know you have been guided.
"Now things are coming into place. You are almost at the end of this phase, this difficult portion of the journey. The lesson is lmost complete. you know - the lesson you fought, resisted, and insisted you could not learn. Yes, that one. You have almost mastered it.
"You have been changed from the inside out. You have been moved to a different level, a higher level, a better level." Yes, this is true. And it is happening all the time now with me.
"You have been climbing a mountain. It has not been easy, but mountain climbing is never easy. Now, ou are near the top. A moment longer, and the victory shall be yours.
"Steady your shoulders. Breathe deeply. move forward in confidence and peace. The tie is coming to relish and enjoy all which you have fought for. That time is drawing near, finally.
"I know you have thought before that the time was drawing near, only to learn that it wasn't. But now, the reward is coning. You know that too. you can feel it.
"Your struggle has not been in vain. For every struggle on this journey, there is a climax, a resolution.
"Peace, joy, abundant blessings, and reward are yours here on earth. Enjoy.
"There will be more mountains, but now you know how to climb them. And you have learned the secret of what is at the top.

"Today, I will accept where I am and continue pushing forward. If I am in the midst of a learning experience, I will allow myself to continue on with the faith that the day of mastery and reward will come. help me, God, understand that despite my best efforts to live in peaceful serenity, there are times of mountain climbing. Help me stop creating chaos and crisis, adn help me meet the challenges that will move me upward and forward."