Meditation reading for Friday May 9, 2025
MAINTAINING OPTIMISM —
Hope, ranked alongside faith and love as a great virtue, holds profound significance. For those of us entangled in the grip of alcoholism or other addictions, hope often manifested as cruel illusions. In recovery, however, hope serves a vital purpose. It is a form of optimism—an underlying belief that, despite obstacles and challenges, things will ultimately work out. This conviction provides the strength and energy needed to persevere through opposition and setbacks.
We also owe much of our recovery to the hope sustained by friends and family. Henrietta D., wife of AA’s third member, shared in an interview that she never lost hope for her husband’s recovery. Her hope and prayers were answered when Bill W. and Dr. Bob visited her husband’s bedside at Akron’s City Hospital. After that visit, he never drank again.
Hope is the optimism that propels us toward our highest good. Let’s keep it alive.
Today, I’ll face my day with the belief that things will work out in the long run. I’ll refuse to be overwhelmed by temporary setbacks.