Recovery Meditations: January 13th
CHANGE
”If you would truly wish to
understand
something, try to change it.”
Kurt Lewin
There is nothing more powerful to me
than this one thought. My entire program teaches me to change the fellow who
came in or he will surely drag me back out. Without change there is no hope.
Without hope there is no peace or serenity.
The "how to" is simply and
strongly told in the Big Book of AA. On page 28 it is plain that we must find
and maintain a spiritual fitness in order to survive. Change is the key to open
the door, and change is impossible without a power greater than ourselves. This,
truly, is the easier, softer way. May you find Him now.
One day at a time…
I am willing to allow the God of my
understanding to change the person I was into the person He wishes me to be.
~ Danny
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Each Day a New Beginning
I want, by understanding myself, to
understand others. I want to be all that I am capable of becoming . . .
This all sounds very strenuous and serious. But now that I have wrestled
with it, it's no longer so. I feel happy - deep down. All is well.
—Katherine Mansfield
—Katherine Mansfield
All is well. In the midst of turmoil, let us
remember, all is well; in the midst of the pain of self-awareness, all
is well. The struggle of the turmoil, the pain that accompanies the
lessons of self-awareness, are preparing us for becoming all we are
meant to become. We each have a special gift to offer in this life. We
will come to understand those gifts and be able to give them as we grow
with the pain of self-understanding. All is well. Deep down happiness
ripples, it's rippling to the surface of our lives.
My lesson for today is understanding, of myself and others. Happiness is the grade I earn each day of my "becoming."
My lesson for today is understanding, of myself and others. Happiness is the grade I earn each day of my "becoming."
From Each Day a New Beginning: Daily Meditations for Women by Karen Casey
© 1982, 1991 by Hazelden Foundation.
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Food for Thought
Overeating is Hell
When we fall into the trap of compulsive overeating, it is as though we are driven by some malevolent, diabolical force against which we are powerless. We know with our minds that we should stop eating, but by ourselves we cannot. A binge may start out pleasantly enough - just a taste here and there - but it eventually becomes torture.
Because we know what we are doing to ourselves, we feel guilty while we are bingeing. We hate ourselves because we cannot stop. The more we eat, the more uncomfortable we become physically and mentally. Clothes constrict and we are stuffed and bloated. Our minds begin to race along old, negative, and irrational tracks. Anyone who gets in our way can be the object of our anger. We lose control, we are separated from our Higher Power, and we are in Hell.
Let us not forget every day that the first compulsive bite opens the gates of Hell.
Lord, deliver me from the Hell of overeating.
When we fall into the trap of compulsive overeating, it is as though we are driven by some malevolent, diabolical force against which we are powerless. We know with our minds that we should stop eating, but by ourselves we cannot. A binge may start out pleasantly enough - just a taste here and there - but it eventually becomes torture.
Because we know what we are doing to ourselves, we feel guilty while we are bingeing. We hate ourselves because we cannot stop. The more we eat, the more uncomfortable we become physically and mentally. Clothes constrict and we are stuffed and bloated. Our minds begin to race along old, negative, and irrational tracks. Anyone who gets in our way can be the object of our anger. We lose control, we are separated from our Higher Power, and we are in Hell.
Let us not forget every day that the first compulsive bite opens the gates of Hell.
Lord, deliver me from the Hell of overeating.
From Food for Thought: Daily Meditations for Overeaters by Elisabeth L.
©1980, 1992 by Hazelden Foundation.
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The Language of Letting Go
Good Feelings
When we talk about feelings in recovery, we often
focus on the troublesome trio - pain, fear, and anger. But there are
other feelings available in the emotional realm - happiness, joy, peace,
contentment, love, closeness, and excitement.
It's okay to let ourselves feel pleasurable feelings too.
We don't have to worry when we experience good feelings; we don't have to scare ourselves out of them; we don't have to sabotage our happiness. We do that, sometimes, to get to the more familiar, less joyous terrain.
It's okay to feel good. We don't have to analyze, judge, or justify. We don't have to bring ourselves down, or let others bring us down, by injecting negativity.
We can let ourselves feel good.
Today, I will remind myself that it is my right to feel as good as I can. I can have many moments of feeling good; I can find a balanced place of feeling content, peaceful, and good.
It's okay to let ourselves feel pleasurable feelings too.
We don't have to worry when we experience good feelings; we don't have to scare ourselves out of them; we don't have to sabotage our happiness. We do that, sometimes, to get to the more familiar, less joyous terrain.
It's okay to feel good. We don't have to analyze, judge, or justify. We don't have to bring ourselves down, or let others bring us down, by injecting negativity.
We can let ourselves feel good.
Today, I will remind myself that it is my right to feel as good as I can. I can have many moments of feeling good; I can find a balanced place of feeling content, peaceful, and good.
From The Language of Letting Go by Melody Beattie
©1990, Hazelden Foundation.
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You love me so much; you want to put me in your pocket. And I should die there smothered.
--D. H. Lawrence
Adult children often try to control people to keep them from moving away. To ensure that we won't be left alone, we might smother-love them with everything we have.
Of course, we become obsessed with the person we're trying to control. But even worse, this caretaking behavior eventually leads us to become more addicted to the problem than to the person. We become good at solving other people's problems and wiping away their tears; that's our skill. And that's why we so often end up attracting and being attracted to people who have monumental personal problems.
Oftentimes, our very hanging on guarantees the relationship will fail. When we try to control those we love we stand the chance of crippling our loved ones and ourselves. We must first aim for being healthy ourselves - only then can we learn to be part of a healthy relationship.
Today, I will let my loved ones face their own problems. I can love these people without fixing them.
You are reading from the book:
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