April 27 2012 | AA 12 Steps In Action | Step 4 "Inventory" | Alcoholics Anonymous Today's AA daily reflection: "joyful discoveries…" Some days are full of joyful discoveries in recovery, and some days are full of very sad discoveries. Joyful or sad, the ability to keep on learning life on an emotional and spiritual level provides great opportunity to keep on learning how to live life just for today…
Nobody said it was going to be easy, and nobody had any answers for me. At the same time after two score years on the planet, finding myself between a rock and a hard place, I became more malleable than ever, more able to accept that my life was out of control and I needed to start learning how to live all over again. I feel progress might have been easier if I had said to myself, "I need to learn how to love, be loved back and useful just for today…"
When it comes to recovery, there are no hiding places, and there is no way to bend the truth of where we end up with our addictions. Rock bottom can be being revived from near death, can be desolation sitting on the most expensive furniture, can be the excoriating pain of withdrawal. Our bones were rattling towards death…
In the hardest of times, whatever the criteria for judging the hardest days, one thing keeps me going, that I am sober today and just for today. Anything can happen in the next 24-hour's, if I can keep faith with myself and ask the help when I need it, the outcomes are likely to be far better than thinking I have to solve everything by myself, that was one of my failings, unable and unwilling to ask for help in case I offended anyone…
How far down do we have to go? I feel most people get to a place where they feel there is no redemption and we are no longer worthy of being reclaimed. We are so angry at ourselves and resentful, and having judged ourselves so badly the notion of recovery is a distant and faded hope. The self inflicted wound of addiction so deep, no wonder we need work on our courage, faith and confidence on a daily basis, or we are in danger of sliding backwards moment by moment, hour by hour, day by day…
This is why the Fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous provides me with support, from the learning we get daily, from contact we get daily, understanding complete self-reliance means we are less likely to learn the solutions. By asking for help, there will always be more solutions than we may have first thought. Fellowship has taught me day in and day out I need ask for help, a reality check when I think I know the answers and a reality check when I don't know the answers, no matter where we ask the help, it means we are open, honest and willing to try live as best we can today…
And today I feel more able to love, be loved back and useful as each day unfolds…
DonInLondon 2005-2011
2007 ~ Hope… There is always hope when we are often most in despair as we hear others share how they are making gentle steps in recovery. Nobody is competing? Well maybe some are somehow. Yet there is no merit in being the best recovered alcoholic in the world. And finding someone who might feel they are the best recovering alcoholic is truly a misunderstanding and only happens now and then. And when we stop judging others and comparing ourselves, the peace and harmony is palpable. As we find ourselves in the moment of now.
Spiritual ~ So often when we seek a Holy Grail, where we want the truth of life and living. As if it is some big secret… The truth is simply there for us to live in this ever present, present moment of now, the true connection to life, and our spiritual connection so overlooked we cannot see or perceive when we have denial and filters in place. Spiritual, not gifted by Guru’s or diligence or intellect is simply being and letting every being be as nature and providence have enabled. Elusive and ephemeral, the spiritual connection, the Grail ever present in everyone who has connection to this very moment and every moment life is gifted and spent on this earth.
-/-
AA Daily Reflection: We realize we know only a little. God will constantly disclose more to you and to us. Ask Him in your morning meditation what you can do each day for the man who is still sick. The answers will come, if your own house is in order. But obviously you cannot transmit something you haven’t got. See to it that your relationship with Him is right, and great events will come to pass for you and countless others. This is the Great Fact for us. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 164
Sobriety is a journey of joyful discovery. Each day brings new experience, awareness, greater hope, deeper faith, broader tolerance. I must maintain these attributes or I will have nothing to pass on. Great events for this recovering alcoholic are the normal everyday joys found in being able to live another day in God’s grace.
-/-
Step 4 "Fearless Inventory" Reading Video Link:
"Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves"
-/-
I do not speak for Alcoholics Anonymous I speak for myself. Alcoholics Anonymous is a fellowship of unique and authentic people who speak for themselves where they will to share experience, strength and hope about recovery on a daily basis. Anonymity affords sanctuary to find how to live sober and be open, honest and willing to learn life day by day. For me "truth," "love" and "wisdom" offer the best spiritual experience by living reality today. Into the fabric of recovery from alcoholism are woven the Twelve Steps and the Twelve Traditions, steps to be open, honest and willing to learn, traditions to live unity, service and recovery.
-/-
Spiritual principles ~ Forgiveness Acceptance Surrender Faith Open-mindedness Honesty Willingness Moral-inventory Amends Humility Persistence Spiritual-growth Service
-/-
Nobody said it was going to be easy, and nobody had any answers for me. At the same time after two score years on the planet, finding myself between a rock and a hard place, I became more malleable than ever, more able to accept that my life was out of control and I needed to start learning how to live all over again. I feel progress might have been easier if I had said to myself, "I need to learn how to love, be loved back and useful just for today…"
When it comes to recovery, there are no hiding places, and there is no way to bend the truth of where we end up with our addictions. Rock bottom can be being revived from near death, can be desolation sitting on the most expensive furniture, can be the excoriating pain of withdrawal. Our bones were rattling towards death…
In the hardest of times, whatever the criteria for judging the hardest days, one thing keeps me going, that I am sober today and just for today. Anything can happen in the next 24-hour's, if I can keep faith with myself and ask the help when I need it, the outcomes are likely to be far better than thinking I have to solve everything by myself, that was one of my failings, unable and unwilling to ask for help in case I offended anyone…
How far down do we have to go? I feel most people get to a place where they feel there is no redemption and we are no longer worthy of being reclaimed. We are so angry at ourselves and resentful, and having judged ourselves so badly the notion of recovery is a distant and faded hope. The self inflicted wound of addiction so deep, no wonder we need work on our courage, faith and confidence on a daily basis, or we are in danger of sliding backwards moment by moment, hour by hour, day by day…
This is why the Fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous provides me with support, from the learning we get daily, from contact we get daily, understanding complete self-reliance means we are less likely to learn the solutions. By asking for help, there will always be more solutions than we may have first thought. Fellowship has taught me day in and day out I need ask for help, a reality check when I think I know the answers and a reality check when I don't know the answers, no matter where we ask the help, it means we are open, honest and willing to try live as best we can today…
And today I feel more able to love, be loved back and useful as each day unfolds…
DonInLondon 2005-2011
2007 ~ Hope… There is always hope when we are often most in despair as we hear others share how they are making gentle steps in recovery. Nobody is competing? Well maybe some are somehow. Yet there is no merit in being the best recovered alcoholic in the world. And finding someone who might feel they are the best recovering alcoholic is truly a misunderstanding and only happens now and then. And when we stop judging others and comparing ourselves, the peace and harmony is palpable. As we find ourselves in the moment of now.
Spiritual ~ So often when we seek a Holy Grail, where we want the truth of life and living. As if it is some big secret… The truth is simply there for us to live in this ever present, present moment of now, the true connection to life, and our spiritual connection so overlooked we cannot see or perceive when we have denial and filters in place. Spiritual, not gifted by Guru’s or diligence or intellect is simply being and letting every being be as nature and providence have enabled. Elusive and ephemeral, the spiritual connection, the Grail ever present in everyone who has connection to this very moment and every moment life is gifted and spent on this earth.
-/-
AA Daily Reflection: We realize we know only a little. God will constantly disclose more to you and to us. Ask Him in your morning meditation what you can do each day for the man who is still sick. The answers will come, if your own house is in order. But obviously you cannot transmit something you haven’t got. See to it that your relationship with Him is right, and great events will come to pass for you and countless others. This is the Great Fact for us. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 164
Sobriety is a journey of joyful discovery. Each day brings new experience, awareness, greater hope, deeper faith, broader tolerance. I must maintain these attributes or I will have nothing to pass on. Great events for this recovering alcoholic are the normal everyday joys found in being able to live another day in God’s grace.
-/-
Step 4 "Fearless Inventory" Reading Video Link:
"Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves"
-/-
I do not speak for Alcoholics Anonymous I speak for myself. Alcoholics Anonymous is a fellowship of unique and authentic people who speak for themselves where they will to share experience, strength and hope about recovery on a daily basis. Anonymity affords sanctuary to find how to live sober and be open, honest and willing to learn life day by day. For me "truth," "love" and "wisdom" offer the best spiritual experience by living reality today. Into the fabric of recovery from alcoholism are woven the Twelve Steps and the Twelve Traditions, steps to be open, honest and willing to learn, traditions to live unity, service and recovery.
-/-
Spiritual principles ~ Forgiveness Acceptance Surrender Faith Open-mindedness Honesty Willingness Moral-inventory Amends Humility Persistence Spiritual-growth Service
-/-
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