REFLECTION FOR TODAY

Sometimes I feel real joy, like today.  It is sunny and very cold, the kind of
day I enjoy very much, and I would much rather be outside in it instead of
inside looking out my window.  Somehow, the brightness of the day says to me
that part of emotional healing lies in knowledge and awareness.  If I am to
solve the problems I have, I feel I can best do it in the bright light of
accurate knowledge.  Since I do want to solve my problems, awareness will help.

MEDITATION FOR TODAY

Help me to seek the bright light of awareness and the knowledge of what and
where I am.

TODAY I WILL REMEMBER

Only through self-acceptance can I bear to take a true look inside myself.

FROM: TODAY BOOK, (http://www.emotionsanonymous.org)

© Copyright 1987 Emotions Anonymous, used with permission of the EA International Service Center

REFLECTION FOR TODAY

It is possible to get rid of that “poor little ol’ me” feeling if I make up my
mind to do so.  When that “feel-sorry-for-myself-for-no-reason” syndrome comes my way, I do have the ability to change my attitude. First I take a few moments to concentrate on what is bothering me.  If I cannot come up with a legitimate reason for the “blues,” it is time to take action.  I tell myself I have ten minutes to really wallow in self-pity and set the clock to ring at that time.  I play sad records and dwell on the injustices of life.  When the alarm goes off, I ask my Higher Power for help to concentrate on positive thoughts which lead to my feeling better about myself.  The key here is, I can change my moods with my Higher Power’s help and some concentrated effort on my part.

MEDITATION FOR TODAY

Thank You for the ability to switch from negative to positive thinking.

TODAY I WILL REMEMBER

I can mope when I want to, but only for ten minutes.

FROM: TODAY BOOK, (http://www.emotionsanonymous.org)

© Copyright 1987 Emotions Anonymous, used with permission of the EA International Service Center

REFLECTION FOR TODAY

An example of a morning meditation is:  ”My God, I surrender my life, my will,
and my love for you this day.  I offer the day up to You and hope it is worthy
of Your love.  Please direct and protect my family and their families as well as
all friends.  Direct and protect those whom I resent and help me to forgive
them.  Help all in need of solace and friendship.  May my family and I stay in
good health, and may I do my best at work with efficiency, intelligence,
patience, tolerance, and energy.  I am so grateful to You for my blessings.”

MEDITATION FOR TODAY

If I forget to start my day with a meditation, please remind me how important it
is for me.

TODAY I WILL REMEMBER

Every day is better when I start it by communicating with my Higher Power.

FROM: TODAY BOOK, (http://www.emotionsanonymous.org)

© Copyright 1987 Emotions Anonymous, used with permission of the EA International Service Center

REFLECTION FOR TODAY

Too often we have been hesitant to express ourselves.  Fearing rejection, our
own or another’s, we withdrew.  The more we closed off, the more lonely and
fearful we became.  Before we were willing to risk sharing ourselves, many of us
needed to hear over and over again that expressing our feelings is a sign of
being healthy.  When we are finally able to tell someone what we are feeling, we
experience relief and often jubilation.  Someone’s acceptance gives us the
courage to risk once again.

MEDITATION FOR TODAY

May I be willing to risk sharing who I am with someone today.

TODAY I WILL REMEMBER

Only through self-disclosure do we discover the beauty of self.

FROM: TODAY BOOK, (http://www.emotionsanonymous.org)

© Copyright 1987 Emotions Anonymous, used with permission of the EA International Service Center

REFLECTION FOR TODAY

Before EA, I took on the responsibility of feeling loved ones’ pain when they
were hurting.  For days I would obsessively try to think of the magic sentence
or idea which would solve their problems immediately.  Now I realize I do not
have the power and knowledge, so I immediately turn another’s tough situation
over to God.  My attitude now is: If God wants me to be helpful in a situation,
it will flow naturally, with no obsessiveness or self-will on my part.  Most
times it is love and compassion which God wills me to give to the one in pain,
not a direct solution to their problems.

MEDITATION FOR TODAY

Please help me to let go of any situation I have been tightly hanging on to.

TODAY I WILL REMEMBER

Emotional releasing of a problem is the first step towards a situation in which
I feel powerless.

FROM: TODAY BOOK, (http://www.emotionsanonymous.org)

© Copyright 1987 Emotions Anonymous, used with permission of the EA International Service Center

REFLECTION FOR TODAY

Sex is a topic which is not often talked about with sincerity and honesty.
Those of us who have come to EA often find as part of our recovery a need to deal with some unhealthy attitudes about sex.  Many people’s attitudes about sex seem to go from one extreme to the other – either it is dirty, or it is an obsession.  Sharing our sexual struggles may lead to healthier outlooks.

MEDITATION FOR TODAY

God, when I am unable to share with the group, may I have the courage to confide in a trustworthy member or a Fifth-Step person.   That can be a beginning.

TODAY I WILL REMEMBER

As I continue to face myself, I continue to become more whole.

FROM: TODAY BOOK, (http://www.emotionsanonymous.org)

© Copyright 1987 Emotions Anonymous, used with permission of the EA International Service Center

REFLECTION FOR TODAY

Today I will take care of myself.  For me that was a totally new concept.  I have discovered I am important enough that I do not have to please anybody but me.  If I try to please everybody, there is no guarantee anybody will be pleased.  If I please myself, at least one person will be happy.

MEDITATION FOR TODAY

May I reflect on the value of the EA program which taught me my worth as a person.  May I thank You daily for me.

TODAY I WILL REMEMBER

I do not need to be a people-pleaser, but I shall try to remember it is a
pleasure to be around people who are pleasant.

FROM: TODAY BOOK, (http://www.emotionsanonymous.org)

© Copyright 1987 Emotions Anonymous, used with permission of the EA International Service Center

REFLECTION FOR TODAY

Storm clouds are often ominously black on the bottom.  They suggest rain,
lightning, thunder, and what is generally considered “bad” weather.  They
also suggest eventual rainbows, fresh air, and healthy crops.  Our problems
are much the same.  They are ominous to face.  But, if we can detach
ourselves from them, they do not engender fear.  Just as we can enjoy a
thunderstorm by anticipating the peace and sense of well-being which is to
follow, we can approach the problems we face with hope in our hearts.
Sometimes we may need to take shelter during our storms.  It makes no more
sense to seek trouble than it does to go into a raging storm when it is not
necessary.

MEDITATION FOR TODAY

Be my rain gear to get me through the storms I face.

TODAY I WILL REMEMBER

“This too shall pass,” can be my weather report.  I may not see the rainbow
until after the storm.

FROM: TODAY BOOK, (http://www.emotionsanonymous.org)

© Copyright 1987 Emotions Anonymous, used with permission of the EA International Service Center

REFLECTION FOR TODAY

I once overheard it said that the way you can tell a spiritual thing from
something material is in sharing.  When you share something material, the more you share it, the smaller portion each person gets.  On the other hand, when you share something spiritual, its value is simply multiplied by the number of persons with whom you share.  They may in turn share it, thus increasing it as thousandfold.  The principles of this program are spiritual, and to persevere in “giving it away to keep it” sooner or later makes the promises come true of having a new and better way of life.

MEDITATION FOR TODAY

May I focus on one of the steps today and share it with someone.

TODAY I WILL REMEMBER

I can’t give it if I don’t have it.

FROM: TODAY BOOK, (http://www.emotionsanonymous.org)

© Copyright 1987 Emotions Anonymous, used with permission of the EA International Service Center

REFLECTION FOR TODAY

By being a kind, considerate and generous people-pleaser, I was looking for acceptance.  I put the responsibility on the other person to make me feel good about myself, instead of on my own shoulders where it belonged.  I am not saying I should never do anything for another, but I need to continually be aware of my motives.  Does what I am doing violate my values? Do I have strings attached? Am I expecting something back? Am I doing it only because I want someone to like
me?

MEDITATION FOR TODAY

Let me be more aware of my motives for doing what I choose to do.  I no longer want to lose myself for I am all I really have.

TODAY I WILL REMEMBER

If I continue to exist for others, I will not gain:  instead, I will lose the
most precious gift God has given me – myself.

FROM: TODAY BOOK, (http://www.emotionsanonymous.org)

© Copyright 1987 Emotions Anonymous, used with permission of the EA International Service Center