February 9

”Selfishness is not living as one wishes to live, it is asking others to live as one wishes.” Oscar Wilde

I have to be responsible for my own happiness. Expectations of others to make me happy, to fulfill my wants and desires, to comfort and console – all these divert control of my life to someone else and are doomed to fail. This is selfishness on my part, wanting others to act, usually only on my whims and unspoken wishes, to make my life easier. I need to make sure I am working my program each and every day. I need to take care of my own needs through prayer and meditation and working my steps. I have to work at being present for my family, friends and brothers and sisters in the program. I need to take time to reflect, to ask for forgiveness for the wrongs I have committed to myself and others, as well as giving thanks for the wonders of the day. There are also the mundane tasks of taking care of my surroundings – eating well, exercising, and getting a good night’s rest. It’s the whole package, mind, body and spirit. At the end of the day, it’s remembering to live according the will of my Higher Power. If I am being responsible for my own well-being, I am better positioned to be of service to others. That’s the goal of my selfishness, to be ready to be there for others to my fullest capacity.

Affirmation I am responsible for my own happiness and for taking care of my needs. This helps me to be there to serve others and follow the will of the God of my understanding.

February 6

”Love is the strongest force the world possesses, and yet it is the humblest imaginable.” Mahatma Gandhi

Sometimes I wonder why it seems that the people whom I love the most are also the ones who seem most able to drive me crazy. It strikes me that this does not compute logically. Yet, from an emotional view for certain, it does tend to be the case. The people I let closest to me, to my heart, to my desires, to my weaknesses and fears, also gain an ability to frankly, bug the heck out of me at times. There’s a lesson here for me though. The fact that this closeness creates conflict is often more a reflection of something in myself that is bothered, than what is being said or done by the other person. In letting my guard down, I open myself to let my defects of character spring forth. I need to be willing to recognize this and then look to work at turning them over to my Higher Power. Love is indeed humble. True love seeks to offer compassion, caring, nurturing. It is about giving and sharing. It is selfless, free, and without boundary. It has the power to bring out the best, and sometimes worst, in me, but this is only to help me become more aware and to allow me to continue to grow.

Affirmation I will learn to cherish my close relationships that will shed a light on my defects. This is another catalyst and opportunity for change.

February 5

”Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” Matthew 7:7

Sometimes wisdom seems so easy when given to me, but so much harder to make a reality. I do believe that this quote is how my Higher Power operates. The reality is that I know the difficulties behind the words. To receive what I want or need, I need to ask the right question. To discover what I want or need, I first must know what it is I seek. To have opportunities and openings, I must know which door I need to knock at. Added to this, is the distinguishing of want and need, of my will and desire versus that of my Higher Power. So, if these sayings are to be meaningful and bear fruit in my life, I need some wisdom first to seek answers to questions that are part of the plan from the God of my understanding. The last component is to surrender. This means having patience to ask, and then be willing to leave the outcome in the hands of my power greater than myself. This means waiting for the answer to come in His time and way. And to hope that I am actually paying attention enough to realize that prayers have been answered.

Affirmation Prayer can and should contain requests of my wants and desires, but I have to be patient for the response which may be realized when or how I expected.