Daily Reading from Recovery Days May 30th by Chris B

Posted on May 30, 2024 by ccburn

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Reaching out

Loneliness is on the increase. So is communication.
How can that be? It seems there are too many
messages and not enough real connection. How
satisfying can it really be to have a ‘friend’ on social
media whom you have never met in the flesh?
Meeting strangers face to face often makes us feel
good, so why don’t we do it more? Perhaps out of
laziness, or fear, or low self-esteem. Yet, giving of
ourselves is one of the most basic ways of reaching out
to another human being. If we are going to grow
spiritually, then we have to start trying new ways of
defining who we are. Will I reach out to help a
stranger in need or will I hide in my comfort zone?

We are defined by what we do, not by words or
intentions. Ask yourself what people will say about
you at your funeral. Instead of thinking that the
world owes us a living, we should all be asking what
we can do to make the world a better place. Today I
ask God that I will not shirk my responsibility to
others in the world.

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Daily Reading from Recovery Days May 29th by Chris B

Posted on May 29, 2024 by ccburn

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Remember Mindfulness – close eyes briefly

Steps Four and Five

We must learn from our past mistakes. The personal
inventory in Step Four must be as searching and
thorough as we can make it. You can’t clean a house
properly if you don’t know where the dirt is.
Sometimes it’s convenient to ignore things too
painful to recall. But, a thorough Spring clean
brings great satisfaction. Have I completed a
searching and thorough Fourth and Fifth Steps?

Looking inside myself, I may still see defects of
character because few people are perfect. I need not
despair. Experience and the example of others has
shown me that life in recovery is manageable as
long as I am working towards spiritual growth. My
Higher Power is there to help me face my true self.
I must check my personality regularly, as a doctor
would check my body, and take remedial action
where it is needed. Today I ask God that I never be
complacent about my personality and the need for
regular check-ups.

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Daily Reading from Recovery Days May 28th by Chris B

Posted on May 28, 2024 by ccburn

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Remember Mindfulness – close eyes briefly

Steps Four and Five

We must learn from our past mistakes. The personal inventory in Step Four must be as searching and thorough as we can make it. You can’t clean a house properly if you don’t know where the dirt is. Sometimes it’s convenient to ignore things too painful to recall. But, a thorough Spring clean brings great satisfaction. Have I completed a searching and thorough Fourth and Fifth Steps?

Looking inside myself, I may still see defects of character because few people are perfect. I need not despair. Experience and the example of others has shown me that life in recovery is manageable as long as I am working towards spiritual growth. My Higher Power is there to help me face my true self. I must check my personality regularly, as a doctor would check my body, and take remedial action where it is needed. Today I ask God that I never be complacent about my personality and the need for regular check-ups.

……………………………………………………………………………………..

Daily Reading from Recovery Days May 27th by Chris B

Posted on May 27, 2024 by ccburn

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Remember Mindfulness – review expectations

Powerlessness

‘We are powerless over our addiction’ is a phrase often heard in addiction recovery. Yet it would be a mistake to conclude that willpower is therefore pointless. What we must understand is that willpower alone is not enough. The paradox of recovery is that by surrendering our will (and by implication, our willpower), we find the means to recover. Yet, we have to take responsibility and we have to take action. This requires a firm commitment, an effort of will. Admitting the problem, connecting with the best available help – our Higher Power, and then committing to a programme of regeneration via the Twelve Steps, is what recovery is all about. It requires willingness and willpower to carry that out. Do I recognise that I need willpower as well as willingness, for recovery?

Recovery requires a leap of faith. But I can’t just sit back and hope my Higher Power will perform a miracle. Miracles happen, but we have to act too. Recovery is not a choice between Willpower and Higher Power – both are needed. Today I give thanks for the miracle of recovery.

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Daily Reading from Recovery Days May 26th by Chris B

Posted on May 26, 2024 by ccburn

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Remember Mindfulness – enjoy the moment

How important is it?

King Midas of Phrygia was granted by the Gods the
power to turn everything he touched into gold.
Unfortunately, this meant his food, his wine and even
his daughter became gold within a short time.
Luckily the Gods relented before he died of
starvation, but he had learnt a valuable lesson; there
are more important things in life than gold. A lot of
people nowadays don’t seem to have noticed. They
pursue wealth as if it is the answer to everything. Do
I understand that money is not the answer to all my
problems?
American Billionaire Chuck Feeney gave away all
his eight-billion-dollar fortune, living his last days in
a rented apartment, owning just one pair of shoes.
He was influenced by early twentieth century
benefactor Andrew Carnegie’s dictum: To die rich is
to die disgraced. His message to other billionaires
thinking of giving while living was: Try it, you’ll like
it. Today I ask to remember that by giving, I will
receive.

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Daily Reading from Recovery Days May 25th by Chris B

Posted on May 25, 2024 by ccburn

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Silence

The ancient Greeks had nine muses. The early Roman king, Numa Pompilius, wisely added one more – Tacita, the muse of silence. For silence can be as powerful as the loudest of noises. Anyone observing two minutes of silence on Remembrance Day would agree. The value of communal silence is not appreciated as it used to be. Mediaeval monks valued silence greatly:

Everywhere peace, everywhere serenity.

Aelred, Abbot of Rievaulx.

Do I recognise the power of silence?

The Prophet Elijah in his cave, listening for the sound of God’s voice, said:

It was not heard in wind, earthquake or fire, but in the sound of sheer silence.

Silence isn’t empty, it’s often full of answers. Just a few minutes of silent meditation each day gives our brain and more importantly, our soul, a chance to rest and regenerate. Today I will find time for silence and I will appreciate the peace it brings.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days May 24th by Chris B

Posted on May 24, 2024 by ccburn

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Remember Mindfulness – review expectations

Creativity in recovery

I have come into my strength

And words obey my call. W.B. Yeats.

Contrary to popular belief, alcohol and drug use is less beneficial to creativity than recovery from addiction. Remarkable work has been produced under the influence of drugs, but usually it is the illusion of creativity, rather than works of true genius. Frustrated talent is the most common result of addiction, but when the stress and chaos of active drug use ceases, creativity bursts out. This can be used to process our feelings of loss, shame and guilt as well as making life more fulfilling and meaningful. Am I ready to explore my creativity?

Creativity takes us away from daily life towards the spiritual side – there is something miraculous about a work of art. Truly great art makes us think differently and thus act differently.

Remembering that the best I have done

Was done to make it plain. W.B. Yeats.

It gives us new ideas and new ways of seeing things. Spirituality does the same. Today I ask God to open my mind to the idea of creativity.

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Daily Reading from Recovery Days May 23rd by Chris B

Posted on May 23, 2024 by ccburn

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Remember Mindfulness – review expectations

Creativity in recovery

I have come into my strength

And words obey my call. W.B. Yeats.

Remembering that the best I have done

Was done to make it plain. W.B. Yeats.

It gives us new ideas and new ways of seeing things. Spirituality does the same. Today I ask God to open my mind to the idea of creativity.

……………………………………………………….

Daily Reading from Recovery Days May 22nd by Chris B

Posted on May 22, 2024 by ccburn

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Remember Mindfulness – close eyes briefly

Love

Romantic love is a fine thing, especially at the movies, but love is not about dependence: ‘I can’t live without you’ amounts to codependency. Love is essentially what you do for another person. It is an activity, not a feeling. That is what makes it so powerful – if we all have love in our hearts, we are actively working to help each other. Morgan Scott Peck, author of The Road Less Travelled, said exactly this. It came as a shock to some people. Do I understand that real love is unselfish?

Step Eight is about brotherly love. It is the time when we stop focusing on ourselves and look at the damage we have done to others and what we can do about it. Making amends is about honesty, courage, forgiveness – and love. It is asking myself: What can I do for this other person that I have hurt? It does not matter how painful it is to make amends, we have to be rigorously honest in all our affairs. The truth will set us free, though it may hurt a bit too. If we are going to truly love ourselves and our fellow human beings, we must take this Step in courage and humility. Today I ask to show true love.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days May 21st by Chris B

Posted on May 21, 2024 by ccburn

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Remember Mindfulness – enjoy the moment

Higher Power

When considering Higher Power, some people get very tied up with what this means. Are they dealing with a religious God and if so, which religion? What does this Higher Power look like? They ask. The point lies in the word ‘Power’. There is a power that helps us, a power in the meeting rooms that you can sometimes feel. Trying to put a label on this power is missing the point. It is enough for us that the power is there, and it works through other people. Empirical knowledge of a Higher Power is not possible, so let us just accept that it exists, if only because something must make the planets go round the sun. Why do we need a label? How important is it? Am I content to accept my Higher Power as an unknown but powerful source of help?

People of every outlook, background and belief find support and success in the Twelve Step fellowships. Atheists do as well as religious believers. I must look at the similarities and keep it simple. The urge to complicate things has been my downfall in the past. A Power greater than myself is all I require. Today I ask God for wisdom to keep things simple.