12 Step Food For The Spirit Nov. 14 ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Please Be There For The Newcomers*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ November 14 Today I know that whatever ability, talents and energy I have are perfect for this moment. Today I know that God gives me all that I need to do what he wants me to do in this day. written by ~ Ruth Fishel "Time for Joy" PLEASE visit and check out Ruth's new book LIVING LIGHT AS A FEATHER is arriving at bookstores now! ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Just for Today*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Wisconsin State NA Convention Eulogy WSNAC is a time each year when we gather together with friends to catch up on each other's lives, celebrating our recovery. A place to find new friends we haven't met yet. Here we find the true meaning of the phrase “we are never alone. Our presence here speaks to our gratitude, showing when we care and share that NA way. We seek recovery and find a better way to live. We share how we face life's changes, living and dying. Leaving footprints on each other's hearts I was approached a few months ago to say a few words tonight about a member of our fellowship who has passed away. This member was involved in many of the changes we as a fellowship have grown through. God placed him in our lives to make a difference and he changed the way I looked at the world. As I pondered this point I realized we all have someone who changed our perspective of life. Our higher power placed people in our path for one reason, to change us forever. We never know where the message is going to come from, and usually it's from where we least expect it. Sometimes it was the members who accepted us as we were showed us the unconditional love our fellowship thrives on. Sometimes it was the members who, just never seemed to get it. That revolving door, swinging so fast we wondered if this was the last time we would see them again. To many of us, dealing with death in recovery, gets us in touch with feelings we never felt before. The ability to care about another human being unconditionally for the first time can be over whelming. Feelings were sometimes the very thing we used over. Now when people who we just were beginning to trust are taken away, we become caught up in this whirlwind of emotions. We may feel, what's the use of staying clean! It just leads to more suffering. Members reassure us “Our H.P. will not give us more than we can handle. Death comes to us in two forms in this fellowship: Members who died clean and those who have died ,of the disease. Of those who have the disease, we say, “They picked up so that I didn't have to. They're actions remind me that my old life is out there anytime I want it. I often wonder what I could have done differently? Should I have listened more? Talked more? Done anything MORE? Their struggle here has given us more understanding of life than we could ever appreciate in our lifetime. And then there are those who died clean. -They never have to worry about picking up again. They never have to face another day making that choice. Their devotion to life has given us proof it can be done. They have started this unfinished work; we must become dedicated to advancing it. The vision of hope has been passed on to us. We would like to thank all of them, for giving us the new you! I liked the way they did it during the World Convention in Atlanta. I'm going to pause for a few moments and would like to ask anyone who has had a person that has died by going out for more research, or that has died clean. please shout out their name as the spirit moved you. (Pause). And many more in our hearts, with a day, a week, a year, or multiple years of recovery, they will live there forever. I've heard it said, "Some have to die so that others may live." I like to say, "We live, so that others don't have to die!" I also believe God has placed each and every one of you, here for a reason. All of you will leave some footprints on my heart. I don't know if you will float across my path like a butterfly or tromp across with combat boots. The trail you leave will be a part of my life from now on. This will be reflected in how I live, I grow, and I act toward people around me. It is my hope that none of these members needed to Die in vain. We shall all have a new birth of freedom. I pray our Higher Power will show through all of us that age-old saying “No addicts need die from the horrors of addiction without finding a better way to LIVE. John H ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Don't Use*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*No Matter What*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Make A Meeting*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Just For Today November 14 Not just surviving "When we were using, our lives became an exercise in survival. Now we are doing much more living than surviving." Basic Text p. 50 "I'd be better off dead!" A familiar refrain to a practicing addict, and with good reason. All we had to look forward to was more of the same miserable existence. Our hold on life was weak at best. Our emotional decay, our spiritual demise, and the crushing awareness that nothing would ever change were constants. We had little hope and no concept of the life we were missing out on. The resurrection of our emotions, our spirits, and our physical health takes time. The more experience we gain in living, rather than merely existing, the more we understand how precious and delightful life can be. Travelling, playing with a small child, making love, expanding our intellectual horizons, and forming relationships are among the endless activities that say, "I'm alive:' We discover so much to cherish and feel grateful to have a second chance. If we had died in active addiction, we would have been bitterly deprived of so many of life's joys. Each day we thank a Power greater than ourselves for another day clean and another day of life. Just for today: I am grateful to be alive. I will do something today to celebrate. Just For Today Daily Meditation is the property of Narcotics Anonymous © 1991 by World Service Office Inc. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Get Involved In Service*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Get A Sponsor*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Use Your Sponsor*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Be A Sponsor*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ MY CHECKLIST, NOT YOURS Gossip barbed with our anger, a polite form of murder by character assassination, has its satisfactions for us, too. Here we are not trying to help those we criticize; we are trying to proclaim our own righteousness. TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p.67 Sometimes I don't realize that I gossiped about someone until the end of the day, when I take an inventory of the day's activities, and then, my gossiping appears like a blemish in my beautiful day. How could I have said something like that? Gossip shows its ugly head during a coffee break or lunch with business associates, or I may gossip during the evening, when I'm tired from the day's activities, and feel justified in bolstering my ego at the expense of someone else. Character defects like gossip sneak into my life when I am not making a constant effort to work the Twelve Steps of recovery. I need to remind myself that my uniqueness is the blessing of my being, and that applies equally to everyone who crosses my path in life's journey. Today the only inventory I need to take is my own. I'll leave judgement of others to the Final Judge -- Divine Providence. Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Work The Steps*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Twenty-Four Hours A Day by Hazelden / November 14th A.A. Thought for the Day A better way than judging people is to look for all the good in them. If you look hard enough and long enough, you ought to be able to find some good in every person. In A.A. I learned that my job was to try to bring out the good, not criticize the bad. Every alcoholic is used to being judged and criticized. That has never helped anyone to get sober. In A.A. we tell people they can change. We try to bring out the best in them. We encourage their good points and ignore their bad points. People are not converted by criticism. Do I look for the good in people? Meditation for the Day There must be a design for the world in the mind of God. We believe His design for the world is a universal fellowship of men and women under the fatherhood of God. The plan for your life must also be in the mind of God. In times of quiet meditation you can seek for God's guidance, for the revealing of God's plan for your day. Then you can live this day according to that guidance. Many people are not making of their lives what God meant them to be, and so they are unhappy. They have missed the design for their lives. Prayer for the Day I pray that I may try to follow God's design for today. I pray that I may have the sense of Divine Intent in what I do today. "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. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*You Are A Miracle*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Be Thankful When You Get Something Else Dear God, Thank you for the baby brother, but what I prayed for was a puppy. -Children's Letters to God Sometimes we look around, assess the situation, and decide what we think we need. So we go to God and begin praying. Out of the blue, our prayers get answered. But the answer isn't what we requested. We were so specific, we think. Now, this - this thing - has come along. We didn't get what we asked for. Our prayers were answered, but we got something else. Don't get bitter or so involved with feeling blue about not getting what you requested that you miss out on what you did receive. Wants and needs are closely connected. And all our needs, even the ones we're not completely aware of yet, will be met. Be grateful that God knows more about what we need than we do. Sometimes when we pray, we get what we want. Sometimes we get what we need. Accept both answers - the yes's and the something else's - with heartfelt gratitude. Then look around and see what your lesson and gift is. God, help me remember to be thankful even when the gift is not quite what I expected. Melody Beattie ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Keep It Simple*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*One Day At A Time*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Living in the Moment by Jacob Liberman with Erik Liberman. We often talk about "wanting to be spiritual," but being spiritual and taking care of our everyday affairs are exactly the same thing. There is no difference. With clarity we become ordinary -- simply taking care of whatever comes before us. In this process, we develop trust that whatever shows up in our lives, we will meet it. When we don't take care of things in the moment, they get backed up and we feel overwhelmed. But life never brings us anything at the wrong time! That's why everything in nature works so miraculously. Notice how the tides move, the earth rotates, and the trees grow. Notice how everything is perfectly timed -- how our bodies work, how a child develops. God never makes a mistake. So, when something enters our awareness, that's the moment to take care of it. Don't pay that bill tomorrow, take out the trash later, or make the bed when you get back. When you see it, do it! Don't prioritize anything -- life has already done that for you. Take care of what's in front of you, and the universe will take care of you. Human Beings Imagine that life is simply about taking care of ourselves. Feeding ourselves, bathing ourselves, tending to whatever comes before us, and in that way, just being. For most of us, the being side of life is underused, and the doing side is weighted down. When we are being, we are humane and very much in touch with everything in life. When we are doing, we forget the essence of our humanity and narrowly focus our minds on "making things happen." We forget that everything in life is already happening! Our lives today are complex because we have lost sight of what is essential. We've developed technologies to handle the complexities we have created, but still have no time for living! Living successfully isn't about making a lot of money. It is about embracing life, and responding to it honestly in each moment. This alone is the true source of our prosperity, because in this practice, we evolve from human doings to human beings. When I do less, more things happen. When I do nothing everything happens. Non-Doing In the East, there is a state between doing and being called wu-we-wu, or action without action. I call it "non-doing." When I speak of non-doing, most people don't know what I'm talking about. They think I mean "laying back" and "hanging out" -- a lethargic lifestyle. But non-doing is not the opposite of doing! It is neither passive nor active, but a state of optimal presence and sensitivity. It is a fluid response to life, rather than a branding iron applied to life to get it to move "our way." Competitive athletes refer to non-doing as "the zone." In this state, an appropriate response to any situation originates from our core and is not edited by the intellect. It defines response-ability, rather than react-ability. Non-doing happens when we trust that life always has the first move -- that in reality, we are living in a state of "not knowing" -- and therefore, our actions are not isolated initiations based on our own desires, but responses to life's invitations. Non-doing means that we are ready to respond to whatever life brings us, yet feel no need to initiate anything. It is the exquisite experience of being guided effortlessly and surprised by the miracle called life. Animals live in the Kingdom of God. We occasionally visit on weekends. Being Normal Isn't Natural Many of us pride ourselves on being "normal," but what we call normal may not be very natural -- let alone healthy! If you're "normal," you will probably experience cancer, arthritis, vision loss, or heart disease sometime during your life, and your natural process of saging will be reduced to aging. If you want to view life in its natural state, go into nature and observe animals. Wild animals live effortlessly in the Kingdom of God. They are always present -- never doing anything early or late, excessively or deficiently. Their behavior is a model of the word "responsibility," meaning they respond to life with presence and awareness at all times. When they're hungry, they eat. When they're not hungry, they don't worry about where their next meal will come from. You never see a bear looking for a job, doing aerobics, or taking a cigarette break! We are the only species with concepts of unemployment, exercise, and addiction. In order to reclaim our natural connection with life, we must begin living with greater presence, respect, and gratefulness. We have been living under the illusion that evolution has ended with us at its helm. Perhaps the dinosaurs thought that, too! This article is excerpted from Wisdom from an Empty Mind, ©2001, by Jacob Liberman with Erik Liberman. Reprinted with permission of the publisher, Empty Mind Publications. About the Authors: Dr. Jacob Liberman, author of the internationally acclaimed books, Light: Medicine of the Future and Take Off Your Glasses and See, shares his teachings of grounded spirituality in lectures and workshops around the world. Erik Liberman is an award-winning actor and writer living in Los Angeles. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*First Things First*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ God didn't promise days without pain, laughter without sorrow, sun without rain, but He did promise strength for the day, comfort for the tears, and light for the way. Disappointments are like road humps, they slow you down a bit but you enjoy the smooth road afterwards. Don't stay on the humps too long. Move on! When you feel down because you didn't get what you want, just sit tight and be happy, because God is thinking of something better to give you. When something happens to you, good or bad, consider what it means. There's a purpose to life's events, to teach you how to laugh more or not to cry too hard. You can't make someone love you, all you can do is be someone who can be loved, the rest is up to the person to realize your worth. What the heart gives away is never gone... It is kept in the hearts of others. Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risks. Secure a special place in your heart. A certain place only you can enter. For there will come a time when you need to find yourself and only your heart will show you the way. The measure of love is when you love without measure. In life there are very rare chances that you'll meet the person you love and loves you in return. So once you have it don't ever let go, the chance might never come your way again. It's better to lose your pride to the one you love, than to lose the one you love because of pride. We spend so much time looking for the right person to love or finding fault with those we already love, when instead we should be perfecting the love we give. When you truly care for someone, you don't look for faults, you don't look for answers, you don't look for mistakes. Instead, you fight the mistakes, you accept the faults, and you overlook excuses. Five rules to be happy: 1. Free your heart from hatred. 2. Free your mind from worries. 3. Live simply. 4. Give more. 5. Expect less. AMEN AND GOD BLESS YOU. God doesn't CALL the QUALIFIED, He QUALIFIES the CALLED. Rev. Sandi Lee ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Easy Does It*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Desperation I can't go on there's nothing left no strength no game no hope. I've tried time and time again to straighten out my life to make this work touching the hot stove this way and that burning myself every time all the tricks are gone nothing works like it used to I can't lie or plead or bully my way through anymore God, I don't want this hurting my family daily I hate facing myself in the mirror yet am unable to look away like staring at a train wreck or gruesome murder scene eyes full of guilty wonder how could things get so bad? What happened to the fun? Maybe this time it will be different... Maybe this time it will work But wait what's that you say? I don't have to answer "yes" whenever my disease calls? I don't have to use, one day at a time? And there are others? I thought I was unique sure that the things I'd done were too horrid to tell to anyone you say I can be a part of, instead of apart from? I'm still so weak--what? You'll love me until I can love myself? And I'm really not alone? All I can say, is Thank God for our N. A. much love, john h ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Live And Let Live*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue, but the parent of all other virtues. Cicero ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Keep The Focus On You*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ A man should never be ashamed to own that he has been in the wrong, which is but saying... that he is wiser today than he was yesterday. Alexander Pope ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Let God and Let Go*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ What Cancer Cannot Do... Cancer is so limited... It cannot cripple love It cannot shatter hope It cannot corrode faith It cannot destroy peace It cannot kill friendship It cannot suppress memories It cannot silence courage It cannot invade the soul It cannot steal eternal life It cannot conquer the spirit. Anonymous Words Of Wisdom ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Come*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ F I T = Faith, Intuition, and Trust. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Come To*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ "What other people think of you is none of your damn business !" ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Come To Believe*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ "Having a resentment is like drinking poison and waiting for someone else to die." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Look For The Beauty*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ "In relationships, We attract what we are." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Today Is A Gift*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ "An expectation is a premeditated resentment." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Keep Stepping*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ You are not stuck where you are unless you decide to be. Dr. Wayne Dyer ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Stay In The Light*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ "We do not believe in ourselves until someone reveals that deep inside us something is valuable, worth listening to, worthy of our touch. Once we believe in ourselves we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight, or any experience that reveals the human spirit." e. e. cummings *~*~*~*~*~*~*Put Gratitude In Your Attitude*~*~*~*~*~*~* "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." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*One Promise, Many Gifts*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*@¿@*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ (\o/\o/) we are each of us angels with only one wing (\o/\o/) /_\/_\ and can only fly by embracing each other /_\/_\ |
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