Daily Reflection

NOVEMBER 20
"THY WILL, NOT MINE"
. . . when making specific requests, it will be well to add to
each one of them this qualification. ". . . if it be Thy will"
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 102
I ask simply that throughout the day God place in me the
best understanding of His will that I can have for that day,
and that I be given the grace by which I may carry it out. As
the day goes on, I can pause when facing situations that
must be met and decisions that must be made, and renew
the simple request: "Thy will, not mine, be done."
I must always keep in mind that in every situation I am
responsible for the effort and God is responsible for the
outcome. I can "Let Go and Let God" by humbly repeating:
"Thy will, not mine, be done." Patience and persistence in
seeking His will for me will free me from the pain of selfish
expectations.

Daily Reflection

NOVEMBER 19
"I WAS SLIPPING FAST"
We A.A.'s are active folk, enjoying the satisfactions of
dealing with the realities of life, . . . So it isn't surprising
that we often tend to slight serious meditation and prayer as
something not really necessary.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 96
I had been slipping away from the program for some time,
but it took a death threat from a terminal disease to bring
me back, and particularly to the practice of the Eleventh
Step of our blessed Fellowship. Although I had fifteen years
of sobriety and was still very active in the program, I knew
that the quality of my sobriety had slipped badly. Eighteen
months later, a checkup revealed a malignant tumor and a
prognosis of certain death within six months. Despair
settled in when I enrolled in a rehab program, after which I
suffered two small strokes which revealed two large brain
tumors. As I kept hitting new bottoms I had to ask myself
why this was happening to me. God allowed me to recognize
my dishonesty and to become teachable again.
Miracles began to happen. But primarily I relearned the
whole meaning of the Eleventh Step. My physical condition
has improved dramatically, but my illness is minor
compared to what I almost lost completely.

Daily Reflection

NOVEMBER 18
A SAFETY NET
Occasionally. . . . We are seized with a rebellion so
sickening that we simply won't pray. When these things
happen we should not think too ill of ourselves. We should
simply resume prayer as soon as we can, doing what we
know to be good for us.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 105
Sometimes I scream, stomp my feet, and turn my back on
my Higher Power. Then my disease tells me that I am a
failure, and that if I stay angry I'll surely get drunk. In those
moments of self-will it's as if I've slipped over a cliff and
am hanging by one hand. The above passage is my safety
net, in that it urges me to try some new behavior, such as
being kind and patient with myself. It assures me that my
Higher Power will wait until I am willing once again to risk
letting go, to land in the net, and to pray.

Daily Reflection

NOVEMBER 17
OVERCOMING LONELINESS
Almost without exception, alcoholics are tortured by
loneliness Even before our drinking got bad and people
began to cut us off, nearly all of us suffered the feeling that
we didn't quite belong.
AS BILL SEES IT, p. 90
The agonies and the void that I often felt inside occur less
and less frequently in my life today. I have learned to cope
with solitude. It is only when I am alone and calm that I am
able to communicate with God, for He cannot reach me
when I am in turmoil. It is good to maintain contact with
God at all times, but it is absolutely essential that, when
everything seems to go wrong, I maintain that contact
through prayer and meditation.

Daily Reflection

NOVEMBER 16
A DAILY REPRIEVE
What we really have is a daily reprieve contingent on the
maintenance of our spiritual condition.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 85
Maintaining my spiritual condition is like working out
every day, planning for the marathon, swimming laps,
jogging. It's staying in good shape spiritually, and that
requires prayer and meditation. The single most important
way for me to improve my conscious contact with a Higher
Power is to pray and meditate. I am as powerless over
alcohol as I am to turn back the waves of the sea; no human
force had the power to overcome my alcoholism. Now I am
able to breathe the air of joy, happiness and wisdom. I have
the power to love and react to events around me with the
eyes of a faith in things that are not readily apparent. My
daily reprieve means that, no matter how difficult or
painful things appear today, I can draw on the power of the
program to stay liberated from my cunning, baffling and
powerful illness.

Daily Reflection

NOVEMBER 15
VITAL SUSTENANCE
Those of us who have come to make regular use of prayer
would no more do without it than we would refuse air, food,
or sunshine. And for the same reason. When we refuse air,
light, or food, the body suffers. And when we turn away
from meditation and prayer, we likewise deprive our minds,
our emotions, and our intuitions of vitally needed support.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 97
Step Eleven doesn't have to overwhelm me. Conscious
contact with God can be as simple, and as profound, as
conscious contact with another human being. I can smile. I
can listen. I can forgive. Every encounter with another is an
opportunity for prayer, for acknowledging God's presence
within me.
Today I can bring myself a little closer to my Higher
Power. The more I choose to seek the beauty of God's work
in other people, the more certain of His presence I will
become.

Daily Reflection

NOVEMBER 14
INTUITION AND INSPIRATION
. . we ask God for inspiration, an intuitive thought >r a
decision. We relax and take it easy. We don't struggle.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 86
[ invest my time in what I truly love. Step Eleven is a
discipline that allows me and my Higher Power to be
together, reminding me that, with God's help, intuition and
inspiration are possible. Practice of the Step brings on selflove.
In a consistent attempt to improve my conscious
contact with a Higher Power, I am subtly reminded of my
unhealthy past, with its patterns of grandiose thinking and
false feelings of omnipotence. When I ask for the power to
carry out God's will for me, I am made aware of my
powerlessness. Humility and a healthy self-love are
compatible, a direct result of working Step Eleven.

Daily Reflection

NOVEMBER 13
LOOKING OUTWARD
We ask especially for freedom from self-will, and are
careful to make no requests for ourselves only. We may ask
for ourselves, however, if others will be helped We are
careful never to pray for our own selfish ends.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 87
As an active alcoholic, I allowed selfishness to run rampant
in my life. I was so attached to my drinking and other
selfish habits that people and moral principles came
second. Now, when I pray for the good of others rather
than my "own selfish ends," I practice a discipline in letting
go of selfish attachments, caring for my fellows and
preparing for the day when I will be required to let go of all
earthly attachments.

Daily Reflection

NOVEMBER 12
MORNING THOUGHTS
Ask Him in your morning meditation what you can do each
day for the man who is still sick
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 164
For many years I pondered over God's will for me,
believing that perhaps a great destiny had been ordained for
my life. After all, having been born into a specific faith,
hadn't I been told early that I was "chosen"? It finally
occurred to me, as I considered the above passage, that
God's will for me was simply that I practice Step Twelve
on a daily basis. Furthermore, I realized I should do this to
the best of my ability. I soon learned that the practice aids
me in keeping my life in the context of the day at hand.

Daily Reflection

NOVEMBER 11
SELF-ACCEPTANCE
We know that God lovingly watches over us. We know that
when we turn to Him, all will be well with us, here and
hereafter.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 105
I pray for the willingness to remember that I am a child of
God, a divine soul in human form, and that my most basic
and urgent life-task is to accept, know, love and nurture
myself. As I accept myself, I am accepting God's will. As I
know and love myself, I am knowing and loving God. As I
nurture myself I am acting on God's guidance.
I pray for the willingness to let go of my arrogant self criticism,
and to praise God by humbly accepting and
caring for myself.

Daily Reflection

NOVEMBER 10
A SENSE OF BELONGING
Perhaps one of the greatest rewards of meditation and
prayer is the sense of belonging that comes to us.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 105
That's what it is—belonging! After a session of meditation
I knew that the feeling I was experiencing was a sense of
belonging because I was so relaxed. I felt quieter inside,
more willing to discard little irritations. I appreciated my
sense of humor. What I also experience in my daily
practice is the sheer pleasure of belonging to the creative
flow of God's world. How propitious for us that prayer and
meditation are written right into our A.A. way of life.

Daily Reflection

NOVEMBER 9
STEPPING INTO THE SUNLIGHT
But first of all we shall want sunlight; nothing much can
grow in the dark. Meditation is our step out into the sun.
AS BILL SEES IT, p. 10
Sometimes I think I don't have time for prayer and
meditation, forgetting that I always found the time to drink.
It is possible to make time for anything I want to do if I
want it badly enough. When I start the routine of prayer
and meditation, it's a good idea to plan to devote a small
amount of time to it. I read a page from our Fellowship's
books in the morning, and say "Thank You, God," when I
go to bed at night. As prayer becomes a habit, I will increase
the time spent on it, without even noticing the foray
it makes into my busy day. If I have trouble praying, I just
repeat the Lord's Prayer because it really covers
everything. Then I think of what I can be grateful for and
say a word of thanks.
I don't need to shut myself in a closet to pray. It can be
done even in a room full of people. I just remove myself
mentally for an instant. As the practice of prayer continues,
I will find I don't need words, for God can, and does, hear
my thoughts through silence.