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Sistersteel
03-19-2009, 01:52 AM
The Cross In My Pocket

I carry a cross in my pocket,
a simple reminder to me
of the fact that I am a Christian
no matter where I may be.

This little cross is not magic
nor is it a good luck charm.
It isn't meant to protect me
from every physical harm.

It's not for identification,
for all the world to see.
It's simply an understanding
between my Savior and me.

When I put my hand in my pocket
to bring out a coin or key,
the Cross is there to remind me
of the price He paid for me.

It reminds me too, to be thankful,
for my blessings day by day,
and to strive to serve Him better
in all that I do and say.

It's also a daily reminder
of the peace and comfort I share
with all who know my Master
and give themselves to His care.

So, I carry a cross in my pocket,
reminding no one but me,
that Jesus Christ is Lord of my life,
if only I'll let Him be.

Sistersteel
03-19-2009, 01:52 AM
"My Unseen Guest"

God walks the trail with me each day,
He is my Friend, My Guide
However long or steep the road,
He's ever by my side.

He sits with me in evening's hush;
We speak, we laugh, we pray,
And my heart sings a joyful song...
He's never far away.

And through each dark and lonely night,
He's guarding from above.
In perfect peace, I rest secure
In His eternal love.

Sistersteel
03-19-2009, 01:58 AM
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Now that I've found my way into this new world by the grace of God and the help of this program, I am not going to take that step backward. Just one step backward will change my whole world again. I will not deliberately go back to the suffering of that irrational world. I'll hold onto the happiness of this new world, now that I've experienced the difference. With God's help, am I going to hold onto this program with both hands?

MEDITATION FOR THE DAY

I will try to help make the world better and happier by my presence in it. I will try to help other people find the way God wants them to live. I will try to be on the side of good, in the stream of righteousness, where all things work for good. I will do my duty persistently and faithfully, not sparing myself. I will be gentle with all people. I will try to see other people's difficulties and help them to resolve them. I will always pray that God will act as interpreter between me and others.

PRAYER FOR THE DAY

I pray that I may live in the spirit of prayer. I pray that I may depend on God for the strength I need to help me to do my part in making the world a better place.

You are reading from the book:

Look to this Day by Alan L. Roeck

Sistersteel
03-19-2009, 01:59 AM
Struggling alone

Each of us is a struggling soul. We had to struggle with our addictions for some time before we found this program, and eventually each struggling soul must face the realities of life. If we face the trials of life alone, we will fail.

But if we make our will one with our Higher Power in the Third Step, nothing will be too much to bear. After taking this Step, we will realize that we are one with God and that we don't have to struggle alone any longer.

Am I still struggling alone?

May I turn my will and my life over to my Higher Power.

You are reading from the book:

Day by Day - Second Edition by Anonymous

Sistersteel
03-19-2009, 02:00 AM
Before recovery, we felt so guilt-ridden. . .

Today's thought from Hazelden is:

I love being able to say, "I was wrong," or "I made a mistake," and not feel like it's the end of the world.
--Carol C.

Before recovery, we felt so guilt-ridden we couldn't bear to admit we were less than perfect. Since our insides seemed so awful, we clung to an outside appearance of perfection. That way, we hoped people wouldn't find out what we were really like. But we fooled no one, not even ourselves, for very long.

In recovery, we have a chance to change that pattern. Now, we can learn to admit our limitations, our mistakes, and our imperfections. What a wonderful relief, not to have to be perfect. We can be just who we are - very human beings who are groping toward the light. Sometimes we find it, sometimes we lose our way, but still we strive onward. And, in the process, we find ourselves, and serenity.

Today help me keep working toward perfection, but forgive my mistakes along the way.

You are reading from the book:

Body, Mind, and Spirit by Anonymous

Sistersteel
03-19-2009, 02:01 AM
A crisis is an opportunity to rely on our Higher Power.

When we came to this program, we were told right away that a Higher Power is watching out for us and that we can look to that Power whenever we want guidance or peacefulness. Let's not resist this invitation.

Most of us had daily crises before turning to this program for help. Our attempts to control other people caused many of these crises. So did our reactions to the natural ebb and flow of human existence. Now we have to take the plunge and begin to rely on our God, however we understand God, to show us the way to handle every experience that's part of our Divine unfolding.

I will look to God today, and every experience will make sense in the whole of my existence.

You are reading from the book:

A Life of My Own by Karen Casey

Sistersteel
03-19-2009, 02:02 AM
Are you hiding behind a mask of firsts?

Say when it's time to begin.

I have a friend who is always planning to start a writing project "as soon as she gets organized." She has read nearly every book, attended every seminar, and bought all the tapes on the subject. She has closets full of organizers, drawers stuffed with folders, and several related computer programs. There's only one problem. Instead of starting, she hides behind a mask of "firsts." "I'll start writing, but first I've got to learn this program." "I'll listen to that tape, but first I've got to read this book."

Are you hiding behind a mask of firsts? Is there always something that keeps you from beginning? Take off the mask. Start the project. Ask that special person for a date. Do that Fourth and Fifth Step. Stop making excuses. Eliminate them.

Learn to say when it's time to begin.

God, please help me eliminate excuses from my life. Show me how full my life can be when I pursue my dreams.

You are reading from the book:

More Language of Letting Go by Melody Beattie

Sistersteel
03-19-2009, 02:04 AM
Doing something that we feel good about never loses its importance. . .

Let every man be occupied in the highest employment of which he is capable and die conscious that he has done his best.
--Sidney Smith

Doing something that we feel good about never loses its importance to our lives. And it need not be a prestigious occupation for our work to be important. In fact, who are we to decide what kind of job is truly important? The most menial of tasks may have a profound impact on a particular man or woman today, and that's what really counts in God's grand scheme.

It is said by some that the highest order of employment is the offering of love and acceptance to the people on our paths today. For us to define employment solely in terms of career is shortsighted. Every minute we're awake we're busy with something, and that means we're employed.

A broader definition of employment gives every one of us a chance to put in a productive day. Knowing that our presence, our words, our willingness to listen to someone else has made life better for them makes it better for us, too.

I will go to bed fulfilled if I have shown love and respect for others today.

You are reading from the book:

Keepers of the Wisdom by Karen Casey

Sistersteel
03-19-2009, 02:05 AM
Our Imagination

Imagination has always had powers of resurrection that no science can match.
--Ingrid Bengis

In the imagination are transmitted messages, from God to us. Inspiration is born there. So are dreams. Both give rise to the goals that urge us forward, that invite us to honor this life we've been given with a contribution, one like no other contribution.

Our imagination offers us ideas to ponder, ideas specific to our development. It encourages us to take steps unique to our time, our place, and our intended gifts to the world. We can be alert to this special "inner voice" and let it guide our decisions; we can trust its urgings. It's charged with serving us, but only we can decide to "listen."

The imagination gives us another tool: belief in ourselves. And the magic of believing offers us strength and capabilities even beyond our fondest hopes. It prepares us for the effort we need to make and for handling whatever outcome God has intended.

My imagination will serve me today. It will offer me the ideas and the courage I need to go forth.

You are reading from the book:

Each Day a New Beginning by Karen Casey

Sistersteel
03-19-2009, 02:05 AM
The gift of giving opens doors to the homes of our souls

I came to understand that it was all right to do things for people as long as I did it for the sake of doing it... the value being more in the act than in the result.
--Joanna Field

We've all heard the sentiment that it is better to give than to receive. Yet we may find it difficult to give to others, whether that giving involves an actual gift or an act of giving of ourselves: caring for someone who is ill, running an errand for someone, giving a backrub, or extending an invitation to someone who is alone.

We may feel afraid to do for others without any expectations of receiving something in return. To give unselfishly exposes our feelings and shows we care. Yet if we can look beyond our fears to the selflessness of our giving actions, there is a great reward -- knowing we had the courage to risk giving to someone.

The risks we take in giving to others are lessons for ourselves as well as for those whose lives we touch.

The gift of giving opens doors to the homes of our souls.

You are reading from the book:

Night Light by Amy E. Dean

Sistersteel
03-19-2009, 02:06 AM
Our silence can keep us isolated.

"Still waters run deep" may be true for lakes and rivers, but in intimate relationships it is not necessarily true. Our silence can keep us isolated from ourselves and from those we love. In order to grow together, we must let each other know how we think and feel. Sometimes just saying a thought or feeling helps us see beyond it.

If we keep our thoughts to ourselves, we may get so immersed in those still waters that we nearly drown in them. A problem kept to ourselves usually grows bigger and more consuming. When we talk about it, we can work through it and move on to something else.

Choose, one concern, small or large, and express it to your partner.

You are reading from the book:

The More We Find In Each Other by Merle Fossum and Mavis Fossum

Sistersteel
03-19-2009, 02:06 AM
What do we mean when we say someone is strong?

What is strength without a double share of wisdom? Vast, unwieldy, burdensome proudly secure, yet liable to fall.
--John Milton

What do we mean when we say someone is strong? That they have big muscles? Can endure anything without getting tired, let alone giving up? Do strong people never bend? Never break?

Some of us are afraid to show weakness of any kind. We take our supposed strength as the central fact of our lives. Over time, we may even come to think of ourselves as indestructible. We imagine that everything - people, places, and things - can be pounded into place if we come on with enough force. One man at a meeting shared that he had been confined to a hospital bed after a serious heart attack. Since he had been forbidden exertion of any kind, he said he made himself get out of bed, walk across the room, and pick up a scrap of paper from the floor. Just to prove that he could, he said.

Many of us are more like this man than we care to admit. May we, like him, become willing to accept our strength as our weakness, if that is the case.

Today, let me accept my very real and human limitations.

You are reading from the book:

Days of Healing, Days of Joy by Earnie Larsen and Carol Larsen Hegarty

Sistersteel
03-19-2009, 02:08 AM
The Garden

* So, you deserve a better way of life? Try planting this simple garden. To get started all you need is willingness to follow some suggestions and expend a little effort. If you need assistance; plenty of help is available.
There is no need to purchase fertilizer as we each have our own supply of BS
Literature is available to answer your questions and help you learn about tools you will need (all tools needed to work in your garden are freely available.).
If you are not familiar with how to use a tool, just ask any experienced gardener (they will be happy to share their knowledge).
A final point before breaking ground (also known as plowing in and turning it over): For the health and safety of all gardeners everything in the garden is organic. No Pesticides (chemicals or other artificial substances) allowed!
Begin your garden by sowing five rows of P's…
·* * * * *Patience
·* * * * *Persistence
·* * * * *Perseverance
·* * * * *Prayer
·* * * * *Peacefulness
Then Plant four rows of squash…
·* * * * *Squash indifference
·* * * * *Squash ego
·* * * * *Squash intolerance
·* * * * *Squash injustice
Follow this with five rows of lettuce…
·* * * * *Let us be honest
·* * * * *Let us be open-minded
·* * * * *Let us be courteous
·* * * * *Let us be unselfish
·* * * * *Let us be humble
Finally lay out three rows of turnips…
·* * * * *Turn up at meetings
·* * * * *Turn up for service work
·* * * * *Turn up with a smile
If you are working hard, and not looking, you will often be followed by the Master Gardener (also known as H.P., God, etc.) sowing seeds of Fellowship and Harmony (resulting in a harvest of friends and serenity) as a bonus for your efforts.
Please remember to take care of your tools and keep them close at hand (your never know when you may need them). Also remember that all growing things need time to mature. Lovingly tend the garden daily and have faith that the Master will bountifully bless your works.
If you have questions that can't be answered by your fellow garners; the Master operates a 24-hour, toll-free hotline… Just call 1-877-ADDICTS.

Happy Gardening

Sistersteel
03-21-2009, 03:11 PM
LOVE THIS!

BROKEN DREAMS

As children bring their broken toys
with tears for us to mend
I brought my broken dreams to God
because He is my friend.

But then instead of leaving Him
in peace to walk alone,
I hung around and tried to help
with ways that were my own.

At last I snatched them back and
cried "How can you be so slow" "My Child,
"He said, "What could I do?
You never did let go."

Author Unkown