Readings

Today's for Today:

"There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them is without significance." The Bible I Corinthians

"A man who is maintaining a large weight loss and is abstinent in both OA and AA tells how he came to accept the gift of abstinence. Finding his way to OA after he became sober in AA, he was dismayed at being the only an in a roomful of women. 'I didn't hear what they were saying,' he admits. 'I secretly ridiculed them for not understanding what the program is about.
'One day, one of the women I was especially critical of got up and shared about the need to detach herself from one of her children, who had a drug problem. That was exactly the situation my wife and I were facing. What that woman said showed me I hadn't been working my AA program half as well as she'd been working hers. I made my amends to the whole group, took a sponsor and became abstinent.'

For today: I listen to all who speak at meetings because I can never know in advance when someone will say just what I need to hear.

--

Today's Voices of Recovery:

"Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God . . . " Step Eleven

"Unconscious eating is one of the ways I express my lack of conscious contact with God. Eating is a habit and a compulsion.
When frightened or angry, I often find myself in the kitchen without being completely conscious of what I'm doing. While preparing meals I often find myself starting to put something in my mouth without thinking. I hardly know I'm doing it.
That is why I must stay in the present, aware of my actions and emotions, particularly around food. Meditation at some time during the day gives me practice in concentrated thought: the experience of being completely present.
Before I approach food or food preparation, it helps me to remember the first three Steps and to say the Serenity Prayer."

--

Today's In This Moment:

"In This Moment, I do not have to do anything.

When I am faced with a painful reality, when i don't like the plan, I reach into my heart and remember my Higher Power's plan is greater than any I could imagine. I ask for help in coming to acceptance. I look to Steps One, Two, and Three, and realize I am powerless. I have made a decision to believe in a Higher Power and I have decided to turn my will and my life over to this Higher Power. In so doing, I am relieved of the pressure to do something. I live in the moment and accept what is.

--

Today's The Language of Letting Go:

"Dealing with Painful Feelings

Feelings of hurt or anger can be some of the most difficult to face. We can feel so vulnerable, frightened, and powerless when these feelings appear. And these feelings may trigger memories of other, similar times when we felt powerless.
Sometimes, to gain a sense of control, we may punish the people around us, whether they are people we blame for these feelings or innocent bystanders. We may try to 'get even,' or we may manipulate behind people's backs to gain a sense of power over the situation.
These actions may give us a temporary feeling of satisfaction, but they only postpone facing our pain.
Feeling hurt does not have to be so frightening. We do not have to work so hard to avoid it. while hurt feelings aren't as much fun as feeling happy, they are, still, just feelings.
We can surrender to them, feel them, and go on. That does not mean we have to seek out hurt feelings or dwell unnecessarily on them. Emotional pain does not have to devastate us. We can sit still, feel the pain, figure out if there's something we need to do to take care of ourselves, and then go on with our life.
We do not have to act in haste; we do not have to punish others to get control over our feelings. We can begin sharing our hurt feelings with others. That brings relief and often healing to them and to us.
Eventually, we learn the lesson that real power comes from allowing ourselves to be vulnerable enough to feel hurt. Real power comes from knowing we can take care of ourselves, even when we feel emotional pain. Real power comes when we stop holding others responsible for our pain, and we take responsibility for all our feelings.

Today, I will surrender to my feelings, even the emotionally painful ones. Instead of acting in haste, or attempting to punih someone, I will be vulnerable enough to feel my feelings."

Wow.==