~ ~ Charlotte Painter~ ~

We hang on to secrets when we’re unsure of ourselves and the role we’re asked to play….secrets about our inner thoughts, our dreams and aspirations, our feared inadequacies. Because we strive for perfection, assume it’s achievable, and settle for no less in all our activities, we are haunted by our secret fears of not measuring up. The more committed we become to this program, the greater is our understanding of the fallacy of this way of thinking. And as our awareness increases, the more accepting we become of our human frailty, and the less need we have to cover it up. Our mental health is measurable by the openness we offer to the world. Secrets belie good health and heighten the barriers to it. The program’s Forth and Fifth Steps are the antidotes to being stuck in an unhealthy state of mind. They push us to let go of our secrets, freeing us from the power they wield. Practicing the principles of the program offers the remedy we need for the happiness we deserve.

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Daily Reflections
By A.A. Members for A.A. Members

Lord, make me a channel for thy peace….that where there is hatred, I may bring love….that where there is wrong, I may bring the spirit of forgiveness….that where there is discord, I may bring harmony…that where there is error, I may bring faith….that where there is despair, I may bring hope….that where there are shadows, I may bring light….that where there is sadness, I may bring joy. Lord, grant that I may seek rather to comfort that to be comforted…..to understand, than to be understood….to love, than to be loved. For this is by self-forgetting that one finds. It is by forgiving that one is forgiven. It is by dying that one awakens to Eternal Life, Amen.

No matter where I am in my spiritual growth, the St. Francis prayer helps me improve my conscious contact with the God of my understanding. I think that one of the great advantages of my faith in God is that I do not understand Him, or Her, or It. It may be that my relationship with my Higher Power is so fruitful that I do not have to understand. All that I am certain of is that I work the Eleventh Step regularly, as best I can. I will continue to improve my conscious contact, I will know His will for me, and I will have the power to carry it out.

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I am always on the look out for more
Spiritual reading material
and Prayers.

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If you have a favorite Poem, Prayer or Special Saying
and want to share please e-mail me.

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May today there be peace within
May you trust your highest power that
you are exactly where you are meant to be....
May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.
May you use those gifts that you have received,
and pass on the love that has been given to you.
May you be content knowing you are a child of God,
May you let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, and dance, It is there for each and every one of you .