When all else fails....
umm! ....
Follow directions
The weekly meeting topic is: I am new, What does it mean when they say
"The newcomer is the most important person at any meeting. "
Talk about reservations -- the ones you had -- and the fear of ones you may still have. to share please visit
www.health.groups.yahoo.com/group/twelvestepsoulfood4thespirit/
or email twelvestepsoulfood4thespirit@yahoogroups.com ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Please Be There For The Newcomers*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
August 19
I value myself today.
I value everything about me.
I am finding people who value me as much as I value myself.
I am attracting people who treat with me with love and respect.
written by ~ Ruth Fishel
"Time for Joy"
PLEASE visit and check out Ruth's new book
LIVING LIGHT AS A FEATHER is arriving at bookstores now!
She even interviewed me for the book :)
If you would like a signed copy you can
order it at www.spirithaven.com or email her at spirithaven@... or call at 508-420-5301.
Check out her collection of light, nourishing and nurturing Books and Tapes
& some touching and embracing Greeting Cards
www.spirithaven.com
for inspirational messages email spirithaven@... ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Just for Today*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Metamorphosis
To emerge from our shell, our cocoon, our walls we have built
Takes time patience and love.
We start to grow and stretch, pull our head out and are amazed
To see beauty and light above
As the Hope and acceptance start to sink in,
we tell ourselves, Maybe, just maybe I can win.
We stretch and shove, on the walls we start to beat,
Finally, finally they fall and we stand on our feet,
Facing feelings and fears and filled with doubt,
Our wings start to emerge and our beauty comes out.
Wanting to be held and loved, yet filled with confusion,
Trying to trust, not understanding and comes delusion.
When you feel like you are sinking, remember to shove,
My spirit is with you and so is my love.
Take a deep breath, have faith, stretch out your butterfly wings,
Fill them with beauty and love, let your heart sing!
written by ~ Dennis Dennis9817@... ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Don't Use*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
If anyone has any original recovery poetry that they
would like to share with us please copy and paste it into the body
of an email and send it to me, Thanks for your support and contributions.
What I can't do alone, We do together.
In loving service, Scott ~ YOUnMEnHP@... ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*No Matter What*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Serenity Shoppe (a VERY COOL Recovery Gift Shop)
www.cafepress.com/serenity_shoppe
Bill W. on Marty M.
www.silkworth.net/grapevine/billwonmartym.html
Bill W. Modesty One Plank for Good Public Relations
www.silkworth.net/grapevine/one_plank.html
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Make A Meeting*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Just for Today
August 19 First things first
"We apply effort to our most obvious problems and let go of the
rest. We do the job at hand and, as we progress, new opportunities
for improvement present themselves. "Basic Text, p. 54 It's been said that recovery is simple-all we've got to change is everything ! That can seem a pretty tall order, especially when we first
arrived in Narcotics Anonymous. After all, not many of us showed up at
our first meeting because our lives were in great shape. On the
contrary, a great many of us came to NA in the midst of the worst crisis
of our lives. We needed recovery, and quick!
The enormity of the change required in our lives can be paralyzing. We
know we can't take care of all that needs to be done, not all at once.
How do we start? Chances are, we've already started. We've done the
first, most obvious things that need to be done: we've stopped using
drugs, and we've started going to meetings.
What do we do next? Pretty much the same thing, just more of it:
From where we are, we do what we can. We walk the path of recovery
by picking up our feet and taking the step that's right in front of us. Only
when that's been accomplish must we concern ourselves with what comes
next. Slowly but surely, we'll find ourselves making progress down the
path, visibly drawing closer each day to becoming the kind of person we'd
like to be.
Just for today: I will walk the path of my recovery by taking the
step right in front of me.
This is a DIFFERENT Yahoo Club you
MUST join this club in order to participate
Yahoo! Clubs Twelve Step Soul Food 4 the Spirit www.health.groups.yahoo.com/group/twelvestepsoulfood4thespirit
A Safe Place to Share , Discover and Recover.
This a message bulletin board meeting, where people post on the
weekly topic. It takes only 1 minute to enter a password and
username. Please go this page on the upper right hand corner and click
the join club link, sign in and go to the left hand side and click
messages to read what others have shared and click on the post link,
now you can share on the topic of the week or whatever you would like.
There is a lot of good experience, strength and hope in here as well
as newcomers who need our support and love, PLEASE stop by.
Thanks for your participation and support :)
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Use Your Sponsor*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Meditation of the Day
www.hazelden.org/servlet/hazelden/thoughts
Daily Meditation for ALL 12 Steppers
www.open-mind.org/Daily/
Dr. Twerski's Sober Thought of the Day
www.gatewayrehab.org/August.html
NEED HELP Pick a topic Daily Meditation
www.hazelden.org/servlet/hazelden/thoughts/search.html
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Be A Sponsor*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ FAMILY OBLIGATIONS
. . . a spiritual life which does not include . . . family obligations may
not be so perfect after all.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS p. 129
I can be doing great in the program -- applying it at meetings, at work,
and in service activities -- and find that things have gone to pieces at
home. I expect my loved ones to understand, but they cannot. I expect
them to see and value my progress, but they don't -- unless I show
them. Do I neglect their needs and desires for my attention and
concern? When I'm around them, am I irritable or boring? Are my "amends"
a mumbled "Sorry," or do they take the form of patience and tolerance? Do
I preach to them, trying to reform or "fix" them? Have I ever really
cleaned house with them? "The spiritual life is not a theory. We have to
live it" (Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 83).
Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Work The Steps*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Twenty-Four Hours A Day by Hazelden/ August 19th
A.A. Thought for the Day
"People of faith have a logical idea of what life is au about. There
is a wide variation in the way each one of us approaches and
conceives of the Power greater than ourself. Whether we agree
with a particular approach or conception seems to make little
difference. There are questions for each of us to settle for
ourselves. But in each case the belief in a Higher Power has
accomplished the miraculous, the humanly impossible. There has
come a revolutionary change in their way of living and thinking."
Has there been a revolutionary change in me?
Meditation for the Day
Worship is consciousness of God's divine majesty. As you pause
to worship, God will help you to raise your humanity to His divinity.
The earth is a material temple to enclose God's divinity. God
brings to those who worship Him a divine power, a divine love,
and a divine healing. You only have to open your mind to Him and
try to absorb some of His divine spirit. Pausing quietly in the
spirit of worship, turn your inward thoughts upward and realize
that His divine power may be yours, that you can experience His
love and healing.
Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may worship God by sensing the eternal Spirit. I
pray that I may experience a new power in my life.
We donned life jackets and embarked on an experience that turned
out to be both exhilarating and frightening: exhilarating when I let
myself enjoy it; frightening when I thought too much about what I was
doing and all the terrible things that could happen.
Midway through our ride, my worst fear came true. We took a spill.
We were floundering in thirty feet of water. The Waverunner was
bobbing on the waves in front of me, like a motorized turtle on its back.
"Don't panic," my son said calmly.
"What if we drown?" I objected.
"We can't," he said. "We have life jackets on. See! We're floating."
"The machine is upside down," I said. "How are we going to turn it
over?"
"Just like the man said," my son answered. "The arrow points this way."
With an easy gesture, we turned the machine right-side up.
"What if we can't climb back on?" I asked.
"We can," my son replied. "That's what Waverunners were made for:
climbing on in the water."
I relaxed and as we drove off, I wondered why I had become so
frightened. I thought maybe it's because I don't trust my ability to
solve problems. Maybe it's because once I almost drowned when I
wasn't wearing a life jacket.
But you didn't drown then either, a small voice inside reassured me.
You survived.
Don't panic.
Problems were made to be solved. Life was made to be lived. Although
sometimes we may be in over our heads-yes, we may even go under for a
few moments and gulp a few mouthfuls of water, we won't drown. We're
wearing-and always have been wearing-a life jacket. That support jacket
is called "God."
Today, I will remember to take care of myself. When I get in
over my head, God is there supporting me-even when my fears try to
make me forget.
El Nino Made Me Do It, Alan Cohen
www.inlightimes.com/archives/1998/09/el_nino.htm
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*One Day At A Time*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Growing Beyond Victim by Alan Cohen
"Americans, who make more of marrying for
love than any other people, also break up
more of their marriages, but the figure reflects
not so much the failure of love as the
determination not to live without it."
-- Morton Hunt
My friend Andrea is a popular college instructor of human relations, and a
relationship counselor. She has also been married four times, and divorced
three. At a party we both attended, I overheard one of Andrea's former
students ask her, "How can you pass yourself off as a relationship expert
when you are a four-time loser?"
Andrea responded coolly, "I don't see myself as a four-time loser; I
consider myself a four-time learner. Although those marriages didn't endure,
I gained valuable lessons that helped me bring more depth and presence to
the relationships that followed, and ultimately contributed to the
successful marriage I now have."
If you feel like a loser because your marriage or relationship has ended,
re-identify yourself as a learner.
If you are wiser for your experience, it was a success.
Rather than criticizing yourself for your shortcomings, honor yourself for
the courage to grow through experience.
As evolving beings, we discover what works by evaluating the results of what
didn't work; we grow as much (usually more) through our errors as we do
through our successes. Like a child learning to ride a bicycle, the
information we gain from falling is just as valuable as the feedback we get
from staying balanced. Every attempt, whether a "success" or "failure",
ultimately contributes to our skill. Seen in this way, we are always
progressing toward our goal.
One of the most difficult and painful questions to answer is, "Why did your
relationship fail?" When faced with such an inquiry, remember that ending is
not the same as failure. Your relationship would be a failure only if you
did not learn from it. If you gained insight, self-awareness, or strength,
and you would choose more wisely next time, you are significantly ahead of
where you began.
Begin to reframe your past relationships as successful learning experiences.
We form new relationships according to
the way we think about our old ones.
If you dwell on your past failures, you will manufacture new ones. Focus on
what you gained from past relationships, and you will build a foundation for
success in your new ones.
Here are some criteria by which losers are distinguished from learners:
Loser:
Denies sense of sorrow, grief, or loss
Blames partner for failure. Criticizes self for failure
Plunges into self-pity
Forms judgments about opposite sex
Seeks agreement from "allies" to bolster victim position
Turns to favored addiction to numb pain
Seeks new relationship immediately to offset sense of loss
Revels in ex-partner's pain or guilt
Seeks to punish ex-partner
Seeks retribution
Learner:
Acknowledges pain without indulging it
Inventories own actions
Honors self for willingness to learn
Explores self-awareness
Gathers information to ensure future success
Turns to friends for support to keep mind and heart open
Turns to Higher Power to grow beyond pain
Takes time to get reacquainted with self and integrate experience
Delights in ex-partner's well-being
Offers kindness and support to ex-partner
Lets go and gets on with life
BEYOND KEN AND BARBIE
Many "model" couples live picture-perfect marriages with fine homes in the
suburbs, well-paying jobs, several expensive automobiles, and bright
children who make the honor roll. Behind the scenes, however, many such
marriages are devoid of intimacy, communication, and growth. In my seminars,
I have heard a significant number of divorced men and women confess, "We
looked great on the outside, but I was dying on the inside". Just because a
couple fulfills societal expectations for a model marriage, it doesn't mean
that they are achieving their deeper purpose of growing as individuals.
Someone who becomes stronger and more self-aware through a painful divorce,
by contrast, accomplishes more for his or her spiritual growth than one who
sleepwalks through a lifeless marriage.
Do not be deceived by appearances, and do not allow yourself to fall prey to
the belief that you are here to live up to the expectations of others.
Your life is valuable not for how it looks, but for what is happening in
your heart and soul.
If a relationship falls apart in the outer world, but you extract personal
growth from it, you are succeeding in a far more meaningful way than one who
amasses the symbols of success but fails to recognize his or her own inner
worth. The only true measure of success, we eventually discover, is
happiness.
After my book "The Dragon Doesn't Live Here Anymore" was published, I
received a telephone call from a nun inviting me to present a seminar to the
Catholic ministry for the divorced and separated. Sister Alice explained
that many Catholics felt angry and guilty about their crashed marriages, and
then she asked me what I titled my workshop. Laughing, I told her, "I
usually call it 'The Dragon Doesn't Live Here Anymore', but in this case I
think we should use another title."
I found that the greatest need of the participants in the divorced and
separated ministry was self-forgiveness. While these people struggled with
tremendous pain and grief in the wake of their broken relationships, they
shouldered the added burden of condemnation from the church, which defined
them as sinners for ending their marriages. Their lives were difficult
enough, I surmised, without having to bear the stigma of excommunication.
These folks did not need to worry about going to hell - they were already
there!
The divorced women and men in this group demonstrated great courage in
leaving their marriages in the face of the ecclesiastical judgment they
faced. They needed to find compassion for themselves and forgiveness for
their mates. I honored the church for establishing a ministry to support
this segment of their parishioners. In the long run, these people grew a
great deal from facing and overcoming their fears, and they gained strength
that they may not have found if they had remained in barren marriages.
BROKEN OPEN
If you have been closed or armored, a painful breakup can lead you to
rediscover yourself and open to a depth of aliveness you might never have
known if you had just coasted along in your comfort zone.
If your heart has been broken, let it be broken open.
Opportunities Bestowed by a Broken Heart
Get in touch with your feelings
Reach out for support. Appreciate the love of friends
Gain insight into the patterns that have run your life
Tell more truth about who you are and what you want
Claim your power to establish your own destiny
Express creativity (poetry, music, art, original expression)
Discover and develop a relationship with your spiritual source
Deepen in compassion
Make changes in your life that you might not have otherwise made
Learn how to find richer rewards in your next relationship
The voice of shaky love tells you that your relationship ending has ruined
your life, while Big Love whispers that you now have more life available to
you. The road through hell leads to the door of heaven. So your breakup
merits not bitterness or resentment, but gratitude and appreciation.
Popular singer Kenny Loggins went through a major crisis when his marriage
ended. As he searched his soul to discover his truth and explain his divorce
to his children, he found within himself a deeper strength and love. This
process moved him so profoundly that he wrote many passionate and heartfelt
songs about his insights, and collected them into an album called Leap of
Faith, which went on to become one of his most successful productions. Many
listeners remark that the honesty and vulnerability Kenny displayed in these
songs helped them through similarly challenging times. (Since that time,
Kenny has remarried, and he and his new wife Julia have intimately
chronicled their love and marriage in a most inspiring book and album, The
Unimaginable Life.)
Similarly, when Native American descendant William Least Heat-Moon lost his
job and his wife left him, he plunged into deep introspection. In the
process of attempting to rebuild his broken life, William recalled his dream
to explore the country. Free and unencumbered, he bought a Volkswagen van
and sat down to plan his route. As he surveyed the map, William noticed that
the major thoroughfares were indicated with thick red lines, while the
smaller byways and country roads were marked by thinner blue lines. William
realized that he wanted an adventure, and decided to travel the side roads.
On his trek, he interacted with fascinating people, received many insights
he would never have discovered in his old routine, and reconnected with his
Native American heritage. After his two-year odyssey, William had filled his
journal with a wealth of colorful stories, and he had them published. Blue
Highways went on to become a national bestseller, and William Least
Heat-Moon was catapulted into an entirely more meaningful world. Although he
could not see the plan in the midst of his hardship, his breakup launched
him into the life he had always dreamed of.
THE FAST-FORWARD AGE
We are living in a time of accelerated learning. Many people now go through
two, three, or more marriages in a lifetime, and participate in many more
relationships. We may have judged ourselves harshly for having several mates
or numerous relationships, and we may believe that there is something wrong
with us for failing the societal expectation of staying with one person for
a lifetime.
But . . .
What happens to you is not as important as what you make of it.
To find peace, reframe your opinion of how you or life "should" be. You are,
and have been, on your right path.
What you thought was wrong with you
may be what is right with you.
In wisdom you chose to go through a number of significant relationships so
you could master many lessons in a short period of time.
You have not missed your destiny;
you are in the process of fulfilling it.
If you lived in an earlier century, your relationships would have told quite
a different story and brought you very different lessons. You would have
married one person for a lifetime, lived in one town, worked in one
vocation, attended one church, and adopted one belief system. Your life
would have been slower and simpler - as would your learning. In those days,
it might have taken you an entire lifetime to master the lessons of a
relationship with a particular person.
Now, the pace and purpose of our relationships is different. Rather than
marrying for survival, economic, social, or political expedience - and being
assigned to a spouse by your parents, priest, or an astrologer - we marry
for love, romance, companionship, communication, sexual expression, and
spiritual growth - of our own free will. These higher ideals and increased
levels of personal responsibility call forth all kinds of issues that
marrying for survival never touched on. In greater soul maturity, we have
taken on deeper, richer, more subtle, and more varied lessons. In accordance
with our curriculum, our life changes call us to face our fears, confront
our unconsciousness, and bring light to the shadow selves we have chosen to
master.
Several marriages or many relationships in a lifetime are not necessarily
signs of weakness; they may be an indication of your dedication to discover
greater truths about who you are and what you are here to do. If, at the end
of your life, you are a wiser person for your relationship experiences, they
have all been worth it. And . . .
If you have learned to love,
you have fulfilled your highest purpose.
No matter how many relationships you have gone through, marriages you have
ended, or mistakes you have made, never define yourself as a loser. Instead,
be grateful for the awareness you have gained, and be proud of yourself for
your bravery in learning by doing. Recognize that you are not the person you
were 20 years, or even 20 days, ago. Remember that the Big Picture is
unfolding perfectly even if you do not see it in a given moment.
Real learning usually occurs gradually - rarely overnight. You are always
adding to your wisdom. When you disown your identity as a loser and adopt
that of a learner, you are on your way to being a master. One day you will
discover that everything that has happened to you has been an element in
your awakening to the beauty in you and around you. Then you will be able to
bless all experiences and honor everyone who assisted you to grow.
About The Author
Alan Cohen is the author of popular inspirational books, including the
classics, The Dragon Doesn't Live Here Anymore, I Had It All the Time, and
Handle with Prayer. To learn more about Alan and find out about his
conference schedule, visit the Hay House website at www.hayhouse.com To write to Alan Cohen directly or receive more detailed information about
his programs, write to The Mastery Foundation, 455 A Kukuna Road, Haiku,
Hawaii 96708, call 808/572-0001, or visit his website www.alancohen.com
This article is excerpted with permission from his book "Happily Even After"
published by Hay House.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*First Things First*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ The Complex God
God is.
Is that your God or mine?
What is God?
Many or just one,
Divided into thirds or whole?
Hindu or Buddhist?
Islamic, Judaic, or Christian?
To me God is
Air, earth, and sky
The land and the seas
us and them, you and I
The great void of space
and a molecule, too.
The dreams of the young and
The memories of the old
To me God is
autumn colors on a crisp fall day
a harvest moon
a foggy glen of tiny spring flowers
a gentle snowfall
The songs of the birds or
silence of the night
The taste of honeysuckle
and the smell of the forest
Glacier topped mountains and
puffy white clouds
The colors of the rainbow
the laughter of mankind
To me God is
all that has been and is now
all that will come to be
Is that your God or mine?
God is.
Sara Harvat
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Easy Does It*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Come This Way
Come this way today if your ready to change
We will help you to see your not strange
We were once just like you see
Today we continue to live
Our live lifes free
Come sit at our tables
We will help you
To get started
We will mend you
To mend broken hearted
First you must come and surrender
Do good service to God yes render
He will help you along your way
He will bless you inside today
First you must learn
To listen then
Then listen to learn
Before long you will see
Sobriety is something you must earn
God meant for you to be free
It takes hard work you see
To look yourself in the eye
Also to understand
The question why
We abused life
That was
Plain to see
We quickly put chains
On our hearts
Also our destiny
If you work hard
You will soon see
God meant for all man
To live a life that's totally free
Daniel M Corkery
12/30/2002
DMCDREAMER1@...
DMCDREAMER's Page of Poetry
www.geocities.com/dmcdreamer/
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Live And Let Live*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ HOPE
Each day that you smile brings joy from within
When a frown will make you sad,
So keep your chin up, envision a rainbow
There’s not enough time to feel bad.
Aspire to stay positive, not giving in
To the fears and doubts that besiege you,
For negativity is a harmful emotion
You should never want to conform to.
Acknowledge concerns that often befall you
Consider the bright side of life,
You’ll perceive a way of dealing with troubles
Without all the turmoil and strife.
Attempt each day to savor life’s bounty
The blessings will solely be yours,
If you strive a little at being content
You’ll surely walk through golden doors.
To a peace and serenity, it’s yours for the taking
Each day your proficiency will grow,
To accept yourself, it’s part of Gods plan
No need to sway to and fro.
God gave you free will to choose your own course
To live as He would see fit,
So it’s up to you to reach for the stars
Do not stay in a voracious pit.
Hold fast to those dreams and never give up
Have faith in all you endeavor,
For you’re the one with the world in your hands
Make every day count forever.
written by ~ Susan F. Ader dolph3@... 07/26/99
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Keep The Focus On You*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Today's family can take a myriad of forms.
There is the traditional family-two parents, two kids, and a pet or two.
There are families headed by a single parent,
by same sex parents, and by grandparents.
There are people who live alone
who have found family in a particular community.
Regardless of its configuration,
the essence of what creates and sustains a healthy family is love. Mary Manin Morrissey
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Let God and Let Go*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ If we have not peace within ourselves,
It is vain to seek it from outside sources. Francois de La Rochefoucauld
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Come*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Through wisdom is a house built;
and by understanding it is established;
and by knowledge shall every room be filled
with precious and pleasant riches. Bible
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Come To*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Love is not what you make of it,
but what it makes of you. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Come To Believe*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark;
the real tragedy of life is when adults are afraid of the light. Plato
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Look For The Beauty*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Just for today ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Today Is A Gift*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ We came..
we came to...
we came to believe.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Keep Stepping*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ You have to put in the time
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Stay In The Light*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ It gets better
*~*~*~*~*~*~*Put Gratitude In Your Attitude*~*~*~*~*~*~*
12StepSoulFoodForTheSpirit does not endorse any of the
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Putting together these Daily Recovery Emails has been such
a blessing for me, Thanks for your support and contributions,
"What I can't do alone we can do together." If you have any
original poetry or submissions that you would like to send to
me you can email me at 12StepSoulFoodForTheSpirit-owner@yahoogroups.com or YOUnMEnHP@...
"12 Step Soul Food for the Spirit" is intended to give readers ,
inspiring and thoughtful messages. To help fulfill our primary
purpose which is to carry the message to the alcoholic/addict
who still suffers. A spiritual adventure, a journey inwards this
has a vision of opening and touching, each and everyone,
with the Loving Power and Presence of the Spirit within."
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~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*One Promise, Many Gifts*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Adult Children of Alcoholics
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www.crystalmeth.org Criminal and Gangs Anonymous
www.angelfire.com/id/CGAnonymous Debtors Anonymous: A Twelve Step Fellowship for…
www.debtorsanonymous.org
Dual Recovery Anonymous - a 12 Step program
www.draonline.org
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Belgium, Bermuda, Brazil, Canada , Columbia, Costa Rica, China ,
Cyprus, Denmark, Egypt, England, Finland, France, Guatemala,
Germany, Greece, Honduras, Hong Kong, Iceland, India, Indonesia,
Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Japan, Korea,
Lithuania, Mali West Africa, Mozambique, Nepal, Netherlands,
New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico,
Philippines, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia , Saudi Arabia,
Scotland, Singapore, South Africa , Spain, Sweden, Switzerland,
Thailand, Trinidad, Turkey, United Arab Emirates,
U.S.A., Venezuela, Wales, West Indies, Zimbabwe.
Even if your country is listed
please email me, and let me know where you are from. 12StepSoulFoodForTheSpirit-owner@yahoogroups.com
Stay in the Light,
In loving service,
Scott H. from N.Y. ~ clean date 10/27/88 YOUnMEnHP@...
(\o/\o/) we are each of us angels with only one wing (\o/\o/)
/_\/_\ and can only fly by embracing each other /_\/_\
For the daily recovery email please visit me at:
www.groups-beta.google.com/group/12-Step-Soul-Food-for-the-Spirit
For the daily recovery email please visit me at:
www.health.groups.yahoo.com/group/12StepSoulFoodForTheSpirit
For the weekly topic meeting please visit me at:
www.health.groups.yahoo.com/group/twelvestepsoulfood4thespirit
If you pray for a Cadillac and God sends a jackass, ride it. The weekly meeting topic is: I am new, What does it mean when they say
"The newcomer is the most important person at any meeting. "
Talk about reservations -- the ones you had -- and the fear of ones you may still have. to share please visit
www.health.groups.yahoo.com/group/twelvestepsoulfood4thespirit/
or email twelvestepsoulfood4thespirit@yahoogroups.com ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Please Be There For The Newcomers*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
August 18
I have all the time in the world to do God's Will for me today
I trust that my Higher Power is filling me
with all the energy that I need for these 24 hours.
written by ~ Ruth Fishel
"Time for Joy"
PLEASE visit and check out Ruth's new book
LIVING LIGHT AS A FEATHER is arriving at bookstores now!
She even interviewed me for the book :)
If you would like a signed copy you can
order it at www.spirithaven.com or email her at spirithaven@... or call at 508-420-5301.
Check out her collection of light, nourishing and nurturing Books and Tapes
& some touching and embracing Greeting Cards
www.spirithaven.com
for inspirational messages email spirithaven@... ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Just for Today*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Meetings
I sat and listened
I tried to hear
They said keep coming
And I tried not to show fear
I knew that I belonged there
I knew I needed to go
But I didn't want to believe them
And I walked out with my head hung low
I went again, I sat in the back
I figured they wouldn't see me
I thought I knew more than them
I figured they didn't even know me
People would ask how I was
I would reply that I was fine
I figured they didn't need to know
Why should I share my feelings?
After all they are mine
I kept going I don't know why
After I left I would still get high
I would hear what they said but I didn't listen
I'm not one of you I thought
So with everything that I could identify
I would tell myself not me and I'd just deny
But as time went on
And I used more and more
I knew that I was one of you
Yet dreaded my life becoming a bore
So as I went to meetings
I would party on the side
I didn't get what I was doing wrong
I didn't know how to get to the other side
I thought that I could listen
And try and get some hope
But still go clubbing and hang at bars
I didn't realize that I still had no idea of how to cope
So when a problem would arise
My mind would tell me all the lies
That I could use and be ok
It would tell me I couldn't break through its ties
So out I'd be for quite some time
Before I realized I hadn't a dime
And back to stealing was where I turned
After all it was what I had learned
But each time I fell and wanted to die
Someone would tell me all you have to do is try
There are no promises of a life long dream
Only today
And each day clean a reprieve
written by Karen Destiny41581@... ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Don't Use*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
If anyone has any original recovery poetry that they
would like to share with us please copy and paste it into the body
of an email and send it to me, Thanks for your support and contributions.
What I can't do alone, We do together.
In loving service, Scott ~ YOUnMEnHP@... ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*No Matter What*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Hope Faith and Courage
www.geocities.com/alaura1942/HopeFaithCourage.html
A Dream
www.geocities.com/loriflower/2/sleep.html
Bill W. Talks
Tradition Checklist
www.silkworth.net/aa/traditions_checklist.html
Philip Wylie Jabs A Little Needle Into Complacency
www.silkworth.net/grapevine/wylie_jabs.html
Bill W. Talks
Bill W.'s Comments on Philip Wylie's article
www.silkworth.net/grapevine/bwresponsetopw.html
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Make A Meeting*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Just for Today
August 18 "How long do I have to go?"
"The way to remain a productive, responsible member of society
is to put our recovery first."Basic Text, p. 102 The meetings have been great! Each night we've attended, we've
gathered with other addicts to share experience, strength, and hope.
And each day, we've used what we've learned in the meetings to
continue in our recovery.
Meanwhile, life goes on. Work, family, friends, school, sports,
entertainment, community activities, civic obligations-all call out for
our time. The demands of everyday living sometimes makes us ask
ourselves, "How long do I have to go to these meetings?"
Let's think about this. Before coming to Narcotics Anonymous, could
we stay clean on our own? What makes us think we can now? Then
there's the disease itself to consider-the chronic self-centeredness,
the obsessiveness, the compulsive behavior patterns that express
themselves in so many areas of our lives. Can we live and enjoy life
without effective treatment for our disease? No.
"Ordinary" people may not have to worry about such things, but we're
not "ordinary" people-we're addicts. We can't pretend we don't have a
fatal, progressive illness, because we do. Without our program, we may
not survive to worry about the demands of work, school, family, or
anything else. NA meetings give us the support and direction we need to
recover from our addiction, allowing us to live the fullest lives possible.
Just for today: I want to live and enjoy life. To do that, I will put
my recovery first.
This is a DIFFERENT Yahoo Club you
MUST join this club in order to participate
Yahoo! Clubs Twelve Step Soul Food 4 the Spirit www.health.groups.yahoo.com/group/twelvestepsoulfood4thespirit
A Safe Place to Share , Discover and Recover.
This a message bulletin board meeting, where people post on the
weekly topic. It takes only 1 minute to enter a password and
username. Please go this page on the upper right hand corner and click
the join club link, sign in and go to the left hand side and click
messages to read what others have shared and click on the post link,
now you can share on the topic of the week or whatever you would like.
There is a lot of good experience, strength and hope in here as well
as newcomers who need our support and love, PLEASE stop by.
Thanks for your participation and support :)
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Use Your Sponsor*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Meditation of the Day
www.hazelden.org/servlet/hazelden/thoughts
Daily Meditation for ALL 12 Steppers
www.open-mind.org/Daily/
Dr. Twerski's Sober Thought of the Day
www.gatewayrehab.org/August.html
NEED HELP Pick a topic Daily Meditation
www.hazelden.org/servlet/hazelden/thoughts/search.html
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Be A Sponsor*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ IMPATIENT? TRY LEVITATING
We reacted more strongly to frustrations than normal people.
AS BILL SEES IT, p. 111
Impatience with other people is one of my principal failings. Following a
slow car in a no-passing lane, or waiting in a restaurant for the check,
drives me to distraction. Before I give God a chance to slow me down, I
explode, and that's what I call being quicker than God. That repeated
experience gave me an idea. I thought if I could look down on these events
from God's point of view, I might better control my feelings and
behavior. I tried it and when I encountered the next slow driver, I
levitated and looked down on the other car and upon myself. I saw an
elderly couple driving along, happily chatting about their
grandchildren. They were followed by me – bug-eyed and red of face -- who
had no time schedule to meet anyway. I looked so silly that I dropped back
into reality and slowed down. Seeing things from God's angle of vision can
be very relaxing
Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Work The Steps*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Twenty-Four Hours A Day by Hazelden/ August 18th
A.A. Thought for the Day
"We of agnostic temperament have found that as soon as we
were able to lay aside prejudice and express a willingness to
believe in a Power greater than our selves, we commenced to
get results, even though it was impossible for any of us to fully
define or comprehend that Power, which we call God. As soon
as you can say that you do believe or are willing to believe, you
are on your way. Upon this simple cornerstone a wonderfully
effective spiritual structure can be built." Am I willing to
depend on a Power that I cannot fully define or comprehend?
Meditation for the Day
We seek God's presence and "they who seek shall find." It
is not a question of searching so much as an inner consciousness
of the Divine spirit in your heart. To realize God's presence
you must surrender to His will in the small as well as in the big
things of life. This makes God's guidance possible. Some
things separate you from God---a false word, a fear-inspired
failure, a harsh criticism, a stubborn resentment. These are
the things that put a distance between your mind and God. A
word of love, a selfless reconciliation, a kind act of helpfulness-
these bring God closer.
Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may think and say and do the things that bring
God closer to me. I pray that I may find Him in a sincere
prayer, a kind word, or an unselfish deed.
Even if the most important person in your world reject you,
you are still real, and you are still okay. -Codependent No More
Do you ever find yourself thinking.
How could anyone possibly love me?
For many of us, this is a deeply ingrained
belief that can become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Thinking we are unlovable can sabotage our relationships
with coworker, friends, family members, and other loved ones.
This belief can cause us to choose, or stay in,
relationships that are less than we deserve
because we don't believe we deserve better.
We may become desperate and cling as if
a particular person was our last chance at love.
We may become defensive and push people away.
We may withdraw or constantly overreact.
While growing up, many of us did not receive
the unconditional love we deserved.
Many of us were abandoned or neglected
by important people in our life.
We may have concluded that the reason we weren't
loved was because we were unlovable.
Blaming ourselves is an understandable reaction,
but an inappropriate one.
If others couldn't love us, or love us
in ways that worked, that's not our fault.
In recovery, we're learning to separate ourselves
from the behavior of others.
And we're learning to take responsibility
for our healing, regardless of the people around us.
Just as we may have believed that we're unlovable,
we can become skilled at practicing
the belief that we are lovable.
This new belief will improve
the quality of our relationships.
I will improve our most important relationship:
our relationship with our self.
We will be able to let others love us
and become open to the love and friendship we deserve.
Today, God, help me be aware of and release
any self-defeating beliefs.
I have about being unlovable.
Help me begin, today, to tell myself that I am lovable.
Help me practice this belief until it gets into my core
and manifests itself in my relationships.
Melody Beattie
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Keep It Simple*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The Power of Prayer
www.lightworks.com/MonthlyAspectarian/2003/November/cyberweave.htm
Soul Required, Alan Cohen
www.inlightimes.com/archives/1998/08/soul.htm ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*One Day At A Time*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Walking Meditation by Sayadaw U. Pandita
During a retreat it is usual to alternate periods of sitting meditation with
periods of formal walking meditation of about the same duration, one after
another throughout the day. One hour is a standard period, but forty-five
minutes can also be used. For formal walking, retreatants choose a lane of
about twenty steps in length and walk slowly back and forth along it.
In daily life, walking meditation can also be very helpful. A short
period -- say ten minutes -- of formal walking meditation before sitting
serves to focus the mind. Beyond this advantage, the awareness developed in
walking meditation is useful to all of us as we move our bodies from place
to place in the course of a normal day.
Walking meditation develops balance and accuracy of awareness as well as
durability of concentration. One can observe very profound aspects of the
Dhamma (wisdom or knowledge) while walking, and even get enlightened! In
fact, a yogi who does not do walking meditation before sitting is like a car
with a rundown battery. He or she will have a difficult time starting the
engine of mindfulness when sitting.
Walking meditation consists of paying attention to the walking process. If
you are moving fairly rapidly, make a mental note of the movement of the
legs, "Left, right, left, right" and use your awareness to follow the actual
sensations throughout the leg area. If you are moving more slowly, note the
lifting, moving, and placing of each foot. In each case you must try to keep
your mind on just the sensations of walking. Notice what processes occur
when you stop at the end of the lane, when you stand still, when you turn
and begin walking again.
Do not watch your feet unless this becomes necessary due to some obstacle on
the ground; it is unhelpful to hold the image of a foot in your mind while
you are trying to be aware of sensations. You want to focus on the
sensations themselves, and these are not visual. For many people it is a
fascinating discovery when they are able to have a pure, bare perception of
physical objects such as lightness, tingling, cold, and warmth.
Usually we divide walking into three distinct movements: lifting, moving,
and placing the foot. To support a precise awareness, we separate the
movements clearly, making a soft mental label at the beginning of each
movement, and making sure that our awareness follows it clearly and
powerfully until it ends. One minor but important point is to begin noting
the placing movement at the instant that the foot begins to move downward.
A New World in Sensations
Let us consider lifting. We know its conventional name, but in meditation it
is important to penetrate behind that conventional concept and to understand
the true nature of the whole process of lifting, beginning with the
intention to lift and continuing through the actual process, which involves
many sensations.
Our effort to be aware of lifting the foot must neither overshoot the
sensation nor weakly fall short of this target. Precise and accurate mental
aim helps balance our effort. When our effort is balanced and our aim is
precise, mindfulness will firmly establish itself on the object of
awareness. It is only in the presence of these three factors -- effort,
accuracy, and mindfulness -- that concentration develops. Concentration, of
course, is collectedness of mind, one-pointedness. Its characteristic is to
keep consciousness from becoming diffuse or dispersed.
As we get closer and closer to this lifting process, we will see that it is
like a line of ants crawling across the road. From afar the line may appear
to be static, but from closer up it begins to shimmer and vibrate. And from
even closer the line breaks up into individual ants, and we see that our
notion of a line was just an illusion. We now accurately perceive the line
of ants as one ant after another ant, after another ant. Exactly like this,
when we look accurately at the lifting process from beginning to end, the
mental factor or quality of consciousness called "insight" comes nearer to
the object of observation. The nearer insight comes, the clearer the true
nature of the lifting process can be seen. It is an amazing fact about the
human mind that when insight arises and deepens through vipassana (or
insight) meditation practice, particular aspects of the truth about
existence tend to be revealed in a definite order. This order is known as
the progress of insight.
The first insight that meditators commonly experience is to begin to
comprehend -- not intellectually or by reasoning, but quite intuitively --
that the lifting process is composed of distinct mental and material
phenomena occurring together, as a pair. The physical sensations, which are
material, are linked with, but different from, the awareness, which is
mental. We begin to see a whole succession of mental events and physical
sensations, and to appreciate the conditionality that relates mind and
matter. We see with the greatest freshness and immediacy that mind causes
matter -- as when our intention to lift the foot initiates the physical
sensations of movement, and we see that matter causes mind -- as when a
physical sensation of strong heat generates a wish to move our walking
meditation into a shady spot. The insight into cause and effect can take a
great variety of forms; but when it arises, our life seems far more simple
to us than ever before. Our life is no more than a chain of mental and
physical causes and effects. This is the second insight in the classical
progress of insight.
As we develop concentration we see even more deeply that these phenomena of
the lifting process are impermanent, impersonal, appearing, and disappearing
one by one at fantastic speed. This is the next level of insight, the next
aspect of existence that concentrated awareness becomes capable of seeing
directly.
There is no one behind what is happening; the phenomena arise and pass away
as an empty process, according to the law of cause and effect. This illusion
of movement and solidity is like a movie. To ordinary perception it seems
full of characters and objects, all the semblances of a world. But if we
slow the movie down we will see that it is actually composed of separate,
static frames of film.
Discovering the Path by Walking
When one is very mindful during a single lifting process -- that is to say,
when the mind is with the movement, penetrating with mindfulness into the
true nature of what is happening -- at that moment, the path to liberation
taught by the Buddha opens up. The Buddha's Noble Eightfold Path, often
known as the Middle Way or Middle Path, consists of the eight factors of
right view or understanding, right thought or aim, right speech, right
action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right
concentration. During any moment of strong mindfulness, five of the eight
path factors come alive in consciousness. There is right effort; there is
mindfulness; there is one-pointedness or concentration; there is right aim;
and as we begin to have insight into the true nature of the phenomena, right
view also arises. And during a moment when these five factors of the
Eightfold Path are present, consciousness is completely free from any sort
of defilement.
As we make use of that purified consciousness to penetrate into the true
nature of what is happening, we become free of the delusion or illusion of
self, we see only bare phenomena coming and going. When insight gives us
intuitive comprehension of the mechanism of cause and effect, how mind and
matter are related to one another, we free ourselves of misconceptions about
the nature of phenomena. Seeing that each object lasts only for a moment, we
free ourselves of the illusion of permanence, the illusion of continuity. As
we understand impermanence and its underlying unsatisfactoriness, we are
freed from the illusion that our mind and body are not suffering.
This direct seeing of impersonality brings freedom from pride and conceit,
as well as freedom from the wrong view that we have an abiding self. When we
carefully observe the lifting process, we see mind and body as
unsatisfactory and so are freed from craving. These three states of mind --
conceit, wrong view, and craving -- are called "the perpetuating dhammas."
They help to perpetuate existence in samsdra, the cycle of craving and
suffering that is caused by ignorance of ultimate truth. Careful attention
in walking meditation shatters the perpetuating dhammas, bringing us closer
to freedom.
You can see that noting the lifting of one's foot has incredible
possibilities! These are no less present in moving the foot forward and in
placing it on the ground. Naturally, the depth and detail of awareness
described in these walking instructions should also be applied to noting the
abdominal movement in sitting, and all other physical movements.
Five Benefits of Walking Meditation
The Buddha described five additional, specific benefits of walking
meditation. The first is that one who does walking meditation will have the
stamina to go on long journeys. This was important in the Buddha's time,
when bhikkhus and bhikkhunis, monks and nuns, had no form of transportation
other than their feet and legs. You who are meditating today can consider
yourselves to be bhikkhus, and can think of this benefit simply as physical
strengthening.
The second benefit is that walking meditation brings stamina for the
practice of meditation itself. During walking meditation a double effort is
needed. In addition to the ordinary, mechanical effort needed to lift the
foot, there is also the mental effort to be aware of the movement -- and
this is the factor of right effort from the Noble Eightfold Path. If this
double effort continues through the movements of lifting, pushing and
placing, it strengthens the capacity for that strong, consistent mental
effort all yogis know is crucial to vipassana practice.
Thirdly, according to the Buddha, a balance between sitting and walking
contributes to good health, which in turn speeds progress in practice.
Obviously it is difficult to meditate when we are sick. Too much sitting can
cause many physical ailments. But the shift of posture and the movements of
walking revive the muscles and stimulate circulation, helping prevent
illness.
The fourth benefit is that walking meditation assists digestion. Improper
digestion produces a lot of discomfort and is thus a hindrance to practice.
Walking keeps the bowels clear, minimizing sloth and torpor. After a meal,
and before sitting, one should do a good walking meditation to forestall
drowsiness. Walking as soon as one gets up in the morning is also a good way
to establish mindfulness and to avoid a nodding head in the first sitting of
the day.
Last, but not least, of the benefits of walking is that it builds durable
concentration. As the mind works to focus on each section of the movement
during a walking session, concentration becomes continuous. Every step
builds the foundation for the sitting that follows, helping the mind stay
with the object from moment to moment -- eventually to reveal the true
nature of reality at the deepest level. This is why I use the simile of a
car battery. If a car is never driven, its battery runs down. A yogi who
never does walking meditation will have a difficult time getting anywhere
when he or she sits down on the cushion. But one who is diligent in walking
will automatically carry strong mindfulness and firm concentration into
sitting meditation.
I hope that all of you will be successful in completely carrying out this
practice. May you be pure in your precepts, cultivating them in speech and
action, thus creating the conditions for developing samadhi and wisdom.
May you follow these meditation instructions carefully, noting each moment's
experience with deep, accurate and precise mindfulness, so that you will
penetrate into the true nature of reality. May you see how mind and matter
constitute all experiences, how these two are interrelated by cause and
effect, how all experiences are characterized by impermanence,
unsatisfactoriness and absence of self so that you may eventually realize
nibbana -- the unconditioned state that uproots mental defilements -- here
and now.
About the Author:
Sayadaw U Pandita is the abbot of Panditarama Monastery and Meditation
Center in Rangoon, Burma. One of the renowned teachers in the tradition of
Mahasi Sayadaw, he teaches from his own profound meditation experience, his
62 years of monastic training, and his extensive studies of the Pali texts.
He has taught meditation worldwide since 1951.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*First Things First*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ The Smell of Rain
A cold March wind danced around Dallas as the doctor walked
into Diana Blessing's small hospital room. It was the dead of
night and she was still groggy from surgery. Her husband,
David, held her as they braced themselves for the latest news.
That rainy afternoon, March 10, 1991, complications had
forced Diana, only twenty-four weeks pregnant, to undergo
emergency surgery. At twelve inches long and weighing only one
pound, nine ounces, Danae Lu arrived by cesarean delivery.
They already knew she was perilously premature. Still, the
doctor's soft words dropped like bombs. "I don't think she's
going to make it," he said as kindly as he could. "There's only
a 10 percent chance she will live through the night. If by some
slim chance she does make it, her future could be a very cruel
one." Numb with disbelief, David and Diana listened as the
doctor described the devastating problems Danae could face if
she survived.
She would probably never walk, or talk, or see. She would
be prone to other catastrophic conditions from cerebral palsy to
complete mental retardation, and on and on. Through the dark
hours of morning as Danae held onto life by the thinnest thread,
Diana slipped in and out of drugged sleep. But she was
determined that their daughter would live to be a happy, healthy
young girl. David, fully awake, knew he must confront his wife
with the inevitable.
David told Diana that they needed to talk about funeral
arrangements. But Diana said, "No, that is not going to happen.
No way! I don't care what the doctors say, Danae is not going
to die. One day she will be just fine and she will be home with
us."
As if willed to live by Diana's determination, Danae clung
to life hour after hour. But as those first rainy days passed,
a new agony set in for David and Diana. Because Danae's
underdeveloped nervous system was essentially "raw," the least
kiss or caress only intensified her discomfort, so they couldn't
even cradle their tiny baby. All they could do, as Danae
struggled beneath the ultraviolet light, was to pray that God
would stay close to their precious little girl.
At last, when Danae was two months old, her parents were
able to hold her for the first time. Two months later, she went
home from the hospital just as her mother predicted, even though
doctors grimly warned that her chances of leading a normal life
were almost zero.
Today, five years later, Danae is a petite but feisty young
girl with glittering gray eyes and an unquenchable zest for
life. She shows no sign of any mental or physical impairment.
But that happy ending is not the end of the story.
One blistering summer afternoon in 1996 in Irving, Texas,
Danae was sitting in her mother's lap at the ball park where her
brother's baseball team was practicing. As always, Danae was
busy chattering when she suddenly fell silent. Hugging her arms
across her chest, Danae asked her mom, "Do you smell that?"
Smelling the air and detecting a thunderstorm approaching,
Diana replied, "Yes, it smells like rain."
Danae closed her eyes again and asked, "Do you smell that?"
Once again her mother replied, "Yes, I think we're about to
get wet, it smells like rain."
Caught in the moment, Danae shook her head, patted her thin
shoulder and loudly announced, "No, it smells like him. It
smells like God when you lay your head on His chest."
Tears blurred Diana's eyes as Danae happily hopped down to
play with the other children before the rain came. Her
daughter's words confirmed what Diana and the rest of the
Blessing family had known all along. During those long days and
nights of the first two months of her life, when her nerves were
too sensitive to be touched, God was holding Danae on his chest,
and it is His scent that she remembers so well.
By Nancy Miller from Chicken Soup for the Christian Family Soul
Copyright 2000 by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Easy Does It*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
To receive the Sound Current, put yourself in a
position to receive it.
Recognize and accept that you are a child of God
and are worthy of being at one with the loving,
highest forces in existence.
In that recognition, commit to the discipline;
literally sit down and do spiritual exercises as a
habit that the conscious self creates, the basic self
respects, and the high self supports.
Do this and you have only you to gain.
John-Roger
(From: Passage Into Spirit)
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Live And Let Live*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Happy Birthday
Here are some questions to ponder as we approach sobriety birthdays
or know others who are approaching them,
and we have to decide whether or how to celebrate them?
If one day of sobriety is a miracle,
what are 365 of them in a row, all by the same person?
If we should be grateful for one day of sobriety
how should we feel for 365 of them in a row?
For whom is the celebration?
The person who got sober?
The people who helped him or her get and stay sober?
The person who is looking for some hope, some validation that it can happen?
Should we pass up a chance to say "thank you"?
Should we pass up a chance to say "you can do this too"?
Isn't a decision to be a birthday curmudgeon
almost like saying we did it ourselves and aren't grateful?
If we know someone who is approaching a sobriety birthday,
shouldn't we share with them the joy we feel at having them with us again?
Isn't being able to take part in ceremonies of celebration
and joy a part of rejoining the human race?
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Keep The Focus On You*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ A-Maze-Ment
Discover the little joys hidden in your days
do not lose yourself in your patient waiting time
record the journey to your Dream
as a maze that turns and twists ahead of you
unannounced, unforseen
un-covered, as of yet unperceived
For this time is fertile seeding ground
for the unleashing of creative inventions
for centering your self onto solid footings
Don’t let it just pass you by
while your gaze intensifies on the road far ahead
There are treasures at your feet
Pay attention here instead
Leave the hidden workings of the universe
to its promises and miracles
Let them unfold, unravel their mysterious weaving
for the wondrous revealing
It shall soon come to pass
Putting together these Daily Recovery Emails has been such
a blessing for me, Thanks for your support and contributions,
"What I can't do alone we can do together." If you have any
original poetry or submissions that you would like to send to
me you can email me at 12StepSoulFoodForTheSpirit-owner@yahoogroups.com or YOUnMEnHP@...
"12 Step Soul Food for the Spirit" is intended to give readers ,
inspiring and thoughtful messages. To help fulfill our primary
purpose which is to carry the message to the alcoholic/addict
who still suffers. A spiritual adventure, a journey inwards this
has a vision of opening and touching, each and everyone,
with the Loving Power and Presence of the Spirit within."
We invite you to share the writings by forwarding today's
message to others. Share "12 Step Soul Food for the Spirit"
with friends and loved ones: Please keep passing this along to
online recovery friends "We can only keep what we have by
giving it away." Anyone can subscribe to this free daily e-zine
by sending an Email message to: 12StepSoulFoodForTheSpirit-subscribe@yahoogroups.com and
write subscribe in the subject line.
Under Bill s.1618 TITLE III passed by the 105th U.S. Congress
this letter cannot be considered spam as long as the following words
are included:
To unsubscribe to to this list send an Email message to: 12StepSoulFoodForTheSpirit-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
and write unsubsribe in the subject line
or go to the website and unsubscribe
www,health.groups.yahoo.com/group/12StepSoulFoodForTheSpirit
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*One Promise, Many Gifts*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Adult Children of Alcoholics
www.AdultChildren.org Al-Anon/Alateen
www.al-anon.org Alcoholics Anonymous
www.alcoholics-anonymous.org Alcoholics Anonymous Deaf and Hard of Hearing
www.dhh12s.com/access.htm Artists Recovering through the Twelve Steps
www.artsanonymous.org Clutterer’s Anonymous
www.clutterersanonymous.net Cocaine Anonymous World Services
www.ca.org Co-Dependents Anonymous Home Page
www.codependents.org Crystal Meth Anonymous
www.crystalmeth.org Criminal and Gangs Anonymous
www.angelfire.com/id/CGAnonymous Debtors Anonymous: A Twelve Step Fellowship for…
www.debtorsanonymous.org
Dual Recovery Anonymous - a 12 Step program
www.draonline.org
By the grace of God and through your efforts of passing on this
email, we are reaching many recovering people in different areas of
the world. If you are receiving this, from a country outside of the
USA please send me an email and tell me where you are receiving this.
So far we reaching over 6000 recovering people in 66 countries
including Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Barbados,
Belgium, Bermuda, Brazil, Canada , Columbia, Costa Rica, China ,
Cyprus, Denmark, Egypt, England, Finland, France, Guatemala,
Germany, Greece, Honduras, Hong Kong, Iceland, India, Indonesia,
Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Japan, Korea,
Lithuania, Mali West Africa, Mozambique, Nepal, Netherlands,
New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico,
Philippines, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia , Saudi Arabia,
Scotland, Singapore, South Africa , Spain, Sweden, Switzerland,
Thailand, Trinidad, Turkey, United Arab Emirates,
U.S.A., Venezuela, Wales, West Indies, Zimbabwe.
Even if your country is listed
please email me, and let me know where you are from. 12StepSoulFoodForTheSpirit-owner@yahoogroups.com
Stay in the Light,
In loving service,
Scott H. from N.Y. ~ clean date 10/27/88 YOUnMEnHP@...
(\o/\o/) we are each of us angels with only one wing (\o/\o/)
/_\/_\ and can only fly by embracing each other /_\/_\
For the daily recovery email please visit me at:
www.groups-beta.google.com/group/12-Step-Soul-Food-for-the-Spirit
For the daily recovery email please visit me at:
www.health.groups.yahoo.com/group/12StepSoulFoodForTheSpirit
For the weekly topic meeting please visit me at:
www.health.groups.yahoo.com/group/twelvestepsoulfood4thespirit
Being in a 12 step program and not working the steps is like
winning the lottery and not going to collect the money.
The weekly meeting topic is: I am new, What does it mean when they say
"The newcomer is the most important person at any meeting. "
Talk about reservations -- the ones you had -- and the fear of ones you may still have. to share please visit
www.health.groups.yahoo.com/group/twelvestepsoulfood4thespirit/
or email twelvestepsoulfood4thespirit@yahoogroups.com ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Please Be There For The Newcomers*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
August 17
Today I know that whatever is in my life
I have put there and therefore I can let it go as well.
Today I have faith and trust that
I can take an honest look at what needs to be changed in my life.
written by ~ Ruth Fishel
"Time for Joy"
PLEASE visit and check out Ruth's new book
LIVING LIGHT AS A FEATHER is arriving at bookstores now!
She even interviewed me for the book :)
If you would like a signed copy you can
order it at www.spirithaven.com or email her at spirithaven@... or call at 508-420-5301.
Check out her collection of light, nourishing and nurturing Books and Tapes
& some touching and embracing Greeting Cards
www.spirithaven.com
for inspirational messages email spirithaven@... ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Just for Today*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ It Was ALL About ME
I woke up one day
And what did I see
My past was a blur
But it was all about me!
The clouds are slowly lifting
As the days go by
Now I look at my life
And ask why oh why.
I drank and I drugged
Until no end
I lived to get high
No matter what the consequence.
I'd steal, beg and borrow
Just to get high
I didn't even care
If someone had to die.
Crack cocaine took over my life
I gave the Devil my soul the very first night
I got stabbed 19 times and I almost died
I thought I was cool cause I put up a fight
Look at me now so fragile and weak
Weighing about 110
So tired I can barely speak
All I want to do
is sleep, sleep, sleep
Just wake me to eat
If I can get to my feet.
Now I've lost everything
I'm so alone
I look in the mirror and what do I see
Stitches and scars all over me.
As the days go by
The stronger I grow
I see a new person
That wants to be known.
I've hurt my family and kids
Until no end.
Drug's took over my life
I lived in sin.
I stole from my mother
and didn't care
Now I lay here in jail
And she's still there.
I want to be healed
From this life long disease
Dear God, Cleanse my heart
And please save me.
So Good-bye to you drug
Whatever it may be
Thank you Lord for healing me.
Lisa G. 5-16-04 written while serving time in Indian River Correctional Facility.
Submitted with permission by her sponsor.
Decafpls@... ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Don't Use*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
If anyone has any original recovery poetry that they
would like to share with us please copy and paste it into the body
of an email and send it to me, Thanks for your support and contributions.
What I can't do alone, We do together.
In loving service, Scott ~ YOUnMEnHP@... ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*No Matter What*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Drug rehab programs and treatment centers
www.sober.com
10 Secrets ~ Dr. Wayne Dwyre
www.consciousone.com/wisdomflash/WFView.cfm?PID=79
Bill W. Talks
Tradition Twelve
www.silkworth.net/grapevine/tradition_twelve.html
Bill W. Talks
Tradition Five—Our Primary Purpose
www.silkworth.net/grapevine/tradition5_primarypurpose.html
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Make A Meeting*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Just for Today
August 17 Tell the truth
"A symptom of our disease is alienation, and honest sharing
will free us to recover."Basic Text, p. 80 Truth connects us to life while fear, isolation, and dishonesty alienate
us from it. As using addicts, we hid as much of the truth about
ourselves from as much of the world as we possibly could. Our fear kept
us from opening ourselves up to those around us, providing protection
against what others might do if we appeared vulnerable. But our fear
also kept us from connecting with our world. We lived like alien beings
on our own planet, always alone and getting lonelier by the minute.
The Twelve Steps and the fellowship of recovering addicts give people
like us a place where we can feel safe telling the truth about
ourselves. We are able to honestly admit our frustrating, humbling
powerlessness over addiction because we meet many others who've been
in the same situation-we're safe among them. And we keep on telling more
of the truth about ourselves as we continue to work the steps. The more
we do, the more truly connected we feel to the world around us.
Today, we need not hide from the reality of our relations with the
people, places, and things in our lives. We accept those relationships
just as they are, and we own our part in them. We take time every day to
ask, "Am I telling the truth about myself?" Each time we do this, we
draw that much further away from the alienation that characterizes our
addiction, and that much closer to the freedom recovery can bring us.
Just for today: Truth is my connection to reality. Today, I will take
time to ask myself, "Am I telling the truth?"
This is a DIFFERENT Yahoo Club you
MUST join this club in order to participate
Yahoo! Clubs Twelve Step Soul Food 4 the Spirit www.health.groups.yahoo.com/group/twelvestepsoulfood4thespirit
A Safe Place to Share , Discover and Recover.
This a message bulletin board meeting, where people post on the
weekly topic. It takes only 1 minute to enter a password and
username. Please go this page on the upper right hand corner and click
the join club link, sign in and go to the left hand side and click
messages to read what others have shared and click on the post link,
now you can share on the topic of the week or whatever you would like.
There is a lot of good experience, strength and hope in here as well
as newcomers who need our support and love, PLEASE stop by.
Thanks for your participation and support :)
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Use Your Sponsor*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Meditation of the Day
www.hazelden.org/servlet/hazelden/thoughts
Daily Meditation for ALL 12 Steppers
www.open-mind.org/Daily/
Dr. Twerski's Sober Thought of the Day
www.gatewayrehab.org/August.html
NEED HELP Pick a topic Daily Meditation
www.hazelden.org/servlet/hazelden/thoughts/search.html
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Be A Sponsor*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ LIVING IN THE NOW
First, we try living in the now just in order to stay sober -- and it
works. Once the idea has become a part of our thinking, we find that
living life in 24 hour segments is an effective and satisfying way to
handle many other matters as well.
LIVING SOBER, p. 7
"One Day At A Time." To a newcomer this and other one-liners of A.A. may
seem ridiculous. The passwords of the A.A. Fellowship can become lifelines
in moments of stress. Each day can be like a rose unfurling according to
the plan of a Power greater than myself. My program should be planted in
the right location, just as it will need to be groomed, nourished, and
protected from disease. My planting will require patience, and my
realizing that some flowers will be more perfect than others. Each stage
of the petals' unfolding can bring wonder and delight if I do not interfere
or let my expectations override my acceptance -- and this brings serenity.
Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Work The Steps*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Twenty-Four Hours A Day by Hazelden/ August 17th
A.A. Thought for the Day
"To one who feels he is an atheist or agnostic, a spiritual
experience seems impossible, but to continue as he is means
disaster. To be doomed to an alcoholic death or to live on a
spiritual basis are not always easy alternatives to face. But
we have to face the fact that we must find a spiritual basis
of life-or else. Lack of power is our dilemma. We have to
find a power by which we can live, and it has to be a power
greater than ourselves." Have I found that power by which
I can live?
Meditation for the Day
Sunshine is the laughter of nature. Live out in the sun- shine.
The sun and air are good medicine. Nature is a good nurse
for tired bodies. Let her have her way with you. God's grace
is like the sunshine. Let your whole being be enwrapped in
the Divine spirit. Faith is the soul's breathing in of the Divine
spirit. It makes glad the hearts of human beings. The Divine
spirit heals and cures the mind. Let it have its way and A will
be well.
Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may live in the sunshine of God's spirit. I pray
that my mind and soul may be energized by it.
Recovery is an intensely spiritual process
that asks us to grow in our understanding of God.
Our understanding may have been shaped
by early religious experiences or the beliefs
of those around us.
We may wonder if God is as shaming
and frightening as people can be.
We may feel victimized or abandoned by God
as we have by people from our past.
Trying to understand God may boggle our mind
because of what we have learned
and experienced so far in our life.
We can learn to trust God, anyway.
I have grown and changed in my understanding
of this Power greater than myself.
My understanding has not grown on an intellectual level,
but because of what I have experienced since I turned
my life and my will over to the care of God,
as I understood, or rather didn't understand, God.
God is real. Loving. Good. Caring.
God wants to give us all the good we can handle.
The more we turn our mind and heart toward a positive
understanding of God, the more God validates us.
The more we thank God for who God is, who we are,
and the exact nature of our present circumstances,
the more God acts in our behalf.
In fact, all along, God planned to act in our behalf.
God is Creator, Benefactor, and Source.
God has shown me, beyond all else,
that how I come to understand God is not nearly
as important as knowing that God understands me.
Today, I will be open to growing in my understanding
of my Higher Power. I will be open to letting go of old,
limiting, negative beliefs about God.
No matter how I understand God,
I will be grateful that God understands me.
This is the summer of the sequel. Movie theatres are glutted with follow-ups
to blockbusters of previous years, like Men in Black 2, Austin Powers 3, and
Star Wars 5. The business savvy behind a sequel is plain: if the masses paid
millions to see the original film, they will flock back and pay millions
more to see the next generation.
The thing about sequels, however, is that they rarely measure up to the
original. Recently I saw American Pie 2 and Scary Movie 2, two films whose
ancestors were clever and hilarious. Unfortunately, the follow-ups suffered
from rubber-stamp-itis, and I walked out of the theater feeling hungry for
the original sparkle.
Like movies, there are two ways to live a life: hiding out in history, or
dancing on the cutting edge. History is safe, but reeks of regularity. The
cutting edge seems scary, but it bestows life. You can copy what has been
done, and in some cases you may succeed financially, but at the same time
you wither spiritually. Herein lies the challenge and invitation to be a
true creator.
After his original song Don't Worry, Be Happy became a mega-hit in the late
1980's, singer Bobby McFerrin spent several years touring the world
performing the tune. And he could have gone on, except for one thing ≤ he
got bored. "There was no life in performing the song any more," he admitted.
"I was cheating my audiences and myself." So he stopped. Bobby took a few
years off, developed his relationship with his children, studied with
acclaimed cellist Yoyo Ma, and created an entirely new form of musical
expression with an avant-garde group he called "Synchestra." I saw Bobby
perform with Synchestra, and the show was electrifying. Although the
audience waited and hoped to hear McFerrin perform Don't Worry, Be Happy, he
never did. Way to go, Bobby.
Oprah Winfrey had to walk through the same initiation. After consistently
winning Emmy Awards for her popular talk show for many years, Oprah decided
it was time to take the program to a new level. "I had to move from a format
based on dysfunction to one of self-actualization." When she told her
producers she wanted to found her material on spiritual growth, they warned
that she would lose her audience and sponsorship. She did it anyway. Now her
show is more popular than ever, still garnering Emmys regularly. More
important, Oprah can live with herself.
You can carve a career cranking out cookie-cutter products, but you cannot
carve out a life that way. The only thing more important than making a
living is making a life. Oliver Wendell Holmes suggested that anyone over
age 60 change careers every few years. Why? Newness, challenge, and
exploration bestow life force, and life force keeps us young and healthy.
Unless you keep doing your work newer and better, you are dying in your
profession. If you are not regenerating, you are degenerating.
I often speak at churches on Sunday mornings where I deliver a talk at each
of two or three services. I rarely give the same talk at each of the
services. I tried that once and felt bored. If a speaker feels bored, the
audience doesn't stand a chance. I heard about one famous speaker who
delivered the same lecture, word for word, wherever he went, for many years.
One morning he showed up at a large church to deliver a sermon to a thousand
eager listeners. He had flown a long distance to get there, and he arrived
minutes before the service. Ten minutes into his talk, the fellow began to
slow down the pace of his lecture, and there grew gaps between his
sentences. Then gaps between his words. Finally there was a long pause that
went on for over 30 seconds. The lecturer fell asleep during his own
address! Finally the resident minister gracefully tapped him on the
shoulder. He awoke with a start, harrumphed, and continued his sermon from
the word where he had left off.
The story is told about a young boy walking along a church corridor with his
minister. The boy tugged at the minister's sleeve and asked, "Excuse me,
Reverend, What are those gold plaques on the wall with people's names on
them?"
The minister looked down at the child and soberly told him, "Those are the
names of people from our church who died in the service."
The child thought for a moment and asked, "Was that the 9 o'clock service or
the 11 o'clock service?"
Take care that you do not die while performing your service. Someone asked a
famous minister "What is the secret of your success?" His answer was simple:
"I just set myself on fire and people watch me burn." There is new fire in
every day, and if you catch hold of it, you will brighten the lives of
everyone you touch, beginning with your own. The greatest gift you have to
offer is your presence, which you have only when you are present.
This article is based on themes from Alan Cohen's new breakthrough
bestseller Why Your Life Sucks and What You Can Do About It.
About The Author:
Alan Cohen is the author of the best-selling Why Your Life Sucks and What
You Can Do About It, a Book of the Month Club selection, and the
award-winning A Deep Breath of Life. If you enjoyed this article, you will
love Alan's newly published collection of his best articles, Looking in for
Number One. For more information about Alan's books, tapes, seminars, and
Mastery
Training in Maui, call 1-800-568-3079, visit www.alancohen.com, email admin@..., or write P.O. Box 835, Haiku, HI 96708.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*First Things First*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Good morning dear one, beloved and precious child of God,
When unhealed hurts arises it hurts. When unhealed anger arises we are
angry. When unhealed resentment arises we are resentful. When unhealed
loneliness arises we are lonely. All these arise our of unresolved hurts of
the past.
The only way to heal the old hurts is to allow them to arise and feel our
hurt no matter how much it hurts. We must take responsibility for and claim
the hurt is ours and not blame another.
The good news is; the old hurt was then and now is now. We are now adults
with power and understanding able to heal, love, and nurture our hurt inner
child and set ourselves free.
Have a fabulous day, soon your hurt child will be safe in your wise and
loving care.
With love, light and laughter,
edwardg
Affirmation: I have the wisdom and understanding to love, guide, and protect
my inner child from the world's unloving ways.
Until we release the past we shall keep dragging it around.
Until we release the past we can't move into the present.
Until we release the past our lives will never work.
Until we release the past we shall never know
our true magnificence.
Anonymous
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Easy Does It*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ the path of my past
I looked to the past to find my path.
What I saw there was strange.
Moments of joy and happiness
overshadowed by sorrow and pain.
Twisting trails of tormented tears
wound through beautiful sun-kissed glades,
marked by bogs of resentments and fears
of every wrong choice I had made.
Afraid and unsure, I averted my eyes,
refocused my attention on the now.
It is here that I see the path I must take
and it is you that has shown me how.
To all of my inspirations out there, thank you for
giving me the strength to shake off the pain of the
past, see the glory of today, and gain the hope for
the future! You are true miracles, and you are loved!
May blessings be unbound in your lives today, and may
you know, like you have made me realize, that all of
our problems are manageable ones!
With much love, light and laughter,
johnh
8-15-03 johnh94@... ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Live And Let Live*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Good Morning
This is going to be a great day
I will follow my heart along the way
I will extend my hand to those who ask
Staying clean and sober is not really a task
I will smile at all whom I see
I am so grateful God has set me free
No longer alone under a dark cloud of gloom
I find peace at the tables in an AA room
Today this is the way for me
God has set this drunk free
Now I will turn and give it away
I have been blessed to live in today
Now I can not do it here in my home
When you join recovery your never alone
So smile a lot and extend your hand
Turn to the new comer show them you understand
God will bless you as you do His work you see
We have the ability to help others break free
Daniel M Corkery
7/3/2002 DMCDREAMER1@... DMCDREAMER's Page of Poetry
<http://www.geocities.com/dmcdreamer/>
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Keep The Focus On You*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Friends
The little girl you played with
the boy who pulled your hair
your brownie and your cub scout troop
had so much joy to share;
the friend who glossed your virgin lips
the one who taught a kiss
those mentioned in your diary
aahhh, such friends do you miss.
The guy who sold you your first pill
oh - what a pal was he!
He said, just pay me next time -
my friend, this one's on me.
The girl who passed the joint to you
and giggled when you coughed -
"keep toking bitch - I'll teach you
harden up, babe, you're too soft".
Remember that cool party
oh - the friends you had back then!
As needles entered teenage arms
you really felt like men.
Pass that bottle to me, please
hey - don't drink it all!
Oh, you have another?
Will you catch me when I fall?
Nothing bonds a pair of friends
like sleeping in the street
covered by a coat for two
sharing their defeat.
Who but a pal will give you
the shirt right of their back?
And often will be kind enough
to share their hit of crack.
No one likes to feel alone
it's fun to swap your sorrow;
together you can walk the path
destroying your tomorrow.
Somewhere friend, along the way
confusion did set in -
for friends should lift your spirits
not dim the light within.
So choose your cohorts wisely,
start changing friends today.
Find a kindred spirit
whose essence lights the way
to your new way of living
return of simple pleasure
the friends who free your soul from strife
are those whom you will treasure!
by Lori Williams missred412@... Copyright April 15,2000
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Let God and Let Go*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ We are enrolled in a full time, informal school called, "Life."
Each day of this school, we have the opportunity to learn lessons.
We may like the lessons or hate them,
but they are part of the curriculum.
The greatest lessons we learn are about love and fear,
that every action is either an expression of love, or a call for love.
And the great blessing is
that every lesson repeats itself until we learn it. Mary Manin Morrissey
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Come*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ You cannot teach a man anything;
you can only help him to find it within himself. Galileo
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Come To*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ If we don't change, we don't grow.
If we don't grow, we are not really living.
Growth demands a temporary surrender of security. Gail Sheehy
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Come To Believe*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Many of life's failures are people who did not realize
how close they were to success when they gave up." Thomas Edison
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Look For The Beauty*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Meeting makers make it.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Today Is A Gift*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Those who make meetings regularly,
stay clean.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Keep Stepping*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Their are only two times
that you need to go to meetings,
when you want to go and
when you don't want to go.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Stay In The Light*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
MANY MEETINGS - MANY CHANCES
FEW MEETINGS - FEW CHANCES
NO MEETINGS - NO CHANCES
*~*~*~*~*~*~*Put Gratitude In Your Attitude*~*~*~*~*~*~*
12StepSoulFoodForTheSpirit does not endorse any of the
advertisements that may appear in this daily mailing.
Advertising is the price that we pay for a free list server
that yahoo groups provides.
Putting together these Daily Recovery Emails has been such
a blessing for me, Thanks for your support and contributions,
"What I can't do alone we can do together." If you have any
original poetry or submissions that you would like to send to
me you can email me at 12StepSoulFoodForTheSpirit-owner@yahoogroups.com or YOUnMEnHP@...
"12 Step Soul Food for the Spirit" is intended to give readers ,
inspiring and thoughtful messages. To help fulfill our primary
purpose which is to carry the message to the alcoholic/addict
who still suffers. A spiritual adventure, a journey inwards this
has a vision of opening and touching, each and everyone,
with the Loving Power and Presence of the Spirit within."
We invite you to share the writings by forwarding today's
message to others. Share "12 Step Soul Food for the Spirit"
with friends and loved ones: Please keep passing this along to
online recovery friends "We can only keep what we have by
giving it away." Anyone can subscribe to this free daily e-zine
by sending an Email message to: 12StepSoulFoodForTheSpirit-subscribe@yahoogroups.com and
write subscribe in the subject line.
Under Bill s.1618 TITLE III passed by the 105th U.S. Congress
this letter cannot be considered spam as long as the following words
are included:
To unsubscribe to to this list send an Email message to: 12StepSoulFoodForTheSpirit-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
and write unsubsribe in the subject line
or go to the website and unsubscribe
www,health.groups.yahoo.com/group/12StepSoulFoodForTheSpirit
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*One Promise, Many Gifts*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Adult Children of Alcoholics
www.AdultChildren.org Al-Anon/Alateen
www.al-anon.org Alcoholics Anonymous
www.alcoholics-anonymous.org Alcoholics Anonymous Deaf and Hard of Hearing
www.dhh12s.com/access.htm Artists Recovering through the Twelve Steps
www.artsanonymous.org Clutterer’s Anonymous
www.clutterersanonymous.net Cocaine Anonymous World Services
www.ca.org Co-Dependents Anonymous Home Page
www.codependents.org Crystal Meth Anonymous
www.crystalmeth.org Criminal and Gangs Anonymous
www.angelfire.com/id/CGAnonymous Debtors Anonymous: A Twelve Step Fellowship for…
www.debtorsanonymous.org
Dual Recovery Anonymous - a 12 Step program
www.draonline.org
By the grace of God and through your efforts of passing on this
email, we are reaching many recovering people in different areas of
the world. If you are receiving this, from a country outside of the
USA please send me an email and tell me where you are receiving this.
So far we reaching over 6000 recovering people in 66 countries
including Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Barbados,
Belgium, Bermuda, Brazil, Canada , Columbia, Costa Rica, China ,
Cyprus, Denmark, Egypt, England, Finland, France, Guatemala,
Germany, Greece, Honduras, Hong Kong, Iceland, India, Indonesia,
Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Japan, Korea,
Lithuania, Mali West Africa, Mozambique, Nepal, Netherlands,
New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico,
Philippines, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia , Saudi Arabia,
Scotland, Singapore, South Africa , Spain, Sweden, Switzerland,
Thailand, Trinidad, Turkey, United Arab Emirates,
U.S.A., Venezuela, Wales, West Indies, Zimbabwe.
Even if your country is listed
please email me, and let me know where you are from. 12StepSoulFoodForTheSpirit-owner@yahoogroups.com
Stay in the Light,
In loving service,
Scott H. from N.Y. ~ clean date 10/27/88 YOUnMEnHP@...
(\o/\o/) we are each of us angels with only one wing (\o/\o/)
/_\/_\ and can only fly by embracing each other /_\/_\
For the daily recovery email please visit me at:
www.groups-beta.google.com/group/12-Step-Soul-Food-for-the-Spirit
For the daily recovery email please visit me at:
www.health.groups.yahoo.com/group/12StepSoulFoodForTheSpirit
For the weekly topic meeting please visit me at:
www.health.groups.yahoo.com/group/twelvestepsoulfood4thespirit
Ego: At the end of the game,
the Queen and the Pawn go into the same box.
The weekly meeting topic is: I am new, What does it mean when they say
"The newcomer is the most important person at any meeting. "
Talk about reservations -- the ones you had -- and the fear of ones you may still have. to share please visit
www.health.groups.yahoo.com/group/twelvestepsoulfood4thespirit/
or email twelvestepsoulfood4thespirit@yahoogroups.com ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Please Be There For The Newcomers*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
August 16
It feels so good to know
I'm making my own decisions and following my own path.
My Higher Power is my guide and
my inner voice is my teacher and my soul
written by ~ Ruth Fishel
"Time for Joy"
PLEASE visit and check out Ruth's new book
LIVING LIGHT AS A FEATHER is arriving at bookstores now!
She even interviewed me for the book :)
If you would like a signed copy you can
order it at www.spirithaven.com or email her at spirithaven@... or call at 508-420-5301.
Check out her collection of light, nourishing and nurturing Books and Tapes
& some touching and embracing Greeting Cards
www.spirithaven.com
for inspirational messages email spirithaven@... ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Just for Today*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ For the Newcomer
Why, do you ask , did this happen to me?
Please don't ask, just accept, your truth shall set you free.
Why did my journey take me to Hell and back, time and time again?
To give you experience, now the real journey begins.
I speak of my truth, for me there is no doubt
If you don't go within to find yourself, you will surly go without.
The game is over, put away your drugs and your fears
Come, sit down, hang out for awhile,
If you need I will wipe away your tears.
I know it may not seem like much to offer
For all I have is what was freely given to me
Acceptance and Love is a gift from a Higher Power
I will share my truth with you so your truth shall set you Free !
written by: Dennis Talbot
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Don't Use*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
If anyone has any original recovery poetry that they
would like to share with us please copy and paste it into the body
of an email and send it to me, Thanks for your support and contributions.
What I can't do alone, We do together.
In loving service, Scott ~ YOUnMEnHP@... ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*No Matter What*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Recovery Threads
www.recoverythreads.com
Let It Be Easy, Alan Cohen
www.inlightimes.com/archives/1998/06/easy.htm
Bill W. Talks
Tradition Ten
www.silkworth.net/grapevine/tradition_ten.html
Bill W. Talks
Tradition Eleven
www.silkworth.net/grapevine/tradition_eleven.html
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Make A Meeting*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Just For Today
August 16 Up or down
"This is our road to spiritual growth. We change every day....
This growth is not the result of wishing but of action and prayer:" Basic Text, p. 35-36
Our spiritual condition is never static; if it's not growing, it's
decaying. If we stand still, our spiritual progress will lose its upward
momentum. Gradually, our growth will slow, then halt, then reverse
itself. Our tolerance will wear thin; our willingness to serve others will
wane; our minds will narrow and close. Before long, we'll be right back
where we started: in conflict with everyone and everything around us,
unable to bear even ourselves.
Our only option is to actively participate in our program of spiritual
growth. We pray, seeking knowledge greater than our own from a Power
greater than ourselves. We open our minds and keep them open, becoming
teachable and taking advantage of what others have to share with us. We
demonstrate our willingness to try new ideas and new ways of doing things,
experiencing life in a whole new way. Our spiritual progress picks up
speed and momentum, driven by the Higher Power we are coming to
understand better each day.
Up or down-it's one or the other, with very little in between, where
spiritual growth is concerned. Recovery is not fueled by wishing and
dreaming, we've discovered, but by prayer and action
Just for today: The only constant in my spiritual condition is change.
I cannot rely on yesterday's program. Today, I seek new spiritual
growth through prayer and action. pg. 238
This is a DIFFERENT Yahoo Club you
MUST join this club in order to participate
Yahoo! Clubs Twelve Step Soul Food 4 the Spirit www.health.groups.yahoo.com/group/twelvestepsoulfood4thespirit
A Safe Place to Share , Discover and Recover.
This a message bulletin board meeting, where people post on the
weekly topic. It takes only 1 minute to enter a password and
username. Please go this page on the upper right hand corner and click
the join club link, sign in and go to the left hand side and click
messages to read what others have shared and click on the post link,
now you can share on the topic of the week or whatever you would like.
There is a lot of good experience, strength and hope in here as well
as newcomers who need our support and love, PLEASE stop by.
Thanks for your participation and support :)
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Use Your Sponsor*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Meditation of the Day
www.hazelden.org/servlet/hazelden/thoughts
Daily Meditation for ALL 12 Steppers
www.open-mind.org/Daily/
Dr. Twerski's Sober Thought of the Day
www.gatewayrehab.org/August.html
NEED HELP Pick a topic Daily Meditation
www.hazelden.org/servlet/hazelden/thoughts/search.html
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Be A Sponsor*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ANONYMOUS GIFTS OF KINDNESS
As active alcoholics we were always looking for a handout in one way or
another.
"THE TWELVE TRADITIONS ILLUSTRATED,", p.14
The challenge of the Seventh Tradition is a personal challenge, reminding
me to share and give of myself. Before sobriety the only thing I ever
supported was my habit of drinking. Now my efforts are a smile, a kind
word, and kindness.
I saw that I had to start carrying my own weight and allow my new friends
to walk with me because, through the practice of the Twelve Steps and
Twelve Traditions, I've never had it so good.
Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Work The Steps*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Twenty-Four Hours A Day by Hazelden/ August 16th
A.A. Thought for the Day
"The alcoholic is absolutely unable to stop drinking on
the basis of self-knowledge. We must admit we can do
nothing about it ourselves. Willpower and self-knowledge
will never help in the strange mental blank spots when we
are tempted to drink. An alcoholic mentally is in a very
sick condition. The last flicker of conviction that we can
do the job ourselves must be snuffed out. The spiritual
answer and the program of action are the only hope. Only
spiritual principles will solve our problems. We are
completely helpless apart from Divine help. Our defense
against drinking must come from a Higher Power." Have
I accepted the spiritual answer and the program of action?
Meditation for the Day
Rest now until life, eternal life, flowing through your veins
and heart and mind, bids you to bestir yourself. Then glad
work will follow. Tired work is never effective. The strength
of God's spirit is always available to the tired mind and
body. He is your physician and your healer. Look to these
quiet times of communion with God for rest, for peace, for
cure. Then rise refreshed in spirit and go out to work,
knowing that your strength is able to meet any problems
because it is reinforced by God's power.
Prayer for the Day
I pray that the peace I have found will make me effective.
I pray that I may be relieved of all strain during this day.
So many people have gone away.
We may have felt so alone so much.
In the midst of our struggles and lessons,
we may wonder if God has gone away too.
There are wondrous days
when we feel God's protection and presence,
leading and guiding each step and event.
There are gray, dry days of spiritual barrenness
when we wonder if anything in our life
is guided or planned.
Wondering if God knows or cares.
Seek quiet times on the gray days.
Force discipline and obedience until
the answer comes, because it will.
"I have not gone away child. I am here, always.
Rest in me, in confidence.
All in your life is being guided and planned, each detail.
I know, and I care.
Things are being worked out as quickly as possible
for your highest good.
Trust and be grateful. I am right here.
Soon you will see, and know."
Today, I will remember that God has not abandoned me.
I can trust that God is leading, guiding, directing,
and planning in love each detail of my life.
Most of us spend the bulk of our time feeling crappy about one thing or
another. We find ourselves in disagreements with others, feeling indignant,
wounded, or angry. We feel that our lot in life is quite different from the
path that we would like to be on. We don't make enough money, we don't have
as many things as we'd like, we don't get the love that we need and deserve.
All this comes into play every time we find ourselves at odds with others,
and we feel righteous about our own anger. However, very rarely do we take
the time to really think about any of these feelings, contenting ourselves
with the miserable state we're in by denying that there are any other
choices in life.
The simple fact of the matter is that everything in our lives -- including
all the crappy things -- is a choice that we have made for ourselves. That
is a difficult fact to face for most of us, since it's much easier to blame
random circumstances in our lives than to accept responsibility for our own
actions. The first step toward inner and outer peace is accepting
responsibility for our lives.
Take, for example, a banker who often gets angry because he had always
dreamed of being a country-western singer, but in the course of his life, he
never bothered to get on a country western stage at all. Still, he blames
his parents, for discouraging him and for sending him to business school,
and the country western music community for never noticing his talent. He
blames society for "making" everything so expensive that pursuing your
dreams is nearly impossible from a financial standpoint. He blames his wife,
for getting pregnant when they were only 21. However, the banker is the one
who decided not to pursue his dreams, and any blame must end there.
Taking responsibility for our lives is not just a matter of our work
situations. We must take responsibility for everything in our lives -- from
the greatest to the smallest detail. No one and no thing is capable of
effecting any change in us that we do not allow them to make.
If someone tells you that you have a big nose or a flabby stomach, you may
feel hurt. However, you must recognize that this injury is one that you are
inflicting upon yourself. Even if someone is intentionally trying to hurt
you, you are still the only one capable of causing the injury. It is your
feelings of inadequacy that come into play. If someone told you that you had
a big nose, and you liked your nose, the comment would have little effect.
So, in essence, the only injuries that can be inflicted upon you are those
that you allow.
Every man and every woman is a star, a unique individual, self sufficient
and perfect in their own way. Holding ourselves to any standard but our own
is both injurious and impractical. We are each perfect in our own way.
This perfection is not subject to comparative analysis, but merely a fact of
manifestation. All structures in the universe are in balance, moving
harmoniously from unmanifest to manifest and back, in a cyclical motion.
This state of balance and invulnerability is the natural state for all human
beings. Invoke it, and you can live it.
To make the statement that there is something wrong with you is to claim
that the universe made some sort of error in your creation. Your perfection
is unknown to you as long as you deny it. If you insist upon injuring
yourself with your perceived inadequacies, you will not be able to fulfill
your own perfection.
The next time you find yourself in conflict with someone, instead of placing
blame upon the other person, look at yourself in the situation. Look at
yourself and remember that there are no wrong feelings. Forgive yourself in
advance for whatever you may find. Notice how you are feeling. At first, you
probably won't even know how you are feeling, or you may think it is anger.
In a few moments, if you look deeply within, you will find that what you
really feel is fear.
You probably won't even know what you are afraid of, but when something in
life upsets you, it is a manifestation of your fear. It is just one of those
four elemental forms of fear, creeping into your consciousness. Anger is a
form of fear. Sadness is a form of fear. Loneliness is a form of fear.
Still, even recognizing this, it is not easy to let go of that fear. You
feel afraid right now. You were taught fear, and you have been fearful for
so long that any other condition seems almost impossible.
Avoiding Habits
In your day-to-day life, you spend nearly all of the energy at your disposal
on a set of routines. These routines are so implanted that you consider them
to be you. They are more than the way you drive to work each day or the
brand of soap you buy -- they are the way that you fundamentally interact
with your environment. Everything that you think about, every aspect of your
life is just a routine, a conditioned response. For the most part, you live
in the past tense, comparing everything that comes along in terms of
something that came along before.
It takes a lot to maintain these routines. Every time you react to a
circumstance in a typical way, you invest your energy in that direction.
Let's say you dislike airplanes, and someone offers you a ride on an
airplane. In considering the offer, you reinvest energy in your opinion
about airplanes. You assure yourself that you still dislike airplanes, and
politely refuse the offer.
However, going around and trying to do all of the things that you normally
don't do won't help either, because in your current state that would only do
harm. You would invest even more energy in trying to overcome your routine
reactions and end up worse off than you began. This is the reason for
secluding yourself -- so that you do not have to invest energy in these
routines. By ceasing to react to the world in a routine way, your overall
energy levels increase to the point where even things you never believed
were possible can occur.
The problem is that these routines are so insidious that you will probably
find it hard to recognize them. True, cigarettes, alcohol, and drugs can all
be habits or routines, but they are really just the tip of the iceberg. The
time you like breakfast, your favorite socks, your thoughts on international
politics, how much you love the sunset -- these are all merely routines. You
may think those are the endearing parts of your personality, but you
probably picked them up from other people. You imitate your parents, your
friends, your enemies, and your lovers. Have you ever noticed yourself
saying some phrase or using some gesture that your current sexual partner
always uses? You're probably not even conscious of when you began to do it.
It will do no good to battle with these habits. Instead, recognize that you
are adhering to a routine, and you will diffuse its power by being aware of
it.
The Dark Night of the Soul
Sooner or later, you will have to face "the dark night of the soul." This
phrase, first used by St. John of the Cross, refers to a condition that
occurs in the mystic process in which you feel totally devoid of spiritual
ability or any sense of inner light. It usually refers to an experience that
you have after an extended period of doing your practice, once you have
started to feel some kind of positive result. Suddenly, the positive results
disappear, and you begin to feel lost in darkness and spiritual dryness.
Miguel de Molinos states that this darkness is actually God's way of drawing
you in. He believes that it is necessary for the ideas and personality of
the aspirant to withdraw so that God may do the instructing. "So in the
beginning, when God intends to guide the Soul by an extraordinary manner
into the school of the divine and loving notices of the internal law, he
makes it go with darkness, and dryness, so that he may bring it near to
himself."
There is an old saying that the first step on the spiritual path is one into
pure darkness. That is because the spiritual path leads you into your
internal world and the darkness that you find there is the chaos of your own
mind. At first, you may be so enthusiastic about your practices that you
will not notice any darkness. It may seem as if your Angel is only inches
away, as if you are almost done before you have really begun. Very quickly,
this enthusiasm will falter, and you will doubt everything. It will feel as
if you have lost not only that spiritual light you thought you were getting
so close to, but all of the light in your life. All of this is the dark
night of the soul.
This is a totally natural process. Any activity that you undertake will have
this dark phase. Whether you are invoking your Holy Guardian Angel, starting
to exercise, or writing a play, after a short while you will find it acutely
painful to continue. Only by suffering through this darkness and letting the
things that are holding you back drop away can you succeed in completing
your project.
The darkness will usually manifest as a loathing for the project, a feeling
that you are getting nowhere, and doubt that there is really anywhere to go.
You may feel as if you are losing your mind. You may feel like you are
actually becoming a much worse person than you were when you started off.
What this darkness truly consists of is all of your internal conflicts and
fears that you have kept quietly at bay by building a wall between yourself
and the universe. By looking within yourself, you are forced to confront
these fears, and if you do not approach this operation with all of your
will, you will be consumed by these fears. Only by quietly facing each of
your fears, doubts, and delusions with intelligence, perseverance, courage,
and silence can you succeed through this critical stage.
You may not recognize that you have entered the dark night of the soul until
it completely surrounds you. It may begin as a mild boredom, or a creeping
doubt, but quickly it will turn into panic and perhaps even a feeling of
madness.
This is just part of the spiritual growing process. At some point, we each
have to go through a period of tribulation. It happens in mundane situations
too. Any learning process involves this period of dryness and anguish. Think
back to when you learned the multiplication tables. At first, maybe it
seemed fun, then horrible, like a looming beast, and then you were its
master.
There is another old saying that once you take a single step onto the
spiritual path you are compelled to walk its entire length. This is also
very true. If you abandon your practices in the middle, before you complete
the operation, you will remain subject to all of the mental chaos that
you've unearthed. Eventually, you will most likely manage to force it all
back down into the shadows, but you may never take another step on that
path. Once you begin this operation, you must succeed, or you may never
succeed.
Just remember that you are seeking your Holy Guardian Angel. You cannot
force this Angel to come to you; you must just be patient. Allow your fears
and doubts to enter your consciousness, because you will face every one of
them in one way or another before your Holy Guardian Angel will appear.
Forgive yourself for having these fears, and let them quietly slink away.
Eventually, they will not trouble you any longer, and you can be assured
that your Angel is only moments away.
About the Author:
Jason Augustus Newcomb is an aspiring screenwriter and artist, a certified
clinical hypnotherapist, and a lifelong student of the Western Mystery
Tradition. He lives in Los Angeles.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*First Things First*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Together Our Unity Can Heal
A number of years ago (1983-1987), I had the opportunity to
play the character of Ronald McDonald for the McDonald's
Corporation. My marketplace covered most of Arizona and a portion
of Southern California.
One of our standard events was "Ronald Day." One day each
month, we visited as many of the community hospitals as possible,
bringing a little happiness into a place where no one ever looks
forward to going. I was very proud to be able to make a
difference for children and adults who were experiencing some
"down time." The warmth and gratification I would receive stayed
with me for weeks. I loved the project, McDonald's loved the
project, the kids and adults loved it and so did the nursing and
hospital staffs.
There were two restrictions placed on me during a visit.
First I could not go anywhere in the hospital without McDonald's
personnel (my handlers) as well as hospital personnel. That way,
if I were to walk into a room and frighten a child, there was
someone there to address the issue immediately. And second, I
could not physically touch anyone within the hospital. They did
not want me transferring germs from one patient to another. I
understood why they had this "don't touch" rule, but I didn't
like it. I believe that touching is the most honest form of
communication we will ever know. Printed and spoken words can
lie; it is impossible to lie with a warm hug.
Breaking either of these rules, I was told, meant I could
lose my job.
Toward the end of my fourth year of "Ronald Days," as I was
heading down a hallway after a long day in grease paint and on my
way home, I heard a little voice. "Ronald, Ronald."
I stopped. The soft little voice was coming through a half-
opened door. I pushed the door open and saw a young boy, about
five years old, lying in his dad's arms, hooked up to more
medical equipment than I had ever seen. Mom was on the other
side, along with Grandma, Grandpa and a nurse tending to the
equipment.
I knew by the feeling in the room that the situation was
grave. I asked the little boy his name - he told me it was Billy
- and I did a few simple magic tricks for him. As I stepped back
to say good-bye, I asked Billy if there was anything else I could
do for him.
"Ronald, would you hold me?"
Such a simple request. But what ran through my mind was that
if I touched him, I could lose my job. So I told Billy I could
not do that right now, but I suggested that he and I color a
picture. Upon completing a wonderful piece of art that we were
both very proud of, Billy again asked me to hold him. By this
time my heart was screaming "yes!" But my mind was screaming
louder. "No! You are going to lose your job!"
This second time that Billy asked me, I had to ponder why I
could not grant the simple request of a little boy who probably
would not be going home. I asked myself why was I being logically
and emotionally torn apart by someone I had never seen before and
probably would never see again.
"Hold me." It was such a simple request, and yet...
I searched for any reasonable response that would allow me
to leave. I could not come up with a single one. It took me a
moment to realize that in this situation, losing my job may not
be the disaster I feared.
Was losing my job the worst thing in the world?
Did I have enough self-belief that if I did lost my job, I
would be able to pick up and start again? The answer was a loud,
bold, affirming "yes!" I could pick up and start again.
So what was the risk?
Just that if I lost my job, it probably would not be long
before I would lost first my car, then my home...and to be honest
with you, I really liked those things. But I realized that at the
end of my life, the car would have no value and neither would the
house. The only things that had steadfast value were experiences.
Once I reminded myself that the real reason I was there was to
bring a little happiness to an unhappy environment, I realized
that I really faced no risk at all.
I sent Mom, Dad, Grandma and Grandpa out of the room, and my
two McDonald's escorts out to the van. The nurse tending the
medical equipment stayed, but Billy asked her to stand and face
the corner. Then I picked up this little wonder of a human being.
He was so frail and so scared. We laughed and cried for 45
minutes, and talked about the things that worried him.
Billy was afraid that his little brother might get lost
coming home from kindergarten next year, without Billy to show
him the way. He worried that his dog wouldn't get another bone
because Billy had hidden the bones in the house before going back
to the hospital, and now he couldn't remember where he put them.
These are problems to a little boy who knows he is not going
home.
On my way out of the room, with tear-streaked makeup running
down my neck, I gave Mom and Dad my real name and phone number
(another automatic dismissal for a Ronald McDonald, but I figured
that I was gone and had nothing to lose), and said if there was
anything the McDonald's Corporation or I could do, to give me a
call and consider it done. Less than 48 hours later, I received a
phone call from Billy's mom. She informed me that Billy had
passed away. She and her husband simply wanted to thank me for
making a difference in their little boy's life.
Billy's mom told me that shortly after I left the room,
Billy looked at her and said, "Momma, I don't care anymore if I
see Santa this year because I was held by Ronald McDonald."
Sometimes we must do what is right for the moment,
regardless of the perceived risk. Only experiences have value,
and the one biggest reason people limit their experiences is
because of the risk involved.
For the record, McDonald's did find out about Billy and me,
but given the circumstances, permitted me to retain my job. I
continued as Ronald for another year before leaving the
corporation to share the story of Billy and how important it is
to take risks.
By Jeff McMullen from Chicken Soup for the Soul at Work
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Easy Does It*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ The Stone A wise woman who was traveling in the mountains found
a precious stone in a stream. The next day she met another
traveler who was hungry, and the wise woman opened her bag
to share her food. The hungry traveler saw the precious stone
and asked the woman to give it to him.
She did so without hesitation.
The traveler left rejoicing in his good fortune. He knew the stone
was worth enough to give him security for a lifetime. But, a few
days later, he came back to return the stone to the wise woman.
"I've been thinking," he said.
"I know how valuable this stone is, but I give it back in the hope
that you can give me something even more precious.
Give me what you have within you
that enabled you to give me this stone."
-- Author unknown
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Live And Let Live*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
TODAY'S POSITIVE THOUGHT:
Love heals all.
TODAY'S POSITIVE AFFIRMATION:
Love is healing every aspect of my life.
I AM whole and healthy.
TODAY'S POSITIVE VISUALIZATION:
I close my eyes and imagine myself whole and
healthy. In my mind's eye I see myself surrounded
by a blanket of love. I feel this love penetrating
every aspect of my being. I imagine this love healing
all hurts past and present. I see myself going through
my day as a healthy, peaceful, and productive person.
I combine these thoughts with a feeling of joy and I
let the images go.
My recovery
A gift from God
Reminding me to be grateful
Gratitude reminds me
Life is greater
When I see where I came from
Vera Vge718@... ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Let God and Let Go*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Be true to your work, your word, and your friend. Henry David Thoreau
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Come*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ "There are no shortcuts to any place worth going." Beverly Sills
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Come To*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ "God grant me the courage
not to give up what I think is right,
even though I think it is hopeless." Admiral Chester W. Nimitz
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Come To Believe*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ "Love doesn't make the world go 'round.
Love is what makes the ride worthwhile." Franklin P. Jones
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Look For The Beauty*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The slogans are the banisters to the steps.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Today Is A Gift*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
This too shall pass ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Keep Stepping*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Live and Let Live
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Stay In The Light*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ First Things First
*~*~*~*~*~*~*Put Gratitude In Your Attitude*~*~*~*~*~*~*
12StepSoulFoodForTheSpirit does not endorse any of the
advertisements that may appear in this daily mailing.
Advertising is the price that we pay for a free list server
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Putting together these Daily Recovery Emails has been such
a blessing for me, Thanks for your support and contributions,
"What I can't do alone we can do together." If you have any
original poetry or submissions that you would like to send to
me you can email me at 12StepSoulFoodForTheSpirit-owner@yahoogroups.com or YOUnMEnHP@...
"12 Step Soul Food for the Spirit" is intended to give readers ,
inspiring and thoughtful messages. To help fulfill our primary
purpose which is to carry the message to the alcoholic/addict
who still suffers. A spiritual adventure, a journey inwards this
has a vision of opening and touching, each and everyone,
with the Loving Power and Presence of the Spirit within."
We invite you to share the writings by forwarding today's
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write subscribe in the subject line.
Under Bill s.1618 TITLE III passed by the 105th U.S. Congress
this letter cannot be considered spam as long as the following words
are included:
To unsubscribe to to this list send an Email message to: 12StepSoulFoodForTheSpirit-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
and write unsubsribe in the subject line
or go to the website and unsubscribe
www,health.groups.yahoo.com/group/12StepSoulFoodForTheSpirit
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*One Promise, Many Gifts*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Adult Children of Alcoholics
www.AdultChildren.org Al-Anon/Alateen
www.al-anon.org Alcoholics Anonymous
www.alcoholics-anonymous.org Alcoholics Anonymous Deaf and Hard of Hearing
www.dhh12s.com/access.htm Artists Recovering through the Twelve Steps
www.artsanonymous.org Clutterer’s Anonymous
www.clutterersanonymous.net Cocaine Anonymous World Services
www.ca.org Co-Dependents Anonymous Home Page
www.codependents.org Crystal Meth Anonymous
www.crystalmeth.org Criminal and Gangs Anonymous
www.angelfire.com/id/CGAnonymous Debtors Anonymous: A Twelve Step Fellowship for…
www.debtorsanonymous.org
Dual Recovery Anonymous - a 12 Step program
www.draonline.org
By the grace of God and through your efforts of passing on this
email, we are reaching many recovering people in different areas of
the world. If you are receiving this, from a country outside of the
USA please send me an email and tell me where you are receiving this.
So far we reaching over 6000 recovering people in 66 countries
including Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Barbados,
Belgium, Bermuda, Brazil, Canada , Columbia, Costa Rica, China ,
Cyprus, Denmark, Egypt, England, Finland, France, Guatemala,
Germany, Greece, Honduras, Hong Kong, Iceland, India, Indonesia,
Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Japan, Korea,
Lithuania, Mali West Africa, Mozambique, Nepal, Netherlands,
New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico,
Philippines, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia , Saudi Arabia,
Scotland, Singapore, South Africa , Spain, Sweden, Switzerland,
Thailand, Trinidad, Turkey, United Arab Emirates,
U.S.A., Venezuela, Wales, West Indies, Zimbabwe.
Even if your country is listed
please email me, and let me know where you are from. 12StepSoulFoodForTheSpirit-owner@yahoogroups.com
Stay in the Light,
In loving service,
Scott H. from N.Y. ~ clean date 10/27/88 YOUnMEnHP@...
(\o/\o/) we are each of us angels with only one wing (\o/\o/)
/_\/_\ and can only fly by embracing each other /_\/_\
For the daily recovery email please visit me at:
www.groups-beta.google.com/group/12-Step-Soul-Food-for-the-Spirit
For the daily recovery email please visit me at:
www.health.groups.yahoo.com/group/12StepSoulFoodForTheSpirit
For the weekly topic meeting please visit me at:
www.health.groups.yahoo.com/group/twelvestepsoulfood4thespirit
This is a 'One Day at a Time' program.
If you are clean today, you are tied for first place.
The weekly meeting topic is: I am new, What does it mean when they say
"The newcomer is the most important person at any meeting. "
Talk about reservations -- the ones you had -- and the fear of ones you may still have. to share please visit
www.health.groups.yahoo.com/group/twelvestepsoulfood4thespirit/
or email twelvestepsoulfood4thespirit@yahoogroups.com ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Please Be There For The Newcomers*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
August 15.
Today I will spend some time
putting my own needs aside to help someone else.
It is so good to know that I can be filled with
such good feelings and I get so much when I give of myself.
written by ~ Ruth Fishel
"Time for Joy"
PLEASE visit and check out Ruth's new book
LIVING LIGHT AS A FEATHER is arriving at bookstores now!
She even interviewed me for the book :)
If you would like a signed copy you can
order it at www.spirithaven.com or email her at spirithaven@... or call at 508-420-5301.
Check out her collection of light, nourishing and nurturing Books and Tapes
& some touching and embracing Greeting Cards
www.spirithaven.com
for inspirational messages email spirithaven@... ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Just for Today*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Upon Your Feet
I did not just wake up one day
Working the steps I changed my way
It took God my sponsor also the steps
Along with lots of meetings you see
Day to day I had learned how to live free
I did not get here over night
It took years of working the steps
In order for me to get right
I really had to give time
Time you see
I took a long time for me
For me to learn how to live free
So be patient when you first get here
God along with a sponsor will ease your fear
In recovery the more you give the more you get
Today it is so beautiful to live a life free of regret
Always remember to be honest and true
Once your willing God will help you
Always remember just for today
Be kind be patient
Along the way
Keep your eyes open
As you make your way
We know what your going through
We were all one day just like you
To yourself always be true
When you get your feet
Planted upon the ground
At that point you can
Then turn around
To give it away
Just for today
Daniel M Corkery
1/2/2003
DMCDREAMER1@...
DMCDREAMER's Page of Poetry
www.geocities.com/dmcdreamer/
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Don't Use*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
If anyone has any original recovery poetry that they
would like to share with us please copy and paste it into the body
of an email and send it to me, Thanks for your support and contributions.
What I can't do alone, We do together.
In loving service, Scott ~ YOUnMEnHP@... ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*No Matter What*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The Short Version and meaning of the Alanon 12 Steps
www.spiderangel.www.50megs.com/meaningofsteps.html
Bill W. Talks
Tradition Eight
www.silkworth.net/grapevine/tradition_eight.html
Bill W. Talks
Tradition Nine
www.silkworth.net/grapevine/tradition_nine.html
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Make A Meeting*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Just For Today
August 15 Over time, not over night
"We found that we do not recover physically, mentally, or
spiritually overnight." Basic Text, p.27
Have you ever approached a recovery celebration with the feeling
that you should be further along in your recovery than you are? Maybe
you have listened to newcomers sharing in meetings, members with
much less clean time, and thought, "But I'm just barely beginning to
understand what they're talking about!"
It's odd that we should come into recovery thinking that we will
feel wonderful right away or no longer have any difficulty handling life's
twists and turns. We expect our physical problems to correct themselves,
our thinking to become rational, and a fully developed spiritual life to
manifest itself overnight. We forget that we spent years abusing our
bodies, numbing our minds, and suppressing our awareness of a Higher
Power. We cannot undo the damage in a day. We can, however, apply the
next step, go to the next meeting, help the next newcomer. We heal and
recover bit by bit-not overnight, but over time.
Just for today: My body will heal a little, my mind will become a l
ittle clearer, and my relationship with my Higher Power will
strengthen. pg. 237
This is a DIFFERENT Yahoo Club you
MUST join this club in order to participate
Yahoo! Clubs Twelve Step Soul Food 4 the Spirit www.health.groups.yahoo.com/group/twelvestepsoulfood4thespirit
A Safe Place to Share , Discover and Recover.
This a message bulletin board meeting, where people post on the
weekly topic. It takes only 1 minute to enter a password and
username. Please go this page on the upper right hand corner and click
the join club link, sign in and go to the left hand side and click
messages to read what others have shared and click on the post link,
now you can share on the topic of the week or whatever you would like.
There is a lot of good experience, strength and hope in here as well
as newcomers who need our support and love, PLEASE stop by.
Thanks for your participation and support :)
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Use Your Sponsor*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Meditation of the Day
www.hazelden.org/servlet/hazelden/thoughts
Daily Meditation for ALL 12 Steppers
www.open-mind.org/Daily/
Dr. Twerski's Sober Thought of the Day
www.gatewayrehab.org/August.html
NEED HELP Pick a topic Daily Meditation
www.hazelden.org/servlet/hazelden/thoughts/search.html
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Be A Sponsor*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ OPENING UP TO CHANGE
Self-searching is the means by which we bring new vision, action, and grace
to bear upon the dark and negative side of our natures. With it comes the
development of that kind of humility that makes it possible for us to
receive God's help. . . . we find that bit by bit we can discard the old
life -- the one that did not work -- for a new life that can and does work
under any conditions whatever.
AS BILL SEES IT, pp. 10, 8
I have been given a daily reprieve contingent upon my spiritual condition,
provided I seek progress, not perfection. To become ready for change, I
practice willingness, opening myself to possibilities of change. If I
realize there are defects that hinder my usefulness in A.A. and toward
others, I become ready by meditating and receiving direction. "Some of us
have tried to hold on to our old ideas and the result was nil until we let
go absolutely" (Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 58). To let go and let God, I
need only surrender my old ways to Him; I no longer fight nor do I try to
control, but simply believe that, with God's help, I am changed and
affirming this belief makes me ready. I empty myself to be full of
awareness, light, and love, and I am ready to face each day with hope.
Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Work The Steps*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Twenty-Four Hours A Day by Hazelden/ August 15th
A.A. Thought for the Day
"Once an alcoholic, always an alcoholic. Commencing to drink
after a period of sobriety, we are in a short time as bad as
ever. If we have admitted we are alcoholics, we must have no
reservations of any kind, nor any lurking notion that some day
we will be immune to alcohol. What sort of thinking dominates
an alcoholic who repeats time after time the desperate
experiment of the first drink? Parallel with sound reasoning,
there inevitably runs some insanely trivial excuse for taking
the first drink. There is little thought of what the terrific
consequences may be." Have I given up all excuses for taking
a drink?
Meditation for the Day
"Where two or three are banded together, I will be there in
the midst of them." When God finds two or three people in
union, who only want His will to be done, who want only to serve
Him, He has a plan that can be revealed to them. The grace of
God can come to people who are together in one place with one
accord. A union like this is miracle-working. God is able to use
such people. Only good can come through such consecrated
people, brought together in unified groups for a single purpose
and of a single mind.
Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may be part of a unified group. I pray that I may
contribute my share to its consecrated purpose.
Some days, we wake up in the morning,
and by the time we go to bed that evening,
our life has twisted, changed in a way that
we couldn't predict and don't want.
Our worst fears have come true.
Life as we have known it
will never be the same again.
The problem isn't just that this tragedy has come along
and knocked our lives for a loop,
although that alone would be enough.
To complicate matters, we now know
how vulnerable we are.
And we wonder, in that vulnerability,
if we can ever trust God, life, or ourselves again.
Many years ago, the founders of Alcoholic Anonymous,
a spiritually based program designed to help alcoholics recover,
cautioned people not to base sobriety and faith in God
on the false notion that any person is immune from tragedy.
They knew that life would continue to be life.
You are not alone, in your joy or in your sorrow.
You may feel that way for a while.
But soon you'll begin to see that many others have experienced,
surrendered to, and transcended a similar misfortune or loss.
Your pain is important.
But you're not being singled out.
Don't use your misfortune to prove that you were right all along -
you're a victim of circumstance, fate, and God.
"God must really love me," a young man said one day after walking away
from a motorcycle accident that should of been tragic.
God loves all of us, whether we walk away pain-free or not.
Keep taking care of yourself, no matter what.
God, transform my pain into compassion for others and myself.
It scares us more than anything except death. Being alone.
Our fear of aloneness is so ingrained that given the choice of being by
ourselves or being with others we opt for safety in numbers, even at the
expense of lingering in painful, boring, or totally unredeeming company.
And yet more of us than ever are alone.
While many Americans have their solo lifestyles thrust on them -- people
die, people go away -- a huge and growing population is choosing to be
alone.
In 1955, one in ten U.S. households consisted of one person. By 1999, the
proportion was one in three. Single men and women accounted for 38.9
million of the nations 110.5 million households. Sixty percent of them were
under the age of sixty-five; roughly 60 percent of them were women.
On the cusp of the new century, approximately 14.3 million American women
and 24.6 million American men over the age of twenty-five lived alone,
according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
By 1999, single parents with children under the age of eighteen made up 27.3
percent of the nations 70.9 million family households. Among them were 2.1
million father-child and 9.8 million mother-child families. Forty-two
percent of single-parent mothers had never wed.
Meanwhile, many more Americans are divorcing. In less than three decades,
reports the Census Bureau, the number of divorced men and women has more
than quadrupled -- to a total of 18.3 million in 1996, compared to 4.3
million in 1970.
And many more Americans are not marrying. The number of adult men and women
who have remained single has more than doubled in thirty years-to 44.9
million in 1996 from 21.4 million in 1970.
"Never before in American history has living alone been the predominant
lifestyle," observes demographic trends analyst Cheryl Russell, who predicts
that single-person households will become the most common household type in
the United States by the year 2005.
Nonetheless, we persist in the conviction that a solitary existence is the
harshest penalty life can mete out. We loathe being alone -- anytime,
anywhere, for too long, for whatever reason.
From childhood we're conditioned to accept that when alone we instinctively
ache for company, that loners are outsiders yearning to get in rather than
people who are content with their own company.
Alone, we squander life by rejecting its full potential and wasting its
remaining promises. Alone, we accept that experiences unshared are barely
worthwhile, that sunsets viewed singly are not as spectacular, that time
spent apart is fallow and pointless.
And so we grow old believing we are nothing by ourselves, steadfastly
shunning the opportunities for self-discovery and personal growth that
solitude could bring us.
We've even coined a word for those who prefer to be by themselves:
antisocial, as if they were enemies of society. They are viewed as
friendless, suspect in a world that goes around in twos or more and is wary
of solitary travelers.
People who need people are threatened by people who don't. The idea of
seeking contentment alone is heretical, for society steadfastly decrees that
our completeness lies in others.
Instead, we cling to each other for solace, comfort, and safety, believing
that we are nothing alone -- insignificant, unfulfilled, lost -- accepting
solitude in the tiniest, most reluctant of slices, if at all, which is
tragic, for it rejects God's precious gift of life.
Ironically, most of us crave more intimacy and companionship than we can
bear. We begrudge ourselves, our spouses, and our partners sufficient
physical and emotional breathing room, and then bemoan the suffocation of
our relationships.
To point out these facts is not to suggest we should abandon all our close
ties. Medical surveys show that the majority of elderly people who live
alone, yet maintain frequent contact with relatives and friends, rate their
physical and emotional well-being as "excellent." Just as an apple a day
kept the doctor away when they were young, an active social calendar appears
to serve the same purpose now.
But we need to befriend and enjoy ourselves as well.
How does that old song go? "I've been to paradise, but I've never been to
me...."
"We must relearn to be alone," exhorts Anne Morrow Lindbergh in her
inspirational book, Gift from the Sea. "Instead of planting our solitude
with dream blossoms, we choke the space with continuous music, chatter, and
companionship to which we do not even listen. It is simply there to fill
the vacuum."
"We can't stand the silence," said Agnes de Mille, "because silence includes
thinking. And if we thought, we would have to face ourselves."
Let us learn, then, from those in search of what they have not been able to
find and hold in the press of humanity around them: peace of mind,
gentleness of heart, calmness of spirit, daily joy. Those who are mastering
the art of flying solo and soaring to their highest human potential. Who
have come to understand that to know and to love and to be of value to
others, they first must know and love and value themselves; that to find
their way in the world, they have to start by finding themselves.
"Before we can surrender ourselves we must become ourselves," Thomas Merton
pointed out. "For no one can give up what he does not possess:" They are
the men and women who have found nobility in turning to themselves first
when facing life's challenges -- and not blaming anyone else if they fail.
Who find silence eloquent rather than empty.
Who have discovered that being alone can impose a startling clarity in their
lives, achieved through the personal reflection we seem to allow ourselves
only in times of severe loss and intense grief.
Who trust their aloneness, using it to embrace and nurture their
individuality, to celebrate themselves in their own special ways.
Who have become born companions to the best friends they'll ever have.
Guess who?
Who are living alone well, even magnificently, in full affirmation of the
preciousness of life?
The premise of this book is timeless and simple: there are gifts we can only
give ourselves, lessons no one else can teach us, triumphs we must achieve
alone.
It is all right to be alone, to want to be alone, to be alone and not
lonely -- even to be lonely at times -- because the rewards of solitude are
worth the deprivations.
I am now willing to release struggle,
and embrace the path of joy.
I relax my body.
I bring relaxation
into my face, head, and neck.
I adjust my posture
so that energy flows easily through me.
I allow my emotions
to grow quiet and calm.
My mind is now becoming serene.
I am at peace with the world.
As I breathe in, I draw in light.
As I breathe out,
I release any thoughts or feelings
I do not want.
I feel the light of my soul all around me,
embracing me with its love.
I expand into the light of my soul.
My soul sings a song of joy.
I draw my soul's joy into my being.
I draw my soul's joy
into the cells of my body.
I draw my soul's joy into my emotions.
I draw my soul's joy into my thoughts.
I sound a note of joy
that reverberates throughout my being.
I think of an area of my life
in which I would like more joy.
As I think of this area of my life,
I ask my soul to permeate this area
with its note of joy.
I affirm that I can release anything
in this area of my life
that does not bring me joy.
I ask my soul to assist me
in releasing any thoughts,
emotions,
attitudes,
and behaviors
that do not contribute to
my having a joyful life.
I believe that I can have joy in this
and in every area of my life.
I open to and experience joy now.
I am aware of my inner being
throughout the day.
I connect with my soul often,
and as I do,
I draw in its joy.
Joy becomes the keynote of my life.
About The Authors
This meditation was "given" by Orin and DaBen, both timeless beings of love
and light, channeled by Sanaya Roman and Duane Packer. Visit their website
at www.orindaben.com This meditation is reprinted from their website with permission.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Easy Does It*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Reach Out
I reach out when
I am at the end of my rope
Call my friends who help me cope
God has blessed me with many friends
Who come and help to tie up my loose ends
When I am down and feeling low
It is to a meeting that I must go
I share my ups and I share my downs
I head to a place where love can be found
I must always remember where I can go
Down deep inside I really know
I live my life with in today
Pray to God and share my way
Sober by Gods love and grace
I give Him praise in everyplace
God has filled me with His love
He lives with everyone not high above
Reach out when you need someone
It means a lot when your day is done
Just reach out someone is always near
To help over come all of your fear
Daniel M Corkery
4/19/2002
DMCDREAMER1@...
DMCDREAMER's Page of Poetry
www.geocities.com/dmcdreamer/
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Live And Let Live*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ A Spell For Sobriety
I think I am like
Magikians of old
Seeking potions
To make me bold
Trying to be heard
Like braying old asses,
Mumbo jumbo and
Frantic passes.
In my greatness
I will make them heed
And supply me
With all I want
And all that I need.
But my potions are poison
And my spells
Are lies.
And my greatness
Even to myself
Quickly dies.
Dejected, rejected
Confused, confounded
My responsibility for
All my wrongs
Is completely unfounded.
So in my dark lair
I hide and mope
Seeking false comfort
In my magical dope.
I drop, I puff
I drink, I swill
And slowly all trace
Of my spirit
I try to kill.
And lonely in my cave
That lovely darkened tomb,
I begin to wonder
If
In God's love
There is room?
If I confess
If I relinquish
My hold,
Maybe with GOD'S
Help
I can peacefully
Grow old.
With my last denial
And my first
Sober breath
I pray to GOD
LORD,
Take control
I am causing
My death.
I then know
So many hurts
I need to attend,
So many wrongs
To so many people
I must make amends.
Forgive me
For I have forsaken you.
O GOD show me
What to do,
No one can save me
No one but you.
And from above
In my heart
I hear,
"Throw away the
poisons, potions
dope and the beer.
Live each day
A day at a time,
Give all control
To me
And all that is
Mine.
Go find others
Trapped in the hell
They have built,
And I will make those
Sows ears
Into purses of silk!"
For all those fallen
Sufferers in denial
Saying NAY NAY
All will have a new
A new chance
For life
In the magickal
Brotherhood
Of AA.
Step lively
For there are steps
To live.
For now is your chance
To live and forgive.
written by ~ michael enlightenment@... ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Keep The Focus On You*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ "As long as you keep a person down, some part of you has to be down there
to hold him down, so it means you cannot soar as you otherwise might." Marian Anderson
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Let God and Let Go*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Never look down on anybody unless
you're helping them up. Jesse Jackson ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Come*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ My philosophy is that not only are you
responsible for your life, but doing
the best at this moment puts you in the
best place for the next moment. Oprah Winfrey
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Come To*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Always, He will watch over us and comfort us. Ernest Holmes
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Come To Believe*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ "If you love somebody, let them go, for if they return,
they were always yours. And if they don't, they never were." Kahlil Gibran, "The Prophet"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Look For The Beauty*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Slogans are wisdom written in shorthand
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Today Is A Gift*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ One Day At A Time
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Keep Stepping*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Keep It Simple ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Stay In The Light*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Easy does it… But do it
*~*~*~*~*~*~*Put Gratitude In Your Attitude*~*~*~*~*~*~*
12StepSoulFoodForTheSpirit does not endorse any of the
advertisements that may appear in this daily mailing.
Advertising is the price that we pay for a free list server
that yahoo groups provides.
Putting together these Daily Recovery Emails has been such
a blessing for me, Thanks for your support and contributions,
"What I can't do alone we can do together." If you have any
original poetry or submissions that you would like to send to
me you can email me at 12StepSoulFoodForTheSpirit-owner@yahoogroups.com or YOUnMEnHP@...
"12 Step Soul Food for the Spirit" is intended to give readers ,
inspiring and thoughtful messages. To help fulfill our primary
purpose which is to carry the message to the alcoholic/addict
who still suffers. A spiritual adventure, a journey inwards this
has a vision of opening and touching, each and everyone,
with the Loving Power and Presence of the Spirit within."
We invite you to share the writings by forwarding today's
message to others. Share "12 Step Soul Food for the Spirit"
with friends and loved ones: Please keep passing this along to
online recovery friends "We can only keep what we have by
giving it away." Anyone can subscribe to this free daily e-zine
by sending an Email message to: 12StepSoulFoodForTheSpirit-subscribe@yahoogroups.com and
write subscribe in the subject line.
Under Bill s.1618 TITLE III passed by the 105th U.S. Congress
this letter cannot be considered spam as long as the following words
are included:
To unsubscribe to to this list send an Email message to: 12StepSoulFoodForTheSpirit-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
and write unsubsribe in the subject line
or go to the website and unsubscribe
www,health.groups.yahoo.com/group/12StepSoulFoodForTheSpirit
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*One Promise, Many Gifts*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Adult Children of Alcoholics
www.AdultChildren.org Al-Anon/Alateen
www.al-anon.org Alcoholics Anonymous
www.alcoholics-anonymous.org Alcoholics Anonymous Deaf and Hard of Hearing
www.dhh12s.com/access.htm Artists Recovering through the Twelve Steps
www.artsanonymous.org Clutterer’s Anonymous
www.clutterersanonymous.net Cocaine Anonymous World Services
www.ca.org Co-Dependents Anonymous Home Page
www.codependents.org Crystal Meth Anonymous
www.crystalmeth.org Criminal and Gangs Anonymous
www.angelfire.com/id/CGAnonymous Debtors Anonymous: A Twelve Step Fellowship for…
www.debtorsanonymous.org
Dual Recovery Anonymous - a 12 Step program
www.draonline.org
By the grace of God and through your efforts of passing on this
email, we are reaching many recovering people in different areas of
the world. If you are receiving this, from a country outside of the
USA please send me an email and tell me where you are receiving this.
So far we reaching over 6000 recovering people in 66 countries
including Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Barbados,
Belgium, Bermuda, Brazil, Canada , Columbia, Costa Rica, China ,
Cyprus, Denmark, Egypt, England, Finland, France, Guatemala,
Germany, Greece, Honduras, Hong Kong, Iceland, India, Indonesia,
Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Japan, Korea,
Lithuania, Mali West Africa, Mozambique, Nepal, Netherlands,
New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico,
Philippines, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia , Saudi Arabia,
Scotland, Singapore, South Africa , Spain, Sweden, Switzerland,
Thailand, Trinidad, Turkey, United Arab Emirates,
U.S.A., Venezuela, Wales, West Indies, Zimbabwe.
Even if your country is listed
please email me, and let me know where you are from. 12StepSoulFoodForTheSpirit-owner@yahoogroups.com
Stay in the Light,
In loving service,
Scott H. from N.Y. ~ clean date 10/27/88 YOUnMEnHP@...
(\o/\o/) we are each of us angels with only one wing (\o/\o/)
/_\/_\ and can only fly by embracing each other /_\/_\
For the daily recovery email please visit me at:
www.groups-beta.google.com/group/12-Step-Soul-Food-for-the-Spirit
For the daily recovery email please visit me at:
www.health.groups.yahoo.com/group/12StepSoulFoodForTheSpirit
For the weekly topic meeting please visit me at:
www.health.groups.yahoo.com/group/twelvestepsoulfood4thespirit
A free drink is often the most expensive.
The weekly meeting topic is: How do you change from "feeling apart from" to "feeling a part of"?
Are you still isolating? How, and if not, what did you do to stop? to share please visit
www.health.groups.yahoo.com/group/twelvestepsoulfood4thespirit/
or email twelvestepsoulfood4thespirit@yahoogroups.com ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Please Be There For The Newcomers*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
August 14
Today I trust what I feel and I listen to my inner voice.
It does not matter if it is logical or if others agree.
My feelings and emotions guide me
on a path that is right for me.
written by ~ Ruth Fishel
"Time for Joy"
PLEASE visit and check out Ruth's new book
LIVING LIGHT AS A FEATHER is arriving at bookstores now!
She even interviewed me for the book :)
If you would like a signed copy you can
order it at www.spirithaven.com or email her at spirithaven@... or call at 508-420-5301.
Check out her collection of light, nourishing and nurturing Books and Tapes
& some touching and embracing Greeting Cards
www.spirithaven.com
for inspirational messages email spirithaven@... ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Just for Today*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Gotta Tell
There's a pain inside that you can't see
I've struggled and worried how to let it all out
Gotta tell somebody what it's all about
I was drinkin and druggin but still couldn't hide
All the things I was holding and hurting inside
I gotta face reality is what I gotta do
And admit all this suffering that I'm going through
I wanted to be accepted amongst all my peers
So I partied and carried on for 25 years
Took too long to realize that this wouldn't work
Came close to my death from hiding this hurt
Giving to others I thought were my friends
They took for the taking and gave no amends
So to Hell with being accepted by all of them
And accept myself for who that I am
Now that I know it I'm opening my gut
Staying away from escaping and just facing up
Letting it out and showing my fears
Brings relief in my suffering and comes out in tears
Living a clean life and changing the plans
Letting these feelings slide right through my hands
By
John Poulos 4/16/95
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Don't Use*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
If anyone has any original recovery poetry that they
would like to share with us please copy and paste it into the body
of an email and send it to me, Thanks for your support and contributions.
What I can't do alone, We do together.
In loving service, Scott ~ YOUnMEnHP@... ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*No Matter What*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A New Day
www.geocities.com/Wellesley/2668/Anewday.html
One Kind Word
www.geocities.com/Wellesley/2668/Onekindword.html
Bill W. Talks
Tradition Six
www.silkworth.net/grapevine/tradition_six.html
Bill W. Talks
Tradition Seven
www.silkworth.net/grapevine/tradition_seven.html
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Make A Meeting*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Just for Today
August 14 Letting go of our limitations
"We don't have to settle for the limitations of the past. We can
examine and reexamine our old ideas."Basic Text, p. 11 Most of us come to the program with a multitude of self-imposed
limitations that prevent us from realizing our full potential,
limitations that impede our attempts to find the values that lie at the
core of our being. We place limitations on our ability to be true to
ourselves, limitations on our ability to function at work, limitations
on the risks we're willing to take-the list seems endless. If our
parents or teachers told us we would never succeed, and we believed
them, chances are we didn't achieve much. If our socialization taught
us not to stand up for ourselves, we didn't, even if everything inside us
was screaming to do so.
In Narcotics Anonymous, we are given a process by which we can
recognize these false limitations for what they are. Through our Fourth
Step, we'll discover that we don't want to keep all the rules we've been
taught. We don't have to be the life-long victims of past experiences.
We are free to discard the ideas that inhibit our growth. We are capable
of stretching our boundaries to encompass new ideas and new experience.
We are free to laugh, to cry, and above all, to enjoy our recovery.
Just for today: I will let go of my self-imposed limitations and open
my mind to new ideas.
This is a DIFFERENT Yahoo Club you
MUST join this club in order to participate
Yahoo! Clubs Twelve Step Soul Food 4 the Spirit www.health.groups.yahoo.com/group/twelvestepsoulfood4thespirit
A Safe Place to Share , Discover and Recover.
This a message bulletin board meeting, where people post on the
weekly topic. It takes only 1 minute to enter a password and
username. Please go this page on the upper right hand corner and click
the join club link, sign in and go to the left hand side and click
messages to read what others have shared and click on the post link,
now you can share on the topic of the week or whatever you would like.
There is a lot of good experience, strength and hope in here as well
as newcomers who need our support and love, PLEASE stop by.
Thanks for your participation and support :)
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Use Your Sponsor*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Meditation of the Day
www.hazelden.org/servlet/hazelden/thoughts
Daily Meditation for ALL 12 Steppers
www.open-mind.org/Daily/
Dr. Twerski's Sober Thought of the Day
www.gatewayrehab.org/August.html
NEED HELP Pick a topic Daily Meditation
www.hazelden.org/servlet/hazelden/thoughts/search.html
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Be A Sponsor*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ THOSE WHO STILL SUFFER
Let us resist the proud assumption that since God has enabled us to do well
in one area we are destined to be a channel of saving grace for
everybody.
A.A. COMES OF AGE, p. 232
A.A. groups exist to help alcoholics achieve sobriety. Large or small,
firmly established or brand-new, speaker, discussion or study, each group
has but one reason for being: to carry the message to the still-suffering
alcoholic. The group exists so that the alcoholic can find a new way of
life, a life abundant in happiness, joy, and freedom. To recover, most
alcoholics need the support of a group of other alcoholics who share their
experience, strength and hope. Thus my sobriety, and our programs
survival, depend on my determination to put first things first.
Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Work The Steps*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Twenty-Four Hours A Day by Hazelden/ August 14th
A.A. Thought for the Day
"None of us like to think that we are bodily and mentally
different from others. Our drinking careers have been
characterized by countless vain attempts to prove that we
could drink like other people. This delusion that we are like
other people has to be smashed. It has been definitely
proved that no real alcoholic has ever recovered control.
Over any considerable period we get worse, never better.
There is no such thing as making a normal drinker out of an
alcoholic." Am I convinced that I can never drink again normally?
Meditation for the Day
We should have life and have it more abundantly---spiritual,
mental, physical, abundant life---joyous, powerful life. This
we can have if we follow the right way. Not all people will
accept from God the gift of an abundant life, a gift held out
free to all. Not all people care to stretch out a hand and take
it. God's gift, the richest He has to offer, is the precious
gift of abundant life. People often turn away from it, reject
it, and will have none of it. Do not let this be true of you.
Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may hasten to accept the gift of abundant
spiritual life. I pray that I my live the good life to the
best of my ability.
The winds of change blow through our life,
sometimes gently, sometimes like a tropical storm.
Yes, we have resting places--time to adjust to
another level of living, time to get our balance, time
to enjoy the rewards. We have time to catch our
breath.
But change is inevitable, and desirable.
Sometimes, when the winds of change begin to
rustle, we're not certain the change is for the better.
We may call it stress or a temporary condition,
certain we'll be restored to normal. Sometimes, we
resist. We tuck our head down and buck the wind,
hoping that things will quickly calm down, get back
to the way things were. Is it possible we're being
prepared for a new "normal"?
Change will sweep through our life, as needed, to
take us where we're going. We can trust that our
Higher Power has a plan in mind, even when we
don't know where the changes are leading.
We can trust that the change taking place is good.
The winds will take us where we need to go.
Today, help me, God, to let go of my resistance to
change. Help me to be open to the process. Help me
believe that the place I'll be dropped off will be
better than the place where I was picked up. Help
me surrender, trust, and accept, even if I don't understand.
Today's meditation comes from the book
The Language of Letting Go by Melody Beattie copyright 1990
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Keep It Simple*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The Mother/Daughter Relationship
www.lightworks.com/MonthlyAspectarian/2003/December/vissell.htm
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*One Day At A Time*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ The Seasons of Our Nature by Meredith Young-Sowers
When Nature changes her seasons, the shift seems effortless, predictable,
and inevitable. The new season approaches and the old one retreats. Just as
Nature doesn't stay forever in a single season, like it or not, neither do
we.
Just as there are four seasons in Nature, our inner natures also experience
four seasons. Spring is the season of new beginnings. In Summer, we grow the
fruits of our new beginnings, and in the Fall, we harvest the rewards of our
efforts, including opportunities to be acknowledged and appreciated for our
accomplishments. In Winter we rest, rediscovering our true selves. Without
Winter we cannot move into Spring.
We recognize the season we're in both by the way we feel and by the movement
of energy in and around our efforts. We know when we are putting forth our
greatest efforts, but we don't always realize when we are internalizing our
greatest learnings. It's not the level of effort that tells us what season
we're in, it's the return on those efforts.
In the Spring of our inner natures, our efforts begin to bring us returns,
and we feel compelled to begin new projects, even some that have rested on
our shelves for many years.
Our growing bank accounts and acclaim from peers tell us we are now in the
Summer of our inner natures. Other people recognize us when we are in Summer
and want to celebrate with us. We feel stronger each day, a direct
reflection of the intense heat of the Summer sun.
In the Fall of our inner natures, we feel invincible. Everything we touch
turns to gold. We are celebrated for our achievements, and we seem to be
headed for a permanent place in the winners' circle. Then we feel the first
signs of Winter, and everything begins to shift.
In the Winter of our inner natures, we slow down and feel the loss of outer
accomplishments, public acclaim, and/or material possessions. We are doing
nothing differently, yet there are fewer returns on our efforts. We feel as
if we're coming undone; an old fear we thought we'd put to rest resurfaces.
The more attached we are to worldly success, or to old patterns and people
with whom we've identified, the harder we struggle, and the more we struggle
the more life unravels before our eyes. We push and pray, ask and beg, but
to no avail. Our undoing has a life of its own, and we seem its victims.
If we could stop the action at this point of desperation and say to
ourselves, "I realize I'm being asked to grow in new ways," we might
consider that this is a time for someone else to shine and be successful. We
would say: I wish all who are in the Spring, Summer, and Fall of their lives
the joy of their success, knowing that I, too, will enter the Spring of
success again. But in the meantime, I can rest, renew, and reap spiritual
rewards.
We're like a spent flower in Winter, tired and needing rest and recovery,
not from the outer world but from our inner selves. Instead, many of us
enter Winter desperate to hold on to the energy of Fall, which slips through
our fingers no matter how tightly we clench our fists.
Winter is God's time, the time of spiritual renewal. It doesn't mean that we
have to lose everything, or even that we have to lose anything. What falls
away in the Winter of our inner natures are the outworn trappings with which
we identify ourselves.
Whether we're stressed beyond reason or deeply unhappy doesn't seem to
matter. We persist in staying where we think the power, money, or prestige
lives. Even though we may be suffocating, Winter releases us from our
burdens. We continue to want the things that are identified with outward
signs of success: financial status, career, marriage, appearance, clever
wit, or brilliant physical prowess. Once relieved of what is burdensome, we
climb quickly back into the fray again until Winter once more shows us what
really matters now.
As we grow spiritually, our Winters deal more with the interior of our
lives. We are prodded again to give up the fears, anger, desires, and
jealousies that have grown up along with material success. At first we lose
what we think we want; then we lose what we are ready to give up. I like to
think of my Wintertime as coming into dry dock to get rid of the barnacles.
Illness is a Winter Opportunity
Mental and physical illnesses are experiences of the Winter of our inner
natures. We can't run away from them, so we have no choice but to stay and
learn. People talk about the gift of an illness. The gift is that we've been
given an opportunity to heal a dysfunctional behavior or a useless emotional
pattern, perhaps from this life and perhaps from past lives. We are offered
an opportunity to move to an advanced level of awareness, releasing unwanted
patterns of anger, resentment, envy, jealousy, regret, judgment, and loss.
Sometimes we're able to release the patterns and the illness instead of our
lives. In the broadest view of life, healing isn't just about changing the
body, it's about adjusting our perception and about learning to love.
Healing happens when we believe in the power of Love that is in us.
Renewal and Clarity in Partnership
Marriages and partnerships also move through the cycle of Spring, Summer,
Fall, and Winter. We tend to get divorced in the Winter of our inner lives,
and we tend to come together in the Spring, Summer, or Fall. In
long-standing relationships, Winter holds the potential for rediscovery or
bailout. We enter and leave Winter with different minds and hearts. We may
come into Winter determined to leave a relationship but emerge knowing we'll
stay. Just as Winter snows moisten the earth so that Spring flowers can
grow, Winter's tears may awaken a new and glorious Spring for our hearts.
About the Author:
Meredith Young-Sowers is the author of the best-selling books Agartha: A
Journey to the Stars and the Angelic Messenger Cards. She is also the
Director of the Stillpoint Institute and the Stillpoint School of Advanced
Energy Healing. Visit her website at www.meredithyoung-sowers.com as well as
www.wisdombowls.com
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*First Things First*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ A Picture Of Peace
There once was a King who offered a prize to the artist who would
paint the best picture of peace. Many artists tried. The King
looked at all the pictures, but there were only two he really liked
and he had to choose between them.
One picture was of a calm lake. The lake was a perfect mirror, for
peaceful towering mountains were all around it. Overhead was a blue
sky with fluffy white clouds. All who saw this picture thought that
it was a perfect picture of peace.
The other picture had mountains too. But these were rugged and
bare. Above was an angry sky from which rain fell and in which
lightening played. Down the side of the mountain tumbled a foaming
waterfall. This did not look peaceful at all. But when the King
looked, he saw behind the waterfall a tiny bush growing in a crack
in the rock. In the bush a mother bird had built her nest. There,
in the midst of the rush of angry water, sat the mother bird on her
nest... perfect peace.
Which picture do you think won the prize?
The King chose the second picture. Do you know why? "Because,"
explained the King, "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
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Easy Does It*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ My Declaration of Self-Esteem by Virginia Satir, 1970
I am me.
In all the world, there is no one else exactly like me.
There are persons who have some parts like me, but no one adds up
exactly like me. Therefore, everything that comes out of me is
authentically mine because I alone chose it.
I own everything about me - my body, including everything it does; my
mind, including all its thoughts and ideas; my eyes, including the
images of all they behold; my feelings, whatever they may be - anger,
joy, frustration, love, disappointment, excitement; my mouth, and all
the words that come out of it, polite, sweet or rough, correct or
incorrect; my voice, loud or soft; and all my actions, whether they be
to others or to myself.
I own my fantasies, my dreams, my hopes, my fears.
I own all my triumphs and successes, all my failures and mistakes.
Because I own all of me, I can become intimately acquainted with me,
and other aspects that I do not know. But as long as I am friendly and
loving to myself, I can courageously and hopefully look for the
solutions to the puzzles and for ways to find out more about me.
However I look and sound, whatever I say and do, and whatever I
think and feel at a given moment in time is me. This is authentic and
represents where I am at that moment in time.
When I review later how I looked and sounded, what I said and did,
and how I thought and felt, some parts may turn out to be unfitting. I
can discard that which is unfitting, and keep that which proved fitting,
and invent something new for that which I discarded.
I can see, hear, feel, think, say and do. I have the tools to survive,
to be close to others, to be productive, and to make sense and order out
of the world of people and things outside of me.
I own me, and therefore I can engineer me.
I am me and I am okay.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Live And Let Live*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Suffering, I was beginning to think, was essential to a good life, and as
inextricable from such a life as bliss. It's a great enhancer. It might last
a minute, or a month, but eventually it subsides, and when it does,
something else takes its place, and maybe that thing is a greater space. For
happiness. Each time I encountered suffering, I believe that I grew, and
further defined my capacities--not just my physical ones, but my interior
ones as well, for contentment, friendship, or any other human experience."
Lance Armstrong
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Keep The Focus On You*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Why Are We Here?
Coming into the rooms, defeated,
knowing I couldn't continue using,
awakened anger, resentments and fears
that I found so confusing.
For I'd listened to this voice for oh, so long
telling me, the next one will work.
And I had believed it, for its voice was so strong
that these new concepts had to hurt.
In part, I was in mourning
grieving what had once been my friend.
But that friend went insane, caused me oh so much pain
and tried to kill me, in the end.
In part, I was resentful
for having to admit defeat,
because I had been told that surrendering
was something only done by the weak.
And by this admission I had to agree
that my family and friends had been right,
that I had a problem, I was out of control,
and there was no way I could win this fight.
But mostly, I think, I was fearful,
afraid of failing again.
Terrified to let go of everything I had known
and of letting these new ideas in.
My addiction had defined me,
It knew me, and I knew it well.
Who would replace this now empty space,
could I be really released from my hell?
You hugged me and smiled, said you’d been there too,
that you’d love me til I loved myself.
I sat in tears, letting go of my fears,
and for the first time, really wanting your help.
After awhile, I was able to smile
for I knew I didn't have to get high,
that no matter what problem I came across
there were people who’d help me get by.
I began feeling a part of, not apart from,
the hope grew in me day by day.
For this new life I'm living,
and the help I'm now giving
I have to thank God, and N.A.
Putting together these Daily Recovery Emails has been such
a blessing for me, Thanks for your support and contributions,
"What I can't do alone we can do together." If you have any
original poetry or submissions that you would like to send to
me you can email me at 12StepSoulFoodForTheSpirit-owner@yahoogroups.com or YOUnMEnHP@...
"12 Step Soul Food for the Spirit" is intended to give readers ,
inspiring and thoughtful messages. To help fulfill our primary
purpose which is to carry the message to the alcoholic/addict
who still suffers. A spiritual adventure, a journey inwards this
has a vision of opening and touching, each and everyone,
with the Loving Power and Presence of the Spirit within."
We invite you to share the writings by forwarding today's
message to others. Share "12 Step Soul Food for the Spirit"
with friends and loved ones: Please keep passing this along to
online recovery friends "We can only keep what we have by
giving it away." Anyone can subscribe to this free daily e-zine
by sending an Email message to: 12StepSoulFoodForTheSpirit-subscribe@yahoogroups.com and
write subscribe in the subject line.
Under Bill s.1618 TITLE III passed by the 105th U.S. Congress
this letter cannot be considered spam as long as the following words
are included:
To unsubscribe to to this list send an Email message to: 12StepSoulFoodForTheSpirit-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
and write unsubsribe in the subject line
or go to the website and unsubscribe
www,health.groups.yahoo.com/group/12StepSoulFoodForTheSpirit
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*One Promise, Many Gifts*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Adult Children of Alcoholics
www.AdultChildren.org Al-Anon/Alateen
www.al-anon.org Alcoholics Anonymous
www.alcoholics-anonymous.org Alcoholics Anonymous Deaf and Hard of Hearing
www.dhh12s.com/access.htm Artists Recovering through the Twelve Steps
www.artsanonymous.org Clutterer’s Anonymous
www.clutterersanonymous.net Cocaine Anonymous World Services
www.ca.org Co-Dependents Anonymous Home Page
www.codependents.org Crystal Meth Anonymous
www.crystalmeth.org Criminal and Gangs Anonymous
www.angelfire.com/id/CGAnonymous Debtors Anonymous: A Twelve Step Fellowship for…
www.debtorsanonymous.org
Dual Recovery Anonymous - a 12 Step program
www.draonline.org
By the grace of God and through your efforts of passing on this
email, we are reaching many recovering people in different areas of
the world. If you are receiving this, from a country outside of the
USA please send me an email and tell me where you are receiving this.
So far we reaching over 6000 recovering people in 66 countries
including Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Barbados,
Belgium, Bermuda, Brazil, Canada , Columbia, Costa Rica, China ,
Cyprus, Denmark, Egypt, England, Finland, France, Guatemala,
Germany, Greece, Honduras, Hong Kong, Iceland, India, Indonesia,
Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Japan, Korea,
Lithuania, Mali West Africa, Mozambique, Nepal, Netherlands,
New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico,
Philippines, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia , Saudi Arabia,
Scotland, Singapore, South Africa , Spain, Sweden, Switzerland,
Thailand, Trinidad, Turkey, United Arab Emirates,
U.S.A., Venezuela, Wales, West Indies, Zimbabwe.
Even if your country is listed
please email me, and let me know where you are from. 12StepSoulFoodForTheSpirit-owner@yahoogroups.com
Stay in the Light,
In loving service,
Scott H. from N.Y. ~ clean date 10/27/88 YOUnMEnHP@...
(\o/\o/) we are each of us angels with only one wing (\o/\o/)
/_\/_\ and can only fly by embracing each other /_\/_\
For the daily recovery email please visit me at:
www.groups-beta.google.com/group/12-Step-Soul-Food-for-the-Spirit
For the daily recovery email please visit me at:
www.health.groups.yahoo.com/group/12StepSoulFoodForTheSpirit
For the weekly topic meeting please visit me at:
www.health.groups.yahoo.com/group/twelvestepsoulfood4thespirit
If you want to find out what your character defects are...
Fall in love.
The weekly meeting topic is: How do you change from "feeling apart from" to "feeling a part of"?
Are you still isolating? How, and if not, what did you do to stop? to share please visit
www.health.groups.yahoo.com/group/twelvestepsoulfood4thespirit/
or email twelvestepsoulfood4thespirit@yahoogroups.com ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Please Be There For The Newcomers*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
August 13
Today is a day of opportunities.
I am open and ready to find them all,
knowing that I am receiving all the guidance
I need to be forward and be happy.
written by ~ Ruth Fishel
"Time for Joy"
PLEASE visit and check out Ruth's new book
LIVING LIGHT AS A FEATHER is arriving at bookstores now!
She even interviewed me for the book :)
If you would like a signed copy you can
order it at www.spirithaven.com or email her at spirithaven@... or call at 508-420-5301.
Check out her collection of light, nourishing and nurturing Books and Tapes
& some touching and embracing Greeting Cards
www.spirithaven.com
for inspirational messages email spirithaven@... ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Just for Today*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ the triangle in the circle
eyes peer out the window of my soul,
people places and things remind me
of the distance that is crawling back
calling me to the reckless defects of before.
a lost lifetime being unreal,
not being able to feel emotion,
never seeing the stars that light the night.
my mind is racing faster than my blood
and the scatterbrain of fear returns.
euphoria recalls the restless cravings
that stir up visceral tensions to a knot
and flail itself upon the intrinsic evil
defining the core of my bitter half.
remembrance of numbness
and escape the pain of self
seem imminent of this past facade.
it‚s time to face the face again,
and hear the voice of freedom.
awareness awakens the weak
cleansing this conflict of madness
and the once mighty disease falters.
i become free again
by joining with spirits from
the triangle in the circle
spinning my tale, and telling on my powerful, cunning, and baffling foe.
Frank B. fberesheim@... ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Don't Use*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
If anyone has any original recovery poetry that they
would like to share with us please copy and paste it into the body
of an email and send it to me, Thanks for your support and contributions.
What I can't do alone, We do together.
In loving service, Scott ~ YOUnMEnHP@... ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*No Matter What*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Humanity's Team
www.consciousone.com/wisdomflash/WFView.cfm?PID=24
Bill W. Talks
Tradition Four
www.silkworth.net/grapevine/tradition_four.html
Bill W. Talks
Tradition Five
www.silkworth.net/grapevine/tradition_five.html
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Make A Meeting*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Just for Today
August 13Â Â Â Â Â Difficult people
"By giving unconditional love ... we become more loving, and by
sharing spiritual growth we become more spiritual."Basic Text, p. 99 Most of us have one or two exceptionally difficult people in our lives.
How do we deal with such a person in our recovery?
First, we take our own inventory. Have we wronged this person? Has
some action or attitude of ours served as an invitation for the kind of
treatment they have given us? If so, we will want to clear the air,
admit we have been wrong, and ask our Higher Power to remove whatever
defects may prevent us from being helpful and constructive.
Next, as people seeking to live spiritually oriented lives, we approach
the problem from the other persons point of view. They may be faced
with any number of challenges we either fail to consider or know nothing
about, challenges that cause them to be unpleasant. As its said, we seek
in recovery "to forgive rather than be forgiven; to understand rather
than be understood."
Finally if it is within our power, we seek ways to help others overcome
their challenges without injuring their dignity. We pray for their
well-being and spiritual growth and for the ability to offer them the
unconditional love that has meant so much to us in our recovery.
We cannot change the difficult people in our lives, nor can we please
everyone. But by applying the spiritual principles we've learned in NA,
we can learn to love them.
Just for today: Higher Power, help me serve other people, not
demand that they serve me.
This is a DIFFERENT Yahoo Club you
MUST join this club in order to participate
Yahoo! Clubs Twelve Step Soul Food 4 the Spirit www.health.groups.yahoo.com/group/twelvestepsoulfood4thespirit
A Safe Place to Share , Discover and Recover.
This a message bulletin board meeting, where people post on the
weekly topic. It takes only 1 minute to enter a password and
username. Please go this page on the upper right hand corner and click
the join club link, sign in and go to the left hand side and click
messages to read what others have shared and click on the post link,
now you can share on the topic of the week or whatever you would like.
There is a lot of good experience, strength and hope in here as well
as newcomers who need our support and love, PLEASE stop by.
Thanks for your participation and support :)
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Use Your Sponsor*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Meditation of the Day
www.hazelden.org/servlet/hazelden/thoughts
Daily Meditation for ALL 12 Steppers
www.open-mind.org/Daily/
Dr. Twerski's Sober Thought of the Day
www.gatewayrehab.org/August.html
NEED HELP Pick a topic Daily Meditation
www.hazelden.org/servlet/hazelden/thoughts/search.html
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Be A Sponsor*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ GIVING FREELY
We will make every personal sacrifice necessary to insure the unity of
Alcoholics Anonymous. We will do this because we have learned to love God
and one another.
A.A. COMES OF AGE, p. 234
To be self-supporting through my own contributions was never a strong
characteristic during my days as a practicing alcoholic. The giving of
time or money always demanded a price tag.
As a newcomer I was told "we have to give it away in order to keep it." As
I began to adopt the principles of Alcoholics Anonymous in my life, I soon
found it was a privilege to give to the Fellowship as an expression of the
gratitude I felt in my heart. My love of God and of others became the
motivating factor in my life, with no thought of return. I realize now
that giving freely is God's way of expressing Himself through me.
Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Work The Steps*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Twenty-Four Hours A Day by Hazelden/ August 13th
A.A. Thought for the Day
"We had but two alternatives; one was to go on to the bitter
end, blotting out the consciousness of our intolerable situation
as best we could, and the other was to accept spiritual help.
We became willing to maintain a certain simple attitude toward
life. What seemed at first a flimsy reed has proved to be the
loving and powerful hand of God. A new life has been given us,
a design for living that really works. All of us establish in our
own individual way our personal relationship with God." Have I
established my own relationship with God?
Meditation for the Day
Make it a daily practice to review your character. Take your
character in relation to your daily life, to your dear ones,
your friends, your acquaintances, and your work. Each day
try to see where God wants you to change. Plan how best each
fault can be eradicated or each mistake be corrected. Never
be satisfied with a comparison with those around you. Strive
toward a better life as your ultimate goal. God is your helper
through weakness to power, through danger to security,
through fear and worry to peace and serenity.
Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may make real progress toward a better life. I
pray that I may never be satisfied with my present state.
Don't you see?
We do not have to be so victimized by life,
by people, by situations, by work, by our friends,
by our love relationships, by our family,
by our ourselves, our feelings,
out thoughts, our circumstances.
We are not victims.
We do not have to be victims.
That is the whole point!
Yes, admitting and accepting
powerlessness is important.
But that is first step, and introduction
to this business of recovery.
Later, comes owning our power.
Changing what we can.
This is as important as admitting
and accepting powerlessness.
And there is so much we can change.
We can own our power, wherever we are,
wherever we go, whoever we are with.
We do not have to stand there with our hands tied,
groveling helplessly, submitting to whatever comes along.
There are things we can do.
We can speak up. Solve the problem.
Use the problem to motivate ourselves
to do something good for ourselves.
We can make ourselves feel good.
We can walk away.
We can come back on our terms.
We can stand up for ourselves.
We can refuse to let others control
and manipulate us.
We can do what we need to do
to take care of ourselves.
That is the beauty, the reward, the crown of victory
we are given in this process called recovery.
It is what it is all about!
If we can't do anything about the circumstance,
we can change our attitude.
We can do the work within:
courageously face our issues
so we are not victimized.
We have been given a miraculous key to life.
We are victims no more unless we want to be.
Freedom and joy are ours for the taking,
for the feeling, for the hard work we have done.
Today, I will remind myself as often as necessary that
I am not a victim, and I do not need to be victimized by whatever
comes my way.I will work hard to remove myself as a victim,
whether that means setting and enforcing a boundary, walking away,
dealing with my feelings, or giving myself what I need. God, help
me let go of my need to feel victimized.
There are so many things we humans tend to hold back on. We repress a lot of
our emotions, whether they are considered 'good' or 'bad' ones.
Sometimes we hold back on expressing our love for fear of being
misunderstood, or perhaps thinking the timing is not 'right'. Most commonly,
we have been taught to hold back on our 'negative' emotions - fear, anger,
sorrow, pain, etc.
As a child, I was often told to squelch those emotions that demonstrated
'weakness'. I held back my tears in order to appear strong. I repressed my
anger to be a 'good girl' and 'loving'.
Yet, I now realize that holding back anger or any other emotion affects
negatively the person who is holding back. The anger I refused to let out
stayed locked up inside, fermented, and gave rise to all kinds of poison.
Frustrations and anger were withheld, only to explode when I'd 'had enough'.
This anger later had to be released through illness, situations where the
anger was unleashed at someone or something else (or at myself), or through
therapy.
What happens when you feel anger (consciously or sub-consciously) but want
to hide it? Whatever we hold back becomes a part of us and gets stored in
our body as a tangible manifestation in the form of headaches, tension,
pain, illness, ulcers, cancer, arthritis, back pain, and many other physical
ailments.
Of course, we feel that by holding back on expressing our anger we are doing
the 'right' thing and not hurting anyone. Yet, little do we know, the other
person may need to hear what we have to say, just as much as we need to
express it.
Of course, we need to learn how to express our anger or discontent without
'dumping' on the other. We can express ourselves without destroying the
other person's sense of self-worth or attacking them emotionally, verbally,
or physically.
Expressing our deepest feelings also applies to expressing feelings of love
and appreciation. How many times have we felt gratefulness towards another
being, sometimes just for their presence in our life, and failed to express
it? That person may really need to hear your words of praise to give them a
boost in their own self-esteem. Maybe they are unaware of what you so
clearly see in them.
I have found that at times when I expressed feelings of gratitude and love
to others, they were surprised at the way I saw them. Never assume that the
other person knows how much you appreciate them. If you think it and feel
it, then say it.
Our rational mind has been well trained to dissect and analyze. It likes to
hold back on acting instinctively and instead question scientifically what
is the 'right' action to take. So, we've held our true selves back, and not
expressed that inner inspiration to laugh, cry, scream, give a hug, or say a
kind word when our first feeling guided us to do so.
Whatever first thought or feeling comes to you is your intuition, or in
other words, your divine inspiration. Any other thoughts that follow, i.e.
"maybe I shouldn't say that", etc., are only your mind (ego) doubting and
questioning, afraid of making a 'mistake'.
The best thing to do is to follow your first instinct, your inner guidance,
which comes as the first feeling or thought. That is your 'God-self'. The
universal power of Love guides us towards happiness, and that is why our
first instinct is always the one that will bring us true happiness and inner
peace.
We can choose to let go of the fear of being wrong, or appearing ridiculous,
etc., and act on our feelings. Be true to yourself. Holding back is only
postponing the truth and can harm the other as well as ourselves. Holding
back is postponing the freedom to be who we really are - loving, truthful
children who desire to be happy and free from negativity.
Let go! Express your truth today! You and your world will be better for it.
About The Author:
Marie T. Russell is the publisher of InnerSelf Magazine (first published in
1985 originally as Mighty Natural Magazine) and The Natural Yellow Pages
(1987-2002). She produced a weekly South Florida radio broadcast, Inner
Power, from 1991-1995 which focused on themes such as self-esteem, personal
growth, and well-being. Her articles focus on transformation and
reconnecting with our inner source of joy and creativity. Marie can be
reached at marie@... with personal comments and feedback, or to be
placed on a mailing list to be advised when her book becomes available.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*First Things First*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ They Died From The Cold Within (Author Unknown)
"Six humans trapped by happenstance in black and bitter cold...
Each possessed a stick of wood, or so the story's told.
Their dying fire in need of logs, the first woman held hers back...
For on the faces around the fire, she noticed one was black.
The next man looking 'cross the way saw one not of his church...
And couldn't bring himself to give the fire his stick of birch.
The third one sat in tattered clothes; he gave his coat a hitch.
Why should his log be put to use ~ to warm the idle rich?
The rich man just sat back and thought of
the wealth he had in store,
And how to keep what he had earned from the lazy, shiftless poor.
The black man's face bespoke revenge, as the fire passed from his sight,
For all he saw in his stick of wood was a chance to spite the white.
And the last man of this forlorn group...
did naught except for gain.
Giving only to those who gave, was how he played the game.
The logs held tight in death's stilled hands...
Were proof of human sin.
They didn't die from the cold without.
They died from the cold within."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Easy Does It*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ The Ripple Effect
The Master was walking through the fields one day when a young man, a
troubled look upon his face, approached him. "On such a beautiful day, it
must be difficult to stay so serious," the Master said.
"Is it? I hadn't noticed," the young man said, turning to look around and
notice his surroundings. His eyes scanned the landscape, but nothing seemed
to register; his mind elsewhere.
Watching intently, the Master continued to walk. "Join me if you like." The
Master walked to the edge of a still pond, framed by sycamore trees, their
leaves golden orange and about to fall. "Please sit down," the Master
invited, patting the ground next to him. Looking carefully before sitting,
the young man brushed the ground to clear a space for himself.
"Now, find a small stone, please," the Master instructed.
"What?"
" A stone. Please find a small stone and throw it in the pond."
Searching around him, the young man grabbed a pebble and threw it as far as
he could.
"Tell me what you see," the Master instructed.
Straining his eyes to not miss a single detail, the man looked at the
water's surface. "I see ripples."
"Where did the ripples come from?"
"From the pebble I threw in the pond, Master."
"Please reach your hand into the water and stop the ripples," the Master
asked.
Not understanding, the young man stuck his hand in the water as a ripple
neared, only to cause more ripples. The young man was now completely
baffled. Where was this going? Had he made a mistake in seeking out the
Master? After all he was not a student, perhaps he could not be helped?
Puzzled, the young man waited.
"Were you able to stop the ripples with your hands?" the Master asked.
"No, of course not."
"Could you have stopped the ripples, then?"
"No, Master. I told you I only caused more ripples."
"What if you had stopped the pebble from entering the water to begin with?"
The Master smiled such a beautiful smile; the young man could not be upset.
"Next time you are unhappy with your life, catch the stone before it hits
the water. Do not spend time trying to undo what you have done. Rather,
change what you are going to do before you do it." The Master looked kindly
upon the young man.
"But Master, how will I know what I am going to do before I do it?"
"Take the responsibility for living your own life. If you're working with a
doctor to treat an illness, then ask the doctor to help you understand what
caused the illness. Do not just treat the ripples. Keep asking questions."
The young man stopped, his mind reeling. "But I came to you to ask you for
answers. Are you saying that I know the answers?"
"You may not know the answers right now, but if you ask the right questions,
then you shall discover the answers."
"But what are the right questions, Master?"
"There are no wrong questions, only unasked ones. We must ask, for without
asking, we cannot receive answers. But it is your responsibility to ask. No
one else can do that for you."
Author Unknown
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Live And Let Live*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Volunteers are the only human beings on the face of the earth who reflect
this nation's compassion, unselfish caring, patience, and just plain loving
one another. -- Erma Bombeck
The most precious time we will ever have we give away by doing volunteer
chores to help others get more out of life. There is no material wage for
this kind of work, but a host of emotional rewards. The height of volunteer
giving is doing an act of kindness or love so quietly that none but
ourselves will ever know we had a part in it.
What great humility this can bring to us, who live in a world where selfish
people often insist on credit for all their deeds--often things they had
nothing to do with.
All we need do is think of all we have received without deserving it or
asking for it. By taking part in the giving end of life, we find the true
wealth of our own generosity.
What secret gift can I give today?
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Keep The Focus On You*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ God Meant For Us
God meant for us to be free
That is why He gave us
The program of
Recovery
Around our tables
We will never be alone
Take the program of recovery
Into your very own home
Work the steps 24
Hours a day
Do not
just say show us
Your walking this way
Do the very best you can do
Live your life being true
Trust in God
Soon you will see
God has meant for us
To live our lifes free
Daniel M Corkery
12/29/2002 DMCDREAMER1@... DMCDREAMER's Page of Poetry
<http://www.geocities.com/dmcdreamer/>
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Let God and Let Go*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ "Sometimes the heart sees what is invisible to the eye." H. Jackson Brown Jr.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Come*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ None of us has the power to make someone else love us.
But we all have the power to give away love, to love other people.
And if we do so, we change the kind of person we are,
and we change the kind of world we live in. Rabbi Harold Kushner, in Handbook for the Heart
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Come To*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Wisdom cannot be taught. It can only be learned. Source Unknown
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Come To Believe*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ You cannot be lonely if you like the person you're alone with. Wayne Dyer
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Look For The Beauty*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Who's will are you trying to do?
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Today Is A Gift*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Winners do what they have to do;
losers do what they want to do.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Keep Stepping*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Winners Don't Whine and Whiners Don't Win.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Stay In The Light*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Worry is like sitting in a rocking chair;
you can do it all day long and get nowhere
*~*~*~*~*~*~*Put Gratitude In Your Attitude*~*~*~*~*~*~*
12StepSoulFoodForTheSpirit does not endorse any of the
advertisements that may appear in this daily mailing.
Advertising is the price that we pay for a free list server
that yahoo groups provides.
Putting together these Daily Recovery Emails has been such
a blessing for me, Thanks for your support and contributions,
"What I can't do alone we can do together." If you have any
original poetry or submissions that you would like to send to
me you can email me at 12StepSoulFoodForTheSpirit-owner@yahoogroups.com or YOUnMEnHP@...
"12 Step Soul Food for the Spirit" is intended to give readers ,
inspiring and thoughtful messages. To help fulfill our primary
purpose which is to carry the message to the alcoholic/addict
who still suffers. A spiritual adventure, a journey inwards this
has a vision of opening and touching, each and everyone,
with the Loving Power and Presence of the Spirit within."
We invite you to share the writings by forwarding today's
message to others. Share "12 Step Soul Food for the Spirit"
with friends and loved ones: Please keep passing this along to
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~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*One Promise, Many Gifts*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Adult Children of Alcoholics
www.AdultChildren.org Al-Anon/Alateen
www.al-anon.org Alcoholics Anonymous
www.alcoholics-anonymous.org Alcoholics Anonymous Deaf and Hard of Hearing
www.dhh12s.com/access.htm Artists Recovering through the Twelve Steps
www.artsanonymous.org Clutterer’s Anonymous
www.clutterersanonymous.net Cocaine Anonymous World Services
www.ca.org Co-Dependents Anonymous Home Page
www.codependents.org Crystal Meth Anonymous
www.crystalmeth.org Criminal and Gangs Anonymous
www.angelfire.com/id/CGAnonymous Debtors Anonymous: A Twelve Step Fellowship for…
www.debtorsanonymous.org
Dual Recovery Anonymous - a 12 Step program
www.draonline.org
By the grace of God and through your efforts of passing on this
email, we are reaching many recovering people in different areas of
the world. If you are receiving this, from a country outside of the
USA please send me an email and tell me where you are receiving this.
So far we reaching over 6000 recovering people in 66 countries
including Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Barbados,
Belgium, Bermuda, Brazil, Canada , Columbia, Costa Rica, China ,
Cyprus, Denmark, Egypt, England, Finland, France, Guatemala,
Germany, Greece, Honduras, Hong Kong, Iceland, India, Indonesia,
Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Japan, Korea,
Lithuania, Mali West Africa, Mozambique, Nepal, Netherlands,
New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico,
Philippines, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia , Saudi Arabia,
Scotland, Singapore, South Africa , Spain, Sweden, Switzerland,
Thailand, Trinidad, Turkey, United Arab Emirates,
U.S.A., Venezuela, Wales, West Indies, Zimbabwe.
Even if your country is listed
please email me, and let me know where you are from. 12StepSoulFoodForTheSpirit-owner@yahoogroups.com
Stay in the Light,
In loving service,
Scott H. from N.Y. ~ clean date 10/27/88 YOUnMEnHP@...
(\o/\o/) we are each of us angels with only one wing (\o/\o/)
/_\/_\ and can only fly by embracing each other /_\/_\
For the daily recovery email please visit me at:
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For the daily recovery email please visit me at:
www.health.groups.yahoo.com/group/12StepSoulFoodForTheSpirit
For the weekly topic meeting please visit me at:
www.health.groups.yahoo.com/group/twelvestepsoulfood4thespirit
There are only two things an addict/alcoholic doesn't like...
The way things are and change.
The weekly meeting topic is: How do you change from "feeling apart from" to "feeling a part of"?
Are you still isolating? How, and if not, what did you do to stop? to share please visit
www.health.groups.yahoo.com/group/twelvestepsoulfood4thespirit/
or email twelvestepsoulfood4thespirit@yahoogroups.com ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Please Be There For The Newcomers*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
August 12
Today I am letting go of all judgments.
I am releasing all negative emotions.
I am quietly going within and trusting my inner spirit
and I will know what is right for me.
written by ~ Ruth Fishel
"Time for Joy"
PLEASE visit and check out Ruth's new book
LIVING LIGHT AS A FEATHER is arriving at bookstores now!
She even interviewed me for the book :)
If you would like a signed copy you can
order it at www.spirithaven.com or email her at spirithaven@... or call at 508-420-5301.
Check out her collection of light, nourishing and nurturing Books and Tapes
& some touching and embracing Greeting Cards
www.spirithaven.com
for inspirational messages email spirithaven@... ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Just for Today*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ New Eyes
I can see through these new eyes
The clearness of today
Through my quest I've realized
The power when I pray
All my need are met, all my fears allayed
I'm resting in God's will
At the end of my journey I know I'll say
All my dreams have been fulfilled
Through these new eyes I can see my flaws
The things I need to change
Destructive patterns and acts that have caused
Myself, and others so much pain
I can accept the human-ness of us all
See that we all make mistakes
I don't have to knock you down so I can stand tall
I can allow you your own space
These new eyes are such a gift you see
Because I was so blind for so long
These new eyes given to you and to me
Will help us see how, together, we're strong
The cloudy veil has been lifted
Unfolding is a brand new day
I thank God for this wonderful gift and
For teaching us all a new way
To see.
Healing With Angels
www.consciousone.com/wisdomflash/WFView.cfm?PID=151
Spirituality is the theme of allspirit, and spiritual writing, poetry,
quotations and song lyrics can all be found in abundance.
www.allspirit.co.uk
Bill W. Talks
Tradition Two
www.silkworth.net/grapevine/tradition_two.html
Bill W. Talks
Tradition Three
www.silkworth.net/grapevine/tradition_three.html
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Make A Meeting*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Just for Today
August 12 Enough!
"Something inside cries out, 'Enough, enough I've had enough,' and then
they are ready to take that first and often most difficult step toward
dealing with their disease." Basic Text, p. 203 Have we really had enough? This is the crucial question we must ask
ourselves as we prepare to work the First Step in Narcotics Anonymous.
It doesn't matter whether or not we arrive in NA with our families
intact, our careers still working for us, and all the outward
appearances of wholeness. All that matters is that we have reached an
emotional and spiritual bottom that precludes our return to active
addiction. If we have, we will be truly ready to go to any lengths to
quit using.
When we inventory our powerlessness, we ask ourselves some simple
questions. Can I control my use of drugs in any form? What incidents
have occurred as a result of my drug use that I didn't want to happen?
How is my life unmanageable? Do I believe in my heart that I am an
addict?
If the answers to these questions lead us to the doors of Narcotics
Anonymous, then we are ready to move on to the next step toward a life
free from active addiction. If we have truly had enough, then we will be
willing to go to any lengths to find recovery.
Just for today: I admit that I have had enough. I am ready to work
my First Step.
This is a DIFFERENT Yahoo Club you
MUST join this club in order to participate
Yahoo! Clubs Twelve Step Soul Food 4 the Spirit www.health.groups.yahoo.com/group/twelvestepsoulfood4thespirit
A Safe Place to Share , Discover and Recover.
This a message bulletin board meeting, where people post on the
weekly topic. It takes only 1 minute to enter a password and
username. Please go this page on the upper right hand corner and click
the join club link, sign in and go to the left hand side and click
messages to read what others have shared and click on the post link,
now you can share on the topic of the week or whatever you would like.
There is a lot of good experience, strength and hope in here as well
as newcomers who need our support and love, PLEASE stop by.
Thanks for your participation and support :)
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Use Your Sponsor*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Meditation of the Day
www.hazelden.org/servlet/hazelden/thoughts
Daily Meditation for ALL 12 Steppers
www.open-mind.org/Daily/
Dr. Twerski's Sober Thought of the Day
www.gatewayrehab.org/August.html
NEED HELP Pick a topic Daily Meditation
www.hazelden.org/servlet/hazelden/thoughts/search.html
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Be A Sponsor*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ THE "WORTH" OF SOBRIETY
Every A.A. group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside
contributions.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS p. 160
When I go shopping I look at the prices and if I need what I see, buy it
and pay. Now that I am supposed to be in rehabilitation, I have to
straighten out my life. When I go to a meeting, I take a coffee with sugar
and milk, sometimes more than one. But at the collection time, I am either
too busy to take money out of my purse, or I do not have enough, but I am
there because I need this meeting. I heard someone suggest dropping the
price of a beer into the basket, and I thought, that's too much! I almost
never give one dollar. Like many others, I rely on the more generous
members to finance the Fellowship. I forget that it takes money to rent
the meeting room, buy my milk, sugar and cups. I will pay, without
hesitation, ninety cents for a cup of coffee at a restaurant after the
meeting; I always have money for that. So, how much is my sobriety and my
inner peace worth?
Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Work The Steps*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Twenty-Four Hours A Day by Hazelden/ August 12th
A.A. Thought for the Day
"There was nothing left for us but to pick up the simple kit
of spiritual tools laid at our feet by Alcoholics Anonymous.
By doing so, we have a spiritual experience which
revolutionizes our whole attitude toward life, toward others,
and toward God's universe. The central fact of our lives today
is the absolute certainty that our Creator has entered into our
hearts and lives there in a way that is indeed miraculous. He
has commenced to accomplish those things for us that we could
never do for ourselves." Have I let God come into my life?
Meditation for the Day
The moment a thing seems wrong to you or a person's actions
to be not what you think they should be, at that moment
begins your obligation and responsibility to pray for those
wrongs to be righted or that person to be changed. What is
wrong in your surroundings or in the people you know? Think
about these things and make these matters your responsibility.
Not to interfere or be a busybody, but to pray that a change
may come through your influence. You may see lives altered
and evils banished in time. You can become a force for good
wherever you are.
Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may be a co-worker with God. I pray that I
may help people by my example.
Sometimes we get stuck on a feeling.
We don't want to acknowledge it
and give it it's due.
So we tell ourselves we're too intelligent
or busy to feel that way.
Maybe we're scared of the feeling,
afraid of what it might mean.
We think if we feel that way,
we'll have to do something we don't want to do.
We're afraid that feeling might mean we have to change.
Or we think the feelings will mean we have to face a loss
of something we value in our lives and don't want to lose.
Sometimes we feel guilty about our emotions.
We think it's wrong to have that feeling;
it makes us a bad person.
So we tell ourselves we shouldn't feel the way that we do.
We can become so used to a particular kind of feelings-such as
anger, resentment, or fear-that it becomes a comfortable
and familiar way to view our world.
We can use our feelings to control people:
I feel this way when you do that, so don't do that anymore. Some people call this using emotions to manipulate other people.
It's not a good thing to do.
But some of us convince ourselves it's the only way to get what we want.
Learn to say how it feels.
Then learn to let that feeling go.
I saw a romantic greeting card which showed a couple kissing in the
front seat of a car. The message said, "If you can kiss while driving
safely, you are not giving the kiss the attention it deserves."
Anything that is worth doing, is worth doing with a whole heart.
And mind. And body.
We get into trouble not because we do things that are wrong, but
because we approach our activities with divided intentions. Our body is
doing one thing while our heart is elsewhere. We go to jobs we'd rather
not be at, we sleep with people we don't love, we go to parties we
secretly find boring or repulsive. At the same time we love people we
don't express our love for, we deny ourselves food we would really enjoy,
we have creative impulses we do not follow, we know truths we do not
act on.
I have a very simple definition of integrity: You are in integrity when
what you are doing on the outside matches who you are on the inside. I
respect people who live unapologetically. I know people who do things I
don't agree with, or wouldn't do myself, but I respect them for being
100% who they are. They are in integrity.
In Emmanuel's Book II: The Choice for Love, Emmanuel suggests,
"When you move into your physical loving, as you remove your clothing,
take off your mind as well. It simply is not equipped to hear the music."
In the movie City Slickers, a veteran cowboy named Curly teaches some
angst-ridden dudes some country wisdom. When things get tough, Curly
raises his index finger and nods. Eventually the city slickers figure out
what he meant: "Do one thing at a time. If you can really focus on what
is right before you, everything falls into place."
I read a fascinating article in USA Today about multi-tasking, the
process of doing several things at once. Years ago this was called, "
spinning plates." Now it's multi-tasking. Whatever. The writer stated
that we invented time- and labor-saving devices to give us more time to
enjoy life. But instead of enjoying life with our extra time, we find more
things to do. Ultimately our life is not richer because of our voicemails,
emails, cellphones, faxes, pagers, and microwaves; it is just busier. If we
did more of the things we really want to do with our free time, these
inventions would be worthwhile. Instead, we find more things we have
to do.
In the late 1950's a survey asked a large group of people if they
considered themselves happy. Nearly sixty percent of the group
answered yes. A few years ago a similar study was conducted, and 57%
of the group answered yes. So all of our slick technology has not improved
the quality of our life. Quantity of activities, for sure; quality, no.
What is it, then, that makes our lives qualitatively better? Presence.
Being 100% with what you are doing. Approaching work, relationships,
everything with a whole heart.
I would like to tell you about the most prosperous man I know. Iani
sits on a local beach and sings love songs. He strums handsome exotic
Indian instruments which he meticulously crafts at home, then comes
to the beach around sunset, and chants. He sings love songs to God, to
the sea, to the sky, to the sand, to the wind, and, if you pass by, Iani will
sing a love song to you. During many memorable sunsets I have sat with
Iani and sung with him. I take an empty plastic water bottle and do
percussion. Iani lives very modestly and has few possessions. He is the
most prosperous man I know because his heart is full of love and he is
fully present. When I am singing with Iani I don't miss my cell phone.
Email is non-existent. Money has no value. I am content.
"But Alan," you say, "Not all of us have the luxury of sitting and
chanting on a Maui beach. Some of us have jobs and families to support,
and responsibilities."
Fine. It doesn't matter. Just be fully present with whatever you are
doing. When you are at work, that's all that exists. When you are making
love, make total love. When you are with your kids, really be with your
kids. One.
I noticed that when I did book signings, I felt rushed so I could
accommodate everyone in line. I was not fully present with some people
because I was aware of the people behind them in line. Then I realized
that I was cheating them and myself. So I decided to be fully present with
each person, and stay with them until I really connected with them.
Suddenly book signings became a delight. Now I love talking to people,
touching them, looking into their eyes. I learned that it does not take a lot
of time to make contact; just a few moments of full presence can be
completely fulfilling.
Everything is like kissing and driving. If you're driving, really
drive. If you're kissing, really kiss.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*First Things First*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
" Let us continue to search our own minds
for the hidden places where we still deny love.
Perhaps we learned loveless attitudes from our parents,
or from experiences in the past.
Wherever we picked up judgmental attitudes,
they do not serve us now.
They do not serve God or the creation of a new world,
and serving God is our only goal.
To serve God is to think with love.
In prayerful request, let us give up all thoughts that are not of love. "
Marianne Williamson (from Illuminata)
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Easy Does It*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Help! I'm Stuck in a Rut and I Can't Get Up! By Lynn A. Robinson, M.Ed.
Many self-help articles make the process of life-change and transition look
easy.
* Lose your job? Four Ways to Land a Six-Figure Job Next Week.
* Getting Divorced? Eight Dating Tips to Find the New Mr. Or Ms. Right
* Broke? Visualize Your Way to Millions!
People often fear that there's something wrong with them when they can't
instantly jump back on their feet after a setback. It seems easy for
everyone else! Loretta LaRoche puts it so humorously when she says, "I'm
always reminding people that the one constant you can count on is that
things happen -- and usually when you're not in the mood for them."
Experts on change and transition have various names for the stages of change
we pass through. You only have to look at nature to see that all of life
has ebbs and flows. There are seasons when plants and trees are
flourishing, blooming and growing, followed by a period where they
regenerate, lying dormant for awhile. We as humans are no exception to this
cycle of nature. You have periods of time when you are full to the brim
with excitement, growth, achieving your goals, meeting with success at every
turn. Life is fun, joy-filled and amazing!
This phase is often followed by one in which you coast along smoothly. The
job is going well, the marriage is happy, life is good.
There may be a few bumps in the road at times. Most days you feel that
you've finally found the secret to life. Blessed be! You are one of the
lucky ones.
It's tempting to think that if you do all the right things in the first two
phases it will continue to be bliss all the time. However, this is usually
not the case. The next phase is the one that very few people seem to like.
You begin to feel dissatisfied with what you've created.
We've all experienced these third stage life transitions. They're often
characterized by feeling bored, restless, anxious and on edge. I see these
feelings as a call from your wise inner being, indicating that change is
needed. It's as if the Universe had conspired to tell you to look within,
hibernate, lie fallow for a while and regain your strength for the next
season of growth. The writer Charles C. West seemed to agree when he
wrote, "We turn to God for help when our foundations are shaking, only to
learn that it is God who is shaking them."
Here are some ideas to consider in order to move wisely through this time of
transition:
Understand You're Not Crazy
You just feel that way. As noted above, this type of life transition is
likely to provoke some strong feelings, from fear to anxiety to peace and
back again. Often your colleagues, friends and family will try to make you
feel better by offering solutions, quick fixes and advice about what they
feel you should do. Forgive them. It's difficult to watch someone in
emotional pain, (in this case you,) and friends will always want to help.
Be Patient
Sue Monk Kidd wrote in her wonderful book, "While the Heart Waits," "When
you're waiting, you're not doing nothing. You're allowing your soul to grow
up. If you can't be still and wait, you can't become what God created you
to be." This transition period in your life is, in all likelihood,
time-limited. Practice saying the mantra, "This too shall pass."
Honor Your Grief
There are many transitions that you go through in a few months. You come
out the other side feeling life is fresh and new and the turmoil of the
change you've gone through seems almost forgotten. However, they are
changes that leave a permanent mark on your soul. Losing someone -- a
child, a friend, a parent --there's nothing you can do to bring them back.
You may also lose something intangible -- a sense of safety, hope, financial
well being, or a belief in your physical immortality. Whatever your loss,
there is part of this over which you have no control. The part that you do
control is your attitude about it. Ask your inner wisdom the question, "How
can I find peace in this situation?" Listen for the answer. It will come
and so will your serenity.
Talk to God
You can rail, yell, scream and cry. God can handle it. Talk to God as you
would to a good friend. Tell him that you're scared and don't know what to
do. Ask for insight. Ask for peace and be open to both when they come.
The response may be presented through inner means such as your intuition.
It may also come in an outer way. You may unexpectedly run into an old
friend who has just the right thing to say, or you might find a passage in a
book that leaps out at you as the answer you've been seeking.
Remember this: You are loved. You are cared about and surrounded by a
loving presence at all times. You are not alone.
Trust in a Higher Purpose
Why am I going through this?" you ask. God knows! And I'm not being
facetious. Asking that question when you're in the midst of any difficult
situation doesn't usually provoke a satisfactory response. The Universe has
a plan for your life. Have faith that the power that causes the sun to rise
and set, the trees to bloom and babies to grow, also knows how to grow your
soul and a prosperous life for you. There is a master plan. The code to
unlocking this plan lies in your ability to keep your heart open and listen
to the voice of God within.
Nothing else matters and all is unfolding perfectly. Trust the process.
Copyright (c) 2005, all rights reserved. Permission is granted to reproduce,
copy or distribute this newsletter as long as this copyright notice and full
information about contacting the author is attached.
About the Author:
Lynn A. Robinson, M.Ed. Lynn is one of the nation's leading experts on the
topic of intuition. Her most recent books include "Real Prosperity: Using
the Power of Intuition to Create Financial and Spiritual Abundance" (Andrews
McMeel 2004), "Compass of the Soul: 52 Ways Intuition Can Guide You to the
Life of Your Dreams" (Andrews McMeel, 2003) and "Divine Intuition: Your
Guide to Creating a Life You Love" (DK Books, 2001).
Lynn is a popular and widely recognized author and motivational speaker as
well as a columnist for www.ThirdAge.com Her free monthly
"Intuition Newsletter" is available at her Web site, www.LynnRobinson.com ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Live And Let Live*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Tired
Tired of being strong.
Tired of going on.
Tired of living life.
Tired of pain and strife.
Tired of being sad.
Tired of being mad.
Tired of giving a damn.
Tired of who I am.
Tired of hurt and pain.
Tired of all the strain.
Tired of being stressed.
Tired of being depressed.
Tired of wanting to hate.
Tired of believing in fate.
Tired of being wired.
Tired of being tired.
Marianne Johnson Tazslady@... 5-21-01
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Keep The Focus On You*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Alanon Slogans and their Meanings...
LET GO AND LET GOD Every day there are decisions to be made and problems to be solved.
When you notice irritations growing into tensions, tensions into near- panic,
and old fears returning, this is the time to stop short and turn to God.
You can do nothing anyway, and you will find that if
you supply the willingness He will supply the power.
FIRST THINGS FIRST Many of our confusions and frustrations are due to our failure to deal with
tasks and problems in the order of their importance.
It does take discipline to put aside the things we'd rather do,
and attend to those of first importance FIRST.
But the rewards are great: we get things done,
we enjoy a sense of accomplishment, and we learn to face issues
with a real sense of value and purpose.
LIVE AND LET LIVE This is a reminder that most of us need- often.
We need to make ourselves realize that we are not equipped to judge
or criticize others for what they are or do.
Our only concern should be our own conduct, our own improvement, our own lives.
Each of us is entitled to his own view of things,
but we have no right to inflict it on anyone else.
If there are differences of opinion in your group,
try to treat them objectively.
EASY DOES IT When we come into Al-Anon, burdened with problems and confusions,
we are confronted with a bright light of hope.
This may tempt us to try too hard to learn too quickly,
all there is to learn about the program.
"If we could only grasp the magic formula that is doing
so much for the others," we think.
But alas, it is not magic, but a philosophy of living, to be learned slowly
and patiently, and absorbed into our hearts and minds.
Easy does it. If you approach each meeting, each problem, each step,
in a relaxed frame of mind, what you need will come to you,
and much more quickly than if you strained and hurried.
Easy does it. Readjusting your life and changing old habits takes time,
and easy does it best.
BUT FOR THE GRACE OF GOD It is well to remind ourselves, when we are resentful and embittered
over an alcoholic's behavior, that it was not his choice to
carry this burden of misery and despair.
But for the Grace of God, we might have been afflicted by this sickness.
Let us be thankful that we have the blessing of sobriety,
and be willing to help the alcoholic find this blessing, too.
One of the early things that I learned to do in Al-Anon is play a game
each night at bed time called the A. B. C. of Al-Anon Gratitude.
Just before you go to sleep start with the letter A
and think of something that you are grateful for.
(Example Al-Anon), and then go down the rest of the alphabet and name
something that starts with that letter.......
It will put you in a positive place and make you realize
how much you have to be grateful for....
After all these years we still play the game, God and I,
and it gives us a peaceful and serene sleep.......
Hope you will try it and see how much fun it really is........
We're never to old to play a game......
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Let God and Let Go*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ "What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say" Ralph Waldo Emerson
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Come*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Make a game of finding something positive in every situation --
95 percent of your emotions are determined by
how you interpret events to yourself. Brian Tracy
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Come To*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ an empty barrel
makes a louder noise Indonesian proverb
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Come To Believe*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Someone once wrote: "Happiness is always a by-product.
You don't make yourself happy by chasing happiness.
You make yourself happy by being a good person."
The happiest people I know are people
who don't even think about being happy.
They just think about being good neighbors, good people.
And then happiness sort of sneaks in the back window
while they're busy doing good. Rabbi Harold Kushner, in Handbook for the Heart
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Look For The Beauty*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
If you want to be able to trust others,
try becoming more trustworthy yourself.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Today Is A Gift*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The truth will set you free,
but first it will piss you off.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Keep Stepping*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Unhappiness is not knowing what we want
and killing ourselves trying to get it.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Stay In The Light*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
If using is the answer...
What is the question?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*Put Gratitude In Your Attitude*~*~*~*~*~*~*
12StepSoulFoodForTheSpirit does not endorse any of the
advertisements that may appear in this daily mailing.
Advertising is the price that we pay for a free list server
that yahoo groups provides.
Putting together these Daily Recovery Emails has been such
a blessing for me, Thanks for your support and contributions,
"What I can't do alone we can do together." If you have any
original poetry or submissions that you would like to send to
me you can email me at 12StepSoulFoodForTheSpirit-owner@yahoogroups.com or YOUnMEnHP@...
"12 Step Soul Food for the Spirit" is intended to give readers ,
inspiring and thoughtful messages. To help fulfill our primary
purpose which is to carry the message to the alcoholic/addict
who still suffers. A spiritual adventure, a journey inwards this
has a vision of opening and touching, each and everyone,
with the Loving Power and Presence of the Spirit within."
We invite you to share the writings by forwarding today's
message to others. Share "12 Step Soul Food for the Spirit"
with friends and loved ones: Please keep passing this along to
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~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*One Promise, Many Gifts*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Adult Children of Alcoholics
www.AdultChildren.org Al-Anon/Alateen
www.al-anon.org Alcoholics Anonymous
www.alcoholics-anonymous.org Alcoholics Anonymous Deaf and Hard of Hearing
www.dhh12s.com/access.htm Artists Recovering through the Twelve Steps
www.artsanonymous.org Clutterer’s Anonymous
www.clutterersanonymous.net Cocaine Anonymous World Services
www.ca.org Co-Dependents Anonymous Home Page
www.codependents.org Crystal Meth Anonymous
www.crystalmeth.org Criminal and Gangs Anonymous
www.angelfire.com/id/CGAnonymous Debtors Anonymous: A Twelve Step Fellowship for…
www.debtorsanonymous.org
Dual Recovery Anonymous - a 12 Step program
www.draonline.org
By the grace of God and through your efforts of passing on this
email, we are reaching many recovering people in different areas of
the world. If you are receiving this, from a country outside of the
USA please send me an email and tell me where you are receiving this.
So far we reaching over 6000 recovering people in 66 countries
including Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Barbados,
Belgium, Bermuda, Brazil, Canada , Columbia, Costa Rica, China ,
Cyprus, Denmark, Egypt, England, Finland, France, Guatemala,
Germany, Greece, Honduras, Hong Kong, Iceland, India, Indonesia,
Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Japan, Korea,
Lithuania, Mali West Africa, Mozambique, Nepal, Netherlands,
New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico,
Philippines, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia , Saudi Arabia,
Scotland, Singapore, South Africa , Spain, Sweden, Switzerland,
Thailand, Trinidad, Turkey, United Arab Emirates,
U.S.A., Venezuela, Wales, West Indies, Zimbabwe.
Even if your country is listed
please email me, and let me know where you are from. 12StepSoulFoodForTheSpirit-owner@yahoogroups.com
Stay in the Light,
In loving service,
Scott H. from N.Y. ~ clean date 10/27/88 YOUnMEnHP@...
(\o/\o/) we are each of us angels with only one wing (\o/\o/)
/_\/_\ and can only fly by embracing each other /_\/_\
For the daily recovery email please visit me at:
www.groups-beta.google.com/group/12-Step-Soul-Food-for-the-Spirit
For the daily recovery email please visit me at:
www.health.groups.yahoo.com/group/12StepSoulFoodForTheSpirit
For the weekly topic meeting please visit me at:
www.health.groups.yahoo.com/group/twelvestepsoulfood4thespirit
It's not alcoholwasm;
it's alcoholism.
The weekly meeting topic is: How do you change from "feeling apart from" to "feeling a part of"?
Are you still isolating? How, and if not, what did you do to stop? to share please visit
www.health.groups.yahoo.com/group/twelvestepsoulfood4thespirit/
or email twelvestepsoulfood4thespirit@yahoogroups.com ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Please Be There For The Newcomers*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
August 11
I will take time today to stop and give a gift to
someone needy, smile at a stranger or help a small child.
I will take the time to do at least one thing
that I usually find myself too busy to do,
and I will inwardly smile at myself, taking the time
to experience the feelings of my own kindness.
written by ~ Ruth Fishel
"Time for Joy"
PLEASE visit and check out Ruth's new book
LIVING LIGHT AS A FEATHER is arriving at bookstores now!
She even interviewed me for the book :)
If you would like a signed copy you can
order it at www.spirithaven.com or email her at spirithaven@... or call at 508-420-5301.
Check out her collection of light, nourishing and nurturing Books and Tapes
& some touching and embracing Greeting Cards
www.spirithaven.com
for inspirational messages email spirithaven@... ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Just for Today*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ SOBRIETY
Sobriety to me is the best of times
it gives me a freedom of choice,
As I pursue the path of spirituality
I know I’ll always rejoice.
‘One Day At A Time’ ‘Living Life On Life’s Terms’
seems hard to imagine at first,
But ‘Let Go and “Let God’ will make it simpler
and only increase the thirst.
For a willingness to learn and obtain some humility,
that extremely elusive trait,
Which come from ‘Progress’ and not ‘Perfection’
which only God can create.
It’s ‘East Does It’ as I went my way on this road
‘Happy. Joyous and Free’,
Always striving to ‘Live and Let Live’
while allowing other to be.
Now ‘Keeping it Simple’ is sometimes tough
as I tend to get in my own way,
But I ‘Keep Coming back’ as suggested to me
I remember ‘it’s Just for Today’.
Whenever my feelings get me into a funk
I have to pick up the phone,
Or go to a meeting and share what’s wrong
to rid me of all my junk.
I have found a peace AA had promised
by keeping an open mind,
In finding my God and working the steps,
I now can repay in kind.
I must never forget my alcoholism
each day my gratitude grows,
I truly am free from the ‘Bondage of Self’
and thanks be to God, IT SHOWS.
Susan F. Ader dolph3@... February 12, 1994
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Don't Use*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
If anyone has any original recovery poetry that they
would like to share with us please copy and paste it into the body
of an email and send it to me, Thanks for your support and contributions.
What I can't do alone, We do together.
In loving service, Scott ~ YOUnMEnHP@... ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*No Matter What*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Emergence
www.consciousone.com/wisdomflash/WFView.cfm?PID=147
Bill W. Talks
Tradition One
www.silkworth.net/grapevine/tradition_one.html
Bill W. Talks
Tradition One
www.silkworth.net/grapevine/tradition_one.html
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Make A Meeting*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Just for Today
August 11 Active listening
"Through active listening, we hear things that work for us."
Basic Text, p. 102 Most of us arrive in Narcotics Anonymous with a very poor ability to
listen. But to take full advantage of "the therapeutic value of one
addict helping another," we must learn to listen actively.
What is active listening for us? In meetings, it means we concentrate
on what the speaker is sharing, while the speaker is sharing. We set
aside our own thought and opinions until the meeting is over. That's when
we sort through what we've heard and decide which ideas we want to
use and which we want to explore further.
We can apply our active listening skills in sponsorship, too. Newcomers
often talk with us about some "major events" in their lives. While such
events may not seem significant to us, they are to the newcomer who
has little experience living life on life's terms. Our active listening
helps us empathize with the feelings such events trigger in our
sponsee's life. With that understanding, we have a better idea of what
to share with them.
The ability to listen actively was unknown to us in the isolation of our
addiction. Today, this ability helps us actively engage with our
recovery. Through active listening, we receive everything being offered
us in NA, and we share fully with others the love and care we've been
given.
Just for today: I will strive to be an active listener. I will practice
active listening when others share and when I share with others.
This is a DIFFERENT Yahoo Club you
MUST join this club in order to participate
Yahoo! Clubs Twelve Step Soul Food 4 the Spirit www.health.groups.yahoo.com/group/twelvestepsoulfood4thespirit
A Safe Place to Share , Discover and Recover.
This a message bulletin board meeting, where people post on the
weekly topic. It takes only 1 minute to enter a password and
username. Please go this page on the upper right hand corner and click
the join club link, sign in and go to the left hand side and click
messages to read what others have shared and click on the post link,
now you can share on the topic of the week or whatever you would like.
There is a lot of good experience, strength and hope in here as well
as newcomers who need our support and love, PLEASE stop by.
Thanks for your participation and support :)
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Use Your Sponsor*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Meditation of the Day
www.hazelden.org/servlet/hazelden/thoughts
Daily Meditation for ALL 12 Steppers
www.open-mind.org/Daily/
Dr. Twerski's Sober Thought of the Day
www.gatewayrehab.org/August.html
NEED HELP Pick a topic Daily Meditation
www.hazelden.org/servlet/hazelden/thoughts/search.html
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Be A Sponsor*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ THOSE WHO STILL SUFFER
For us, if we neglect those who are still sick, there is unremitting danger
to our own lives and sanity.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 151
I know the torment of drinking compulsively to quiet my nerves and my
fears. I also know the pain of white-knuckled sobriety. Today, I do not
forget the unknown person who suffers quietly, withdrawn and hiding in the
desperate relief of drinking. I ask my Higher Power to give me His
guidance and the courage to be willing to be His instrument to carry within
me compassion and unselfish actions. Let the group continue to give me the
strength to do with others what I cannot do alone.
Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Work The Steps*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Twenty-Four Hours A Day by Hazelden/ August 11th
A.A. Thought for the Day
"While alcoholics keep strictly away from drink, they react
to life much like other people. But the first drink sets the
terrible cycle in motion. Alcoholics usually have no idea why
they take the first drink. Some drinkers have excuses with
which they are satisfied, but in their hearts they really do
not know why they do it. The truth is that at some point in
their drinking they have passed into a state where the most
powerful desire to stop drinking is of no avail." Am I satisfied
that I have passed my tolerance point for alcohol?
Meditation for the Day
He who made the ordered world out of chaos and set the
stars in their courses and made each plant to know its season,
He can bring peace and order out of your private chaos if you
will let Him. God is watching over you, too, to bless you and
care for you. Out of the darkness He is leading you to light,
out of unrest to rest, out of disorder to order, out of faults
and failure to success. You belong to God and your affairs are
His affairs and can be ordered by Him if you are willing.
Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may be led out of disorder into order. I pray
that I may be led out of failure into success.
Be aware that, for many reasons,
we have become experts at using this tool
to make reality more tolerable.
We have learned well how to stop the pain caused by reality --
not by changing our circumstances, but pretending our
circumstances are something other than what they are.
Do not be too hard on yourself.
While one part of you was busy creating a fantasy-reality,
the other part went to work on accepting the truth.
Now, it is time to find courage.
Face the truth.
Let it sink gently in.
When we can do that, we will be moved forward.
God, give me the courage and strength to see clearly.
Imagine...a world where everything you did to others was immediately
reflected upon you. Any time you inflicted pain, whether physical or
emotional, unto any other being you would immediately feel the same pain.
Such was the situation that was brought to earth by an extra-terrestrial in
a science fiction story entitled Rule Golden by Damon Knight. The character
Aza-Kra, from a planet in the galaxy of Aquarius, explains that all life
beings are able to feel each other's pain but that this sense has been
squelched and buried deeply within us in childhood. Yet, he is able to
activate it. In this book, every time someone acts in a way to cause another
pain, they feel the same pain they caused.
This is indeed the way that the world operates, but many have built a hard
scale shield covering their sensitivities in order to "protect" themselves
from these feelings. We all have the ability to empathize with others when
we allow ourselves to truly feel. But we have lost touch with it. We have
become tough, reacting to being hurt by building a wall that says "You won't
hurt me", "Nobody can hurt me".
Unfortunately, the wall may keep out pain, but it also keeps out love. It
keeps out recognizing the cry for help that is coming from the soul of our
brothers and sisters. It stops us from feeling the pain that we inflict on
others by our words, our actions, or our lack of caring and compassion.
I recall as a child, being termed "a cry-baby". I would cry watching sad
movies, choke up watching a moving episode on Bonanza, and was unable to
watch horror movies or any violent ones. My brother and sister would laugh
at me for being so sensitive. So I tried to squelch it down. Tried to not be
so sensitive, not to let others see me cry, not to show my emotions...
Could it be that we all have this sensitivity, and had it coaxed or
ridiculed out of us? As children could we feel the pain of others around us?
Could we recognize within ourselves when we did something that was not
loving? Or is it something we need to learn, to develop? Maybe it is another
layer that we need to remove before reaching the heart of our being... the
truly loving entity that we are meant to be.
Are we now willing to open ourselves up completely to feeling our own
emotions and those of others around us? Instead of protecting ourselves by
barriers of harshness, shyness, aloofness, sarcasm, or even of white light,
how about being a beacon of love radiating peace and understanding out into
the world? Rather than projecting fear, we can choose to project love and
compassion. Seeing the world and its people as needing love, not needing
judgment and blame.
Instead of closing one's self from receiving bad vibes, we could blanket the
airwaves with the love frequency... If the atmosphere is filled up with the
positive vibrations of Love, there is no room for the negative ones of fear
and anger. If your Being is radiating Light and Love out into the world,
there is no room for darkness to penetrate you.
Instead of being on the defensive, let's be on the offensive! Let our
ammunition be Love, Light, and Compassion rather than defense, judgment,
anger, and retribution.
We are the ones who can make a difference in the world. We are the masters
of our own fate. We control what goes in and out of our brains, of our
mouths, and of our hearts.
Let us tune in to the inner voice of Love and follow its directives. Do unto
others...
Let Love shine and heal the world and ourselves. It's all in our hands, and
our heart.
About The Author:
Marie T. Russell is the publisher of InnerSelf Magazine (first published in
1985 originally as Mighty Natural Magazine) and The Natural Yellow Pages
(1987-2002). She produced a weekly South Florida radio broadcast, Inner
Power, from 1991-1995 which focused on themes such as self-esteem, personal
growth, and well-being. Her articles focus on transformation and
reconnecting with our inner source of joy and creativity. Marie can be
reached at marie@... with personal comments and feedback, or to be
placed on a mailing list to be advised when her book becomes available. www.innerself.com ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*First Things First*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ A Higher Power
Speak to me without words.
Hold me without arms.
Charm me without charms
And I feel love
Understand me without pity.
Smile at me with eyes.
See the sea from the city.
You never tell me lies.
Walk with me when I'm alone
And listen to my cries.
Now i know that you know
All negativity dies
It's a choice.
I hear your voice.
Yeah, sometimes I don't.
You won't let me forget,
And I know you know I won't.
I want to touch so many.
Where am I supposed to be?
Where ever I am, where ever I go,
I know you're with me.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Easy Does It*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ MY ISMS
Acting within my own isms
My soul is trapped within this prison
Greed, hunger, and lust escapes
And wrap around me like a cape
Thoughts I have without sane reason
My mind forms its own wicked treason
Hurt and hate boiled-up within
My mind thinks of ways to make it end
Drinking, drugging, and even suicide
I just want to run and hide
But then I remember how I lose
When I get this confused
And how my mind it will lie
So in you I do confide
And when my secrets I confess
I find that I am not in such a mess
Then with my Higher Power
I take refuge and rest
Dr. McFarland, a veterinarian who goes by the name The Cat
Doctor, has a practice in my hometown, where we bring our cat,
Ragamuffin. At one point, we had to put Ragamuffin on a strict
diet of prescription food, sold only at the vet's office. One
time, when I went there to get a refill, I saw one of the
saddest sights I have ever seen -- a cat whose hind quarters
were paralyzed and could get around only by dragging his back
legs behind him.
I asked the receptionist about the cat. She told me his
name was Slick, and that some people had found him by the side
of the road a couple of years earlier and brought him in. The
poor little guy had been shot and left for dead. The Cat Doctor
treated him and when he recovered, they decided to keep Slick as
the office mascot.
At first, it just broke my heart to see him pull himself
around the office, using just his front legs. But Slick has
such spirit, that each time I saw him, I seemed to notice his
difficulties less and less.
Not too long ago, Ragamuffin became ill and I had to take
him to the vet. The cat was scared to death to leave our house.
Although he was in horrible pain from his illness, he put up a
terrific fight. He fought his way out of the cat carrier three
times before I could secure it.
I finally got Ragamuffin into the car and headed over to
see The Cat Doctor. Ragamuffin howled and cried the whole way.
Even as I carried the carrier into the office, my cat was
putting up a fight. He was terrified of being in this strange
place filled with new cat and people smells.
As I looked around, I noticed Slick sitting on a little cat
bed across the room, oblivious to all the commotion I'd brought
into his kingdom. He ignored us, continuing to groom himself.
Setting the carrier down on the floor, I tried not to
listen to Ragamuffin's strident pleas for help as I filled out
the proper paperwork.
Then suddenly it got quiet. Really quiet. No more
screaming. No more howls. I cocked my head to listen as I
continued to calculate Ragamuffin's weight in my head. Still,
silence.
A sudden fear rushed over me as I realized that the front
door to Dr. McFarland's office was still open. Omigosh, I
thought, Ragamuffin must have gotten out of the carrier and run
outside! I dropped my pen and turned to bolt out the door. I
hadn't taken more than two steps when I stopped short --
captivated by the scene before me.
Ragamuffin, still in his cage, had his pink nose pressed up
against the bars. He was exchanging a calm little cat greeting
with Slick, who had managed to crawl all the way across the room
to comfort the agitated Rags. Slick, with his paralyzed
hindquarters splayed behind him, pressed his nose to the bars as
well. The two cats sat quietly, Slick continuing to soothe
Ragamuffin's fears in a way only another cat would know how to
do.
Smiling, I realized that there was more than one Cat Doctor
around this place.
By Norma and Vincent Hans from Chicken Soup for the Cat & Dog Lover's Soul
Copyright 1999 by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Keep The Focus On You*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ The Invitation
In the childlike heart of any artist
~ who is anyone who dares say, “I wish...” ~
lies a magical portal through which
only the Muse knows the secret passage
To her first must be offered a small key
as a password that only she recognizes
A remaining soft and still at the centre of your being
A benevolent energy generated from within
A slow pace of languid, hazy afternoons
Calm knowings of faith in the universe
A receptive heart and a willing soul
Those are the imaginal markings on the small key
to which the Muse answers...
Inspiration comes to bestow her gifts
sprinkling stardust upon the turning of our craft
from ideas to the page
from images to the canvas
from fabric into Clothos
from plants into gardens
from gardens into landscapes
Invite the Muse of Inspiration
to your Creation
She bears gifts
for your unique understanding:
satisfaction guaranteed
It takes so little to open the door
to our hiding places.
A gentle word
An understanding nod
A loving gaze.
This beautiful place...
So rarely visited...
Such a shame!
Sometimes the door has been slammed shut...
Locked for years with a
DO NOT DISTURB
sign
Hanging on the face outside.
Many years ago I bought my ex-husband a bowling ball
for his 25th birthday. Instant tears for surprise and gratitude
and love filled his eyes.
"I'm so sorry your son died."
Instant watering for my deep, deep pain.
"I love you," after a fight and the soul responds with tears
of relief and love and forgiveness and thankfulness.
"I appreciate you."
"I see your specialness."
The giving of ourselves with just
a few words,
a look,
a touch
can ease a broken heart,
lift a fallen spirit
restore a lost soul.
How little it takes to touch someone with our love.
March 2002
By Ruth Fishel spirithaven@... ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Come*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Say the words.
Tell your partner, your children, your parents:
"I love you" frequently.
Let them know the difference they make in your life.
Miss no opportunities for loving. Mary Manin Morrissey
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Come To*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ "Never ask a barber if he thinks you need a haircut." Roy Rogers
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Come To Believe*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Remember that from where you are in this moment,
in this time and space, you are doing the best that you know to do.
If you could do better in this moment, you would do better. John-Roger
From: The Way Out Book
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Look For The Beauty*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The journey of a lifetime begins with
one day and the first step.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Today Is A Gift*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Today is a gift;
that's why it's called the present.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Keep Stepping*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Live in the moment,
not for the moment
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Stay In The Light*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Today, we have a choice.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*Put Gratitude In Your Attitude*~*~*~*~*~*~*
12StepSoulFoodForTheSpirit does not endorse any of the
advertisements that may appear in this daily mailing.
Advertising is the price that we pay for a free list server
that yahoo groups provides.
Putting together these Daily Recovery Emails has been such
a blessing for me, Thanks for your support and contributions,
"What I can't do alone we can do together." If you have any
original poetry or submissions that you would like to send to
me you can email me at 12StepSoulFoodForTheSpirit-owner@yahoogroups.com or YOUnMEnHP@...
"12 Step Soul Food for the Spirit" is intended to give readers ,
inspiring and thoughtful messages. To help fulfill our primary
purpose which is to carry the message to the alcoholic/addict
who still suffers. A spiritual adventure, a journey inwards this
has a vision of opening and touching, each and everyone,
with the Loving Power and Presence of the Spirit within."
We invite you to share the writings by forwarding today's
message to others. Share "12 Step Soul Food for the Spirit"
with friends and loved ones: Please keep passing this along to
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~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*One Promise, Many Gifts*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Adult Children of Alcoholics
www.AdultChildren.org Al-Anon/Alateen
www.al-anon.org Alcoholics Anonymous
www.alcoholics-anonymous.org Alcoholics Anonymous Deaf and Hard of Hearing
www.dhh12s.com/access.htm Artists Recovering through the Twelve Steps
www.artsanonymous.org Clutterer’s Anonymous
www.clutterersanonymous.net Cocaine Anonymous World Services
www.ca.org Co-Dependents Anonymous Home Page
www.codependents.org Crystal Meth Anonymous
www.crystalmeth.org Criminal and Gangs Anonymous
www.angelfire.com/id/CGAnonymous Debtors Anonymous: A Twelve Step Fellowship for…
www.debtorsanonymous.org
Dual Recovery Anonymous - a 12 Step program
www.draonline.org
By the grace of God and through your efforts of passing on this
email, we are reaching many recovering people in different areas of
the world. If you are receiving this, from a country outside of the
USA please send me an email and tell me where you are receiving this.
So far we reaching over 6000 recovering people in 66 countries
including Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Barbados,
Belgium, Bermuda, Brazil, Canada , Columbia, Costa Rica, China ,
Cyprus, Denmark, Egypt, England, Finland, France, Guatemala,
Germany, Greece, Honduras, Hong Kong, Iceland, India, Indonesia,
Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Japan, Korea,
Lithuania, Mali West Africa, Mozambique, Nepal, Netherlands,
New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico,
Philippines, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia , Saudi Arabia,
Scotland, Singapore, South Africa , Spain, Sweden, Switzerland,
Thailand, Trinidad, Turkey, United Arab Emirates,
U.S.A., Venezuela, Wales, West Indies, Zimbabwe.
Even if your country is listed
please email me, and let me know where you are from. 12StepSoulFoodForTheSpirit-owner@yahoogroups.com
Stay in the Light,
In loving service,
Scott H. from N.Y. ~ clean date 10/27/88 YOUnMEnHP@...
(\o/\o/) we are each of us angels with only one wing (\o/\o/)
/_\/_\ and can only fly by embracing each other /_\/_\
For the daily recovery email please visit me at:
www.groups-beta.google.com/group/12-Step-Soul-Food-for-the-Spirit
For the daily recovery email please visit me at:
www.health.groups.yahoo.com/group/12StepSoulFoodForTheSpirit
For the weekly topic meeting please visit me at:
www.health.groups.yahoo.com/group/twelvestepsoulfood4thespirit
If you want to hide something from an N.A. /A.A. member,
put it in the Basic Text /Big Book.
The weekly meeting topic is: How do you change from "feeling apart from" to "feeling a part of"?
Are you still isolating? How, and if not, what did you do to stop? to share please visit
www.health.groups.yahoo.com/group/twelvestepsoulfood4thespirit/
or email twelvestepsoulfood4thespirit@yahoogroups.com ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Please Be There For The Newcomers*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
August 10
Today I know my Higher Power is guiding me
through the changes I choose to make in my life.
I have all the energy I need today
to make these changes as easily and effortless as I wish.
written by ~ Ruth Fishel
"Time for Joy"
PLEASE visit and check out Ruth's new book
LIVING LIGHT AS A FEATHER is arriving at bookstores now!
She even interviewed me for the book :)
If you would like a signed copy you can
order it at www.spirithaven.com or email her at spirithaven@... or call at 508-420-5301.
Check out her collection of light, nourishing and nurturing Books and Tapes
& some touching and embracing Greeting Cards
www.spirithaven.com
for inspirational messages email spirithaven@... ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Just for Today*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ The Struggle by Begary
Have you ever traveled down a road to find there was no end
For every corner that you turned there was another bend
The faster that you walked, the longer that it seemed
And you were all alone, in this crazy dream
Crazy dreams that you dream alone
When the lights go out and no one's home
You see the day for what it's been
And you wish to God you could stay clean
The morning brings you to the road you didn't want to travel
and every step you take again makes your life unravel
You keep on walking down the path, wondering what you'll find,
and pray that when you find it you wont have lost your mind
It's halfway through another day and you're looking for those dreams
knowing they can make your life better than it seems
If only to forget your pain for a little while
you can travel down the road just another mile
The night is now upon you, the miles are on your face,
But you keep going forward to your final place.
You know the end is coming soon, you see it straight ahead
And if they don't forget you, you never will be dead
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Don't Use*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
If anyone has any original recovery poetry that they
would like to share with us please copy and paste it into the body
of an email and send it to me, Thanks for your support and contributions.
What I can't do alone, We do together.
In loving service, Scott ~ YOUnMEnHP@... ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*No Matter What*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Life As A Daymaker
www.consciousone.com/wisdomflash/WFView.cfm?PID=173
A conversation with Wayne Dyre
www.inlightimes.com/archives/Wayne-Dyer.htm
Bill W. Talks
Traditions Stressed in Memphis Talk
www.silkworth.net/grapevine/traditions_stressed.html
Bill W. Talks
Tradition One
www.silkworth.net/grapevine/tradition_one.html
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Make A Meeting*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Just for Today
August 10 Regular prayer and meditation
"Most of us pray when we are hurting. We learn that if we pray
regularly, we won't be hurting as often or as intensely." Basic Text, p. 44 Regular prayer and meditation are two more key elements in our new
pattern of living. Our active addiction was more than just a bad habit
waiting to be broken by force of will. Our addiction was a negative,
draining dependence that stole all our positive energy. That dependence
was so total, it prevented us from developing any kind of reliance on a
Higher Power.
From the very beginning of our recovery, our Higher Power has been
the force that brought us freedom. First, it relieved us of our
compulsion to keep taking drugs, even when we knew they were killing
us. Then, it gave us freedom from the more deeply ingrained aspects of
our disease. Our Higher Power gave us the direction, the strength, and
the courage to inventory ourselves; to admit out loud to another person
what our lives had been like. Perhaps for the first time; to begin seeking
release from the chronic defects of character underlying our troubles;
and, at last, to make amends for the wrongs we'd done.
That first contact with a Higher Power, and that first freedom, has
grown into a life full of freedom. We maintain that freedom by
maintaining and improving our conscious contact with our Higher Power
through regular prayer and meditation.
Just for today: I will make a commitment to include regular prayer
and meditation in my new pattern of living.
This is a DIFFERENT Yahoo Club you
MUST join this club in order to participate
Yahoo! Clubs Twelve Step Soul Food 4 the Spirit www.health.groups.yahoo.com/group/twelvestepsoulfood4thespirit
A Safe Place to Share , Discover and Recover.
This a message bulletin board meeting, where people post on the
weekly topic. It takes only 1 minute to enter a password and
username. Please go this page on the upper right hand corner and click
the join club link, sign in and go to the left hand side and click
messages to read what others have shared and click on the post link,
now you can share on the topic of the week or whatever you would like.
There is a lot of good experience, strength and hope in here as well
as newcomers who need our support and love, PLEASE stop by.
Thanks for your participation and support :)
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Use Your Sponsor*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Meditation of the Day
www.hazelden.org/servlet/hazelden/thoughts
Daily Meditation for ALL 12 Steppers
www.open-mind.org/Daily/
Dr. Twerski's Sober Thought of the Day
www.gatewayrehab.org/August.html
NEED HELP Pick a topic Daily Meditation
www.hazelden.org/servlet/hazelden/thoughts/search.html
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Be A Sponsor*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ HELPING OTHERS
"Our very lives, as ex-problem drinkers, depend upon our constant thought
of others and how we may help meet their needs.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 20
Self-centeredness was my problem. All my life people had been doing things
for me and I not only expected it, but I was ungrateful and resentful they
didn't do more. Why should I help others, when they were supposed to help
me? If others had troubles, didn't they deserve them? I was filled with
self-pity, anger and resentment. Then I learned that by helping others,
with no thought or return, I could overcome this obsession with
selfishness, and if I understood humility, I would know peace and
serenity. No longer do I need to drink.
Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Work The Steps*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Twenty-Four Hours A Day by Hazelden/ August 10th
A.A. Thought for the Day
"The tremendous fact for every one of us is that we have
discovered a common solution. We who have found this solution
to our alcoholic problem, who are properly armed with the
facts about ourselves, can generally win the entire confidence
of another alcoholic. We who are making the approach to new
prospects have had the same difficulty they have had. We
obviously know what we are talking about. Our whole
deportment shouts at new prospects that we are people
with a real answer." Am I a person with the real answer to
the alcoholic problems of others?
Meditation for the Day
For straying from the right way there is no cure except to
keep so close to the thought of God that nothing, no other
interest, can seriously come between you and God. Sure of
that, you can stay on God's side. Knowing the way, nothing
can prevent your staying in the way and nothing can cause
you to seriously stray from it. God has promised peace if
you stay close to Him, but not leisure. You still have to carry
on in the world. He has promised heart-rest and comfort,
but not pleasure in the ordinary sense. Peace and comfort
bring real inward happiness.
Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may keep my feet on the way. I pray that I may
stay on God's side.
Stop trying so hard to make it happen.
Stop doing so much, if doing so much is wearing you out or not achieving
the desired results.
Stop thinking so much and so hard about it.
Stop worrying so about it.
Stop trying to force, to manipulate,
to coerce, or to makeit happen.
Making things happen is controlling.
We can take positive action
to help things happen.
We can do our part.
But many of us do much more than our part.
We overstep the boundaries from caring and doing our part into controlling,
caretaking, and coercing.
Controlling is self-defeating.
It doesn't work.
By overextending ourselves to make something happen, we may actually be stopping it from happening.
Do your part in relaxed, peaceful harmony.
Then let it go. Just let it go.
Force yourself to let it go, if necessary.
"Act as if." Put as much energy into letting go as you have into trying to control.
You'll get much better results.
It may happen.
It may not happen the way we wanted it to and hoped it would.
But our controlling wouldn't
have made it happen either.
Learn to let things happen because that's what they'll do anyway.
And while we're waiting to see what happens, we'll be happier
and so will those around us.
Today, I will stop forcing things to happen.
Instead, I will allow things to happen naturally.
If I catch myself trying to force events or control people,
I will stop and figure out a way to detach.
A certain amount of stress occurs in everyone's life. We are all here to
grow, and because we are all growing, we will experience stress. We all have
challenges. Challenges will differ depending on who and where we are on our
path.
Often, people seem to experience some of the same kinds of stress. For
example, because we all have physical bodies, we are all subject to various
conditions, both positive and negative, to which the physical vehicle is
prone. We all have certain needs, desires, comforts, and complaints. We are
all responsible for our bodies and understand that it's up to us to take
care of ourselves because no one else is going to do it for us.
Consequently, we have to learn to eat well, exercise, and get plenty of rest
and adequate sleep. As we take care of our basic needs, we find we feel
good, physically.
However, if we fail to care for the physical body in one of these areas, we
don't feel as good as we'd like to. If we wish to do something about it, we
set about to discover what is wrong. Are we suffering from a food
sensitivity or allergy? Often these sufferers may go through their entire
life unaware that their discomfort or ill health may have been coming from
this relatively simple condition. Again, perhaps we're tired all the time
and we discover that there is, indeed, a physical cause behind our
complaint.
Through the study of healing, it has been discovered that the mind is
responsible for the problems we find in our bodies. It is our attitudes that
cause our physical problems. Further, we now understand, that though the
mind may be the cause, we still have to correct the physical as well as the
mental and spiritual. Therefore, in order to stay well and healthy, we are
required to exert ourselves mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
The work that is required to stay healthy on all of these levels creates
stress, whether we're consciously aware of it or not. If one area gets out
of balance, we have to compensate in another area -- so we are continually
attempting to maintain harmony between the physical, emotional, mental, and
spiritual bodies. No wonder we can feel tired at times. Keeping this complex
mechanism in order isn't easy, and demands much of us as we continue to
grow. Thus, there are pressures from within that keep us busy. We create our
own internal stresses caused by our beliefs, attitudes, emotions, and
reactions to ourselves and the world around us.
In other words, because of the way we choose to perceive life, we decide
whether we are going to add stress to our lives, or, instead, attempt to
keep stress at a low level. If we maintain a harmonious attitude and
positive outlook, we eliminate much stress that would occur if we were
negative and resisted the flow of life. Staying peaceful and serene by
accepting ourselves and life as it is isn't easy. Furthermore, knowing when
it's time to make appropriate changes and take action is difficult as well.
Not many of us are able to do this easily.
Therefore, we add stress to our lives because we are learning. The more
we're willing to learn, the more stressful our lives can become. But there
is a more positive side to this. The more we're willing to accept the help
that's available to us, the more help we get and the calmer we become. We
are then able to take on great challenges we never dreamed we were capable
of simply because we've learned to rely on Divine help, which comes
instantly, without fail, and with love.
Let us imagine that as we sleep at night we make certain decisions about the
day ahead. Perhaps we set up a situation that may be a bit challenging to
us, just to see how we will handle it. As the condition presents itself to
us, whether it is a necessary confrontation with our boss or co-worker, or
whether it is the loss of our pet, let us imagine that a part of us already
knows that these things are going to occur. Therefore, when the event
actually happens, we may say to ourselves, "Well, here it is. I must have
planned this; now how am I going to handle it? Am I going to pass this
little test I set up for myself, or am I going to feel like a victim and
blame others or God for putting me in this position?"
Sometimes life can feel like a play if we allow it to. It is as though we
have rehearsed our roles and suddenly we're called upon to play them out as
we had planned. If others play their roles as well as we play ours, the
scenario works out very harmoniously indeed. The most difficult-seeming
situations can be resolved as people are attuned to the play and their part
in it.
Could this be why we are so often surprised when someone's behavior changes
so positively to fit the situation? Suddenly Dad allows us to have the car
when in our wildest dreams we never expected it would happen. Perhaps this
time we want to test our sense of responsibility with the car out late at
night. Intuitively, Dad knows this is the time, and all goes as planned. The
father may not consciously know why he allowed the son to have the car; he
probably thought he was just "in a good mood". However, in reality he is
playing out his role in the play in order to help develop responsibility
within his child. And, most interestingly, he knew it was the appropriate
time when there was perhaps no other indication that his son was prepared
for this experience. He just knew.
We're continually testing ourselves as our spirit sources guide and direct
us so that we may advance, not only spiritually, but materially as well. The
material life, which encompasses our work, family, financial affairs, and
other concerns of a more physical nature, is just as important as the
spiritual. We need to balance both aspects of life. There cannot be
spiritual advancement without material conditions improving as well.
Overcoming our material challenges helps pave the way for our spiritual
advancement, but keeping a balance between the two can create a great deal
of stress for us. Further, the manner in which we handle that stress
indicates what we need to improve on so that our lives can become more
pleasant and serene.
There are many answers for stress. Some methods for handling stress are
healthy and some are unhealthy. The unhealthy methods leave us potentially
worse off than we were before the stressful condition. Excessive smoking and
drinking are two common ways people handle stress. Overeating and spending
money irresponsibly are other ways in which we handle the uncomfortable
feelings that stress causes. Sleeping a great deal or watching television
constantly are other methods people use to "calm down". The list can go on
and on. None of these ways helps us in the long run. They only add to our
problems, because they affect us negatively in other areas and do not allow
for our full potential to be realized.
Yet in regard to these areas, we need to be gentle and patient with
ourselves and once again trust in our process. Attempting to force these
so-called negative habits out of our lives only attracts them further to us.
There are, on the other hand, other, more healthy methods for handling
stress. These means may involve or at least begin with the mind, body, or
spirit. We may choose to exercise in order to relieve stress. Any form of
exercise or sport we choose that we like can help relieve tension. Sex also
helps to relieve tension, provided that the conditions within the
relationship of those involved are love-filled, peaceful, and stress-free.
Eating when hungry can help to relieve stress: perhaps the body is in need
of certain nutrients.
All these methods should be used in balance and not to excess. When, for
example, we find that we are eating more than our body actually needs in
order to relieve our stress and that it's becoming a habit, then we're into
a more negative approach to handling our problems.
Mentally, as we change our attitude about life and change our thinking in
the process, we can do much to eliminate old, stressful reactions. Further,
as we learn to let go and let God, new patterns emerge within us that
project a new approach to life. Our thinking changes, thus bringing about
new, more positive conditions to us. Then again, as we become interested in
delving deeper into the spiritual, we discover that learning to be still
greatly reduces tension on all levels, and we become peaceful as we learn to
enter into that calm place within us.
Further, once accustomed to this space where we can come for serenity,
comfort, guidance and direction, we begin to develop trust in our Creator as
well as in our ability to make such contact possible. As we work together
with our Creator, learning to listen as well as to obey the inner voice,
stress begins to feel like a condition of the past. Although we may continue
to experience it periodically as we test ourselves, we don't remain in a
tense situation for long. For we know that all we need to do is seek within
for all that we need, whether it be comfort, love, guidance or wisdom and it
will be there for us as we have asked. Further, because we've remembered to
ask for God's Divine light and that all that comes to us be for the highest
good, we will be safe and secure.
Therefore, let's look upon the stresses and tensions in our day as
indications that we are indeed in the play, and the way in which we respond
to each situation will determine whether we are ready to advance. Our goals
are before us, but how we reach them is up to us. The amount of peace we
have during our climb up the mountain is largely determined by how well we
can form this union with our Creator. The more "involved" we are in our
relationship with the divine intelligence that orders the universe, the
smoother and more peaceful will be our journey up the mountain. The more we
can trust, the more we can let go; the more we let go, the more we let God.
About The Author
Jill Downs has a BA in sociology and has worked as a licensed practical
nurse; facilitated family groups in recovery; has experience working with
the elderly in nursing homes and the dying in hospice. At present she
conducts workshops on personal and spiritual growth. These essays are her
way of helping every reader become fully human, fully conscious and engaged
in this wonderful journey called life. The Awakening of the Heart is her
first book.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*First Things First*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Diversity
I believe that diversity is part of the natural order of things -
as natural as the trillion shapes and shades of the flowers
of the spring or the leaves of autumn.
I believe that diversity brings new solutions to an ever-changing environment,
and that sameness is not only uninteresting, but limiting.
To deny diversity is to deny life -
with all its richness and manifold opportunities.
Thus I affirm my citizenship in a world of diversity,
and with it the responsibility to...
Be tolerant.
Live and let live.
Understand that those who cause no harm should not be feared,
ridiculed, or harmed - even if they are different.
Look for the best in others.
Be just in dealing with poor and rich, weak and strong, and
whenever possible, defend the young, the old, the frail, the defenseless.
Be kind, remembering how fragile the human spirit is.
Live the examined life, subjecting your motives and actions
to the scrutiny of mind and heart so to rise above prejudice and hatred.
Gene Griesssman
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Easy Does It*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Our work is to make God real
through the lens of our life
for all the lives that we touch
so that when others have passed our way,
they have felt the touch of God,
they have been encouraged,
they have been supported,
they have been blessed
by the presence that we bring
to whatever it is that we're doing.
That is our REAL work.
Mary Manin Morrissey
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Live And Let Live*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
With a lot of investment and experience,
scientist have gone into outer space,
but they do not know their own heart.
Man should experience inside of himself,
not only outer. Everything we see or do
outside is reflection of the inner being;
there is nothing outside that is not inside.
Sai Pages
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Keep The Focus On You*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Many times you will be placed in a "predicament"which must be solved.
If you reach outside of yourself for an answer,
you can sometimes get one that assists you temporarily,
but in a while you find yourself right back in the same predicament
because you did not go through it as a process of learning.
You sought a way out of it through someone or something else.
So many times the way out of something is to go through it
and gain the greatest awareness available to you.
John-Roger
[From: Divine Essence (Baraka)
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Let God and Let Go*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ "Beauty is of soft whisperings.
She speaks in our Spirit....
Beauty is eternity gazing at itself in the mirror.
But you are eternity, and you are the mirror." Kahlil Gibran
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Come*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ "Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions.
Small people always do that, but the really great make you
feel that you, too, can become great." Mark Twain
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Come To*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Life is like a rainbow.
You need both the sun and the rain to make its colors appear. Author Unknown
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Come To Believe*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
My worst day clean
was better than my best day using.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Look For The Beauty*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Nothing is so bad
that using won't make it worse.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Today Is A Gift*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
That which doesn't kill you
serves to make you stronger.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Keep Stepping*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
When we dwell on the problem, the problem gets bigger.
When we dwell on the solution, the solution gets bigger.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Stay In The Light*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Be A LIGHT :)
*~*~*~*~*~*~*Put Gratitude In Your Attitude*~*~*~*~*~*~*
12StepSoulFoodForTheSpirit does not endorse any of the
advertisements that may appear in this daily mailing.
Advertising is the price that we pay for a free list server
that yahoo groups provides.
Putting together these Daily Recovery Emails has been such
a blessing for me, Thanks for your support and contributions,
"What I can't do alone we can do together." If you have any
original poetry or submissions that you would like to send to
me you can email me at 12StepSoulFoodForTheSpirit-owner@yahoogroups.com or YOUnMEnHP@...
"12 Step Soul Food for the Spirit" is intended to give readers ,
inspiring and thoughtful messages. To help fulfill our primary
purpose which is to carry the message to the alcoholic/addict
who still suffers. A spiritual adventure, a journey inwards this
has a vision of opening and touching, each and everyone,
with the Loving Power and Presence of the Spirit within."
We invite you to share the writings by forwarding today's
message to others. Share "12 Step Soul Food for the Spirit"
with friends and loved ones: Please keep passing this along to
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~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*One Promise, Many Gifts*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Adult Children of Alcoholics
www.AdultChildren.org Al-Anon/Alateen
www.al-anon.org Alcoholics Anonymous
www.alcoholics-anonymous.org Alcoholics Anonymous Deaf and Hard of Hearing
www.dhh12s.com/access.htm Artists Recovering through the Twelve Steps
www.artsanonymous.org Clutterer’s Anonymous
www.clutterersanonymous.net Cocaine Anonymous World Services
www.ca.org Co-Dependents Anonymous Home Page
www.codependents.org Crystal Meth Anonymous
www.crystalmeth.org Criminal and Gangs Anonymous
www.angelfire.com/id/CGAnonymous Debtors Anonymous: A Twelve Step Fellowship for…
www.debtorsanonymous.org
Dual Recovery Anonymous - a 12 Step program
www.draonline.org
By the grace of God and through your efforts of passing on this
email, we are reaching many recovering people in different areas of
the world. If you are receiving this, from a country outside of the
USA please send me an email and tell me where you are receiving this.
So far we reaching over 6000 recovering people in 66 countries
including Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Barbados,
Belgium, Bermuda, Brazil, Canada , Columbia, Costa Rica, China ,
Cyprus, Denmark, Egypt, England, Finland, France, Guatemala,
Germany, Greece, Honduras, Hong Kong, Iceland, India, Indonesia,
Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Japan, Korea,
Lithuania, Mali West Africa, Mozambique, Nepal, Netherlands,
New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico,
Philippines, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia , Saudi Arabia,
Scotland, Singapore, South Africa , Spain, Sweden, Switzerland,
Thailand, Trinidad, Turkey, United Arab Emirates,
U.S.A., Venezuela, Wales, West Indies, Zimbabwe.
Even if your country is listed
please email me, and let me know where you are from. 12StepSoulFoodForTheSpirit-owner@yahoogroups.com
Stay in the Light,
In loving service,
Scott H. from N.Y. ~ clean date 10/27/88 YOUnMEnHP@...
(\o/\o/) we are each of us angels with only one wing (\o/\o/)
/_\/_\ and can only fly by embracing each other /_\/_\
For the daily recovery email please visit me at:
www.groups-beta.google.com/group/12-Step-Soul-Food-for-the-Spirit
For the daily recovery email please visit me at:
www.health.groups.yahoo.com/group/12StepSoulFoodForTheSpirit
For the weekly topic meeting please visit me at:
www.health.groups.yahoo.com/group/twelvestepsoulfood4thespirit
Once you are a pickle,
you can never be a cucumber again.
The weekly meeting topic is: How do you change from "feeling apart from" to "feeling a part of"?
Are you still isolating? How, and if not, what did you do to stop? to share please visit
www.health.groups.yahoo.com/group/twelvestepsoulfood4thespirit/
or email twelvestepsoulfood4thespirit@yahoogroups.com ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Please Be There For The Newcomers*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
August 9
Today I will take the time and quiet I need
to find that place of peace and happiness within me.
Whatever happens outside of me will never replace
that which I can find within me wherever I am.
written by ~ Ruth Fishel
"Time for Joy"
PLEASE visit and check out Ruth's new book
LIVING LIGHT AS A FEATHER is arriving at bookstores now!
She even interviewed me for the book :)
If you would like a signed copy you can
order it at www.spirithaven.com or email her at spirithaven@... or call at 508-420-5301.
Check out her collection of light, nourishing and nurturing Books and Tapes
& some touching and embracing Greeting Cards
www.spirithaven.com
for inspirational messages email spirithaven@... ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Just for Today*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Lost & Found
standing in the shadows
walking in the light
broken in my weakness
healed in HIS might
Crying in the rain
laughing at the storm
blinded by the lightning
visions taking form
surrendering the battle
conquering the war
falling in the grave
rising up to soar
crippled by hunger
running the race
lost in the desert
found within His grace
Joy mystick_bard@... ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Don't Use*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
If anyone has any original recovery poetry that they
would like to share with us please copy and paste it into the body
of an email and send it to me, Thanks for your support and contributions.
What I can't do alone, We do together.
In loving service, Scott ~ YOUnMEnHP@... ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*No Matter What*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Stress Releaser
www.consciousone.com/wisdomflash/WFProduct/moodshifters/stress-releaser.swf
Bill W. Talks
Transcript of talk given by Bill W.
www.silkworth.net/aahistory/billw2/guest.html
Bill W. Talks
Twelve Suggested Points of AA Tradition
www.silkworth.net/grapevine/suggested_points.html
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Make A Meeting*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Just for Today
August 9 The power of love
"We begin to see that God's love has been present all the time
just waiting for us to accept it."Basic Text, p. 46 God's love is a transforming power that drives our recovery. With
that love, we find freedom from the hopeless, desperate cycle of
using, self-hatred, and more using. With that love we gain a sense of
reason and purpose in our once purposeless lives. With that love, we are
given the inner direction and strength we need to begin a new way of life:
the N.A. way. With that love, we begin to see things differently, as if
with new eyes.
As we examine our lives through the eyes of love, we make what may be
a startling discovery: the loving God we've so recently come to understand
has always been with us and has always loved us. We recall the times
when we asked for the aid of a Higher Power and were given it. We even
recall times when we didn't ask for such help, yet were given it anyway.
We realize that a loving Higher Power has cared for us all along
preserving our lives till the day when we could accept that love for
ourselves.
The Power of love has been with us all along. Today, we are grateful to
have survived long enough to become consciously aware of that loves
presence in our world and our lives. It's vitality floods our very
being, diving our recovery and showing us how to live.
Just for today: I accept the love of a Higher Power in my life. I am
conscious of that Power's guidance and strength within me. Today, I
claim it for my own.
This is a DIFFERENT Yahoo Club you
MUST join this club in order to participate
Yahoo! Clubs Twelve Step Soul Food 4 the Spirit www.health.groups.yahoo.com/group/twelvestepsoulfood4thespirit
A Safe Place to Share , Discover and Recover.
This a message bulletin board meeting, where people post on the
weekly topic. It takes only 1 minute to enter a password and
username. Please go this page on the upper right hand corner and click
the join club link, sign in and go to the left hand side and click
messages to read what others have shared and click on the post link,
now you can share on the topic of the week or whatever you would like.
There is a lot of good experience, strength and hope in here as well
as newcomers who need our support and love, PLEASE stop by.
Thanks for your participation and support :)
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Use Your Sponsor*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Meditation of the Day
www.hazelden.org/servlet/hazelden/thoughts
Daily Meditation for ALL 12 Steppers
www.open-mind.org/Daily/
Dr. Twerski's Sober Thought of the Day
www.gatewayrehab.org/August.html
NEED HELP Pick a topic Daily Meditation
www.hazelden.org/servlet/hazelden/thoughts/search.html
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Be A Sponsor*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ I ASK GOD TO DECIDE
"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."
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 76
Having admitted my powerlessness and made a decision to turn my will and my
life over to the care of God, as I understand Him, I don't decide which
defects get removed, or the order in which defects get removed, or the time
frame in which they get removed. I ask God to decide which defects stand in
the way of my usefulness to Him and to others, and them I humbly ask Him to
remove them.
Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Work The Steps*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Twenty-Four Hours A Day by Hazelden/ August 9th
A.A. Thought for the Day
For awhile, we are going back to the Big Book, Alcoholics
Anonymous, and pick out passages here and there, so that
they may become fixed in our minds, a little at a time, day
by day, as we go along. There is no substitute for reading
the Big Book. It is our "bible." We should study it thoroughly
and make it a part of ourselves. We should not try to change
any of it. Within its covers is the full exposition of the A.A.
program. There is no substitute for it. We should study it
often. Have I studied the Big Book faithfully?
Meditation for the Day
All of life is a fluctuation between effort and rest. You need
both every day. But effort is not truly effective until first you
have had the proper preparation for it, by resting in a time
of quiet meditation. This daily time of rest and meditation
gives you the power necessary to make your best effort.
There are days when you are called on for much effort and
then comes a time when you need much rest. It is not good to
rest too long and it is not good to carry on great effort too long
without rest. The successful life is a proper balance between
the two.
Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may be ready to make the proper effort. I pray
that I may also recognize the need for relaxation.
It takes courage and honesty to end a relationship -
with friends, loved ones, or a work relationship.
Sometimes, it may appear easier to let the relationship
die from lack of attention rather than risk ending it.
Sometimes, it may appear easier to let the other person
take responsibility for ending the relationship.
We may be tempted to take a passive approach.
Instead of saying how we feel, what we want or don't want,
or what we intend to do, we may begin sabotaging the relationship,
hoping to force the other person to do the difficult work.
Those are ways to end relationships,
but they are not the cleanest or easiest ways.
As we walk this path of self-care, we learn
that when it is time to end a relationship,
the easiest way is one of honesty and directness.
We are not being loving, gentle, or kind
by avoiding the truth, if we know the truth.
We are not sparing the other person's feelings
by sabotaging the relationship instead of accepting the end
or the change, and doing something about it.
We are prolonging and increasing the pain and discomfort -
for the other person and ourselves.
If we don't know, if we are on the fence,
it is more loving and honest to say that.
If we know it is time to terminate
a relationship, say that.
Endings are never easy, but endings are not made easy
by sabotage, indirectness, and lying about what we want and need to do.
Say what you need to say,
in honesty and love, when it is time.
If we are trusting and listening to ourselves,
we will know what to say and when to say it.
Today, I will remember that honesty and directness will
increase my self-esteem. God, help me let go of my fear
about owning my power to take care of myself
in all my relationships.
Most of us have heard both expressions, "It's better to give than to
receive" and "If you give, you will receive." Unfortunately, these
sayings are not always true. Some gifts are given in order to
manipulate or control the recipient. Some gifts are given in hopes of
getting back the very thing you give away. Some gifts are
specifically designed to invite the recipient to feel guilty or
obligated. Clearly there are times when it is not better to give than
receive. There are also instances where we never get back that which
we give away. Why should we? If you are always giving away water,
who is going to suspect that you are thirsty?
There are personal gifts however, which you can offer to others, the
mere offering of which benefits you, strengthens your character and
are an expression of who you really are.
THE GIFT OF ACCEPTANCE. How critically important acceptance
is to our well being! Acceptance does not mean "condoning" or
"compromising". It means acknowledgement of who you are, who I am,
and what exists at the moment in the real world. Acceptance means
being known completely, shortcomings and all, and not being rejected
as unacceptable. It means knowing this time, this present moment,
this "here and now". Giving acceptance means validating the other for
who they are now, not for what they were, not for what they will be,
but for who they are at this very moment.
THE GIFT OF APPRECIATION. There is no gift more important,
more easy to give, more as needed than that of appreciation. We need
appreciation to maintain psychological health as much as we need food
to maintain physical wellness. Expressed sincere appre-ciation, can
transform a negative, angry, hurtful relationship into one of
positive, loving, comforting support Giving appreciation is like a
small ceremony of love. "Thank you for...," "I appreciate you
when...," "I like this," "I like you," "I enjoy your...," all express
genuine and timely appreciation.
THE GIFT OF BEING THERE FOR ANOTHER.
Being there when another needs your presence, is very
validating and affirming. Being there means being a
supportive witness to the other's thoughts and feelings,
without reacting or perhaps even com-menting. It is allowing the
other person to react and express themselves without adding to it in
some manner. It is sharing the emotional impact of life. It is
intimacy in its purest form. Listening, being openly expectant,
having an attitude of re-ceptivity, and waiting patiently for the
other, all characterize "being there for another." It is a rare and
precious gift you can offer.
THE GIFT OF FREEDOM is one gift you can only give yourself. You
cannot give it to another. The other must always free himself or
herself. But you can invite them to be free by not imposing
restrictions of your own on another human being. Freeing yourself is
an important self-gift. If you are not free to risk, you cannot grow.
If you are not free to be yourself, you cannot really love. Giving
freedom means realizing you cannot change or control another. You
cannot make another love you. You cannot cling to him or her out of
fear. You cannot restrict another's right to be who they really are
and make their own decisions, have their own thoughts, create their
own emotions, and develop their own values and opinions. By
exercising your own freedom, you invite others to risk being free themselves.
GIFT OF TIME. We are often so busy doing other things, we rarely
give our time to others. How often to we look back on the time of our
children's childhood with regret we didn't spend enough time with
them. How often do our loved ones move away, become involved with
their own business, or die and we regret not having spent enough time
with them. Good times, bad times. The time of loving, the time of
fighting. The time of celebration, the time of mourning. The time
spent being yourself together with another being himself or herself.
Without spending time with one another, life is empty. Give yourself
and others your time, and you will reap all kinds of benefits.
THE GIFT OF LOVE. Love is always a gift. No one can earn it. No
one can force you to give it. Love is a free gift. It is the essence
of being alive. Love heals. Love frees. Love deepens and enriches
our lives. Love forces us to grow and become our best. Love
comforts. Love is enough. Love is the greatest gift we have to give
and receive. Giving generously of your love this time of year, and
throughout your future, will certainly allow you and the people you
love, to be fully themselves. There is no greater gift!
By Lloyd J. Thomas, Ph.D.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*First Things First*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Journals
Where do you keep
your excess thoughts
your yearnings and dreams
and endless lists that crowd the mind?
Where do you go to cry or to mourn
~ to fill yourself up with courage again?
~ to tell yourself not to take life too seriously?
Where is your haven, the refuge for your soul?
Your wishes and dreams need a home
in the dawn's early rays
Or a place to retire at the end of the day
Give each a space
in personal containment form
Just what your peace of heart needs: a Journal
For when the natural flow of your life gets stuck
When you don't closely examine the falling debris
You keep it in, you ignore twigs and sticks and limbs
Thus you run the risk of choking your creative spirit
Or worse yet: of seeing the mess spill out
all over the place, all over your comfort zone
But your honest writing brings you to the Spring
To recharge and replenish the freshness each day
Writing breaks up the backlog
making life easier to manage, a force tamed
A daily renewal in which your dynamic Self
May find expression and a home
Where your heart may freely flow
once more
It is my personal approach that creates the climate.
It is my daily mood that makes the weather.
I possess tremendous power to make life miserable or joyous.
I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration,
I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal.
In all situations, it is my response that decides
whether a crisis is escalated or de-escalated,
and a person is humanized or de-humanized.
If we treat people as they are, we make them worse.
If we treat people as they ought to be,
we help them become
what they are capable of becoming.
J.W.Goethe
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Live And Let Live*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Spirituality
s - special times with God
p- prayer
i - interest in how to be of service
r - real feelings of humility
i - intimate contact with other humans
t - total trust in a Higher Power
u - unity of faith with others who believe
a - any acts of charity
l - LOVE
i - intense joy and gratitude
t - talent used to enhance others lives
y- YES - the answer when God calls
God Bless!!! Love, Scott S.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Keep The Focus On You*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Going Through It
Pain,
Anger
Loneliness
It's too much
How do I deal with this?
I have to feel it,
I can't run away,
not anymore.
I have in the past,
I may want to again,
part of me does.
That is the disease
trying to grab me,
put me under its spell,
once again,
I have to resist.
They say it gets better.
I have to have hope,
Keep speaking,
Keep working,
KEEP BELIEVING.
Jessica K
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Let God and Let Go*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Treat every person with kindness and respect,
even those who are rude to you.
Remember that you show compassion to others
not because of who they are,
but because of who you are. Andrew T. Somers
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Come*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ "Forgiveness isn't something nice I do for someone who is "guilty."
Forgiveness is something nice I do for my own mind.
Do I want a mind that tortures me or one that is a friend to me?" Hugh Prather, Spiritual Notes to Myself
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Come To*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ The greatest problem you have is your greatest opportunity. Michael Wickett
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Come To Believe*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ come forward and speak from the heart,
recognizing that love can prosper in the midst of a problem. Mary Manin Morrissey
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Look For The Beauty*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Don't believe everything that you hear.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Today Is A Gift*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Keep what you need
and leave the rest.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Keep Stepping*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
There are MUSTS in N.A.
You MUST abstain from ALL drugs in order to recover.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Stay In The Light*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
If you don't pick it up,
you cant get high.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*Put Gratitude In Your Attitude*~*~*~*~*~*~*
12StepSoulFoodForTheSpirit does not endorse any of the
advertisements that may appear in this daily mailing.
Advertising is the price that we pay for a free list server
that yahoo groups provides.
Putting together these Daily Recovery Emails has been such
a blessing for me, Thanks for your support and contributions,
"What I can't do alone we can do together." If you have any
original poetry or submissions that you would like to send to
me you can email me at 12StepSoulFoodForTheSpirit-owner@yahoogroups.com or YOUnMEnHP@...
"12 Step Soul Food for the Spirit" is intended to give readers ,
inspiring and thoughtful messages. To help fulfill our primary
purpose which is to carry the message to the alcoholic/addict
who still suffers. A spiritual adventure, a journey inwards this
has a vision of opening and touching, each and everyone,
with the Loving Power and Presence of the Spirit within."
We invite you to share the writings by forwarding today's
message to others. Share "12 Step Soul Food for the Spirit"
with friends and loved ones: Please keep passing this along to
online recovery friends "We can only keep what we have by
giving it away." Anyone can subscribe to this free daily e-zine
by sending an Email message to: 12StepSoulFoodForTheSpirit-subscribe@yahoogroups.com and
write subscribe in the subject line.
Under Bill s.1618 TITLE III passed by the 105th U.S. Congress
this letter cannot be considered spam as long as the following words
are included:
To unsubscribe to to this list send an Email message to: 12StepSoulFoodForTheSpirit-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
and write unsubsribe in the subject line
or go to the website and unsubscribe
www,health.groups.yahoo.com/group/12StepSoulFoodForTheSpirit
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*One Promise, Many Gifts*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Adult Children of Alcoholics
www.AdultChildren.org Al-Anon/Alateen
www.al-anon.org Alcoholics Anonymous
www.alcoholics-anonymous.org Alcoholics Anonymous Deaf and Hard of Hearing
www.dhh12s.com/access.htm Artists Recovering through the Twelve Steps
www.artsanonymous.org Clutterer’s Anonymous
www.clutterersanonymous.net Cocaine Anonymous World Services
www.ca.org Co-Dependents Anonymous Home Page
www.codependents.org Crystal Meth Anonymous
www.crystalmeth.org Criminal and Gangs Anonymous
www.angelfire.com/id/CGAnonymous Debtors Anonymous: A Twelve Step Fellowship for…
www.debtorsanonymous.org
Dual Recovery Anonymous - a 12 Step program
www.draonline.org
By the grace of God and through your efforts of passing on this
email, we are reaching many recovering people in different areas of
the world. If you are receiving this, from a country outside of the
USA please send me an email and tell me where you are receiving this.
So far we reaching over 6000 recovering people in 66 countries
including Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Barbados,
Belgium, Bermuda, Brazil, Canada , Columbia, Costa Rica, China ,
Cyprus, Denmark, Egypt, England, Finland, France, Guatemala,
Germany, Greece, Honduras, Hong Kong, Iceland, India, Indonesia,
Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Japan, Korea,
Lithuania, Mali West Africa, Mozambique, Nepal, Netherlands,
New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico,
Philippines, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia , Saudi Arabia,
Scotland, Singapore, South Africa , Spain, Sweden, Switzerland,
Thailand, Trinidad, Turkey, United Arab Emirates,
U.S.A., Venezuela, Wales, West Indies, Zimbabwe.
Even if your country is listed
please email me, and let me know where you are from. 12StepSoulFoodForTheSpirit-owner@yahoogroups.com
Stay in the Light,
In loving service,
Scott H. from N.Y. ~ clean date 10/27/88 YOUnMEnHP@...
(\o/\o/) we are each of us angels with only one wing (\o/\o/)
/_\/_\ and can only fly by embracing each other /_\/_\
For the daily recovery email please visit me at:
www.groups-beta.google.com/group/12-Step-Soul-Food-for-the-Spirit
For the daily recovery email please visit me at:
www.health.groups.yahoo.com/group/12StepSoulFoodForTheSpirit
For the weekly topic meeting please visit me at:
www.health.groups.yahoo.com/group/twelvestepsoulfood4thespirit
Step 3: Three frogs were on a tree limb
and decided to jump off.
How many are left?
Answer: All three of them
(they only made a decision to jump off).
The weekly meeting topic is: Each month we will share on a step and spiritual principles of the step.
Since it is August the 8th month, PLEASE share on the 8th step
If you haven’t done the 8th step with your sponsor
Please share on Honesty, Courage, Humility and Forgiveness... to share please visit
www.health.groups.yahoo.com/group/twelvestepsoulfood4thespirit/
or email twelvestepsoulfood4thespirit@yahoogroups.com ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Please Be There For The Newcomers*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
August 8
The peace that I feel in my life is growing richer every day.
As I continue to walk on my spiritual path to recovery,
I let myself be guided by truth and love.
Conflict is leaving, making more and more room
for charity, serenity and usefulness.
written by ~ Ruth Fishel
"Time for Joy"
PLEASE visit and check out Ruth's new book
LIVING LIGHT AS A FEATHER is arriving at bookstores now!
She even interviewed me for the book :)
If you would like a signed copy you can
order it at www.spirithaven.com or email her at spirithaven@... or call at 508-420-5301.
Check out her collection of light, nourishing and nurturing Books and Tapes
& some touching and embracing Greeting Cards
www.spirithaven.com
for inspirational messages email spirithaven@... ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Just for Today*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ The Ultimate High
This man stands tall as he's looking back,
at the pain and the heartache of his long lived past.
He spent so long ,and looked so hard,
in a quest of a life time "That Ultimate High".
He searched every bar and tavern in town,
then set off for other cities to see if it could be found.
The lanes were fast , the times were hard,
but he continued his search for that High of all Highs!
The ladies came, the ladies left, relationships had but never kept.
Pain and disappear fill him from within,
a constant companion for the state he was in.
He tried it all to see if it was there, sex, drugs, and booze,
but No it's not here!
He looked the world over, and what a price he did pay,
he died a little more each and every day.
His quest became an obsession, as he searched far and wide,
for the Greatest buzz "The Ultimate High"!
Loves lost, cars wrecked, the bike won't run, bills not paid,
the law on my butt, dang what a mess!
But still the chase goes on, he know its out there but just not where,
he'll ever find it.
So now he's addicted to all the wrong Highs,
as he trudges though life with a void inside.
All hope is gone, self-respect can't be found,
as he lives in the gutters of some nameless town.
Oh but the Ultimate High isn't something you seek,
It's a gift from above, for the humble and meek.
And the Lord reached down, with this gift in his hand,
and gave it to this tired and lonely man.
It was Love, Joy, and Peace from within,
a Feeling of Serenity for each and every man.
So as this man stands tall, he lifts his eyes up,
and says Thanks Lord for "The High of all Highs"!
By Chet Harris
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Don't Use*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
If anyone has any original recovery poetry that they
would like to share with us please copy and paste it into the body
of an email and send it to me, Thanks for your support and contributions.
What I can't do alone, We do together.
In loving service, Scott ~ YOUnMEnHP@... ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*No Matter What*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The Sweetest Dessert
www.inlightimes.com/archives/1999/06/sweetest.htm
Listen To Your Heart Songs & Touch Your Soul
www.inlightimes.com/archives/2002/02/hess.htm
Make Whatcha Want
www.inlightimes.com/archives/2003/01/alan-cohen.htm
Bill W. Talks
What Happened to Those Who Left?
www.silkworth.net/aahistory/billw2/gsc1965.html
Bill W. Talks
Our Great Responsibility The Guidance of A.A.’s World Affairs
www.silkworth.net/aahistory/billw2/gsc1965-2.html
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Make A Meeting*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Just for Today
August 8 Responsible recovery
"... we accept responsibility for our problems and see that we're
equally responsible for our solutions." Basic Text, p. 94
Some of us, well accustomed to leaving our personal responsibilities to
others, may attempt the same behavior in recovery. We quickly find out
it doesn't work
For instance, we are considering making a change in our lives, so we
call our sponsor and ask what we should do. Under the guise of seeking
direction, we are actually asking our sponsor to assume responsibility
for making decisions about our life. Or maybe we've been short with
someone at a meeting, so we ask that person's best friend to make our
apologies for us. Perhaps we've imposed on a friend several times in the
last month to cover our service commitment. Could it be that we've asked
a friend to analyze our behavior and identify our shortcomings, rather
than taking our own personal inventory?
Recovery is something that has to be worked for. It isn't going to be
handed to us on a silver platter, nor can we expect our friends or our
sponsor to be responsible for the work we must do ourselves. We recover
by making our own decisions, doing our own service, and working our own
steps. By doing it for ourselves, we receive the rewards.
Just for today: I accept responsibility for my life and my recovery.
This is a DIFFERENT Yahoo Club you
MUST join this club in order to participate
Yahoo! Clubs Twelve Step Soul Food 4 the Spirit www.health.groups.yahoo.com/group/twelvestepsoulfood4thespirit
A Safe Place to Share , Discover and Recover.
This a message bulletin board meeting, where people post on the
weekly topic. It takes only 1 minute to enter a password and
username. Please go this page on the upper right hand corner and click
the join club link, sign in and go to the left hand side and click
messages to read what others have shared and click on the post link,
now you can share on the topic of the week or whatever you would like.
There is a lot of good experience, strength and hope in here as well
as newcomers who need our support and love, PLEASE stop by.
Thanks for your participation and support :)
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Use Your Sponsor*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Meditation of the Day
www.hazelden.org/servlet/hazelden/thoughts
Daily Meditation for ALL 12 Steppers
www.open-mind.org/Daily/
Dr. Twerski's Sober Thought of the Day
www.gatewayrehab.org/August.html
NEED HELP Pick a topic Daily Meditation
www.hazelden.org/servlet/hazelden/thoughts/search.html
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Be A Sponsor*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ SHORTCOMINGS REMOVED
But now the words "Of myself I am nothing, the Father doeth the works"
began to carry bright promise and meaning.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 75
When I put the Seventh Step into action I must remember that there are no
blanks to fill in. It doesn't say, "Humbly asked Him to (fill in the
blank) remove our shortcomings." For years, I filled in the imaginary
blank with "Help me!" "Give me the courage to," and "Give me the strength,"
etc. The Step says simply that God will remove my shortcomings. The only
footwork I must do is "humbly ask," which for me means asking with the
knowledge that of myself I am nothing, the Father within "doeth the works."
Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Work The Steps*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Twenty-Four Hours A Day by Hazelden/ August 8th
A.A. Thought for the Day
For awhile, we are going back to the Big Book, Alcoholics
Anonymous, and pick out passages here and there, so that
they may become fixed in our minds, a little at a time, day
by day, as we go along. There is no substitute for reading
the Big Book. It is our "bible." We should study it thoroughly
and make it a part of ourselves. We should not try to change
any of it. Within its covers is the full exposition of the A.A.
program. There is no substitute for it. We should study it
often. Have I studied the Big Book faithfully?
Meditation for the Day
All of life is a fluctuation between effort and rest. You need
both every day. But effort is not truly effective until first
you have had the proper preparation for it, by resting in a
time of quiet meditation. This daily time of rest and meditation
gives you the power necessary to make your best effort.
There are days when you are called on for much effort and
then comes a time when you need much rest. It is not good
to rest too long and it is not good to carry on great effort too
long without rest. The successful life is a proper balance
between the two.
Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may be ready to make the proper effort. I pray
that I may also recognize the need for relaxation.
Many of us have trust issues.
Some of us tried long and hard to trust untrustworthy people
Over and again, we believed lies
and promises never to be kept.
Some of us tried to trust people for the impossible;
for instance, trusting a practicing
alcoholic not to drink again.
Some of us trusted our Higher Power inappropriately.
We trusted God to make other people do what we wanted,
then felt betrayed when that didn't work out.
Some of us were taught that life couldn't be trusted,
that we had to control and manipulate our way through.
Most of us were taught, inappropriately,
that we couldn't trust ourselves.
In recovery, we're healing from our trust issues.
We're learning to trust again.
The first lesson in trust is this;
We can learn to trust ourselves.
We can be trusted.
If others have taught us we cannot trust ourselves,
they were lying.
Addictions and dysfunctional systems make people lie.
We can learn to appropriately trust our Higher Power --
not to make people do what we want them to,
but to help us take care of ourselves, and to bring about
the best possible circumstances, at the best possible times,
in our life.
We can trust the process -- of life and recovery.
We do not have to control, obsess, or become hypervigilant
We may not always understand where we are going,
or what's being worked out in us,
but we can trust that something good is happening.
When we learn to do this, we are ready to learn to trust other people.
When we trust our Higher Power and when we trust ourselves,
we will know who to trust and what to trust that person for.
Perhaps we always did.
We just didn't listen closely enough to ourselves
or trust what we heard.
A friend of mine declared, "I used to think I was a perfectionist.
I found the tiniest flaws in everything. Then I realized I was
not a perfectionist at all; I was an imperfectionist ! If I was a
perfectionist, I would see perfection wherever I look."
The life we experience is the product of the vision we use to
interpret events. At any moment, we can see through the eyes
of appreciation or criticism. And we will see more of whatever
we are focusing on. We master the game of life by finding good
wherever we look…and there is much good to be found.
While having lunch with some business associates at an upscale
restaurant, one of our party asked the waiter for an unusual
dish not on the menu. The waiter replied that he would ask the
chef to accommodate the request. Then another member of
our group sarcastically commented, "I'll bet that will just
tweak the chef's day!"
But the waiter did not flinch. "Actually," he replied smoothly,
"I'm sure he will be glad to accommodate you-this gives him a
chance to shine."
Every situation gives us a chance to shine, if we recognize our
power as creative spirits. No situation is any one way, except
what we make it. You can make anything out of anything. So why
not make it perfect?
The story is told about a man who was walking along a city
street when a flowerpot fell off a sill above him and crashed
at his feet, missing hitting him by inches. There are four paths
of response the man might take. First, the path of knee-jerk
reaction: he would yell a curse toward the window or perhaps
dash up the stairs, find the owner, and punch him out. Second,
the path of the victim: this experience would confirm his belief
that the world is out to get him, and he would go about the rest
of his day protecting himself from evil, retelling his story
many times. Third, the path of detachment: he would rationalize
that this was his karma, do nothing, and just keep walking.
Finally, the path of love: he would go to the flower store on
the corner, buy a new plant, and deliver it to the person whose
plant had been blown off the sill by the wind.
Shakespeare declared, "There is nothing good or bad, but
thinking makes it so." We see the world not as it is, but as
we are. Changing the world is not about setting it right, but
seeing it right. If you believe the world is broken and you
need to fix it, you will find more and more things broken. If
you see the world as whole and beautiful, you will find more
and more things to celebrate.
Ram Dass noted there are three kinds of people: those who
say, "not enough!"; those who say, "too much!"; and those who
say, "ah, just right!" Actually, there are just two kinds of
people, for "too much" of one thing is really "not enough" of
another. We are continuously choosing between affirmation
and resistance.
Does seeing perfection mean we are to simply be passive
observers and sit around and do nothing? Not at all. Perfection
includes the process of changing, growing, expanding,
improving, and moving ahead. But our actions to improve
do not proceed from an attitude of pushing against lack.
They proceed from a sense that things are already good,
and wouldn't it be a delightful adventure to make them
better? The true perfectionist creates effective change
by seeing the highest possibilities, and becoming so excited
about them that conditions must rise to match the vision.
Several years ago while I was walking through the Los Angeles
airport, I felt annoyed by the massive construction going on.
\I saw ugly makeshift plywood walls to my left and right, a
maze of paint-laden scaffolds, and long winding detours to
the baggage claim. I grumbled to myself about what a mess
the place was, and how long it was taking to fix it. Then I
discovered a sign that stopped me in my tracks. It was an
artist's rendering of what the airport would look like when
the construction was complete. It was magnificent! The
glass atrium roofs, sleek marbled corridors, and potted
palms were a delight to behold (a far cry from the current
mess.) Then I relaxed. If that is what this is leading to, I
thought, then I am glad they are doing it. When I dropped
my resistance, I enjoyed the process, including the
construction phase.
The entire universe is in a construction phase, never totally
complete as it is, but always perfect as it unfolds. When you
appreciate the beauty as you go, you become a true perfectionist.
Alan Cohen is the author of 15 popular inspirational books
including the best-selling A Deep Breath of Life. To order
Alan's new acclaimed novel My Father's Voice, or request
free catalog of Alan's books, tapes, and seminars, 1-800-462-3013.
website www.alancohen.com
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*First Things First*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ The Race
I've tripped and stumbled and fell flat on my face
But I'm picking me up and getting back in the race
The race is a long one, it's hard and it's rough
But I'm gonna win cause I'm strong and I'm tough
The winners in this race are far and few
I am a winner and one of the new
There's gonna be road blocks for the rest of my time
I'm not gonna pick up I'm gonna do fine
Not picking up and staying drug free
Is winning the race called RECOVERY
Written by John Poulos 10/95
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Easy Does It*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
From pages 214 & 215 in AS WE UNDERSTAND
ALANON PRAYER ~ A PRAYER FOR EVERYONE
Dear God,
I am powerless and my life is unmanageable without your help and guidance.
I come to you today because I believe
that You can restore and anew me to meet my needs today.
Since I cannot manage my life and affairs,
I have decided to give them to You.
I put my life, my will, my thoughts,
my desires and ambitions in Your hands.
I give You all of me: the good and the bad,
the character defects and shortcomings,
my selfishness, resentments and problems.
I know that You will work them out in accordance with Your plan.
Such as I am, take and use me in Your service.
Guide and direct my ways and show me what to do for You.
I cannot control or change my friends or loved ones,
so I release them into Your care
for Your loving hands to do with as You will.
Just keep me loving and free from judging them.
If they need changing, God You'll have to do it; I can't.
Just make me willing and ready to be of service to You,
to have my shortcomings removed, and to do my best.
Help me to see how I have harmed others
and make me willing to make amends to them all.
Keep me ever mindful of thoughts and actions that harm myself and others,
and which separate me from Your light, love and spirit.
And when I commit these errors,
make me aware of them and help me to admit each one promptly.
I am seeking to know You better,
to love You more.
I am seeking the knowledge of Your will for me
and the power to carry it out.
Lord, teach me patience,
and remind me that it is hard work,
but well worth the labor.
Guide me in all I do to remember that
waiting is the answer to some of my prayers,
and that when I need You,
You will be there to help me.
Amen
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Live And Let Live*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ "When we surrender to God,
we surrender to something bigger than ourselves -
to a universe that knows what it's doing.
When we stop trying to control events they fall into a natural order,
an order that works.
We're at rest while a power much greater than our own takes over,
and it does a much better job than we cold have done.
We learn to trust that the power that holds galaxies together
can handle the circumstance of our relatively little lives." Marianne Williamson
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Keep The Focus On You*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ "Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are.
Let me learn from you, love you, bless you before you depart.
Let me not pass you by in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow.
Let me hold you while I may, for it may not always be so.
One day I shall dig my nails into the earth, or bury my face in the pillow,
or stretch myself taut, or raise my hands to the sky and want,
more than all the world, your return." Mary Jean Iron
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Let God and Let Go*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Do not go where the path may lead;
go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. Ralph Waldo Emerson
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Come*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ I will greet this day with love in my heart.
For this is the greatest secret of success in all ventures.
Muscle can split a shield and even destroy life itself
but only the unseen power of love can open the hearts of man
and until I master this act
I will remain no more than a peddler in the market place.
I will make love my greatest weapon
and none on who I call can defend upon its force...
my love will melt all hearts liken
to the sun whose rays soften the coldest day. Og Mandino
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Come To*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ God speaks to you through your heart.
God brings peace to your life.
You can know happiness, and you can know love.
There is nothing else worth knowing. John-Roger From:
The Way Out Book
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Come To Believe*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Practice these principles in all your affairs
or change your affairs.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Look For The Beauty*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Carry the message, not the mess.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Today Is A Gift*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
I can only help another to the degree
that I've been helped myself.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Keep Stepping*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Stay In The Light*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Be A Light
*~*~*~*~*~*~*Put Gratitude In Your Attitude*~*~*~*~*~*~*
12StepSoulFoodForTheSpirit does not endorse any of the
advertisements that may appear in this daily mailing.
Advertising is the price that we pay for a free list server
that yahoo groups provides.
Putting together these Daily Recovery Emails has been such
a blessing for me, Thanks for your support and contributions,
"What I can't do alone we can do together." If you have any
original poetry or submissions that you would like to send to
me you can email me at 12StepSoulFoodForTheSpirit-owner@yahoogroups.com or YOUnMEnHP@...
"12 Step Soul Food for the Spirit" is intended to give readers ,
inspiring and thoughtful messages. To help fulfill our primary
purpose which is to carry the message to the alcoholic/addict
who still suffers. A spiritual adventure, a journey inwards this
has a vision of opening and touching, each and everyone,
with the Loving Power and Presence of the Spirit within."
We invite you to share the writings by forwarding today's
message to others. Share "12 Step Soul Food for the Spirit"
with friends and loved ones: Please keep passing this along to
online recovery friends "We can only keep what we have by
giving it away." Anyone can subscribe to this free daily e-zine
by sending an Email message to: 12StepSoulFoodForTheSpirit-subscribe@yahoogroups.com and
write subscribe in the subject line.
Under Bill s.1618 TITLE III passed by the 105th U.S. Congress
this letter cannot be considered spam as long as the following words
are included:
To unsubscribe to to this list send an Email message to: 12StepSoulFoodForTheSpirit-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
and write unsubsribe in the subject line
or go to the website and unsubscribe
www,health.groups.yahoo.com/group/12StepSoulFoodForTheSpirit
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*One Promise, Many Gifts*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Adult Children of Alcoholics
www.AdultChildren.org Al-Anon/Alateen
www.al-anon.org Alcoholics Anonymous
www.alcoholics-anonymous.org Alcoholics Anonymous Deaf and Hard of Hearing
www.dhh12s.com/access.htm Artists Recovering through the Twelve Steps
www.artsanonymous.org Clutterer’s Anonymous
www.clutterersanonymous.net Cocaine Anonymous World Services
www.ca.org Co-Dependents Anonymous Home Page
www.codependents.org Crystal Meth Anonymous
www.crystalmeth.org Criminal and Gangs Anonymous
www.angelfire.com/id/CGAnonymous Debtors Anonymous: A Twelve Step Fellowship for…
www.debtorsanonymous.org
Dual Recovery Anonymous - a 12 Step program
www.draonline.org
By the grace of God and through your efforts of passing on this
email, we are reaching many recovering people in different areas of
the world. If you are receiving this, from a country outside of the
USA please send me an email and tell me where you are receiving this.
So far we reaching over 6000 recovering people in 66 countries
including Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Barbados,
Belgium, Bermuda, Brazil, Canada , Columbia, Costa Rica, China ,
Cyprus, Denmark, Egypt, England, Finland, France, Guatemala,
Germany, Greece, Honduras, Hong Kong, Iceland, India, Indonesia,
Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Japan, Korea,
Lithuania, Mali West Africa, Mozambique, Nepal, Netherlands,
New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico,
Philippines, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia , Saudi Arabia,
Scotland, Singapore, South Africa , Spain, Sweden, Switzerland,
Thailand, Trinidad, Turkey, United Arab Emirates,
U.S.A., Venezuela, Wales, West Indies, Zimbabwe.
Even if your country is listed
please email me, and let me know where you are from. 12StepSoulFoodForTheSpirit-owner@yahoogroups.com
Stay in the Light,
In loving service,
Scott H. from N.Y. ~ clean date 10/27/88 YOUnMEnHP@...
(\o/\o/) we are each of us angels with only one wing (\o/\o/)
/_\/_\ and can only fly by embracing each other /_\/_\
For the daily recovery email please visit me at:
www.groups-beta.google.com/group/12-Step-Soul-Food-for-the-Spirit
For the daily recovery email please visit me at:
www.health.groups.yahoo.com/group/12StepSoulFoodForTheSpirit
For the weekly topic meeting please visit me at:
www.health.groups.yahoo.com/group/twelvestepsoulfood4thespirit
If you only quit one day at a time,
every day that you don't drink will be an accomplishment.
If you quit forever,
you won't have accomplished anything until you're dead.
The weekly meeting topic is: Each month we will share on a step and spiritual principles of the step.
Since it is August the 8th month, PLEASE share on the 8th step
If you haven’t done the 8th step with your sponsor
Please share on Honesty, Courage, Humility and Forgiveness... to share please visit
www.health.groups.yahoo.com/group/twelvestepsoulfood4thespirit/
or email twelvestepsoulfood4thespirit@yahoogroups.com ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Please Be There For The Newcomers*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
August 7
Today I will do all that I am capable of doing
at this time of my life to free myself of past mistakes.
And then I will let go and live in my now...
fully enjoying today.
written by ~ Ruth Fishel
"Time for Joy"
PLEASE visit and check out Ruth's new book
LIVING LIGHT AS A FEATHER is arriving at bookstores now!
She even interviewed me for the book :)
If you would like a signed copy you can
order it at www.spirithaven.com or email her at spirithaven@... or call at 508-420-5301.
Check out her collection of light, nourishing and nurturing Books and Tapes
& some touching and embracing Greeting Cards
www.spirithaven.com
for inspirational messages email spirithaven@... ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Just for Today*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ A Little More AA History
When Ebby Thacher came by one day,
To call on a drunk, he began to pray,
This friend that he knew, Bill W. by name,
Disgraced his whole family and brought himself shame.
Ebby, himself , had found a new life,
No longer a drunk, no longer in strife,
He came to Bill's door, his Bible in hand,
And with his own eyes, Bill saw a new man.
When asked what had changed him, was so plain to see,
Ebby responded, " Was God that changed me!
If you want what I have, the joy and the love,
We'll humble ourselves to God that's above."
"Just ask for His help and I'll help you, too.
Together we'll both see each other through,
And, oh, by the way, when you have the time,
We'll visit Dr. Bob, another friend of mine!"
So this is our heritage from long time ago,
A program of recovery we've all come to know.
Ebby, then Bill, and Dr. Bob made three,
These first insightful men made AA History!
Sharlett Hunt 7/18/04 Sharlette863@... Be on the look out for Sharlett’s new book of poetry
Sharlett’s Web of Hope
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Don't Use*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
If anyone has any original recovery poetry that they
would like to share with us please copy and paste it into the body
of an email and send it to me, Thanks for your support and contributions.
What I can't do alone, We do together.
In loving service, Scott ~ YOUnMEnHP@... ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*No Matter What*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Marianne Williamson
www.marianne.com/
Bill W. Talks
Responsibility of Leadership
www.silkworth.net/aahistory/billw2/gsc1963.html
Bill W. Talks
Individual Has Responsibilities, Bill Notes
www.silkworth.net/aahistory/billw2/gsc1964.html
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Make A Meeting*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Just for Today
August 7 The gratitude lists
"We focus on anything that isn't going our way and ignore all the
beauty in our lives." Basic Text, p. 77 It's easy to be grateful when everything runs smoothly. If we get a
raise at work, were grateful. If we get married, we're grateful. If
someone surprises us with a nice present or an unasked favor, we're
grateful. But if we get fired, divorced, or disappointed, gratitude
flies out the window. We find ourselves becoming obsessive with the
things that are wrong, even though everything else may be wonderful.
This is where we can use a gratitude list. We sit down with a pen and
paper and list the people for whom we are grateful. We all have people
who've supported us through life's upheavals. We list the spiritual
assets we have attained, for we know we could never make it through
our present circumstances without them. Last, but not least of we list
our recovery itself. Whatever we have that we are grateful for goes
on the list.
We're sure to find that we have literally hundreds of things in our
lives that inspire our gratitude. Even those of us who are suffering
from an illness or who have lost all material wealth will find blessings
of a spiritual nature for which we can be thankful. An awakening of
the spirit is the most valuable gift an addict can receive.
Just for today: I will write a list of things, both material and
spiritual, for which I am grateful.
This is a DIFFERENT Yahoo Club you
MUST join this club in order to participate
Yahoo! Clubs Twelve Step Soul Food 4 the Spirit www.health.groups.yahoo.com/group/twelvestepsoulfood4thespirit
A Safe Place to Share , Discover and Recover.
This a message bulletin board meeting, where people post on the
weekly topic. It takes only 1 minute to enter a password and
username. Please go this page on the upper right hand corner and click
the join club link, sign in and go to the left hand side and click
messages to read what others have shared and click on the post link,
now you can share on the topic of the week or whatever you would like.
There is a lot of good experience, strength and hope in here as well
as newcomers who need our support and love, PLEASE stop by.
Thanks for your participation and support :)
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Use Your Sponsor*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Meditation of the Day
www.hazelden.org/servlet/hazelden/thoughts
Daily Meditation for ALL 12 Steppers
www.open-mind.org/Daily/
Dr. Twerski's Sober Thought of the Day
www.gatewayrehab.org/August.html
NEED HELP Pick a topic Daily Meditation
www.hazelden.org/servlet/hazelden/thoughts/search.html
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Be A Sponsor*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ "THE GOOD AND THE BAD"
"My Creator, I am now willing that you should have all of me, good and
bad."
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 76
The joy of life is in the giving. Being freed of my shortcomings, that I
may more freely be of service, allows humility to grow in me. My
shortcomings can be humbly placed in God's loving care and be removed. The
essence of Step Seven is humility, and what better way to seek humility
than by giving all of myself -- good and bad -- to God, so that He may
remove the bad and return to me the good.
Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Work The Steps*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Twenty-Four Hours A Day by Hazelden/ August 7th
A.A. Thought for the Day
We in A.A. are offering an intangible thing, a psychological
and spiritual program. It's a wonderful program. When we
learn to turn to a Higher Power, with faith that that Power
can give us the strength we need, we find peace of mind.
When we re-educate our minds by learning to think differently,
we find new interests that make life worthwhile. We who
have achieved sobriety through faith in God and mental
re-education are modem miracles. It is the function of our
A.A. program to produce modem miracles. Do I consider
the change in my life a modern miracle?
Meditation for the Day
You should never doubt that God's spirit is always with you,
wherever you are, to keep you on the right path. God's keeping
power is never at fault, only your realization of it. You must
try to believe in God's nearness and availability of His grace.
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. Every fear, worry, or doubt is disloyalty to
God. You must endeavor to trust God wholly. Practice saying:
"All is going to be well." Say it to yourself until you feel it deeply.
Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may feel deeply that all is well. I pray that nothing
will be able to move me from that deep conviction.
Actors in movies or on television often must exaggerate
their feelings in order to create drama on the screen.
If they hurt, they cry with a special intensity.
If afraid, they scream and cower in a corner or curl up on a sofa.
They may grab a person trying to leave and beg for that person
trying to leave and beg for that person to stay.
In rage, they may stomp around hollering in a dramatic storm.
We can learn to separate what we're feeling from what we do.
If we're feeling fear, hurt, anger, or any other emotion,
we need to experience the emotion until we become clear.
Sometimes beating a pillow helps release our anger.
But we don't have to stomp around and slam doors.
That's letting our emotions control us.
You don't have to revel in your emotions.
And you can separate your behaviors -
what you do - from what you feel.
Stop being a twentieth-century drama queen.
It isn't necessary, anymore.
We are more conscious than that now.
God, help me let go of the unnecessary drama
in my life.
When I went grocery shopping the other day, my grocery bags had the American
flag printed on them. Frankly, I'm a little tired and amazed at all the God
Bless America patriotism and paraphernalia. Mind you, don't get me wrong! Of
course I want God (God/Goddess/All That Is) to bless America. What I'm
wondering is don't we want her to bless everyone else as well?
Don't we want the Australians to be blessed? The British? The Italians? The
Greeks? The Israelis? The Palestinians? The Afghanis? Why should Americans
(meaning only the ones in the United States of America) be the only ones to
be blessed?
While we take this patriotism and support of our country for granted (of
course, one should love and support one's compatriots), why don't we take
for granted the love of our home -- planet Earth? Don't we wish well to
every single country and person on this wondrous ball of energy called
Earth?
So when we go around flying our American flags and "God Blessing America",
aren't we also excluding all the other people on the planet? Don't we want
them to be blessed also? Or do we want them to remain in poverty, hunger,
repression, and without resources and education? Now of course, when faced
with that question, we of course don't want them to remain repressed and
impoverished. Yet, in our thoughts and actions, are we doing anything to
support their coming to join us in a world that is blessed by prosperity,
good nutrition (at least the choice of nutrition), permanent housing, etc.?
As "conscious" beings, we know that our thoughts are indeed powerful. We've
seen that we can be thinking something and have someone else (sometimes
miles away) "pick up" on our thoughts. We're thinking of someone and a few
minutes later the phone rings and it's them. We remember someone we haven't
seen in years, and lo and behold, the next day we run into them (or their
brother or sister). Our thoughts, whether projected or creative, have an
effect on our world.
I think it is obvious that our planet Earth and its inhabitants are not all
feeling the blessings of God and of the Universe. Some of us seem to be
getting a bigger share of the blessings than others. We in the USA are
blessed with material abundance, yet we are stressed in other ways -- lack
of time, community, and spiritual connection. It is true, that every country
has their challenges. Every person has their challenge -- their "monster" to
tame, whether that monster is external (in the case of war and famine) or
internal (in the case of addiction, depression, self-hatred).
We all have our life lessons. Yet, I can't help feel that the greatest of
these lessons, actually perhaps the only lesson, is to learn to love. To
love and bless everyone -- whether they are black, white, American,
Canadian, Iraqian, Israeli, Palestinians, Pakistanis, Australian, British,
Chinese, Japanese, etc.
Our greatest lesson is to love everyone for the spark of Divine creation
that we all are. Whether we choose to call the creative force God, Universe,
All That Is, The Force -- a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. The
name doesn't matter. What counts is our attitude, our energy, our thoughts,
our actions.
We are all living in the same house -- a big house called planet Earth. And
when some of its residents are busy digging out the foundations of the
house, others are splattering it with mud, and others are letting the
toilets back up, we know that life eventually becomes untenable for all the
inhabitants of that house.
Our house is big, so it has taken us more time to notice that some of the
more sneaky and greedy kids in our family have been creating havoc. Some of
them have been messing with the pantry -- taking good food and modifying it
into well-preserved "something" (is it still food when it is mostly composed
of chemicals, preservatives, and modified genes?). Some of the other members
of our family are busy throwing bombs in the rooms of the other kids; some
kids are stealing the toys of the others, or in other cases taking their
food and rooms away from them.
So what do we do when the members of our household run amuck? Well, praying
only for ourselves and not for them is not the solution. If we want to be
blessed with peace and well-being, we will only experience those blessings
when everyone in our household is experiencing peace and well-being. After
all, it's hard to feel at peace when some of the kids are constantly
stealing your things, or throwing raw wet mud pies into your room, or
constantly harassing you.
Once we understand that the well-being of others directly affects our
well-being, maybe we can start wishing well to everyone -- whether we like
them or not. We must look into our hearts and desire blessings for
everyone -- not just for ourselves.
Liking people has nothing to do with wishing them well. Perhaps the person
we dislike so much, if they had received abundant blessings of love,
support, and comfort throughout their life, would have turned out much
different -- maybe, just maybe, they wouldn't be carrying around all that
anger and frustration at the world. Perhaps the person who became a thief, a
killer, a terrorist, an arsonist, would be a completely different person had
they received the blessings of everyone on the planet since their
conception -- had they not been raised in anger, fear, hunger, poverty. Now
I know that doesn't make their actions "right" -- but it can lead us to have
compassion for them and seek a solution, rather than focus on punishment.
Hatred will breed more hatred, not peace.
We don't know what the world would be like if everyone lived the teachings
of Jesus (and Buddha, and Mohammed, etc.) because it's never been done.
Jesus said "Love thy neighbor as thyself". Buddha: "Hate is never conquered
by hate. Hate is conquered by love." Mohammed: "Requite evil with good and
he who is your enemy will become your dearest friend." While we have
received the teachings over and over again from many different sources,
humanity has yet to put them into practice.
We do know however what the other attitude (the "me" before "you" attitude)
has wrought -- it has brought us inequality, hatred, thirst for revenge,
hunger, poverty, and more. We know that the way the world has been going for
centuries (nay, millennia) has not brought us "heaven on earth". It has
brought us a living hell -- the fear of, and experience of, war, bombs,
murders, rapes, etc.
The way we have been doing things hasn't worked. What's the old saying?
"Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and over again and expecting
a different result." We keep throwing more bullets and hatred and money at a
problem, and expect it to get better. That's like throwing germs and garbage
into an open wound and expecting it to heal.
This week (this month, this year) let's start sending energies of peace and
healing and loving compassion to the whole planet -- to every single
inhabitant of the planet. It's easy, it's quick. Just close your eyes and
think of the planet Earth. See that in your mind's eye. Then direct your
feelings and energies of love, healing, prosperity, joy, and compassion
towards that whole ball of life -- and everything and everyone on it. It can
be done in a second or two, or you can extend it as long as you wish. Do it
once a day, or every now and then. Connect it with another activity. Every
time you go to the water cooler to get a drink of water, or every time you
go to the bathroom, or every time you hang up the phone. Make it part of
your routine. It's easy, quick, and power-full.
Most of the big changes on this country (the end of slavery, women's right
to vote, end of war in Vietnam) have taken place when only 1% of the
population stood up for change. We can be a part of the 1% that turns around
the energy on the Planet we call home. Let us stop doing the same old thing
over and over again expecting new results. Let's try something different. I
know this is not a new concept, but, it is one who's time has come.
The hundredth monkey theory states that when enough of us start doing
something, a change will "magically" take place. When one hundred of us
start doing something, then others will start doing the same thing --
without having seen or heard of what we are doing. Will you be that
hundredth monkey?
Let's ask God/Goddess/All That Is to bless everyone -- not just America --
whether we feel they "deserve it" or not. Let's open our heart and wish that
everyone on the planet experience the blessings of love, prosperity, and
freedom (freedom from fear, repression, hunger, etc.).
If not us, then who? We are a powerful force -- human beings motivated by
love, not greed, not power, not revenge. Love is the key that can unlock the
door to the future that we seek -- one where we can live in peace and
harmony with all of our neighbors -- whether they live on the "other side of
the track", the other side of the building, or on the other side of the
world.
Imagine all the people living life in peace.
No need for greed or hunger,
A brotherhood of man,
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world... ~ John Lennon
Who will be the hundredth monkey? Will it be you?
About The Author:
Marie T. Russell is the publisher of InnerSelf Magazine and The Natural
Yellow Pages. She produced a weekly South Florida radio broadcast, Inner
Power, from 1992-1995 which focused on themes such as self-esteem, personal
growth, and well-being. Her articles focus on transformation and
reconnecting with our own inner source of joy and creativity. Marie can be
reached at marie@... with personal comments and feedback, or to be
placed on a mailing list to be advised when her book becomes available. www.innerself.com ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*First Things First*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
We are what we think.
All that we think arises with our thoughts.
With our thoughts we make the world.
Speak or act with an impure mind and trouble will follow you
as the wheel follows the ox that draws the cart.
We are what we think.
All that we think arises with our thoughts.
With our thoughts we make the world.
Speak or act with a pure mind and happiness will follow you
as your shadow, unshakable.
How can a troubled mind understand the way?
Your worst enemy cannot harm you as much
as your own thoughts, unguarded.
But once mastered, no one can help you as much,
not even your own father or mother.
Dhammapada
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Easy Does It*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ An Illusion
As I sit here reflecting over my life,
I can't help but wonder in awe;
Why was I even born into this world?
And deep in my heart this would gnaw.
I pondered and thought and pondered some more,
And then came to this conclusion,
The life I was living was not life at all.
It was merely just an illusion.
One I had fabricated and led others to believe
That what they were seeing was the "real" me.
But little did I know that they knew the truth.
That the me that they saw was unkind and uncouth.
When I finally saw in my family's eyes
All the grief and hurt and pain,
It filled me with a sense of remorse
And thought their respect I would never regain.
With God's forgiveness and guidance
And his undying love for me,
I not only have the respect of my family
But also peace in myself when he set my mind free.
Marianne Johnson
5/21/01 Tazslady@... ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Live And Let Live*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ The Open Road Poem Virjinja
I'm on the open road
Driving around
Seeing different sights
Hearing new sounds
How blessed can I be
That I get to see
Hills and mountains, skies of blue
Friendly faces, passing through
Strange and new terrain
In the heat and rain
Sun so bright it hurts
Flowers bloom and flirt
With me at every turn
Oh, the gas I'll burn
On the open road
In God's picture show.
(Copyright 2005 ~ Virginia Santoro ~ All Rights Reserved)
Morning Musings...
is an inspirational newsletter,
delivered on a spontaneous non-schedule.
You just never know ~ when it will show...;)
It is born of the meditations and experiences of the author.
Its purpose is to honor God, and to offer
healing, compassion, peace and love to the reader.
Your comments appreciated and warmly received...:)
To Subscribe Send Email, write to:
MorningMusings@...
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Keep The Focus On You*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Resources of Wonder
We are each responsible
for our own motivating passion
For making our life full of inspiring resources
Be passionate for the realm you inhabit
Be absorbed and enchanted with nature
Revere the Creator of all
Outwardly direct your flow of gratitude
Express love and connections as they arise
Embrace, hold near, cherish, appreciate
Validate and congratulate
You will soon discover
More fully will your awareness grow
More readily will your wonder
give birth to original ideas
Anticipation will come up
to the surface to inspire
What you seek will be at your disposal
~ an inspiration resource file
Fill up on attention, store up on amazement
Who you are, what you love, what you see
Let it all your passion be
Allow yourself to make commitments
to the things that matter to you
Accumulate data from daily trips into imagery
Construct your treasure house of sacredness
To hold a wealth of
spiritual muses on which to rely
for relief of dull moments ~
Your days brimming full of joyful Life
from Soul excitement
Putting together these Daily Recovery Emails has been such
a blessing for me, Thanks for your support and contributions,
"What I can't do alone we can do together." If you have any
original poetry or submissions that you would like to send to
me you can email me at 12StepSoulFoodForTheSpirit-owner@yahoogroups.com or YOUnMEnHP@...
"12 Step Soul Food for the Spirit" is intended to give readers ,
inspiring and thoughtful messages. To help fulfill our primary
purpose which is to carry the message to the alcoholic/addict
who still suffers. A spiritual adventure, a journey inwards this
has a vision of opening and touching, each and everyone,
with the Loving Power and Presence of the Spirit within."
We invite you to share the writings by forwarding today's
message to others. Share "12 Step Soul Food for the Spirit"
with friends and loved ones: Please keep passing this along to
online recovery friends "We can only keep what we have by
giving it away." Anyone can subscribe to this free daily e-zine
by sending an Email message to: 12StepSoulFoodForTheSpirit-subscribe@yahoogroups.com and
write subscribe in the subject line.
Under Bill s.1618 TITLE III passed by the 105th U.S. Congress
this letter cannot be considered spam as long as the following words
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or go to the website and unsubscribe
www,health.groups.yahoo.com/group/12StepSoulFoodForTheSpirit
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*One Promise, Many Gifts*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Adult Children of Alcoholics
www.AdultChildren.org Al-Anon/Alateen
www.al-anon.org Alcoholics Anonymous
www.alcoholics-anonymous.org Alcoholics Anonymous Deaf and Hard of Hearing
www.dhh12s.com/access.htm Artists Recovering through the Twelve Steps
www.artsanonymous.org Clutterer’s Anonymous
www.clutterersanonymous.net Cocaine Anonymous World Services
www.ca.org Co-Dependents Anonymous Home Page
www.codependents.org Crystal Meth Anonymous
www.crystalmeth.org Criminal and Gangs Anonymous
www.angelfire.com/id/CGAnonymous Debtors Anonymous: A Twelve Step Fellowship for…
www.debtorsanonymous.org
Dual Recovery Anonymous - a 12 Step program
www.draonline.org
By the grace of God and through your efforts of passing on this
email, we are reaching many recovering people in different areas of
the world. If you are receiving this, from a country outside of the
USA please send me an email and tell me where you are receiving this.
So far we reaching over 6000 recovering people in 66 countries
including Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Barbados,
Belgium, Bermuda, Brazil, Canada , Columbia, Costa Rica, China ,
Cyprus, Denmark, Egypt, England, Finland, France, Guatemala,
Germany, Greece, Honduras, Hong Kong, Iceland, India, Indonesia,
Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Japan, Korea,
Lithuania, Mali West Africa, Mozambique, Nepal, Netherlands,
New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico,
Philippines, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia , Saudi Arabia,
Scotland, Singapore, South Africa , Spain, Sweden, Switzerland,
Thailand, Trinidad, Turkey, United Arab Emirates,
U.S.A., Venezuela, Wales, West Indies, Zimbabwe.
Even if your country is listed
please email me, and let me know where you are from. 12StepSoulFoodForTheSpirit-owner@yahoogroups.com
Stay in the Light,
In loving service,
Scott H. from N.Y. ~ clean date 10/27/88 YOUnMEnHP@...
(\o/\o/) we are each of us angels with only one wing (\o/\o/)
/_\/_\ and can only fly by embracing each other /_\/_\
For the daily recovery email please visit me at:
www.groups-beta.google.com/group/12-Step-Soul-Food-for-the-Spirit
For the daily recovery email please visit me at:
www.health.groups.yahoo.com/group/12StepSoulFoodForTheSpirit
For the weekly topic meeting please visit me at:
www.health.groups.yahoo.com/group/twelvestepsoulfood4thespirit
If a candidate for A.A. / N.A. is ready,
you can't say anything wrong;
if he/she's not ready,
you can't say anything right.
The weekly meeting topic is: Each month we will share on a step and spiritual principles of the step.
Since it is August the 8th month, PLEASE share on the 8th step
If you haven’t done the 8th step with your sponsor
Please share on Honesty, Courage, Humility and Forgiveness... to share please visit
www.health.groups.yahoo.com/group/twelvestepsoulfood4thespirit/
or email twelvestepsoulfood4thespirit@yahoogroups.com ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Please Be There For The Newcomers*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
August 6
Today I do not need to say
the first thing that comes into my head,
or react to what others say about me.
Today I can practice restraint of tongue and pen...
think before I speak...
and say kind things or nothing at all.
written by ~ Ruth Fishel
"Time for Joy"
PLEASE visit and check out Ruth's new book
LIVING LIGHT AS A FEATHER is arriving at bookstores now!
She even interviewed me for the book :)
If you would like a signed copy you can
order it at www.spirithaven.com or email her at spirithaven@... or call at 508-420-5301.
Check out her collection of light, nourishing and nurturing Books and Tapes
& some touching and embracing Greeting Cards
www.spirithaven.com
for inspirational messages email spirithaven@... ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Just for Today*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Recovery
Look deep into my eyes , What do you see ?
Pain , Anguish , and Despair ; They dominate me.
Look deep into my Heart , It feels so empty
Loneliness , frustration , and fear ; But no serenity
Chemical Dependency is such a destructive life
Nothing but hardships , problems , and strife
But I’ve found a new way , A program that’s right
Brought me out of the darkness, and into the light.
Fighting alone , I can’t stand for very long
Facing life’s battles as each day comes along
Making my amends and righting my wrongs
With help from other addicts , I now can stand strong
And with help from God and by his good grace
All these problems today I can readily face.
And along this path I move at my own pace
And with God’s help I can endure life’s race
So as I continue on with this long journey
Please remember to say a small prayer for me
That by carrying the message, an example I’ll be
And the serenity of recovery , In me they shall see.
Forever an Addict
In Recovery
GhostDogg
Mike G
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Don't Use*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
If anyone has any original recovery poetry that they
would like to share with us please copy and paste it into the body
of an email and send it to me, Thanks for your support and contributions.
What I can't do alone, We do together.
In loving service, Scott ~ YOUnMEnHP@... ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*No Matter What*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Woman in the Glass
www.geocities.com/temperwolf/woman.html
People
www.nervousnelly.com/footprints.html
Bill W. Talks
Trust of "Servant" Necessary
www.silkworth.net/aahistory/billw2/gsc1959.html
Bill W. Talks
A Question of Prudence
www.silkworth.net/aahistory/billw2/gsc1959-2.html
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Make A Meeting*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Just for Today
August 6 The joy within
"Since the beginning of our recovery, we have found that joy
doesn't come from material things but from within ourselves."
Basic Text, p. 103 Some of us came to Narcotics Anonymous impoverished by our disease.
Everything we'd owned had been lost to our addiction. Once we got clean,
we put all our energy into recovering our material possessions, only to
feel even more dissatisfied with our lives than before.
Other members have sought to ease their emotional pain with material
things. A potential date has rejected us? Let's buy something. The dog
has died? Let's go to the mall. Problem is, emotional fulfillment can't
be bought, not even on an easy installment plan.
There's nothing inherently wrong with material things. They can make
life more convenient or more luxurious, but they can't fix us. Where,
then, can true joy be found? We know; the answer is within ourselves.
When have we found joy? When we've offered ourselves to service to
others, without expectation of reward. We've found true warmth in the
fellowship of others-not only in NA, but in our families, our
relationships, and our communities. And we've found the surest source of
satisfaction in our conscience contact with our God. Inner peace, a sure
sense of direction, and emotional security do not come from material
things, but from within.
Just for today: True joy can't be bought. I will seek my joy in
service, in fellowship, in my Higher Power-I will seek within.
This is a DIFFERENT Yahoo Club you
MUST join this club in order to participate
Yahoo! Clubs Twelve Step Soul Food 4 the Spirit www.health.groups.yahoo.com/group/twelvestepsoulfood4thespirit
A Safe Place to Share , Discover and Recover.
This a message bulletin board meeting, where people post on the
weekly topic. It takes only 1 minute to enter a password and
username. Please go this page on the upper right hand corner and click
the join club link, sign in and go to the left hand side and click
messages to read what others have shared and click on the post link,
now you can share on the topic of the week or whatever you would like.
There is a lot of good experience, strength and hope in here as well
as newcomers who need our support and love, PLEASE stop by.
Thanks for your participation and support :)
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Use Your Sponsor*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Meditation of the Day
www.hazelden.org/servlet/hazelden/thoughts
Daily Meditation for ALL 12 Steppers
www.open-mind.org/Daily/
Dr. Twerski's Sober Thought of the Day
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NEED HELP Pick a topic Daily Meditation
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~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Be A Sponsor*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ PRICELESS GIFT
By this time in all probability we have gained some measure of release from
our more devastating handicaps. We enjoy moments in which there is
something like real peace of mind. To those of us who have hitherto known
only excitement, depression, or anxiety -- in other words, to all of us --
this newfound peace is a priceless gift.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, P. 74
I am learning to let go and let God, to have a mind that is open and a
heart that is willing to receive God's grace in all my affairs; in this way
I can experience the peace and freedom that come as a result of surrender.
It has been proven that an act of surrender, originating in desperation and
defeat, can grow into an ongoing act of faith, and that faith means freedom
and victory.
Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Work The Steps*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Twenty-Four Hours A Day by Hazelden/ August 6th
A.A. Thought for the Day
Psychologists are turning to religion because just knowing
about ourselves is not enough. We need the added dynamic
of faith in a power outside of ourselves on which we can rely.
Books on psychology and psychiatric treatments are not
enough without the strength that comes from faith in God.
And clergy and rabbis are turning to psychology because faith
is an act of the mind and will. Religion must be presented in
psychological terms to some extent in order to satisfy the
modem person. Faith must be built largely on our own
psychological experience. Have I taken what I need from
both psychology and religion when I live the AA. way?
Meditation for the Day
Refilling with the spirit is something you need every day.
For this refilling with the spirit, you need these times of
quiet communion, away, alone, without noise, without activity.
You need this dwelling apart, this shutting yourself away in
the very secret place of your being, away alone with your
Maker. From these times of communion you come forth with
new power. This refilling is the best preparation for effective
work. When you are spiritually filled, there is no work too
hard for you.
Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may be daily refilled with the right spirit. I pray
that I may be full of the joy of true living
We begin recovering.
We begin taking care of ourselves.
Our recovery program starts to work in our life,
and we begin to feel good about ourselves.
Then it hits. Guilt.
Whenever we begin to experience the fullness
and joy of life, we may feel guilty about those
we've left behind - those not recovering,
those still in pain.
This survivors guilt is a symptom of codependency.
We may think about the husband we've divorced
who is still drinking.
We may dwell on a child, grown or adult, still in pain.
We may get a phone call from a non-recovering parent
who relates his or her misery to us.
And we feel pulled into their pain.
How can we feel so happy,
when those we love are still in misery?
Can we really break away and lead satisfying lives,
despite their circumstances?
Yes, we can.
And yes, it hurts to leave behind those we love.
But keep moving forward anyway. Be patient.
Other people's recovery is not our job.
We cannot make them recover.
We cannot make them happy.
We may ask why we were chosen for a fuller life.
We may never know the answer.
Some may catch up in their own time,
but their recovery is not our business.
The only recovery we can truly claim is our own.
We can let go of others with love,
and love ourselves without guilt.
Today, I am willing to work through my sadness and guilt.
I will let myself be healthy and happy, even though someone
I love has not chosen the same path.
You are a being of pure divine light
You shine in the morning, you shine in the night
You radiate this energy throughout all of your life
Touching all those that come into your light
You are and will be a traveler alone
Your journey is great and still yet to unfold
Through time and through space a traveler you'll be
With countless lives waiting and so much to see
The experience you gain throughout all of your lives
Will be listed and written when your spirit entwines
For all that you are and all that you'll be
Is carried inside for all those to see
To access these records of lives then and now
Open your heart to the love and light that surrounds
Have faith in yourself, your abilities and reason
You have come a long way through many a season
You have seen and felt much through these eyes old and new
Experience has been gained but still......more to do
Your eyes are your windows
They view from your soul
Nothing ever gets past, nothing ever gets old
Time's immaterial to the spirit within
We're born, we die.....but then we begin
Life is eternal to our spiritual sides
Age comes with experience, enjoy the ride
Find peace; find comfort in these words that I write
There's nothing to fear, not even the night
Enjoy your travels, in this life and next
Be at Peace, filled with Love like the words of this text
And maybe one day we'll meet on our travels
Two spirits together, as journey's unravel
You'll know when we meet; you'll know who we are
For your heart will radiate, with brightness of star
Filled with Love you are, filled with Light you'll be
A shining example for all those to see
Hold no fear nor no haste, our meeting will come
When your spirit is ready and your journey is done
Until then my child know this that you are
A being of Light that has traveled afar
Experience you've gained is of great resource
It's the fuel that you need, to return to the source
~ Jason Light ~
Jason Light is a unique Healer, a natural energy channel, writer and
spiritual teacher based in the UK. Jason can be contacted at enlightenment@... ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*First Things First*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Who's In Charge? by Virginia Santoro
"Things can go haywire.
They sometimes do.
Then the question is asked...
Who's in charge? Is it you?
Solutions are in order.
Blame must be assigned.
She's the one who's responsible.
See that it's done quickly - yes, in no time.
And when things go well...
Who's the one in command?
Why, naturally, it's me, she says...
With a flourish of her hand.
Well, I tell you one thing.
And of this, I've no doubt.
We are NEVER in charge.
Though we think that we are.
Man makes plans and God laughs.
It's an age-old, well-worn truth.
Divine Order's in charge.
So, give it up. Just hang loose."
Copyright 2000
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inspirational newsletter, delivered to
its subscribers Monday thru Friday,
and a single Weekender edition.
It is born of the meditations and
experiences of the author.
It's first purpose is to honor God in all expressions,
and then, to offer healing,
compassion, peace and love to the reader.
To subscribe send an email to MorningMusings@...
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Easy Does It*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ The longest journey is the journey
inward, for he who has chosen
his destiny has started upon his
quest for the source of his being.... Dag Hammarsjkold
We have often looked to other people, places and things
for our answers and for our happiness...
We thought others could free us from pain, fear or guilt...
This has never brought any happiness
and in the long run we have not changed....
It is time to begin to trust that small voice within,
coming from the person we really are...
It is time to look within and begin to uncover
all that has been blocking us from our truth, from our Higher Power...
It is time to discover ourselves....
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Live And Let Live*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Surrendered / Case Closed !
The life I once knew, the door is now shut
As I truly taste and experience freedom
The past is just that, to be nevermore
Gladly alive in a new phase of season
Having given my all; thought, word and deed, obsessing to rekindle
But now having seen the repulsive final drama
Forgiveness, compassion, all that remains
As I gratefully reap instant karma
To not empower the buttons pushed
A miracle in change of perspective
No space to rent free for fearful ego needs
Desire has fled along with unhealthy motives
At long last sure, self will holds no sway
Having truly given up the good fight
All guilt now dissolved just grateful and free
Co-creating with God each day and each night
Self doubt was no friend as I struggled and tried
Staying open to possibilities with guidance
I still had my doubts up to that last day
Surrendered I received peace all at once