Story of the Day for Thursday, April 23rd
Daily Readings for Thursday, April 23rd
Meditation for the Day
Cooperation with God is the great necessity for our lives. All else follows naturally. Cooperation with God is the result of our consciousness of His presence. Guidance is bound to come to us as we live more and more with God, as our consciousness becomes more and more attuned to the great Consciousness of the universe. We must have many quiet times when we not so much ask to be shown and led by God, as to feel and realize His presence. New spiritual growth comes naturally from cooperation with God.
Prayer for the Day
I pray that God may supply me with strength and show me the direction in which He wants me to grow. I pray that these things may come naturally from my cooperation with Him.
From Twenty-Four Hours a Day
Opening Ourselves to Love
Allowing ourselves to receive love is one of the greatest challenges we face in recovery.
Many of us have blocked ourselves from receiving love. We may have lived with people who used love to control us. They would be there for us, but at the high price of our freedom. Love was given, or withheld, to control us and have power over us. It was not safe for us to receive love from these people. We may have gotten accustomed to not receiving love, not acknowledging our need for love, because we lived with people who had no real love to give.
At some point in recovery, we acknowledge that we, too, want and need to be loved. We may feel awkward with this need. Where do we go with it? What do we do? Who can give us love? How can we determine who is safe and who isn’t? How can we let others care for us without feeling trapped, abused, frightened, and unable to care for ourselves?
We will learn. The starting point is surrendering to our desire to be loved, our need to be nurtured and loved. We will grow confident in our ability to take care of ourselves with people. We will feel safe enough to let people care for us; we will grow to trust our ability to choose people who are safe and who can give us love.
We may need to get angry first – angry that our needs have not been met. Later, we can become grateful to those people who have shown us what we don’t want, the ones who have assisted us in the process of believing we deserve love, and the ones who come into our life to love us.
We are opening up like flowers. Sometimes it hurts as the petals push open. Be glad. Our heart is opening up to the love that is and will continue to be there for us.
Surrender to the love that is there for us, to the love that people, the Universe, and our Higher Power send our way.
Surrender to love, without allowing people to control us or keep us from caring for ourselves. Start by surrendering to love for yourself.
Today, I will open myself to the love that is here for me. I will let myself receive love that is safe, knowing I can take care of myself with people. I will be grateful to all the people from my past who have assisted me in my process of opening up to love. I claim, accept, and am grateful for the love that is coming to me.
From The Language of Letting Go by Melody Beattie
Daily Readings for Wednesday, April 22nd
Meditation for the Day
Divine control and unquestioning obedience to God are the only conditions necessary for a spiritual life. Divine control means absolute faith and trust in God, a belief that God is the Divine Principle in the universe and that He is the Intelligence and the Love that controls the universe. Unquestioning obedience to God means living each day the way you believe God wants you to live, constantly seeking the guidance of God in every situation and being willing to do the right thing at all times.
Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may always be under Divine Control and always practice unquestioning obedience to God. I pray that I may be always ready to serve Him. From Twenty-Four Hours a Day
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Coping With Stress
Inevitably, there are times of stress in our lives, no matter how long we’ve been in recovery.
Sometimes, the stress is outside or around us. We’re feeling balanced, but our circumstances are stressful. Sometimes, the stress is within; we feel out of balance.
When the stress is external and internal, we experience our most difficult times.
During stressful times, we can rely more heavily on our support systems. Our friends and groups can help us feel more balanced and peaceful in spite of our stressful conditions.
Affirming that the events taking place are a temporarily uncomfortable part of a good, solid plan can help. We can assure ourselves that we will get through. We won’t be destroyed. We won’t crumple or go under.
It helps to go back to the basics to focus on detachment, dealing with feelings, and taking life one day at a time.
Our most important focus during times of stress is taking care of ourselves. We are better able to cope with the most irregular circumstances; we are better able to be there for others, if we’re caring for ourselves. We can ask ourselves regularly: What do we need to do to take care of ourselves? What might help us feel better or more comfortable?
Self-care may not come as easily during times of stress. Self-neglect may feel more comfortable. But taking care of us always works.
Today, I will remember that there is no situation that can’t be benefited by taking care of myself.
From The Language of Letting Go by Melody Beattie
Trying to Make the Right Choices
So it would appear that we have reached an impasse in our Coronavirus journey here in the U.S. There are some that say the “stay at home” orders issued should continue until there’s a downward number of cases. Then there are those who say enough time has passed and that the orders need to be lifted so people can return to their jobs and normal lifestyles.
Certainly there are no easy choices to be made here. While there has been an overall decrease in the number of new cases, a lot of that can be attributed to the fact most states have had “stay at home” orders in place. Several states in the past week have lifted those orders or at least lifted some parts of the restrictions. I watched on Facebook this morning as a live feed of a good number of people enjoying the beach as restrictions there had been lifted.
Most definitely people’s livelihoods have been affected by the pandemic. Record numbers of people have lost their jobs and there are those businesses who fear their days in business might be coming to a close. I get that part of it and yes, I’m one of those who’s been afforded the ability to work from home. So perhaps I’m not the best one to address those with that concern.
But I also see the side of those who are saying it’s way too soon to even attempt to return to normalcy. We’ve seen reduced numbers largely due to the fact that we’ve put social distancing practices into measure. While the numbers have been decreasing, most experts agree that we need to continue that trend for a two week period before considering lifting any restrictions.
So the basic dilemma seemingly is the health of the population vs people’s freedoms and their right to work. I’m not sure that I have any of the answers,,,for they are not easy.
I’ll close with links to two stories that those in the decision-making process might want to consider:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/04/21/coronavirus-secondwave-cdcdirector/
Some Days are Better than Others…
One of the things that I’ve learned during this period of uncertainty during the Covid-19 pandemic is that some days will be better than others. Not that it should have taken something like the worldwide spread of a virus to do this, but it definitely has become much clearer now.
I have been in the unwanted habit of waking up in the morning filled with fear and dread. I’ve had this happen at other points in my life, but over the past four weeks of quarantine, it’s become more frequent. I’ve tried to go back to sleep when this happens, usually to no avail. I’ve tried to begin my morning routine early….sometimes this works, sometimes not. Today has been one of those days when I’ve not been able to shake the feeling for most all the day long.
I know being held captive here at home doesn’t foster mental well-being. I did take a short trip to a local park to get some pictures on Saturday afternoon, but that didn’t seem to help too much. I’ve tried several projects around the house, but that’s not really offered any relief either. Today I went back to teaching online and I put on a brave face for the students I had a video meeting with, but that too fell short of lasting when the meeting was over.
So I’m hoping that the feelings that I’ve had over the past several days will soon pass. I will once again being teaching online tomorrow and I’m hoping getting back in that practice will help. I have a Zoom recovery meeting tonight and those have been uplifting in the past as well.
So here’s to today…it’s not been one of my stellar days. And here’s to tomorrow,,,,may it be better.
David Lee
Quote of the Day for April 20th
reads, ponders, and shares: “We must never forget that we may also find meaning in life even when confronted with a hopeless situation, when facing a fate that cannot be changed.” – Viktor E. Frankl
Daily Readings for April 20, 2020
Meditation for the Day
There are two paths, one up and one down. We have been given free will to choose either path. We are captains of our souls to this extent only. We can choose the good or the bad. Once we have chosen the wrong path, we go down and down, eventually to death. But if we choose the right path, we go up and up, until we come to the resurrection day. On the wrong path, we have no power for good because we do not choose to ask for it. But on the right path, we are on the side of good and we have all the power of God’s spirit behind us.
Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may be in the stream of goodness. I pray that I may be on the right side, on the side of all good in the universe.
From Twenty-Four Hours a Day
Deadlines
I don’t know whether I want in or out of this relationship. I’ve been struggling with it for months now. It’s not appropriate to let it hang indefinitely. I will give myself two months to make a decision.
—Anonymous
Sometimes, it helps to set a deadline.
This can be true when we face unsolved problems, are struggling with a tough decision, have been sitting on the fence for a while, or have been floundering in confusion about a particular issue for a time.
That does not mean a deadline is written in stone. It means that we are establishing a time frame to help ourselves not feel so helpless and to help bring a solution into focus. Setting deadlines can free our energy to set the problem or issue aside, to let go, and allow the Universe, our Higher Power, and ourselves to begin to move toward a solution.
We don’t always need to tell people we’ve got a deadline. Sometimes, it’s better to be silent, or else they may feel we are trying to control them and may rebel against our deadline. Sometimes, it is appropriate to share our deadlines with others.
Deadlines are primarily a tool to help ourselves. They need to be reasonable and appropriate to each individual situation. Used properly, deadlines can be a beneficial tool to help us get through difficult problems and situations without feeling trapped and helpless. They can help us let go of worrying and obsessing, so we can focus our energies in more constructive directions. Setting a deadline can help move us out of that uncomfortable spot of feeling victimized by a person or a problem we can’t solve.
Deadlines can help us detach and move forward.
Today, I will consider whether a deadline might be helpful in some areas in my life. I claim Divine Wisdom and Guidance in setting appropriate deadlines for any problems or relationship issues that may be lingering.
From The Language of Letting Go by Melody Beattie
Big Wave Dave’s “Spin of the Day” for Sunday, April 19, 2020
Quote of the Day for Sunday, April 19th
Quote of the Day: “And yet, being a practical man, I recognized a big difference between the mere affirmation of faith and its effective implementation. To desire harmony, or peace, or whatever word you care to give to the sense of identification with the orderly processes of life, would be a step in the right direction; but this by itself was not enough. I had to work for it.”- Richard E. Byrd
Daily Readings for Sunday, April 19th
Meditation for the Day
It is a glorious way – the upward way. There are wonderful discoveries in the realm of the spirit. There are tender intimacies in the quiet times of communion with God. There is an amazing, almost incomprehensible understanding of the other person. On the upward way, you can have all the strength you need from that Higher Power. You cannot make too many demands on Him for strength. He gives you all the power you need, as long as you are moving along the upward way.
Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may see the beautiful horizons ahead on the upward way. I pray that I may keep going forward to the more abundant life.
From Twenty-Four Hours a Day
Accepting Change
The winds of change blow through our life, sometimes gently, sometimes like a tropical storm. Yes, we have resting places – time to adjust to another level of living, time to get our balance, time to enjoy the rewards. We have time to catch our breath.
But change is inevitable and desirable.
Sometimes, when the winds of change begin to rustle, we’re not certain the change is for the better. We may call it stress or a temporary condition, certain we’ll be restored to normal. Sometimes, we resist. We tuck our head down and buck the wind, hoping that things will quickly calm down, get back to the way things were. Is it possible we’re being prepared for a new normal?
Change will sweep through our life, as needed, to take us where we’re going. We can trust that our Higher Power has a plan in mind, even when we don’t know where the changes are leading.
We can trust that the change-taking place is good. The wind will take us where we need to go.
Today, help me, God, to let go of my resistance to change. Help me be open to the process. Help me believe that the place I’ll be dropped off will be better than the place where I was picked up. Help me surrender, trust, and accept, even if I don’t understand.
From The Language of Letting Go by Melody Beattie
David Lee 