“Let’s Keep It Simple”
A few hours later I took my leave of Dr. Bob… The wonderful, old, broad smile was on his face as he said almost jokingly, “Remember, Bill, let’s not louse this thing up. Let’s keep it simple!” I turned away, unable to say a word. That was the last time I ever saw him. Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, P 214 – The last thing Doctor Bob said to
Bill before he died After years of sobriety I occasionally ask myself: “Can it be this simple?” Then, at meetings, I see former cynics and sceptics who have walked the A.A. path out of hell by packaging their lives, without alcohol, into twenty–four hour segments, during which they practice a few principles to the best of their individual abilities. And then I know again that, while it isn’t always easy, if I keep it simple, it works.
Twenty–Four Hours a Day
A.A. Thought for the Day
In the beginning, you want to get sober, but you’re helpless (1), so you turn to a Power greater than yourself (2) and by trusting in that Power (3), you get the strength to stop drinking. From then on, you want to keep sober, and that’s a matter of re–educating your mind (4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12). After a while, you get so that you really enjoy simple, healthy, normal living. You really get a kick out of life without the artificial stimulus of alcohol. All you have to do is look around at the members of any A.A. group and you will see how their outlook has changed. Is my outlook on life changing?
Meditation For The Day
I will never forget to say thank you to God, even on the greyest days. My attitude will be one of humility and gratitude. Saying thank you to God is a daily practice that is absolutely necessary. If a day is not one of thankfulness, the practice has to be repeated until it becomes so. Gratitude is a necessity for those who are seeking a better life.
Prayer for the Day
I pray that gratitude will bring humility. I pray that humility will bring me to live a better life. Walk In Dry Places
No Humiliation in Humility Self–understanding. With few exceptions, every alcoholic eventually meets humiliation and
defeat. This is especially painful in a world that places high value on winning and on having the approval and admiration of others. We feel diminished by these defeats. Nobody likes to be humbled, to be made to appear less than other people. Yet these humiliations serve a constructive purpose if they lead us to seek humility. Truly humble people cannot really be humiliated, because they no longer rely on the false supports of worldly praise and approval. We develop humility as we withdraw from a reliance on our own powers and personality and realize that we ourselves can do nothing; it is our Higher Power who does the work.
Still, there is a paradox in humility. The person who admits he or she can do nothing will, in the process, tap into powers that were never available in the previous state of mind. In truth, humility is never humiliation or weakness, though these may lead to it. Humility is really a road to the power that only God can give us. I’ll watch myself today for the crazy things that set me up for humiliation. I won’t try to impress others or win their admiration today.
Keep it Simple
Go often to the house of your friend: for weeds soon choke up the unused path. – Scandinavian proverb.
Our program has two parts: the Steps, and the fellowship. Both keep us sober. We can’t stay sober if we go it alone. We need to work the Steps. We also need people – the help of our friends daily Recovery is about relationships. We get new friends. We get involved. We give. We get. In times of need, we may not want to ask our new friends for help. Maybe we don’t want to “burden them.” “Maybe we’re afraid to ask for help.” Well, go ahead. Make that call. Ask your new friend to spend time with you. You deserve and need it. They deserve it; they need it.
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me to get help from my friends as if my life depends on it.
Action for the Day: Today, I’ll see or call two program friends and let them know how I’m doing.
Thoughts
There is no mountain, God cannot help us to climb. – Shelley
Learn to listen to your inner voice. Listen to your heart. It’s your connection to God, to people, to the universe, and to yourself. – Melody Beattie
“Peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. Peace means to be in the midst of all those things and still be calm in your heart. That is the real meaning of peace.” – Author Unknown
“The tree in which the sap is stagnant remains fruitless.” – Hosea Ballou
People travel to wonder at the height of the mountains, at the huge waves of the seas, at the long course of the rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motion of the stars, and yet they pass by themselves without wondering. – St. Augustine
There is a hole and empty place within us that we have tried to fill. Today we know that this is a God shaped hole, that only God can fill. A place where acceptance, understanding, love and support are a given. – Author Unknown
Father Leo’s Daily Meditation
Poetry
“Poetry is not an assertion of truth, but the making of that truth more fully real to us.”
– T. S. Eliot
God is able to communicate Himself in a thousand different ways and one such way is poetry. Spirituality is discovering God in His creation, and this involves more than religion or denominationalism. Spirituality is a comprehensive approach to God’s world and is the unifying factor at the centre of the universe. Spirituality is about what is true – wherever it is found in the world.
Poetry and other art forms become part of the spiritual journey for us as we struggle to understand and communicate truth.
In poetry may I find an expression of Your love for me; in my use of poetry, may I express my love for You.
Daily Inspiration
Behave as though God is standing next to you because He is. Lord, we make a great team and together we are able to make a big difference. If you think success and really believe it will happen, you will perform in a manner that leads to success. Lord, may I always avoid negative thoughts and visualize myself in the manner that You intended for me.
