“How had I become so sensitive, so afraid, so broken?”

Three readings. A song that says the rest. And inspiration for whatever this day is here to teach.

A lone surfer riding inside a great curling wave

Read — the readings that opened the day

A Year with Hafiz

Hafiz & Daniel Ladinsky

“God’s mercy is a natural reflex; it is just there. As much thought as the fish gives to receive Divine sanction to swim in the Ocean, there is proportionate suffering to correct any false notions you harbor about Truth. God’s Mercy and Grace are just there; they are attributes of the Light. God wants nothing but you to be.”

Adapted from A Year with Hafiz

New Seeds of Contemplation

Thomas Merton

“THE secret of my identity is hidden in the love & mercy of God. The only way that I can be myself is to become identified with Him in Whom is hidden the reason and fulfillment of my existence. Therefore there is only one problem on which all my existence, peace & happiness depend: to discover myself in discovering God. As I find Him I will find myself; and as I find my true self I will find Him.”

Adapted from New Seeds of Contemplation

Twenty-Four Hours a Day

Meditation for the Day “He who made the ordered world out of chaos and set the stars in their courses and made each plant to know its season, He can bring peace and order out of your private chaos if you will let Him. God is watching over you, too, to bless you and care for you. Out of the darkness He is leading you to light, out of unrest to rest, out of disorder to order, out of faults and failure to success. You belong to God and your affairs are His affairs and can be ordered by Him if you are willing. Prayer for the Day I pray that I may be led out of disorder into order. I pray that I may be led out of failure into success.”

Reflect — Steve L.'s own words

To kick off the week, my buddy Reuben called to tell me about the SRI Roundup, and I flashed back to all of the occasions I got to be there. Men and women gathered together with the same problems as me, but more important, people whose Inner light had been turned on! I remembered being at my 1st Roundup in 1983 in Sedona; there with my wife at the time, my sponsor & his 2 friends, a motorcycle gang pulled up. On the back of their leather vests was a big patch that read “FIFTH CHAPTER.” I turned to Gary and said, “Those guys can’t be in the program, are they?” He laughed, and said, “Steve, what does it say on their vests?” I said, “FIFTH CHAPTER” so what the hell is that?” He opened the Big Book and turned to page 58, Chapter 5, How It Works! “If you read it you might get a new life,” he said and we all laughed! I knew deep down I needed one; my old life had left me in despair; hiding out in Motel 6’s in NM. I had a family and couldn’t make a living, and now in AA, had no clue of the Power & New Life available.

At the speaker mtg. that night, I was surrounded by hundreds of people at the Sedona Airport Overlook. With some shooting stars, a speaker made fun of his hair, his sensitivities, and his anger if anyone criticized him. Everyone was laughing; I was crying. That was me. How had I become so sensitive, so afraid, so broken? My sponsor said, “See, Chapter 5 is the answer; but you must first meet some requirements. I think you have, so let’s read it together next week.” Starting with The Doctor’s Opinion, we read Bill’s Story, then There Is A Solution. I related to all of it, and we talked a lot. Then, we read More About Alcoholism, the chapter We Agnostics, and then finally, How It Works. Since then, I’ve had many needs to drink and use but haven’t! What happened?

At the 6pm Men’s Zoom Step Mtg, Walter, 92 years old, shared his crazy journey getting here at age 51. From Chicago, New York, Palm Beach, the Bahamas, St. Croix, Walt ended up in the meeting hall in St. Martin and has been clean and sober almost 43 years.

And happily married to the same woman for almost 40!! If you’re dazed and confused, don’t worry! There IS a seat, a New Life, a new Power available. We never know when or how the Light will come on, but Step One is a Stairway to Heaven!

Places Along the Way

1st Roundup in 1983 in Sedona;