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•  
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Welcome to the group Laura, congratulations on your three months clean, that is an awesome accomplishment.  My name is Becki and I am an addict living in Panama.  I look forward to hearing you share about who you are and what happened and what it is like for you today.  Where do you live?  Do you attend meetings?  I am always game for another family member to join my family, I always wanted a big family and what bigger family could I have asked for then this one god blessed me with when I walked into the rooms of NA.
  
 
  
Love in recovery
  
Becki

tessa1627 <tessa1627@...> wrote:
  

Hi Scott,

My name is Laura and I have 3 months clean and sober and I would love
to receive the daily readings would you please assist me in how I can
do this.

Thank you
Laura

 



Love in recovery
Becki  
  

---

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Sorry it has taken me this long to learn how to use this computer  my kids know more then i do. My name is lora and i live in california.  I attend about four meetings a wk and getting ready to take over a meeting on sundays to do some service.  I now have a year and then some my sobioty date is Dec. 7, 04 my second christmas sober, I really enjoyed my kids this year.  I care for my mother, living in her home which really tries my patiances some times.  I am raising two beautiful girls 15 and 10 both to big for there pants.  I would love to be in your big family, it would be nice sence I am an only child by my mother.  I do have two half brothers but they won't talk to me, but who needs them when I have A.A. as my family. I am finding out about A.A. family once again, I had three years about seven years ago, but thats the past.  Well hope to hear from you soon, I will make sure I check my emails regualarly now.  Thanks for adding me to your family!!!!!......lora from Calif.

b dalton <beckid42@...> wrote:

Welcome to the group Laura, congratulations on your three months clean, that is an awesome accomplishment.  My name is Becki and I am an addict living in Panama.  I look forward to hearing you share about who you are and what happened and what it is like for you today.  Where do you live?  Do you attend meetings?  I am always game for another family member to join my family, I always wanted a big family and what bigger family could I have asked for then this one god blessed me with when I walked into the rooms of NA.

 

Love in recovery

Becki

tessa1627 <tessa1627@...> wrote:

Hi Scott,

My name is Laura and I have 3 months clean and sober and I would love
to receive the daily readings would you please assist me in how I can
do this.

Thank you
Laura

Love in recovery
Becki

---

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BIG Book
www.recoverycartoons.com/html/fav2003/bigbook.html

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*LAUGHTER Is HEALING*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The weekly meeting topic is:
Each month we will share on a step and
spiritual principles of the step.
Since it is January, PLEASE share on the first step
Or if you haven¹t done the 1st step share on
powerlessness, honesty, acceptance or surrender..

This is a DIFFERENT Yahoo Club you MUST join this club in order to
participate otherwise your emails will bounce

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 is a SLAMMING, STRONG support group with
a whole lot of EXPERIENCE, LOVE and HOPE that is available to you.
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 :)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Please Be There For The Newcomers*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

January 4
This is your TIME for JOY!
Know that it is here and now.
written by ~ Ruth Fishel
"Time for Joy"
Check out Ruth's 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*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Spiritual Awakening

As a young adult, I considered myself an agnostic -- I didn't know
if God existed or not, at least that is what I told myself.  In 1975 I
become a part of 12 Step Recovery and at each meeting I heard the
words "God" and "Higher Power."  I grimaced, I had an attitude -- I
internally ridiculed and mocked whoever spoke such words thinking
how queer it was.

   As I endeavored to work The Program, however, I discovered that
my proclaimed agnosticism was really a cover up for fear.  I did, in fact,
believe in God, but I didn't want to, because my Higher Power was a
punishing God.  The song tells us that Santa Claus "knows when you've
been good or bad so be good for goodness sakes."  Well, that also
described my Higher Power.  I had spent years and years convincing
others how good I was, but I knew and therefore God knew about all
the "little bads" (telling my brother to stick his lip on the ice cube
tray and when it pulled off some skin feigning ignorance and compassion--
"Oh, you poor thing, I didn't know that would happen."  Or the little
deceits such as paying someone a compliment and then making fun of
that person in my head.  Or pretending to always be happy, good, and
loving -- when I felt just the opposite).  I saw myself as a phony and
God knew about the deception.

   Therefore, if I believed there was a God, then I was in trouble
because He was keeping track and knew that I was deceitful, dishonest,
and not the person I pretended to be.  And since, "He knows when
you've been good or badŠ" I was in for some big time punishment.  My
greatest moments of inner terror occurred after my second child was
born.  I had two healthy children (first a girl, then a boy, just what I
wanted).  I had a successful husband, a lovely home with two cars in the
garage, etc., etc.  My fear: payback time.  And what better way to get
back at me than through my children.  So each day I awoke riddled with
fear -- is today the day God will strike one of my children with an
incurable disease?  I lived this way for months and it was pure agony.

   My turning point came at a 12 Step Retreat weekend when my son was
about nine months old.  I heard the main speaker talk about God saying
"God loves me no matter what."  That got my attention -- I had believed
that I had to be good to get love, from my parents, from God, from
everyone.  Unconditional love, what a concept!  My spiritual awakening was
not a bolt of lightening.  But it began that day as I chose to open to an
unconditionally loving Higher Power.  It was a lot like the soaker hose I
use in my garden.  When I turn it on, you can hardly see the water that is
dripping out, but in the morning the ground is saturated.  Opening to an
unconditionally loving Higher Power, whom I choose to call God, has allowed
me to feel saturated with God's love.  It has opened me to a love far
beyond what I had ever received on this earth plane.

   I no longer believe there is a punishing God -- my Higher Power loves
me no matter what!  I am profoundly grateful that I have had a spiritual
awakening.  Instead of the fear I once felt, I now only feel love.

Meryl Hershey Beck
MBeck333@...
www.energizedforlife.com
12-3-00

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*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*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Part of my foundation
N.A. Way Magazine 6/1998
www.na.org/naway/en/naway4-e-4.htm#Foundation

Cookie
www.josephtlair.com/rec101files/cookie.htm

Earth Group NA
Best real time online N.A. meetings and meetings by mail
www.earthgroupna.org

Welcome to Cybriety... Where Recovery Lives!
www.cybriety.org

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Make A Meeting*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Just For Today
January 4                             The Love of the Fellowship

"Today secure in the love of the fellowship, we can finally look
another human being in the eye and be grateful for who we are."
   Basic Text p. 89

  When we were using, few of us could tolerate looking someone in the
eye-we were ashamed of who we were. Our minds were not occupied with
anything decent or healthy, and we knew it. Our time, money, and energy
weren't spent building loving relationships, sharing with others, or seeking
to better our communities. We were trapped in a spiral of obsession and
compulsion that went only in one direction: downward.

  In recovery, our journey down that spiral path has been cut short. But
what is it that has turned us around, drawing us back upward into the open
spaces of the wide, free world? The love of the fellowship has done this.

  In the company of other addicts, we knew we would not be rejected. By
the example of other addicts, we were shown how to begin taking a
positive part in the life around us. When we were unsure which way to
turn, when we stumbled, when we had to correct a wrong wed done, we
knew our fellow members were there to encourage us.

  Slowly, we've gotten the feel of our freedom. No longer are we locked
up in our disease; we are free to build and grow and share along with
everyone else. And when we need support to take our next step, it is
there. The security we've found in the love of the fellowship has made
our new lives possible.

Just for today: I can look anyone in the eye without shame. I am
grateful for the loving support that has made this possible.

Just For Today Daily Meditation is the property of Narcotics Anonymous ©
1991 by World Service Office Inc.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Get Involved In Service*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

If you are enjoying this daily recovery email,
Please pass on 12 Step Soul Food For The Spirit to your online friends,
"We can only keep what we have by giving it away."
If you have received this as a forward
and  would like to subscribe please email
me at YOUnMEnHP@...
Thanks, In loving service, Scott :)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Get A 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/January.html

NEED HELP Pick a topic Daily Meditation
www.hazelden.org/servlet/hazelden/thoughts/search.html

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Use Your Sponsor*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"A GENUINE HUMILITY"

. . . we are actually to practice a genuine humility.  This is to the end
that our great blessings may never spoil us, that we shall forever live in
thankful contemplation of Him who presides over us all.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p.  192

  Experience has taught me that my alcoholic personality tends to be
grandiose.  While having seemingly good intentions, I can go off on
tangents in pursuit of my "causes."  My ego takes over and I lose sight of
my primary purpose.  I may even take credit for God's handiwork in my
life.  Such an overstated feeling of my own importance is dangerous to my
sobriety and could cause great harm to A.A. as a whole.

My safeguard, the Twelfth Tradition, serves to keep me humble.  I realize,
both as an individual and as a member of the Fellowship, that I cannot
boast of my accomplishments, and that "God is doing for us what we could
not do for ourselves."

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
Daily Reflection In Loving Memory Of Scott Reeves

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Be A Sponsor*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Twenty-Four Hours A Day by Hazelden /January 4th

A.A. Thought for the Day

Have I admitted I am an alcoholic?  Have I swallowed
my pride and admitted I was different from ordinary
drinkers?  Have I accepted the fact that I must spend
the rest of my life without liquor?  Have I any more
reservations, any idea in the back of my mind that
some day I¹ll be able to drink safely?  Am I absolutely
honest with myself and with other people?  Have I
taken an inventory of myself and admitted the wrong
I have done?  Have I come clean with my friends?
Have I tried to make it up to them for the way I have
treated them?

Meditation for the Day

I will believe that fundamentally all is well.  God things
happen to me.  I believe that God cares for me and
will provide for me.  I will not try to plan ahead.  I know
that the way will unfold, step by step.  I will leave
tomorrow¹s burden to God, because He is the great
burden-bearer.  He only expects me to carry my
one-day share.

Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may not try to carry the burden of the
universe on my shoulders.  I pray that I may be satisfied
to do my share each day.

"Twenty-Four Hours A Day" is a © Copyrighted book of
Hazelden Foundation.  No portion of this publication may
be reproduced in any manner without the written
permission of Hazelden.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Work The Steps*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Today's Thought
JANUARY 04

You are reading from the book The Language of Letting Go.
Melody Beattie ©

Separating from Family Issues

We can draw a healthy line, a healthy boundary, between our nuclear family
and ourselves. We can separate ourselves from their issues.

Some of us may have family members who are addicted to alcohol and other
drugs and who are not in recovery from their addiction.

Some of us may have family members who have unresolved codependency issues.
Family members may be addicted to misery, pain, suffering, martyrdom, and
victimization. We may have family members who have unresolved abuse issues
or unresolved family of origin issues.

We may have family members who are addicted to work, eating, or sex. Our
family may be completely enmeshed, or we may have a disconnected family in
which the members have little contact.

We may be like our family. We may love our family. But we are separate human
beings with individual rights and issues. One of our primary rights is to
begin feeling better and recovering, whether or not others in the family
choose to do the same.

We do not have to feel guilty about finding happiness and a life that works.
And we do not have to take on our family's issues as our own to be loyal and
to show we love them.

Often when we begin taking care of ourselves, family members will
reverberate with overt and covert attempts to pull us back into the old
system and roles. We do not have to go. Their attempts to pull us back are
their issues. Taking care of ourselves and becoming healthy and happy does
not mean we do not love them. It means we're addressing our issues.

We do not have to judge them because they have issues; nor do we have to
allow them to do anything they would like to us just because they are
family.

We are free now, free to take care of ourselves with family members. Our
freedom starts when we stop denying then issues, and politely, but
assertively, hand their stuff back to them - where it belongs - and deal
with our own issues.

Today, I will separate myself from family members, lama separate human
being, even though I belong to a unit called a family. I have a right to my
own issues and growth; my family members have a right to their issues and a
right to choose where and when they will deal with these issues. I can learn
to detach in love from my family members and their issues. I am willing to
work through all necessary feelings in order to accomplish this.

©1990, Hazelden Foundation. All rights reserved. No portion of this
publication may be reproduced in any manner without the written permission
of the publisher.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*You Are A Miracle*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Gift
www.lightworks.com/MonthlyAspectarian/2000/December/opinion.htm

Interview with Alan Cohen
www.planetlightworker.com/articles/interviews/ronmccray/interview2.htm

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Keep It Simple*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Are You Listening???
by Marie T. Russell

Have you heard the universe talking lately? Have you heard the messages that
are there every moment of every day? Have you heard the inner promptings of
Spirit?

I remember when I first started hearing a voice inside my head, I was
frightened. I was still a child, and this voice would speak to me very
loudly... I recall being very frightened about this, and feeling worried.
The questions that came up were: Was I crazy? Where was this voice coming
from? Did others also hear this?

Now at that time, I was an insecure child and did not 'risk' asking anyone
about this. I definitely did not want to be ridiculed or found to be crazy.
So, I tried to block out that inner voice as much as I could, because I was
frightened.

Then years later, I started to hear the wind, the birds, and everything else
in nature speak. I would be sitting quietly underneath a tree, and would
'hear' patterns in the wind... I would hear messages... Now please
understand that I am not saying that the wind or the birds spoke in words...
It simply was as if the sounds of nature became a focus for my awareness.
The sounds allowed my Higher Self to communicate with me in a form I could
understand.

There also I felt a little worried... Maybe I was losing my mind or having
hallucinations? Yet the wisdom that came to me at those times, the
inspiration and the peace, really left no room for doubt. The Universe was
communicating with me through its many voices and mouths.

Now these days, this has gone ever further... Everything and everyone brings
me messages from Spirit. Let me give you an example. The other day I was in
conversation with someone. Just as I started to say something which was
'negative,' the phone rang. I realized that, through this interruption, I
was being prevented from speaking the words I was about to say. When you're
paying attention, you will see that your guidance is coming from all
directions.

How else does God speak? Another example: Let's say you are getting ready to
eat or drink something, and the drink or food slips away from you or falls
out of your hand. What is God saying? This food is not for you, at least not
at this time.

How else does the Universe talk to us? In every single little (or big) event
in our lives. If nothing seems to be going right, maybe you're not headed in
the right direction. If you keep trying to call someone and their phone is
busy, you're being told that you are not to speak to this person now. When
we are doing the 'right' thing at the 'right' time, then there are no
blockages, no restrictions.

Listen to what your world is saying. Is you car battery low? Well, how is
your own battery... are you feeling low on energy, feeling like you could
use a boost? Do you have a slow leak in your car tires? Where in your life
do you have a loss of air...a loss of vitality, of support, of life? Is your
car overheating? Perhaps you've allowed certain situations or people in your
life to get you to the "boiling point"...

Another way that messages will come to you are through things you 'overhear.
' A lot of times I may be asking myself a question internally, and I will
hear someone outside yell a loud no. Now I am aware that the person is not
speaking to me (at least they are not aware that they are), yet the message
is for me. Start listening... Pay attention to all the messages that are
being played for you. When you turn on the radio, what is the first song you
hear? How is that a message for you?

EVERYTHING is a message for you. When my computer jams, I know it's either
time for me to take a break, or that I'm not to be working in that program
or on the computer at all at that time. One morning I came in to the office
with the thought of doing a typesetting job for someone. I wanted to do it
right away and get it done before the phones got busy. When I turned on the
computer, it refused to 'boot up'... it didn't do a thing. So rather than
keep trying to get it to work, I realized there was a message here. I
understood that I was not to work on the computer at that time.

Now my mind felt a little upset at this... after all I had a commitment and
had to get the typesetting job done. But my 'aware' self realized that the
message was "no typesetting now". So I went on to do other things. About one
hour later, the phone rang. The client was calling to cancel the job! I was
very thankful that I had listened to the message that came through my
computer... I would have worked one hour on a job that was no longer needed.

You also can use all of your messages from the universe... They are always
present and they are your helpers. The trick is to start paying attention.
To open your awareness to everything.

Everything happens for a reason... we simply need to look for the message
and we will find it is very clear. If at first you don't seem to see the
messages, keep looking (and listening). After all, as with anything else,
the more you do it, the better you get. So...STOP, CLOSE YOUR EYES, and
LISTEN.

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.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*One Day At A Time*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Reborn
by Marianne Williamson

"Dear God,

The world is not as it should be.
There is violence and famine and sickness and pain.
   Let those things die, dear God.
May we be reborn.

My heart at times is not as it should be.
There is conflict, unforgiveness, judgment and rage.
   Let those things die, dear God.
May I be reborn.

As we embark upon the newness of the coming age,
may the wickedness which marked the old
be cast away by Love.
   Let wickedness die, dear God.
May we be reborn.

Where a brother sees not
the beauty of his brother,
and a sister sees not
the glory of her sister.
Where a brother sees not the innocence of his sister,
and a sister sees not the brilliance of her brother.
   May illusions die, dear God.
May we be reborn.

Take this millennium,
and all ages past,
and strip them of their lovelessness.
   May only love remain.
   Forgive the horror,
   exalt the glory,
   redeem the past,
   release the future,
   wipe away all tears,
   deliver us to joy,
   correct our thinking
   and heal our hearts.

May fear now die, dear God,
may we be no longer who we used to be.
Release Your glory
which lies within us,
that all the world might be reborn.
    This is my prayer
    for the age upon us.
    This is my prayer
    for me.

Amen.
    May we be reborn.
Amen."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*First Things First*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I Have Observed...

Life is a series of Choices
that result in Experiences.

I am a Human Being, and it is through
my Experiences that I am able to
grow, to evolve and to seek enlightenment.
If I Choose wisely for myself, the quality
of my Life will measure up to my preferences,
my needs and my expectations.

How wisely I Choose is directly dependant
upon how well I know myself.  Therefore,
it seems reasonable that I work to
understand who I have become as a result
of my previous Choices.  It seems reasonable
to reflect upon the Quality of my previous
Experiences relative to my preferences.

If the way I am Experiencing Life no longer
works for me, then it is time for a change.

I have the right to Choose Only those
Experiences I Wish to Experience.
In exercising this right, I define my
boundaries.  I become aware of my
preferences.  I become connected
to who I want to be.

I can Choose who it is I want to become,
and design myself accordingly.  If I exercise
this right to make a conscious Choice to
design myself, I will always be able to
articulate who I am.  Then, I will be likely
to Choose wisely for myself.  My Experiences
in Life will work according to my
preferences.  They will bring me peace,
happiness, please and satisfy me.
My Growth, my Evolution and my Quest
for Enlightenment will become Easy,
Unencumbered, Adventuresome and Joyful.

I think that this may be the key to Creating my own Reality.
I think that this may be the way to my Empowerment.

by Adele Volta
© 2001
adelevolta@...

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Easy Does It*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Feeding Joy

Isn¹t it true that the more you feed
something, the more it grows?
From a tiny spark a giant fire roars
From a tiny egg a human becomes
From a small idea a whole relationship evolves
It¹s a natural law

Go within and be still long enough
Be still and listen for your joy
It may only be a whisper, but you will hear
through the listening...
maybe amid the latent sadness
the expectation
a certain glimpse, a smidgen
the spark of a lovely perception - don¹t let it go

The more you listen the more intent
you bring to this joy-space
the more the Joy will expand
Make it grow by paying attention to it
by feeding it with healthy positive encouragement
spiritual truth food
honest fibers for sustenance, creative juices for flow
and the power of love¹s enzymatic acceptance

Feed your Joy
Fill its subtle growing needs
so it becomes healthy and strong
And you will be surprised that soon
it will feed you, even sustain you ~
That¹s the natural law
of growth

© 2002 Stella Raymonde Savoie-Johnson
stellaraymonde@...

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Live And Let Live*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The Addict

Driving home I needed soda,
Pulled into the Quick Trip store,
A guy was sitting on the sidewalk,
Desperation's what he wore.

He was waiting for the dope man,
An answer to his urgent page,
If the phone rings, He'll most gladly
Say goodbye to his last wage.

Desperation turned to anger,
His needs are all he cares about,
But with each minute, onset panic
Fueled by fear and new found doubt.

I didn't take the time to tell him,
He doesn't have to live this way,
I know because I've rode this coaster,
Motivating every day.

But I knew he would not listen,
Until he's driven to his knees,
Begging for a cure to free him,
From the hold of his disease.
anonymous

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Keep The Focus On You*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

When we begin to know God,
we find a love that already knows everything about us.
Everything.
The deepest, most hidden, most awful thing that we've ever done,
thought or said, God already knows.
And when we touch that love, we transcend our littleness
and we begin to step into that greatness that's always in us.
It doesn't happen overnight.
It's a practice and a process.
Mary Manin Morrissey

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Let God and Let Go*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

If you do not change direction,
you may end up where you are heading.
Lao Tse

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Come*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

You were born with potential.
You were born with goodness and truth.
You were born with ideals and dreams.
You were born with greatness.
You were born with wings.
You're not meant for crawling, so don't.
You have wings.
Learn to use them and fly.
by Rumi

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Come To*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Loving relationships, though necessary for life,
health and growth, are among the most complicated skills.
Before we can be successful at achieving relationships,
it is necessary that we broaden our understanding of how they work,
what they mean and how what we do
and believe can enhance or destroy them ...
Loving relationships cannot be taken lightly.
Dr. Leo Buscaglia

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Come To Believe*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Don't give up before the Miracle happens.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Look For The Beauty*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Humility is not thinking less of yourself,
but thinking of yourself less.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Today Is A Gift*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I don't stay clean on yesterday's recovery.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Keep Stepping*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The trouble with my point of view is that
I can't see the point from which I view it.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Stay In The Light*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

No matter how thin you slice the bread
There are 2 sides.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*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
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
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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/

Clutterer¹s 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 forŠ
www.debtorsanonymous.org/

Dual Recovery Anonymous - a 12 Step program
www.draonline.org/

Eating Disorders Anonymous
www.eatingdisordersanonymous.org/

Emotions Anonymous
www.emotionsanonymous.org/

Families Anonymous
www.familiesanonymous.org/

Gamblers Anonymous Official Home Page
www.gamblersanonymous.org/

Hepatitis C Anonymous
www.hcvanonymous.com/

HIV Anonymous
www.hivanonymous.com/

The Marijuana Anonymous
www.marijuana-anonymous.org/

Methadone Anonymous
www.afirmfwc.org/methanon.htm

Narcotics Anonymous Official  Homepage
www.na.org/

Earth Group N.A. online meetings
www.earthgroupna.org/

Nar-Anon is a family support group
www.naranon.com/

Nicotine Anonymous (WWW Home Page) NA Home Page
www.nicotine-anonymous.org

Overeaters Anonymous
www.oa.org/

Parents Anonymous
www.parentsanonymous.org/paIndex1.htm

Rape Survivors Anonymous
www.rsaws.org/

Recovering Couples Anonymous
www.recovering-couples.org

Sex Addicts Anonymous
www.saa-recovery.org/

Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous
www.slaafws.org/

Shoplifters Anonymous
www.shopliftersanonymous.org/

Suicide Anonymous
www.geocities.com/samemphis/

Survivors Of Incest Anonymous
www.siawso.org/

Workaholics Anonymous
www.workaholics-anonymous.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:
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For the weekly topic meeting please visit me at:
www.health.groups.yahoo.com/group/twelvestepsoulfood4thespirit/

H and I
www.recoverycartoons.com/html/fav2003/h&i2.html

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*LAUGHTER Is HEALING*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The weekly meeting topic is:
"My sponsor told me to begin this New Year by taking my inventory
of relationships, attitudes and behaviors, to see if there is anything
that is no longer working for me that I choose to let go of.
Is there anything that you are going to let go of?
What is it that is no longer appropriate for you?"

This is a DIFFERENT Yahoo Club you MUST join this club in order to
participate otherwise your emails will bounce

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 is a SLAMMING, STRONG support group with
a whole lot of EXPERIENCE, LOVE and HOPE that is available to you.
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 :)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Please Be There For The Newcomers*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

January 3
Today my body guides me to refocus
and God heals me deep within
as I again become strong and free.
written by ~ Ruth Fishel
"Time for Joy"
Check out Ruth's 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 Pit

An addict fell into a pit and couldn't get himself out.

A SUBJECTIVE person came along and said:
"I feel for you, down there."

An OBJECTIVE person came along and said:
"It's logical that someone would fall down there."

A PHARISEE said:
"Only bad people fall into a pit."

A MATHEMATICIAN calculated
how he fell into the pit.

A NEWS REPORTER wanted
the exclusive story on his pit.

A FUNDAMENTALIST said:
"You deserve your pit."

An I.R.S. man asked
if he was paying taxes on the pit.

A SELF-PITYING person said:
"You haven't seen anything until you've seen MY PIT!"

A CHARISMATIC said:
"Just confess that you're not in a pit."

An OPTIMIST said:
"Things could be worse."

A PESSIMIST said:
"Things will get worse!"

A recovering addict saw him in the pit and jumped in with him,
The addict asked,"Why would you jump in the pit with me?"
The recovering addict replied,"Because someone jumped in the pit with me
and showed me these 12 steps and how to get out"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*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*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Carrying the message into adolescent facilities
N.A. Way Magazine 6/1998
www.na.org/naway/en/naway4-e-4.htm#Carrying

Big Book Search Engine
www.healingresource.org/book.cgi?Display_Welcome

Shut Up
www.josephtlair.com/rec101files/shutup.htm

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Make A Meeting*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Just For Today
January 3                               Our Greatest Need

"We eventually redefine our beliefs and understanding to the point
where we see that our greatest need is for knowledge of God's will
for us and the strength to carry that out"   Basic Text p. 46

  When we first arrived in NA, we had all kinds of ideas of what we
needed. Some of us set our sights on amassing personal possessions. We
thought recovery equaled outward success. But recovery does not equal
success Today, we believe that our greatest need is for spiritual guidance
and strength.

  The greatest damage done to us by our addiction was the damage done to
our spirituality. Our primary motivation was dictated by our disease: to
get, to use, and to find ways and means to get more. Enslaved by our
overwhelming need for drugs, our lives lacked purpose and connection. We
were spiritually bankrupt.

  Sooner or later, we realize that our greatest need in recovery is "for
knowledge of God's will for us and the strength to carry that out:' There,
we find the direction and sense of purpose our addiction had hidden from
us. In our God's will we find freedom from self-will. No longer driven
only by our own needs, we are free to live with others on an equal
footing.

  There's nothing wrong with outward success. But without the spiritual
connection offered by the NA program, our greatest need in recovery
goes unmet, regardless of how "successful" we may be.

Just for today: I will seek the fulfillment of my greatest need: a vital,
guiding connection with the God of my understanding.

Just For Today Daily Meditation is the property of Narcotics Anonymous ©
1991 by World Service Office Inc.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Get Involved In Service*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

If you are enjoying this daily recovery email,
Please pass on 12 Step Soul Food For The Spirit to your online friends,
"We can only keep what we have by giving it away."
If you have received this as a forward
and  would like to subscribe please email
me at YOUnMEnHP@...
Thanks, In loving service, Scott :)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Get A 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/January.html

NEED HELP Pick a topic Daily Meditation
www.hazelden.org/servlet/hazelden/thoughts/search.html

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Use Your Sponsor*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

CARRYING THE MESSAGE

Now, what about the rest of the Twelfth Step?  The wonderful energy it
releases and the eager action by which it carries our message to the next
suffering alcoholic and which finally translates the Twelve Steps into
action upon all our affairs is the payoff, the magnificent reality, of
Alcoholics Anonymous.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, P- 109

To renounce the alcoholic world is not to abandon it, but to act upon
principles I have come to love and cherish, and to restore in others who
still suffer the serenity I have come to know.  When I am truly committed
to this purpose, it matters little what clothes I wear or how I make a
living.  My task is to carry the message, and to lead by example, not
design.

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
Daily Reflection In Loving Memory Of Scott Reeves

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Be A Sponsor*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Twenty-Four Hours A Day by Hazelden/ January 3rd

A.A. Thought for the Day

When I came into A.A., I learned what an alcoholic
was and then I applied this knowledge to myself to
see if I was an alcoholic.  When I was convinced that
I was an alcoholic, I admitted it openly.  Since then,
have I been learning to live accordingly?  Have I
read the book Alcoholics Anonymous?  Have I
applied the knowledge gained to myself Have I
admitted openly that I am an alcoholic?  Am I ready
to admit it at any time when I can be of help?

Meditation for the Day

I will be renewed.  I will be remade.  In this, I need
God's help.  His spirit shall flow through me and, in
flowing through me, it shall sweep away all the bitter
past.  I will take heart.  The way will open for me.
Each day will unfold something good, as long as I am
trying to live the way I believe God wants me to live.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may be taught, just as a child would be
taught.  I pray that I may never question God's plans,
but accept them gladly.

"Twenty-Four Hours A Day" is a © Copyrighted book of
Hazelden Foundation.  No portion of this publication may
be reproduced in any manner without the written
permission of Hazelden.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Work The Steps*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Today's Thought
JANUARY 03

You are reading from the book The Language of Letting Go.
Melody Beattie ©

Nurturing Self Care

     .. .there isn't a guidebook for setting boundaries. Each of us has our
own guide inside ourselves. If we continue to work at recovery, our
boundaries will develop. They will get healthy and sensitive. Our selves
will tell us what we need to know,' and we'll love ourselves enough to
listen.
     --Beyond Codependency

What do we need to do to take care of ourselves?

Listen to that voice inside. What makes you angry? What have you had enough
of? What don't you trust? What doesn't feel right? What can't you stand?
What makes you uncomfortable? What do you want? Need? What don't you want
and need? What do you like? What would feel good?

In recovery, we learn that self care leads us on the path to God's will and
plan for our life. Self-care never leads away from our highest good; it
leads toward it.

Learn to nurture that voice inside. We can trust ourselves. We can take care
of ourselves. We are wiser than we think. Our guide is within, ever present.
Listen to, trust, and nurture that guide.

Today, I will affirm that lama gift to the Universe and myself. I will
remember that nurturing self care delivers that gift in its highest form.

©1990, Hazelden Foundation. All rights reserved. No portion of this
publication may be reproduced in any manner without the written permission
of the publisher.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*You Are A Miracle*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Invisible Hands
www.lightworks.com/MonthlyAspectarian/2000/December/feature3.htm

Links for Creating a Soulful Home
www.soulfulliving.com/linkcategories_first.htm#soulful%20home

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Keep It Simple*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Low Self-Esteem
by Marilyn J. Sorensen, Ph.D.

As we go through life, we record our memories and our interpretations,
though not necessarily the facts surrounding those memories. From these
countless recollections, we have the makings of a movie of our life. Jane
thinks in much the same way a VCR works -- it rewinds and replays past
events. This analogy can help explain how she has formed her views of
herself, and how that view is the basis for her behavior.

Families and their environments:
A child's view of herself begins to form as soon as the child is born. Based
on the things she is told, the specific situations she experiences, and how
she is treated, a picture of her "self" evolves. If she is praised and
encouraged, she likely begins to develop healthy self-esteem: if, however,
she is consistently criticized, ridiculed, or told she can't do things
right, she begins to question her competency and adequacy If her feelings
are ignored she begins to feel unimportant; if she is shamed, she starts to
feel unworthy.

Jane was raised in an environment that caused her to doubt her adequacy and
her competence when she was just a child. Discouraging remarks, ridicule,
and criticism set the stage for the movie of her life in which the stinging
bite of her parents' disapproval remained a key influence. Desperately
needing their support and affirmation, Jane struggled to prove her
self-worth by excelling in music, sports, and scholastics, but experienced
countless situations that told her she was not good enough. The scars remain
and now, still confused and filled with doubt, she continues to evaluate
herself on the basis of these numerous past incidents, especially when she
again receives criticism.

People with low self-esteem have believed the worst about themselves so
strongly and for so long that they readily discard any feedback that
contradicts their belief. They are unable to trust compliments and praise
and often unknowingly twist such comments to mean the opposite. Overly
self-conscious, they are easily embarrassed when they are the center of
attention.

When those with low self-esteem are told that their process of
self-evaluation is unrealistically negative and inaccurate, they do not
believe it. When they are reminded of other information that contradicts
their negative view, they find a way to discount that information; the
suggestion that the way they judge themselves might be incorrect is
difficult for them to digest. How can they contemplate that the view they
have of themselves might not be true, a view upon which they have based
their lives? To consider that he has been incorrect all these years is
equivalent to asking a religious person to question the tenets that are the
foundation for his life, or proposing to a staunch, politically active
Democrat that she become a Republican: This recommendation is beyond
consideration. Suggesting to the person with LSE that she has based her life
decisions on distorted interpretations is equally incomprehensible. This is
the enduring and unyielding nature of the dysfunction of low self-esteem.

Who suffers from low self-esteem?
We may think that those who have LSE are the down-and-out, unsuccessful in
their careers and their relationships. This is not necessarily true for
people with low self-esteem are present in all walks of life. They are
executives, professionals, entrepreneurs, laborers, skilled workers,
teachers, clerks, hair dressers, in fact, people from all occupations. They
are highly educated and minimally educated. They are male and female, old
and young, wealthy and poor; single, coupled, and divorced; they are of all
nationalities. They include the religious, the atheist, and the agnostic.
They reside in cities, in suburbs, and in rural areas. Some seek therapy;
some do not. Some are aware they have low self-esteem; many are not.

Recovery
While our situations in life vary, we each have the capacity to alter the
course of our lives. We have the ability to become the captain of our own
ship, the person who controls the transitions in our lives. We can take
steps that will result in restored hope, stimulated motivation, and renewed
confidence: steps that will guarantee a fresh outlook for the future and a
new outcome for our lives. We can attain skills not yet mastered; we can
learn to face our fears; we can set fresh, fulfilling goals and acquire the
means to reach those goals. We do not have to continue being held captive by
the chain of low self-esteem.

What is required is a desire to change, a longing and willingness to put
focused energy into recovering from the devastating effects of LSE. Some
will see this need to change as a challenge, a roadblock that impedes their
movement but one they can dislodge; for others, this need to change will
represent an insurmountable blockade. In truth, we all have the capacity to
change if we want it badly enough. It is a choice. Those who do not opt to
work toward change will once again be choosing self-defeating behaviors over
those that can enhance and better their lives; they will be choosing to
remain stifled, enslaved, and miserable. Those who choose to work at
improving their lives, who actively work at improving their self-esteem,
will reap the rewards; each step towards recovery will break one link in the
chain of low self-esteem.

This article was excerpted from the book: Breaking the Chain of Low
Self-Esteem by Marilyn J. Sorensen, Ph.D. It is reprinted with permission of
the publisher, Wolf Publishing Co.

About The Author:
Dr. Sorensen is a clinical psychologist in Portland where she has
specialized in relationship and self-esteem issues for over 24 years.
Marilyn Sorensen is an experienced national speaker, life coach and
consultant.  She is also the author of Breaking the Chain of Low Self-Esteem
and Low Self-Esteem Misunderstood & Misdiagnosed, published by Wolf
Publishing. She can be reached by email at mjsorensen@...
or by visiting www.breakingthechain.com

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*One Day At A Time*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Our God Is A Awesome God!

     I know you're tired. I know you feel overwhelmed. You may
feel as though this crisis, this problem, this hard time will last forever.
It won't. You are almost through.

  You don't just "think" it has been hard; it has been hard. You have
been tested, tried, and re-tested on what you have learned.

  Your beliefs and your faith have been tried in fire. You have believed,
then doubted, then, worked at believing some more. You have had to have
faith even when you could not see or imagine what you were asked to
believe. Others around you may have tried to convince you not to believe
in what you were hoping you could believe. You have had opposition. You
have not gotten to this place with total support and joy. You have had to
work hard, in spite of what was happening around you. Sometimes, what
motivated you was anger; sometimes fear.

  Things went wrong....more problems occurred than you anticipated.
There were obstacles, frustrations, and annoyances en route. You did
not plan on this being the way it would evolve. Much of this has been a
surprise; some of it has not been at all what you desired.

  Yet, it has been good. part of you, the deepest part that knows truth,
has sensed this all along, even when your head told you that things were
out of whack and crazy, that there was no plan or purpose, that God had
forgotten you.

  So much has happened, and each incident....the most painful, the most
troubling, the most surprising....has a connection. You are beginning to see
and sense that. You never dreamt things would happen this way, did you?
But they did. Now you are learning the secret....they were meant to
happen this way, and this way is good, better than what you expected.

  You didn't believe it would take this long, either...did you? But it did.
You have learned patience. You never thought you could have it, but now
you know you do.

  You have been led. Many were the moments when you thought you were
forgotten, when you were convinced you had been abandoned. Now you
know you have been guided. Now things are coming into place. You are
almost at the end of this phase, this difficult portion of the journey.
The lesson is almost complete. You know....the lesson, you fought, resisted,
and insisted you could not learn. Yes, that one. You have almost mastered
it.

  You have been changed from the inside out. You have been moved to a
different level, a higher level, a better level.

  You have been climbing a mountain. It has not been easy, but mountain
climbing is never easy. Now, you are near the top. A moment longer, and
the victory shall be yours.

  Steady your shoulders. Breathe deeply. Move forward in confidence and
peace. The time is coming to relish and enjoy all which you have fought for.
That time is drawing near, finally.

  I know you have thought before that the time was drawing near, only
to learn that it wasn't. But now, the reward is coming. You know that too.
You can feel it.
Your struggle has not been in vain. For every struggle on this journey,
there is a climax, a resolution.

  Peace, joy, abundant blessings, and reward are yours here on earth.
Enjoy!
There will be more mountains, but now you know how to climb them. And
you have learned the secret of what is at the top......abundant life!
Freedom! Everything that your heart has desired. It will all come to pass.

  Remember to keep climbing to the top, don't look back. You will make
it because God is leading the way and has a hold on you that will never
release. He will make sure that you have success. You will make it. Don't
give up! And remember, I love you, but God loves you so much more than
I ever could.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*First Things First*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I see in my mind a little ball of golden light
I watch this light as it begins to grow larger and larger,
until now it covers the entire inner vision of my mind
I see within this light a beautiful temple
I see a garden that surrounds the temple and a body of water
that flows through the garden
I see that the inside of the temple is lit by this
same beautiful golden light, and I am here
For I have been drawn here by the power
and in the Presence of God
I dedicate my days and my relationships and
experiences to You
May Your Spirit, which is within me, so guide
my thoughts, my feelings and my perceptions of all things
That I might grow into a happier, more peaceful,
more loving human being
Illumine my mind, illumine my life

Amen

From Marianne Williamson's ILLUMINATA

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Easy Does It*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A Humanist Code of Ethics:

Do no harm to the earth, she is your mother.
Being is more important than having.
Never promote yourself at another's expense.
Hold life sacred; treat it with reverence.
Allow each person the dignity of his or her labor.
Open your home to the wayfarer.
Be ready to receive your deepest dreams;
sometimes they are the speech of unblighted conscience.
Always make restitutions to the ones you have harmed.
Never think less of yourself than you are.
Never think that you are more than another.

Arthur Dobrin

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Live And Let Live*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Mosaic

There are broken parts in all of us
little bits laying about randomly
discarded, spare parts left behind
in the past of our life

They seem to only bleed forgotten pain
which we'd rather forget
While other parts are welcome memories
skills, beliefs, coping mechanisms
which we use daily and cherish as 'wanted'

Cast your soft eyes upon them both
they comprise the sum total of your Self
A kaleidoscope of multicolours & multilayers
of a soul that's trying to piece itself
together to make a Big Picture

Take a long look at the whole panoramic view
of the landscape within
If you only wish to keep the 'good' parts
the healthy bits, the acceptable pieces
Then you are missing half of the Whole

Take the unwanted blocks
and join them with, connect them to
all the other blocks that frame your conscious mind
Let them touch each other ~ You'll find
at first the jagged edges scratch and chafe
but soon they will fall/fit together naturally
Especially when viewed from a high distance

For they all belong, every single one
co-energising and sharing power
Each paying tribute
to the masterpiece that we are ­ One
total being: a mosaic of Together-Joy
entwined synergistically
for optimum understanding and
mature personal Growth
in the Whole Person
We are meant to be

© 2002 Stella Raymonde Savoie-Johnson
stellaraymonde@...

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Keep The Focus On You*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Hopelessly Drunk

I was a hopeless drunk
My whole life was sunk
I drank from morning until late at night
Most folks who knew me
Knew I was not right
I held a job
That supplied my money
My life was really shot
So far from funny
Hopelessly
Drunk
From
Day
To
Day
I had nothing left
That I could sell that day
I owed everyone
I had to pay
An
Pay
Low living
At a high cost
I lived a life
That truly
Was lost
I had
No direction
In which to go
No idea how to let go
The day came when my life
Came tumbling down
I had no friends
Who would
Come around
On the streets
With no where to go
I shivered at night under the bridge
I cried out to God oh please help me today
About that time a man came walking my way
He smiled as he offered me the hand of AA
Today I am free by the grace of God
My life is getting better
Nothing is to hard
I owe it to God
For His helping hand
Recovery is one life
Today I truly
Understand

Daniel M Corkery
7/17/2001
DMCDREAMER1@...
DMCDREAMER's Page of Poetry
<http://www.geocities.com/dmcdreamer/>

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Let God and Let Go*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Some flowers grow best in the sun;
others do well in the shade.
God plants us where we grow best.
Unknown

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Come*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Forgiveness is a funny thing.
It warms the heart and cools the sting.
Those who cannot forgive others
break the bridge over which they themselves must pass.
Confucius (551 - 479 B.C.) Chinese philosopher

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Come To*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

No one on the planet will ever have
exactly the mix of the people in their lives that you do.
No one else has the assignment to touch those particular people with love.
You have been given a divine purpose that no one else can fulfill.
We can do a hundred other things but if we don't do this one thing,
at the end, it will be as if we have done nothing at all.
Mary Manin Morrissey

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Come To Believe*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"When you've got one foot in yesterday,
and the other in tomorrow,
all you can do is piss on today."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Look For The Beauty*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"You can't direct the wind,
but you can adjust the sails."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Today Is A Gift*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"An expectation is a premeditated resentment."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Keep Stepping*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Work to become rather than acquire."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Stay In The Light*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

We can choose to see life as a series of trials and tribulations,
or we can choose to see life as an accumulation of treasures.
Author Unknown

*~*~*~*~*~*~*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
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"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
YOUnMEnHP@...

"12 Step Soul Food for the Spirit" is intended to give readers ,
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who still suffers. A spiritual adventure, a journey inwards this
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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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~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*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/

Clutterer¹s 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 forŠ
www.debtorsanonymous.org/

Dual Recovery Anonymous - a 12 Step program
www.draonline.org/

Eating Disorders Anonymous
www.eatingdisordersanonymous.org/

Emotions Anonymous
www.emotionsanonymous.org/

Families Anonymous
www.familiesanonymous.org/

Gamblers Anonymous Official Home Page
www.gamblersanonymous.org/

Hepatitis C Anonymous
www.hcvanonymous.com/

HIV Anonymous
www.hivanonymous.com/

The Marijuana Anonymous
www.marijuana-anonymous.org/

Methadone Anonymous
www.afirmfwc.org/methanon.htm

Narcotics Anonymous Official  Homepage
www.na.org/

Earth Group N.A. online meetings
www.earthgroupna.org/

Nar-Anon is a family support group
www.naranon.com/

Nicotine Anonymous (WWW Home Page) NA Home Page
www.nicotine-anonymous.org

Overeaters Anonymous
www.oa.org/

Parents Anonymous
www.parentsanonymous.org/paIndex1.htm

Rape Survivors Anonymous
www.rsaws.org/

Recovering Couples Anonymous
www.recovering-couples.org

Sex Addicts Anonymous
www.saa-recovery.org/

Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous
www.slaafws.org/

Shoplifters Anonymous
www.shopliftersanonymous.org/

Suicide Anonymous
www.geocities.com/samemphis/

Survivors Of Incest Anonymous
www.siawso.org/

Workaholics Anonymous
www.workaholics-anonymous.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.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/

Well I have finally decided to sit down and write about this.  I have thought this out and although I can sit here and say I am grateful to god and the program and for being clean I went a little further into my gratitude since I am suppose to come up with only three.  I could go into a million things that I am grateful for but here is my top three today and my reasoning behind it.  Now this may change in an hour or heck, five minutes from now, so I better get to typing quickly.

 

One thing I am most grateful for is the pain and devestation I have had in my life - Now this is an odd thing I thought, but without it I would not have had the personal and spiritual growth that I have experienced in my life today.  I would not be able to carry the message that I carry today.  I always wanted to help people even as a small child and I had to go through what I went through to get to where I am today.  I didn't understand that when I was there but I understand it today.  I would not be the person I am nor the journey that I am on today if I had not had the experiences that I had.  I don't want to go back to most of it, but I am grateful for the experiences because I don't believe that I would have become who I am without them, and I kind of like the person I am today, and I like the person I am becoming.  I continue to feel that pain and devestation everytime a newcomer walks in, everytime I walk into a jail, institution, or sometimes I feel it myself when things happen in my own life, but I always grow from it, learn from it and that is something I know is good for me, even though I don't always like it.  After it is over I am grateful for where it gets me.  Not that I want it or wish for it today, just that I am grateful that it is behind me today.

 

Secondly, I am grateful for all the messengers (angels) put in my life along the way and those that will be put in path that I haven't met yet.  You know those messengers, those people that gave me hope when I didn't have any, those people that said just the right thing when I couldn't think, or believed in me when I couldn't believe in myself, even the using addict that reminded me that I didn't want to be there anymore, the clean addict that showed me that this program worked, that one that sat next to me on that cold day in Virginia beach when I didn't think there was any hope that told me there was a solution and I believed her that day and all she was there for was five minutes, those people that carry the messages into the jails that I chose to listen to, that cashier that smiled at me when I thought nobody cared about me, that person that walked up to me my first time walking into the room and hugged me and said welcome.  You know those messengers, even those ones that sat on me when my ego got too big to see and told me about it.  That loved me enough to tell me to settle down.  The police man that arrested me, the judge that ordered me to treatment even though I didn't want to go.  My cellmate that pucked all over herself, my roommate who couldn't stop shaking, my other room mate that chose to stick a needle in her arm and OD.  THese were all messengers who God put in my path to show me something.  I am grateful for each and every one of them and wow, how could I forget, each and every one of you who take the time to email this lonely girl down here in Panama.  When I open the email and read a message of hope. 

 

And lastly, those little miracles that I use to take for granted, now I recognize the big miracles, like being clean on a daily basis, and being back in the cayuco again this year after breaking my back, those miracles are obvious to me.  But it is those little daily miracles that I forget to be grateful for.  Like when I get into a car and have a destination that isn't one of destruction.  I drive and let someone in instead of cutting them off, I have tolerance and patience instead of anger and resentments.  I go into the store and I am the one smiling at the cashier and giving her/him a reason to smile instead of a reason to call the police or manager.  I come home and have a decent conversation with my kids and they aren't afraid to be in the same room with me or checking me out to see if I am drunk or high.  They aren't asking me where have I been or where am I going.  They usually know.  I check my bank account and even though there is only 4.00 in it, it is okay, I can usually make it last.  I don't have to think about where I am going to steal money or con someone or manipulate someone.  I can actually go out and get a job and earn it.  I can call someone on the phone and they aren't afraid to talk to me because I usually want something from them, they are my friends today.  They WANT to talk to me.  I am invited places, people come to visit me and it isn't to cop drugs or something like that, it is to visit with me and for no other reason than that.  I go to my room to actually sleep, not to hide or isolate and my kids are welcomed to come in at any time.  These are the little miracles that I am talking about.   I took a shower today, wow, isn't that a big one.  People hugging me, boy isn't that cool. 

 

ANyways, I could go on about the little miracles, but the  miracle is that I could think of these gratitudes and write about them and have this smile on my face while writing them.

 

So I wrote it and I could go on and on, but we will let this go for now.

 

I am most grateful for though is that I have dreams today, and  some of them are actually coming true. 

 

Love in recovery

Becki

 

Love in recovery
Becki

---

Yahoo! for Good - Make a difference this year.

I know it's last week's topic now, but since nobody has shared on the current week's topic yet and I really wanted to write something about it, here goes!

1 - I am not the same person I was 11 1/2 years ago.  I smile, cry and hug.  I don't have to be right all the time and I don't have to be perfect.  I don't have to convince you that you are wrong - even if you are!  I don't always have to have my way.  I don't purposely trip little kids at the mall or deliberately ignore store clerks just to be rude.  I haven't hit anyone or flown into a rage in 8 years or so.  I can disagree in a relatively normal tone of voice (rather than screaming at the top of my lungs wherever we were.)  I don't have to do or say something just because I think about it.  I can work through conflict in a relationship rather than just ignoring it or running away and putting a big "X" through your name.  I spend my time trying to help other people rather than see how much I can get for ME.  I don't have to "borrow" money from Mommy to pay my bills and my credit card bills are still paid in full every month.  I can allow other people to help me rather than try to MAKE everything ok myself.  I don't have to know how everything is going to turn out RIGHT NOW - I can just do the next right thing and trust that my HP is going to take care of me and that things will work out EXACTLY as they are supposed to and I will be OK.  I understand that other people have feelings and I can hurt their feelings if I'm not careful - that took me close to a year to figure out.  I'm still not real good at figuring out exactly what I'm feeling, but at least I can pick it out if it's a multiple choice question!

2 - I have learned tools to cope with living "life on life's terms" without using.  Going to meetings, talking with other recovering addicts BEFORE I make major (or even sometimes minor) decisions, reading the literature, praying to my HP, writing, practicing spiritual principles in all my affairs, doing those things that I really DON'T want to but I know I NEED to, allowing other people to help me, sharing when I want to use or hurt someone, working steps, being of service - all those things (and more, I'm sure) have helped me be able to go to sleep at night without having to "take something" and without having to come up with excuses for the next day for what I did today.

3 - I finally have a place where I feel like I belong.  Growing up I always felt like I was totally different - from another planet maybe - and that nobody else could possibly understand what was going on with me.  In my last job I traveled about 35%, and have been to meetings in Toronto, Canada; London, England; Paris, France; Edinborough, Scotland; Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Rockford, IL; Des Moines, IA; Toledo, Port Clinton, Dayton and Mansfield, OH; Detroit, MI; Philadelphia, Reading and Lancaster, PA; Louisville, KY; Clearwater and Jacksonville FL; St Louis, MO; New Orleans, LA; Atlanta and Augusta, GA; Baltimore, MD; Camden,NJ; and various places in North and South Carolina - not to mention the places I couldn't attend meetings because I couldn't find them, I got there and I was the only one, or there weren't any meetings available (plus the ones I just can't remember right now!)  I have also attended many conventions.  Every meeting was different (especially the one in Paris where they spoke French) and in a majority of the meetings nobody had ever seen me before, but I just did the same things that I did at home - come early, stay late, go up and hug people and introduce myself, share at the meeting if I needed to, and ask if anyone was going out after the meeting for coffee or food.   Even though I had never met the people, I found out they were all just like me!  I always feel better after a meeting, but it's just indescribable how it feels to go out to eat with people in a foreign country that you've only known for 1 hour and have one of them ask if you will come to their homegroup tomorrow and share your story, plus people have given me rides back to my hotel, invited me over to their home for steak and a movie, given me their number and we have talked like we've known each other for years, etc.  I used to mention to my old boss (who didn't know I was in recovery) that I was hanging out with friends over the weekend (wherever I was staying) and he said, "You sure have lots of friends!"  YEP - just some of them I've never met!

Well this sharing is pretty long, but at least I got it narrowed down to 3 things;-)

Take care!

Dawn H

Charlotte, NC

9-22-94

(((Dawn))) a BIG hug to you
That was a GREAT share
Thanks for your honesty
I got a good shot of hope from this !!!!
Stay in the Light,
In loving service,
Scott H. from N.Y. ~ cleandate 10/27/88
YOUnMEnHP@...     

       ==  ==      "we are each of us angels
     <^\()/\()/^>       with but one wing,  
      \/  \/  \/       and can only fly by
       /  \/  \        embracing each other"
       `""``""`

For the daily recovery email please visit me at:
<http://groups-beta.google.com/group/12-Step-Soul-Food-for-the-Spirit>

For the daily recovery email please visit me at:
<http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/12StepSoulFoodForTheSpirit/>

For the weekly topic meeting please visit me at:
<http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/twelvestepsoulfood4thespirit/>

---

From: Dawn H <newatthis28241@...>
Reply-To: <twelvestepsoulfood4thespirit@yahoogroups.com>
Date: Mon, 02 Jan 2006 03:18:44 -0500
To: <twelvestepsoulfood4thespirit@yahoogroups.com>
Subject: RE: [TwelveStepSoulFood4 theSpirit] Weekly topic - three things I'm grateful for

I know it's last week's topic now, but since nobody has shared on the current week's topic yet and I really wanted to write something about it, here goes!

1 - I am not the same person I was 11 1/2 years ago.  I smile, cry and hug.  I don't have to be right all the time and I don't have to be perfect.  I don't have to convince you that you are wrong - even if you are!  I don't always have to have my way.  I don't purposely trip little kids at the mall or deliberately ignore store clerks just to be rude.  I haven't hit anyone or flown into a rage in 8 years or so.  I can disagree in a relatively normal tone of voice (rather than screaming at the top of my lungs wherever we were.)  I don't have to do or say something just because I think about it.  I can work through conflict in a relationship rather than just ignoring it or running away and putting a big "X" through your name.  I spend my time trying to help other people rather than see how much I can get for ME.  I don't have to "borrow" money from Mommy to pay my bills and my credit card bills are still paid in full every month.  I can allow other people to help me rather than try to MAKE everything ok myself.  I don't have to know how everything is going to turn out RIGHT NOW - I can just do the next right thing and trust that my HP is going to take care of me and that things will work out EXACTLY as they are supposed to and I will be OK.  I understand that other people have feelings and I can hurt their feelings if I'm not careful - that took me close to a year to figure out.  I'm still not real good at figuring out exactly what I'm feeling, but at least I can pick it out if it's a multiple choice question!

2 - I have learned tools to cope with living "life on life's terms" without using.  Going to meetings, talking with other recovering addicts BEFORE I make major (or even sometimes minor) decisions, reading the literature, praying to my HP, writing, practicing spiritual principles in all my affairs, doing those things that I really DON'T want to but I know I NEED to, allowing other people to help me, sharing when I want to use or hurt someone, working steps, being of service - all those things (and more, I'm sure) have helped me be able to go to sleep at night without having to "take something" and without having to come up with excuses for the next day for what I did today.

3 - I finally have a place where I feel like I belong.  Growing up I always felt like I was totally different - from another planet maybe - and that nobody else could possibly understand what was going on with me.  In my last job I traveled about 35%, and have been to meetings in Toronto, Canada; London, England; Paris, France; Edinborough, Scotland; Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Rockford, IL; Des Moines, IA; Toledo, Port Clinton, Dayton and Mansfield, OH; Detroit, MI; Philadelphia, Reading and Lancaster, PA; Louisville, KY; Clearwater and Jacksonville FL; St Louis, MO; New Orleans, LA; Atlanta and Augusta, GA; Baltimore, MD; Camden,NJ; and various places in North and South Carolina - not to mention the places I couldn't attend meetings because I couldn't find them, I got there and I was the only one, or there weren't any meetings available (plus the ones I just can't remember right now!)  I have also attended many conventions.  Every meeting was different (especially the one in Paris where they spoke French) and in a majority of the meetings nobody had ever seen me before, but I just did the same things that I did at home - come early, stay late, go up and hug people and introduce myself, share at the meeting if I needed to, and ask if anyone was going out after the meeting for coffee or food.   Even though I had never met the people, I found out they were all just like me!  I always feel better after a meeting, but it's just indescribable how it feels to go out to eat with people in a foreign country that you've only known for 1 hour and have one of them ask if you will come to their homegroup tomorrow and share your story, plus people have given me rides back to my hotel, invited me over to their home for steak and a movie, given me their number and we have talked like we've known each other for years, etc.  I used to mention to my old boss (who didn't know I was in recovery) that I was hanging out with friends over the weekend (wherever I was staying) and he said, "You sure have lots of friends!"  YEP - just some of them I've never met!

Well this sharing is pretty long, but at least I got it narrowed down to 3 things;-)

Take care!

Dawn H

Charlotte, NC

9-22-94


As you are aware of, this is a fairly busy list, with lots of emails each day.  I know a lot of people can be overwhelmed by the amount of emails they receive on lists and it can make you want to unsubscribe.

To help make your life easier (and less stressful) there are options for your group mail.

1.You can pick to read on the 'web only'...you get NO emails to your email program, you simply login to yahoo at http://groups.yahoo.com/mygroups and click on the group that you want to read, then you would click on "messages" in the sidebar on the left.

2.You can subscribe as 'daily digest'.  With this option, you get one or two emails daily, which include all the emails to the group, you just get to read them in bunches instead of individually. Also there are no graphics or pictures.

To choose either of these options, you go to your groups page at http://groups.yahoo.com/mygroups , then click "edit my groups" on the on title bar, then under "message delivery" there will be a drop down list, click on the checkmark and it will show your options.. you can choose:

individual emails

daily digest

special notices- web only but you will get special notices to your inbox.

no email - read on the site only.

Its as simple as that.

Make sure you click on 'save changes' at the bottom of the page and you can exit.

If you ever need any help, Im an email away. I can also help you set up your mail delivery settings.


In loving service,
Scott
YOUnMEnHP@...

 
 
 

---

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---

Greetings everyone- Thats about as simple as I have to keep it- all I have is this day,this moment,anything more than that and "I" always seem to get in the way  I think about so many of you often and how much support I always received here..just the right people with just the right information at just the right time...

I was reflecting about my last New Years 'out there',

 I walked into the bar and ordered the bartender to set me up with 6 drinks and 6 shots. I chugged them all down and asked him to set me up with 6 more. He made a comment about how quickly I had put down the first round to which I replyed, "If you had what I have, you'd drink this way too!" "What's that?", he asked,                                                    "Two bucks!", I replied.

Seriously though good people, I have never had it so good. There have been too many life changes to mention since I posted here last;I moved to a great new apartment,bright and sunny with an eye to eye with the birds in the sky... I am an avid birdwatcher..(hey I even saw a bald eagle soar past my kitchen window one day- and the amazing thing was probably that it really DID exist), I invited my pregnant daughter and my sweet 6yr old granddaughter who were struggling, to come back home with me and get a fresh start. at first I thought, hmmm there goes my peace and quiet, but as a dear friend pointed out,"Michelle, you get your peace when you look in on them at night and see them sleeping peacefully in a warm bed with food in their bellies and love into their souls"...perspective huh?  I've taken on some new service commitments and meeting changes,which set me out of the comfort zone but opened doors to get to know more good people,just like yourselves. My relationships with others have gotten deeper and more meaningful, I have an awesome partner who treats me like a lady with dignity,honor and respect (and we have a lot of fun!), all as a direct result of LIVING sober. I have a new job which is progressing quite nicely. I am out 'in the field' more and really haven't much time to get online,other than to read the daily readings each morning before I set out on the day *(Thank you, Scott!)*   whew, these are just a few of the higher points, and yes, there have been some difficult lessons in there, but the bottom line is, I haven't found it necessary to pick up a drink, drug, cupcake, credit card, relationship,drama, etc to get out of me in a very long time now. I owe this all to the fellowship and the Program of Alcoholics Anonymous. All of the Promises continue to come true in my life everyday and I want MORE hehe. This thing works when we Live it.

Be true to yourselves and as Scott says,"Stay in the Light"  In Love and Light,

Michelle (aka grace)

•  Visit your group "twelvestepsoulfood4thespirit" on the web.
   
•  To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
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H and I
www.recoverycartoons.com/html/fav2003/h&i.html

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*LAUGHTER Is HEALING*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The weekly meeting topic is:
"My sponsor told me to begin this New Year by taking my inventory
of relationships, attitudes and behaviors, to see if there is anything
that is no longer working for me that I choose to let go of.
Is there anything that you are going to let go of?
What is it that is no longer appropriate for you?"

This is a DIFFERENT Yahoo Club you MUST join this club in order to
participate otherwise your emails will bounce

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 is a SLAMMING, STRONG support group with
a whole lot of EXPERIENCE, LOVE and HOPE that is available to you.
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 :)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Please Be There For The Newcomers*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

January 2
I am beginning to trust myself.
I am beginning to discover that I am okay.
written by ~ Ruth Fishel
"Time for Joy"
Check out Ruth's 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*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Inside Today

There was a void inside of me
I tried to fill it I was not free
More was all my addiction knew
Deeper and deeper my void grew
There was no such thing as only one
Using for me was no longer fun
I was lost and so confused
So full of doubt
I had used everything
I just could not get out
Lonely and so all alone
The City streets had become my home
God help me was all I could say
I checked in the mission one cold day
That is where I had made first meeting you see
By Gods grace I was now free
The beat goes on in recovery
I will never forget those wasted days
I did not want to return
So with Gods help
I had changed my ways
Today I walk in Gods grace
Finally at last I understand
I am not perfect I am just a man
Today progress is what I see in recovery
This is the path I use to stay free
I live my program inside of today
From this path I will not stray

Daniel M Corkery
8/19/2002
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*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Anyone may join us: building a truly diverse fellowship
N.A. Way Magazine 6/1998
www.na.org/naway/en/naway4-e-4.htm#diverse

The 12 Steps and Principles
www.geocities.com/HotSprings/Spa/8183/principles.html

Awakening to Principles
www.sober.org/Principl.html

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Make A Meeting*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Just For Today
January 2                       Take a deep breath and talk to God

"Sometimes when we pray, a remarkable thing happens: We find the
means, ways, and energies to perform tasks far beyond our capacities."
    Basic Text p. 44

  Coping successfully with life's minor annoyances and frustrations is
sometimes the most difficult skill we have to learn in recovery. We are
faced with small inconveniences daily. From untangling the knots in our
children's shoelaces to standing in line at the market, our days are
filled with minor difficulties that we must somehow deal with.

  If we're not careful, we may find ourselves dealing with these
difficulties by bullying our way through each problem or grinding our
teeth while giving ourselves a stern lecture about how we should handle
them. These are extreme examples of poor coping skills, but even if
we're not this bad there's probably room for improvement.

  Each time life presents us with another little setback to our daily plans,
we can simply take a deep breath and talk to the God of our
understanding. Knowing we can draw patience, tolerance, or whatever we
need from that Power, we find ourselves coping better and smiling more
often.

Just for today: I will take a deep breath and talk to my God whenever
I feel frustrated.

Just For Today Daily Meditation is the property of Narcotics Anonymous ©
1991 by World Service Office Inc.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Get Involved In Service*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

If you are enjoying this daily recovery email,
Please pass on 12 Step Soul Food For The Spirit to your online friends,
"We can only keep what we have by giving it away."
If you have received this as a forward
and  would like to subscribe please email
me at YOUnMEnHP@...
Thanks, In loving service, Scott :)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Get A 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/January.html

NEED HELP Pick a topic Daily Meditation
www.hazelden.org/servlet/hazelden/thoughts/search.html

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Use Your Sponsor*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

LOVE WITH NO PRICE TAG

When the Twelfth Step is seen in its full implication, it is really talking
about the kind of love that has no price tag on it.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p.  106

  In order for me to start working the Twelfth Step, I had to work on
sincerity, honesty, and to learn to act with humility.  Carrying the
message is a gift of myself, no matter how many years of sobriety I may
have accumulated.  My dreams can become reality.  I solidify my sobriety by
sharing what I have received freely.  As I look back to that time when I
began my recovery, there was already a seed of hope that I could help
another drunk pull himself out of his alcoholic mire.  My wish to help
another drunk is the key to my spiritual health.  But I never forget that
God acts through me.  I am only His instrument.

Even if the other person is not ready, there is success, because my effort
in his behalf has helped me to remain sober and to become stronger.  To
act, to never grow weary in my Twelfth Step work, is the key.  If I am
capable of laughing today, let me not forget those days when I cried.  God
reminds me that I can feel compassion!

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
Daily Reflection In Loving Memory Of Scott Reeves

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Be A Sponsor*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Twenty-Four Hours A Day by Hazelden/ January 2nd

A.A. Thought for the Day

What makes A.A. work?  The first thing is to have a
revulsion against myself and my way of living.  Then
I must admit I was helpless, that alcohol had me
licked and I couldn't do anything about it.  The next
thing is to honestly want to quit the old life.  Then
I must surrender my life to a Higher Power, put my
drinking problem in His hands and leave it there.
After these things are done, I should attend meetings
regularly for fellowship and sharing.  I should also try
to help other alcoholics.  Am I doing these things?

Meditation for the Day

You are so made that you can only carry the weight of
twenty-four hours, no more.  If you weigh yourself
down with the years behind and the days ahead, your
back breaks.  God has promised to help with the
burdens of the day only.  If you are foolish enough
to gather again that burden of the past and carry it,
then indeed you cannot expect God to help you bear it.
So forget that which lies behind you and breathe in the
blessing of each new day.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may realize that, for good or bad, past
days have ended.  I pray that I may face each new day,
the coming twenty-four hours, with hope and courage.

"Twenty-Four Hours A Day" is a © Copyrighted book of
Hazelden Foundation.  No portion of this publication may
be reproduced in any manner without the written
permission of Hazelden.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Work The Steps*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Today's Thought
JANUARY 02

You are reading from the book The Language of Letting Go.
Melody Beattie ©

Healthy Limits

Boundaries are vital to recovery. Having and setting healthy limits' is
connected to all phases of recovery: growing in self esteem, dealing with
feelings, and learning to really love and value ourselves.

Boundaries emerge from deep within. They are connected to letting go of
guilt and shame, and to changing our beliefs about what we deserve. As our
thinking about this becomes dearer, so will our boundaries.

Boundaries are also connected to a Higher Timing than our own. We'll set a
limit when we're ready, and not a moment before. So will others.

There's something magical about reaching that point of becoming ready to set
a limit. We know we mean what we say; others take us seriously too. Things
change, not because we're controlling others, but because we've changed.

Today, I will trust that I will learn, grow, and set the limits I need in my
life at my own pace. This timing need only be right for me.

©1990, Hazelden Foundation. All rights reserved. No portion of this
publication may be reproduced in any manner without the written permission
of the publisher.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*You Are A Miracle*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Your Life as a Mystery School
www.lightworks.com/MonthlyAspectarian/2000/December/feature1.htm

Links to Writing and Journaling
www.soulfulliving.com/linkcategories_first.htm#journaling

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Keep It Simple*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Does Perfect Love Exist?
by Cynthia Legette Davis

Most of us long for relationships in which we are loved and accepted just
the way we are. Our hearts' desire is to give and receive love in
relationships that make us feel that even if others disagree with what we do
or say, they still love us. They accept us. They appreciate our
contributions to the world. While it would be wonderful to have these types
of relationships with all people, we know that that's hard to do. We can,
however, have them with some others, but only when we first have them with
ourselves-and, ironically, this is often the hardest relationship of all.

One of the reasons many of us find it hard to love ourselves is because we
do not realize that we are already loved in the most divine way. God loves
us, totally and unconditionally. It's hard for many of us to believe this
fact because we know how imperfect we are, and we believe we have to be
perfect before God will love us. The truth is that God's love makes us
perfect, even with our imperfections. By knowing this truth intellectually
and believing it spiritually, we not only love ourselves more; we love
others more as well.

Do you love yourself? You may think you do, but do you really? There's only
one way to find out-by taking a closer look at what you think, say, and do.
You may not like some of what you find, but if you're serious about really
loving yourself, you can use this insight to do some positive inner work.

Here are three ways I've found for gaining greater personal insight for
deeper love.

1. Listen to your words and listen even more closely to your thoughts. Why?
Because your words and your thoughts will determine your actions. One of the
things that has helped me to listen to my thoughts has been to keep a
journal. It is not necessary for you to write in it everyday, but it helps
to record various insights you gain as you go about living your life.
Instead of using a big notebook, you might use a small note pad that you can
keep in your purse or pocket for easy access to record your thoughts as they
occur to you. (I've found that if I don't immediately write down ideas and
insights as they come, it's hard to remember them later, at least with the
same degree of clarity.) Whichever method you choose, what's most important
is that you write your thoughts down. It will help you know what's in your
heart.

2. Be honest with yourself by paying attention to your actions. Actions
speak louder than words, and they always tell the truth. What do your
actions say about you? If you say you love your job, but your actions say
otherwise, which do you think is more true - your words or your actions? On
the other hand, if you say you're not good at a certain job, but your
actions say otherwise, that's also important. What do you do with this
insight? You can use it to make more beneficial choices in your life. By
being honest with yourself based on your previous actions, your actions
moving forward will be based on truth instead of just what you tell
yourself.

3. Take time out during the day for quiet time to listen to your inner
voice. I call this inner voice the voice of God. This is similar to point
number one, but it takes it a step further - beyond the natural mind to the
supernatural heart. You may want to use your quiet time to meditate or pray.
However you use this time, the key is to shut out all of the noise around
you by focusing deep within yourself. Breathing deeply during quiet time
will also help you focus. I know it's hard to find quiet time during a
particularly busy day, but it's so important - even if it's just 10 minutes
a day and you have to sneak away to get it. Quiet time can really make a
difference in your life. It enables you to hear God speaking to your heart
reminding you of His perfect love for you.

Despite what your subconscious may be telling you, you can have love with no
limits. The key is to unconditionally love yourself first.

About The Author
Cynthia Legette Davis is a writer, publisher, and speaker based in Columbia,
S.C. and is author of the recently published book, "Peace Be Still: Inner
Healing for Racial Harmony" (available at Amazon.com). She can be reached at
803-865-8955 or by email at clegettedavis@...

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*One Day At A Time*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Your Own True Colors

Each day you are here on Earth think of yourself as an artist with a piece
of bare canvas before you.  You are an accomplished artist, the creator of
this day and each and every day. In your hand you hold a palette rich in
color from which you will dip your brush into to paint the moments of your
day.  You may highlight, shade, shadow, or tint your colors.  You may mix
colors to form new colors.  All is allowed and accepted as long as you are
painting the colors of you.  If you feel happy, loving, relieved, upset,
overjoyed, appreciated, relaxed, depressed, fearful, jealous, lonely, elated
then paint those exact colors on your canvas.  Once you allow the colors to
show themselves, you can allow them to stay if they are pleasing to your
eye.

   If you do not feel comfortable looking at your colors then it may be time
to change or create a new canvas, begin anew.  You are the artist.  You can
create a new design at any moment.  If you honestly allow yourself the right
to paint your true colors you will not make a mistake.  Paint your canvas
for you and you alone first.  For it is then that the brush will allow you
to see your own true colors.

Joan

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*First Things First*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

THANKS JIMMY K.
(Founder of Narcotics Anonymous)

Words cannot express or even begin to convey
the depth of gratitude that I have in my life today.

If I could write a song it would be for N.A. and Jimmy K.
to God and to teachers who showed me the way.

Just to have a life is truly a marvelous thing.
I am grateful to be alive, grateful to be clean.

Just for today would be the song
I would want to sing.

Peace, Love & Light.
Dennis T.
dennis9817@...

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Easy Does It*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

High Praise for the Charm of Recovering Alcoholics
  By Fulton Oursler

  There are times when I wish I were an alcoholic. I mean I wish I
were a member of Alcoholics Anonymous. The reason is that I
consider the AA people the most charming in the world.

   Such is my considered opinion. As a journalist, it has been my
privilege to meet many people who are considered charming. I
number among my friends stars and lesser lights on stage and
cinema; writers are my daily diet; I know ladies and gentlemen of
both political parties; I have been entertained in the White House;
I've broken bread with kings, ambassadors and ministers; and I say
that I would prefer an evening with my AA friends to any person I've
indicated.

   I asked myself why I considered so charming these alcoholic
caterpillars who have found their butterfly wings in AA. There are
more reasons than one, but I can name a few. The AA people are
what they are, and they are what they were, because they are
sensitive, imaginative, possessed of a sense of humor, an
awareness of the universal truth. They are sensitive, which means
they are hurt easily, and that helped them become alcoholics. But
when they found their restoration they are as sensitive as ever;
responsive to the beauty and the truth and eager about the
intangible glories of this life. That makes them charming
companions.

   They are possessed of a sense of universal truth, that is often new
in their heart. This fact that this at-one moment with God's universe
had never been awakened within them is the reason they drink.
They have found a power greater than themselves which they
diligently serve. And that gives them a charm that never was
elsewhere on the land and sea; it makes you know that God is
charming, because the AA people reflect his mercy and
forgiveness.

   They are imaginative, and that helped make them alcoholics. Some
of them drank to flog their imaginations onto greater efforts. Others
guzzled only to block out unendurable visions that arose in their
imaginations. But when they found their restorations, their
imagination is responsive to new incantations and their talk
abounds with color and might, and that makes them charming
companions, too.

   They are possessed a sense of humor. Even in their cups they
have known to be damnably funny. Often it was being forced to
take seriously the little and mean things of life that made them
seek their escape in the bottle. But when they found their
restoration, their sense of humor finds a blessed freedom and they
are able to laugh at themselves, the very height of self-conquest.
Go to their meetings and listen to their laughter. At what are they
laughing? At ghoulish memories over which weaker souls would
cringe in useless remorse. And that makes them wonderful people
to be with by candlelight.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Live And Let Live*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Our Differences

There¹s contrast in our midst
Nature sports myriad opposites
living in harmonious juxtaposition

We embrace that daily:
Subtle changes thrive in seasons
weather and growth patterns
in the universe we inhabit, live and love in

Yet our so-limited minds prompt us
to balk at our own innate differences
as if they were invading viruses to
eradicate at all costs

I am different
You are different
In each of us thrive opposing forces
of will, of intention, of dreams, of desires...

If we refuse to live in harmony
we are only refusing our own selves
Dualistic and multilistic natures
cohabit successfully elsewhere on this planet

Why must we think to be one thing
and refuse to change from the template
we have erroneously created for ourselves?

We are not as permanently solid
as we like to think we are
How rigid
Security in constancy is a fallacy
that hurts more than helps us
We are fluid beings: we grow and flow
into and out of, constantly

Allow the unknown a welcome spot
near your hearth
Invite the different over for supper
sometime next week
Pay homage to a new idea
Let two contrasting points of view
settle in, and disregard
all insistence from anxiety to invite itself along

See what other souls wear in their leisure time
It might just be
what you¹ve been searching for

© 2002 Stella Raymonde Savoie-Johnson

With Love & Blessings
Stella
stellaraymonde@...

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Keep The Focus On You*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

You might not know what you lost before it's gone.
On the other hand you might not know what you're missing until it arrives.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Let God and Let Go*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

You were put here with something special inside you:
the ability to contact Spirit within.
John-Roger

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Come*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Only love is real. Nothing else exists.
Marianne Williamson ACIM

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Come To*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

When we want to watch a different movie,
we change the movie in the projector
rather than try to change what's on the screen.
And the screen of our lives, our experience,
is exactly the projection of what is going on within us,
no matter how it looks like it's somebody else.
As soon as our perception changes, even though someone else may be
doing exactly the same thing, our experience changes.
That shift in perception must bring a shift in our experience,
because our experience can only be the out picturing of the mind.
That is the nature of creation.
Today, look within for a change of perception.
Mary Manin Morrissey

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Come To Believe*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

If I could drink socially,
I'd get drunk every night!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Look For The Beauty*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

What other people think of you
is none of your damn business!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Today Is A Gift*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Having a resentment is like drinking poison
and waiting for the other person to die.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Keep Stepping*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

We are attracted to people
who share in our growth and progress,
and we lose interest in those who don't.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Stay In The Light*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

You spot it,
You got 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
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:

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or
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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/

Clutterer¹s 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 forŠ
www.debtorsanonymous.org/

Dual Recovery Anonymous - a 12 Step program
www.draonline.org/

Eating Disorders Anonymous
www.eatingdisordersanonymous.org/

Emotions Anonymous
www.emotionsanonymous.org/

Families Anonymous
www.familiesanonymous.org/

Gamblers Anonymous Official Home Page
www.gamblersanonymous.org/

Hepatitis C Anonymous
www.hcvanonymous.com/

HIV Anonymous
www.hivanonymous.com/

The Marijuana Anonymous
www.marijuana-anonymous.org/

Methadone Anonymous
www.afirmfwc.org/methanon.htm

Narcotics Anonymous Official  Homepage
www.na.org/

Earth Group N.A. online meetings
www.earthgroupna.org/

Nar-Anon is a family support group
www.naranon.com/

Nicotine Anonymous (WWW Home Page) NA Home Page
www.nicotine-anonymous.org

Overeaters Anonymous
www.oa.org/

Parents Anonymous
www.parentsanonymous.org/paIndex1.htm

Rape Survivors Anonymous
www.rsaws.org/

Recovering Couples Anonymous
www.recovering-couples.org

Sex Addicts Anonymous
www.saa-recovery.org/

Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous
www.slaafws.org/

Shoplifters Anonymous
www.shopliftersanonymous.org/

Suicide Anonymous
www.geocities.com/samemphis/

Survivors Of Incest Anonymous
www.siawso.org/

Workaholics Anonymous
www.workaholics-anonymous.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.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/

How could I forget?! Congratulations!!! and a great BIG hug n a smooch to you, sweet Anna on your first year anniversary of this amazing new life. "You've come a long way baby!"

Much love and Light always- 'grace'

Greetings everyone- Thats about as simple as I have to keep it- all I have is this day,this moment,anything more than that and "I" always seem to get in the way  I think about so many of you often and how much support I always received here..just the right people with just the right information at just the right time...

I was reflecting about my last New Years 'out there',

 I walked into the bar and ordered the bartender to set me up with 6 drinks and 6 shots. I chugged them all down and asked him to set me up with 6 more. He made a comment about how quickly I had put down the first round to which I replyed, "If you had what I have, you'd drink this way too!" "What's that?", he asked,                                                    "Two bucks!", I replied.

Seriously though good people, I have never had it so good. There have been too many life changes to mention since I posted here last;I moved to a great new apartment,bright and sunny with an eye to eye with the birds in the sky... I am an avid birdwatcher..(hey I even saw a bald eagle soar past my kitchen window one day- and the amazing thing was probably that it really DID exist), I invited my pregnant daughter and my sweet 6yr old granddaughter who were struggling, to come back home with me and get a fresh start. at first I thought, hmmm there goes my peace and quiet, but as a dear friend pointed out,"Michelle, you get your peace when you look in on them at night and see them sleeping peacefully in a warm bed with food in their bellies and love into their souls"...perspective huh?  I've taken on some new service commitments and meeting changes,which set me out of the comfort zone but opened doors to get to know more good people,just like yourselves. My relationships with others have gotten deeper and more meaningful, I have an awesome partner who treats me like a lady with dignity,honor and respect (and we have a lot of fun!), all as a direct result of LIVING sober. I have a new job which is progressing quite nicely. I am out 'in the field' more and really haven't much time to get online,other than to read the daily readings each morning before I set out on the day *(Thank you, Scott!)*   whew, these are just a few of the higher points, and yes, there have been some difficult lessons in there, but the bottom line is, I haven't found it necessary to pick up a drink, drug, cupcake, credit card, relationship,drama, etc to get out of me in a very long time now. I owe this all to the fellowship and the Program of Alcoholics Anonymous. All of the Promises continue to come true in my life everyday and I want MORE hehe. This thing works when we Live it.

Be true to yourselves and as Scott says,"Stay in the Light"  In Love and Light,

Michelle (aka grace)

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•  
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•  
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•  
• To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
• twelvestepsoulfood4thespirit-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com <mailto:twelvestepsoulfood4thespirit-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com?subject=Unsubscribe>
•  
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Treatment
www.recoverycartoons.com/html/fav2003/treatment2.html

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*LAUGHTER Is HEALING*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The weekly meeting topic is:
"My sponsor told me to begin this New Year by taking my inventory
of relationships, attitudes and behaviors, to see if there is anything
that is no longer working for me that I choose to let go of.
Is there anything that you are going to let go of?
What is it that is no longer appropriate for you?"

to share please visit
www.health.groups.yahoo.com/group/twelvestepsoulfood4thespirit/
or email
twelvestepsoulfood4thespirit@yahoogroups.com

This is a DIFFERENT Yahoo Club you MUST join this club in order to
participate otherwise your emails will bounce

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 is a SLAMMING, STRONG support group with
a whole lot of EXPERIENCE, LOVE and HOPE that is available to you.
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 :)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Please Be There For The Newcomers*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

January 1
Today I am on my spiritual path to recovery.
A NEW YEAR!
AND A HAPPY, PEACEFUL AND JOYOUS ONE FOR EVERYONE!
written by ~ Ruth Fishel
"Time for Joy"
Check out Ruth's 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*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

NOW

"I am breathing in
and I am breathing out.
There is no past or future.
There is only now.
I feel my breath filling my entire body
as it goes in.
I feel my entire body relaxing
as it goes out.
I am full
I am empty
There is only this moment.
Thoughts leave me
As I fully focus on my breath.
Fear and anxiety leave me
As I fully focus on my breath.
I feel peace flowing through my entire body
Inside and out.
In and out
As my breath comes in and goes out.
I am at peace
And this is my gift
As I send it out into the world."

© 2002 Ruth Fishel
spirithaven@...
www.spirithaven.com/

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*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*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

NA at the American Correctional Association Winter Conference
N.A. Way Magazine 6/1998
www.na.org/naway/en/naway4-e-4.htm#ACA

What's Your Grade?
www.josephtlair.com/rec101files/grade.htm

"Relationships" January 1
http://relationshipweb.com/odat/jan/jan1.htm

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Make A Meeting*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Just For Today
January 1                                          Vigilance

"We keep what we have only with vigilance..."    Basic Text, p. 57

  How do we remain vigilant about our recovery? First, by realizing that
we have a disease we will always have. No matter how long we've been
clean, no matter how much better our lives have become, no matter what
the extent of our spiritual healing, we are still addicts. Our disease waits
patiently, ready to spring the trap if we give it the opportunity.

  Vigilance is a daily accomplishment. We strive to be constantly alert and
ready to deal with signs of trouble. Not that we should live in irrational
fear that something horrible will possess us if we drop our guard for an
instant; we just take normal precautions. Daily prayer, regular meeting
attendance, and choosing not to compromise spiritual principles for the
easier way are acts of vigilance. We take inventory as necessary, share
with others whenever we are asked, and carefully nurture our recovery.
Above all, we stay aware.

  We have a daily reprieve from our addiction as long as we remain vigilant.
Each day, we carry the principles of recovery into all we do, and each
night, we thank our Higher Power for another day clean.

Just for today: I will be vigilant, doing everything necessary to guard my
recovery.

Just For Today Daily Meditation is the property of Narcotics Anonymous ©
1991 by World Service Office Inc.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Get Involved In Service*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

If you are enjoying this daily recovery email,
Please pass on 12 Step Soul Food For The Spirit to your online friends,
"We can only keep what we have by giving it away."
If you have received this as a forward
and  would like to subscribe please email
me at YOUnMEnHP@...
Thanks, In loving service, Scott :)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Get A 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/January.html

NEED HELP Pick a topic Daily Meditation
www.hazelden.org/servlet/hazelden/thoughts/search.html

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Use Your Sponsor*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

SERVICE

Life will take on new meaning. To watch people recover, to see them help
others, to watch loneliness vanish, to see a fellowship grow up about you,
to have a host of friends -- this is an experience you must not miss . . .
Frequent contact with newcomers and with each other is the bright spot of
our lives.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 89

It is through service that the greatest rewards are to be found.  But to be
in a position of offering true, useful and effective service to others, I
must first work on myself.  This means that I have to abandon myself to
God, admitting my faults and clearing away the wreckage of my past.  Work
on myself has taught me how to find the necessary peace and serenity to
successfully merge inspiration and experience.  I have learned how to be,
in the truest sense, an open channel of sobriety.

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Be A Sponsor*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Twenty-Four Hours A Day by Hazelden /January 1st

A.A. Thought for the Day

When I came into A.A., was I a desperate person?
Did I have a soul-sickness?  Was I so sick of myself
and my way of living that I couldn't stand looking at
myself in a mirror?  Was I ready for A.A.?  Was I
ready to try anything that would help me to get sober
and to get over my soul-sickness?  Should I ever
forget the condition I was in?

Meditation for the Day

In the new year, I will live one day at a time.  I will
make each day one of preparation for better things
ahead.  I will not dwell on the past or the future, only
on the present.  I will bury every fear of the future,
all thoughts of unkindness and bitterness, all my
dislikes, my resentments, my sense of failure, my
disappointments in others and in myself, my gloom and
my despondency.  I will leave all these things buried and
go forward, in this new year, into a new life.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that God will guide me one day at a time in the
new year.  I pray that for each day, God will supply the
wisdom and the strength that I need.

"Twenty-Four Hours A Day" is a © Copyrighted book of
Hazelden Foundation.  No portion of this publication may
be reproduced in any manner without the written
permission of Hazelden.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Work The Steps*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Today's Thought
JANUARY 01

You are reading from the book The Language of Letting Go.
Melody Beattie ©

The New Year

Make New Year's goals. Dig within, and discover what you would like to have
happen in your life this year. This helps you do your part. It is an
affirmation that you're interested in fully living life in the year to come.

Goals give us direction. They put a powerful force into play on a universal,
conscious, and subconscious level.

Goals give our life direction.

What would you like to have happen in your life this year? What would you
like to do, to accomplish? What good would you like to attract into your
life? What particular areas of growth would you like to have happen to you?
What blocks, or character defects, would you like to have removed?

What would you like to attain? Little things and big things? Where would you
like to go? What would you like to have happen in friendship and love? What
would you like to have happen in your family life?

Remember, we aren't controlling others with our goals - we are trying to
give direction to our life.

What problems would you like to see solved? What decisions would you like to
make? What would you like to happen in your career?

What would you like to see happen inside and around you?

Write it down. Take a piece of paper, a few hours of your time, and write it
all down - as an affirmation of you, your life, and your ability to choose.
Then let it go.

Certainly, things happen that are out of our control. Sometimes, these
events are pleasant surprises; sometimes, they are of another nature. But
they are all part of the chapter that will be this year in our life and will
lead us forward in the story.

The New Year stands before us, like a chapter in a book, waiting to be
written. We can help write that story by setting goals.

Today, I will remember that there is a powerful force motivated by writing
dawn goals. I will do that now, for the year to come, and regularly as
needed. I will do it not to control but to do my part in living my life

©1990, Hazelden Foundation. All rights reserved. No portion of this
publication may be reproduced in any manner without the written permission
of the publisher.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*You Are A Miracle*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The Pharaoh Chewed Juicy Fruit
www.lightworks.com/MonthlyAspectarian/2001/January/cohen.htm

  Links to The Soul at Work
www.soulfulliving.com/linkcategories_first.htm#work

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Keep It Simple*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Happy New Year!
by Marie T. Russell

Although the difference between Dec. 31st and January 1st is only one day,
our psyche measures it as a major milestone in our existence. It is good to
have a fresh start on January 1st... this gives us the needed motivation to
release our previous beliefs and behaviors. The energy of a new year is very
reassuring and helps us "turn the page" on what we no longer desire.

Just as businesses take inventory at the beginning or end of a year, so,
too, can we. When we take time to inventory our life, we reconnect with who
and what we are. By reflecting this way, it helps us to rediscover our
life's goals and aspirations. When you look at your goals and dreams, are
you on track? Are you meeting the goals you set? For example, you may have a
goal of being healthy and dynamic - yet, in practice, you primarily watch TV
and munch on fried and oily potato chips. There appears to be a dichotomy
between desire and practice. Taking an impartial look at our lives can be
very useful. I ask you not to judge or criticize yourself - simply observe.

This year, I am focusing on attaining peace - both within myself and with
others around me. Remember, we are the creators of the reality around us. By
focusing on peace, first within ourselves, next with everyone we meet, be
they family, friends, or people on the street, the world will begin
resonating to the same frequency. Additionally, we need to make peace with
the statesmen/women of this planet. If we spend time bemoaning the state of
the world, criticizing the behavior of our politicians, and becoming angry
at the defilement of Mother Earth, we cannot be at peace. Of major
importance is the fact that we are not contributing to the solution. Our
angry thoughts simply add fuel to the fire!

By saying this, I do not mean to suggest we bow down and allow things to
continue as they are. No! We need to take the necessary steps to redirect
the leadership on this planet - yet we must do it from an inner state of
peace, knowing that change is essential for the healing and continuation of
life on this planet. We must participate and make changes, but not from
anger, not from despair, not from impatience and judgment. We must
understand that everyone has been doing what they felt they needed to do.
Our role is to help others understand that there is a better, more peaceful,
loving, and healing way. It is the way of the peaceful warrior. We do not
lay down and let others trod over us and damage our beloved planet and its
inhabitants. Neither do we participate in the "game" of violence and
arrogance. If we adopt the same behavior as the aggressors, we have become
one of them.

We should constantly question our motives and direction. Are we moving
towards harmony and peace for all? Are we focusing on wanting a resolution
where everyone's highest good is being considered? Are we living from the
"me against them" perspective or from a knowledge that everyone is important
in the grand scheme of things? We must focus on peaceful resolutions, always
looking for the "highest" path, the path of love and where the Highest Good
of all emerges a "winner".

Living and working with others can be a very enlightening experience when we
realize that everyone is us - at some stage of our evolution. The person we
admire may be where we are headed, whereas, the one we judge and criticize
may be where we are, or where we have been - or perhaps they are portraying
someone from our past and we get to relive similar situations and
interactions so that we can heal our own behavior. The lesson is to learn to
heal - to deal with all situations in peace and objectivity, always looking
for the highest good for all concerned.

It's a new year! It's a new day! It's a new moment! Every moment is another
opportunity to raise our vibrations and thus contribute to raising the
vibration of the planet and all of its inhabitants. As every one of us
renounces fear and resentments, we are helping others up another step in the
ladder of life. We are not separate. Each of our actions, thoughts, and
desires resonate in the Universe to be "picked up" by others.

Now is the time to make sure that we contribute to the upliftment of
humanity. We are all in this together. Let's join forces (the forces of love
and peace) and create a better world. We are the leaders of the transition.
We are the ones who can make a difference - by our individual actions,
thoughts, and visions, and by our collective actions, thoughts, and visions.

Love is the key, and you are the gatekeeper who holds the key - love for
ourselves, for our neighbors, for those better off or worse off than we, for
everyone.

Open the door of your heart and let the Light & Love shine to yourself, to
others, and through you and all. Happy New Year!

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.
http://www.innerself.com


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*One Day At A Time*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A Thought For The New Year

God didn't promise days without pain, laughter
without sorrow, sun without rain, but He did
promise strength for the day, comfort for your
tears, and a light to shine your way.

Disappointments are like road humps, they
slow you down a bit but you enjoy the smooth
road afterwards. Don't stay on the humps too
long. Move on!

When you feel down because you didn't get
what you want, just sit tight and be happy,
because God has something better
to give you.

When something happens to you, good or bad
consider what it means. There's a purpose to
life's events, to teach you how to laugh more
or not to cry too hard.

You can't make someone love you, all you can
do is be someone who can be loved, the rest
is up to the person to realize your worth.

What the heart gives away is never gone. It is
kept in the hearts of others.

Remember that great love and great achievements
involve great risks.

Secure a special place in your heart.  A certain
place only you can enter. For there will come a
time when you need to find yourself and only your
heart will show you the way.

The measure of love is when you love without
measure.

In life there are very rare chances that you'll meet
the person you love and loves you in return. So
once you have it don't ever let go, the chance might
never come your way again.

It's better to lose your pride to the one you love,
than to lose the one you love because of pride.

We spend so much time looking for the right
person to love or finding fault with those we
already love, when instead we should be
perfecting the love we give.

When you truly care for someone, you don't
look for faults, and you overlook excuses.

Five rules to be happy:

1. Free your heart from hatred.
2. Free your mind from worries.
3. Live simply.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less.

God doesn't CALL the QUALIFIED,
He QUALIFIES the CALLED.
"There's no attainment, if there is no goal."

BE DIVINE

Author Unknown

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*First Things First*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

To leave the old with a burst of song;
To recall the right and forgive the wrong;
To forget the things that bind you fast
To the vain regrets of the year that's past;
To have the strength to let go your hold
Of the not worth while of the days grown old;
To dare go forth with a purpose true,
To the unknown task of the year that's new;
To help your brother along the road,
To do his work and lift his load;
To add your gift to the world's good cheer,
Is to have and to give a Happy New Year.

Author Unknown

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Easy Does It*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

RESIGN YOURSELF

Resign yourself to be happy,
For that is what you deserve.

Resign yourself to serve,
For that is why you are here.

Resign yourself to forgive,
For there is nothing to judge in Truth.

Resign yourself to love,
For that is what you are,
That is all there is,
That is "All that Is"

John and Rev. Ananda McIntosh
1998 - 2001© Copyright - Teach Only Love

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Live And Let Live*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

On the Anniversary of Your Rebirth
This poem was written in celebration of a friend's
two years of sobriety in March of 1997.

You are one of the few
who has dared to step outside
comforting illusions --
No more masks or hiding,
no more lies --
choosing to live as a real person
in a real world.

You have shown a bravery by your actions
that belongs only to heroes,
turning your back on familiar havens
to embrace the unknown,
daring to trust
when trust appears impossible,
throwing away all crutches and props
when you have felt least able to stand.

Unlike others, you confront yourself,
acknowledging the shadow side of who we all are,
rejoicing in the good and accepting flaws,
choosing with each day the better path,
aware of the true fragility and danger of each hour
from which most others hide,
unable to accept uncertainty and doubt.

When we, too, face the truths from which
we have so carefully shielded ourselves,
as someday we all must do,
we'll look to you, respected elder sister,
to see the model by which to shape
our own bravery and our path,
daring, like you,
to live a life of true courage.

Copyright ©1997, by Elizabeth Bennefeld. All rights reserved.
willow@...

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Keep The Focus On You*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Free

hanging on with all my might
to an ever-unraveling thread
struggling through another night
with these demons in my head
I can't cope, my mind's tore down
my heart's been massacred
jumping up with every sound
I have or haven't heard
and I long for the light of freedom
I crave that saving ray of peace
let me know my new life has begun
assure me my soul's been released
and I will follow your path,
let your steps be my guide
and finally this storm I have
will be loosed from inside
serenity will be my call
others I will aid
I will strive to surrender all
I will take on your last name
for we are all one family
joined by the bonding of our hearts
this hope shared with you and me
will help others gain a brand new start
thank you God, for all your blessings
all the joy and all the lessons
all that you have opened inside me
I will give my all today
to your will and to NA
for without them I wouldn't be free
I'm free.
with love, written without editing, just letting the
spirit guide my fingers.

written by ~ johnh94
johnh94@...
"Courage is the power to let go of the familiar."
--Raymond Linquist

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Let God and Let Go*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Happy New Year!

Have a good one,a great thing to say,
We all can be happy,each our own way.
Throw out the old, get on with the new,
It's easy to say, but harder to do.

Here in Central Florida, I think we were shocked,
When hurricanes blasted, this whole state was rocked,
Nothing we had learned could prepare us for this,
Most will rebuild, on our strength, we insist.

Our lives are so pleasant, as hopefully we survive,
That didn't prepare us for December of 05,
The tidal wave that happened a few days ago,
Has so many sad here, no way could we know.

The victims so many, 200,000 in number,
The terror of it all, so many put asunder,
The thing that I saw in the midst of it all,
Was love felt so deeply so matter how small.

This year is all ended, a new one begun,
A war in Irac, and no one has won,
I'll pray to my God as this day is all through,
Let this year be a lesson, we've so much to do.

All in all I see it as God knows I would,
That all of humanity is basically good,
Tonight as I say it, although with a tear,
In spite of it all, Have a Happy New Year!

Love and blessings,
Sharlett Hunt
Sharlette863@...
© OH FIVE!!!!!!!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Come*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Cherish your vision; Cherish your ideals;
Cherish the music that stirs in your heart,
the beauty that forms in your mind,
the loveliness that drapes your purest thoughts.
If you remain true to them, your world will at last be built.
James Allen

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Come To*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Start living now.
Stop saving the good china for that special occasion.
Stop withholding your love until that special person materializes.
Every day you are alive is a special occasion.
Every minute, every breath, is a gift from God.
Mary Manin Morrissey

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Come To Believe*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Children are happy because they don't yet have a file
in their minds called "All the Things That Could Go Wrong."
They don't have a mind-set that puts
"Things to Fear" before "Things to Love."
Unless we can be like little children,
we can't enter into the kingdom of heaven;
unless we can be like little children, we can't be happy.
Children are happy because they don't have all the facts yet.
Marianne Williamson, Illuminata

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Look For The Beauty*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Evil, (ignorance) is like a shadow-it has no real substance of its own,
it is simply a lack of light.
You cannot cause a shadow to disappear by trying to fight it,
stomp on it, by railing against it,
or any other form of emotional or physical resistance.
In order to cause a shadow to disappear,
you must shine light on it.
  Shakti Gawain

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Today Is A Gift*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A true sponsor is a person who knows
the words to the song in your heart
and is able to sing them back to you
when you have forgotten those words.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Keep Stepping*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"The quality of your recovery is proportional
to the quality of your surrender."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Stay In The Light*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Being an addict does not give me permission
to act out on my defects of character."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*Put Gratitude In Your Attitude*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"The Power behind me is
greater than the problem in front of me."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*PLUG Into The POWER*~*~*~*~*~*~*

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
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
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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/

Clutterer¹s 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 forŠ
www.debtorsanonymous.org/

Dual Recovery Anonymous - a 12 Step program
www.draonline.org/

Eating Disorders Anonymous
www.eatingdisordersanonymous.org/

Emotions Anonymous
www.emotionsanonymous.org/

Families Anonymous
www.familiesanonymous.org/

Gamblers Anonymous Official Home Page
www.gamblersanonymous.org/

Hepatitis C Anonymous
www.hcvanonymous.com/

HIV Anonymous
www.hivanonymous.com/

The Marijuana Anonymous
www.marijuana-anonymous.org/

Methadone Anonymous
www.afirmfwc.org/methanon.htm

Narcotics Anonymous Official  Homepage
www.na.org/

Earth Group N.A. online meetings
www.earthgroupna.org/

Nar-Anon is a family support group
www.naranon.com/

Nicotine Anonymous (WWW Home Page) NA Home Page
www.nicotine-anonymous.org

Overeaters Anonymous
www.oa.org/

Parents Anonymous
www.parentsanonymous.org/paIndex1.htm

Rape Survivors Anonymous
www.rsaws.org/

Recovering Couples Anonymous
www.recovering-couples.org

Sex Addicts Anonymous
www.saa-recovery.org/

Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous
www.slaafws.org/

Shoplifters Anonymous
www.shopliftersanonymous.org/

Suicide Anonymous
www.geocities.com/samemphis/

Survivors Of Incest Anonymous
www.siawso.org/

Workaholics Anonymous
www.workaholics-anonymous.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   /_\/_\

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