~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
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(\ ~~ /)
( \ (AA)/ )
(_ /AA\ _)
/AA\
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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!^*~*~*~*~*
Realism
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."
c. 1975, Living Sober, page 6
*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
NOTHING GROWS IN THE DARK
We will want the good that is in us all, even in the worst of us, to flower and to grow.
AS BILL SEES IT, p. 10
With the self-discipline and insight gained from practicing Step Ten, I begin to know the gratifications of sobriety -- not as mere abstinence from alcohol, but as recovery in every department of my life.
I renew hope, regenerate faith, and regain the dignity of self-respect. I discover the word "and" in the phrase "and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it."
Reassured that I am no longer always wrong, I learn to accept myself as I am, with a new sense of the miracles of sobriety and serenity.
©Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.©
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Love + Rationality = Growth
"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."
LETTER, 1958
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
"Psychologists are inclined to agree with us. We have spent
thousands of dollars for examinations. We know but few instances
where we have given these doctors a fair break. We have seldom told
them the whole truth nor have we followed their advice. Unwilling to
be honest with these sympathetic men, we were honest with no one
else. Small wonder many in the medical profession have a low opinion
of alcoholics and their chance for recovery!"
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 73~
*~*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*~*
A.A. Thought for the Day
Now that we have considered the obligations of real, working members of A.A., let us examine what the rewards are that have come to us as a result of our new way of living. First, I understand myself more than I ever did before. I have leamed what was the matter with me and I know now a lot of what makes me tick. I will never be alone again. I am just one of many who have the illness of alcoholism and one of many who have leamed what to do about it. I am not an odd fISh or a square peg in a round hole. I seem to have found my right place in the world. Am I beginning to understand myself?
Meditation for the Day
"Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to him and will remain with him and him with me." The knocking of God's spirit, asking to come into your life, is due to no merit of yours, though it is in response to the longing of your heart. Keep a listening ear, an ear bent to catch the sound of the gentle knocking at the door of your heart by the spirit of God. Then open the door of your heart and let God's spirit come in.
Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may let God's spirit come into my heart. I pray that it may fill me with an abiding peace.
©Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012©
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Friday, October 20, 2006
Thoughts For The Day~*~Change ^*^*^*^*^October 20, 2006
~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
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(\ ~~ /)
( \ (AA)/ )
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/AA\
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Change
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"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
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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!^*~*~*~*~*
"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
*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*SOLACE FOR CONFUSION
Obviously, the dilemma of the wanderer from faith is that of profound confusion. He thinks himself lost to the comfort of any conviction at all. He cannot attain in even a small degree the assurance of the believer, the agnostic, or the atheist. He is the bewildered one.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 28
The concept of God was one that I struggled with during my early years of sobriety. The images that came to me, conjured from my past, were heavy with fear, rejection and condemnation. Then I heard my friend Ed's image of a Higher Power: As a boy he had been allowed a litter of puppies, provided that he assume responsibility for their care. Each morning he would find the unavoidable "byproducts" of the puppies on the kitchen floor. Despite frustration, Ed said he couldn't get angry because "that's the nature of puppies." Ed felt that God viewed our defects and shortcomings with a similar understanding and warmth. I've often found solace from my personal confusion in Ed's calming concept of God.
©Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.©
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Rebellion or Acceptance
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.
1. TWELVE AND TWELVE, p. 105 - 2. GRAPEVINE, JUNE 1958
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
"Lack of power, that was our dilemma. We had to find a power by
which we could live, and it had to be a Power greater than
ourselves. Obviously. But where and how were we to find this Power?
Well, that's exactly what this book is about."
Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, We Agnostics, pg. 45
*~*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*~*
A.A. Thought for the Day
For the past few weeks we have been asking ourselves some searching questions. We have not been able to answer them all as we would like. But on the right answers to these questions will depend the usefulness and effectiveness of our lives and to some extent the usefulness and effectiveness of the whole A.A. movement. It all boils down to this: I owe a deep debt to A.A. and to the grace of God. Am I going to do all I can to repay that debt? Let us search our souls, make our decisions, and act accordingly. Any real success we have in life will depend on that. Now is the time to put our conclusions into effect. What am I going to do about it?
"Our Lord and our God, be it done unto us according to Thy will." Simple acceptance of God's will in whatever happens is the key to abundant living. We must continue to pray. ..Not my will but Thy will be done." It may not turn out the way you want it to, but it will be the best way in the long run, because it is God's way. If you decide to accept whatever happens as God's will for yourself, whatever it may be, your burdens will be lighter. Try to see in all things some fulfillment of the Divine Intent.
Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may see the working out of God's will in my life.
I pray that I may be content with whatever He wills for me.
©Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012©
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Thursday, October 19, 2006
Thoughts For The Day~*~Solution ^*^*^*^*^October 19, 2006
~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
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/AA\
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Solution
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"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
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Thought to Consider . . .
The joy is in the journey, so enjoy the ride.
S T E P S = Solutions To Every Problem in Sobriety
"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
A.A.'s "MAIN TAPROOT"
The principle that we shall find no enduring strength until we first admit complete defeat is the main taproot from which our whole Society has sprung and flowered.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, pp. 21-22
Defeated, and knowing it, I arrived at the doors of A.A., alone and afraid of the unknown. A power outside of myself had picked me up off my bed, guided me to the phone book, then to the bus stop, and through the doors of Alcoholics Anonymous. Once inside A.A. I experienced a sense of being loved and accepted, something I had not felt since early childhood. May I never lose the sense of wonder I experienced on that first evening with A.A., the greatest event of my entire life.
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Toward Partnership
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.
TWELVE AND TWELVE, pp. 118-119
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
"We have entered the world of the Spirit. Our next function is to
grow in understanding and effectiveness. This is not an overnight
matter. It should continue for our lifetime."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 84~
*~*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*~*
A.A. Thought for the Day
Do I realize that I do not know how much time I have left? It may
be later than I think. Am I going to do the things that I know I
should do before my time runs out? By the way, what is my purpose
for the rest of my life? Do I realize all I have to make up for
in my past wasted life? Do I know that I am living on borrowed
time and that I would not have even this much time left without
A.A. and the grace of God? Am I going to make what time I have
left count for A.A.?
Meditation for the Day
We can believe that somehow the cry of the human soul is never
unheard by God. It may be that God hears the cry, even if we fail
to notice God's response to it. The human cry for help must
always evoke a response of some sort from God. it may be that
our failure to discern properly keeps us unaware of the response.
But one thing we can believe is that the grace of God is always
available for every human being who sincerely calls for help.
Many changed lives are living proofs of this fact.
Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may trust God to answer my prayer as He sees fit.
I pray that I may be content with whatever form that answer may
take.
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