More Language of Letting Go: 366 New Daily Meditations

by Melody Beattie

  "Slowly—very slowly—I began to work out of my mess. It seemed impossible! I didn't even want to face it, it felt so overwhelming and hopeless. But I did. And each day I did the best I could to be responsible for myself.

  "One decision I made was to separate and protect myself financially from my husband, the best I could, before and after we divorced. The other decision I made was to face and begin reconstructing the financial affairs in my life.

  "It was difficult. We owed over fifty thousand dollars, and my ability to produce income had dramatically decreased. I was grieving; my selfesteem was at an alltime low; my energy was low. I did not know how I would ever untangle this nightmare. But it did happen. Slowly, gradually, with the help of a Higher Power, manageability crept in and replaced chaos.

  "I began by not spending more than I earned. I paid back some creditors, a little at a time. I let go of what I couldn't do, and focused on what I could do.

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  "Now, eight years have passed. I am debt free, which I never imagined possible. I am living comfortably, with money in the bank. My credit has been restored, again.

  And I intend to keep it that way.

  "I am not willing to lose my financial sanity and security again, ever, for love or for alcoholism. With the help of God and the Twelve Steps, I won't have to."

  One day at a time, we can be restored in recovery—mentally, emotionally, spiritually, physically, and financially. It may get worse before it gets better—because we are finally facing reality instead of dodging it. But once we make the decision to take financial responsibility for ourselves, we are on our way.

  God, help me remember that what seems hopeless today can often be solved tomorrow, even if I can't see the solution. If I have allowed the problems of others to hurt me financially, help me repair and restore my boundaries around money—and what I am willing to lose. Help me understand that I do not have to allow anyone else's financial irresponsibility, addiction, disease, or problem to hurt me financially. Help me go on with my life in spite of my present financial circumstances, trusting that if I am willing to make amends and be responsible, things will work out.

  October 22

  Holding Your Own

  Trust yourself. Trust what you know.

  Sometimes, it is hard to stand in our own truth and trust what we know, especially when others would try to convince us otherwise.

  In these cases, others may be dealing with issues of guilt and shame. They may have their own agenda. They may be immersed in denial. They would like us to believe that we do not know what we know; they would like us not to trust ourselves; they would prefer to engage us in their nonsense.

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  We don't have to forfeit our truth or our power to others. That is codependency.

  Believing lies is dangerous. When we stop trusting our truth, when we repress our instincts, when we tell ourselves there must be something wrong with us for feeling what we feel or believing what we believe, we deal a deadly blow to our self and our health.

  When we discount that important part of ourselves that knows what is the truth, we cut ourselves off from our center. We feel crazy. We get into shame, fear, and confusion. We can't get our bearings when we allow someone to pull the rug from under us.

  This does not mean that we are never wrong. But we are not always wrong.

  Be open. Stand in our truth. Trust what you know. And refuse to buy into denial, nonsense, bullying, or coercion that would like to take you off course.

  Ask to be shown the truth, clearly—not by the person trying to manipulate or convince you, but by yourself, your Higher Power, and the Universe.

  Today, I will trust my truth, my instincts, and my ability to ground myself in reality. I will not allow myself to be swayed by bullying, manipulating, games, dishonesty, or people with peculiar agendas.

  October 23

  Morning Cues

  There is an important message for us first thing every day.

  Often, once we get started with the day, we may not listen as closely to ourselves and life as we do in those still moments when we first awaken.

  An ideal time to listen to ourselves is when we are laying quietly, our defenses are down, and we're open and most vulnerable.

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  What is the first feeling that floods through us, the feeling that perhaps we are trying to avoid during the business of the day? Are we angry, frustrated, hurt, or confused? That is what we need to focus on and work through. That's the issue we need to address.

  When you awaken, what is the first idea or thought that enters your mind? Do you need to finish a timely project? Are you in need of a fun day? A restful day?

  Do you feel sick and need to nurture yourself? Are you in a negative frame of mind? Do you have an issue to resolve with someone?

  Do you need to tell someone something? Is something bothering you? Is something feeling particularly good?

  Does an idea occur to you, something you could get or do that would feel good?

  When you awaken, what is the first issue that presents itself? You don't have to be fearful. You don't have to rush. You can lay still and listen and then accept the message.

  We can define some of our recovery goals for the day by listening to the morning message.

  God, help me let go of my need to be in resistance to the harmonic flow of life. Help me learn to go with the flow and accept the help and support that You have to offer me.

  October 24

  Opening Ourselves to Love

  Open ourselves to the love that is available to us.

  We do not have to limit our sources of love. God and the Universe have an unlimited supply of what we need, including love.

  When we are open to receiving love, we will begin to receive it. It may come from the most surprising places, including from within ourselves.

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  We will be open to and aware of the love that is and has been there for us all along. We will feel and appreciate the love from friends. We will notice and enjoy the love that comes to us from family.

  We will be ready to receive love in our special love relationships too. We do not have to accept love from unsafe people—people who will exploit us or with whom we don't want to have relationships.

  But there is plenty of good love available—love that heals our heart, meets our needs, and makes our spirit sing.

  We have denied ourselves too long. We have been martyrs too long. We have given so much and allowed ourselves to receive too little. We have paid our dues. It is time to continue the chain of giving and receiving by allowing ourselves to receive.

  Today, I will open myself to the love that is coming to me from the Universe. I will accept it and enjoy it when it comes.

  October 25

  Letting Go of the Past

  . . . in thy book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.

  —Ps. 139:16

  Some people believe that each of our days were planned, Divinely Ordered, before we were born. God knew, they say, and planned exactly what was to transpire.

  Others suggest we chose, we participated in planning our life—the events, the people, the circumstances that were to take place, in order to work through our issues and learn the lessons we needed to master.

  Whatever our philosophy, our interpretation can be similar: Our past is neither an accident nor a mistake. We have been where we needed to be, with the necessary people. We can

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  embrace our history, with its pain, its imperfections, its mistakes, even its tragedies. It is uniquely ours; it was intended just for us.

  Today, we are right where we need to be. Our present circumstances are exactly as they need to be—for now.

  Today, I will let go of my guilt and fear about my past and present circumstances. I will trust that where I have been and where I am now are right for me.

  October 26

  Clarity
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  I know better than to not trust God. But sometimes, I forget that.

  When we are in the midst of an experience, it is easy to forget that there is a Plan. Sometimes, all we can see is today.

  If we were to watch only two minutes of the middle of a television program, it would make little sense. It would be a disconnected event.

  If we were to watch a weaver sewing a tapestry for only a few moments, and focused on only a small piece of the work, it would not look beautiful. It would look like a few peculiar threads randomly placed.

  How often we use that same, limited perspective to look at our life—especially when we are going through a difficult time.

  We can learn to have perspective when we are going through those confusing, difficult learning times. When we are being pelleted by events that make us feel, think, and question, we are in the midst of learning something important.

  We can trust that something valuable is being worked out in us—even when things are difficult, even when we cannot get our bearings. Insight and clarity do not come until we have mastered our lesson.

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  Faith is like a muscle. It must be exercised to grow strong. Repeated experiences of having to trust what we can't see and repeated experiences of learning to trust that things will work out, are what makes our faith muscles grow strong.

  Today, I will trust that the events in my life are not random. My experiences are not a mistake. The Universe, my Higher Power, and life are not picking on me. I am going through what I need to go through to learn something valuable, something that will prepare me for the joy and love I am seeking.

  October 27

  Step Eleven

  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 that out.

  —Step Eleven of AlAnon

  ". . . praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out" means that we ask on a daily basis to be shown the plan for that day. We also ask our Source for the power we need to carry that through. We will get a yes to both requests.

  We do not ask other people to show their will for us. We ask God. Then we trust that we'll be empowered to carry God's will through.

  God never, never asks us to do anything that He would not equip us to do. He never asks us to do anything we can't do. If we are to do it, we will be empowered.

  That's the easy part of this program. We never have to do more than we can, or anything we can't. If we want to worry and fuss we can, but we don't need to. That is our choice.

  I have learned, through difficult and good times, that this Step will carry me through. When I don't know what to do next, God does. Working this Step, one day at a time, will

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  take us to places we could never have traveled on our own. Simple acts, done daily in accordance to God's will for us, lead to a Grand Plan for our life.

  Today, I will focus on asking God to show me what He wants me to do. I will ask God for the power to do that; then I will go ahead and get the job done.

  God, help me let go of my fears about living life one day at a time. Help me trust that when life is lived simply and in trust, a beautiful mosaic called "my life" will be woven. I am being divinely led, guided, and cared for.

  October 28

  Meditation and Prayer

  The Eleventh Step asks us to meditate as a route to improving our conscious contact with God.

  Meditation is different than obsessing or worrying. Obsession and worrying are fear connections. Meditation means opening our mind and our spiritual energy to the God connection.

  To connect with God, we need to relax as best we can and open our conscious and subconscious mind to a Higher Consciousness—one that is available to each of us.

  In the busyness of our day and life, it may seem like a waste of time to slow down, to stop what we're doing, and take this kind of break. It is no more a waste of time than stopping to put gas in our car when the tank is almost empty. It is necessary, it is beneficial, and it saves time. In fact, meditation can create more time and energy than the moments we take to do it.

  Meditation and prayer are powerful recovery behaviors that work. We need to be patient. It is not reasonable to expect immediate answers, insight, or inspiration.

  But solutions are coming. They are already on the way, if we have done our part—meditate and pray—and then let the rest go.

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  Whether we pray and meditate first thing in the morning, during a coffee break, or in the evening is our choice.

  When our conscious contact with God improves, our subconscious contact will too. We will find ourselves increasingly tuned in to God's harmony and will for us. We will find and maintain that soul connection, the God connection.

  Today, I will take a moment for meditation and prayer. I will decide when and how long to do it. I am a child and creation of God—a Higher Power who loves to listen and talk to me. God, help me let go of my fears about whether or not You hear and care. Help me know that You are there and that I am able to tap into the spiritual consciousness.

  October 29

  Acceptance

  A magical potion is available to us today. That potion is called acceptance.

  We are asked to accept many things: ourselves, as we are; our feelings, needs, desires, choices, and current status of being. Other people, as they are. The status of our relationships with them. Problems. Blessings. Financial status. Where we live. Our work, our tasks, our level of performance at these tasks.

  Resistance will not move us forward, nor will it eliminate the undesirable. But even our resistance may need to be accepted. Even resistance yields to and is changed by acceptance.

  Acceptance is the magic that makes change possible. It is not forever; it is for the present moment.

  Acceptance is the magic that makes our present circumstances good. It brings peace and contentment and opens the door to growth, change, and moving forward.

  It shines the light of positive energy on all that we have and are. Within the framework of acceptance, we figure out what we need to do to take care of ourselves.

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  Acceptance empowers the positive and tells God we have surrendered to the Plan. We have mastered today's lesson, and are ready to move on.

  Today, I will accept. I will relinquish my need to be in resistance to myself and my environment. I will surrender. I will cultivate contentment and gratitude.

  I will move forward in joy by accepting where I am today.

  October 30

  SelfValue

  We have a real life of our own. Yes, we do.

  That empty feeling, that sense that everyone except us has a life—an important life, a valuable life, a better life—is a remnant from the past. It is also a selfdefeating belief that is inaccurate.

  We are real. So is our life. Jump into it, and well see.

  Today, I will live my life and treasure it as mine.

  October 31

  All Our Needs

  And my God shall supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory. . . .

  —Phil. 4:19

  This verse has helped me many times. It has helped me when I have wondered where my next friend, bit of wisdom, insight, or meal was coming from.

  Everything I need today shall be supplied to me.

  People, jobs, what we have at our immediate disposal, are not our source.

  We have tapped into a Greater Source, a source of infinite and immediate supply: God and His Universe.

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  Our task is to allow ourselves to come into harmony with our Source. Our task is to believe in, and look to, our true Source. Our task is to release fear, negative thinking, limitations, and shortsupply thinking.

  Everything we need shall be provided to us. Let it become a natural response to all situations, and all situations of need.

  Reject fear. Reject
shortsupply and limited thinking notions. Be open to abundance.

  Cherish need because it is part of our relationship to God and His Universe. God has planned to meet our every need, has created the need within us, so God can supply.

  No need is too small or too great. If we care and value our need, God will too.

  Our part is taking responsibility for owning the need. Our

  part is giving the need to the Universe. Our part is letting go, in faith. Our part is giving God permission to meet our needs by believing we deserve to have our needs—and wants—met.

  Our part is healthy giving, not out of caretaking, guilt, obligation, and codependency, but out of a healthy relationship with ourselves, God, and all of God's creations.

  Our part is simply to be who we are, and love being that.

  Today, I will practice the belief that all my needs today shall be met. I will step into harmony with God and His Universe, knowing that I count.

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  November

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  November 1

  Transformation Through Grief

  We're striving for acceptance in recovery—acceptance of ourselves, our past, other people, and our present circumstances. Acceptance brings peace, healing, and freedom the freedom to take care of ourselves.

  Acceptance is not a onestep process. Before we achieve acceptance, we go toward it in stages of denial, anger, negotiating, and sadness. We call these stages the grief process. Grief can be frustrating. It can be confusing. We may vacillate between sadness and denial. Our behaviors may vacillate. Others may not understand us.

  We may neither understand ourselves nor our own behavior while we're grieving our losses. Then one day, things become clear. The fog lifts, and we see that we have been struggling to face and accept a particular reality.

  Don't worry. If we are taking steps to take care of ourselves, we will move through this process at exactly the right pace. Be understanding with yourself and others for the very human way we go through transition.

  Today, I will accept the way I go through change. I will accept the grief process, and its stages, as the way people accept loss and change.