Thoughts & Prayers

We are each gifted in a unique and important way.

It is our privilege and adventure to 

discover our own special light.

Mary Dunbar

 

My task is to stand in the sun and create a climate that will develop and nurture my gift.

To fully believe in my talent, I need only step from the darkness into the sun.

I will take this first step, trust enough, and start believing that; yes, I do have special gifts.

 

Today let me be aware of my deep and unfilled desires, dreams, and wishes, which is the first step on the way to accepting our gifts.

 

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We honor the spirit in other people when we listen to them.

 

God's messages surround me.

The people I share the day with carry my lessons within their words and actions.

Let me be vigilant in my attempts to listen.

I can learn my lessons and fulfill my purpose only by acknowledging the spirit, the presence of God, within each person God has ushered to me.

 

I will pay special attention to the people in my life today.

 It's a wonderful feeling knowing they are part of God's plan for me.

 

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I cannot see the future.

It's a blessing that I cannot.

I could not bear to know all the future.

That is why God only reveals it to me day by day.

God is powerful enough to do anything God wills, and no miracle in human lives is impossible with God.

 

I pray that I may gladly leave my future in God's hands.

 

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Life is a series of letting go's -
an "infinite" series of letting go's.
All things in life are given us on loan. . .
Once we have learned to let go,
we are prepared for whatever life gives us.
And death itself is nothing to be feared.

Matthew Fox

 

Letting go is a behavior I can practice each day, whatever the circumstances in my life.

It's a useful tool to use when I really want to bring something or someone into my life, and in accomplishing my goals.

It's a helpful tool to use on outdated behaviors such as low self-esteem and manipulation.

Letting go takes the emotional charge, the drama, out of things and restores me to a sense of balance, peace, and spiritual power.

Letting go works well on the past and the future.

It brings me into today.

Learning the art of letting go really means learning to calmly let things be.

 

God, help me learn to let go.

 

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Relieved Of Blindness

Blindness of judgment is one of the effects of sin.
Am I among those who prize worthless things and lying people rather than the cross of the righteous Christ?
He continues to call upon the Father’s help, not for his own deliverance but for mine.

Deliver your people, O Lord.
For those who live in fear under the menace of political brutality.
For those who are deprived of the Word’s comfort by an atheistic or agnostic environment.
For those who chase uselessly after length of days because they see no hope of life beyond the grave.

To have a sense of humor is to be wise enough to see things in proportion.

What gifts do you want to make to future generations through the life you are living now?

At the end of a long night of sleeplessness or suffering, sunrise brings joy and hope for the day to come.
In the light of the resurrection, we see and live anew, knowing that all is in and from God’s hand, returning all to him with thanks and praise.

In all my decisions shed upon my path the light of your will.

Having wandered from any true sense of a spiritual home or any real sense of direction, I was lost and hungered hopelessly for I know not what.
My Creator, however, is a tireless seeker.

Peace lies in surrendering to the Creator in trust and living by his love, not in fretting over the wrongs done by others.
Undue concern over evils I cannot mend prevents me from taking true delight in him.

Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun set on your anger, and do not leave room for the devil. All bitterness, fury, anger, shouting, and reviling must be removed from you, along with all malice. [And] be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ. (Ephesians 4: 26-27, 31-23)

Love is patient. (1 Cor 13:4)

Grant patience, Lord, grant peace.
To the angry and the envious.
To the bitter and the persecuted.
To the kind who find no kindness from others.
To the compassionate who meet no compassion in others.
To the forgiving who are not forgiven by others.

God’s love is enduring because God is faithful for ever.

God is my refuge in every storm of my life.
Though everything may seem to be swept from under my feet, God remains.
Just as I can safely stand on a boulder in the middle of a turbulent river, I can always rest in My Creator.
He offers me safety and peace in a chaotic world.
The knowledge that I am safe makes the roaring of the river smoothing and my tumultuous life joyful.

Be my refuge, Lord.
In this turbulent world.
In times of sorrow.
In all my difficult relationships.

12 Steps, Principles & Prayers

12 Steps, Principles & Prayers

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Serentity Prayer

God, grant me the Serenity
to accept the things I cannot change,
courage to change the things I can,
and wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
enjoying one moment at a time;
accepting hardship as the pathway to peace.
Taking, as He did,
this sinful world as it is
not as I would have it.
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life,
and supremely happy with Him forever in the next.
Amen.

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First Step
We admitted we were powerless over alcohol --
that our lives had become unmanageable.

Principle:
Surrender:
(Capitulation to hopelessness.)

Honesty:
After many years of denial,
recovery can begin when with one simple admission
of being powerless over alcohol --
for alcoholics and their friends and family.

Prayer:
Today I ask for help with my addiction.
Denial has kept me from seeing how powerless
I am and how my life is unmanageable
I need to learn and remember that
I have an incurable illness and that
abstinence is the only way to deal with it.
Amen.

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Second Step
Came to believe that a Power greater than
ourselves could restore us to sanity.

Principle:
Hope:
(Step 2 is the mirror image or opposite of step 1.
In step 1 we admit that alcohol is our higher power,
and that our lives are unmanageable.
In step 2, we find a different Higher Power
who we hope will bring about a return to sanity
in management of our lives.)

Faith:
It seems to be a spiritual truth,
that before a higher power can begin to operate,
you must first believe that it can.

Prayer:
I pray for an open mind so
I may come to believe in
a Power greater than myself.
I pray for humility and
the continued opportunity
to increase in my faith.
I don’t want to be crazy any more.
Amen.

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Third Step
Made a decision to turn our will and our lives
over to the care of God as we understood him

Principle:
Commitment:
(The key word in step 3 is decision.)

Commitment:
(The key word in step 3 is decision.)

Prayer:
God, I offer myself to Thee – to
build with me and to do with me as Thou wilt.
Relieve me of the bondage of self,
that I may better do Thy will.
Take away my difficulties,
that victory over them may bear witness
to those I would help of
Thy Power, Thy Love and Thy Way of life.
May I do Thy will always.
Amen.

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Fourth Step
Made a searching and fearless moral inventoryof ourselves.

Principle:
Honesty:
(An inventory of self.)

Soul Searching:
There is a saying in the 12-step programs
that recovery is a process, not an event.
The same can be said for this step --
more will surely be revealed.

Prayer:
Dear God,
It is I who has made my life a mess.
I have done it, and I cannot undo it.
My mistakes are mine, and I will begin
a searching and fearless moral inventory.
I will write down my wrongs, but
I will also include that which is good.
I prayer for the strength to compete the task.
Amen.

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Five Step
Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another
human being the exact nature of our wrongs.

Principle:
Truth:
(Candid confession to God and another human being.)

Integrity:
Probably the most difficult of all the steps to face,
Step 5 is also the one that provides the greatest opportunity
for growth.

Prayer:
Higher Power, my inventory has shown me who I am,
yet I ask for Your help in admitting my wrongs
to another person and to You.
Assure me, and be with me this Step,
for without this Step I cannot progress in my recovery.
With Your help, I can do this and I will do it.
Amen.

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Sixth Step
Were entirely ready to have God remove all
these defects of character.

Principle:
Willingness:
(Choosing to abandon defects of character.)

Acceptance:
The key to Step 6 is acceptance -- accepting
character defects exactly as they are and
becoming entirely willing to let them go.

Prayer:
Dear God, I am ready for Your help in removing
from me the defects of character which I now
realize are obstacles to my recovery.
Help me to continue being honest with myself and
guide me toward spiritual and mental health.
Amen.

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Seventh Step
Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.

Principle:
Humility:
(Standing naked before God, with nothing to hide, and
asking that our flaws—in His eyes—be removed.)

Humility:
The spiritual focus of Step 7 is humility,
asking a higher power to do something that
cannot be done by self-will or mere determination.

Prayer:
My Creator, I am now willing that you should
have all of me, good and bad.
I pray that You now remove from me every single
defect of character which stands in the way
of my usefulness to You and my fellows.
Grant me strength, as I go out from here to Your bidding.
Amen.

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Eighth Step
Made a list of all persons we have harmed, and
became willing to make amends to them all.

Principle:
Reflection:
(Who have we harmed? Are we ready to amend?)

Willingness:
Making a list of those harmed before coming into
recovery may sound simple.
Becoming willing to actually make those amends
is the difficult part.

Prayer:
Higher Power, I ask for Your help in making
my list of all those I have harmed.
I will take responsibility for my mistakes, and
be forgiving to others just as You are forgiving to me.
Grant me the willingness to begin my restitution.
This I pray.
Amen.

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Ninth Step
Made direct amends to such people wherever possible,
except when to do so would injure them or others.


Principle:
Amendment:
(Making direct amends/restitution/correction, etc.)

Forgiveness:
Making amends may seem like a bitter pill to swallow,
but for those serious about recovery it can be
great medicine for the spirit and soul.

Prayer:
Higher Power, I pray fro the right attitude to make my amends,
being ever mindful not to harm others in the process.
I ask for Your guidance in making indirect amends.
Most important , I will continue to make amends by staying abstinent,
helping others, and growing in spiritual progress.
Amen.

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Tenth Step
Continued to take personal inventory and when
we were wrong promptly admitted it.

Principle:
Vigilance:
(Exercising self-discovery, honesty, abandonment,
humility, reflection and amendment on a momentary,
daily, and periodic basis.)

Maintenance:
Nobody likes to admit to being wrong.
But it is absolutely necessary to maintain
spiritual progress in recovery.

Prayer:
I pray I may continue:
To grow in understanding and effectiveness;
To take daily spot-check inventories of myself;
To correct mistakes when I make them;
To take responsibility for my actions;
To be ever aware of my negative and
self-defeating attitudes and behaviors;
To keep my willfulness in check;
To always remember I need Your help;
To keep love and tolerance of others as my code;
And to continue in daily prayer how I can
best serve You, my Higher Power.
Amen.

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Eleventh Step
Sought through prayer and meditation to improve
our conscious contact with God was we understood Him,
praying only for knowledge of His will for us
and the power to carry that out.

Principle:
Attunement:
(Becoming as one with our Father.)

Making Contact:
The purpose of Step 11 is to discover the plan
God as you understand Him has for your life.

Prayer:
Higher Power, as I understand you,
I pray to keep open my connection with You and
to keep it clear from the confusion of daily life.
Through my prayers and meditations I ask especially
for freedom from self-will, rationalization, and wishful thinking.
I pray for the guidance of correct thought and positive action.
You will, Higher Power, not mine, be done.
Amen.

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Twelfth Step
Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of
these steps, we tried to carry the message to alcoholics,
and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

Principle:
Service:
(Awakening into sober usefulness.)

Service:
For those in recovery programs,
practicing Step 12 is simply "how it works."

Prayer:
Dear God,
My spiritual awakening continues to unfold.
The help I have received I shall pass on and
give to others, both in and out of the Fellowship.
For this opportunity I am grateful.
I pray most humbly to continue walking day by day
on the road of spiritual progress.
I pray for the inner strength and wisdom to
practice the principles of this way of life in all I do and say.
I need You, my friends, and the Program every hour of every day.
This is a better way to live.
Amen.

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Lord, take me where you want me to go;
Let me meet whom you want me to meet;
Tell me what you want me to say
And keep me out of your way.
Amen

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St. Francis' Prayer

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 a spirit of forgiveness;
that where there is discord,
I may bring harmony; that where there is error,
I may bring truth;
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 than to be comforted;
to understand, than to be understood;
to love, than to be loved.
For it 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

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Good Morning, This is God!
I will be handling all your probems today.
I will not need your help.
So have an awesome day.

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The Spring Rains

Expect to have hope rekindled.

Expect your prayers to be answered in wondrous ways.

The dry seasons in life do not last.

The spring rains will come again.
Sarah Ban Breathnach

www.gratefulness.org

O Great Spirit

O Great Spirit,

Whose voice I hear in the winds, and whose breath gives live to all the world, hear me!

I am small and weak, I need Your strength and wisdom.

Let me walk in beauty, and make my eyes ever behold the red and purple sunset.

Make my hands respect the things You have made, and my ears sharp to hear Your voice.

Make me wise so that I may understand the things You have taught my people.

Let me learn the lessons You have hidden in every leaf and rock.

I seek strength, not to be greater than my brother, but to fight my greatest enemy: myself.

Make me always ready to come to You with clean hands and straight eyes.

So when life fades, as the fading sunset, my spirit may come to You without shame.
Amen.

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The Right Road

Dear God,
I have no idea where I am going.
I do not see the road ahead of me.
I cannot know for certain where it will end.
Nor do I really know myself, and
the fact that I am actually doing so.
But I believe this.
I believe that the desire to please You
does in fact please you.
I hope I have that desire in everything I do.
I hope I never do anything
apart from that desire.
And I know that if I do this,
You will lead me by the right road
through I may know nothing about it at the time.
Therefore, I will trust You always,
for though I may seem to be lost,
and in the shadow of death, I will not be afraid,
because I know You will never leave me
to face my troubles alone.
Amen.

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Prayer -- 02-02-2008

Lord, I'm Hurting

Yes, Lord, I hurt.
The pain is deep,
And I feel the mountains
Are so steep.
I cannot seem to stand.
Please, dear Lord,
Take my hand
I cannot seem to find my way.
For me the sun
Is not shining today.
I know You're there,
I've fel Your presence near
But now, my Lord,
My heart is gripped with fear.
Lord, help the sun to shine
And to know
That You are mine.
Heal the pain I feel,
Make Your presence
Very real.
Today, Lord, I give You all.
Help me, dear Lord,
Not to fall.
And if I fall,
Hold me tight,
So I can feel
Your strength and might.
Amen.

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My Creator, teach me the seasons of growth.

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I pray that I may do all I can to love others in spite of their many faults.
I pray that as I love, so will I be loved.

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Prayer -- 02-01-2008

My Daily Prayer

God, I turn my will and my life over to You this day for Your keeping.
Your will, Lord, not mine.
I ask for Your guidance and direction.
I will walk humbly with You and Your fellowman.
You are giving me a grateful heart for my many blessings.
You are removing the defects of character that stand in my way.
You are giving me freedom from self-will.
Let love, compassion, and understanding be in my every thought, word, and deed this day.
I release those to You who have mistreated me.
I truly desire Your abundance of truth, love, harmony, and peace.
As I go out today to do Your bidding, let me help anyone I can who is less fortunate than I.

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My Creator, help me in my search for the truth today.

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I pray that my life may not be spoiled by worry and fear and selfishness.
I pray that I may have a glad, thankful, and humble heart.

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Prayer -- 01-31-2008

Humility Prayer

Lord, I am far to much influenced by what people think of me;
Which means that I an always pretending to be either richer or smarter than I really am.
Please prevent me from trying to attract attention.
Don't let me gloat over praise on the one hand and be discouraged by criticism on the other, nor let me wast time weaving th most imaginary situations in which the heroic, charming, witty person present is myself.
Show me how to be humble of heart.

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Great Spirit, today let me see only love.

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I pray that I may take my suffering in stride.
I pray that I may accept pain and defeat as part of God's plan for my spiritual growth.

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Prayer -- 01-30-2008

Thank You God

Thank You, God, for all You have given me.
Thank You for all You have taken from me.
But, most of all, I thank You, God, for what You've left me:
Recovery, along with peace of mind, faith, hope and love.

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Great Spirit, let me learn today that all things are sacred.
Help me sty close to You, my Creator.

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I pray that I may strengthen my inner life, so that I may find serenity.
I pray that my soul may be restored in quietness and peace.

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Prayer -- 01-29-2008

For Those Who Have Relapsed

O God of all mercies and comfort,
Who helps us in time of need, we humbly ask You to behold, visit, and relieve those who have relapsed for whom out prayers are desired.
Look upon them with a sense of Your goodness, preserve them from the temptations of their addition, and give them patience under their affliction.
In Your time, restore tehm to the Program and physical, mental, and spiritual health.
And help them, we pray, to listen, to believe, and do Your will.

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Great Spirit, help me to stay connected to the Mother Earth.

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I pray that I may depend on God, since He has planned my life.
I pray that I may live my life as I believe God wants me to live it.

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Prayer -- 01-28-2008

Peace In God's Will

My Higher Power,
quicken my spirit and fix my thoughts on Your will,
that I may see what You would have done,
and comtemplate its doing
without self-cooonscious or inner excitement,
without haste and without delay,
without fear of other people's judgement
or anxiety about success,
knowing only that it Your will and
therfore must be done
quietly, faithfully, and lovingly,
for in Your will alone is my peace.

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Great Spirit guide myself and my family on the Red Road.
{The Red Road is the path we walk on when we want a direct relationship with the Great Spirit.}

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I pray that I may not be weary, disillusioned, or disappointed.
I pray that I may not put my trust in the ways of the world, but in the way of the spirit.

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Prayer -- 01-27-2008

The Gift I Ask

There are gifts I ask of Thee,
Spirit Serene:
Strength for the daily task,
Courage to face the road,
Good cheer to help me
Bear the traveler's load,
And for the hous to come between,
An inward joy in all things heard and seen.

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My Creator, help me to understand both the seen world and the unseen world.
Let me not be afraid of the world You live in.

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I pray that I may rid myself of all fears and resentments, so that peace and serenity may take their place.
I pray that I may sweep my life clean of evil, so that good may come in.

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Enough To Need

Dear God, never allow me to think that I have
knowledge enough to need no teaching,
wisdom enough to need no correction,
talent enough to need no grace,
goodness enough to need no progress,
humility enough to need no repentance,
devotion enough to need no improvements,
strength sufficient without Thy Spirit, lest,
standing still, I fall back forevermore.

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Paryer -- 01-25-2008

Possibilities Prayer

I know, dear God, that my part in this Program is going to be a thrilling and endless adventure.
Despite all that has happened to me already, I know that I have just begun to grow.
I have just begun to open to Your love.
I have just begun to touch the varied lives You are using me to change.
I have just begun to sense the possibilities ahead.
And these possibilities, I am convinced, will continue to unfold into ever new and richer adventures, not only for the rest of my reborn days but also through eternity.

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My Creator, allow me to have defects because through them I gain knowledge of Your will.

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I pray that I may try to do God's will.
I pray that such understanding, insight, and vision shall be mine and shall make my life eternal, here and now.

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Prayer -- 01-24-2008

My First Prayer

I surrender to Thee my entire life, O God of m understanding.
I have made a mess of it, trying to run it myself.
You take it, the whole thing, and run if for me, according to Your will and plan.

-- #@#@#@# --

Creator, thank You for the Elders.
Help me this day to listen to them.

-- #@#@#@# --

I pray that, in spite of my material limitations, I may follow God's way.
I pray that I may learn that trying to do His will is perfect freedom.

-- #@#@#@# --

Prayer -- 01-23-2008

Fellow Travelers

Higher Power, Who fill our whole life,
and Whose presence we find wherever we go,
preserve us who travel the road of recovery,
surround us with Your loving care,
protect us from every danger,
and bring us to our journey's end.

-- #@#@#@# --

I pray that I may get myself out of the way, so that God's pwer may flow in.
I pray that I may surrender myself to that power.

-- #@#@#@# --

Oh Great Spirit, let me realize fully that my problems are of my own making.
Therefore, so are the solutions.

-- #@#@#@# --

Prayer -- 01-22-2008

Sobriety Prayer

If I speak in the tongues of men and even of angels, but have not sobriety, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to more mountains but have not sobriety, I am nothing.
If I give away all that I have, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but have not sobriety, I gain nothing.
When I am sober, I am patient and kind.
When I am sober, I am not jealous nor boastful, nor arrogant or rude.
When I am sober, I am not irritable or resentful.
I do not rejoice at wrong as I used to do but rejoice in what is right.
When I am sober, I can bear all things, believe in all things, hope all things, and endure all things.
Sobriety never ends and never fails.
When I was using, I spoke like an arrogant child, thought like a stubborn child, and reasoned like a rebellious child.
When I chose sobriety for my life, I gave up my childish ways.
So faith, hope, love, and sobriety abide, but for me, the most important has to be sobriety, for without it, I cannot have the other three, nor can I ever have the serenity I yearn to possess.

-- #@#@#@# --

Great Spirit, today, let me teach only love and learn only love.

-- #@#@#@# --

I pray that gratitude will bring humility.
I pray that humility will bring to live a better life.

-- #@#@#@# --

Prayer -- 01-21-2008

Every Morning

Every morning I will rest my arms
awhile upont the windowsill of heaven,
gaze upone my Higher Power,
and with that vision in my heart
turn strong to meet my day.

-- #@#@#@# --

Great Spirit, Father Sky, Mother Earth, guide me today.
Let me experience balance.

-- #@#@#@# --

I pray that I may be calm and let nothing upset me.
I pray that I may not let material things control me and choke out spiritual things.

-- #@#@#@# --