Recovery, LGBT and in the news

Why Rick Perry thinks it's politically clever to liken homosexuality to alcoholism

Huffington Post: June 17, 2014 - Why Rick Perry Thinks It's Politically Clever to Liken Homosexuality to Alcoholism | Michelangelo Signorile.

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Rick Perry likens homosexuality to alcoholism

The Good Men Project - Invisible victims: Men in abusive relationships

The Good Men Project: June 17, 2014 - Invisible Victims: Men in Abusive Relationships -.

Conservative CNBC host wipes up Texas governor for anti-gay rhetoric

The New Civil Rights Movement: June 17, 2014 - Video: Who'da a thunk it? Watch: Rick Perry Gets Slammed By Conservative CNBC Host For Anti-Gay Comments | The New Civil Rights Movement.

Colorado judge considering two lawsuits challenging state's same-sex marriage ban

Associated Press: June 17, 2014 - Colorado judge considering two lawsuits skeptical of same-sex marriage ban – LGBTQ Nation.

June 17, 2014 - Step by Step

Step by Step
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
 
"Your job now is to be at the place where you may be of maximum helpfulness to others, so never hesitate to go anywhere if you can be helpful. You should not hesitate to visit the most sordid spot on earth on such an errand. Keep on the firing line of life with these motives and God will keep you unharmed." - Alcoholics Anonymous, 3rd Edition, 1976, Ch 7 ("Working With Others"), p 102.

The Program's marching orders.

Today, how willing am I to set out with the Program's message when called upon? Am I willing to sacrifice a quiet night at home after a rough work day if I get a call to go to the home of someone still drinking? Am I willing to drive to the opposite end of the state to get someone admitted to a treatment center or hospital? Am I willing to pop for the check to feed someone who's been on a days-long drunk without eating? Am I willing to shelter the homeless sufferer one night before I can get him to doctor? Am I willing to talk to someone still drinking and put myself in his shoes, remembering I was once where he is now? Can I listen and advise without moral judgments or scare him away with benefits of the Program when those payoffs are too far away from him? If called upon to do anything that carries the message, like subbing at the last minute for a pre-scheduled meeting speaker who didn't show, will I step up? If any of my answers is "no," I have let the Program, myself and my co-alcoholics down, and I have neglected my responsibility to carry the message and give back what I have received. Today, let me prioritize the command to carry the message if the request conflicts with anything else. Let me remember that I once was the one in desperate need. And our common journey continues. Step by step. - Chris M., 2014

June 17, 2014 - Twenty-Four Hours a Day

Twenty-Four Hours a Day
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
 
AA Thought for the Day
We in AA have the privilege of living two lives in one lifetime: one life of drunkenness, failure, and defeat; then, through AA, another life of sobriety, peace of mind, and usefulness. We who have recovered our sobriety are modern miracles. And we're living on borrowed time. Some of us might have been dead long ago. But we have been given another chance to live.

Do I owe a debt of gratitude to AA that I can never repay as long as I live?

Meditation for the Day
Thinking about God in love and worship drives away evil. It is the thought before which the hosts of evil flee. The thought of a Power greater than yourself is the call for a lifeline to rescue you from temptation. The thought of God banishes loneliness and dispels gloom. It summons help to conquer your faults. Think of God as often as possible. Use the thought prayerfully and purposefully. It will carry your thoughts away from material things and toward the spiritual things that make life worthwhile.

Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may think of God often. I pray that I may rest in peace at the thought of His love and care.

Hazelden Foundation

June 17, 2014 - A Day at a Time

A Day at a Time
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
  
Reflection for the Day
Readiness to take the full consequences of our past acts, and to take responsibility for the well-being of others at the same time, is the very spirit of Step Nine. A casual apology, on the other hand, will rarely suffice in making amends to one we have harmed; a true change of attitude, in contrast, can do wonders to make up for past unkindnesses. If I've deprived anyone of any material thing, I'll acknowledge the debt and pay it as soon as I'm able.

Will I swallow my pride and make the first overtures toward reconciliation?

Today I Pray
God, show me the best ways to make "direct amends." Sometimes simply admitting my mistakes may make it up to someone and unload my own simmering guilt. Other times restitution may take some creative thought. May I be wholly aware that I cannot take this Ninth Step unless I develop some caring, some real concern about how others feel, along with changes in my behavior.

Today I Will Remember
First I care, then I apologize.

Hazelden Foundation

June 17, 2014 - The Eye Opener

The Eye Opener
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
 
We alcoholics are obstinate people. We drank all the more because people told us we couldn't; when they said we were drunken sots and were hopeless, then we quit.

Man's relationship to the mule is very close.

Hazelden Foundation

June 17, 2014 - Today's Gift from Hazelden

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Today's thought for Hazelden is:

The past has flown away. The coming month and year do not exist; ours only is the present's tiny point.
 -- Shabistari

We are tempted to look back and to look ahead. But what we most need to do is be present in this moment, with ourselves, with our loved ones and friends, and with our experience right here and right now. When we were lost and asleep in our using days and codependency, we could not be emotionally present. Our thoughts were taken up with how we would get our next drink, our next big gambling win, or with how to handle the latest crisis. To be emotionally present and live in the moment; this takes time, and it's a frame of mind that develops as we grow in recovery.

One way we become more present in the moment is to practice gratitude. We can always name a few things we feel grateful for - small and big things, funny and serious things. Looking through the lens of gratitude brings us into the immediate moment.

Today I will look at my day through the lens of gratitude.

From the book:

Wisdom to Know by Anonymous

Wisdom to Know © 2005 by Hazelden Foundation