Today's Readings

For Today:

"Prayer should be the key of the day and the lock of the night." Thomas Fuller

"Instead of directing the show for my benefit and letting self-will run riot, I will stop today and put aside thoughts of what I want and listen to God's word for me. God's will for me is not greedy or envious, dependent or complaining. To be free of the clamor of hte world, its vanities and egos, I put myself in God's hands and my path is secure. i need not waste time on worry and fear, but find a new joy in living.
Prayer is the only means of truly opening my mind and spirit, once clamped shut by pain and self-pity. A once grim and stony path is now lightened by love.

For today: I begin and end this day in conscious contact with God as I understand God."

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Voices of Recovery:

"That these didn't make us happy was surely due to the fact that we were fat (or felt we were). If we could just get to the perfect weight, life would be perfect." OA 12 & 12 p. 4

"I became abstinent after my first meeting and was a normal weight after six months. I ignored the emotional and spiritual parts of the program, thinking i might get to them eventually. I lost my abstinence, but started abstaining again and knew that recovery had to be more than a diet or a 'normal' weight. None of my problems went away when I was a normal weight. I thought normal-weight people had no problems, and I envied them. Now I realize that 'normal' people deal with difficulties rather than pushing them down with food. With my Higher Power's help, I, too, can recover.

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In This Moment:

"In This Moment, I'm sewing up my coat.

I stopped by an ATM on the way to visit a doctor. On returning to my car, I couldn't locate my keys. i went back to the ATM. No keys. I gingerly checked the car doors. All were locked. Inside the car were my pocketbook with the extra key, my gloves, and my cell phone. Just as I was about to panic, a little voice reminded me that my big coat has a hole in the pocket. Sure enough, my keys had slipped through the hole down to the hem area. Higher Power saved the day!

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The Language of Letting Go

"Detachment

The concept of letting go can be confusing to many of us. When are we doing rtoo much or trying too hard to control people and outcomes? When are we doing too little? When is what we're doing an appropriate part of taking care of ourselves? What is our responsibility, and what isn't?
These issues can challenge us whether we've been in recovery ten days or ten years. Sometimes, we may let go so much that we neglect responsibility to ourselves or others. Other times, we may cross the line from taking care of ourselves to controlling others and outcomes.
There is no rule book. But we don't have to make ourselves crazy; we don't have to be so afraid. We don't have to do recovery perfectly. If it feels like we need to do a particular action, we can do it. If no action feels timely or inspired, don't act on it.
Having and setting healthy limits - healthy boundaries - isn't a tidy process. We can give ourselves permission to experiment, to make mistakes, to learn, to grow.
We can talk to people, ask questions, and question ourselves. If there's something we need to do or learn, it will become apparent. lessons don't go away. If we're not taking care of ourselves enough, we'll see that. If we are being too controlling, we'll grow to understand that too.
Things will work out. The way will become clear.

Today, I will take actions that appear appropriate. I will let go of the rest. i will strive for the balance between self-responsibility, responsibility to others, and letting go."

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