Grow in Godliness

“God calls each of us to grow . . . to grow in faith, in righteousness, in love, in joy, in hope, patience, peace, perseverance . . . in godliness. How do you do that?” ~ Cahn, Jonathan. The Book of Mysteries (p. 212). Charisma House.

How do you grow in all the right ways?
You face problems as they arise.
But not alone. You look for guidance
to a power beyond your abilities.
You look to tough times as opportunities...
to grow, to find your strengths, to learn,
to overcome. Use the tools,
a clan of eating, the telephone,
literature, writing, an action plan,
service, and anonymity, and meetings.
Simply grow in recovery and as long as  you do,
you will grow in all the right ways,
in faith, in righteousness, in love,
in joy, in hope, in patience, in peace,
in perseverance and in godliness.

Find God

You find God the moment you realize that you don’t need to seek God. ~ Tolle, Eckhart. The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment (p. 147). New World Library. Kindle Edition.

Hiding in plain sight.
Not like he's the golden calf
Aaron and the Hebrews made
while God was with Moses
on the mountain.
No, nothing like that!
It was destroyed, cannot be seen.
No,  God is in a hug, in a smile,
in a real bull or a calf in a pasture.
God is in a baby and a centenarian,
God is in a flower or a thorn
or a raindrop,  but easiest to find,
God is in you and you are in God
and you are one.
You find God the moment
you realize that
you don’t need to seek God.

The Power of Program

No one of us met our experiences very successfully before discovering this program. In most cases we lacked the structure that comes with the Steps. Direction was missing from our lives. ~ Casey, Karen. Each Day a New Beginning: Daily Meditations for Women (Kindle Locations 2938-2939). Hazelden Publishing.

About FACE! That's what happens
with successful Recovery.
You pivot to face the opposite direction
turning clockwise a hundred eighty degrees.
We failed to find the willpower
the rest of the world, the willpower
our mothers, our doctors, the whole world
insisted we find. We dumped the worthless
treasure hunt for mastery, gave up...
literally, surrendering to a God
we had thought too busy
to be concerned with
what we put in our bodies.
We took off in a new direction
surrounded by people like us...
having discovered at last
there really were more of us!
We discovered the dorection
and the path we had sought for years!
Thank God for Recovery,
and thank Recovery for leading us to God!

God's Will

God’s Will does not oppose. It merely is. ~ Schucman, Dr. Helen. A Course in Miracles (Kindle Locations 18356-18357). Foundation for Inner Peace. Kindle Edition.

God’s Will does not oppose. It merely is.
God could control us like wind-up dolls,
He could create us so His will became ours,
so we were programmed as clones.
All power is God's. And His Will
is our natural will. But we have free will.
While we're happier, more at peace,
more as we were made to be when we accept
the Will of God, we can choose.
The offer stands. It just is...
it always is. Ours for the acceptance.
Ours for our own good. Ours
for the benefit of all we meet.
Ours for God's Will to roll through our lives
to bless the whole world.
What sane choice can we make but
accepting God's Will? It's your choice.

The Magic of Program

Everywhere around us, we saw failure and misery transformed by humility into priceless assets. To those who’ve made progress in the Program, humility is simply a clear recognition of what and who we really are—followed by a sincere attempt to become what we could be. ~ Anonymous. A Day at a Time: Daily Reflections for Recovering People (Hazelden Meditations) (Kindle Locations 2528-2529). Hazelden Publishing.

Surely it is magic! Drunks in the 30's
struggling for sanity, having lost it
and everything worthwhile they'd had...
Ebby finding it, giving it to Bill, who didn't
at first then did, Bill trying to give it away,
Lois pointing out it didn't fail as long
as Bill stayed sober, Bill stuck in Akron,
desperate, needing a drunk to talk to,
the magic of Bill and Bob. They found
the humility to grasp a simply a clear recognition
of what and who they really were—
followed by a sincere attempt to become
what they could be and building a model
for suffering people everywhere
to do the same and change the world
to what it can be as well.

Ebby Thatcher

God's Will

God’s Will does not oppose. It merely is. ~ Schucman, Dr. Helen. A Course in Miracles (Kindle Locations 18356-18357). Foundation for Inner Peace. Kindle Edition.

God’s Will does not oppose. It merely is.
God could control us like wind-up dolls,
He could create us so His will became ours,
so we were programmed as clones.
All power is God's. And His Will
is our natural will. But we have free will.
While we're happier, more at peace,
more as we were made to be when we accept
the Will of God, we can choose.
The offer stands. It just is...
it always is. Ours for the acceptance.
Ours for our own good. Ours
for the benefit of all we meet.
Ours for God's Will to roll through our lives
to bless the whole world.
What sane choice can we make but
accepting God's Will? It's your choice.

A Special Checking Account

Perhaps I will think of time as a special kind of checking account. I have twenty-four hours to spend.... I even have an opportunity to learn from my mistakes, since a brand new twenty-four hours can begin at any moment. ~ Family Groups, Al-Anon. Courage to Change—One Day at a Time in Al‑Anon II (Kindle Locations 3301-3304). Al-Anon Family Groups. Kindle Edition.

Nine twenty-two in the morning.
What have I done worth doing?
I prepared and ate an abstinent breakfast.
But I neglected the dogs' water dish
and my beginning the morning with prayer.
I posted my poem then shifted to Facebook
and computer games rather than readings.
Eventually Kindle and my morning brain-fare.
My second reading brought me here.
I could beat myself up, but it's not all wrong.
Now I'll see to the dog dish prayers
and come back to readings then
the to-do list past-due items.
A day of readings, contact with someone
who came back faithfully then stopped.
Some chores done but task list ignored.
I've time left, though, to tackle past-dues
and a Tenth Step after that will rest easier,
accounting for the day more comfortable.

Not Responsible

It was the Law itself that killed me and freed me from its power, so that I could live for God.

I have been nailed to the cross with Christ. (Galatians 2:19, CEV)

---

---

Above everything, we alcoholics must be rid of this selfishness. We must, or it kills us! God makes that possible. (Alcoholics Anonymous, page 62)

---

---

Whatever
I've tried all these years
over and over again
didn't work.
Why should I trust it to work now?
Do I relish guilt,
savor shame,
revel in remorse?
Emphatically not!
Why, then, should I persist,
why try harder when I know
I could not before have done more
than I did, at least briefly...
I'm incompetent, powerless,
unable to manage my life,
my responsibilities.
It's time to toss my pride in the rag pile
and allow the results
even if I can't claim
responsibility.

God, thank you!
I don't have to be
responsible.

Daily Needs

I've delighted for years
in seeing notes judges write themselves,
treasures never seen but by them...
and other judges who occasionally
share their bench! Long ago one
had the words needed to overrule
or sustain an objection. More universal
is the last bench I shared, simple daily needs...
Laugh, Think, Cry and Pray.
I've been identified for more than fifty years
as a giggler. I would until recently have avered
I laughed daily. Yet recently when a son moved home
I pointed out the recent dearth of giggles
and asked his help in finding them.
In retirement I could play stupid computer games
all day long but instead have committed to reading daily
from seventeen sources, insuring ingesting deep thought.
Crying? Movies or songs or sad Facebook posts
provoke moist eyes most days, and morning with dogs
includes both structured and ad lib prayers
with water changing and circling the yard.
It seems I pass the test. And I'm grateful
for the chance to sit on benches and adopt
the wisdom of wise jurists.

There Is No Try

You should never “try”; you should “let”—let God. When you “try” to do things, you are working from the outside. When you let God do them through you, you are working from the inside and success must come. ~ Fox, Emmet. Find and Use Your Inner Power (p. 68). New Albany. Kindle Edition.

And God said,  “Let the water
under the sky be gathered
to one place, and let dry ground appear.”
God still lets the ultimate plan,
the greater good play out.
And God is ready and willing
to "Let" things happen through his people.
I think God agrees with Yoda
that "The Force" working through folk
who turn their life and their will
over to the Power that Can
success will surely come!
Truly, All Power is the Lord's!

The Best Gift

Our own sanity is the best gift we can give to others. ~ L., Elisabeth. Food for Thought: Daily Meditations for Overeaters (Kindle Locations 2303-2304). Hazelden Publishing.

We can run the world. Oops, error there.
Many of us tried that and failed miserably.
We couldn't even manage our lives
or what we put in our bodies!
We can accomplish great things,
be perfect in achieving the goal
we set out to accomplish. Oops, we failed there.
We fell short of the goal and realized
perfection was not in us.
We can love others, for what the world most needs
is love! But it comes across as disingenuous,
for it's obvious we cannot love even ourselves.
But when we learn to accept ourselves
as we are and stop trying to save the world,
when we find by accepting ourselves
we are loved and can even love ourselves,
we find ourselves restored to sanity
which we cannot recall having had before,
and in sanity with surrender
we can accomplish those great things impossible before!

Self-Approval

With recovery comes a new attitude toward self. We see that we find happiness by abstaining from compulsive overeating and seeking every day to do God’s will. New power and order enter into our daily activities, and we begin to approve of ourselves. ~ L., Elisabeth. Food for Thought: Daily Meditations for Overeaters (Kindle Locations 2290-2292). Hazelden Publishing. Kindle Edition.

We seek self-approval in many ways.
My self-esteem does not rise
by my counting the likes and loves
on posts on Facebook, and I seldom see...
or post...on Twitter, Instagram or LinkedIn.
But it is a battle to approve of myself.
I've garnered respect from others
by intelligence, achievements and success
but seldom tendered it to myself.
I could have trudged along,
ramshackle self-esteem all I had,
until a woman informed me,
"You don't have to be subservient anymore."
How can I believe her? How can I not?
I guess it's true, new power and order
enters into my daily activities,
and I can begin to approve of myself!

Wildness of God

Sometimes it is the wildness of God, the untamable energies of the divine within creation, that the creatures alert us to. (Christ of the Celts, J. Philip Newell, p. 34)

I need a wild god!
I long to slough off
the formal, the trite,
the straitjacket tight
constraints. I want
a dancing god,
a rapscallion,
a co-conspirator,
a giggling god.
I need a life-loving
audacious god.
Joy to the world!

Irreducible

I know many words,
useful tools they are.
This one discovered today
intrigues, inspires.
Irreducible. Impossible
to transform into
or restore to
a desired or simpler condition.
Bare bones, essence,
quintessence.
The root, the core.
Our commitment to abstinence first —
is the most important thing in our lives
without exception.
Abstinence is irreducible
to Recovery.

Pants on Fire

Lying is a particular talent of mine,
fine-honed and polished with use.
My sponsor knows when I hedge the truth.
If an answer is generalized, minimized,
or "fine" or "okay" she quickly dredges out the truth.
What happens, though, when I involve another
in my deception? For most fabrications
I craft are individualized and others know.
Still, it's a defect of character
falling in the category of "every single
defect of character which stands in the way
of my usefulness to You and my fellows."
God, I see the issue and haven't managed
to lose the habit on my own, so help me
to speak the truth when I mumble the words
and honestly be entirely ready
to let you remove the lousy habit!

Cast Your Burden on the Lord

To cast the burden means really to insist upon harmony and peace of mind, and to cease from worry and anxiety there and then. This leaves you free to go about your business in a serene frame of mind, following upon which, in due course, you find your problem solved. ~ Fox, Emmet. Find and Use Your Inner Power (p. 58). New Albany. Kindle Edition.

Cast. Throw, fling, pitch, hurl, lob. chunk.
Cast your cares, your anxiety, your cares,
your troubles, your millstone, your load,
your onus, your responsibility, your load.
Cast your burden on the Lord.
God, I offer myself to Thee to build with me
and to do with me as Thou wilt.
Relieve me of the bondage of self,
that I may better do Thy will.
Take away my difficulties,
that victory over them may bear witness
to those I would help
of Thy Power, Thy Love, and Thy Way of life.
May I do Thy will always!
Cast your burden on the Lord,
And He shall sustain you;
He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.
(Psalm 55:22-23 New King James Version)
My difficulties, my burden are Yours.
Your will, not mine be done...THANK GOD!

Worry

Worry seems to be knitting expectations. ~ Maureen

Knit one, purl one, knit one purl one, repeat...
Knit a row, purl a row, repeat ad infinitum.
Hours...or days...later you see what's emerging,
hopefully resembling the picture on the pattern.

The knitting process echoes obsessive worry
in its repeating, repeating,
reliving, reliving, imagining a result...
most often the result you loath,
yet you continue creating out of wholecloth
what you least wanted the result to be.

Save your knitting for yarn.
Stop knitting expectations
by giving up worry, choosing instead
to leave the planning, the creating,
to your Higher Power saying,
"Not my will but Yours be done!"

Abundance

Our hearts ache, but we always have joy. We are poor, but we give spiritual riches to others. We own nothing, and yet we have everything. ~ 2 Corinthians 6:10 NLT

An attitude of gratitude,
a belief that God will supply,
The assurance in my mind,
what I need will appear
sufficient to meet my needs...
Seeing seemingly negative turns
offer opportunities for growth,
believing in abundance,
declining to consider
what could seem downs
as negative, knowing instead
trust brings sunshine in storm,
good in disappointment,
hope from hopelessness,
a life well-lived
from disappointment and despair.
Joy is here for claiming.
I have everything in abundance.

Set Aside Defenses

You do not realize what you have done to sabotage the holy peace of God by your defensiveness. ~ Schucman, Dr. Helen. A Course in Miracles (Kindle Locations 17890-17891). Foundation for Inner Peace.

It's called surrender.
Conditional or unconditional.
Capitulating to God means the latter,
unequivocally.
A belligerent incapable of continuing
yields completely.
A white flag
or raising empty open hands.
Next comes silence
(they cannot plan an escape)
Search (for weapons, maps, orders, etc.)
Secure (tie up or guard)
Safeguard (from dangers)
Separate (to facilitate control)
To surrender  usually opens yourself
to humiliation, no voice in decisions.
Would you surrender to God?
I thought I did when I was twelve
and joined the church.
I thought I’d surrendered to God.
But that was the media God,
the one I got third hand.
Only when I really knew him
could I reach the point of yielding control
and that gladly.
Until the understanding
that came through working the Steps,
I had no real relationship with God.
So for me God was really nothing,
or at least not everything.
When I got to know him,
he was everything,
and surrender came naturally.

Living Miracles

Now when someone leaves a will, it is necessary to prove that the person who made it is dead. The will goes into effect only after the person’s death. While the person who made it is still alive, the will cannot be put into effect. ~ Hebrews 9:16-17 (NLT)

Doctors had pronounced him incurable. Society was about to lock him up. Like myself, he had admitted complete defeat. Then he had, in effect, been raised from the dead, suddenly taken from the scrap heap to a level of life better than the best he had ever known!  ~Alcoholics Anonymous, Page 11

Jesus told Nicodemus
he had to be born again.
He said flesh comes from flesh,
spirit from spirit.
God so loved he gave his son.
Just believe – no more – and Spirit
gives spirit where flesh condemns.
We’ve turned away from light,
loving darkness, doing evil.
Fear blocks the light.
Just believe,
be ready to live by truth,
walk into light, in the light,
seeing miracles, living miracles.*

God, my fear is huge,
but it’s not larger
than your light.
I believe. I believe!

*John, Chapter 3

Rollins, Barbara with OAStepper.
A Cloud of Witnesses -
Two Big Books and Us
(Kindle Locations 1335-1353).
 Eagle Wings Press imprint
of Silver Boomer Books.
Kindle Edition.

Half Measures Don't Work

Nothing short of an honest, wholehearted commitment to abstinence and the OA program will give us the ability to stop eating compulsively. If we think we can get away with small deviations here and there, we are deluding ourselves. Our disease is progressive, and unless we take the steps outlined in the program, it will eventually destroy us. ~ L., Elisabeth. Food for Thought: Daily Meditations for Overeaters (Kindle Locations 2210-2212). Hazelden Publishing.

"I'll read literature and eat right."
"I'll go until I can wear that dress."
"I don't need a sponsor. I know this stuff."
"I can't do this Higher Power stuff."
The Big Book says, "Half measures
availed us nothing.
We stood at the turning point.
We asked His protection and care
with complete abandon."
If we truly take Step Three we will make it.
Short of that is half measures,
which avail us nothing!

Peace First

Peace of mind first—and all things will follow on that. God is ready the moment you are. ~ Fox, Emmet. Find and Use Your Inner Power (p. 45). New Albany. Kindle Edition.

Anger, resentment, grief,
jealousy, bitterness, fear, doubt,
stress, indignation, anxiety,
frustration...whoever you are,
whatever you're feeling,
wherever you are,
center yourself, find peace of mind,
by saying the serenity prayer
or simply calling God's name,
claiming your serenity,
you open the door to God
and the blessings he holds,
a life of peace with all negativity
replaced by abundance.

She's Describing Me!

Acceptance of being different from other people can be difficult, but it is also a relief. ~ Overeaters Anonymous. Voices of Recovery (Kindle Locations 2749-2750). Overeaters Anonymous.

She spoke at the workshop
for Overeaters Anonymous
and told MY life story
claiming it was hers!
I almost didn't go back,
but my sponsor told me
she knew the woman,
had for years, and it was hers --
She'd told her own story.
The longer I go to meetings,
the more convinced I become
that every one of us
has a story that varies only slightly,
that we share fears, doubts,
rebellion, realizations,
sudden insights, resentments
and character defects.
But if we put our hands together
and  keep coming back,
we can also share our stories
of Recovery, serenity, and
the life beyond our dreams!

Entrenched

The minute we say, “No, never,” our minds close against the grace of God. ~ Anonymous. A Day at a Time: Daily Reflections for Recovering People (Hazelden Meditations) (Kindle Location 2349). Hazelden Publishing. Kindle Edition.

Turn it over, let it go.
Don't hold on.
God is fully capable
of pulling our strings,
treating us like a marionette.
Capable, yes, but willing to?
Absolutely not. He's not controlling
like a parent determined to
have a child act to their standards...
but he allows us choose,
even to make mistakes.
But the invitation is extended,
the willingness to make it work.
If we accept, it does work
but God is not a puppeteer.
The minute we say,
“No, never,”
our minds close
against the grace of God.

Self-Love

…self-love is an unequivocal acceptance of the validity of getting what one wants—of respecting one’s needs. ~ Marion Weinstein quoted in Anonymous. Today's Gift: Daily Meditations for Families (Hazelden Meditation Series) (Kindle Locations 2382-2384). Hazelden Publishing.

Why am I last in line
for getting my needs met?
Who made that decision?
I could name people
who seem to believe
they have the right to priority
in getting needs met,
and I've let them call that shot.
Standing against them
seems to me so totally wrong.
But it's not. I am a child of God.
I am loved and deserve to be.
But the one to convince is me!
I need to accept without question
the validity of getting my wants
and more than that I need to respect
that I have needs and deserve
to have them met.

Practice the Presence

By practicing the Presence of God wherever distortion shows itself, you will rapidly redeem your own existence and help to liberate the whole race too. ~ Fox, Emmet. Find and Use Your Inner Power (p. 40). New Albany. Kindle Edition.

"Teach these new disciples
to obey all the commands
I have given you. And be sure of this:
I am with you always,
even to the end of the age."*
Do you believe in the presence
of God in your life always?
Did you surrender to your Higher Power,
not my will but yours?
Do you believe God is the vine
and we the branches,
that we alone can do nothing?**
Practice the Presence
then watch as miracles happen!


*Matthew 20:28 (NLV)
**John 15:4-5

Stepping Stones

A first cautious step
wondering what this
is all about but hopeless,
and these folk seem to know me
inside out. It can't be worse.
They talk about power
that can when I can't.
Another careful step.
They say "Let him,
or her or it, your choice.
A step further.
They say to write a list.
things you fear,
people who hurt you.
Sure! I forge ahead
then Stop! They want me to tell!
A baby step, but not so bad...
Get ready, not so hard,
the sixth stone.
Then get rid of bad habits.
Not really comfortable, but done.
List people I owe apologies?
An uncomfortable step

to stand on but I expected worse.
The last three stepping stones
seem well worn.
Crowds of people
long before me have worn them smooth
using them day after day
year after year. And at the end of the
stepping stones the scenery
so much better, my footing so secure...
why did I ever hesitate to start?

Trust God and Clean House

I heard someone in the Program once read, “Burn the idea into the consciousness of every man that he can get well, regardless of anyone. The only condition is that he trust in God and clean house.” That is what Step Seven means to me—that I’m going to clean house and will have all the help I need. ~ Anonymous. A Day at a Time: Daily Reflections for Recovering People (Hazelden Meditations) (Kindle Locations 2306-2308). Hazelden Publishing.

Trust God and clean house?
I must admit at this point
the cleaning house is more intimidating.
Removing roomsful of clutter physically
in trying to empty office space is tough,
but the psychological clutter is as bad.
Sorting through thirty years of correspondence,
journals, notes to and from me,
emotional debris I've grown through
but hurtful still. But Step Seven!
It's not my issue. I've already become
entirely ready, and my part
remains as passive relief...
"I pray that You now remove from me
every single defect of character
which stands in the way of my usefulness
to You and my fellows.
Grant me strength,
as I go out from here, to do Your bidding."
Amen, so be it!

Loving Him

Co-dependent no more.
Growing old together.

Decades of history
teeming with hurtful
discourse, evolving now
to gratitude, small talk,
servitude willingly given
and graciously received.
Loving him still.
Loving him healthily now.

One Day at a Time

Each day is a little life; every waking and rising a little birth; every fresh morning a little youth; every going to rest and sleep a little death. ~ Arthur Schopenhauer

We live in the Now.
Yesterday is history.
We may...or may not...
have another day tomorrow.
Today is the present,
a gift from God.
On arising we think about the day
and what may happen,
asking God to direct our thinking
"asking that it be divorced
from self-pity, dishonest
or self-seeking motives."
We seek God's help deciding.
seeking intuition and inspiration.
Meditation and prayer
prepare us for a day
living in the now,
guided along the way.
As the day ends
we consider it,
finding our moments,
good and needing improvement.
And the day of Recovery is done,
ready to be repeated,
one day at a time.

Love

The remedy of all blunders, the cure of blindness, the cure of crime, is love. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Worship"

Paul said: Three things will last forever —
faith, hope, and love —
and the greatest of these is love.Lao Tzu: Being deeply loved by someone
gives you strength,
while loving someone deeply
gives you courage.
Bryant H. McGill: There is no love
without forgiveness,
and there is no forgiveness without love.The Beatles: All you need is love.Paul: Love bears all things,
believes all things,
hopes all things,
endures all things.John: Beloved,
let us love one another,
for love is from God,
and whoever loves
has been born of God
and knows God.

It's Shame

...if it feels dark and makes us feel bad about being who we are, it’s probably shame. ~ Beattie, Melody. The Language of Letting Go: Hazelden Meditation Series (pp. 235-236). Hazelden Publishing. Kindle Edition.
Course adherents say if we have any agitation, we are in the clutches of the ego. ~ Casey, Karen. Daily Meditations for Practicing The Course (Kindle Locations 2597-2598). Hazelden Publishing. Kindle Edition.

The literature of Recovery
is replete with "shame" and "ashamed."
That's because the life stories
of Recovering people teem with shame:
a painful feeling of humiliation
or distress caused
by the consciousness of wrong
or foolish behavior.
It dominates our histories
and tales of Before.
We discuss it in all Twelve Steps
and it lingers through years in the Rooms.
When discomfort riddles your day,
consider the probability the culprit is shame.
Shame well deserved can be dealt with
in Steps Four, Five, Six, Seven,
Eight, Nine and Ten.
But does your shame arise
from talking about feelings, making choices,
taking care of ourselves, having fun,
being successful, or feeling good about ourselves?
That's shame undeserved. Forgive yourself,
accept your right to Recovery,
and choose joy, serenity, and peace!

The Discipline of Thanksgiving

..walk in the Light with Me by practicing the discipline of Thanksgiving. ~ Jesus Calling, April 6

Collins English Dictionary states,
"If you refer to an activity or situation as a discipline,
you mean that, in order to be successful in it,
you need to behave in a strictly controlled way
and obey particular rules or standards."
Practicing the discipline of Thanksgiving?
Behaving in s strictly controlled way
of being thankful. Being like Paul who said,
"I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances."
Jesus, speaking in the selection says to walk with him
in the light. Constant awareness of our Higher Power
while remaining grateful for all all things, for all around
results in successfully living  life. Thank God!

 

Better than Myself

I am larger, better than I thought, 

I did not know I held so much goodness.  ~ Walt Whitman, "Song of the Open Road"

What do I think of me
in the depths of my being?
Can it be true I have arthritis
because I have unexpressed anger,
resentment, aggression,
criticism of myself and fear?
Do I agonize over my perceived dearth
of a sense of style, a tendency
to ignore makeup, hair, appearance?
Do I still feel the need for Mother
to instruct me what clothes coordinate?
Do I want someone else to
select the clothes I buy?
If these have been true
can I move past them
and truthfully say,
I am larger, better than I thought,
I did not know I held so much goodness?
God, let it be so!
I would lay aside the pain
and affirm I no longer believe
somehow I deserve pain.

What Is Your Everything?

When we became alcoholics, crushed by a self-imposed crises  we could not postpone or evade, we had to fearlessly face the proposition that either God is everything or else He is nothing. God either is or He isn’t. What was our choice to be? ~ World Service, Alcoholics Anonymous. The Big Book and A Study Guide of the 12 Steps (Kindle Locations 1043-1045). Anonymous Publishing. Kindle Edition.

What is most important in your life?
In Overeaters Anonymous you'll hear,
"Abstinence is the most important
thing in my life without exception."
Really? More important than our children,
our job, our home, car, computer, our integrity?
Yes, because if we don't have abstinence
the rest will fall by the wayside.
Joe and Charlie on the A.A. speakers circuit
would use the Big Book quote above
and if something else seemed to take precedence,
they tagged that as the person's higher Power.
What is most important in YOUR life?
In mine it seems a tie, that abstinence
and the God of my understanding rival each other,
as necessary as an oar on each side of a rowboat,
but truth be told, without surrender to my God,
abstinence will evaporate and disappear.
God either is God to us or he is powerless in our lives,
so, for me, God is not nothing, God is everything.

You Deserve the Best

You do not ask too much of life, but far too little. ~ Schucman, Dr. Helen. A Course in Miracles (Kindle Locations 17293-17294). Foundation for Inner Peace.

Self-esteem suffered through years of addiction,
as we loathed ourselves for insufficient willpower.
Then we found Recovery and learned
we had a disease and were not inferior beings
and traded in the fundamentally flawed willpower
for Real Power and people began to treat us kindly,
to do the unthinkable and actually love us...
and we found we weren't ogres, loathsome,
flawed...and came to realize we could be loved,
that we could even love ourselves.
Eventually we began to believe we were worthy
of respect, of good stuff, of appreciation.
Finally, being loved, we found dreams coming true
and that we could ask for and receive what we needed,
so eventually when we were told, "You do not ask
too much of life, but far too little,"
we could actually believe it true!

Don't Be Sad

Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!” ~ Nehemiah 8:10 (NLT)

As we develop a relationship
with our Higher Power, we find
we no longer must suffer through
many days, looking forward to a few
splendid days resulting from efforts
before returning to humdrum.
No, having surrendered our lives
and our wills to Him, pain and suffering,
even on the worst days, do not prevail.
We can claim serenity, peace, even joy
relying on strength not our own,
and we are comfortable in the bedrock
of the strength of our Lord,
the source of comfort and joy.

Running from Myself

May my Higher Power stop me in my tracks if I am running away from myself. ~ Anonymous. A Day at a Time: Daily Reflections for Recovering People (Hazelden Meditations) (Kindle Location 2206). Hazelden Publishing. Kindle Edition.

Do you scare yourself?
Are you afraid others will see you
and seeing you think you're as worthless
as you believe yourself to be?
Are you appalled people will learn
your worst secrets, your deplorable deeds?
Are you running away from yourself?
Would you if you could?
Don't run away from yourself.
To run is a false peace.
The only way is to stay
in the now, in the you, in the imperfection
Live. Reside in true peace.
Bring you with yourself.
Enjoy the day.

Ironmoe helped with this poem.

Waste of Soul Substance

... a waste of time, a waste of the soul substance which is lavished upon a lie. ~ Fox, Emmet. Find and Use Your Inner Power (p. 27). New Albany. Kindle Edition.

What pulls you into negativity?
Jealousy? Longing for good times,
past or future but not living this day?
Resentment? Anger? Boredom?
Stressed out? Overbooked?
Is the negativity
a waste of your soul substance?
Is that what you want for this day,
the only day you have?
Change it! Count your blessings.
Notice beauty. Love someone
and receive love in the exchange.
Forgive someone else.
Forgive yourself.
You have no time, no energy
to squander on wasting
your soul substance...
so don't!

Wisdom Is a Shelter

Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit,
for anger resides in the lap of fools.
Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these?”
For it is not wise to ask such questions.
Wisdom, like an inheritance, is a good thing
and benefits those who see the sun.
Wisdom is a shelter
as money is a shelter,
but the advantage of knowledge is this:
that wisdom preserves the life of its possessor. ~ Ecclesiastes 7:9-13

Doctors? Engineers?
How straight should it be?
Would The Teacher have written this
in the 21st Century?
Maybe today he’d think money
might buy sufficient care
to preserve the possessor’s life.
Did God make crooked stuff?
If God knows as much more as we know
than The Teacher,
who knows?
Just God.

Lord, I’m lacking knowledge and trust.
I probably can’t handle the knowledge,
so if you will, just give me the trust.

Rollins, Barbara B..
A Time for Verse - Poetic Ponderings
on Ecclesiastes
(Kindle Locations 507-524).
Eagle Wings Press imprint
of Silver Boomer Books. Kindle Edition.

To Validate Yourself

...sometimes, it’s not about changing what you believe. It’s an opportunity for you to validate yourself and your beliefs. ~ Beattie, Melody. More Language of Letting Go: 366 New Daily Meditations (Hazelden Meditation Series) (p. 242). Hazelden Publishing. Kindle Edition.

Recovery facilitates our evolution,
our becoming, our changing who we are
from to who we wish to be.
We have a roadmap called the Steps,
a guide called the God of our understanding
and we have become accustomed to change.
Sometimes, though, what feels like change
is really a check-up, a reality scrutiny perhaps.
Validation of someone else involves
expressing understanding and acceptance,
offering understanding and affirmation.
Most of us in Recovery need understanding
and affirmation as we make changes,
and it's neat from someone else
but welcome when we come to see
that our thoughts and feelings are justified.
It's good to have an opportunity
to validate ourselves and our beliefs!

Claiming Serenity

Letting another’s behavior, no matter how petty, disturb our inner peace means we aren’t in control of ourselves. But we can be. ~ Casey, Karen. Keepers of The Wisdom Daily Meditations: Reflections From Lives Well Lived (Kindle Locations 3012-3013). Hazelden Publishing. Kindle Edition.

We claim our anger, our harried,
our bored, our hostility,
our vexation. We can let other people
or our circumstances reign supreme
and be negative for hours, days,
as long as we hold the indignation close.
But if we choose not to claim it.
we can hold on to peace, tranquility,
love and grace by changing ourselves
which is the only change we have...
or need, and live serenity.
Thank God!

Words, Words, Words

Don’t get stuck on the level of words. A word is no more than a means to an end. It’s an abstraction. Not unlike a signpost, it points beyond itself. ~ Tolle, Eckhart. The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment (p. 108). New World Library. Kindle Edition.

"Never do I ever want to hear another word
There isn't one, I haven't heard" (Chet Baker)
Is the word God a hangup? Or prayer, surrender,
disease  (as applied to compulsive food behaviors?)
Okay, fine. Don't get stuck on the level of words.
Choose one that feels neutral. I met someone once
who used "Howard" and explained it as coming from
"Howard be Thy name." The chair you're sitting in
holds you up, is a power greater than you.
Borrow a god from your sponsor.
Pray to the ocean or the wind.
Don’t get stuck on the level of words.

God Will Provide

It is not a question of whether God can provide a shelter from the storm, but of whether or not you seek the security of that shelter. ~ Anonymous. Twenty Four Hours A Day: Meditations (p. 114). Hazelden Publishing. Kindle Edition.

Many of us came into Recovery's rooms
with a solid background in our faith.
But with that part of our lives causing misery
we'd not been able to look to God for relief.
As we grow in Recovery surrendering
our addiction turned the corner
of trust in the God of our Understanding grew.
But understanding control in that part
often failed to reach our thoughts
in the rest of our lives. But staying the course
through the years leads us to understand
the limits are ours, that God stands ready
to meet our needs in every way.
God doesn't butt in but every call
will be answered. God will provide
if we have a grain of faith,
the courage to seek His help.

Confidence Needed Here

Surely oppression maketh a wise man mad; and a gift destroyeth the heart. ~ Ecclesiastes 7:7 (King James Version)

Mad as Hell.
Not going to take it any more.
Cruel, unjust treatment,
oppression.
You don’t have to
treat me like this, God!
I resent it.
I resent life.
I resent you.
What brought me here?
What happened?
I had everything I wanted.
I could be somebody!
The oughts, the shoulds, the talent —
they got in the way,
destroyed me.
It’s not the gifts you gave,
it’s my insecurity
in my ability to use them
that destroyed my heart.

God, thanks for the gifts.
Give me confidence
you’ll use them – and me.

 

Rollins, Barbara B.. A Time for Verse -
Poetic Ponderings on Ecclesiastes
(Kindle Locations 491-501).
 Eagle Wings Press imprint of
 Silver Boomer Books. Kindle Edition.

I Sit, Content

“I exist as I am, that is enough, if no other in the world be aware I sit content, and if each and all be aware I sit content.” ~ Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass

Serenity is our life, blessed
by turning our lives, or wills
over to God as we understand God.
We understand we at Long last
are good enough, are acceptable,
meet the test, the amazing fact being
that there IS no test!
And we are content under the scrutiny
of the whole world to the sane extent
As we are content sitting alone,
the living beings in our presence
being insects, a slug, two snails
and birds flying past.
And we sit content, serene, with our God.

From All the Common Strings

But the lover's power is the poet's power. He can make love from all the common strings with which this world is strung. ~ Amelia Barr

Making love using
"all the common string
with which the works is strung,"
What holds the world together?
Friendship, family, chance encounters...
hearing news that folks are suffering,
unknown to us but a part of it all...
Animals, pets or wild, part of our lives
for the moment in time,
children playing at the park
under watchful eyes, friends
by the time they climb a slide,
babies waiting noisily, shy teens
aware of others, ready to know them
but afraid to speak...
ordinary people making love
from all the common strings
with which this world is strung.

Look Backward and Forward Without Staring

Ours is a program of one day at a time.
We remember yesterday. being powerless
unable to manage our lives. But we don't stare
at the past even while sharing how it was.
We know tomorrow will come, we note it
on our calendars. But we don't stare at it,
imagining accomplishments, relationships,
financial security, dreams come to fruition.
We live wholly in today, knowing that is enough,
that we can be who we choose this day
and only this day, and a glance back
or a peek at the future is enough
but that today is the only day we have,
a day to be lived in the presence and guidance
of a Power greater than we.

God Gifts

Receive the thanks of God today, as you give thanks to Him. For He would offer you the thanks you give, since He receives your gifts in loving gratitude, and gives them back a thousand and a hundred thousand more than they were given. ~ Schucman, Dr. Helen. A Course in Miracles (Kindle Locations 16950-16952). Foundation for Inner Peace.

Give, and it will be given to you.
A good measure, pressed down,
shaken together and running over,
will be poured into your lap.
For with the measure you use,
it will be measured to you. Luke 6:28
God is grateful for our gratitude
expressed to Him? It follows, of course,
but who would expect it, identify it,
understand it was happening?
What a blessing as we name blessings
received, to count them then find
they have been multiplied
a thousand times greater
blessing us more but also
pouring over to each being we encounter
spreading favor, protection and grace
lavishly to the denizens of the world!

The Power of Gratitude

 When we’re learning to speak the language of letting go, however, we learn to say thanks for everything in our lives, whether we feel grateful or not. That’s how we turn things around. ~ Beattie, Melody. More Language of Letting Go: 366 New Daily Meditations (Hazelden Meditation Series) (p. 236). Hazelden Publishing. Kindle Edition.
An attitude of gratitude,
do you have one?
There are no requisites...
like something for which
you feel grateful. "HOW?"
you may ask. Thank God.
For what, you wonder?
For what you have,
pathetic as it may be.
Thank God for what you have
in the spirit of "Act as if."
Do it often, daily, consistently.
Then wait for the miracles
as your situation changes,
as what you desire begins to appear.
Then again,  Thank God.
For what, you wonder?
For what you have,
whatever it may be.
Thank God for what you have
in the spirit of "Act as if."
Do it often, daily, consistently.
Then wait for the miracles
as your situation changes,
as what you desire begins to appear
again, and again and again!