Readings

For Today:

"Blind and naked ignorance
Delivers brawling judgement,
unashamed on all things all day long." Alfred Lord Tennyson

"So you have a problem? You're tired? Have a headache? Need more money? I had the answers. Go to sleep. Take an aspirin. work harder. Sweet solutions you could not have figured out. There is little sensitivity to others in self-centeredness. Today i talk less and listen more, and even allow silence in the air. when someone asks a question now i can say, 'i do not know.' With those words comes the relief of realizing that answers are not a measure of my worth. That is self-worth where it counts the most.

For today: I listen to another's problems with sensitivity, but i share only my experience, remembering that what is good for me is not always good for someone else."

--

Voices of Recovery

"Practicing the principle of faith today means that we will no longer go through life acting however we feel like acting at any given moment. instead we will look to our higher Power for guidance and strength as we face each decision." OA 12 & 12 p. 104

"I used to sit on the fence, afraid of making decisions. What if I made the wrong decision? Faith in God has taught me that decisions need not scare me. As I work Step Three, I try to find God's will for me for each day. if I honestly seek his will, I believe I am practicing Step Three. i turn to God for guidance and wait for the intuitive knowledge that he provides. I have come to believe that there are no mistakes or 'wrong' decisions - only different lessons. Whichever way I go, I learn something, i trust God to provide me with those lessons and look forward to learning and growing."

--

The Language of Letting Go

"Picture yourself swimming - floating - peacefully down a gentle stream. All you need to do is breathe, relax, and go with the flow.
Suddenly, you become conscious of your situation. Frightened, overwhelmed with 'what if's?' your body tenses. You begin to thrash around, frantically looking for something to grab on to.
You panic so hard you start to go under. Then you remember - you're working too hard at this. You don't need to panic. All you need to do is breathe, relax, and go with the flow. You won't drown.
Panic is our great enemy.
We don't need to become desperate. If overwhelming problems appear in our life, we need to stop struggling. We can tread water for a bit, until our equilibrium returns. Then we can go back to floating peacefully down the gentle stream. It is our stream. it is a safe stream. our course has been charted. All is well.

Today, I will relax, breathe, and go with the flow."

--

In This Moment

"In This Moment, I forgive myself.

After ten years of recovery, I am in pain again. I need to do another Fourth Step. Out comes the pen and paper. Out comes anger, pain, and resentments. And finally, out come some character defects that I have worn like armor all my life. How could I be so blind?

Talking to my sponsor helps me realize that God has brought me to this point in my life. When I become entirely ready, God shows me the way."

--