Gratitude in Action: Morning Blessings (Introduction)

B'H:

Gratitude In Action:

Morning Blessings

"A grateful alcoholic will never drink" -Anonymous

The importance of gratitude

If the 12 steps are the engine of recovery, then gratitude is the gasoline. Gratitude did not and could not get me sober, but it is what sustains my sobriety and fuels my recovery on a daily basis. I hear many people come in the rooms and talk about fear keeping them sober. They stay in the program because they are afraid of the consequences of going back out.

I don't feel like fear is a reliable motivator for me.

I had no fear of sticking the needle in my arm the first time. I certainly had no fear of death injecting 10-15 bags of Heroin a day. Certainly no fear of prison when I would drive me dealer, an escaped convict on the run, across the state to get dope from his supplier.

What stands between me and the next fix or the next drink is gratitude.

You might say "Isn't it HASHEM that keeps you from using?".

The simple answer is no.

HASHEM has performed the miracle of removing the need and desire to use from me. However giving my will to Him every day (Step 3) is a conscious act that must be done at least daily. Someone in a meeting once told me:

"I can give my will to G-d, the problem is that He loves us so much he will let us take our will and our life back whenever we choose". 

I will admit it, sometimes I think about getting high. I don't think I've met any addict in recovery that says he or she does not, at least occasionally, think about. It is not the horrible burning obsession that it once was, but the thought may pop in to my head from time to time. It is at these times that I ask HASHEM to give me the power to stay sober. The key is that I have to choose to ask for His help!

Gratitude is what gives me the desire to give my will to HASHEM.

I appreciate the wonderful life that I almost threw away for drugs. I appreciate my family, my health, having food on the table, my home, my clothes, running water and most of all being alive! Recognizing how fortunate I am and continue to be thankful and grateful for these blessings in my life is what gives me the desire to live recovery every day.

Practicing Gratitude

"You can't think your way into right action, but you can act your way into right thinking." - Anonymous

 There's a common saying in the rooms regarding the book Alcoholics Anonymous "There's no chapter call 'In to thinking' but there is one called 'In to action'" Like any other spiritual principle gratitude is something which must be practiced so that it becomes as much of a part of our thinking as getting dressed in the morning.

Fortunately for us in their infinite wisdom our sages (Z''L) realized how important gratitude is. Since all blessing comes from HASHEM, The Talmud prescribes that a Jew should recite a short prayer of gratitude to HASHEM so we don't take his blessings for granted.

“A person is forbidden to enjoy any of the pleasures of the world without first reciting praise to God” (Babylonian Talmud, Brachot 35a).

This reminds of the importance of simple blessings that we might otherwise take for granted. The blessings are fixed so we don't have to worry about figuring out what to say, or when, our sages (Z'L) figured that all out for us!

The Talmudic sage Rabbi Meir (Z''L) suggests a Jew should say 100 blessings each day!

"It was taught in a Baraita: R. Meir said: a person must make 100 blessings each day, as it is written... (Deuteronomy 10:12) 'And now Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you...' " (Babylonian Talmud, Menachot 43b)

When I learned that I wasn't sure I had 100 things a day I should be thankful for! I had no idea how I could possibly fulfill this mitzva. I don't suggest trying to at first. What I did was simply started with one and said it every day until it became routine. Then I added another, and another. I ended up adding about one each week, but you should go at your own pace. However you feel comfortable.

"You will find many kinds of devotion in the sacred literature and think, “When will I be able to fulfill even one of these devotions, let alone all of them?!” Don’t panic. One shouldn’t rush and try to grasp everything at once. He has to go slowly, step by step without getting into a tizzy and trying to do and accomplish everything immediately. If he is over hasty he will become totally confused. When there is fire, God forbid, people panic and rescue needless aitems."   (R. Nachman of Breslov, Rebbe Nachman's Wisdom, #27)

Morning Blessings

In the next series of posts I will discuss in depth the morning blessings. In my recovery these have been the most important part of my day. These blessings keep me humble, they center my ego and help me connect with HASHEM and prepare to ask for His power to keep me sober that day.

To read Part 2: Modeh Ani

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