Saturday, February 10, 2007

February 10, 2007

In all that I do, I am free, for the spirit of God within me is my freedom to live fully and abundantly.
 
 
~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
^*^*^*^*^

(\  ~~~ /)
(   \(
AA)/  )
(_   /
AA\ _)
  /
AA\
^*^*^*^*^

Let Go
I
f 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.
Some of us have tried to hold on to our old ideas
and the result was nil until we let go absolutely.
c. 2001 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 58

^*^*^*^*^


Thought to Consider . . .

When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.



*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
G I F T S =  Getting It From The Steps


*~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~*
Stereotypes
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.

"Former group leaders divide into two classes known in A.A. slang as 'elder statesmen' and 'bleeding deacons.' The elder statesman is the one who sees the wisdom of the group's decision, who holds no resentment over his reduced status, whose judgment, fortified by considerable experience, is sound, and who is willing to sit quietly on the sidelines awaiting developments. The bleeding deacon is one who is just as surely convinced that the group cannot get along without him, who constantly connives for reelection to office, and who continues to be consumed with self-pity."

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, (c) 2005, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., pg. 135
*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
I DON'T RUN THE SHOW

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.   What was our choice to be?

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p.  53

Today my choice is God.  He is everything.  For this I am truly grateful.  When I think I am running the show I am blocking God from my life.  I pray I can remember this when I allow myself to get caught up into self.  The most important thing is that today I am willing to grow along spiritual lines, and that God is everything.  When I was trying to quit drinking on my own, it never worked; with God and A.A., it is working.  This seems to be a simple thought for a complicated alcoholic.

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

Around 1943 or 1944, the Central Office asked the groups to list their membership rules and send them in. After they arrived we set them all down. A little reflection upon these many rules brought us to an astonishing conclusion.
If all of these edicts had been in force everywhere at once it would have been practically impossible for any alcoholic to have ever joined A.A. About nine-tenths of our oldest and best members could never have got by!

<<<>>>

At last experience taught us that to take away any alcoholic's full chance for sobriety in A.A. was sometimes to pronounce his death sentence, and often to condemn him to endless misery. Who dared to be judge, jury, and executioner of his own sick brother?

1. GRAPEVINE, AUGUST 1946 - 2. TWELVE AND TWELVE, p. 141
Copyright®1967 Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.

*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

As we look back, we feel we had gone on drinking many years beyond
the point where we could quit on our will power. If anyone questions
whether he has entered this dangerous area, let him try leaving
liquor alone for one year. If he is a real alcoholic and very far
advanced, there is scant chance of success. In the early days of our
drinking we occasionally remained sober for a year or more, becoming
serious drinkers again later. Though you may be able to stop for a
considerable period, you may yet be a potential alcoholic. We think
few, to whom this book will appeal, can stay dry anything like a
year. Some will be drunk the day after making their resolutions; most
of them within a few weeks."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, More About Alcoholism, pg. 34~
*~*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*~*
A.A. Thought for the Day

Since I realized that I had become an alcoholic and could never have any more fun with liquor and since I knew that from then on liquor would always get me into trouble, common sense told me that the only thing left for me was a life of sobriety. But I learned another thing in A.A., the most important thing anyone can ever learn. That I could call on a Higher Power to help me keep away from liquor. That I could work with that Divine Principle in the universe, and that God would help me to live a sober, useful, happy life. So now I no longer care about the fact that I can never have any more fun with drinking. Have I learned that I am much happier without it?

Meditation for the Day

Like a tree, I must be pruned of a lot of dead branches before I will be ready to bear good fruit. Think of changed people as trees that have been stripped of their old branches, pruned, cut, and bare. But through the dark, seemingly dead branches flows silently, secretly, the new sap, until with the sun of spring comes new life. There are new leaves, buds, blossoms, and fruit, many times better because of the pruning. I am in the hands of a Master Gardener, who makes no mistakes in His pruning.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may cut away the dead branches of my life. I pray that I may not mind the pruning, since it helps me to bear good fruit later.



Wherever I am and wherever I go in the world, the spirit of God is with me. I am always enfolded in the love of God.


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Friday, February 09, 2007

February 9, 2007

Loving one another isn't really optional. It is what we are created to do.
 
~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
^*^*^*^*^

(\  ~~~ /)
(   \(
AA)/  )
(_   /
AA
\ _)
  /
AA\

^*^*^*^*^
Martyrdom
S
elf-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.
Bill W., Letter, 1966
c. 1967 AAWS, As Bill Sees It, p. 238

^*^*^*^*^


Thought to Consider . . .

Poor me!  Poor me!  Pour me a drink.


*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
N U T S =  Not Using The Steps

*~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~*
 
Peace
From "Infinite Need":
"In practice, I have always found it rather difficult to let Allah's superior and flawless will prevail in my life and govern my will. However, when I make humble efforts, serenely accepting His will for me at some moment in my life, I feel absolutely relieved of the load I have carried on my shoulders. The mind does not wander any more [sic], and the heart is full of happiness at every breath I take." â€" Karachi, Pakistan
© 1973 AAWS, Inc., printed 2004; Came to Believe, pg. 21
*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
GETTING THE "SPIRITUAL ANGLE"

How often do we sit in AA meetings and hear the speaker declare, "But I haven't yet got the spiritual angle." Prior to this statement, he had described a miracle of transformation which had occurred in him -- not only his release from alcohol, but a complete change in his whole attitude toward life and the living of it.  It is apparent to nearly everyone else present that he has received a great gift;  " .  .  .  except that he doesn't seem to know it yet!"  We well know that this questioning individual will tell us six months or a year hence that he has found faith in God.

LANGUAGE OF THE HEART, p.  275

A spiritual experience can be the realization that a life which once seemed empty and devoid of meaning is now joyous and full.  In my life today, daily prayer and meditation, coupled with living the Twelve Steps, has brought about an inner peace and feeling of belonging which was missing when I was drinking.

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

No member of A.A. wants to deprecate material achievement. Nor do we enter into debate with the many who cling to the belief that to satisfy our basic natural desires is the main object of life. But we are sure that no class of people in the world ever made a worse mess of trying to live by this formula than alcoholics.
We demanded more than our share of security, prestige, and romance. When we seemed to be succeeding, we drank to dream still greater dreams. When we were frustrated, even in part, we drank for oblivion.
In all these strivings, so many of them well-intentioned, our crippling handicap was our lack of humility. We lacked the perspective to see that character-building and spiritual values had to come first, and that material satisfactions were simply by-products and not the chief aims of life.


*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"It works - it really does."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 88~

"If God can solve the age-old riddle of alcoholism, He can solve your
problems too."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, To Wives, Page 116~

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

In the past, we kept right on drinking in spite of all the trouble we got into. We were foolish enough to believe that drinking could still be fun in spite of everything that happened to us. When we came into A.A., we found a lot of people who, like ourselves, had had fun with drinking, but who now admitted that liquor had become nothing but trouble for them. And when we found that this thing had happened to a lot of other people besides ourselves, we realized that perhaps we weren't such odd ducks after all. Have I learned to admit that for me drinking has ceased to be fun and has become nothing but trouble?

Meditation for the Day

The lifeline, the line of rescue, is the line from the soul to God. On one end of the lifeline is our faith and on the other end is God's power. It can be a strong line and no soul can be overwhelmed who is linked to God by it. I will trust in this lifeline and never be afraid. God will save me from doing wrong and from the cares and troubles of life. I will look to God for help and trust Him for aid when I am emotionally upset.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that no lack of trust or fearfulness will make me disloyal to God. I pray that I may keep a strong hold on the lifeline of faith.



Wherever I am and wherever I go in the world, the spirit of God is with me. I am always enfolded in the love of God.


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Thursday, February 08, 2007

February 8

My faith is in God. I have no fear, for God is with me as my constant guide.
~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
^*^*^*^*^

(\  ~~~ /)
(   \(
AA)/  )
(_   /
AA
\ _)
  /
AA\

^*^*^*^*^
Vigilance

N
ow that we're in AA and sober,
and winning back the esteem of our friends
and business associates,
we find that we still need to exercise special vigilance.
As an insurance against "big-shot-ism"
we can often check ourselves by remembering
we are today sober only by the grace of God
and that any success we may be having
is far more His success than ours.
c. 1952 AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 92

^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

Always remember you're unique ... just like everyone else.



*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
H A L T =  Honestly, Actively, Lovingly, Tolerant.

*~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~*
 
Employees
From "The Three Legacies of Alcoholics Anonymous":
"In order for A.A. to function, we had to hire some help. In all the length and breadth of A.A., among the whole 200,000 or more of us [in 1959], we have today only two or three hundred hired help all around. That includes cooks frying hamburgers in clubs, janitors sweeping out the places, and women answering telephones in our central offices. It also includes me [Bill W.]. I once wrote some literature for you, so I am paid a royalty for being a writer. That is where the line finally fell: For face-to-face treatment of a drunk, no money, ever. But A.A. does have to hire people so that it can function where there are legitimate jobs to be done."
© 2001 AAWS, Inc.; Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pg. 116

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
CONVINCING "MR. HYDE"

Even then, as we hew away, peace and joy will still elude us. That's the
place so many of us A.A. oldsters have come to. And it's a hell of a spot,
literally. How shall our unconscious -- from which so many of our fears,
compulsions and phony aspirations still stream -- be brought into line with
what we actually believe, know and want! How to convince our dumb, raging
and hidden "Mr. Hyde" becomes our main task.

THE BEST OF BILL, pp. 42-43


Regular attendance at meetings, serving and helping others is the recipe
that many have tried and found to be successful. Whenever I stray from these
basic principles, my old habits resurface and my old self also comes back
with all its fears and defects. The ultimate goal of each A.A. member is
permanent sobriety, achieved One Day at a Time.


©Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.©
*
~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Dealing with Resentments

Resentment is the Number One offender. It destroys more alcoholics than anything else. From it stem all forms of spiritual disease, for we have been not only mentally and physically ill, we have also been spiritually ill. When our spiritual malady is overcome, we straighten out mentally and physically.
In dealing with our resentments, we set them on paper. We listed people, institutions, or principles with whom we were angry. We asked ourselves why we were angry. In most cases it was found that our self-esteem, our pocketbooks, our ambitions, our personal relationships (including sex) were hurt or threatened.

<<<>>>

"The most heated bit of letter-writing can be a wonderful safety valve -- providing the wastebasket is somewhere nearby."

1. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, pp. 64-65 - 2. LETTER, 1949
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"Some day we hope that Alcoholics Anonymous will help the public to
a better realization of the gravity of the alcoholic problem, but we
shall be of little use if our attitude is one of bitterness or
hostility. Drinkers will not stand for it.

After all, our problems were of our own making. Bottles were only a
symbol. Besides, we have stopped fighting anybody or anything. We
have to!"

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Working With Others, pg. 103~
*~*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*~*
A.A. Thought for the Day

When the morning sun comes up on a nice bright day and we jump out of bed, we're thankful to God that we feet well and happy instead of sick and disgusted. Serenity and happiness have become much more important to us than the excitement of drinking, which lifts us up for a short while, but lets us way down in the end. Of course, all of us alcoholics had a lot of fun with drinking. We might as well admit it. We can look back on a lot of good times, before we became alcoholics. But the time comes for all of us alcoholics when drinking ceases to be fun and becomes trouble. Have I learned that drinking can never again be anything but trouble for me?

Meditation for the Day

I must rely on God. I must trust Him to the limit. I must depend on the Divine Power in all human relationships. I will wait and trust and hope, until God shows me the way. I will wait for guidance on each important decision. I will meet the test of waiting until a thing seems right before I do it. Every work for God must meet this test of time. The guidance will come, if I wait for it.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may meet the test of waiting for God's guidance. I pray that I will not go off on my own.



Wherever I am and wherever I go in the world, the spirit of God is with me. I am always enfolded in the love of God.


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Wednesday, February 07, 2007

February 7, 2007

Created in the image of God, I express pure life and energy.
 
 
~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
^*^*^*^*^

(\  ~~~ /)
(   \(
AA)/  )
(_   /
AA
\ _)
  /
AA\

^*^*^*^*^
Language of the Heart

F
rom the beginning,
communication in AA has been no ordinary transmission
of helpful ideas and attitudes.
It has been unusual and sometimes unique.
Because of our kinship in suffering,
and because our common means of deliverance
are effective for ourselves only when
constantly carried to others,
our channels of contact have always been charged
with the language of the heart.
Bill W., July 1960
c. 1988 AAGrapevine, The Language of the Heart, p. 243

^*^*^*^*^


Thought to Consider . . .

Walk softly and carry a Big Book.



*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
S O B E R  =  Simply Observe Bill's Exemplary Recovery.

*~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~*
Blame
From "Crossing the River of Denial":
"Another trick was selecting companions who drank just a little bit more than I did. Then I could always point to their problem.
"One such companion led to my first arrest. If the driver of the car had only pulled over when the police lights flashed, we would have been fine. If, when I had practically talked our way out of it, the driver had kept his mouth shut, we would have been fine. But no, he started babbling about how he was in rehab. I got off with a misdemeanor, and for years, I completely discounted that arrest because it was all his fault. I simply ignored that I had been drinking all day."
© 2001 AAWS, Inc., Fourth Edition; Alcoholics Anonymous, pgs. 329-30
*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
A PATH TO FAITH

True humility and an open mind can lead us to faith, and every A.A. meeting is an assurance that God will restore us to sanity if we rightly relate ourselves to Him.

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p.  33

My last drunk had landed me in the hospital, totally broken.  It was then that I was able to see my past float in front of me.  I realized that, through drinking, I had lived every nightmare I had ever had.  My own self-will and obsession to drink had driven me into a dark pit of hallucinations, blackouts and despair.  Finally beaten, I asked for God's help.  His presence told me to believe.  My obsession for alcohol was taken away and my paranoia has since been lifted.  I am no longer afraid.  I know my life is healthy and sane.

©Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.©
*
~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Pipeline to God

"I am a firm believer in both guidance and prayer. But I am fully aware, and humble enough, I hope, to see there may be nothing infallible about my guidance.
"The minute I figure I have got a perfectly clear pipeline to God, I have become egotistical enough to get into real trouble. Nobody can cause more needless grief than a power-driver who thinks he has got it straight from God."

LETTER, 1950

*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
"Both you and the new man must walk day by day in the path of
spiritual progress. If you persist, remarkable things will happen."


~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Working With Others, pg. 100~
*~*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*~*
A.A. Thought for the Day

A night club crowded with men and women all dressed up in evening clothes looks like a very festive place. But you should see the rest rooms of that night club the next morning. What a mess! People have been sick all over the place and does it smell! The glamour of the night before is all gone and only the stink of the morning after is left. In A.A. we learn to take a long view of drinking instead of a short view. We learn to think less about the pleasure of the moment and more about the consequences. Has the night before become less important to me and the morning after more important

Meditation for the Day

Only a few more steps and then God's power shall be seen and known in my life. I am now walking in darkness, surrounded by the limitations of space and time. But even in this darkness, I can have faith and can be a light to guide feet that are afraid. I believe that God's power will break through the darkness and my prayers will pierce even to the ears of God Himself. But only a cry from the heart, a trusting cry, ever pierces that darkness and reaches to the divine ear of God.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that the divine power of God will help my human weakness. I pray that my prayer may reach through the darkness to the ear of God.



Wherever I am and wherever I go in the world, the spirit of God is with me. I am always enfolded in the love of God.


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