Thank you Lyne for the daily and your service! Love your share and I can readily admit - no clue when it started/who started it. I have always loved the miracle that the daily reaches me, each day no matter where I am in my journey - I can readily find some message/confirmation/calm from the daily - without fail, no matter the book...

I have a whole shelf of CAL. The biggest challenge for me is picking it up, opening it and actually reading! I have replaced my favorite with the Large print editions - helps greatly as my eyesight has gotten poor as I've aged. I am so grateful to have 'it' as I usually do hit CAL when I am in crisis for the confirmation that I am not alone, broken, etc.

Love and light to all this morning. I am sad today and that's perfectly OK. My gratitude list does reflect that I am glad that any pain/suffering Betty may have experienced was short-lived, just like my cousin. I am trying to setting aside my selfish desire to have had more time with her, and instead focusing on the light she shared with me each and every day!

(((Hugs))) to you Lynn and also to the MIP family!

I've always viewed the literature, primarily, as reinforcement, positive perspective, and enlightenment, on the actual work that I am doing. I've so often heard it said that "doing the work" is where the actual work takes place outside of going to meetings, doing the readings, etc. For me, the readings -- and I still do them today, every single day -- is one ingredient in a recipe. But, if I do the readings, and go to meetings, and that's all I can do...I am limiting my work. There's a part of the work I am not doing. I cannot expect to get completely better. I cannot expect full and complete recovery. The readings help me learn, see things, they help me understand, they reinforce, and they teach me...but I still have to do something. I have to implement, take action, make change, be in action, etc. Not always. Sometimes my next action is to do nothing. But that's circumstantial. It is not in perpetuity.

I read CTC and ODAAT every single morning, and every single evening. Sometimes during the day as well. That's my "mental gym" so to speak. It's an innate part of my daily life. I also go to the back of the book and look up readings on "acceptance" for example, and I go do those readings. It's part of the work I am doing. I know one woman who has been going to meetings for 12 years. Several meetings a week. On Saturday she shared that while going to meetings, and doing daily readings, she has done nothing else! Nothing! She said she hasn't once detached, she hasn't stopped enabling, she hasn't stopped her contribution, and she hasn't set any boundaries. People sat there, somewhat shocked. No reaction, but I could tell. She went on to say that she was not ready and not willing to make any of the changes she learned about in alanon. She was not upset or angry why she hasn't gotten better. She was not disappointed in the alanon program at all. As a matter of fact, she said she knows it works because in 12 years she's seen countless people -- who have actually done the work, made change, etc. -- and they have gotten better! But she simply said she didn't want to. Whatever her reasons were, they are, and that's great. She had so much clarity around what she's done and not done. I truly enjoyed her share.

She talked about not wanting to say no to her daughter, and not wanting her daughter to feel, recognize, and experience the consequences of her own actions. So, she expected her daughter to continue drinking/using, and she expected and knew her daughter's situation was going to progress and get worse, and while she wished it didn't happen, she understood that it was going to and that it did. She was at peace with it. She said -- very simply and matter of factly -- that she was standing in the way of her daughter potentially hitting rock bottom and potentially arriving at a point where she might want to get better. She talked at length about what "standing in the way" meant. It was so enlightening, and for me, empowering!

Yes, if you are in recovery, you can relate to the readings 100% of the time!!! How amazing is that! I find it even more amazing as the same exists with the steps!!!

All the best everyone!