A Prayer Upon Awakening (Revised)

God, direct my thinking as I consider my plans for today. Show me what I can do for those who are still suffering.

Through the day, let all my thoughts be divorced from self-pity, dishonest or self-seeking motives. Continually show me the way of patience, tolerance, kindliness and love.

When I face indecision, please remind me to ask you for inspiration: an intuitive thought or decision. Help me to surrender and not struggle, to relax and take it easy.

Make clear to me absurd actions and ideas I may encounter when I presume unceasing inspiration.

Through the day, please show me what my next step is to be. Please provide whatever I need.

I ask especially for freedom from self-will, that I never make a request for myself only. Let me make requests only if others will be helped.

Thank you, my God, for your guidance and help.

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Originally, I wrote this prayer based solely on pages 86 and 87 of the Big Book. I've changed it to include other morning petitions that are listed elsewhere in the book. Yes, I wrote this. Feel free to print it out for yourself, but please don't post it elsewhere without contacting me for permission. It is protected under international copyright law.

Time: Then and Now

Not quite a month since Quiet Times for Sale, things are much different. Eventhough I'm still powerless over time and certainly powerless over managing my own life (or anyone else's for that matter), I'm finding that applying the steps to this area of my life has been indispensable.

I have often lived under an amorphous cloud of everything I had left to do. I have surrendered this area of my life, am receiving daily divine guidance in this area, continue to share this experience with others (at this moment, in fact) and am making restitution where possible. As a result, I'm accomplishing more than I ever have and am peaceful, not overworked.

I'm looking forward to continuing this journey. I must be careful, however. I have always believed that if I could just "accomplish" everything I planned, that everything would be perfect and I would at last be truly happy. That's just not so. I became truly happy while experiencing the miracle of being saved from spiritual, physical and emotional death. I became truly happy when I stopped living as a zombie (alive physically, but unanimated from within), came to know myself, came to know my God and began to truly live.

Yes, I've been happy even with that amorphous cloud hanging over me. That I get to live a more productive and more peaceful life without it is just a bonus.