Thoughts For The Day~*~Change ^*^*^ August 26, 2006

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
^*^*^*^*^
(\    ~~  /)
(   \ (AA)/   )
(_   /AA\ _)
  /AA\
^*^*^*^*^
Change
^*^*^
"How many of us would presume to declare,
'Well, I'm sober and I'm happy.  What more can I want or do?
I'm fine the way I am.'
We know that the price of such self-satisfaction
is an inevitable backslide,
punctuated at some point by a very rude awakening.
We have to grow or else deteriorate.
For us, the status quo can only be for today,
never for tomorrow.
Change we must; we cannot stand still."
Bill W., AAGrapevine, February 1961
©1967AAWS, As Bill Sees It, p. 25
^*^*^*^*^*

Thought to Consider . . .

There is no progress without change.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
P A C E  =  Positive Attitudes Change Everything

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

Remedy

From "Maudlin Martyrdom:"

 

"Self-pity is one of the most unhappy and consuming
defects that we know.  It is a bar to all spiritual
progress and can cut off all effective communication
with our fellows because of its inordinate demands
for attention and sympathy....The remedy?  Well, let's
have a hard look at ourselves, and a still harder one
at A.A.'s Twelve Steps to recovery.  When we see
how many of our fellow A.A.'s have used the Steps
to transcend great pain and adversity, we shall be
inspired to try these life-giving principles for ourselves."

 

c. 1967, As Bill Sees It, page 238

 

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
GIVING IT AWAY

Though they know they must help other alcoholics if they would remain sober,
that motive became secondary.   It was transcended by the happiness they
found in giving themselves to others.                               
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 159

Those words, for me, refer to a transference of power, through which God, as
I understand Him, enters my life.   Through prayer and meditation, I open
channels, then I establish and improve my conscious contact with God.  
Through action I then receive the power I need to maintain my sobriety each
day.   By maintaining my spiritual condition, by giving away what has been so freely given to me, I am granted a daily reprieve.

©Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.©
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Maudlin Martyrdom

"Self-pity is one of the most unhappy and consuming defects that we know. It
is a bar to all spiritual progress and can cut off all effective
communication with our fellows because of its inordinate demands for
attention and sympathy. It is a maudlin form of martyrdom, which we can ill
afford.
"The remedy? Well, let's have a hard look at ourselves, and a still harder
one at A.A.'s Twelve Steps to recovery. When we see how many of our fellow
A.A.'s have used the Steps to transcend great pain and adversity, we shall be
inspired to try these life-giving principles for ourselves."

LETTER, 1966
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
"For the type of alcoholic who is able and willing to get well,
little charity, in the ordinary sense of the word, is needed or
wanted. The men who cry for money and shelter before conquering
alcohol, are on the wrong track."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Working With Others, pg. 97~

*~*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*~*
A.A. Thought for the Day

"If we are still clinging to something that we will not let go, we must
sincerely ask God to help us to be willing to let even that go, too. We
cannot divide our lives into compartments and keep some for ourselves. We
must give all the compartments to God. We must say: 'My Creator, I am now
willing that you should have all of me, good and bad. I pray that you now
remove from me every single defect of character which stands in the way of my usefulness to you and my friends."' Am I still clinging to something that I will not let go?

Meditation for the Day

The laws of nature cannot be changed and must be obeyed if you are to stay
healthy. No exceptions will be made in your case. Submit to the laws of
nature or they will finally break you. And in the realm of the spirit, in all
human relationships, submit to the moral laws and to the will of God. If you
continue to break the laws of honesty, purity, unselfishness, and love, you
will be broken to some extent yourself. The moral and spiritual laws of God,
like the laws of nature, are unbreakable without some disaster. if you are
dishonest, impure, selfish, and unloving, you will not be living according to
the laws of the spirit and you will suffer the consequences.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may submit to the laws of nature and to the laws of God. I pray
that I may live in harmony with all the laws of life.

©Hazelden Foundation

	Subscribe to TransitionsDaily
	Email:

Visit Us at TransitionsDaily

Unsubscribe from Mailing List

Thoughts For The Day~*~Peace of Mind ^*^*^ August 25, 2006

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
^*^*^*^*^
(\    ~~  /)
(   \ (AA)/   )
(_   /AA\ _)
  /AA\
^*^*^*^*^
Peace of Mind
^*^*^
"AA has taught me that I will have peace of mind
in exact proportion to the peace of mind
I bring into the lives of other people,
and it has taught me the true meaning of the admonition
'happy are ye who know these things and do them.'
For the only problems I have now are those I create
when I break out in a rash of self-will."
©1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 551
^*^*^*^*^*

Thought to Consider . . .

I never imagined that the greatest achievement of my life
would be peace of mind.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
P E A C E  =  Providing Experienced Attitude Changes Every day.

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

Secure

From "Didn't We Hurt Anybody?":

"This [Eighth] Step seemed so simple. I identified several people whom I had harmed, but they were no longer available. Still, I was uneasy about the Step and avoided conversations dealing with it. In time I learned to investigate those Steps and areas of my life which made me uncomfortable. My search revealed my parents, who had been deeply hurt by my isolation from them; my employer, who worried about my absences, my memory lapses, my temper; and the friends I had shunned, without explanation. As I faced the reality of the harm I had done, Step Eight took on new meaning. I am no longer uncomfortable and I feel clean and light."

© 1990 AAWS, Inc.; Daily Reflections, pg. 236
 

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
THE GIFT OF BONDING

Relieve me of the bondage of self, that I may better do Thy will.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 63

Many times in my alcoholic state, I drank to establish a bond
between myself and others, but I succeeded only in establishing
the bondage of alcoholic loneliness. Through the A. A. way of
life, I have received the gift of bonding - with those who were
there before me, with those who are there now, and with those yet
to come. For this gracious gift from God, I am forever grateful.

©Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.©
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
No Orders Issued

Neither the A.A. General Service Conference, its Board of Trustees, nor the
humblest group committee can issue a single directive to an A.A. member and make it stick, let alone mete out any punishment. We've tried this lots of
times, but utter failure is always the result.
Groups have sometimes tried to expel members, but the banished have come back to sit in the meeting place, saying, "This is life for us; you can't keep us
out." Committees have instructed many an A.A. to stop working on a chronic
backslider, only to be told: "How I do my Twelfth Step work is my business.
Who are you to judge?"
This doesn't mean that an A.A. won't take good advice or suggestions from
more experienced members. He simply objects to taking orders.

TWELVE AND TWELVE, p. 173
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
The alcoholic may find it hard to reestablish friendly relations with his
children....In time they will see that he is a new man and in their own way
they will let him know it....From that point on, progress will be rapid.
Marvelous results often follow such a reunion.

Alcoholics Anonymous p. 134

"If we were to live, we had to be free of anger. The grouch and the
brainstorm were not for us. They may be the dubious luxury of normal
men, but for alcoholics these things are poison."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 66~

*~*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*~*
A.A. Thought for the Day

"Unless we discuss our defects with another person, we do not acquire
enough humility, fearlessness, and honesty to really get the program.
We must be entirely honest with somebody, if we expect to live
happily in this world. We must be hard on ourselves, but always
considerate of others. We pocket our pride and go to it, illuminating
every twist of character and every dark cranny of the past. Once we
have taken this step, withholding nothing, we can look the world in
the eyes." Have I discussed all my defects with another person?

Meditation for the Day

Never yield to weariness of the spirit. At times, the worlds cares
and distractions will intrude and the spirit will become weak. At
times like this, carry on and soon the spirit will become strong
again. God's spirit is always with you, to replenish and renew. None
ever sincerely sought God's help in vain. Physical weariness and
exhaustion make a time of rest and communion with God more necessary.
When you are overcome by temporary conditions that you cannot control,
keep quiet and wait for the power of the spirit to flow back.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may not speak or act in the midst of emotional upheaval.
I pray that I may wait until the tempest is past.

©Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012©

	Subscribe to TransitionsDaily
	Email:

Visit Us at TransitionsDaily

Unsubscribe from Mailing List

(no subject)

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
^*^*^*^*^
(\    ~~  /)
(   \ (AA)/   )
(_   /AA\ _)
  /AA\
^*^*^*^*^

Jittery
^*^*^
"We believe and hope this book 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."
©1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 163
^*^*^*^*^*

Thought to Consider . . .

It's kind of fun to do the impossible.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
W H O  M E ?  =  Willingness, Honesty, Openmindedness, Must Exist

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

Unstoppable

From "When A.A. Came of Age":

"The first group solely established by mail [was] in Little Rock, Arkansas; . . .creating a pattern later followed in some seventy foreign lands and U.S. possessions; the affecting tale of the little Norwegian from Greenwich, Connecticut, who had sold all he had to go to Oslo to help his brother and thus started the group there; the Alaskan group that had taken shape because a prospector out in the wilds found an A.A. book in an old oil drum; . . .the story of Captain Jack in a Standard Oil tanker, spreading A.A. as he sailed. . . . [We] reviewed A.A.'s crossing of the barriers of distance, race, creed, and tongue and saw our fellowship reaching to the four corners of the earth."

© 2001 AAWS, Inc.; Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pg. 26

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
A RIDDLE THAT WORKS

It may be possible to find explanations of spiritual experiences
such as ours, but I have often tried to explain my own and have
succeeded only in giving the story of it. I know the feeling it
gave me and the results it has brought, but I realize I may never
fully understand its deeper why and how.
AS BILL SEES IT, p. 313

I had a profound spiritual experience during an open A. A. meeting,
which led me to blurt out. "I'm an alcoholic!" I have not had a
drink since that day. I can tell you the words I heard just prior
to my admission, and how those words affected me, but as to why it
happened, I do not know. I believe a power greater than myself
chose me to recover, yet I do not know why. I try not to worry or
wonder about what I do not yet know; instead, I trust that if I
continue to work the Steps, practice the A. A. principles in my
life, and share my story, I will be guided lovingly toward a deep
and mature spirituality in which more will be revealed to me. For
the time being, it is a gift for me to trust God, work the Steps
and help others.

©Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.©
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Perfection - Only the Objective

There can be no absolute humility for us humans. At best, we can merely
glimpse the meaning and splendor of such a perfect ideal. Only God himself
can manifest in the absolute; we human beings must needs live and grow in the domain of the relative.
So we seek progress in humility for today.

<<<>>>

Few of us can quickly or easily become ready even to look at spiritual and
moral perfection; we want to settle for only as much development as may get
us by in life, according, of course, to our various and sundry ideas of what
will get us by. Mistakenly, we strive for a self-determined objective, rather
than for the perfect objective which is of God.

1. GRAPEVINE, JUNE 1961 - 2. TWELVE AND TWELVE, p. 68
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"We have no desire to convince anyone that there is only one way by
which faith can be acquired. If what we have learned and felt and
seen means anything at all, it means that all of us, whatever our
race, creed, or color are the children of a living Creator with whom
we may form a relationship upon simple and understandable terms as
soon as we are willing and honest enough to try."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, There Is A Solution, pg. 28~

*~*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*~*
AA Thought for the Day

"When we saw our faults, we listed them. We placed them before us in
black and white. We admitted our wrongs honestly and we were willing
to set these matters straight. We reviewed our fears thoroughly. We
asked God to remove our fears and we commenced to outgrow fear. Many
of us needed an overhauling in regard to sex. We came to believe that
sex powers were God-given and therefore good, if used properly. Sex
is never to be used lightly or selfishly, nor is it to be despised or
loathed. If sex is troublesome, we throw ourselves the harder into
helping others, and so take our minds off ourselves." Am I facing my
sex problems in the proper way?

Meditation for the Day

Cling to the belief that all things are possible with God. If this
belief is truly accepted, it is the ladder upon which a human soul
can climb from the lowest pit of despair to the sublime heights of
peace of mind. It is possible for God to change your way of living.
When you see the change in another person through the grace of God,
you cannot doubt that au things are possible in the lives of people
through the strength that comes from faith in Him who rules us all.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may live expectantly. I pray that I may believe deeply
that all things are possible with God.

©Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012©

	Subscribe to TransitionsDaily
	Email:

Visit Us at TransitionsDaily

Unsubscribe from Mailing List

Thoughts For The Day~*~Solution ^*^*^ August 23, 2006

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
^*^*^*^*^
(\    ~~  /)
(   \ (AA)/   )
(_   /AA\ _)
  /AA\
^*^*^*^*^
Solution
^*^*^
"There is a solution.
Almost none of us liked the self-searching, the leveling
of our pride, the confessions of shortcomings
which the process requires for its successful
consummation.
But we saw that it really worked in others,
and we had come to believe in the
hopelessness and futility of life as we had been living it.
When, therefore, we were approached by those
in whom the problem had been solved,
there was nothing left for us but to pick up
the simple kit of spiritual tools laid at our feet.
We have found much of heaven
and we have been rocketed into a fourth dimension
of existence of which we had not even dreamed."
©1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 25
^*^*^*^*^*

Thought to Consider . . .

The solution is simple.
The solution is spiritual.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
H O P E  =  Heart Open; Please Enter.

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

Resolution

From "Flooded With Feeling":

"After not drinking for three months, I was on the phone with the friend who had taken me to that first meeting. I was complaining to her about problems at work and how my sponsor didn't understand me. Later in the conversation I mentioned that even when I described myself as agnostic, I thought maybe something was watching out for me. She asked, 'Isn't it about time you made a decision?'

"I knew where to look in the Big Book, and I had been careful to avoid it until then. I turned to the Third Step Prayer and quietly read it to her over the phone. Nothing happened. I didn't expect anything to happen. Then, for some reason, I turned back to the words, 'No one among us has been able to maintain anything like perfect adherence to these principles.' They echoed in my mind.

"Something happened. A barrier collapsed. Without moving or speaking, I was carried away on a flood of emotion, yet at the same time, I was completely aware of myself and my surroundings. I could hear my friend's voice asking what had happened to me. I couldn't answer. I still can't explain it.

"I know I took the Third Step (turning my will and my life over to a Higher Power) that night. . . ."

© 2001 AAWS, Inc., Fourth Edition; Alcoholics Anonymous, pg. 305

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
BRINGING THE MESSAGE HOME

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, pp. 111 -112

My family members suffer from the effects of my disease. Loving and
accepting them as they are -- just as I love and accept A. A. members
-- fosters a return of love, tolerance and harmony to my life. Using
common courtesy and respecting other's personal boundaries are
necessary practices for all areas of my life.

©Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.©
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Looking for Lost Faith

Any number of A.A.'s can say, "We were diverted from our childhood faith. As
material success began to come, we felt we were winning at the game of life. This was exhilarating, and it made us happy.
"Why should we be bothered with theological abstractions and religious
duties, or with the state of our souls, here or hereafter? The will to win
should carry us through. "But then alcohol began to have its way with us. Finally, when all our score cards read 'zero,' and we saw that one more strike would put us out of the game forever, we had to look for our lost faith. It was in A.A. that we rediscovered it."

TWELVE AND TWELVE, pp. 28-29
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"On awakening let us think about the twenty-four hours ahead. We
consider our plans for the day. Before we begin, we ask God to
direct our thinking, especially asking that it be divorced from self-
pity, dishonest or self-seeking motives. Under these conditions we
can employ our mental faculties with assurance, for after all God
gave us brains to use. Our thought-life will be placed on a much
higher plane when our thinking is cleared of wrong motives."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 86~
*~*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*~*
A.A. Thought for the Day

"We who have accepted the A.A. principles have been faced with the
necessity for a thorough personal housecleaning. We must face and
be rid of the things in ourselves that have been blocking us. We
therefore take a personal inventory. We take stock honestly. We
search out the flaws in our make-up that caused our failure.
Resentment is the number-one offender. Life that includes deep
resentment leads only to futility and unhappiness. If we are to
live, we must be free of anger." Am I free of resentment and anger?

Meditation for the Day

Keep in mind the goal you are striving for, the good life you are
trying to attain. Do not let little things divert you from the
path. Do not be overcome by the small trials and vexations of each
day. Try to see the purpose and plan to which all is leading. if,
when climbing a mountain, you keep your eyes on each stony or
difficult place, how weary is your climb. But if you think of each
step as leading to the summit of achievement from which a glorious
landscape will open out before you, then your climb will be endurable
and you will achieve your goal.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may realize that life without a goal is futile.
I pray that I may find the good life worth striving for.

©Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012©

	Subscribe to TransitionsDaily
	Email:

Visit Us at TransitionsDaily

Unsubscribe from Mailing List