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AA Thought for the Day

February 3

Paradox
4. WE DIE TO LIVE.
That is a beautiful paradox straight out of the Biblical idea of being "born again"
or "in losing one's life to find it." When we work at our Twelve Steps,
the old life of guzzling and fuzzy thinking, and all that goes with it, gradually dies,
and we acquire a different and a better way of life.
As our shortcomings are removed, one life of us dies, and another life of us lives.
We in AA die to live.
- Experience, Strength & Hope, p. 156

Thought to Ponder . . .
We surrender to win; we give away to keep;
we suffer to get well; we die to live.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
A A = Always Alive.

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~

Resentments
In AA we slowly learned that something had to be done
about our vengeful resentments, self-pity,
and unwarranted pride.
We had to see that every time we played the big shot,
we turned people against us.
We had to see that when we harbored grudges
and planned revenge for such defeats,
we were really beating ourselves with
the club of anger we had intended to use on others.
We learned that if we were seriously disturbed,
our first need was to quiet that disturbance,
regardless of who or what we thought caused it.
c. 1952 AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 47

Thought to Consider . . .
Resentment is like acid,
eating away at the vessel it is stored in.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
C A L M = Can Anger Leave Me?

*~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~*

Service
Tradition Two: "For our group purpose there is but one ultimate authority - a loving God as he may express Himself in
our group conscience. Our leaders are but trusted servants; they do not govern.
"The group now has a so-called rotating Committee, very sharply limited in its authority. In no sense whatever can its
members govern or direct the group. They are servants. Theirs is the sometimes thankless privilege of doing the
group's chores."
(c) 1981, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, page 134

*~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quotes ^*~*~*~*~*

"Nearly all of us, when we think about it, agree that we are a long, long way from being anywhere near grown up, from
almost any point of view. We can clearly see that our job as individuals and as a Fellowship is to keep right on growing
by the constant use of our Twelve Steps."
AA Co-Founder, Bill W., July 1960
From: "AA Tomorrow"
The Language of the Heart

~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~*

"As each member of a resentful family begins to see his shortcomings
and admits them to the others, he lays a basis for helpful
discussion. These family talks will be constructive if they can be
carried on without heated argument, self-pity, self-justification or
resentful criticism."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, The Family Afterward, pg. 127~

"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."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, To Employers, pg. 140~

Perhaps we shall need to share with this person facts about ourselves which no others ought to know.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 61

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

We discover that we receive guidance for our lives to just about the extent that we stop making demands upon God to
give it to us on order and on our terms.
In praying, we ask simply that throughout the day God place in us the best understanding of His will that we can have for
that day, and that we be given the grace by which we may carry it out.
There is a direct linkage among self-examination, meditation, and prayer. Taken separately, these practices can bring
much relief and benefit. But when they are logically related and interwoven, the result is an unshakable foundation for life.

Prayer for the Day: Lord, there are times when we are so concerned about ourselves that we don’t think of others. We
ask for the gift of your Spirit that we may grow in awareness of others:
- noticing when someone is unhappy,
- sensing when there’s something wrong for somebody,
- seeing when someone feels cut off or isolated,
- knowing when to say the right word,
- expressing thanks and compliments,
- being thoughtful when someone is ill,
- giving words of encouragement,
- helping someone to feel welcome,
- realizing when someone needs the opportunity to talk.
May we grow in sensitivity towards others. Amen.