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07/20 REFLECTION FOR THE DAY
"It is the privilege of wisdom to listen," Oliver Wendell Holmes once wrote. If I try as hard as I can to cultivate the art of listening -- uncritically and without making premature judgements -- chances are great that I'll progress more rapidly in my recovery. If I try as hard as I can to listen to the feelings and thoughts expressed -- rather than to the "speaker" -- I may be blessed with an unexpectedly helpful idea. The essential quality of good listening is humility, which reflects the fact that God's voice speaks to us even through the least and most inarticulate of His children. DOES A HOLIER-THAN-THOU ATTITUDE SOMETIMES CLOSE MY MIND TO THE SHARED SUGGESTIONS OF OTHERS?
TODAY I PRAY
May my Higher Power keep me from being "holier-than-thou" with anyone whose manner or language or opposite point of view or apparent lack of knowledge turns me off to what they are saying. May I be listening always for the voice of God, which can be heard through the speech of any one of us.
TODAY I WILL REMEMBER
Hear the speech, not the speaker.
It is good to have an end to journey towards; but it is the journey that matters in the end. ~Ursula K. LeGuin
07/19 REFLECTION FOR THE DAY
Many of us come to The Program professing that we're agnostic or atheistic. As someone once put it, our will to disbelieve is so strong that we prefer a date with the undertaker to an experimental and open-minded search for a Higher Power. Fortunately for those of us with closed minds, the constructive forces in The Program almost always overcome our obstinacy. Before long, we discover the bountiful world of faith and trust. It was there all along, but we lacked the willingness and open-mindedness to accept it. DOES OBSTINACY STILL SOMETIMES BLIND ME TO THE POWER FOR GOOD THAT RESIDES IN FAITH?
TODAY I PRAY
I want to thank God for this opportunity to open my mind; to learn again about faith and trust; to realize that my wanderings did not change His place within me or His loving concern for me. May I know that it was my own doing that I lost faith. Thank God for another chance to believe.
TODAY I WILL REMEMBER
Discard the will to disbelieve.
It is good to have an end to journey towards; but it is the journey that matters in the end. ~Ursula K. LeGuin
on 7/18/10 10:58 am
Is anyone here taking Lamictal xr. I am wonering how is makes most people feel and how good it works for you and if you are taking other meds with it. Does it take a long time to notice change.
07/14 REFLECTION FOR THE DAY
Conditioned as we are by our old ideas and old ways of living, it's understandable that we tend to resist certain suggestions made to us when we first come to The Program. If that's the case, there's no need to PERMANENTLY reject such suggestions; it's better, we've found, just temporarily to set them aside. The point is, there's no hard-and-fast "right" way or "wrong" way. Each of us uses what's best for himself or herself at a particular time, keeping an open mind regarding other kinds of help we may find valuable at another time. AM I TRYING TO REMAIN OPEN-MINDED?
TODAY I PRAY
May I be enlightened about the real meaning of an open mind, aware that my one-time definition of "open-minded" as "broad-minded" doesn't seem to fit here. May I constantly keep my mind open to the suggestions of the solid many who came into The Program before me. What has worked for them may work for me, no matter how far-fetched or how obvious it may be.
TODAY I WILL REMEMBER
Only an open mind can be healed.
It is good to have an end to journey towards; but it is the journey that matters in the end. ~Ursula K. LeGuin
Trish
Albert Schweitzer
I would strongly urge you to resume your meds now that you have quit drinking. I forgot my morning meds Saturday and had an absolutely terrible day and night. I was up all the next night, took a double dose, Sunday morning, and was fine when I woke up later in the day.
Tonight I went to the mandatory education meeting at the hospital (the final one before surgery). It kind of hit me how close this is and that I have to take this seriously. I am tired of feeling terrible and hope it will help if I have the surgery. (knees hurt...and I just don't feel right weighing over 300 and being just 5'4."
It was also my birthday Monday. The big 5-0. Thanks again for your input!
07/12 REFLECTION FOR THE DAY
In many respects, the Fellowship of The Program is like a reasonably happy cruise ship or, in time of trouble, like a convoy. But in the long run each of us must chart his or her own course through life. When the seas are smooth, we may become careless. By neglecting Step Ten, we may get out of the habit of checking our position. If we're mindful of Step Ten, however, then we rarely go so far wrong that we can't make a few corrections and get back on course again. DO I REALIZE THAT REGULAR PRACTICE OF STEP TEN CAN HELP ME DETERMINE WHAT OTHER STEPS IS INDICATED TO BRING ME INTO A HAPPIER FRAME OF MIND AND INTO SERENITY?
TODAY I PRAY
May Step Ten be the sextant by which I read my whereabouts at sea, so that I can correct my course, rechart it if I am heading for shallow places. May I keep in mind that, if it weren't for an all-knowing Captain and the vigilance of my fellow crew members, this ship could be adrift and I could easily panic.
TODAY I WILL REMEMBER
To steer by a steady star.
It is good to have an end to journey towards; but it is the journey that matters in the end. ~Ursula K. LeGuin
Someone once defined the ego as "the sum total of false ideas about myself." Persistent reworking of the Twelve Steps enables me to gradually strip away my false ideas about myself. This permits nearly imperceptible but steady growth in my understanding of the truth about myself. And this, in turn, leads to a growing understanding of God and other human beings. DO I STRIVE FOR SELF-HONESTY, PROMPTLY ADMITTING WHEN I'M WRONG?
TODAY I PRAY
God, teach me understanding; teach me to know truth when I meet it; teach me the importance of self-honesty, so that I may be able to say, sincerely, "I was wrong," along with, "I am sorry." Teach me that there is such a thing as a "healthy ego" which does not require that feelings be medicated by mood-alterers. May I -- slowly, on my tightrope -- move toward the ideal of balance, so I can do away with the nets of falsehood and compulsion.
TODAY I WILL REMEMBER
To keep my balance.
It is good to have an end to journey towards; but it is the journey that matters in the end. ~Ursula K. LeGuin
07/09 REFLECTIONS FOR THE DAY
When we make only superficial changes in ourselves, and give only lip service to The Program, our progress is slow and likelihood of relapse great. Our regeneration must take the form of a true spiritual rebirth. It must go very deep, with each character flaw replaced by a new and positive quality. AM I BEING COMPLETELY HONEST WITH MYSELF IN UNCOVERING THE FAULTS WHICH HAMPER MY SPIRITUAL GROWTH? AM I BEGINNING TO REPLACE THEM WITH POSITIVE QUALITIES?
TODAY I PRAY
May God's protective hand lead me out of the darkness of my deepest fear -- that I could return to being what I do not want to be. Please, God, give me courage to make an honest appraisal of myself. Please help me cultivate my positive qualities and begin to be free of my fears.
TODAY I WILL REMEMBER
I must be reborn in the Spirit.
It is good to have an end to journey towards; but it is the journey that matters in the end. ~Ursula K. LeGuin
