Move Toward Not Away From What Disturbs Us – By Jenna Riemersma

I love the phrase ‘let the best in me lead the rest in me’ that Dr. Allen Berger came up with. This article can help us realize that within us there is an ‘unsuspected inner resource’ (BB p.567) where we experience a ‘place of neutrality’(BB p.85) and discover this ‘best in me’. It further helpsContinue reading “Move Toward Not Away From What Disturbs Us – By Jenna Riemersma”

Becoming Comfortable With Being Uncomfortable – Each Day A New Beginning May 3rd Reflection

Love is a great beautifier. —Louisa May Alcott Meeting life head-on, with a smile, attracts people and situations to us. Our attitudes shape our world—which is not to deny that problems do occur. However, problems can be viewed as special opportunities for personal growth—as gifts, more or less, that we are ready to receive. WhenContinue reading “Becoming Comfortable With Being Uncomfortable – Each Day A New Beginning May 3rd Reflection”

Self-Pity: A Barrier to Lasting Sobriety – A.A. District 2 Alabama June 2024 By Anonymous

Self-pity is one of the most insidious obstacles to lasting sobriety. Both Dr. Bob Smith and Bill Wilson, the co-founders of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), frequently discussed the detrimental effects of self-pity on alcoholics. In the pages of the Big Book, “Dr. Bob and the Good Oldtimers,” and various articles in the Grapevine, they highlighted howContinue reading “Self-Pity: A Barrier to Lasting Sobriety – A.A. District 2 Alabama June 2024 By Anonymous”

Fear Of Financial Insecurity Will Leave Us – Twelve & Twelve Pages 120 – 122

One of the 9th step promises can be especially elusive for many of us …”fear of economic insecurity will leave us”. I believe the Twelve & Twelve actually goes into a very useful review about how this fear leaves us. It’s important to note that the promise isn’t that economic insecurity leaves us but thatContinue reading “Fear Of Financial Insecurity Will Leave Us – Twelve & Twelve Pages 120 – 122”

Step 11: The Contemplative Mind – Daily Meditation December 3rd 2015 By Richard Rohr

We sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, as we understood [God], praying only for the knowledge of [God’s] will for us and the power to carry that out.   The word prayer, which Bill Wilson rightly juxtaposes with the word meditation, is a code word for an entirely different way of processingContinue reading “Step 11: The Contemplative Mind – Daily Meditation December 3rd 2015 By Richard Rohr”

Those Old Time Feelings – Language Of Letting Go April 7th Reflection By Melody Beattie

I still have bad days. But that’s okay. I used to have bad years.–Anonymous Sometimes, the old feelings creep back in. We may feel fearful, ashamed, and hopeless. We may feel not good enough, unlovable, victimized, helpless, and resentful about it all. This is a condition some describe as soul sickness. Many of us feltContinue reading “Those Old Time Feelings – Language Of Letting Go April 7th Reflection By Melody Beattie”

Nine Attitudes Of Mindfulness By Jon Kabat-Zinn

In the article ‘How GUGOGS Meditation Works’, our friend Wayne S describes mindfulness as a “wise companion” that we can take with us into the realities of our everyday life. Wayne suggests our “goal is not to become a great meditator” but rather “for there to be no difference between the clarity and freedom youContinue reading “Nine Attitudes Of Mindfulness By Jon Kabat-Zinn”

Living In The Now – Each Day A New Beginning April 5th

I came to the conclusion then that “continual mindfulness” …must mean, not a sergeant-major-like drilling of thoughts, but a continual readiness to look and readiness to accept whatever came. —Joanna Field Resistance to the events, the situations, the many people who come into our lives, blocks the growth we are offered every day. Every momentContinue reading “Living In The Now – Each Day A New Beginning April 5th”

The Peace Of Wild Things – Recovery Poem By Wendell Berry

I love this poem. It’s simplicity, honesty and hope. It’s about finding solace in nature to combat despair, anxiety, and fear for the future. It highlights the contrast between human overthinking and the instinctive, present-focused existence of wild creatures, encouraging a return to the natural world to find rest, grace, and freedom. It’s now included inContinue reading “The Peace Of Wild Things – Recovery Poem By Wendell Berry”

Turning It Over and Acceptance – Buddhism And The Twelve Steps March 1st & 2nd Reflections By Kevin Griffin

March 1 “Turning it over” Step Three brings us into the heart of the program and gives us a new set of challenges. To begin, there is a question of what it means to “turn our lives over,” whether to God or anything else. What many people find when confronting this Step for the firstContinue reading “Turning It Over and Acceptance – Buddhism And The Twelve Steps March 1st & 2nd Reflections By Kevin Griffin”