I announced during episode 51 that I intended to put together the anniversary episode number 52, My Story, over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Well, that didn’t happen (as I probably could have predicted.) In addition, I have encountered a few technical difficulties, and may be coming down with a cold. I think the technical problems are my Higher Power’s way of reminding me that I need to take care of myself. So the episode will be delayed a day or two, but it is still happening.
As my wife and I were driving home from visiting my family, we listened to a series of talks by Tom W. titled “A Program of Attraction”. Towards the end, he talked about blessings. “What is a blessing?” he asked a rabbi from whom he was taking a class. The rabbi responded, “As you travel down life’s road, anything that gets behind you and pushes your forward; anything that gets in front of you and grabs onto you and drags you ahead; anything that gets down deep inside of you and kicks and shoves and pushes until there is more room … anything that does that is a blessing. And lots of times blessings don’t feel good. And lots of times you don’t know they are blessings until much later. You look back at a situation that you knew would kill you and realize that it opened doors that you didn’t even know were there.” (http://recoveryradionetwork.podcastpeople.com/posts/54556)
Continue reading Still here … and blessings
Oh, we give thanks for this precious day,
For all gathered here, and those far away;
For this time we share with love and care,
Oh, we give thanks for this precious day.
“We Give Thanks” by Wendy Luella Perkins
Today is Thanksgiving Day in the United States. It is a day when we traditionally gather with our family and friends to be thankful for what we have in our lives. Last year, I was the only one awake at my home in the morning, and I decided to make a gratitude list. I started with A, thinking of things I was grateful for that began with the letter A, then B, C, etc. I hadn’t gotten too far into the alphabet and a feeling of warmth started to pervade my spirit.
Here is an updated version of that list, with people’s names blanked for anonymity.
A* – my beloved wife, who loves me and puts up with my foibles.
Breath – the inspiration that replenishes my body and soul.
Computers – that provide me both vocation and diversion.
Dentistry – without which I would have no functional teeth.
E* – my vivacious, inquisitive daughter.
Facebook – keeping me in touch with distant friends.
Grandparents – long gone physically, but still right there in my memories.
Health – still good, despite the aches and pains inherent in aging.
Inquisitiveness – keeping me interested and engaged in the world.
J* – my sister, who is closer in adulthood than we ever were as children.
Knowledge – helping me to live in right relationship with people and this earth.
Love – which increases as I give it away.
M* – my mother, who gave me life and taught me to live in the world.
N* – my amazing son, who continues to push his own boundaries and dreams.
Owls – they add mystery to the night. I recently heard one at 3AM from my bedroom.
Poetry – especially that of my brother, M*, who demonstrates strength in adversity by his example.
Questions – may I always have them!
Recovery – my path to continued growth and serenity.
Serenity – the ability to stay calm in the midst of life’s storms.
Three – reminding me that it’s not all black and white, yes and no.
Unitarian Universalism – a community that supports me in my spiritual questing and questioning.
Vision – bringing the colors and beauty of the world to me.
W* – my father, who is a rock of my life, and taught me so much.
X-rays – helping to diagnose my body’s failings.
Yesterday – reminding me that acceptance is the answer to my problems today.
Z – reminding me to be grateful for what I have today, because all things eventually come to an end.
A meditation for November 28, 2013.
Continue reading giving thanks – a meditation
Podcast: Play in new window
| Download (Duration: 1:31:10 — 50.8MB)
 Are you often unsure what to do next? Do you struggle with indecision? Do you have too many choices? Do you feel you have no choices? Today, we talk about the slogan “First Things First.”
Spencer, Maria and special guest Adrienne discuss this slogan, guided by these questions:
- How did you make decisions / set priorities before the program?
- What is the difference between urgent and important for you?
- Do you let immediate “crisis” distract you from the important things in your life?
- How do you understand the slogan “First things first”?
- What tools can help you to figure out what is the “first thing”?
- Have you used this slogan to help you make choices and set priorities?
- Can you use it to help you get started on something that seems “too big”?
- How do you think it relates to the expression “Do the next right thing”?
- To “Do what is given you to do”?
Our topic for next week is My Story, which is to say, your stories. Please call us at 734-707-8795 or email feedback@therecoveryshow.com with your questions or experience, strength and hope. Or just leave a comment right here.
Continue reading First Things First – Episode 51
We will be recording Episode 51 – First Things First, live on Sunday, November 24 starting at about 3PM EDT (which is 2000 GMT). Please join us using this “listen live” link (also in the right sidebar). If you are on an iPhone, iPad or iPod, you will need to install the Mixlr app, then search in it for “The Recovery Show.” Once you have found us, you can click or tap on “Follow” so you don’t have to search again (you will need to create a Mixlr account to follow us). If you want, you can have Mixlr send you notifications when we go online, after you follow us.
Are you often unsure what to do next? Do you struggle with indecision? Do you have too many choices? Does it seem you have no options? Today, we will talk about the slogan “First Things First.” Join us live and you can contribute from the chat room.
Podcast: Play in new window
| Download (Duration: 1:31:11 — 57.3MB)
Have you established a routine of prayer and meditation? Do you struggle with them? Are you not sure how to know God’s will? Yes! Today, we’re going to talk about Step 11, which says “Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of his will for us and the power to carry it out.”
Spencer and Maria talk about Step 11, guided by these questions:
- What is your understanding of “prayer”? “meditation”?
- How are these different from before the program? Early in the program?
- Do you have a regular practice of prayer and meditation?
- What is it?
- How has it changed over time?
- How have you sought to improve your conscious contact with your Higher Power?
- How does praying only for knowledge of his will differ from how you prayed before the program?
- How do you know if you understand God’s will?
- Final thoughts — how is Step 11 working in your life?
Our topic for next week is a slogan — do the survey if you want to help select the slogan(s) we will talk about.. Please call us at 734-707-8795 or email feedback@therecoveryshow.com with your questions or experience, strength and hope. Or just leave a comment right here.
Continue reading Step 11 – Episode 50
Help us decide which slogan to talk about next week. Let us know what you would like to hear by answering the survey below.
Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey , the world’s leading questionnaire tool.
 We will be recording Episode 50 – Step 11, live on Sunday, November 17, starting at 3PM EST (which is 2000 GMT). Please join us using this “listen live” link (also above). If you are on an iPhone, iPad or iPod, you will need to install the Mixlr app, then search in it for “The Recovery Show.” Once you have found us, you can click or tap on “Follow” so you don’t have to search again (you will need to create a Mixlr account to follow us). If you want, you can have Mixlr send you notifications when we go online, after you follow us.
Step 11 states, “Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of his will for us and the power to carry it out.” Have you established a routine of prayer and meditation? Do you struggle with them? Are you not sure how to know God’s will? Listen as Spencer, Maria, and Lee talk about these questions and others.
The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago.
The second best time is now.
– Chinese Proverb
Steps 6 and 7 give me an opportunity to change. It is easy for me to say “Oh, that’s just the way I am, and anyway, it’s too late to do anything about it.” Or, in other words “I should have planted that tree 20 years ago.” But you know, my life is not over. And if I plant a new tree now, I will probably still be around in 20 years to enjoy it. If I start to make a change in the way I act, now, I will enjoy the benefits of that change for years to come.
Step 7, “Humbly asked God to remove our shortcomings”, is a tool I can use to begin that change. By saying, “I want to change, please help me,” I open the door to a happier future. I plant the seed. Of course, I will need to tend the seedling tree, watering, weeding, protecting it from damage as it grows. In my life, I need to water the seed of change by noticing when my character defect still surfaces, by practicing new behavior, and by being gentle with myself when the old behavior recurs (as it inevitably will.) I celebrate my progress, just as I celebrate the tree growing from a sprout, to a “whip”, to a sapling, to a small tree, and finally into a full grown tree with flowers and maybe fruit, which I can sit in the shade of or climb as I wish.
I may need to ask my Higher Power for the humility to be teachable, to learn a new way of being. That is the essence of Step 6, “Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.” In Step 6, I prepare the ground of my spirit for the seed of change, just as I might prepare soil for planting a tree. To plant a tree, I would dig a hole. I would mix various amendments such as peat, sand, compost, or fertilizer into the soil, so that the seed has a nourishing and well-drained environment to encourage its growth. Similarly, I might examine my shortcomings, asking myself these questions: What is the pain caused by this shortcoming? What is the payoff? Why did I develop this behavior? How does it continue to benefit me? Can I have the patience I need for real change? In this way, I prepare myself and become ready to accept the new life that is sure to grow in the time ahead.
A meditation for November 14, 2013.
Continue reading plant a tree – a meditation
Podcast: Play in new window
| Download (Duration: 1:29:16 — 48.8MB)
Are you new to Al-Anon? Do you wonder what to expect? What you should do immediately? What are the challenges we face early on? Does Al-Anon have its own “culture”? Then you’ve come to the right place, because today, we’re going to talk about getting started in Al-Anon.
Spencer and guest host Wendy talk about our early experiences in Al-Anon, reflecting on what you might expect as you come to your first few meetings. We used this outline to guide our discussion.
- What should I expect when I come to my first meeting?
- Greeting?
- Literature?
- Meeting format?
- What should I do “immediately”?
- Go to meetings!
- Buy and read literature!
- Talk in the meeting?
- Get a phone list?
- Get a sponsor?
- Start working the steps?
- What are some early challenges?
- The jargon?
- Talking?
- Listening?
- Feeling safe?
- Crying?
- “God” talk?
- Is there an Al-Anon culture? What is it?
- Language/jargon?
- Slogans?
- How we interact with each other?
Our topic for next week is Step 11, “Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood God, praying only for knowledge of God’s will for us and the power to carry that out”. Please call us at 734-707-8795 or email feedback@therecoveryshow.com with your questions or experience, strength and hope. Or just leave a comment right here.
Continue reading Getting Started in Al-Anon – Episode 49
 We will be recording Episode 49 – Getting Started, live on Monday, November 11 starting at 630PM EST (which is 0130 GMT). Please join us using this “listen live” link (also above). If you are on an iPhone, iPad or iPod, you will need to install the Mixlr app, then search in it for “The Recovery Show.” Once you have found us, you can click or tap on “Follow” so you don’t have to search again (you will need to create a Mixlr account to follow us). If you want, you can have Mixlr send you notifications when we go online, after you follow us.
Are you new to Al-Anon? Do you wonder what to expect? What you should do immediately? What are the challenges we face early on? Does Al-Anon have its own “culture”? Then you’ve come to the right place, because today, we’re going to talk about Getting Started.
|
|
