AA Thought For Today - October
AA Thought for the Day
October 1 Fallible I have never been and never can be perfect. As that realization became a part of me -- and it took time -- it brought me one of the greatest of the many blessings that have come to me from AA. I learned to accept myself as a fallible human being. I do not have to strive for perfection. Mistakes are permissible. I have the right to be wrong. And what a comfort that thought is to me, as I make my bemused way through life, one foot in a bucket, pushing on doors marked "Pull." - The Best of the Grapevine [Vol. 2], pp. 167-168 Thought to Ponder . . . The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are. AA-related 'Alconym' . . . A A = Always Awesome. ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~ Flimsy Reed "We sought escape with all the desperation of drowning men. What seemed at first a flimsy reed, has proved to be the loving and powerful hand of God. A new life has been given us or, if you prefer, a 'design for living' that really works." c.1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 28 Thought to Consider . . . The task ahead of us is never as great as the Power behind us. *~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~* P R O G R A M = People Relying On God Relay A Message *~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~* Chronic Slipper From: "Safe Haven" In Alcoholics Anonymous, I knew I had found a protective haven. But during the ensuing 4-1/2 years I fell into the category known, in AA parlance, as a "chronic slipper." I might get a good six months of sobriety under my belt, but then I would get a bottle to celebrate. I did all the things that were suggested for me not to do. Within my first year around AA, I made some major decisions, like getting married, renting the most expensive apartment I could find, not using my sponsor, avoiding the steps, hanging around old haunts with my old drinking pals, and talking more than listening during meetings. In short, I wasn't responding to the miracle of AA. My disease progressed and I became a regular patient in detox hospitals, intensive care units, and treatment centers. Permanent insanity was drawing near, and the gates of death were in view. 2001, AAWS, Inc., Alcoholics Anonymous, page 455 *~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~* "Keeping a Tenth Step journal about my day-to-day life, my relations with other people, and the stuff that still roiled around in my head helped me see patterns in my thoughts and behavior, which I could discuss with my sponsor. And once I began to sit quietly, reflect on what I'd written, and pray, I began to sleep peacefully for the first time in my life." Manchester, N.H., March 2001 "Peace at Last," In Our Own Words: Stories of Young AAs in Recovery *~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~* " I had always believed in a Power greater that myself. I had often pondered these things. I was not an atheist. Few people really are, for that means blind faith in the strange proposition that this universe originated in a cipher and aimlessly rushes no where." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Bill's Story, pg. 10~ "Outline the program of action, explaining how you made a self-appraisal, how you straightened out your past and why you are now endeavoring to be helpful to him. It is important for him to realize that your attempt to pass this on to him plays a vital part in your own recovery. Actually, he may be helping you more than you are helping him. Make it plain he is under no obligation to you, that you hope only that he will try to help other alcoholics when he escapes his own difficulties. Suggest how important it is that he place the welfare of other people ahead of his own. Make it clear that he is not under pressure, that he needn’t see you again if he doesn’t want to. You should not be offended if he wants to call it off, for he has helped you more than you have helped him. If your talk has been sane, quiet and full of human understanding, you have perhaps made a friend. Maybe you have disturbed him about the question of alcoholism. This is all to the good. The more hope* less he feels, the better. He will be more likely to follow your suggestions." Alcoholics Anonymous p.94, Working With Others, 4th Edition~ We found it very desirable to take this spiritual step with an understanding person, such as our wife, best friend, or spiritual adviser. -Alcoholics Anonymous p.63 It is worth noting that people of very high spiritual development almost always insist on checking with friends or spiritual advisers the guidance they feel they have received from God. -Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 60 Misc. AA Literature - Quote Going it alone in spiritual matters is dangerous. How many times have we heard well-intentioned people claim the guidance of God when it was plain that they were mistaken? Lacking both practice and humility, they had deluded themselves and so were able to justify the most arrant nonsense on the ground that this was what God had told them. People of very high spiritual development almost always insist on checking with friends or spiritual advisers the guidance they feel they have received from God. Surely, then, a novice ought not lay himself open to the chance of making foolish, perhaps tragic, blunders. While the comment or advice of others may not be infallible, it is likely to be far more specific than any direct guidance we may receive while we are still inexperienced in establishing contact with a Power greater than ourselves. Prayer for the Day: A Prayer for Tolerance - Higher Power, help me to know the most lovable quality I can possess is tolerance. It is the vision that enables me to see things from another's viewpoint. It is the generosity that concedes to others the right to their own opinions and their own peculiarities. It is the bigness that enables me to let people be happy in their own way instead of my way. |
AA Thought for the Day
October 2 Growing Up Change is the characteristic of all growth. From drinking to sobriety, from dishonesty to honesty, from conflict to serenity, from hate to love, from childish dependence to adult responsibility -- all this and infinitely more represent change for the better. - As Bill Sees It, p. 76 Thought to Ponder . . . Serenity is not the absence of conflict but the ability to cope with it. AA-related 'Alconym' . . . K I S S = Keep It Serenely Simple. ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~ Amends "Somehow, being alone with God doesn't seem so embarrassing as facing up to another person. Until we actually sit down and talk aloud about what we have so long hidden, our willingness to clean house is still largely theoretical. When we are honest with another person, it confirms that we have been honest with ourselves and with God." Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 60 Copyright 1952 by A.A.W.S. Inc. Thought to Consider . . . It is the highest form of self-respect to admit mistakes and to make amends for them. *~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~* H O W = Honest, Open, and Willing *~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~* Hang Together Forever From: "When AA Came of Age" On Sunday morning “ the last day of the [1950 International] Convention “ I found those Twelve Traditions still on my mind. Each of them I saw is an exercise in humility that can guard us in everyday AA affairs and protect us from ourselves. If AA were really guided by the Twelve Traditions, we could not possibly be split apart by politics, religion, money, or by any old-timers who might take a notion to be big shots. With none of us throwing our weight around in public, nobody could possibly exploit AA for personal advantage, that is sure. For the first time I saw AA's anonymity for what it really is. It isn't just something to save us from alcoholic shame and stigma; its deeper purpose is actually to keep those fool egos of ours from running hog wild after money and public fame at AA's expense. It really means personal and group sacrifice for the benefit of all AA. Right then I resolved to learn our Twelve Traditions by heart, just as I had learned the Twelve Steps. If every AA did the same thing and really soaked up these principles we drunks could hang together forever. 1985, AAWS, Inc., Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, page 43 *~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~* "We can always come up with a reason to drink. The secret is, how many reasons can we come up with to stay sober?" Topeka, Kan., July 2001 An Important Secret No Matter What: Dealing with Adversity in Sobriety *~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~* "If, when you honestly want to, you find you cannot quit entirely, or if when drinking, you have little control over the amount you take, you are probably alcoholic. If that be the case, you may be suffering from an illness which only a spiritual experience will conquer." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, We Agnostics, pg. 44~ “My friend suggested what then seemed a novel idea. He said, ‘Why don't you choose your own conception of God?’ That statement hit me hard. It melted the icy intellectual mountain in whose shadow I had lived and shivered many years. I stood in the sunlight at last.” ~Alcoholics Anonymous page 100 We needed to ask ourselves but one short question. 'Do I now believe, or am I even willing to believe, that there is a Power greater than myself? -Alcoholics Anonymous p.47 For the time being, we who were atheist or agnostic discovered that our own group, or A.A. as a whole, would suffice as a higher power. -Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 107 Misc. AA Literature - Quote For a new prospect, outline the program of action, explaining how you made a self-appraisal, how you straightened out your past, and why you are now endeavoring to be helpful to him. It is important for him to realize that your attempt to pass this on to him plays a vital part in your own recovery. Actually, he may be helping you more than you are helping him. Make it plain that he is under no obligation to you. In the first six months of my own sobriety, I worked hard with many alcoholics. Not a one responded. Yet this work kept me sober. It wasn't a question of those alcoholics giving me anything. My stability came out of trying to give, not out of demanding that I receive. Prayer for the Day: Changes - Today, I pray that I may understand there are some things I cannot change; I cannot change the weather. I cannot change the tick of the clock. I cannot change the past. I cannot change another person against their will. I cannot change what is right and wrong. I cannot change the fact that a relationship ended. I can stop worrying over that which I cannot change and enjoy living more! I can place those things into the hands of my Higher Power. Save energy. Let go. Instead of trying to change someone else: I can change my attitude. I can change my list of priorities. I can change my bad habits into good ones. I can move from the place of brokenness into wholeness, into the beautiful person God created me to become. |
AA Thought for the Day
October 3 Emotional Balance We commence to put our AA way of life to practical use, day by day, in fair weather or foul. Then comes the acid test: can we stay sober, keep in emotional balance and live to good purpose under all conditions? A continuous look at our assets and liabilities, and a real desire to grow are necessities for us. We alcoholics have learned this the hard way. - Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 87 Thought to Ponder . . . Life is a steady drizzle of small things -- carry an umbrella. AA-related 'Alconym' . . . A A W O L = A A Way Of Life. ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~ Demonstration "Men and women who use alcohol as an escape are not the only ones who are afraid of life, hostile to the world, fleeing from it into loneliness. Millions who are not alcoholics are living today in illusory worlds, nurturing the basic anxieties and insecurities of human existence rather than face themselves with courage and humility. To these people, AA can offer as a cure no magic potion, no chemical formula, no powerful drug. But it can demonstrate to them how to use the tools of humility, honesty, devotion, and love, which indeed are the heart of the Twelve Steps of our recovery." c.1957AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, p. 279 Thought to Consider . . . AA Is like an adjustable wrench, it fits almost any nut. *~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~* H O P E = Help Open People's Eyes *~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~* Searching for the Positives From: "Changing Beliefs" Slowly and painfully, I became aware of myself. I began to see it wasn't true that I didn't believe in anything. Rather, I had believed in the wrong things: I had believed I needed a drink for confidence. I had believed I was unattractive. I had believed I was unworthy. I had believed no one loved me. I had believed I never had a break. Someone said at a closed meeting, There is good in all of us. Seek it out, nurture it, tend it, and it will flourish. So I began searching for the positives within me. I realized that my feeling of inferiority was just one aspect of ego, and the arrogance I projected was the other. I must find the center median. So I tried to act as if: AA was giving me confidence. I had an attractive personality, even though I was not beautiful. I was worthy, like all others. I loved myself and could therefore love others. Faith was freeing me from the fear that had always gripped me. 1973, AAWS, Inc., Came to Believe, pages 103-104 *~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~* "The measure of my sobriety isn't the distance between now and the last drink -- the measure of my sobriety is the distance between now and the next drink." White Rock, British Columbia, May 2005 "Life -- It Happens" No Matter What: Dealing with Adversity in Sobriety *~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~* "Another principle we observe carefully is that we do not relate intimate experiences of another person unless we are sure he would approve. We find it better, when possible, to stick to our own stories. A man may criticize or laugh at himself and it will affect others favorably, but criticism or ridicule coming from another often produces the contrary effect." Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, The Family Afterward, pg. 125 We know that while the alcoholic keeps away from drink , as he may do for months or years , he reacts much like other men . We are equally positive that once he takes any alcohol whatever into his system , something happens , both in the bodily and mental sense , which makes it virtually impossible for him to stop . The experience of any alcoholic will abundantly confirm this . Alcoholics Anonymous Page 22-23 It reminds us that we are to place principles before personalities; that we are actually to practice a genuine humility. -Alcoholics Anonymous p.566 For we had started to get perspective on ourselves, which is another way of saying that we were gaining in humility. -Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 48 Misc. AA Literature - Quote I have had many experiences with atheists, mostly good. Everybody in A.A. has the right to his own opinion. It is much better to maintain an open and tolerant society than it is to suppress any small disturbances their opinions might occasion. Actually, 1 don't know of anybody who went off and died of alcoholism because of some atheist's opinions on the cosmos. 'But I do always entreat these folks to look to a 'Higher Power' - namely, their own group. When they come in, most of their A.A. group is sober, and they are drunk. Therefore, the group is a 'Higher Power.' That's a good enough start, and most of them do progress from there. I know how they feel, because I was once that way myself. Prayer for the Day: Take Time - Take Time to think; it is the source of power. Take Time to play; it is the secret of perpetual young. Take Time to read; it is the foundation of wisdom. Take Time to pray; it is the greatest power on earth. Take Time to be friendly; it is the road to happiness. Take Time to laugh; it is the music of the soul. Take Time to give; it is too short a day to be selfish. Take Time to work; it is the price of success. Take Time to do charity; it is the key to heaven. Take Time to be quiet; it is the moment to seek God. Take Time to be aware; it is the opportunity to help others. Take Time to love and be loved; it is God's greatest gift. Take Time to dream; it is what the future is made of. |
AA Thought for the Day
October 4 Vigilance Our next function is to grow in understanding and effectiveness. This is not an overnight matter. It should continue for our lifetime. Continue to watch for selfishness, dishonesty, resentment, and fear. When these crop up, we ask God at once to remove them. . . Love and tolerance of others is our code. - Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 84 Thought to Ponder . . . Sobriety is a gift, the price of which is eternal vigilance. AA-related 'Alconym' . . . A A = Always Aware. ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~ Ground Zero "War fever ran high in the New England town to which we new, young officers from Plattsburg were assigned, and we were flattered when the first citizens took us to their homes, making us feel heroic. Here was love, applause, war; moments sublime with intervals hilarious. I was part of life at last, and in the midst of the excitement I discovered liquor. I forgot the strong warnings and the prejudices of my people concerning drink. In time we sailed for "Over There." We landed in England. I visited Winchester Cathedral. Much moved, I wandered outside. My attention was caught by a doggerel on an old tombstone: 'Here lies a Hampshire Grenadier Who caught his death Drinking cold small beer . . .' Ominous warning -- which I failed to heed." Bill W., c.1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 1 Thought to Consider . . . I have learned what the Grace of God feels like. *~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~* H O P E = Helping Other People Every day *~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~* Endorsement >From "The Three Legacies of Alcoholics Anonymous": "The news wires carried the news of Mr. Rockefeller's [1940] dinner [planned by John D., Jr., but attended and moderated by his son, Nelson] all over the world. A few of the stories that appeared were somewhat lurid and ran under startling headlines. One headline informed the public: 'John D. Rockefeller dines tosspots.' But all the stories plugged A.A. just the same; even the tabloids gave us the glad hand. The total effect was to give Alcoholics Anonymous a public status of dignity and worth. Thus encouraged, considerable numbers of people went to their bookstores to buy the A.A. book. Orders poured in and our financial difficulties were much eased. Hundreds of requests for help came from alcoholics and their families all over the nation." 2001 AAWS, Inc.; Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pgs. 185-86 *~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~* "We AAs have had to learn that the kinds of freedom that we must possess cannot possibly be obtained by violence. As a Fellowship, we cannot fight anybody, anywhere or at any time. This has been proved. When we had directly attacked John Barleycorn, we had lost. Booze fighting had never worked. When we quarrel too much with each other, we get drunk." AA Co-Founder, Bill W., November 1960 "Freedom Under God: The Choice Is Ours" The Language of the Heart *~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~* "Actually we were fooling ourselves, for deep down in every man, woman, and child, is the fundamental idea of God. It may be obscured by calamity, by pomp, by worship of other things, but in some form or other it is there. For faith in a Power greater than ourselves, and miraculous demonstrations of that power in human lives, are facts as old as man himself." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, We Agnostics, pg. 55~ 'For those who are unable to drink moderately the question is how to stop altogether. We are assuming, of course, that the reader desires to stop Whether such a person can quit upon a nonspiritual basis depends upon the extent to which he has already lost the power to choose whether he will drink or not. Many of us felt that we had plenty of character Then was a tremendous urge to cease forever. Yet we found it impossible. This is the baffling feature of alcoholism as we know it--this utter inability to leave it alone, no matter how great the necessity or wish.' Alcoholics Anonymous Page 34 Never was I to pray for myself, except as my requests bore on my usefulness to others. -Alcoholics Anonymous p.13 All of us, without exception, pass through times when we can pray only with the greatest exertion of will. -Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 105 Misc. AA Literature - Quote Only one consideration should qualify our desire for a complete disclosure of the damage we have done. That will arise where a full revelation would seriously harm the one to whom we are making amends. Or - quite as important - other people. We cannot, for example, unload a detailed account of extramarital adventuring upon the shoulders of our unsuspecting wife or husband. It does not lighten our burden when we recklessly make the crosses of others heavier. In making amends, we should be sensible, tactful, considerate, and humble without being servile or scraping. As God's people, we stand on our feet; we don't crawl before anyone. Prayer for the Day: LIFE IS A CELEBRATION Lord, help me today to: Mend a quarrel. Seek out a forgotten friend. Dismiss suspicion and replace it with trust. Write a friendly letter. Share a treasure. Give a soft answer. Encourage another. Manifest my loyalty in word and deed. Keep a promise. Find the time. Forego a grudge. Forgive an enemy. Listen. Acknowledge any wrong doing. Try to understand. Examine my demands on others. Think of someone else first. Be kind. Be gentle. Laugh a little. Smile more. Be happy. Show my gratitude. Welcome a stranger. Speak Your love. Speak it again. Live it again. LIFE IS A CELEBRATION! |
AA Thought for the Day
October 5 Traditions Our Traditions are set down on paper. But they were written first in our hearts. For each of us knows, instinctively I think, that AA is not ours to do with as we please. We are but caretakers to preserve the spiritual quality of our Fellowship; keep it whole for those who will come after us and have need of what has so generously been given to us. - The Language of the Heart, p. 124 Thought to Ponder . . . The Twelve Steps tell us how it works; the Twelve Traditions tell us why it works. AA-related 'Alconym' . . . H E A R T = Healing, Enjoying, And Recovering Together. ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~ Virtues "We of AA are apt to brag of the virtues of our fellowship. Let us remember that none of these are earned virtues. We have been forced into them, to begin with, by the cruel lash of John Barleycorn. We have adopted these attitudes, these practices, this structure, not at first because we wished to but because we had to. And then, as time confirmed the seeming rightness of our basic principles, we began to conform because it was right to do so." Bill W., c.1957AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, p. 224 Thought to Consider . . . Life didn't end when I got sober -- it started *~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~* P R O G R A M = People Relying On God Relay A Message *~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~* Choices From "The Seed of God": "But my spiritual growth became stronger from the experiences of others. It was explained to me that I could freely choose a God of my understanding. At first, I thought I was committing a sin by trying to change God, but I soon realized that God was constant, and the only changes that had to be made were in my sick mind." 1973 AAWS, Inc.; Came to Believe, 30th printing 2004, pgs. 59-60 *~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~* "Each night, I think of the Tenth Step and ask myself, 'Have I, this day, helped more than I've harmed? Given more than I've taken? Created more than I've destroyed?'" Minneapolis, Minn., December 1977 "It Takes Practice to Be Human," Step By Step *~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~* "Most alcoholics owe money. We do not dodge our creditors. Telling them what we are trying to do, we make no bones about our drinking; they usually know it anyway, whether we think so or not. Nor are we afraid of disclosing our alcoholism on the theory it may cause financial harm. Approached in this way, the most ruthless creditor will sometimes surprise us. Arranging the best deal we can we let these people know we are sorry. Our drinking has made us slow to pay.We must lose our fear of creditors no matter how far we have to go, for we are liable to drink if we are afraid to face them." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 78~ To watch people recover, to see them help others, to watch loneliness vanish, to see a fellowship grow about you, to have a host of friends--this is an experience you must not miss. - Alcoholics Anonymous, pg 89 Where were we to blame? -Alcoholics Anonymous p.67 Where other people were concerned, we had to drop the word "blame" from our speech and thought. -Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 47 Misc. AA Literature - Quote Few of us are anonymous so far as our daily contacts go. We have dropped anonymity at this level because we think our friends and associates ought to know about A.A. and what it has done for us. We also wish to lose the fear of admitting that we are alcoholics. Though we earnestly request reporters not to disclose our identities, we frequently speak before semipublic gatherings. We wish to convince audiences that our alcoholism is a sickness we no longer fear to discuss before anyone. If, however, we venture beyond this limit, we shall surely lose the principle of anonymity forever. If every A.A. felt free to publish his own name, picture, and story, we would soon be launched upon a vast orgy of personal publicity. 'While the so-called public meeting is questioned by many A.A. members, I favor it myself providing only that anonymity is respected in press reports and that we ask nothing for ourselves except understanding. Prayer for the Day: Language of the heart - Dear God, You know my needs before I ask, my heart before I pray, and my gratitude before I even offer my thanks. You understand me better than I understand myself, and I thank You for communicating with me in the language of the heart. |
AA Thought for the Day
October 6 Slogans When one of us is in a dither to get something done or get somewhere in a hurry, a friend may gently remonstrate, "'Easy Does It,'" remember?" Then there's often a flash of annoyance at the adviser. And that indicates the advice must have hit home, wouldn't you say? - Living Sober, p. 44 Thought to Ponder . . . It works ~ it really does! AA-related 'Alconym' . . . A A = Always Awesome. ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~ Self-will "The first requirement is that we be convinced that any life run on self-will can hardly be a success. On that basis we are almost always in collision with something or somebody, even though our motives are good. Most people try to live by self-propulsion. Each person is like an actor who wants to run the whole show; is forever trying to arrange the lights, the ballet, the scenery and the rest of the players in his own way. If his arrangements would only stay put, if only people would do as he wished, the show would be great. Everybody, including himself, would be pleased. nbsp; Life would be wonderful." c.1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, pp. 60-1 Thought to Consider . . . Rule 62: "Don't take yourself too **** seriously." *~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~* P R I D E = Pretty Ridiculous Individual Directing Everything *~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~* Incredible Things From: "To Employers" Your man has probably been trying to conceal a number of scrapes, perhaps pretty messy ones. They may be disgusting. You may be at a loss to understand how such a seemingly above-board chap could be so involved. But these scrapes can generally be charged, no matter how bad, to the abnormal action of alcohol on his mind. When drinking, or getting over a bout, an alcoholic, sometimes the model of honesty when normal, will do incredible things. Afterward, his revulsion will be terrible. Nearly always, these antics indicate nothing more than temporary conditions. 2001, AAWS, Inc., Alcoholics Anonymous, pages 140-14 *~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~* "Nothing could be sadder than to lose touch with ourselves in recovery; to have our connection to our Higher Power blocked by resentment; to be governed by old ideas we are only dimly aware of and that hold us back; or to be reduced by our fears to living sequestered from life. For the sunlight of the spirit to enter, the window must be kept clean so the light can pour through." New York, N.Y., October 2010 "Safety Valve," Step By Step *~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~* "We know that while the alcoholic keeps away from drink, as he may do for months or years, he reacts much like other men. We are equally positive that once he takes any alcohol whatever into his system, something happens, both in the bodily and mental sense, which makes it virtually impossible for him to stop. The experience of any alcoholic will abundantly confirm this." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, There Is A Solution, pg. 22~ "Since the home has suffered more than anything else, it is well that a man exert himself there. He is not likely to get far in any direction if he fails to show unselfishness and love under his own roof." Alcoholics Anonymous p.127 Never was I to pray for myself, except as my requests bore on my usefulness to others. -Alcoholics Anonymous p.13 Then he asked for the grace to bring love, forgiveness, harmony, truth, faith, hope, light, and joy to every human being he could. -Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 101 Misc. AA Literature - Quote The majority of A.A. members have suffered severely from self-justification during their drinking days. For most of us, self-justification was the maker of excuses for drinking and for all kinds of crazy and damaging conduct. We had made the invention of alibis a fine art. We had to drink because times were hard or times were good. We had to drink because at home we were smothered with love or got none at all. We had to drink because at work we were great successes or dismal failures. We had to drink because our nation had won a war or lost a peace. And so it went, ad infinitum. To see how our own erratic emotions victimized us often took a long time. Where other people were concerned, we had to drop the word 'blame' from our speech and thought. Prayer for the Day: Am I willing? - Dear Higher Power, help me: To forget what I have done for other people, and to remember what other people have done for me. To ignore what the world owes me, and to think what I owes the world. To put my rights in the background, and my duties in the middle distance, and my chances to do a little more than my duty in the foreground. To see that my fellow members are just as real as I am, and to try to look behind their faces to their hearts, as hungry for joy as mine is. To own that probably the only good reason for my existence is not what I can get out of life, but what I can give to life. To close my book of complaints against the management of the universe and look for a place where I can sow a few seeds of happiness--am I willing to do these things even for today? Then I have a good chance of staying with the Program. |
AA Thought for the Day
October 7 Compulsions I began with blind faith, but the proof of truth is that it works. I believed those who said they had suffered from alcoholism, but, through AA were now enjoying sobriety. So the truth was there for me to see. But shortly I knew the truth from my own experience. I was not only released from the compulsion to drink; I was guided toward a compulsion to live! - Came To Believe . . ., p. 3 Thought to Ponder . . . While it isn't always easy, if I keep it simple, it works. AA-related 'Alconym' . . . H O W = Honesty, Open-mindedness, Willingness. ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~ Gratitude "Another exercise that I practice is to try for a full inventory of my blessings and then for a right acceptance of the many gifts that are mine -- both temporal and spiritual. . . I try to hold fast to the truth that a full and thankful heart cannot entertain great conceits. When brimming with gratitude, one's heartbeat must surely result in outgoing love, the finest emotion that we can ever know." FONT face=Georgia> Bill. W., March 1962 c.1988AAGrapevine, The Language of the Heart, p. 271 Thought to Consider . . . I have learned what a heart full of gratitude feels like. *~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~* H J F = Happy, Joyous, and Free *~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~* Best of Intentions Step Eleven: Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out. Of course, it is reasonable and understandable that the question is often asked: "Why can't we take a specific and troubling dilemma straight to God, and in prayer secure from Him sure and definite answers to our requests?" This can be done, but it has hazards. We have seen AAs ask with much earnestness and faith for God's explicit guidance on matters ranging all the way from a shattering domestic or financial crisis to correcting a minor personal fault, like tardiness. Quite often, however, the thoughts that seem to come from God are not answers at all. They prove to be well-intentioned unconscious rationalizations. The AA, or indeed any man, who tries to run his life rigidly by this kind of prayer, by this self-serving demand of God for replies, is a particularly disconcerting individual. To any questioning or criticism of his actions he instantly proffers his reliance upon prayer for guidance in all matters great or small. He may have forgotten the possibility that his own wishful thinking and the human tendency to rationalize have distorted his so-called guidance. With the best of intentions, he tends to force his own will into all sorts of situations and problems with the comfortable assurance that he is acting under God's specific direction. Under such an illusion, he can of course create great havoc without in the least intending it. 1981, AAWS, Inc., Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pages 103-104 *~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~ * "As of this moment I repose serenely on Cloud 9, being thankful in silent meditation. I know the grim realism of this troubled world will bring me sharply back to earth at any moment, but I pray I may make a safe, happy landing." Cincinnati, OHIO, May 1957 "Let There Be Light," Into Action *~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~* "Follow the dictates of a Higher Power and you will presently live in a new and wonderful world, no matter what your present circumstances!" Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Working With Others, pg. 100 "It is our great hope that all those who have as yet found no answer may begin to find one in the pages of this book and will presently join us on the highroad to a new freedom." Alcoholics Anonymous p.xxi We thank God from the bottom of our heart that we know Him better. -Alcoholics Anonymous p.75 Having so considered our day, not omitting to take due note of things well done, and having searched our hearts with neither fear nor favor, we can truly thank God for the blessings we have received and sleep in good conscience. -Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 95 Misc. AA Literature - Quote Assuming we are spiritually fit, we can do all sorts of things alcoholics are not supposed to do. People have said we must not go where liquor is served; we must not have it in our homes; we must shun friends who drink; we must avoid moving pictures which show drinking scenes; we must not go into bars; our friends must hide their bottles if we go to their houses; we mustn't think or be reminded about alcohol at all. Our experience shows that this is not necessarily so. We meet these conditions every day. An alcoholic who cannot meet them still has an alcoholic mind; there is something the matter with his spiritual status. His only chance for sobriety would be some place like the Greenland icecap, and even there an Eskimo might turn up with a bottle of Scotch and ruin everything! Prayer for the Day: The Way - Dear Lord, Today I pray: The way is long Let us go together. The way is difficult Let us help each other. The way is joyful Let us share it. The way is ours alone Let us go in love. The way grows before us Let us begin. |
We found it very desirable to take this spiritual step with an understanding person, such as our wife, best friend, or spiritual adviser.
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AA Thought for the Day
October 8 A Common Solution The tremendous fact for every one of us is that we have discovered a common solution. We have a way out on which we can absolutely agree, and upon which we can join in brotherly and harmonious action. This is the great news this book carries to those who suffer from alcoholism. - Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 17 Thought to Ponder . . . Life will take on new meaning. AA-related 'Alconym' . . . H E L P = Hope, Encouragement, Love, Patience. ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~ Single Purpose "We enjoy certain advantages which should make our task of self-restraint relatively easy. There is really no good reason for anyone to object if a great many drunks get sober. Nearly everyone can agree that this is a good thing. If, in the process, we are forced to develop a certain amount of honesty, humility, and tolerance, who is going to kick about that? If we recognize that religion is the province of the clergy and the practice of medicine is for doctors, we can helpfully cooperate with both. Certainly there is little basis for controversy in these areas. It is a fact that AA has not the slightest reform or political complexion. We try to pay our own expenses, and we strictly mind our single purpose." Bill. W., c.1962AAWS, Twelve Concepts for World Service, 26th printing, p. 69 Thought to Consider . . . While it isn't always easy, if I keep it simple, it works. *~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~* K I S S = Keep It Simple, Silly *~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~* The Pervasive "We" From: "He Lived Only To Drink" More important, I came to believe that I cannot do this alone. From childhood, despite the love I experienced, I had never let people, even those closest to me, inside my life. All my life I had lived the deepest of lies, not sharing with anyone my true thoughts and feelings. I thought I had a direct line to God, and I built a wall of distrust around myself. In AA I faced the pervasive "we" of the Twelve Steps and gradually realized that I can separate and protect my sobriety from outside hazards only inasmuch as I rely on the sober experience of other AA members and share their journey through the steps to recovery. 2001, AAWS, Inc., Alcoholics Anonymous, page 451 *~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~* "I know what the temptation of fame and money really is ... I was once a breaker of anonymity myself. I thank God that years ago the voice of experience and the urging of wise friends took me out of that perilous path into which I might have led our entire Society." AA Co-Founder, Bill W., January 1955 "Why Alcoholics Anonymous Is Anonymous" The Language of the Heart *~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~* "Though there is no way of proving it, we believe that early in our drinking careers most of us could have stopped drinking. But the difficulty is that few alcoholics have enough desire to stop while there is yet time." Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, More About Alcoholism, pg. 32 "We don’t use this as an excuse for shying away from the subject of God. When it will serve any good pur* pose, we are willing to announce our convictions with tact and common sense. The question of how to ap* proach the man we hated will arise. It may be he has done us more harm than we have done him and, though we may have acquired a better attitude toward him, we are still not too keen about admitting our faults. Nevertheless, with a person we dislike, we take the bit in our teeth. It is harder to go to an enemy than to a friend, but we find it much more beneficial to us. We go to him in a helpful and forgiving spirit, confessing our former ill feeling and expressing our regret." Alcoholics Anonymous p.77 But those of us who have tried to shoulder the entire burden and trouble of others find we are soon overcome by them. -Alcoholics Anonymous p.132 It does not lighten our burden when we recklessly make the crosses of others heavier. -Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 86 Misc. AA Literature - Quote There is only one sure test of all spiritual experiences: 'By their fruits, ye shall know them.' This is why I think we should question no one's transformation - whether it be sudden or gradual. Nor should we demand anyone's special type for ourselves, because experience suggests that we are apt to receive whatever may be the most useful for our own needs. Human beings are never quite alike, so each of us, when making an inventory, will need to determine what his individual character defects are. Having found the shoes that fit, he ought to step into them and walk with new confidence that he is at last on the right track. Prayer for the Day: God direct my thinking today so that it be divorced of self pity, dishonesty, self-will, self-seeking and fear. God inspire my thinking, decisions and intuitions. Help me to relax and take it easy. Free me from doubt and indecision. Guide me through this day and show me my next step. God give me what I need to take care of any problems. I ask all these things that I may be of maximum service to you and my fellow man in the name of the Steps I pray. AMEN (p. 86 BB) |
AA Thought for the Day
October 9 Tolerance We begin to see that all people, including ourselves, are to some extent emotionally ill as well as frequently wrong, and then we approach true tolerance and see what real love for our fellows really means. - Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 92 Thought to Ponder . . . Right actions for the future are the best apologies for wrong ones in the past. AA-related 'Alconym' . . . B O G G L E = Bad Or Good, God Loves Everyone. ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~ Emotional Sobriety "If we examine every disturbance we have, great or small, we will find at the root of it some unhealthy dependency and its consequent unhealthy demand. Let us, with God's help, continually surrender these hobbling liabilities. Then we can be set free to live and love; we may then be able to twelfth-step ourselves, as well as others, into emotional sobriety." Bill. W., AAGrapevine, January 1958 c.1967AAWS, As Bill Sees It, p. 288 Thought to Consider . . . Sobriety is a choice and a treasure. *~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~* A A = Altered Attitudes *~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~* No Matter What From: "Using the 24-hour plan" Although we realize that alcoholism is a permanent, irreversible condition, our experience has taught us to make no long-term promises about staying sober. We have found it more realistic - and more successful - to say, "I am not taking a drink just for today." Even if we drank yesterday, we can plan not to drink today. We may drink tomorrow "who knows whether we'll even be alive then? but for this 24 hours, we decide not to drink. No matter what the temptation or provocation, we determine to go to any extremes necessary to avoid a drink today. 1998, AAWS, Inc., Living Sober, page 6 *~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~* "The slogans are simple things ... these AA tranquilizers do not solve our problems, but they can calm us down, remind us of a better way to proceed, and perhaps even put us in a mood to make better decisions." New York, N.Y., November 1958 "Using the Slogans," Into Action *~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~* "In this book you read again and again that faith did for us what we could not do for ourselves. We hope you are convinced now that God can remove whatever self-will has blocked you off from Him. If you have already made a decision, and an inventory of your grosser handicaps, you have made a good beginning. That being so you have swallowed and digested some big chunks of truth about yourself." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 70~ ...when I was free from parental domination, I would never again darken the doors of a church. This resolution I kept steadfastly for the next forty years” ~Alcoholics Anonymous page 172 “If you think you are an atheist, an agnostic, a skeptic, or have any other form of intellectual pride which keeps you from accepting what is in this book, I feel sorry for you. If you still think you are strong enough to beat the, gamealone, that is your affair. But if you really and truly want to quit drinking liquor for good and all, and sincerely feel that you must have some help, we know that we have an answer for you. Alcoholics Anonymous page 181 We realize we know only a little. -Alcoholics Anonymous p.164 Our admissions of personal powerlessness finally turn out to be firm bedrock upon which happy and purposeful lives may be built. -Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 21 Misc. AA Literature - Quote Every time a person imposes his instincts unreasonably upon others, unhappiness follows. If the pursuit of wealth tramples upon people who happen to be in the way, then anger, jealousy, and revenge are likely to be aroused. If sex runs riot, there is a similar uproar. Demands made upon other people for too much attention, protection, and love can invite only domination or revulsion in the protectors themselves - two emotions quite as unhealthy as the demands which evoked them. When an individual's desire for prestige becomes uncontrollable, whether in the sewing circle or at the international conference table, other people suffer and often revolt. This collision of instincts can produce anything from a cold snub to a blazing revolution. Prayer for the Day: A Morning Prayer: Good morning God, You are ushering in another day, all nice and freshly new. Here I come again, dear Lord. Please renew me too. Forgive the many errors I made yesterday and let me come again, dear God, to walk in Your own way. But, God, You know I cannot do it on my own. Please take my hand and hold it tight, for I cannot walk alone. |
AA Thought for the Day
October 10 Prodigal I know I am an alcoholic and while I used to call on God to help me, my conclusion is that I was simply asking God to help me drink alcohol without its hurting me, which is a far different thing than asking Him to help me not to drink at all. So here I stand, living day to day, in His presence, and it is wonderful -- this prodigal came home. - Experience, Strength and Hope, p. 113 Thought to Ponder . . . Good things happen to alcoholics who don't drink. AA-related 'Alconym' . . . H E L P = His Ever-Loving Presence. ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~ Sponsorship "No satisfaction has been deeper and no joy greater than in a Twelfth Step job well done. To watch the eyes of men and women open with wonder as they move from darkness into light, to see their lives quickly fill with new purpose and meaning, to see whole families reassembled, to see the alcoholic outcast received back into his community in full citizenship, and above all to watch these people awaken to the presence of a loving God in their lives -- these things are the substance of what we receive as we carry AA's message to the next alcoholic." c.1952AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 110 Thought to Consider . . . A recovering alcoholic without a sponsor is much like a ship without a rudder. *~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~* S P O N S O R = Sober Person Offering Newcomer Support Of Recovery. *~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~* Under All Conditions From: "The Acid Test" As we work the first nine Steps, we prepare ourselves for the adventure of a new life. But when we approach Step Ten we commence to put our AA way of living to practical use, day by day, in fair weather or foul. Then comes the acid test: can we stay sober, keep in emotional balance, and live to good purpose under all conditions? Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, page 88 I know the Promises are being fulfilled in my life, but I want to maintain and develop them by the daily application of Step Ten. I have learned through this Step that if I am disturbed, there is something wrong with me. The other person may be wrong too, but I can only deal with my feelings. When I am hurt or upset, I have to continually look for the cause in me, and then I have to admit and correct my mistakes. It isn't easy, but as long as I know I am progressing spiritually, I know that I can mark my effort up as a job well done. I have found that pain is a friend; it lets me know there is something wrong with my emotions, just as a physical pain lets me know there is something wrong with my body. When I take the appropriate action through the Twelve Steps, the pain gradually goes away. 1990, AAWS, Inc., Daily Reflections, page 284 *~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~* "With the clock ticking like it is, I do not have time for anger, resentment, or self-pity. Time is far too precious." Durham, N.C., April 2002 "Just an Attitude," No Matter What: Dealing with Adversity in Sobriety *~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~* "Despite all we can say, many who are real alcoholics are not going to believe they are in that class. By every form of self-deception and experimentation, they will try to prove themselves exceptions to the rule, therefore nonalcoholic. If anyone who is showing inability to control his drinking can do the right-about-face and drink like a gentleman, our hats are off to him. Heaven knows, we have tried hard enough and long enough to drink like other people!" ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, More About Alcoholism, pg. 31~ In thinking about our day we may face indecision .We may not be able to determine which course to take . Here we ask God for inspiration , an intuitive thought or a decision . We relax and take it easy . We don't struggle . We are often surprised how the right answers come after we have tried this for a while . What used to be the hunch or the occasional inspiration gradually becomes a working part of the mind . Being still inexperienced and having just made conscious contact with God , it is not probable that we are going to be inspired at all times . We might pay for this presumption in all sorts of absurd actions and ideals . Nevertheless , we find that our thinking will , as time passes , be more and more on the plane of inspiration . We come to rely upon it . Alcoholics Anonymous Page 86-87 Our thought-life will be placed on a much higher plane when our thinking is cleared of wrong motives. -Alcoholics Anonymous p.86 We "constructively criticized" someone who needed it, when our real motive was to win a useless argument. -Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 94 Misc. AA Literature - Quote I had gone steadily downhill, and on that day in 1934 I lay upstairs in the hospital, knowing for the first time that I was utterly hopeless. Lois was downstairs, and Dr. Silkworth was trying in his gentle way to tell her what was wrong with me and that I was hopeless. 'But Bill has a tremendous amount of will power,' she said. 'He has tried desperately to get well. We have tried everything. Doctor, why can't he stop?' He explained that my drinking, once a habit, had become an obsession, a true insanity that condemned me to drink against my will. 'In the late stages of our drinking, the will to resist has fled. Yet when we admit complete defeat and when we become entirely ready to try A.A. principles, our obsession leaves us and we enter a new dimension - freedom under God as we understand Him. Prayer for the Day: Who, Me? - I need to be forgiven, Lord, so many times a day. So Often do I stumble and fall. Be merciful, I pray. Help me not to be critical when others' faults I see. For so often, Lord, the same faults are in me. |
AA Thought for the Day
October 11 Spiritual Resources The things I thought I needed for so many years no longer seem important, now that I have become aware of the spiritual resources God has given me. With these, I don't need alcohol to function. What a joy to stay sober on love instead of fear! - Came To Believe . . ., p. 35 Thought to Ponder . . . Joy is in knowing there is an answer. AA-related 'Alconym' . . . A A = Always Awesome. ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~ Trouble "In AA, we learned that trouble was really a fact of life for everybody-- a fact that had to be understood and dealt with. Surprisingly, we found that our troubles could, under God's grace, be converted into unimagined blessings. Indeed, that was the essence of AA itself: trouble accepted, trouble squarely faced with calm courage, trouble lessened and often transcended. This was the AA story, and we became a part of it. Such demonstrations became our stock in trade for the next sufferer." Bill W., Letter, 1966 As Bill Sees It, p. 110 Copyright 1967 A.A.W.S. Inc. Thought to Consider . . . God enters us through our wounds. *~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~* P A C E = Positive Attitudes Change Everything *~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~* Independent From "The Three Legacies of Alcoholics Anonymous": "Money-wise, Dr. Bob and I were still in a rather bad way. We were therefore allotted $30 a week [in 1940], and enough was on hand to keep this up for a year. Thereafter the [Rockefeller] dinner guests were solicited annually and the proceeds were always divided in the same way. Four years later we were able to write Mr. Rockefeller and his friends of the Union Club dinner that we needed no more funds. By then royalties from the book were giving Dr. Bob and me the help we needed, and the A.A. groups had begun to pick up the load of supporting the Headquarters office. At that point the A.A. Tradition of 'no outside contributions' went into full force and effect. Mr. Rockefeller and his friends had given us something more valuable than money. They had put A.A. on the map." 2001 AAWS, Inc.; Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pgs. 186-88 *~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~* "One night, in a moment of desperation, I got down on my knees and remembered a prayer an old sponsor had given me. It said, 'God, help me be of service ... to something or someone...' I knew intuitively it was the answer." Edmonton, Alberta, May 2010 "Sinking Fast," No Matter What: Dealing with Adversity in Sobriety *~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~* "We have seen the truth demonstrated again and again: 'Once an alcoholic, always an alcoholic.' Commencing to drink after a period of sobriety, we are in a short time as bad as ever." Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, More About Alcoholism, pg. 33 'God I offer myself to Thee -- To build with me and to do with me as Thou wilt. Relieve me of the bondage of self, that I may better do Thy Will. Take away my difficulties, that victory over them may bear witness to those I would help of Thy Power, Thy Love and Thy Way of life. May I do Thy will Always.' Alcoholics Anonymous Page 63 Belief in the power of God, plus enough willingness, honesty and humility to establish and maintain the new order of things, were the essential requirements. -Alcoholics Anonymous p.13 We heard story after story of how humility had brought strength out of weakness. -Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 75 Misc. AA Literature - Quote 'The idea of 'twenty-four-hour living' applies primarily to the emotional life of the individual. Emotionally speaking, we must not live in yesterday, nor in tomorrow. 'But I have never been able to see that this means the individual, the group, or A.A. as a whole should give no thought whatever to how to function tomorrow or even in the more distant future. Faith alone never constructed the house you live in. There had to be a blueprint and a lot of work to bring it into reality. 'Nothing is truer for us of A.A. than the Biblical saying 'Faith without works is dead.' A.A.'s services, all designed to make more and better Twelfth Step work possible, are the 'works' that insure our life and growth by preventing anarchy or stagnation. Prayer for the Day: Let Go, Let God - Higher Power, help me to understand: To let go does not mean to stop caring; it means I can't do it for someone else. To let go is not to enable, but to allow learning from natural consequences. To let go is to admit powerlessness, which means the outcome is not in my hands. To let go is not to try to change or blame another, it's to make the most of myself. To let go is not to care for but to care about. To let go is not to fix but to be supportive. To let go is not to judge but to allow another to be a human being. To let go is not to protect, it's to permit another to face reality. To let go is not to deny but to accept. To let go is not to nag, scold, or argue but instead to search about my own shortcomings and correct them. To let go is not to adjust everything to my desires but to take each day as it comes and cherish myself in it. |
AA Thought for the Day
October 12 Honesty Having troubles with the First Step? Relax. All the program asks is enough honesty to get started -- just what we are capable of at the moment. At the beginning, that's very little honesty. Each day, there will be a little more. It will come. Because, you see, the AA program works for anyone who wants it. - The Best of the Grapevine [Vol. 2], p. 34 Thought to Ponder . . . Honesty isn't an event -- it's a process. AA-related 'Alconym' . . . H O W = Honesty, Open-mindedness, Willingness. ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~ Helpfulness "Your job now is to be at the place where you may be of maximum helpfulness to others, so never hesitate to go anywhere if you can be helpful. You should not hesitate to visit the most sordid spot on earth on such an errand. Keep on the firing line of life with these motives and God will keep you unharmed." Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 102. Thought to Consider . . . We in AA don't carry the alcoholic; we carry the message. *~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~* H O P E = Help Open People's Eyes *~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~* Basics From "New Selves Unfolding": "However, the First Step and I have always been great friends. I repeated it every five seconds and thanked God each day for my sobriety, the only grace, maybe, for that day. "Gradually, I began to see another part of me emerging a grateful me, expecting nothing, but sure that another power was beginning to guide me, counsel me, and direct my ways. Barberton, Ohio, USA" 1973 AAWS, Inc.; Came to Believe, 30th printing 2004, pg. 45 *~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~* "The temptations of riches could sometimes be worse than the pains of poverty." AA Co-Founder, Bill W., December 1957 "The Greatest Gift of All" The Language of the Heart *~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~* "If there be divorce or separation, there should be no undue haste for the couple to get together. The man should be sure of his recovery. The wife should fully understand his new way of life. If their old relationship is to be resumed it must be on a better basis, since the former did not work. This means a new attitude and spirit all around. Sometimes it is to the best interests of all concerned that a couple remain apart. Obviously, no rule can be laid down. Let the alcoholic continue his program day by day. When the time for living together has come, it will be apparent to both parties." Alcoholics Anonymous, 3rd Edition, Working With Others, Page 99 "If the man be agnostic or atheist, make it emphatic that he does not have to agree with your conception of God. He may choose any conception he likes, providing it makes sense to him. The main thing is that he be willing to believe in a Power greater than himself and that he live be spiritual principles." Alcoholics Anonymous, pg 93 It is not the matter of giving that is in question, but when and how to give. -Alcoholics Anonymous p.98 We saw that we would need to give constantly of ourselves without demands for repayment. -Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 116 Misc. AA Literature - Quote The alarming thing about pride-blindness is the ease with which it is justified. But we need not look far to see that self-justification is a universal destroyer of harmony and of love. It sets man against man, nation against nation. By it, every form of folly and violence can be made to look right, and even respectable. It would be a product of false pride to claim that A.A. is a cure-all, even for alcoholism. Prayer for the Day: As I Think - Higher Power, today with Your help I'll remember: As I think, I travel; and as I love, I attract. I am today where my thoughts have brought me; I will be tomorrow where my thoughts take me. I cannot escape the result of my thoughts, but I can endure and learn; I can accept and be glad. I will realize the vision (not the idle wish) of my heart, be it base or beautiful, or a mixture of both, for I will always gravitate towards that which I, secretly, most love. Into my hands will be placed the exact result of my thoughts. I will receive that which I earn, no more, no less. Whatever my present environment may be, I will fall, remain, or rise with my thoughts, my wisdom, my attitudes. I will become as small as my controlling desire; as great as my dominant aspiration. |
AA Thought for the Day
October 13 Forgiveness What a great feeling forgiveness is! What a revelation about my emotional, psychological and spiritual nature. All it takes is willingness to forgive; God will do the rest. - Daily Reflections, p. 145 Thought to Ponder . . . Forgiveness is the final form of love. AA-related 'Alconym' . . . T G I F = Thank God I'm Forgiven. ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~ Acceptance "And acceptance is the answer to all my problems today. When I am disturbed, it is because I find some person, place, thing, situation -- some fact of my life -- unacceptable to me, and I can find no serenity until I accept that person, place, thing, or situation as being exactly the way it is supposed to be at this moment. Nothing, absolutely nothing happens in God's world by mistake. Until I could accept my alcoholism, I could not stay sober; unless I accept life completely on life's terms, I cannot be happy. I need to concentrate not so much on what needs to be changed in the world as on what needs to be changed in me and in my attitudes." Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition p. 417 Copyright 1976 A.A.W.S. Inc. Thought to Consider . . . Acceptance is not submission; it is acknowledgment of the facts of a situation, then deciding what you're going to do about it. *~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~* A B C = Acceptance, Belief, Change *~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~* All You Will Need From: "A Vision for You" Thus we grow. And so can you, though you be but one man with this book in your hand. We believe and hope it contains all you will need to begin. We know what you are thinking. You are saying to yourself: "I'm jittery and alone. I couldn't do that." But you can. You forget that you have just now tapped a source of power much greater than yourself. To duplicate, with such backing, what we have accomplished is only a matter of willingness, patience and labor. 2001, AAWS, Inc., Alcoholics Anonymous, pages 162-163 *~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~* "Seeing my defects is not enough to make them improve or go away -- the solution seems to be following awareness with action." Coldwater, Mich., December 2006 "Daily Reminder," Step By Step *~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~* "...we have ceased fighting anything or anyone even alcohol." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 84~ "...it is clear that we made our own misery. God didn't do it. Avoid then, the deliberate manufacture of misery, but if trouble comes, cheerfully capitalize it as an opportunity to demonstrate His omnipotence." Alcoholics Anonymous p.133 Patience and good temper are most necessary. -Alcoholics Anonymous p.111 Could we then foresee that troublesome people were to become our principal teachers of patience and tolerance? -Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 141 Misc. AA Literature - Quote We began to see that the world and its people had really dominated us. Under that unhappy condition, the wrongdoing of others, fancied or real, had power to actually kill us, because we could be driven back to drink through resentment. We saw that these resentments must be mastered, but how? We could not wish them away. This was our course: We realized that the people who wronged us were perhaps spiritually sick. So we asked God to help us show them the same tolerance, pity, and patience that we would cheerfully grant a sick friend. Today, we avoid retaliation or argument. We cannot treat sick people that way. If we do, we destroy our chance of being helpful. We cannot be helpful to all people, but at least God will show us how to take a kindly and tolerant view of each and every one. Prayer for the Day: Lead Me and Guide Me - Almighty God, I humbly pray, Lead me, guide me through this day. Cast out my selfishness and sin, Open my heart to let You in. Help me now as I blindly stray Over the pitfalls along the way. Let me have courage to face each task, Invest me with loving patience, I ask. Care for me through each hour today, Strengthen and guard me now, I pray. As I forgive, forgive me too, Needing Your mercy as I do. Oh, give to me Your loving care, Never abandon me to despair. Yesterday's wrongs I would seek to right, Make me more perfect in Your sight. Oh, teach me to live the best I can, Use me to help my fellow man. Save me from acts of bitter shame, I humbly ask it in Your name. |
AA Thought for the Day
October 14 Living Sober In the earliest days of my sobriety, I needed a lifeline that was easy to grasp and hold on to. I needed the very basics, the emergency exit placard, and that’s what Living Sober became for me. I know I owe my ability to weather the intense difficulty I experienced in the first few days, weeks, and months of my sobriety in large part to that skinny yellow book. “You can do it,” the book said to me. “And here’s exactly how.” The AA Grapevine, October 2013 Thought to Ponder . . . I have learned that I did not get here a day early or a drink short. AA-related 'Alconym' . . . E S H = Experience, Strength and Hope ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~ Foundation "Taking this book down from our shelf we turn to the page which contains the twelve steps. Carefully reading the first five proposals we ask if we have omitted anything, for we are building an arch through which we shall walk free at last. Is our work solid so far? Are the stones properly in place? Have we skimped on the cement put into the foundation? Have we tried to make mortar without sand?" c.1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 75 Thought to Consider . . . This day I choose to spend in perfect peace. *~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~* G R A C E = Gently Releasing All Conscious Expectations *~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~* Courtesy, Kindness, Justice and Love Step Ten: Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it." We can try to stop making unreasonable demands upon those we love. We can show kindness where we had shown none. With those we dislike we can begin to practice justice and courtesy, perhaps going out of our way to understand and help them. Whenever we fail any of these people, we can promptly admit it - to ourselves always, and to them also, when the admission would be helpful. Courtesy, kindness, justice, and love are the keynotes by which we may come into harmony with practically anybody. When in doubt we can always pause, saying, "Not my will, but Thine, be done." And we can often ask ourselves, "Am I doing to others as I would have them do to me - today?" 1981, AAWS, Inc., Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, page 93 *~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~* "How does one tune in to the Higher Power? The answer I have learned from AA is to recharge my spiritual battery every day -- 'you can't pull today's load with yesterday's horse.'" Joliet, Ill., July 1985 "Willingness to Grow," Into Action *~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~* "Step Eleven suggests prayer and meditation. We shouldn't be shy on this matter of prayer. Better men than we are using it constantly." Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 85 "If, when you honestly want to, you find you cannot quit entirely, or if when drinking, you have little control over the amount you take, you are probably alcoholic. If that be the case, you may be suffering from an illness which only a spiritual experience will conquer." Alcoholics Anonymous p.44 Just to the extent that we do as we think He would have us, and humbly rely on Him, does He enable us to match calamity with serenity. -Alcoholics Anonymous p.68 Where humility had formerly stood for a forced feeding on humble pie, it now begins to mean the nourishing ingredient which can give us serenity. -Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 74 Misc. AA Literature - Quote Aspects of Spirituality 'Among A.A.'s there is still a vast amount of mix-up respecting what is material and what is spiritual. I prefer to believe that it is all a matter of motive. If we use our worldly possessions too selfishly, then we are materialists. But if we share these possessions in helpfulness to others, then the material aids the spiritual.' 'The idea keeps persisting that the instincts are primarily bad and are the roadblocks before which all spirituality falters. I believe that the difference between good and evil is not the difference between spiritual and instinctual man; it is the difference between proper and improper use of the instinctual. Recognition and right channeling of the instinctual are the essence of achieving wholeness. Prayer for the Day: The Universal Prayer - Eternal Reality, You are everywhere. You are infinite unity, truth, and love; You permeate our souls, Every corner of the universe, and beyond. To some of us You are father, friend, or partner, To others, Higher Power, Higher Self, or Inner Self. To many of us You are all of these and more. You are within us and we within You. We know You forgive our trespasses If we forgive ourselves and others. We know You protect us from destructive temptation If we continue to seek Your help and guidance. We know You provide us food and shelter today If we but place our trust in You and try to do our best. Give us this day knowledge of Your will for us and the power to carry it out. For Yours is infinite power and love, Forever. |
AA Thought for the Day
October 15 Reprieve It is easy to let up on the spiritual program of action and rest on our laurels. We are headed for trouble if we do, for alcohol is a subtle foe. We are not cured of alcoholism. What we really have is a daily reprieve contingent on the maintenance of our spiritual condition. Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 85 Thought to Ponder . . . Refresh your spirit with everyday miracles. AA-related 'Alconym' . . . B E S T = Been Enjoying Sobriety Today? ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~ The Gift "Perhaps there is a better way -- we think so. For we are now on a different basis of trusting and relying upon God. We trust infinite God rather than our finite selves. We are in the world to play the role He assigns. Just to the extent that we do as we think He would have us, and humbly rely on Him, does He enable us to match calamity with serenity." c.1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 68 Thought to Consider . . . What I am is God's gift to me. What I make of myself is my gift to Him. *~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~* G I F T = God Is Forever There *~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~* Clothing Drop Box From: "My Bottle, My Resentments and Me" By this time I was so wild-eyed and filthy, people would shy away from me. I hated the look of fear on their faces when they saw me. They looked at me as if I were not human, and maybe I wasn't. In one large city I took to sleeping on the grates with a piece of plastic over me so I wouldn't freeze. One night I found a clothing drop box I could get into; it made a nice warm place to sleep and I could get new clothes in the morning. In the middle of the night someone threw in more clothes. I opened the top, looked out and shouted, "Thanks!" That woman threw up her hands and ran away screaming, "Lordy, Lordy!" She jumped in her car and screeched off. 2001, AAWS, Inc., Alcoholics Anonymous, page 441 *~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~* "I found I had to exert every ounce of will and action to cut off these faulty emotional dependencies upon people, upon AA, indeed, upon any set of circumstances whatever. Then only could I be free to love." AA Co-Founder, Bill W., January 1958 "The Next Frontier: Emotional Sobriety" The Language of the Heart *~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~* "Once more: The alcoholic at certain times has no effective mental defense against the first drink. Except in a few rare cases, neither he nor any other human being can provide such a defense. His defense must come from a Higher Power." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, More About Alcoholism, pg. 43~ Burn the idea into the consciousness of every man that he can get well regardless of anyone. The only condition is that he trust in God and clean house. Alcoholics Anonymous p.98 Even though your protégé may not have entirely admitted his condition, he has become very curious to know how you got well. -Alcoholics Anonymous p.93 If I am unable to change the present state of affairs, am I willing to take the measures necessary to shape my life to conditions as they are? Questions like these, more of which will come to mind easily in each individual case, will help turn up the root causes. -Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 52 Misc. AA Literature - Quote If we examine every disturbance we have, great or small, we will find at the root of it some unhealthy dependency and its consequent unhealthy demand. Let us, with God's help, continually surrender these hobbling liabilities. Then we can be set free to live and love; we may then be able to twelfth-step ourselves, as well as others, into emotional sobriety. Prayer for the Day: Reliance on God - O Higher Power, Never let me think that I can stand by myself, and not need You. |
AA Thought for the Day
October 16 Service In AA Whenever I go to a meeting, I like to arrive early and stay late. I like the face-to-face sharing before and after the meetings. That way, I get to meet the new members and give them a warm welcome, a handshake, and a smile. - The Best of the Grapevine [Vol. 1], p. 139 Thought to Ponder . . . Service is gratitude in action. AA-related 'Alconym' . . . H E A R T = Healing, Enjoying, And Recovering Together. ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~ Great Reality "Deep down in every man, woman, and child, is the fundamental idea of God. It may be obscured by calamity, by pomp, by worship of other things, but in some form or other it is there. For faith in a Power greater than ourselves, and miraculous demonstrations of that power in human lives, are facts as old as man himself. We finally saw that faith in some kind of God was a part of our make-up, just as much as the feeling we have for a friend. Sometimes we had to search fearlessly, but He was there. He was as much a fact as we were. We found the Great Reality deep down within us. In the last analysis it is only there that He may be found. It was so with us." c.1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 55 Thought to Consider . . . God seldom becomes a reality until God becomes a necessity. *~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~* P R O G R A M = People Relying On God Relay A Message *~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~* Services From: "AA's Legacy of Service" Our Twelfth Step - carrying the message - is the basic service that the A.A. Fellowship gives; this is our principal aim and the main reason for our existence. Therefore, A.A. is more than a set of principles; it is a society of alcoholics in action. We must carry the message, else we ourselves can wither and those who haven't been given the truth may die. Hence, an A.A. service is anything whatever that helps us to reach a fellow sufferer - ranging all the way from the Twelfth Step itself to a ten-cent phone call and a cup of coffee, and to A.A.'s General Service Office for national and international action. The sum total of all these services is our Third Legacy of Service. Services include meeting places, hospital cooperation, and intergroup offices; they mean pamphlets, books, and good publicity of almost every description. They call for committees, delegates, trustees, and conferences. And, not to be forgotten, they need voluntary money contributions from within the Fellowship. [Bill W., 1951] 2007, AAWS, Inc., AA Service Manual, page S1 *~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~* "As I continue to struggle, I think of the words of an old-timer in my area. No matter what the topic, he always finishes sharing with the words, 'and I haven't had a drink today.' Remembering his words never fails to bring to my mind the words 'experience, strength, and hope.'" "Out of Work, But Not Hope," Anonymous, December 2000 No Matter What: Dealing with Adversity in Sobriety *~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~* "We feel that elimination of our drinking is but a beginning. A much more important demonstration of our principles lies before us in our respective homes, occupations and affairs." Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, There Is A Solution, pg. 19 Stress the spiritual feature freely. If the man be agnostic or atheist, make it emphatic that he does not have to agree with your conception of God.” ~Alcoholics Anonymous p. 93 In the face of collapse and despair, in the face of the total failure of their human resources, they found that a new power, peace, happiness, and sense of direction flowed into them. -Alcoholics Anonymous p.50 We perceive that only through utter defeat are we able to take our first steps toward liberation and strength. -Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.21 Misc. AA Literature - Quote Sometimes I would be forced to look at situations where I was doing badly. Right away, the search for excuses would become frantic. 'These,' I would exclaim, 'are really a good man's faults.' When that pet gadget broke apart, I would think, 'Well, if those people would only treat me right, I wouldn't have to behave the way I do.' Next was this: 'God well knows that I do have awful compulsions. 1 just can't get over this one. So He will have to release me.' At last came the time when I would shout, 'This, I positively will not do! I won't even try.' Of course, my conflicts went right on mounting, because I was simply loaded with excuses, refusals, and outright rebellion. In self-appraisal, what comes to us alone may be garbled by our own rationalization and wishful thinking. The benefit of talking to another person is that we can get his direct comment and counsel on our situation. Prayer for the Day: Sailor's Prayer - Dear God, be good to me. The sea is so wide and my boat is so small. |
AA Thought for the Day
October 17 Anger It is a spiritual axiom that every time we are disturbed, no matter what, there is something wrong with us. If somebody hurts us and we are sore, we are in the wrong also. But are there no exceptions to this rule? What about "justifiable" anger? If somebody cheats us, aren't we entitled to be mad? Can't we be properly angry with self-righteous folk? For us of AA these are dangerous exceptions. We have found that justified anger ought to be left to those better qualified to handle it. Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 90 Thought to Ponder . . . Anger is the wind that blows out the light of reason. AA-related 'Alconym' . . . A N G E R = A Negative Grudge Endangers Recovery. ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~ Debits "As we glance down the debit side of the day's ledger, we should carefully examine our motives in each thought or act that appears to be wrong. In most cases our motives won't be hard to see and understand. When prideful, angry, jealous, anxious, or fearful, we acted accordingly, and that was that. Here we need only recognize that we did act or think badly, try to visualize how we might have done better, and resolve with God's help to carry these lessons over into tomorrow, making, of course, any amends still neglected." c.1952AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 94 Thought to Consider . . . Life is too short to be small. *~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~* H O W N O W = Honest, Open-minded, Willing. No Other Way! *~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~* Forgive Myself From: "Those Other People" Just like you, I have often thought myself the victim of what other people say and do. Yet every time I confessed the sins of such people, especially those whose sins did not correspond exactly with my own, I found that I only increased the total damage. My own resentment, my self-pity would often render me well-nigh useless to anybody. So, nowadays, if anyone talks of me so as to hurt, I first ask myself if there is any truth at all in what they say. If there is none, I try to remember that I too have had my periods of speaking bitterly of others; that hurtful gossip is but a symptom of our remaining emotional illness; and consequently that I must never be angry at the unreasonableness of sick people. Under very trying conditions I have had, again and again, to forgive others - also myself. Have you recently tried this? Letter, 1946 1967, AAWS, Inc., As Bill Sees It, page 268 *~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~* "A new spiritual awakening can come at every meeting." Hartsdale-Ardsley, N.Y., January 1957 "Twelve Steps to a Meeting," Into Action *~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~* "Most of us have been unwilling to admit we were real alcoholics. No person likes to think he is bodily and mentally different from his fellows. Therefore, it is not surprising that our drinking careers have been characterized by countless vain attempts to prove we could drink like other people. The idea that somehow, someday he will control and enjoy his drinking is the great obsession of every abnormal drinker. The persistence of this illusion is astonishing. Many pursue it into the gates of insanity or death." Alcoholics Anonymous 3rd Edition More About Alcoholism Page 30 If we have been thorough about our personal inventory, we have written down a lot. -Alcoholics Anonymous p.70 Step Four is our vigorous and painstaking effort to discover what these liabilities in each of us have been, and are. -Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.42 Misc. AA Literature - Quote Our attitude toward the giving of time when compared with our attitude toward giving money presents an interesting contrast. We give a lot of our time to A.A. activities for our own protection and growth, but also for the sake of our groups, our areas, A.A. as a whole, and, above all, the newcomer. Translated into terms of money, these collective sacrifices would add up to a huge sum. But when it comes to the actual spending of cash, particularly for A.A. service overhead, many of us are apt to turn a bit reluctant. We think of the loss of all that earning power in our drinking years, of those sums we might have laid by for emergencies or for education of the kids. In recent years, this attitude is everywhere on the decline; it quickly disappears when the real need for a given A.A. service becomes clear. Donors can seldom see what the exact result has been. They well know, however, that countless thousands of other alcoholics and their families are being helped. Prayer for the Day: An Irish Blessing - May the road rise up to meet you, May the wind be always at your back, May the sun shine warm upon your face, The rain fall soft upon your fields, And until we meet again, May God hold you in the palm of His hand. |
AA Thought for the Day
October 18 Attitudes Accepting my Higher Power did not fully change my attitude of resistance. It just made yielding to instruction a more rational and acceptable mode of behavior. . . I had to realize that if I did want sobriety, I had better do the Steps whether I liked them or not. Every time I ran into trouble, I ultimately found that I was resisting change. Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 541 Thought to Ponder . . . Learn to listen; listen to learn. AA-related 'Alconym' . . . A B C = Acceptance, Belief, Change. ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~ Touchy "Many of us have been so touchy that even casual reference to spiritual things make us bristle with antagonism. This sort of thinking had to be abandoned. Though some of us resisted, we found no great difficulty in casting aside such feelings. Faced with alcoholic destruction, we soon became as open minded on spiritual matters as we had tried to be on other questions. In this respect alcohol was a great persuader. It finally beat us into a state of reasonableness. Sometimes this was a tedious process; we hope no one else will prejudiced for as long as some of us were." c.1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 48 Thought to Consider . . . The solution is simple. The solution is spiritual. *~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~* A A = Altered Attitudes *~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~* Inspiration From "When A.A. Came of Age": "There came next to the lectern [at the 1955 Convention] a figure that not many A.A.'s had seen before, the Episcopal clergyman Sam Shoemaker. It was from him that Dr. Bob and I [Bill W.] in the beginning had absorbed most of the principles that were afterward embodied in the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, steps that express the heart of A.A.'s way of life. Dr. Silkworth gave us the needed knowledge of our illness, but Sam Shoemaker had given us the concrete knowledge of what we could do about it. One showed us the mysteries of the lock that held us in prison; the other passed on the spiritual keys by which we were liberated." 2001 AAWS, Inc.; Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pgs. 38-39 *~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~* "One day leads to the next, no matter how unhappy I choose to be." Sioux Rapids, IA, January 2004 "Adult Love," No Matter What: Dealing with Adversity in Sobriety *~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~* "Doubtless you are curious to discover how and why, in the face of expert opinion to the contrary, we have recovered from a hopeless condition of mind and body. If you are an alcoholic who wants to get over it, you may already be asking What do I have to do?" It is the purpose of this book to answer such questions specifically. We shall tell you what we have done. ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, There Is A Solution, Page 20~ ' I realize that all I'm guaranteed in life is today. The poorest person has no less and the wealthiest has no more--each of us has but one day. What we do with it is our own business; how we use it is up to us individually. I feel that I have been restored to health and sanity these past years not through my own efforts nor as a result of anything I may have done, but because I've come to believe--to really believe--that alone I can do nothing. That my own innate selfishness and stubbornness are the evils which which, if left unguarded, can drive me to alcohol.' -Alcoholics Anonymous p.473 Some of us have tried to hold on to our old ideas and the result was nil until we let go absolutely. -Alcoholics Anonymous p.58 Already a willingness has been achieved to cast out one's own will and one's own ideas about the alcohol problem in favor of those suggested by A.A. -Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.35 Misc. AA Literature - Quote I believe that when we were active alcoholics we drank mostly to kill pain of one kind or another - physical or emotional or psychic. Of course, everybody has a cracking point, and I suppose you reached yours - hence, the resort once more to the bottle. 'If I were you, I wouldn't heap devastating blame on myself for this; on the other hand, the experience should redouble your conviction that alcohol has no permanent value as a pain-killer?' In every A.A. story, pain has been the price of admission into a new life. But this admission price purchased more than we expected. It led us to a measure of humility, which we soon discovered to be a healer of pain. We began to fear pain less, and desire humility more than ever. Prayer for the Day: First Things First - Dear Higher Power, remind me: To tidy up my own mind, To keep my sense of values straight, To sort out the possible and the impossible, To turn the impossible over to you, And get busy on the possible. |
AA Thought for the Day
October 19 Surrender In one form or another, many of my character defects appear daily: self-condemnation, anger, running away, being prideful, wanting to get even, or acting out of grandiosity. Attempting half measures to eliminate these defects merely paralyzes my effort to change. It is only when I ask God for help, with complete abandon, that I become willing -- and able -- to change. Daily Reflections, p. 15 Thought to Ponder . . . Avoidance is not the key; surrender opens the door. AA-related 'Alconym' . . . K I S S = Keep It Simple; Surrender. ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~ Solution "The tremendous fact for every one of us is that we have discovered a common solution. We have a way out on which we can absolutely agree, and upon which we can join in brotherly and harmonious action. This is the great news this book carries to those who suffer from alcoholism." c.1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 17 Thought to Consider . . . The joy is in the journey, so enjoy the ride. *~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~* S T E P S = Solutions To Every Problem in Sobriety *~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~* Healing From "A Lifetime Process": "I have more problems than alcohol . . . alcohol is only a symptom of a more pervasive disease. When I stopped drinking I began a lifetime process of recovery from unruly emotions, painful relationships, and unmanageable situations. This process is too much for most of us without help from a Higher Power and our friends in the Fellowship. . . . One day at a time, almost imperceptibly, I healed." 1990 AAWS, Inc.; Daily Reflections, pg. 105 *~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~* "A leader in AA service is ... a man (or a woman) who can personally put principles, plans and policies into such dedicated and effective action that the rest of us want to back him up and help him with his job." AA Co-Founder, Bill W., April 1959 "Leadership in AA: Ever a Vital Need" The Language of the Heart *~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~* "Much has already been said about receiving strength, inspiration, and direction from Him who has all knowledge and power. If we have carefully followed directions, we have begun to sense the flow of His Spirit into us. To some extent we have become God-conscious. We have begun to develop this vital sixth sense. But we must go further and that means more action." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 85~ “If our testimony helps sweep away prejudice, enables you to think honestly, encourages you to search diligently within yourself, then, if you wish, you can join us on the Broad Highway. With this attitude you cannot fail. the consciousness of your belief is sure to come to you.” ~Alcoholics Anonymous page 55 We commenced to make many fast friends and a fellowship has grown up among us of which it is a wonderful thing to feel a part. -Alcoholics Anonymous p.15 I explained what a wonderful Fellowship we had, how well we understood each other. -Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.152 Misc. AA Literature - Quote When the distortion of family life through alcohol has been great, a long period of patient striving may be necessary. After the husband joins A.A., the wife may become discontented, even highly resentful that A.A. has done the very thing that all her years of devotion had failed to do. Her husband may become so wrapped up in A.A. and his new friends that he is inconsiderately away from home more than when he drank. Each then blames the other. But eventually the alcoholic, now fully understanding how much he did to hurt his wife and children, nearly always takes up his marriage responsibilities with a willingness to repair what he can and accept what he can't. He persistently tries all of A.A.'s Twelve Steps in his home, often with fine results. He firmly but lovingly commences to behave like a partner instead of like a bad boy. Prayer for the Day: Open Mind - Higher Power, may I understand: To be alert to my own needs, not to the faults of others; To remain teachable; To listen; To keep an open mind; and To learn not who's right but what's right. |
AA Thought for the Day
October 20 Gratitude I try to hold fast to the truth that a full and thankful heart cannot entertain great conceits. When brimming with gratitude, one's heartbeat must surely result in outgoing love, the finest emotion that we can never know. - As Bill Sees It, p. 37 Thought to Ponder . . . There is a calmness to a life lived in gratitude, a quiet joy. AA-related 'Alconym' . . . H J F = Happy, Joyous, Free. ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~ Change "Let us never fear needed change. Certainly we have to discriminate between changes for worse and changes for better. But once a need becomes clearly apparent in an individual, in a group, or in AA as a whole, it has long been found out that we cannot stand still and look the other way. The essence of all growth is a willingness to change for the better and then an unremitting willingness to shoulder whatever responsibility this entails." Bill W., July 1965 c.1967AAWS, As Bill Sees It, p. 115 Thought to Consider . . . Not to change is not to adapt; not to adapt is to become extinct. *~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~* C H A N G E = Choosing Honesty Allows New Growth Everyday *~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~* We Hope From: "Foreword to First Edition" [1939] We, of Alcoholics Anonymous, are more than one hundred men and women who have recovered from a seemingly hopeless state of mind and body. To show other alcoholics precisely how we have recovered is the main purpose of this book. For them, we hope these pages will prove so convincing that no further authentication will be necessary. We think this account of our experiences will help everyone to better understand the alcoholic. Many do not comprehend that the alcoholic is a very sick person. And besides, we are sure that our way of living has its advantages for all. 2001, AAWS, Inc., Alcoholics Anonymous, page xiii *~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~* "First Things First. That's a real gem." New York, N.Y., November 1958 "Using the Slogans," Into Action *~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~* "Our description of the alcoholic, the chapter to the agnostic, and our personal adventure before and after make clear three pertinent ideas: (a) That we were alcoholic and could not manage our own lives. (b) That probably no human power could have relieved our alcoholism. (c) That God could and would if He were sought." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, Page 60 "Most of us sense that real tolerance of other people's shortcomings and viewpoints and a respect for their opinions are attitudes which make us more useful to others." Alcoholics Anonymous p.19 In spite of the great increase in the size and the span of this Fellowship, at its core it remains simple and personal. -Alcoholics Anonymous p.xxii The answer, now seen in Tradition Three, was simplicity itself. -Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.141 Misc. AA Literature - Quote All of us pass through times when we can pray only with the greatest exertion. Occasionally we go even further than this. We are seized with a rebellion so sickening that we simply won't pray. When these things happen, we should not think too ill of ourselves. We should simply resume prayer as soon as we can, doing what we know to be good for us. A man who persists in prayer finds himself in possession of great gifts. When he has to deal with hard circumstances, he finds he can face them. He can accept himself and the world around him. He can do this because he now accepts a God who is All - and who loves all. When he says, 'Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name,' he deeply and humbly means it. When in good meditation and thus freed from the clamors of the world, he knows that he is in God's hands, that his own ultimate destiny is really secure, here and hereafter, come what may. Prayer for the Day: Do The Right Thing - Help me, Higher Power, to get out of myself, to stop always thinking what I need. Show me the way I can be helpful to others and supply me with the strength to do the right thing. |
AA Thought for the Day
October 21 Pickles Alcoholism is incurable -- just like some other illnesses. It cannot be "cured" in this sense: We cannot change our body chemistry and go back to being the normal, moderate social drinkers lots of us seemed to be in our youth. As some of us put it, we can no more make that change than a pickle can change itself back into a cucumber. Living Sober, p. 8 Thought to Ponder . . . The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are. AA-related 'Alconym' . . . A A = Achieve Anything. ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~ Humility "The attainment of greater humility is the foundation principle of each of AA's Twelve Steps. For without some degree of humility, no alcoholic can stay sober at all. Nearly all AA's have found, too, that unless they develop much more of this precious quality than may be required just for sobriety, they still haven't much chance of becoming truly happy. Without it, they cannot live to much useful purpose, or, in adversity, be able to summon the faith that can meet any emergency." c.1952AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 70 Thought to Consider . . . I didn't learn humility with my head. I learned humility with my heart. *~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~* T R U S T = Try Relying Upon Steps and Traditions *~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~* Forthright and Generous Step Nine: Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others. As soon as we begin to feel confident in our new way of life and have begun, by our behavior and example, to convince those about us that we are indeed changing for the better, it is usually safe to talk in complete frankness with those who have been seriously affected, even those who may be only a little or not at all aware of what we have done to them. The only exceptions we will make will be cases where our disclosure would cause actual harm. These conversations can begin in a casual or natural way. But if no such opportunity presents itself, at some point we will want to summon all our courage, head straight for the person concerned, and lay our cards on the table. We needn't wallow in excessive remorse before those we have harmed, but amends at this level should always be forthright and generous. 1981, AAWS, Inc., Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pages 85-86 *~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~* "Only by accepting my powerlessness over alcohol did I begin to discover the powers that alcohol had obliterated: God, health, truth, love, nature, fellowship, humor, creativity, and even simple daily kindness." Barrington, Ill., June 2007 "In Your Bones," Into Action *~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~* "To be gravely affected, one does not necessarily have to drink a long time nor take the quantities some of us have. This is particularly true of women. Potential female alcoholics often turn into the real thing and are gone beyond recall in a few years." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, More About Alcoholism, pg. 33~ "Therefore, we started upon a personal inventory. This was Step Four. A business which takes no regular inventory usually goes broke. Taking a commercial inventory is a fact-finding and a fact-facing process." Alcoholics Anonymous p.64 We do talk about each other a great deal, but we almost invariably temper such talk by a spirit of love and tolerance. -Alcoholics Anonymous p.125 Can we bring the same spirit of love and tolerance into our sometimes deranged family lives that we bring to our A.A. group? -Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.112 Misc. AA Literature - Quote It seems to me that the primary object of any human being is to grow, as God intended, that being the nature of all growing things. 'Our search must be for what reality we can find, which includes the best definition and feeling of love that we can acquire. If the capability of loving is in the human being, then it must surely be in his Creator. 'Theology helps me in that many of its concepts cause me to believe that I live in a rational universe under a loving God, and that my own irrationality can be chipped away, little by little. This is, I suppose, the process of growth for which we are intended. Prayer for the Day: Run The Race - Help me this day, Higher Power, to run with patience the race that is set before me. May neither opposition without nor discouragement within divert me from my progress in recovery. Inspire in me strength of mind, willingness, and acceptance, that I may meet all fears and difficulties with courage, and may complete the tasks set before me today. |
AA Thought for the Day
October 22 Discipline Unless each AA member follows to the best of his ability our suggested Twelve Steps to recovery, he almost certainly signs his own death warrant. His drunkenness and dissolution are not penalties inflicted by people in authority; they result from his personal disobedience to spiritual principles. - Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 174 Thought to Ponder . . . Great suffering and great love are AA's disciplinarians; we need no others. AA-related 'Alconym' . . . N U T S = Not Using The Steps. *~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~ Amends "This is a very large order. It is a task which we may perform with increasing skill, but we never really finish. Learning how to live in the greatest peace, partnership, and brotherhood with all men and women, of whatever description, is a moving and fascinating adventure. Every AA has found that he can make little headway in this new adventure of living until he first backtracks and really makes an accurate and unsparing survey of the human wreckage he has left in his wake." c.1952AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 77 Thought to Consider . . . It is the highest form of self-respect to admit mistakes and to make amends for them. *~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~* T I M E = Things I Must Earn *~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~* Message that Transcends From: "Window of Opportunity" I was fortunate to have an opportunity to spend time abroad during law school. That was something I had dreamed of doing while drinking, but when push came to shove, I drank. Now sober, I have been in meetings in probably a dozen countries and have always been amazed at the message that transcends all linguistic and cultural differences. There is a solution. Together, we can live soberly, joyously, and freely. 2001, AAWS, Inc., Alcoholics Anonymous, page 430 *~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~* "My anger served as an iron shield, and I refused to remove it for fear God would send me still more pain." Jamaica Plain, Mass., May 1997 "The Littlest Things," No Matter What: Dealing with Adversity in Sobriety *~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~* "We have seen the truth demonstrated again and again: 'Once an alcoholic, always an alcoholic.' Commencing to drink after a period of sobriety, we are in a short time as bad as ever." Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, More About Alcoholism, pg. 33 Many a man, yet dazed from his hospital experience, has stepped over the threshold of that home into freedom. Many an alcoholic who entered there came away with an answer. He succumbed to that gay crowd inside, who laughed at their own misfortunes and understood his. Impressed by those who visited him at the hospital, he capitulated entirely when, later, in an upper room of this house, he heard the story of some man whose experience closely tallied with his own. The expression on the faces of the women, that indefinable something in the eyes of the men, the stimulating and electric atmosphere of the place, conspired to let him know that here was haven at last. Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, A Vision For You, pg. 160 He may be an example of the truth that faith alone is insufficient. -Alcoholics Anonymous p.93 Faith, to be sure, is necessary, but faith alone can avail nothing. -Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.34 Misc. AA Literature - Quote We thought we had been deeply serious about religious practices. However, upon honest appraisal we found that we had been most superficial. Or sometimes, going to extremes, we had wallowed in emotionalism and had also mistaken this for true religious feeling. In both cases, we had been asking something for nothing. We had not prayed rightly. We had always said, 'Grant me my wishes,' instead of 'Thy will be done.' The love of God and man we understood not at all. Therefore we remained self-deceived, and so incapable of receiving enough grace to restore us to sanity. Prayer for the Day: True Power - Take from me, High Power, my false pride and grandiosity, all my phoniness and self-importance, and help me find the courage that shows itself in gentleness, the wisdom that shows itself in simplicity, and the true power that shows itself in modesty and humility. |
AA Thought for the Day
October 23 Step Twelve "Having had a spiritual experience as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs." - Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 106 Thought to Ponder . . . A spiritual awakening is our greatest gift. AA-related 'Alconym' . . . K I S S = Keeping It Simple, Spiritually. ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~ Discipline "Unless each AA member follows to the best of his ability our suggested Twelve Steps to recovery, he almost certainly signs his own death warrant. His drunkenness and dissolution are not penalties inflicted by people in authority; they result from his personal disobedience to spiritual principles. . . Great suffering and great love are AA's disciplinarians; we need no others." c.1952AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 174 Thought to Consider . . . "We alcoholics are undisciplined. So we let God discipline us . . ." *~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~* C A R D S = Call your sponsor, . Ask for help from your Higher Power, . Read the Big Book, . Do the Twelve Steps, . Stay active in your group. *~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~* No Spiritual Angle From: "AA and St. Thomas Hospital" In later years, the AA ward opened into the gallery of the chapel, which patients could visit at any time in hospital attire. What could be more conducive to the regeneration of the whole person spiritually, mentally, and morally than five to seven days spent in an institution where the spiritual atmosphere prevails? Sister Ignatia said. She naturally put more emphasis on the spiritual than many others. However, she felt that Dr. Bob shared her views on this emphasis. There was one thing that always irritated Doctor, she said. Some people who were on the program for a length of time would come up to him and say, I don't get the spiritual angle. I heard him say time and again, There is no spiritual angle. It's a spiritual program. 1980, AAWS, Inc., DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers, page 194 *~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~* "To be teachable, I had to be reachable." Wollstonecraft, Australia, May 1984 "The Winner's Guide to Boring Meetings," Into Action *~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~* "...the actual or potential alcoholic, with hardly an exception, will be absolutely unable to stop drinking on the basis of self knowledge. This is a point we wish to emphasize and re-emphasize, to smash home upon our alcoholic readers as it has been revealed to us out of bitter experience." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, More About Alcoholism, pg. 39~ "We have concluded to publish an anonymous vol* ume setting forth the problem as we see it. We shall bring to the task our combined experience and knowl* edge. This should suggest a useful program for any* one concerned with a drinking problem." -Alcoholics Anonymous p.19 For faith in a Power greater than ourselves, and miraculous demonstrations of that power in human lives, are facts as old as man himself. -Alcoholics Anonymous p.55 We saw that we were powerless over alcohol, but we also perceived that faith of some kind, if only in A.A. itself, is possible to anyone. -Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.34 Misc. AA Literature - Quote 'Often, as we review each day, only the closest scrutiny will reveal what our true motives were. There are cases where our ancient enemy rationalization has stepped in and has justified conduct which was really wrong. The temptation here is to imagine that we had good motives and reasons when we really hadn't. We'constructively criticized' someone who needed it, when our real motive was to win a useless argument. Or, the person concerned not being present, we thought we were helping others to understand him, when in actuality our true motive was to feel superior by pulling him down. We hurt those we loved because they needed to be 'taught a lesson,' but we really wanted to punish. We were depressed and complained we felt bad, when in fact we were mainly asking for sympathy and attention.' Prayer for the Day: Prayer for Protection - The Light of God surrounds me; The Love of God enfolds me; The Power of God protects me; The Presence of God watches over me; Wherever I am, God is, And all is well. |
AA Thought for the Day
October 24 Silent Revolution Almost imperceptibly my whole life underwent a silent revolution. I lost many worries and gained confidence. I found myself saying and thinking things that a short time ago I would have condemned as platitudes! A belief in the basic spirituality of life has grown and with it belief in a supreme and guiding power for good. - Experience, Strength and Hope, p. 107 Thought to Ponder . . . What are you coming to believe? Belief is a continuing action. AA-related 'Alconym' . . . A B C = Acceptance, Belief, Change. ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~ Traditions "The Twelve Traditions point straight at many of our individual defects. By implication they ask each of us to lay aside pride and resentment. They ask for personal as well as group sacrifice. They ask us never to use the AA name in any quest for personal power or distinction or money. The Traditions guarantee the equality of all members and the independence of all groups. They show how we may best relate to each other and to the world outside. They indicate how we can best function in harmony as a great whole." c.1957AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, p. 96 Thought to Consider . . . AA is not something you join, it's a way of life. *~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~* A B C = Acceptance, Belief, Change *~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~* How to Live From: "Stars Don't Fall" AA taught me how not to drink. And also, on the twenty-four hour plan, it taught me how to live. I know I do not have to be queen of them all to salve a frightened ego. Through going to meetings and listening, and occasionally speaking, through doing Twelve Step work, whereby in helping others you are both the teacher and the student, by making many wonderful AA friends, I have been taught all the things in life that are worth having. I am no longer interested in living in a palace, because palace living was not the answer for me. Nor were those impossible dreams I used to have the things I really wanted. 2003, AAWS, Inc., Experience, Strength & Hope, pages 362-363 *~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~* "This process of identification and transmission has gone on and on. The skid rower said he was different. Even more loudly the socialite (or Park Avenue stumble bum) said the same -- so did the arts and the professions, the rich, the poor, the religious, the agnostics, the Indians and the Eskimos, the veterans and the prisoners. "But nowadays all of these, and legions more, soberly talk about how very much alike all of us alcoholics are when we all admit that the chips are finally down; when we see that it is really a question of do or die in our world wide Fellowship of 'the common suffering and the common deliverance." AA Co-Founder, Bill W., July 1960 "AA Communication Can Cross All Barriers" The Language of the Heart *~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~* "Life will take on new meaning. To watch people recover, to see them help others, to watch loneliness vanish, to see a fellowship grow up about you, to have a host of friends - this is an experience you must not miss." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Working With Others, pg. 89~ What used to be the hunch or the occasional inspiration gradually becomes a working part of the mind. Being still inexperienced and having just made conscious contact with God, it is not probable that we are going to be inspired at all times. We might pay for this presumption in all sorts of absurd actions and ideas. Nevertheless, we find that our thinking will, as time passes, be more and more on the plane of inspiration. We come to rely upon it. ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 87~ I was to sit quietly when in doubt, asking only for direction and strength to meet my problems as He would have me. -Alcoholics Anonymous p.13 In all times of emotional disturbance or indecision, we can pause, ask for quiet, and in the stillness simply say: ‘God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference. Thy will, not mine, be done. -Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.41 Misc. AA Literature - Quote Though many of us have had to struggle for sobriety, never yet has this Fellowship had to struggle for lost unity. Consequently, we sometimes take this one great gift for granted. We forget that, should we lose our unity, the millions of alcoholics who still 'do not know' might never get their chance.' 'We used to be skeptical about large A.A. gatherings like conventions, thinking they might prove too exhibitionistic. But, on balance, their benefit is huge. While each A.A.'s interest should center principally in those about him and upon his own group, it is both necessary and desirable that we all get a larger vision of the whole. 'The General Service Conference in New York also produces this effect upon those who attend. It is a vision-stretching process. Prayer for the Day: The Gratitude Prayer - O God, I want to thank you for bringing me this far along the road to recovery. It is good to be able to get my feet on the floor again. It is good to be able to do at least some things for myself again. Best of all is to have the joy of feeling well again. O God, keep me grateful; grateful to You for the way in which You have brought me through it all; grateful to all of the people who helped me back to health. O God, give me patience. Help me to not be in too big a hurry to do too much. Help me to keep on doing what I'm told to do. Help me to be so obedient to those who know what's best for me, that very soon I shall be on the top of the world and on the top of my job again. I can say what the psalmist said, "I waited patiently for the Lord; He inclined to me & heard my cry. He took me from a fearful pit, and from the miry clay, and on a rock He set my feet, establishing my way." Amen |
AA Thought for the Day
October 25 Spiritual Awakening So, then, what is this "spiritual awakening," this "transforming experience"? How do we receive it and what does it do? To begin with, a spiritual awakening is our means of finding sobriety. And to us of AA sobriety means life itself. We know that a spiritual experience is the key to survival from alcoholism and that for most of us it is the only key. We must awake or we die. - The Language of the Heart, pp. 233-234 Thought to Ponder . . . The greatest gift that can come to anybody is a spiritual awakening. AA-related 'Alconym' . . . S O B E R = Spiritually On Beam; Everythings's Right. ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~ The Group "Over the years, every conceivable deviation from our Twelve Steps and Traditions have been tried. That was sure to be, since we are so largely a band of ego-driven individuals. Children of chaos, we have defiantly played with every brand of fire, only to emerge unharmed and, we think, wiser. These very deviations created a vast process of trial and error, which, under the grace of God, has brought us to where we stand today. . . We saw that the group, exactly like the individual, must eventually conform to whatever tested principles would guarantee survival." c.1952AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 146 Thought to Consider . . . Working with alcoholics in committees is like trying to herd cats. *~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~* C H A O S = Can't Handle Another Overwhelming Situation *~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~* Business From "The Three Legacies of Alcoholics Anonymous": "When they heard that the book was making money, some of the cash subscribers, including even Charlie Towns, began to get restless. They wanted to know why all of the profits of the book were being spent to finance a Headquarters for A.A. We replied that there was not any other way; would they like to see all those pleas for help thrown in the wastebasket? But a few still insisted on getting their money back, and something had to be done. "Therefore Ruth and I set about making Works Publishing's first report to its stockholders. We outlined the history of the book project and painted a rosy picture for the future. From the mass of check stubs, old bills, and receipts we made an approximate accounting. As I remember, the publishing company had shown a profit of about $3,000, which had all been spent on A.A. work at the office." 2001 AAWS, Inc.; Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pg. 188 *~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~* "I made the decision to turn my will and my life over to the care of God, and then I got out of the way." Christchurch, New Zealand, March 2010 "Gimme Shelter," No Matter What: Dealing with Adversity in Sobriety *~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~* "We have begun to comprehend their futility and their fatality. We have commenced to see their terrible destructiveness. We have begun to learn tolerance, patience and good will toward all men, even our enemies, for we look on them as sick people." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, Pg. 70~ Thus we grow. And so can you, though you be but one man with this book in your hand. We believe and hope it contains all you will need to begin. Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, A Vision For You, pg. 162 And acceptance is the answer to all my problems today. -Alcoholics Anonymous p.417 Can we accept poverty, sickness, loneliness, and bereavement with courage and serenity? -Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.112 Misc. AA Literature - Quote Even the newest of newcomers finds undreamed rewards as he tries to help his brother alcoholic, the one who is even blinder than he. This is indeed the kind of giving that actually demands nothing. He does not expect his brother sufferer to pay him, or even to love him. And then he discovers that through the divine paradox of this kind of giving he has found his own reward, whether or not his brother has yet received anything. His own character may still be gravely defective, but he somehow knows that God has enabled him to make a mighty beginning, and he senses that he stands at the edge of new mysteries, joys, and experiences of which he had never before dreamed. Prayer for the Day: No Other - I have no other helper than You, no other father, no other redeemer, no other support. I pray to You. Only You can help me. My present misery is too great. Despair grips me, and I am at my wits' end. I am sunk in the depths, and I cannot pull myself up or out. If it is Your will, help me out of this misery. Let me know that You are stronger than all misery and all enemies. Oh Lord, if I come through this, please let the experience contribute to my and my brothers' blessing. You will not forsake me; this I know. |
AA Thought for the Day
October 26 Infallible Heartbeat We need each other's experience, strength, and hope, regardless of age or length of sobriety. The saving grace of God doesn't come like a bolt out of the blue. It comes through, in, and from other suffering, as well as rescued, souls like you and me. I am happy to be part of a living and growing fellowship with an infallible heartbeat. Divine power is the pulse of AA, and it doesn't change, no matter how errant and foolish we mortals be. - Came To Believe . . ., p. 94 Thought to Ponder . . . There is always grace for the days I'm helpless. AA-related 'Alconym' . . . G I F T = God Is Forever There ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~ Concepts "The word God still aroused a certain antipathy. When the thought was expressed that there might be a God personal to me this feeling was intensified. I didn't like the idea. . . My friend suggested what then seemed a novel idea. He said, 'Why don't you choose your own conception of God?' That statement hit me hard. It melted the icy intellectual mountain in whose shadow I had lived and shivered many years. I stood in the sunlight at last." Bill W., c.1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 12 Thought to Consider . . . God seldom becomes a reality until God becomes a necessity. *~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~* G I F T = God Is Forever There *~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~* Force From "Faith in People": "In the whole measure of my life, the benefits of the A.A. experience have far outweighed the damages of active alcoholism. What was it that overcame my pride (for the moment) and made me reachable? The best answer I can find is what my father used to call 'the life force.' It is in all of us, I believe; it animates all living things; it keeps the galaxies wheeling. New York, New York USA" 1973 AAWS, Inc.; Came to Believe, 30th printing 2004, pgs. 84-85 *~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~* "The Traditions are neither rules, regulations, nor laws. No sanctions or punishments can be invoked for their infractions. Perhaps in no other area of society would these principles succeed. Yet in this Fellowship of alcoholics, the unenforceable Traditions carry a power greater than that of law." AA Co-Founder, Bill W., July 1960 The Language of the Heart *~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~* "...we have ceased fighting anything or anyone even alcohol." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 84~ We, who have recovered from serious drinking, are miracles of mental health. ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, The Family Afterward, pg. 133~ Showing others who suffer how we were given help is the very thing which makes life seem so worthwhile to us now. -Alcoholics Anonymous p.124 It brought a measure of humility, which we soon discovered to be a healer of pain. -Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.75 Misc. AA Literature - Quote As the A.A. groups multiplied, so did anonymity problems. Enthusiastic over the spectacular recovery of a brother alcoholic, we'd sometimes discuss those intimate and harrowing aspects of his case meant for his sponsor's ear alone. The aggrieved victim would then rightly declare that his trust had been broken. When such stories got into circulation outside of A.A., the loss of confidence in our anonymity promise was severe. It frequently turned people from us. Clearly, every A.A. member's name - and story, too - had to be confidential, if he wished. We now fully realize that 100 per cent personal anonymity before the public is just as vital to the life of A.A. as 100 per cent sobriety is to the life of each and every member. This is not the counsel of fear; it is the prudent voice of long experience. Prayer for the Day: All That We Ought - All that we ought to have thought and have not thought, All that we ought to have said, and have not said, All that we ought to have done, and have not done, All that we ought not to have thought and yet have thought, All that we ought not to have said, and yet have said, All that we ought not to have done, and yet have done, For thoughts, words, and works, pray we, O God, for your forgiveness, And repent with penance. |
AA Thought for the Day
October 27 Came to Believe I can't say upon what occasion or upon what day I came to believe in a Power greater than myself, but I certainly have that belief now. To acquire it, I had only to stop fighting and practice the rest of AA's program as enthusiastically as I could. - Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 27 Thought to Ponder . . . I saw, I felt, I believed. AA-related 'Alconym' . . . H O W = Honesty, Open-mindedness, Willingness. ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~ Humility "Moved by the spirit of anonymity, we try to give up our natural desires for personal distinction as AA members both among fellow alcoholics and before the general public. As we lay aside these very human aspirations, we believe that each of us takes part in the weaving of a protective mantle which covers our whole Society and under which we may grow and work in unity. We are sure that humility, expressed by anonymity, is the greatest safeguard Alcoholics Anonymous can ever have." c.1952AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 187 Thought to Consider . . . Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less. *~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~* S W A T = Surrender, Willingness, Acceptance, Trust *~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~* Grave Nature From: "Foreword to Second Edition" The spark that was to flare into the first AA group was struck at Akron, Ohio in June 1935, during a talk between a New York stockbroker and an Akron physician. Six months earlier, the broker had been relieved of his drink obsession by a sudden spiritual experience, following a meeting with an alcoholic friend who had been in contact with the Oxford Groups of that day. He had also been greatly helped by the late Dr. William D. Silkworth, a New York specialist in alcoholism who is now accounted no less than a medical saint by AA members, and whose story of the early days of our Society appears in the next pages. >From this doctor, the broker had learned the grave nature of alcoholism. Though he could not accept all the tenets of the Oxford Groups, he was convinced of the need for moral inventory, confession of personality defects, restitution to those harmed, helpfulness to others, and the necessity of belief in and dependence upon God. 2001, AAWS, Inc., Alcoholics Anonymous, pages xv-xvi *~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~* "It's funny how life is lived forward -- and understood backward." Vail, Ariz., October 2005 "Living Life Forward," No Matter What: Dealing with Adversity in Sobriety *~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~* "When we became alcoholics, crushed by a self-imposed crisis we could not postpone or evade, we had to fearlessly face the proposition that either God is everything or else He is nothing. God either is or He isn't." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, We Agnostics, pg. 53~ There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments and which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance—that principle is contempt prior to investigation. ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Appendice II, Spiritual Experience, pg. 568~ If we still cling to something we will not let go, we ask God to help us be willing. -Alcoholics Anonymous p.76 But when I became willing to clean house and then asked a Higher Power, God as I understood Him, to give me release, my obsession to drink vanished. -Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.63 Misc. AA Literature - Quote We who have traveled a path through agnosticism or atheism beg you to lay aside prejudice, even against organized religion. We have learned that, whatever the human frailties of various faiths may be, those faiths have given purpose and direction to millions. People of faith have a rational idea of what life is all about. Actually, we used to have no reasonable conception whatever. We used to amuse ourselves by cynically dissecting spiritual beliefs and practices, when we might have seen that many spiritually minded persons of all races, colors, and creeds were demonstrating a degree of stability, happiness, and usefulness that we should have sought for ourselves. Prayer for the Day: Love - Higher Power, Remind me that: Love is patient, Love is kind. Love is not jealous, it does not put on airs, it is not snobbish. Love is never ruse, it is not self-seeking, it is not prone to anger, neither does it brood over injuries. Love does not rejoice in what is wrong, but rejoices with the truth.There is no limit to love's forbearance, its truth, its hope, its power to endure. |
AA Thought for the Day
October 28 Forgiveness When I forgive someone I guess what I really mean to say is that I admit I judge others. Forgiving and condemning are God's business, not mine. Only He has the mercy to judge and to accept at the same time. My job is to achieve enough humility to see myself in others and to accept both myself and others, by identifying. The willingness to make amends will grow from this act of love. - The Best of the Grapevine [Vol. 2], p. 162 Thought to Ponder . . . Forgiveness is the final form of love. AA-related 'Alconym' . . . C H A N G E D = Choosing Humility Allows New Growth Each Day. ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~ Loneliness "Almost without exception, alcoholics are tortured by loneliness. Even before our drinking got bad and people began to cut us off, nearly all of us suffered the feeling we didn't quite belong. Either we were shy, and dared not draw near others, or we were apt to be noisy good fellows craving attention and companionship, but never getting it -- at least to our way of thinking. There was always that mysterious barrier we could neither surmount nor understand. . . That's one reason we loved alcohol too well. It did let us act extemporaneously. But even Bacchus boomeranged on us; we were finally struck down and left in terrified loneliness." c.1952AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 57 Thought to Consider . . . Isolation is a darkroom where we develop negatives. *~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~* H A L T = Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired *~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~* Forgiveness Step Eight: Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all. These obstacles, however, are very real. The first, and one of the most difficult has to do with forgiveness. The moment we ponder a twisted or broken relationship with another person, our emotions go on the defensive. To escape looking at the wrongs we have done another, we resentfully focus on the wrong that he has done us. This is especially true if he has, in fact, behaved badly at all. Triumphantly we seize upon his misbehavior as the perfect excuse for minimizing or forgetting our own. 1981, AAWS, Inc., Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, page 78 *~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~* "In this life we shall attain nothing like perfect humility and love. So we shall have to settle, respecting most of our problems, for a very gradual progress, punctuated sometimes by heavy setbacks. Our old-time attitudes of 'all or nothing' will have to be abandoned." AA Co-Founder, Bill W., March 1962 "What Is Acceptance?" The Language of the Heart *~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~* "Reminding ourselves that we have decided to go to any lengths to find a spiritual experience, we ask that we be given strength and direction to do the right thing, no matter what the personal consequences may be." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 79~ This painful past may be of infinite value to other families still struggling with their problem. We think each family which has been relieved owes something to those who have not, and when the occasion requires, each member of it should be only too willing to bring former mistakes, no matter how grievous, out of their hiding places. Showing others who suffer how we were given help is the very thing which makes life seem so worth while to us now. ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, The Family Afterward, pg. 124~ a message... He finally realizes that he has undergone a profound alteration in his reaction to life; that such a change could hardly have been brought about by himself alone. -Alcoholics Anonymous p.569 Our Twelfth Step also says that as a result of practicing all the Steps, we have each found something called a spiritual awakening. -Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.106 Misc. AA Literature - Quote 'In our behavior respecting financial and emotional security, fear, greed, possessiveness, and pride have too often done their worst. Surveying his business or employment record, almost any alcoholic can ask questions like these: In addition to my drinking problem, what character defects contributed to my financial instability? Did fear and inferiority about my fitness for my job destroy my confidence and fill me with conflict? Or did I overvalue myself and play the big shot? Businesswomen in A.A. will find that these questions often apply to them, too, and the alcoholic housewife can also make the family financially insecure. Indeed, all alcoholics need to cross-examine themselves ruthlessly to determine how their own personality defects have demolished their security. Prayer for the Day: Help Me Remember - Lord, Help me remember that nothing is going to happen to me today that You and I together can't handle. |
AA Thought for the Day
October 29 Self-restraint This carries a top priority rating. When we act hastily or rashly, the ability to be fair-minded and tolerant evaporates on the spot. One unkind tirade or one willful snap judgment can ruin our relation with another person for a whole day, or maybe a whole year. Nothing pays off like restraint of tongue and pen. - Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 91 Thought to Ponder . . . Anger is the wind that blows out the light of reason. AA-related 'Alconym' . . . P U T = Patience, Understanding, Tolerance. ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~ Touchstones "All AA progress can be reckoned in terms of just two words: humility and responsibility. Our whole spiritual development can be accurately measured by our degree of adherence to these magnificent standards. Ever deepening humility, accompanied by an ever greater willingness to accept and act upon clear-cut obligations -- these are truly our touchstones for all growth in the life of the spirit. They hold up to us the very essence of right being and right doing. It is by them that we are enabled to find and to do God's will." Bill W., Talk, 1965 c.1967AAWS, As Bill Sees It, p. 271 Thought to Consider . . . The solution is simple. The solution is spiritual. *~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~* S O B E R = Simply Observe Bill's Exemplary Recovery *~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~* Focus From: "Acceptance Was the Answer" I can do the same thing with an AA meeting. The more I focus my mind on its defects - late start, long drunkalogs, cigarette smoke - the worse the meeting becomes. But when I try to see what I can add to the meeting, rather than what I can get out of it, and when I focus my mind on what's good about it, rather than what's wrong with it, the meeting keeps getting better and better. When I focus on what's good today, I have a good day, and when I focus on what's bad, I have a bad day. If I focus on a problem, the problem increases; if I focus on the answer, the answer increases. 2001, AAWS, Inc., Alcoholics Anonymous, page 419 *~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~* "No one at the gym, at work, in my neighborhood, or even in church had ever put their hand out to me. In AA, it happened every day." Trenton, N.J., April 2005 "Falling Apart on the Inside," No Matter What: Dealing with Adversity in Sobriety *~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~* "Abandon yourself to God as you understand God. Admit your faults to Him and to your fellows. Clear away the wreckage of your past. Give freely of what you find and join us. We shall be with you in the Fellowship of the Spirit, and you will surely meet some of us as you trudge the Road of Happy Destiny." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, A Vision For You, pg. 164~ There is action and more action. Faith without works is dead. ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 88~ Whatever our protestations, are not most of us concerned with ourselves, our resentments, or our self-pity? -Alcoholics Anonymous p.62 The most common symptoms of emotional insecurity are worry, anger, self-pity, and depression. -Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.52 Misc. AA Literature - Quote We A.A.'s are like the passengers of a great liner the moment after rescue from shipwreck, when camaraderie, joyousness, and democracy pervade the vessel from steerage to captain's table. Unlike the feelings of the ship's passengers, however, our joy in escape from disaster does not subside as we go our individual ways. The feeling of sharing in a common peril - relapse into alcoholism - continues to be an important element in the powerful cement which binds us of A.A. together. Our first woman alcoholic had been a patient of Dr. Harry Tiebout's, and he had handed her a prepublication manuscript copy of the Big Book. The first reading made her rebellious, but the second convinced her. Presently she came to a meeting held in our living room, and from there she returned to the sanitarium carrying this classic message to a fellow patient: 'We aren't alone any more.' Prayer for the Day: The Twelve Rewards - Spirit of the Universe, I humbly ask for Your help so I may continue to realize the rewards of recovery: 1. Hope instead of desperation. 2. Faith instead of despair. 3. Courage instead of fear. 4. Peace of mind instead of confusion. 5. Self-respect instead of self-contempt. 6. Self-confidence instead of helplessness. 7. The respect of others instead of pity and contempt. 8. A clean conscience instead of a sense of guilt. 9. Real friendship instead of loneliness. 10. A clean pattern of life instead of a purposeless existence. 11. The love and understanding of my family instead of their doubts and fears. 12. The freedom of a happy life instead of the bondage of addiction. |
AA Thought for the Day
October 30 Suggestions If you have decided you want what we have and are willing to go to any length to get it -- then you are ready to take certain steps. At some of these we balked. We thought we could find an easier, softer way. But we could not. With all the earnestness at our command, we beg of you to be fearless and thorough from the very start. - Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 58 Thought to Ponder . . . All of AA's suggestions are free. The ones I don't take are the ones I end up paying for. AA-related 'Alconym' . . . N O W = No Other Way. ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~ Principles "Experience shows that few alcoholics will long stay away from a group just because they don't like the way it is run. Most return and adjust themselves to whatever conditions they must. Some go to a different group, or form a new one. In other words, once an alcoholic fully realizes that he cannot get well alone, he will somehow find a way to get well and stay well in the company of others." Bill W., Letter, 1943 c.1967AAWS, As Bill Sees It, p. 312 Thought to Consider . . . It isn't difficult to make a mountain out of a molehill - just add a little dirt. *~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~* H A L T = Honestly, Actively, Lovingly, Tolerant. *~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~* Grim Routine From: "Chapter 7: Make it snappy" During this 17-year period [1918-1935], Dr. Bob had worked out a grim routine that permitted him to drink and somehow still maintain his medical practice. Careful never to go near the hospital while he was drinking, he would stay sober until four o'clock in the afternoon. It was really a horrible nightmare, this earning money, getting liquor, smuggling it home, getting drunk, morning jitters, taking large doses of sedatives to make it possible for me to earn more money, and so on ad nauseum, he wrote. I used to promise my wife, my friends, and my children that I would drink no more - promises which seldom kept me sober through the day, though I was very sincere when I made them. 1984, AAWS, Inc., "PASS IT ON", page 140 *~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~* "My perception of any situation is in my control -- I have a choice about which way my mind will react. I try my best to look for positive solutions; I take my problems to my sponsor or I let my friends at a meeting know what is going on inside me." Pinellas Park, Fla, November 2006 "How the Universe Works," No Matter What: Dealing with Adversity in Sobriety *~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~* "The fact is that most alcoholics, for reasons yet obscure, have lost the power of choice in drink. Our so-called will power becomes practically nonexistent. We are unable, at certain times, to bring into our consciousness with sufficient force the memory of the suffering and humiliation of even a week or a month ago. We are without defense against the first drink." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, There Is A Solution, pg. 24~ Since the home has suffered more than anything else, it is well that a man exert himself there. He is not likely to get far in any direction if he fails to show unselfishness and love under his own roof. We know there are difficult wives and families, but the man who is getting over alcoholism must remember he did much to make them so. ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, The Family Afterward, pg. 127~ Some of us once had great self-confidence, but it didn't fully solve the fear problem, or any other. -Alcoholics Anonymous p.68 We found that freedom from fear was more important than freedom from want. -Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.122 Misc. AA Literature - Quote Had I not been blessed with wise and loving advisers, I might have cracked up long ago. A doctor once saved me from death by alcoholism because he obliged me to face up to the deadliness of that malady. Another doctor, a psychiatrist, later on helped me save my sanity because he led me to ferret out some of my deep-lying defects. From a clergyman I acquired the truthful principles by which we A.A.'s now try to live. But these precious friends did far more than supply me with their professional skills. I learned that I could go to them with any problem whatever. Their wisdom and their integrity were mine for the asking. Many of my dearest A.A. friends have stood with me in exactly this same relation. Oftentimes they could help where others could not, simply because they were A.A.'s. Prayer for the Day: New Day - Thank You, God, for today. This is the beginning of a new day. I can waste it or use it for good. What I do today is important because I am exchanging a day of my life for it. When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever- leaving in it's place something I have traded for it. I want it to be gain, not loss; good, not evil; success, not failure; in order that I shall not regret the price I paid for today. |
AA Thought for the Day
October 31 Fear Fear has caused suffering when I could have had more faith. There are times when fear suddenly tears me apart, just when I'm experiencing feelings of joy, happiness and a lightness of heart. Faith -- and a feeling of self-worth toward a Higher Power -- helps me endure tragedy and ecstasy. When I choose to give all my fears over to my Higher Power, I will be free. - Daily Reflections, p. 181 Thought to Ponder . . . Situations I fear are rarely as bad as the fear itself. AA-related 'Alconym' . . . F E A R = False Events Appearing Real. ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~ Trudging "Abandon yourself to God as you understand God. Admit your faults to Him and to your fellows. Clear away the wreckage of your past. Give freely of what you find and join us. We shall be with you in the Fellowship of the Spirit, and you will surely meet some of us as you trudge the Road of Happy Destiny. May God bless you and keep you -- until then." c.1976AAWS, Alcohlics Anonymous, p. 164 Thought to Consider . . . I didn't know how sick I was until I started getting better. *~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~* F A I T H = Fantastic Adventures In Trusting Him *~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~* Us All STEP TEN: Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it. "Finally, we begin to see that all people, including ourselves, are to some extent emotionally ill as well as frequently wrong, and then we approach true tolerance and see what real love for our fellows actually means. It will become more and more evident as we go forward that it is pointless to become angry, or to get hurt by people who, like us, are suffering from the pains of growing up." © 1952, AAWS, Inc., Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, page 92 *~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~* "At the end of each day ... I hope that I can say a short prayer of gratitude for another day of sobriety. Anything else good that happens is a bonus." White Rock, British Columbia, May 2005 "Life--It Happens," No Matter What: Dealing with Adversity in Sobriety *~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~* "Continue to watch for selfishness, dishonesty, resentment, and fear. When these crop up, we ask God at once to remove them. We discuss them with someone immediately and make amends quickly if we have harmed anyone. Then we resolutely turn our thoughts to someone we can help. Love and tolerance of others is our code." Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 84 Whether the family goes on a spiritual basis or not, the alcoholic member has to if he would recover. The others must be convinced of his new status beyond the shadow of a doubt. Seeing is believing to most families who have lived with a drinker. ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, The Family Afterward, pg. 135~ When resentful thoughts come, try to pause and count your blessings. -Alcoholics Anonymous p.119 When in doubt we can always pause, saying, "Not my will, but Thine, be done. -Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.93 Misc. AA Literature - Quote There are those who predict that A.A. may well become a new spearhead for a spiritual awakening throughout the world. When our friends say these things, they are both generous and sincere. But we of A.A. must reflect that such a tribute and such a prophecy could well prove to be a heady drink for most of us - that is, if we really came to believe this to be the real purpose of A.A., and if we commenced to behave accordingly. Our Society, therefore, will prudently cleave to its single purpose: the carrying of the message to the alcoholic who still suffers. Let us resist the proud assumption that since God has enabled us to do well in one area we are destined to be a channel of saving grace for everybody. Prayer for the Day: Release Me - Lord, keep me from the habit of thinking I must say something on every subject and on every occasion. Release me from the craving to straighten out everybody's affairs. Keep my mind free from the recital of endless details - give me wings to get to the point. I ask for the grace to listen to the tales of others pains. Help me to endure them in patience. But seal my lips on my own aches and pains -- they are increasing, and my love of rehearsing them is becoming sweeter as the years go by. Teach me the glorious lesson that occasionally it is possible that I may be mistaken. Keep me reasonably sweet. I do not want to be a saint -- some of them are so hard to live with -- but becoming a bitter old timer would be one of the crowning works of my alcoholism. Give me the ability to see good things in unexpected places and talents in unexpected people. And give me, O Lord, the grace to tell them so. Make me thoughtful, but not moody; helpful, but not bossy. With my vast store of wisdom, it seems a pity not to use it all - but Thou knowest, Lord, that I want a few friends in the end. |
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