Rejoice and Be Glad

God asks us to greet each day in our own celebratory way and to open the doors of grateful acceptance that allow us to perceive his hand in all circumstances…. We desperately want to join the celebration, but how can we if we aren’t even able to notice it?  ~ Lawton, Sabrina Universal. Each Day a Gift: A Gratitude Devotional for Women: 90 Devotions to Make a Habit of Praise and Thanks . Althea Press. Kindle Edition.

Do you wake excited and grateful
for the day ahead? I hope you do…
because I don’t and knowing you do
makes it feel closer to becoming
a customary attitude for me, as well!
What I can do…what I will do
long enough to find out…
is to meditate in the morning
when it’s recommended,
not sometime during the day
when I get around to it,
then note three things
for which I’m grateful…
I can’t say I desperately want
to join the celebration,
but how can I if I’m not even able/willing to notice it?

Who Do You Want to Be

First, decide who you want to be. This holds at any level—as an individual, as a team, as a community, as a nation. What do you want to stand for? What are your principles and values? Who do you wish to become? ~ Clear, James. Atomic Habits (p. 39). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

Who do I want to be?
I want to be kind and loving,
turning away negative
not with a “better-than-their’s” negative
but with kindness, love, care.
What do I want to stand for?
I want to become lovable…
enough for even me to love me.
I want to be known as caring, aware,
compassionate.
I want to be someone who gets things done,
who does things that matter
rather than things providing “escape.”
What are my principles, my values?
Productivity, quality, efficiency,  effectiveness.
I want to be healthy, energetic, active,
youthful without denying my age,
wise beyond my years.

Change the System

When you solve problems at the results level, you only solve them temporarily. In order to improve for good, you need to solve problems at the systems level. Fix the inputs and the outputs will fix themselves. ~ Clear, James. Atomic Habits (p. 25). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

A goal, a result, is a once-and-done aim.
You reach it, a notch in a belt…
or you fail to reach it, walk away.
But you can choose to work hard
on improving your skills needed for the result,
and the system you build leads toward desired results,
and in the process reaches new goals, better results,
to make a life you want but, chasing results,
never expected, beyond imagination.
Fix the inputs and the outputs will fix themselves.

Retribution

I wish to God I could unknot the mesh
that is my life, to rectify the sin
constraining howls within my soul, confess
the blackness haunting me from depths within.
Would that the soul who huddles from the ghost
of my misdeeds could grasp the peace I’ve lost,
could find a haven, knowing countless hosts
of demons foist repayment of all cost.
For justice through a system made by man
is travesty compared to that by guilt
repaid. And bitter might-have-beens will pan
society’s responses ’til they wilt.
So lock the doors, confine this worthless soul
for even full release won’t make me whole.

Image Copyright : butus 

Show Me How to Forgive

Forgiveness is the only lesson we need to learn. By asking the Holy Spirit for help today, I will be shown how to forgive. ~Casey, Karen. Daily Meditations for Practicing the Course (Hazelden Meditations) . Hazelden Publishing. Kindle Edition.

We come across so many different people
during a day. Some we feel gracious toward,
others we may know and have hard feelings toward,
others we do not know at all but nothing draws us
to kindness, good impressions, appreciation.
Whatever it may be that solicits less than love,
by asking the Holy Spirit for help today,
we will be shown how to forgive.
Forgiving brings awareness of brotherhood,
of common interests, of acceptance.
Then we will experience the depth
of shared experience,  common purpose.

Image copyright psychoshadowmaker 

Making Room for Yes

I want to talk about the value of NO and how it empowers us to create a life with space in it for our Yes’s….
…please embrace your NO’s and be so very careful of your yes’s because there is a part of you watching and waiting to see if you will succeed. Don’t let that part down and then watch as a tiny ember of strength inside of you slowly grows into an unstoppable fire. ~ Liz Moser

The value of “No?”
Do you see the value of your “No’s”
as a way to enable your “Yes?”
Do you find the need for “No’s”
stealing your inclination
toward “Yes?” How completely
do your “Yes’s” get shoved aside
when you’ve not spread “No’s” adequately?
Don’t let that part down andthen watch as a tiny ember of strengthinside of you slowly grows
into an unstoppable fire!

Image Copyright : LIU MING

A Saint by Thursday

When we early A.A.’s got our first glimmer of how spiritually prideful we could be, we coined this expression: “Don’t try to be a saint by Thursday!” ~ AA World Services Inc. As Bill Sees It . A.A. World Services, Inc. Kindle Edition.

Spiritually prideful?
Makes sense to me!
A Final  Jeopardy answer
all three contestants missed
seeking the name of the first disciple,
I answered “Peter’s brother” quickly
and got to “Andrew” before the deadline.
Yes, I can certainly be “spiritually  prideful!!”
But I well know I’m no saint!
I’ve been church staff for three congregations,
have written Methodist and Baptist literature,
have a Masters in Christian education
and was consecrated as a Deaconess…
I knew the Bible and church history
but it wasn’t until I found
the Rooms of Recovery
that I really began to understand
shat it means to turn my will and my life
over to God as I (finally) understand God!

Image Copyright : Sergey Nivens

Willing to Want Better

Being willing to want a better way, then being willing to ask for one, promises us that we’ll be shown one when the time is right. ~ Casey, Karen. Daily Meditations for Practicing the Course (Hazelden Meditations) . Hazelden Publishing. Kindle Edition.

Bill W. listened to Ebby
and realized, “Upon a foundation
of complete willingness I might build
what I saw in my friend.
Would I have it? Of course I would!”
On the foundation of willingness
we Recover, becoming finally useful,
an addition to the universe!
Are you willing to ask for a better way?
We will be shown one, the perfect one for us!

God as the Source

The Psalmist pointed out what happens when you consistently think of God as the Source of your supply: “But his delight is in the law of the Lord. And on his law doth he meditate day and night. And He shall be like a tree planted by the streams of water, that bringeth forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also doth not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” (1st Psalm) ~ Ponder, Catherine. The Dynamic Laws of Prosperity (Impact Books): Forces That Bring Riches to You (p. 11). Wilder Publications, Inc. Kindle Edition.

Is God the Source of your supply?
Your supply of WHAT?
What do you need from God?
Do you get delight from the Law of the Lord?
What would that  feel like if you did?
What does that  feel like when you do?
Is your delight in the law of the Lord?
Do you he meditate on that law day and night?
Have you ever meditated? Are you willing to try?
Are you like a tree
planted by streams of water,
bringing forth fruit in season?
What can morph you into bearing
leaves that don’t wither and into prospering?
I intend to become the subject of the Psalm.
Will you join me?

The Formula for Peace

The formula for discovering peace is simple. Try the following: Stop thinking. Get quiet. Turn your attention to the Spirit within and ask for clarity, for a different perspective, for a forgiving heart. Peace will come. ~ Casey, Karen. Daily Meditations for Practicing the Course (Hazelden Meditations) . Hazelden Publishing. Kindle Edition.

The traditional folksong gives a formula:
“Peace I ask of thee o river, peace, peace, peace.
When I learn to live serenely, cares will cease.
From the hills I gather courage, visions of the days to be,
Strength to lead and faith to follow, all is given unto me.
Peace I ask of thee o river, peace, peace, peace.”
Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you;
My peace I give to you;
not as the world gives do I give to you.
Do not let your heart be troubled,
nor let it be fearful.” John 14:27
Psalm 23 says: “The LORD is my shepherd;
I shall not want
He makes me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside quiet waters.
He restores my soul;
He guides me in the paths of righteousness
for the sake of His name.”
Or simply, “Be still, and know that I am God.”
But read through Karen Casey’s formula.
Any way that works for you,
Claim the peace you long for!
Then share it with the world!

Look Where Your Feet Are

What can a meeting teach you?
Let me count the ways
from a small meeting,
just listening to others who shared!
“Where am I? All I need to do
is look at my feet! Are they in the past?
No! Are they in the future?
No! They’re here in the present,
so I need to stay right here.”

I heard a man on the speakers’ circuit
who said, “I can’t them think I’m Soberman!”

A man was asked to speak on worry.
He stood up, said, “I don’t worry.
I don’t believe in it,” and and he sat down.

Meeting makers make it.
Go to meetings and hear what you need!

Blockage

I sat down one morning, the end of April, 2011, and accidentally clicked “Edit Posts” rather than create. I found this from two months earlier that evidently I never posted. So I’ll read and finalize or toss it. Let’s see what happens…

Pipes get blocked. Blood vessels get blocked. Recovery gets blocked.

Though our decision was a vital and crucial step, it could have little permanent effect unless at once followed by a strenuous effort to face, and to be rid of, the things in ourselves which had been blocking us. (Alcoholics Anonymous, page 64)

We hope you are convinced now that God can remove whatever self-will has blocked you off from Him. (Alcoholics Anonymous, page 71)

How does Recovery get unblocked? How do pipes and blood vessels get unblocked? A Roto-Rooter. Angioplasty. “If you have already made a decision, and an inventory of your grosser handicaps, you have made a good beginning. That being so you have swallowed and digested some big chunks of truth about yourself.” (Alcoholics Anonymous, page 71.) Steps Three and Four – for a start.

Obviously I would have elaborated further. But at this point I don’t see the need.

Image Copyright © Hansen's Plumbing.

The Power of Words

I know that blowing off a workout, a date, an afternoon to organize your closet, or some previous commitment to yourself doesn’t seem like a big deal—but it is. It’s a really big deal. Our words have power, but our actions shape our lives. ~ Hollis, Rachel. Girl, Wash Your Face (Girl, Wash Your Face Series) (p. 17). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.

Do you break promises to yourself?
Did you make a New Year’s Resolution?
What’s the status of that promise?
Do you feel more committed when
you tell someone else you’ll do something
than whether you tell yourself?
Is that as it should be?
Do you believe life would be more fulfilling
if you promised yourself and kept the promise?

Image Copyright : Sirirat Tasanasartranon

Our Message

A lot of times we try to get people to believe who are not willing yet. This is something the individual has to do on his own; he has to go through his own suffering to become willing to change.

This is our message, and it is simple. Our responsibility is to carry the message—what others do with it is not our responsibility. Recovery comes through a vital spiritual experience as a result of these Steps. I think this is the only way to recovery. Our job is not someone else’s recovery; our job is simply to carry the message. ~ McQ, Joe. The Steps We Took (p. 139). August House. Kindle Edition.

Step 12. Having had a spiritual awakening
as the result of these Steps,
we tried to carry this message
to compulsive overeaters
and to practice these principles
in all our affairs.
Our job is simply to carry the simple message.
Our job is to Recover, and as we Recover
we acquire…no, we inherently havethe responsibility to pass it on to others who suffer
as we have suffered. When they are willing to accept
the marvelous gift of Recovery as we did before them,
they, too, have the message  with the responsibility
to to work the Steps to the point of a spiritual awakening,
then pass along the glorious bounty
of Recovery!

Our Real Journey

Our real journey in life is interior; it is a matter of growth, deepening, and of an ever greater surrender to the creative action of love and grace in our hearts. Never was it more necessary for us to respond to that action. ~ Tomas Merton, September 1968 Circular Letter to Friends

Living in the now!
The past is past and can help
as we talk to others, as we share
the steps we took, the path we walked.
The future we cannot see, cannot choose,
cannot count on. The present is, well, a present!
It’s all we have, all we need.
But it’s a present we have, one we carry with us.
Our real journey in life is interior;
it is a matter of growth, deepening,
and of an ever greater surrender
to the creative action
of love and grace in our hearts.
Never was it more necessary
for us to respond to that action.
Are you growing? Are you discovering?
Are you surrendering to love?
To grace? To the creative action in your heart?
It’s time to find that creative action,
time  to respond to it! Now!!! Today!

The Beginning of Wisdom

Kindness is more important than wisdom, and the recognition of this is the beginning of wisdom. ~ Theodore Isaac Rubin

Wisdom. A valuable commodity.
Wisdom. The ability to discern inner qualities,
relationships : insight.good sense : judgment.Wisdom. generally accepted beliefWisdom. accumulated philosophical
or scientific learning : knowledge.Kindness. the quality or state of being kind
Kindness. A kind deed. A favor.
Understanding kindness surpasses
wisdom in importance.
The beginning of Wisdom.

Willingness = Courage

I groggily said the serenity prayer
in my head as I tried to motivate me
out of bed this morning,
and the words kept getting tangled.
I knew “willingness” wasn’t in there,
but I kept trying to shove it in.
Sitting here, reading “The Doctor’s Opinion”
then saying it right,
I realize I wasn’t wrong in the first place.
Yes, we need serenity to accept what we can’t change,
wisdom to know what that is,
but for the rest, the part we can change,
we need courage,
and for me right now that means willingness.
Maybe always it means willingness,
but I know for certain today it does.
And that’s all that matters.
Today. Having the willingness
to be courageous enough to avoid the chemicals
that for me produce “the effect…
so illusive that, while they admit it is injurious,
they cannot after a time differentiate
the true from the false.” (Alcoholics Anonymous, page xxviii)

Easy In Your Harness

You have freedom when you’re easy in your harness. ~ Robert Frost

At a meeting of Overeaters Anonymous
we read in Voices of Recovery,
“I have always felt apart from the human race.
I felt I had to be better than everyone else
or I was no good at all.
I acted out this feeling by being a ‘know-it-all.’
As I reflected on my Fourth-Step inventory,
I began to realize that I was no different
from any of my fellows in OA.
I had heard many of these things in meetings.
Why did I think I was different?”
We were  unanimous of the same mind…
Every one of us had felt odd, different,
the only one like that in the world!
And we all acknowledged the comfort we found
when we became part of the OA tribe!
Like a dog ready for their person
to hold the leash, to put on the comfortable harness,
we had learned you have freedom
when you’re easy in your harness!”

Image Copyright : Bonzami Emmanuelle

Affirmations

I may have binged last night but it was a fluke and I am still absolutely on my way to full recovery. It very well could have been the last binge ever! Today is going to be a great day, full of nourishing food for my body, and nourishing food for my mind. ~ Anonymous

Love yourself. Accept yourself.
Understand when you do
what you would wish not to have done,
you have been doing research.
If you look at what you have done,
not with self-loathing but with the desire
to understand the why, the process,
the thought mechanisms, the connectors…
you can grow through the process.
In that process you can understand hows
and whys, and having done so
dismiss it as a fluke, full of understanding
Today is going to be a great day,
full of nourishing food for your body,
and nourishing food for my mind
useful for the lesson learned.

Image Copyright : loganban 

The Divine Presence

If we learn to control the mind, practicing the art of staying present, then the Divine Presence reveals itself in each moment as peace, beauty, insight and joy. If the mind controls us, we are at the mercy of our imagination and out of conscious contact with God’s Presence. ~ Borysenko, Joan. Pocketful of Miracles (p. 28). Grand Central Publishing. Kindle Edition.

Living One Day at a Time (ODAT)
is all well and good, but at times…
lots of times, actually… that’s too long,
too big a chunk of time!
Instead, hold yourself not in the past.
not worrying about the future,
but in the NOW! practicing the art of staying present.
Trust God, the Divine Power, to reveal
Himself in each moment
as peace, beauty, insight and joy.

God's Hands

If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge his people.” It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. ~ Hebrews 10:26-31 (NIV)

“Of course he couldn’t drink, but why not sit hopefully at a table, a bottle of ginger ale before him? After all, had he not been sober six months now? Perhaps he could handle, say, three drinks – no more! Fear gripped him. He was on thin ice. Again it was the old, insidious insanity – that first drink.” (Alcoholics Anonymous, page 154)

Dreadful to fall into God’s hands?
Isn’t a word missing – a not?
Dreadful to fall, not into the hands
of the living God —
anywhere but into his
will, into his hands.
If he doesn’t hold me,
catch me,
I glide
down the slide,
collapse
into relapse,
blaze into malaise.

Hold me, God,
let me rest in your cupped
comfortable
hands.

Rollins, Barbara with OAStepper. A Cloud of Witnesses – Two Big Books and Us. Eagle Wings Press imprint of Silver Boomer Books. Kindle Edition.

All the Way

By following the Twelve Steps, attending meetings regularly, and using the OA Tools, we are changing our lives. You will find hope and encouragement in Overeaters Anonymous. To the newcomer, we suggest attending at least six different meetings to learn the many ways OA can help you. ~ Overeaters Anonymous Suggested Meeting Format

Come all the way in
and sit down all the way.
I went to an Overeaters Anonymous meeting
years before I became a member.
There were lots of people there, maybe 30.
I did sit down, stayed for the whole time,
and spoke to nobody. But I remembered for years
only that nobody spoke directly to me.
What I missed, I now know.
Whether they read these words in closing
I have no idea but I know I could have found Recovery
long before I did had I attended
at least six different meetings
to learn the many ways OA can help me.
I wish I had c0me all the way in,
mentally as well as physically,
let people know I needed to talk,
and sat all the way down!
What can I do for you now?
I can tell you you’re welcome
to Overeaters Anonymous,
to the rooms of Recovery
and tell you, “Come all the way in
and sit down all the way. Welcome Home!”

Simplicity

“Things should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.” — Albert Einstein

“My friend promised when these things were done I would enter upon a new relationship with my Creator; that I would have the elements of a way of living which answered all my problems. Belief in the power of God, plus enough willingness, honesty and humility to establish and maintain the new order of things, were the essential requirements. Simple, but not easy; a price had to be paid. It meant destruction of self-centeredness.” (Bill’s Story, AA Big Book)

It’s simple, recovery.

Just surrender,

abandon self,

bare your soul,

face your fears,

see how you caused

resentments dominant

all your waking moments

the last few decades,

tell people you’ve hated

for years you were wrong,

step aside as all your

traits that make you you

get stripped away so

you’re more useful to other folk.

It’s simple.

Not easy, not for the faint-hearted,

but oh, how worth the walk!
How blessedly simple.

Everything Is an Opportunity

Everything is an opportunity…. It’s the cracks. It’s where the light comes through…. You’ve been collecting data. You’ve done some research.  Can you draw a line in the sand? …. It had to be what it was, it is what it is. ~ Susan Pierce Thompson, Ph.D.

When you fall on your face,
hate yourself, feel like an idiot…
can you bring yourself to understand the truth…
that it’s an opportunity to learn,
to understand who you are,
to grow from the experience?
Can you accept that when you make mistakes
you’re going to grow from them unless
you play ostrich and bury your head in the sand?
Next time when you fall on your face,
are inclined to hate yourself,
feel like others believe you’re an idiot,
can you pause, remember everything is an opportunity,
realize you’re collecting valuable data,
and that It had to be what it was,
it is what it is…now grow from it?

Image Copyright : andreykuzmin

Guilty

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!” ~ Galatians 2:20-21(NIV)

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But there is One who has all power—that One is God. May you find Him now!
Half measures availed us nothing. We stood at the turning point. we asked His protection and care with complete abandon. ~ Alcoholics Anonymous (Kindle Locations 906-908).

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Who would choose to set grace aside?
God’s unmerited love…
would you decline just because
you had not earned it,
it felt like charity?
(Insert graphic,
hand raised, guilty.)
A being possessing all power?
Who would not seek out and find
this greatest of great,
this source of, well, all power?
But how intimidating, how humiliating…
who would decline to search for the source?

(Insert graphic,
hand raised, guilty.)

The law I understand,
the give and take,
punishment for failure,
judgment for those who prove
they deserve it…
beyond a reasonable doubt.
Who expects justice through the law?

(Insert graphic,
hand raised, guilty.)

God, I’m drawn to wrong answers
but they don’t give me peace, happiness.
Teach me to accept grace, to seek
the source of all power,
and to know the law gains me nothing.

Image . Copyright : Roman Samborskyi

Attitude

It’s not about what I can’t eat.
It’s about what I don’t eat.
It’s not about what I can’t do.
It’s about what I get to do.
It’s not about what I’ve lost,
it’s about what I’ve gained.
This is not about a life of deprivation.
It’s about living my best life. And loving it. ~ Found on Facebook

Winston Churchill lives what he spoke:
“Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.”
Have you thought of the rooms of Recovery
as a place of deprivation? Do you regret
the “lack” of availability of your go-to opiate?
Doo you feel put-upon, “having to”
omit the substances of your addiction?
Are you sabotaging your Recovery?
Is living a sane an sober life a privation.
It’s not. Except in your mind!!
Change your mind and change your life!

Recharge

You need to be constantly recharged by the power of the spirit of God. Commune with God in quiet times until the life from God, the Divine life, by that very contact, flows into your being and revives your fainting spirit. When weary, take time out and rest. Rest and gain power and strength from God, and then you will be ready to meet whatever opportunities come your way. Rest until every care and worry and fear have gone and then the tide of peace and serenity, love and joy, will flow into your consciousness. ~ Anonymous. Twenty Four Hours A Day: Meditations (p. 92). Hazelden Publishing. Kindle Edition.

Commune with God in quiet times
until the life from God, the Divine life,
by that very contact, flows into your being
and revives your fainting spirit.Do you need to plug into the power?
Are you weary, are you heavy hearted?
Tell it to Jesus, tell it to Jesus.
Are you grieving over joys departed?
Tell it to Jesus alone.
Rest. Recharge. Plug in to the Power.

Dealing with Resentment

A troubled computer led to using old material for today. This is a blog entry from October, 2009.

When a person offended we said to ourselves, “This is a sick man. How can I be helpful to him? God save me from being angry. Thy will be done.”
We avoid retaliation or argument. We wouldn’t treat sick people that way. If we do, we destroy our chance of being helpful. We cannot be helpful to all people, but at least God will show us how to take a kindly and tolerant view of each and everyone. (Alcoholics Anonymous, page 67)

She said, “Sorry for the late notice.” But I want to tell her just how sorry she really is! It feels like I’m doing more than my share already. I know I’m a “volunteer.” I know I’m doing more than I should because I don’t ask for help well. And I’m about to go eat in a place both for breakfast and for lunch where my ability to control and eat within my food plan will be challenged. Heck, for the second, I’m in charge of bringing the desserts!

I heard a couple of weekends ago that courage to change the things I can means from my skin in; serenity to accept the things I can’t is those things skin out. So I’m sitting here working on the skin in, planning for skin out.

I came to the 5th chapter today to find a different passage, one I need:

We ask Him to remove our fear and direct our attention to what He would have us be. At once, we commence to outgrow fear. (Alcoholics Anonymous, page 68)

I jumped up and left this when I realized what time it was this morning. The day went well. The restaurant had food I could eat abstinently, as did the meeting at noon. I’ve had a good day, and the resentments didn’t drive me to the food and now basically are damped and dying.

I listened to OA speakers driving today, and one notable quote was that forgiveness means giving up our dream of a different past. Neat quote. Good day. And good night.