Finding Resources For Your Journey

Staying plugged in keeps me growing.  My journey has been seeking and being.  For me this means I go into different modes.  I want to describe two of the modes I operate on.  There are more but let's keep it simple.  :) 

Seeking for me happens when I become restless, irritable, and discontent.  This is when I get into solution mode.  For me solution mode always comes to Step work with the main focus being on my conscious contact with my HP.  I will pick my sponsors brain, hit the book store for inspirational books and read read read.  Sometimes it is more about the sitting and being quiet.  I will light candles and just work on being still so I can be inspired by my God/HP/the universe.  In any case I go into seeking mode because  "God could and would if He were sought."   So I seek.

My next mode is being.  Just being in life.  Experiencing each moment.  Living through the ins and outs of each day.  Some days bumpier than others.  The seeking I do allows me to live.  To participate.  Not perfectly.  Not like saint like.  It allows me to have the strength, energy, freedom, to soberly live.

If your seeking ways to improve your conscious contact with God, start talking to others in your support network.  Hit the bookstore.  Hit your knees.  Go to your church, a yoga center, nature reserve, retreat house, etc.  Whatever you need to do to connect with your understanding of God.

Because HE CAN AND WILL IF YOU SEEK.

Namaste,
Gwen R~
If you would like to contribute a post on Step 11 please contact Gwen R.

What I Learned from Jody K.

In Jody's post Constant Conscious Contact I felt a strong pull towards this sober woman and her ability to work the Steps in her life. Jody said "But God often does for me what I can’t do for myself, and my first impulse was to pray, which I did. God held my tongue." Here she is working Steps 3, 10 and 11. Allowing God to do for her what she could not do for herself. Restraint of tongue and pen. Praying to God for the power to be able to do this. The fact that this is her first impulse reflects the work that has been put into her sobriety. This is an example I can follow. I can use this in my family life being the youngest myself with two older brothers.

As for her post "When the Answer is One We Didn't Expect" I can only say how sorry I am for your lose. I can relate as my grandmother (more like a mother to me) died at 91 and I watched her go through all the stages of Alzheimer's. I watched, as you did, her memory go a little at a time. I watched her lose her independence and the day she no longer recognized me ripped my heart out. I spoke at her funeral and it was hard to write and speak all those feelings. Your post is touching to my heart. I suspect a tear or two may have fallen while you thought of how you could give back to your recovering readers while going through your own grief.

I cannot pinpoint in words one specific thing I have learned. All I know is you are an amazing sober woman who walks her life using the Steps as a guide. Can anyone do all you have done without a solid conscious contact?

I feel blessed to know your words. Thank you for all you have given us.

What I Learned from John R.

Read John R.'s posts.

One of the things I like about John's post is the way he describes how he meditates. It is great sometimes to hear how other people do it.

The other part of John's post I really like is when he talks about how prayers pop up all around him "It's amazing if I am conscious of my surroundings how many prayers there are out there." I keyed in on "if I am conscious." First there is the level of consciousness sobriety brings. That is amazing! It is like the blinders have come off. Every thing seems brighter and clearer. Then there comes a deeper level of consciousness. This is what I am working on. To really be present in the moment as much as possible. It seems easy to be aware of my surroundings when I am taking a walk in a park, especially on a beautiful day. But when I am at work, in the store, at my sons school, in the post office, doing those day to day tasks that take up much of my time I have to ask... am I conscious of my surroundings? Not most of the time. I am in the doing mode. As John stated "practice, practice, practice."

I can make use of what John is offering by remembering to "practice, practice, practice" being conscious of my surroundings. I like that he lights a candle and sits quietly in the morning too, this is something else I can make use of.

Thank you John R.!

Step Eleven - Part 2

It’s a little before 9:00 PM on Friday the 13th and I am enjoying listening to the wind as I sit typing a few thoughts on Prayer and Meditation. Tonight I am participating in a “lock-in” @ my church with 19 adolescents and 5 other adults as a part of our J2A ( journey to adulthood ) program.

Right now there are two groups in other areas of the church and I am really enjoying a little quiet time and feel very close to my higher power a.k.a. - God…

Since embarking on this journey called “recovery” or “sobriety” my life has completely changed. One of the greatest blessings I have received is being part of a community. Giving back to others makes me feel like I am doing God’s work. Sometimes it is very difficult, other times it happens naturally.

For the past couple of weeks I have been spending 15 minutes in the early AM meditating. I brew my coffee, read through my daily meditations and then read Steps 10 + 11 out of the Big Book up to the point where is says, “ we usually conclude the of meditation with a prayer”…

While I am meditating I focus on my breathing. The lights are out and I have a candle lit. I also hold my pocket rosary in my hand and repeat some affirming phrases or a prayer. One of the results of this practice; after only a short time, is that I feel more deeply connected to the energy of the universe. My fears are generally reduced and my thoughts aren’t as jumbled. I hope to continue this practice and extend the period of time gradually and see where it leads.

Prayers seem to pop up all around me. It’s amazing if I am conscious of my surroundings how many prayers there are out there. The bible and other inspirational readings are very present in my daily travels. Some of this has to do with me going to meetings that are held in churches and some of it has to do with my daily interaction with others in recovery.

Practice, practice, practice, keeping an open mind, non-judgment of others and myself unclog the channel to this immense power that I call God. What a gift life is… and I am certain there is so much more to come beyond this physical plane that cannot be defined.

I am now going to go do a little reading and see what is in store for the rest of the night.

John R.~