Rachel Caplin
It is the mind that makes the body.
Sojourner Truth
Footnotes for Life
MARCH 22
There have been times in my recovery when my life feels dull. That sense of exhilaration and newness isn’t present anymore. As a recovering “excitement junkie,” I need to practice being comfortable with the stability of a more even existence. Consistency can actually be a comfortable state of being once I get past the old messages about “doing” rather than “being.” I can also remember that new and exciting experiences will come my way when it’s time. While I’m calmly waiting, I can ask my Higher Power for inspiration and direction on the next chapter of my life.
Anne Conner
Life is a glass given to us to fill; a busy life is filling it with as much as it can hold; a hurried life has had more poured into it than it can contain.
William Adams Brown
Footnotes for Life
MARCH 23
Ourdaughter is anathletewhohas runtheChicagoand NewYorkmarathons. Facing an eight hour surgery for malignantmelanoma she relatedthe experience toher hike across themoors inScotland. “Whenwalking inthe driving rainthroughthebarrenland, I’dlookaheadat thepuddles forming. TheylookedsobigandIdidn’tthinkIcouldgetacross...butI did.EverytimeIgotuptotheplacewhereIneededtocross, Idis-coveredsmallpebbleshadformedapathformeandeachtimeI’ve facedatrial,IknowGodwillputthepebbles inplacewhenIneedtocross.”
Elaine Ingalls Hogg
Courage is the first of human qualities, because it is the quality which guarantees all others.
Winston Churchill
Footnotes for Life
MARCH 24
Ithink that human beings are very imitative creatures; we imitate clothes, hair styles, mannerisms and lifestyles. A man’s mind will be influenced by what he listens to and what he reads. And what we think is very important to sobriety.
Today I make an effort to examine my thinking and check it out with a sponsor or in a support group. I know that my dignity in sobriety is connected not only with what I do but also with my attitudes and thoughts. When my thinking begins to go crazy, I know I am in a dangerous place and I need to talk. God created me with the ability to think, therefore, I need to safeguard the information I put in my mind.
Reverend Leo Booth
Thought makes the whole dignity of man; therefore endeavor to think well, that is the only morality.
Blaise Pascal
Footnotes for Life
MARCH 25
“Did you notice the beautiful sunrise this morning?” Steven asked. I shookmy head no. “Well, I justwatched it frommy cell and realized how grateful I amthat I can see the sunrise through the bars of my window. And, I just had breakfast. My oatmeal wasn’t as cold as it often is, which makes it a good day.” The sincerity in his voice stopped me in my tracks. Just the day before, Steven learned he would be serving the full termof his DUI sentence, another five years, behind bars. I’ve never forgotten what I learned from him that beautiful morning. When I start throwing a pity party for myself I remember that I, too, can choose what to focus on in my life.
Lisa Kugler
People become what you encourage them to be, not what you nag them to be.
Scudder N. Parker
Footnotes for Life
MARCH 26
Recovery is a journey from brokenness to wholeness during which we often shut ourselves off from those around us. What we don’t readily see is that intentionally alienating ourselves from others is a kind of self-inflicted brokenness. There is no shame in needing others; none of us is complete without human relationships, but if we choose to face life in isolation we will always be deficient in some way.
At the same time, we must realize that in every relationship we also bring something of value to others that they need in order to be whole. In community, we give and receive strength for the journey.
Lynne Lepley
I would rather define self as the interiorization of community.
James Hillman
Footnotes for Life
MARCH 27
When going through tragedy to emerge on the other side without having taken on the ugly traits of bitterness, anger and self-pity is no easy task.Hopefully, we come to understand that deep in our souls we are all beautiful. It is this beauty that continues to live on. It’s an incredible gift if we can connect with it, not only within ourselves, but also with our loved ones. But just as the ugly duckling was blind to his true being until he saw his reflection, we can’t know this truth unless we are willing to look for it. The journey takes courage.
Joyce Harvey
I asked God to give me happiness. God said, “No. I give you blessings. Happiness is up to you.”
Unknown
Footnotes for Life
MARCH 28
Today I greet the world, not only with resolutions of what to achieve, but also with a willingness to embrace life as it is. If I miss all that is contained in this moment, then I miss it all. The beauty, purpose and mystery that are always available to me are my real treasures in this world. This year I learn about life and love and simplicity. I want what I pass on to my children to go into their hearts
where no one can take it away. I want to know them and I want them to know me.
Tian Dayton
Life was meant to be lived, and curiosity must be kept alive. One must never, for whatever reason, turn his back on life.
Eleanor Roosevelt
Footnotes for Life
MARCH 29
Every imaginable form of loss, disappointment or temptation has been experienced countless times and will be repeated as long as man continues to walk the Earth. Pain isn’t a new concept but it is experienced fresh in each shattered heart seeking a purpose for life’s unpredictable course. Despite our own heartbreaking experiences, we cannot fully comprehend the depth of despair that touches each individual soul. What we can do, is draw from our own experiences a passion to wrap them in tender arms of compassion, cover them with prayer and become, through our own response, a model of God’s unconditional love.
Valerie Frost
The finest qualities of our nature can be preserved only by the most delicate handling.
Henry David Thoreau
Footnotes for Life
MARCH 30
Days come and go and the beauty of life is lost when I wander through moments unconsciously. To fully experience life I remind myself of what gave me pleasure as a small child. Sniffing oranges as I peeled the skin. Rolling a caramel around in my mouth. Feeling the swooping thrill as I swished down a slide. Playing with bubbles in a soapy bath. The curiosity and creativity I possessed as a child is still inside of me. All I need to do is remember that my ability to recapture it is there for the taking. I can dance, write, play or listen and in doing so I awaken my senses to celebrate the creative wonderful parts that I possess.
Rokelle Lerner
Some pursue happiness, others create it.
Unknown
Footnotes for Life
MARCH 31
It’s very early spring; it’s still damp and cold. Though the snow has melted off the garden beds, the debris of winter is all that’s evident. I stoop down and pull off a bit of matted leaves here and there, pull back the few branches of evergreen left over from the holidays, and I’m amazed to see the little shoots of bulbs and perennials clearly showing above the soil. I am always reminded that, each spring the new shoots in the garden return and soon blossom into flowers. I also remember that I too experience new growth all the time, especially after I clear the debris of what’s no longer needed in my life.
Anne Conner
Criticism, like rain, should be gentle enough to nourish a man’s growth without destroying his roots.
Frank A. Clark
Footnotes for Life
APRIL 1
Ijust celebrated my first Dry Decade. At my first A.A. meeting, I cried. I couldn’t speak and I went home and finis
hed off my bottle of vodka. But I went back the next day. So how were the first ten years? It was heavy on the major life stuff; I got married, quit my job, had two babies. How I did it all without my Stoli, I don’t know. But I couldn’t have done it with my Stoli, either. Ten years is a long time, but then not. To see where I’ve been and where I am now is both confusing and clear. It’s ten years that I may not have lived to see, had I continued sailing into darkness.
Julia Jergensen Edelman
When walking through the “valley of shadows,” remember, a shadow is cast by a light.
H.K. Barclay
Footnotes for Life
APRIL 2
Early on you may find obstacles in your path and have the constant feeling of being unfit. Sometimes you blame yourself for the nagging weakness that causes you to regress. Re-adjust your thinking; take the pressure off and stop beating yourself up. Shame and guilt may flood you no matter how great your willpower is. Write down your trigger points. Replace these negative thoughts with positive ones. Conquer this internal battle by summoning your inner strength and purpose.
Suzanne Baginskie
He can inspire a group only if he himself is filled with confidence and hope of success.
Floyd V. Filson
Footnotes for Life
APRIL 3
Serenity is an expression of my spiritual nature and–much as I might try–I cannot experience it through hard work and determination. Instead, I must learn to let go of my anger, resentments, demands and the need to be “right.”
Then and only then will I be at peace with myself and the world around me.
Jeff McFarland
Nothing can bring you peace but yourself.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Footnotes for Life
APRIL 4
Timing is everything. When is it time for me to make decisions about my recovery? When will I no longer wait to do something about my family situation, my pain or my destructive relationships? I know that postponing help will only allow my problems to continue. I have been waiting for the “right time” to start acting for my benefit when in fact, there is no better time than now. Today I will take care of myself. I will wait no longer for the help I need. The “right time” has come.
Rokelle Lerner
Let your life lightly dance on the edges of Time like dew on the tip of a leaf.
Tagore
Footnotes for Life
APRIL 5
Were we given the choice, not many of us would choose to learn the hard lessons. They overtake us nevertheless. And yet they are not without value, these painful experiences. Whether visited upon us unfairly at the hand of another or brought on by our own bad choices, we have the ability to select our attitude from this point forward. We can glean every possible goodness from present circumstances and resolve to learn all that may be learned, not only for our own benefit but to help ease the way of fellow learners.
Rhonda Brunea
Experience: that most brutal of teachers. But you learn, my God do you learn.
C.S. Lewis
Footnotes for Life
APRIL 6
Marathons are won one inch at a time, and twenty pounds are lost one ounce at a time. We must simply repeat the same action over and over and over again, until we win. We only get what we are working for by a series of little actions, one boring move at a time. Success in life has to do with a simple faithfulness to do what we know how to do, one task at a time, one moment at a time. Success has everything to do with simply waking up one more day and moving forward.
Barbara A. Croce
Big shots are only little shots who keep shooting.
Christopher Morley
Footnotes for Life
APRIL 7
Sometimes I’m more generous and forgiving towards others than of myself. It’s easy to be at war within–harsh, judgmental, focusing on faults. Today will be the beginning of fairness. I’ll be a friend to myself; generous and forgiving. I will talk gently, and appreciate my strengths. I acknowledge there are areas of needed improvement that I must work on, but I will practice being as supportive with my inner person as I am to others.
This is especially critical for my recovery. I can be my own best friend in word, thought and deed.
Brenda Nixon
Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least.
Goethe
Footnotes for Life
APRIL 8
If we all approached each of our days as if they were the last, perhaps we would finally understand that a life well lived is our greatest responsibility and our ultimate glory. The prospect of death wouldn’t be so frightening. Of course we are a relentlessly hopeful group–that’s what makes us human–and who are we not to believe we can live forever? In many ways we do.
Take the time to savor, like never before, every rise and set of the sun, every phase of everymoon, each rain shower and cloudless sky, all the rich and myriad sights and sounds and smells that are ordinary and extraordinary.
Nancy Burke
And if the earthly no longer knows your name, whisper to the silent earth: I’m flowing. To the flashing water say: I am.
Rainer Maria Rilke
Footnotes for Life
APRIL 9
What do you say to someone who has manipulated, abused and controlled you for years? What do you say to someone who has lied to you for your entire life? What do you say to someone who ultimately wants to destroy you? I sat in silence for what seemed like an eternity. Finally I asked, “Why do you try to control my every move? Why won’t you just leave me alone?” In the few seconds that it took me to ask those two questions, I felt just a little bit of separation from ED–an acronym for my eating disorder. And it felt so good.
Jenni Schaefer
No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.
Eleanor Roosevelt
Footnotes for Life
APRIL 10
Ioften feel so impatient when things don’t change more quickly than I want them to. My old way of thinking left me desperate for immediate gratification. If something didn’t happen right away, I changed course and tried another approach with the same high standards of immediacy. That included everything from what I cooked for dinner, to the newposition forwhich I applied, to demanding that a relationship develop the way Iwanted it to, rather thanwaiting to see how it would develop naturally. Today, I have learned to be conscious of slowing down, lowering my expectations and understanding the different stages in any process. I am happier all around, and I cook better meals!
Anne Conner
Growth in wisdom may be exactly measured by decrease in bitterness.
Friedrich Nietzsche
Footnotes for Life
APRIL 11
How do I put the pieces of my life back together? What do I do with those misshapen parts of myself, the parts that are old, frayed and tattered? Let me take a lesson from the quilt maker. I will examine all parts of myself before I make decisions to “keep” or “throw out.” Who I am is all I have to work with. There is no need to rip myself apart and start over. Recovery is the art of making order out of chaos. With love and patience, I am learning how to make order out of my personal chaos. A work of art is in the making.
Rokelle Lerner
You must understand the whole of life, not just one little part of it.
J. Krishnamurti
Footnotes for Life
APRIL 12
Thanking God for a specific attribute brings him into your everyday life and reminds you he has an answer for your every need. On a day you feel disorganized, or frustrated with someone else’s disorganization, thank him for being organized. When you feel misunderstood, thank him for being understanding. When you experience his perfect timing that turned out to be different from yours, thank him for being timely. Thank him for being generous on a day you are experiencing his unmerited abundance. Thank him for being a forgiver, on a day you need forgive
ness, or need him to help you forgive. When you feel less important than others, thank him for being interested in all of us.