C2C “Because most worry focuses on the future, if we can learn to stay in the present, living one day or one moment at a time, we take positive steps toward warding off the effects of fear.”

Boom. Through my own observation I know that when fear pulls me out of the moment, I am disconnected and more often than not unhappy. Today I’m going to take steps to stay connected and present. iLmL

– RichieB

“Just for today, and for the next forty days, be the object of your OWN love. Send yourself a love letter and then take the time to read it to yourself… How much love can you stand?”
– Adapted from Until Today!

I am so grateful for my sponsor and his love and gentle guidance. Before we met I was satisfied to live by AA literature alone. I have since broadened my horizons and this book is one of the gems that makes me a more loving and serene man. The first time I tried writing a love letter to myself, I started crying. I realized that I could love anyone on the planet besides the most important person I needed to love: me. Today, I love myself more & more. And just to be clear, this practice does NOT keep me sober, but it does (in combination with the 12 steps) enrich my sobriety. It helps keep me emotionally sober and for that I am eternally grateful! iLmL

– RichieB

“When one day you see how unexpectedly your prayer has been answered, then you will deeply regret that you have prayed so little. Prayer changes things for you. Practice praying until your trust in God has become strong.” – 24 Hours a Day

This reminds me of a high school dance. I never started dancing til the party was almost over. My unrealized fears kept me from trusting that everything would be fine. Today I’m the first to start dancing and I’m going to adopt the same attitude with prayer! iLmL

RichieB

Grapevine, July 1946 “Truly did a clergyman say to me, “Your misfortune has become your good fortune. You A.A.’s are a priveleged people.””

Had I not reached the exact depths I did, I wouldn’t have ever found this way of life. The longer I stay sober and continue to work the program, the more I am grateful for those last dismal days. The bottom has been transformed to the… not bottom. Thank God. iLmL

– RichieB

“… A ceremonial affirmation, no matter how small, seems to carry an indelible and resonant quality into the heart which the intellect is incapable of carrying. Shaking the hand of a friend is such a ritual. It reaffirms something deep and unsayable in the relationship. A non-rational ritual acknowledges and reaffirms a non-rational, but important, part of the relationship. It is a small but vital thing.” – From A Common Prayer

It is my belief that a power greater than myself, as I DON’T understand it, knows exactly what I am going to say in my prayers before I even think the words. This belief however does not make me exempt from the act of praying. For me, the simple yet profound gesture of prayer is an essential part of connecting to a higher resource and cultivating a deeper and more meaningful relationship with it. iLmL

Richie B

“He may call it the human spirit, he may call it the soul or he may call it god. The particular name is not so very important. The point is that he acknowledges this spiritual dimension. He would be a fool to ignore it, so powerful is it’s effect on his life, so joyous, so mysterious, so frightening.”
– A Common Prayer

I love this so much. Quite often I like to get caught up in irrelevant details that hold zero importance in my life. What I choose to CALL a “Power greater than myself” means infinitely less than if I BELIEVE and CONNECT with that Power. Today, I’m connected. Period. No names necessary. It’s very personal and ultimately my definition or understanding means little if anything to anyone else. The results I receive through my belief and application seems to be what is noticed. So my focus is the doing and not the defining. iLmL

– RichieB

“Accepting myself means not having to be rich, famous, powerful, or even “good.” It means not having to impress others. It means living authentically. It means being comfortable saying, “I don’t know.”” – Day by Day

At first read, this all seems obvious. But after disecting it a bit further, I realize that I base much, if not all, of my worth on other’s acceptance of me AND my actions. I am “good” because I am good and because I’m alive. I am one of God’s kids and deserve all the best in life for no other reason than that. I am loving and loveable and today I am going to accept myself as I am and those around me as they are. iLmL

– Richie B

“We must learn to take the intellectual knowledge and turn it into emotional and spiritual reality – into living – so we can continue to change and grow and be useful.”
– Drop the Rock pg. xviii

Application of the principles into daily living has been one of the biggest hurdles for me in recovery. Almost as challenging as consistency; Working a truly DAILY program. Turning thought into action takes a daily practice. A healthy balance of faith and works. iLmL

– RichieB

From 24HAD “The spiritual and moral will eventually overcome the material and immoral. That is the purpose and destiny of the human race. Gradually the spiritual is overcoming the material in our minds. Gradually the moral is overcoming the immoral. Faith, fellowship, and service are cures for most of the ills in the world. There is nothing in the field of personal relationships that they cannot do.”

Today I’m connected. I prefer to align with a greater purpose. This is comprised of faith, fellowship, service and a bit of personal recovery. When I put forth this effort, the world and my reaction to it are much more loving and effective. iLmL

– RichieB

“I soon learned to laugh at myself and eventually I taught those I sponsor to laugh also. Every day I ask God to help me stop taking myself too seriously.”
– Drop the Rock

Looking for the humor in life has allowed me to stay in gratitude. It reminds me that God is involved and that life is hilarious. It took practice, but this outlook invites more levity and fun into my day. iLmL

– RichieB