Thoughts For The Day~*~Arrogance^*^*^*^*^ April 28, 2007

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

"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."

Bill W., Letter, 1950
As Bill Sees It, p. 38

Thought to Consider . . .
The smallest package in the world
is an alcoholic all wrapped up in himself.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*

ISM
I Sponsor Myself

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

Maturity

From "He Who Loses His Life":

"The man with the grown-up brain and the childish emotions - vanity, self-interest, false pride, jealousy, longing for social approval, to name a few - becomes a prime candidate for alcohol. To my way of thinking, that is a definition of alcoholism; a state of being in which the emotions have failed to grow to the stature of the intellect."

(c) 2003, AAWS, Inc.; Experience, Strength & Hope, pg. 411

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
TWO "MAGNIFICENT STANDARDS"

All A.A. 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.

AS BILL SEES IT, p.  271

To acknowledge and respect the views, accomplishments and prerogatives of others and to accept being wrong shows me the way of humility.  To practice the principles of A.A. in all my affairs guides me to be responsible.  Honoring these precepts gives credence to Tradition Four-and to all other Traditions of the Fellowship.  Alcoholics Anonymous has evolved a philosophy of life full of valid motivations, rich in highly relevant principles and ethical values, a view of life which can be extended beyond the confines of the alcoholic population.  To honor these precepts I need only to pray, and care for my fellow man as if each one were my brother.

©Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.©
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Prelude to the Program

Few people will sincerely try to practice the A.A. program unless they have "hit bottom," for practicing A.A.'s Steps means the adoption of attitudes and actions that almost no alcoholic who is still drinking can dream of taking. The average alcoholic, self-centered in the extreme, doesn't care for this prospect--unless he has to do these things in order to stay alive himself.
<<<>>>
We know that the newcomer has to "hit bottom"; otherwise, not much can happen. Because we are drunks who understand him, we can use at depth the nutcracker of the-obsession-plus-the-allergy as a tool of such power that it can shatter his ego. Only thus can he be convinced that on his own unaided resources he has little or no chance.

1. TWELVE AND TWELVE, P. 24
2. A.A. TODAY, P. 8
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"These men had found something brand new in life. Though they knew 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 for others."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, A Vision For You, pg. 159~

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

We're so glad to be free from liquor that we do something about it. We get into action. We come to meetings regularly. We go out and try to help other alcoholics. We pass on the good news whenever we get a chance. In a spirit of thankfulness to God, we get into action. The A.A. program is simple. Submit yourself to God, find release from liquor, and get into action. Do these things and keep doing them and you're all set for the rest of your life. Have I got into action?

Meditation for the Day

God's eternal quest must be the tracking down of souls. You should join Him in His quest. Through briars, through waste places, through glades, up mountain heights, down into valleys. God leads you. But ever with His leadership goes your helping hand. Glorious to follow where the Leader goes. You are seeking lost sheep. You are bringing the good news into places where it has not been known before. You may not know which soul you will help, but you can leave all results to God. just go with Him in His eternal quest for souls.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may follow God in His eternal quest for souls. I pray that I may offer God my helping hand.

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

	Subscribe to TransitionsDaily
	Email:

Visit Us at -=| Transitions Daily |=-

---

See what's free at AOL.com.

Thoughts For The Day~*~Meetings ^*^*^*^*^ April 27, 2007

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

"Sobriety and a plan for living
that produces a personality change
and a spiritual awakening are imperative.
Through AA, many receive the needed change
and awakening just by trying to live
by AA principles and with AA people.
We do this by going to many AA meetings
with an open mind and a desire to live the
good-feeling life without chemicals--
liquid or otherwise."
Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 459

Thought to Consider . . .

Seven days without an AA meeting makes one weak.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*

ABC
Acceptance, Belief, Change

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

Upkeep

From "Having Fun Yet":

"When my own house is in order, I find the different parts of my life are more manageable. Stripped from the guilt and remorse that cloaked my drinking years, I am free to assume my proper role in the universe, but this condition requires maintenance. I should stop and ask myself, Am I having fun yet? If I find answering that question difficult or painful, perhaps I'm taking myself too seriously—and finding it difficult to admit that I've strayed from my practice of working the program to keep my house in order."

© 1990 AAWS, Inc.; Daily Reflections, pg. 31 

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
JOYFUL DISCOVERIES

We realize we know only a little.  God will constantly disclose more to you and to us.  Ask Him in your morning meditation what you can do each day for the man who is still sick.  The answers will come, if your own house is in order.  But obviously you cannot transmit something you haven't got.  See to it that your relationship with Him is right, and great events will come to pass for you and countless others.  This is the Great Fact for us.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p.  164

Sobriety is a journey of joyful discovery.  Each day brings new experience, awareness, greater hope, deeper faith, broader tolerance.  I must maintain these attributes or I will have nothing to pass on.

Great events for this recovering alcoholic are the normal everyday joys found in being able to live another day in God's grace.

©Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.©
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
The Sense of Belonging

Perhaps one of the greatest rewards of meditation and prayer is the sense of belonging that comes to us. We no longer live in a completely hostile world. We are no longer lost and frightened and purposeless.
The moment we catch even a glimpse of God's will, the moment we begin to see truth, justice, and love as the real and eternal things in life, we are no longer deeply disturbed by all the seeming evidence to the contrary that surrounds us in purely human affairs. We know that God lovingly watches over us. We know that when we turn to Him, all will be well with us, here and hereafter.

TWELVE AND TWELVE, P. 105
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
"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~
*~*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*~*
A.A. Thought for the Day

By submitting to God, were released from the power of liquor. it has no more hold on us. We're also released from the things that were holding us down: pride, selfishness, and fear. And we're free to grow into a new life, which is so much better than the old life that there's no comparison. This release gives us serenity and peace with the world. Have I been released from the power of alcohol?

Meditation for the Day

We know God by spiritual vision. We feel that He is beside us. We feel His presence. Contact with God is not made by the senses. Spirit-consciousness replaces sight. Since we cannot see God, we have to perceive Him by spiritual perception. God has to span the physical and the spiritual with the gift to us of spiritual vision. Many persons, though they cannot see God, have had a clear spiritual consciousness of Him. We are inside a box of space and time, but we know there must be something outside of that box, limitless space, eternity of time, and God.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may have a consciousness of God's presence. I pray that God will give me spiritual vision.

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

	Subscribe to TransitionsDaily
	Email:

Visit Us at -=| Transitions Daily |=-

---

See what's free at AOL.com.

Thoughts For The Day~*~Expectations ^*^*^*^*^ April 26, 2007

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

"My serenity is inversely proportional
to my expectations.
The higher my expectations of other people are,
the lower is my serenity.
I can watch my serenity level rise
when I discard my expectations.
But then my 'rights' try to move in,
and they, too, can force my serenity level down.
I have to discard my 'rights,'
as well as my expectations, by asking myself,
'How important is it, really?
How important is it compared to my serenity,
my emotional sobriety?'
And when I place more value on my serenity and sobriety
than on anything else,
I can maintain them at a higher level--
at least for the time being."
Alcoholics Anonymous, 3rd Edition p. 452

Thought to Consider . . .

Lower your standards and improve your program.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*

GRACE
Gently Releasing All Conscious Expectations

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

Popular

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

 

"At this point the Cleveland Plain Dealer ran a series of pieces that ushered in a new period for Alcoholics Anonymous, the era of mass production of sobriety.

 

"Elrick B. Davis, a feature writer of deep understanding, was the author of a series of articles that were printed in the middle of the Plain Dealer's editorial page, and these were accompanied every two or three days by red-hot blasts from the editors themselves. In effect, the Plain Dealer was saying, 'Alcoholics Anonymous is good, and it works.  Come and get it.'

 

"The newspaper's switchboard was deluged. Day and night, the calls were relayed to [early members] Clarence and Dorothy and from them to members of their little group."

© 2001 AAWS, Inc.; Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pg. 20

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
HAPPINESS IS NOT THE POINT

I don't think happiness or unhappiness is the point.  How do we meet the problems we face? How do we best learn from them and transmit what we have learned to others, if they would receive the knowledge?

AS BILL SEES IT, p.  306

In my search "to be happy," I changed jobs, married and divorced, took geographical cures, and ran myself into debt-financially, emotionally and spiritually.  In A.A., I'm learning to grow up.  Instead of demanding that people, places and things make me happy, I can ask God for self-acceptance.  When a problem overwhelms me, A.A.'s Twelve Steps will help me grow through the pain.  The knowledge I gain can be a gift to others who suffer with the same problem.  As Bill said, "When pain comes, we are expected to learn from it willingly, and help others to learn.  When happiness comes, we accept it as a gift, and thank God for it."  (As Bill Sees It, p.  306)

©Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.©
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Each Man's Vision

"Beyond a Higher Power, as each of us may vision Him, A.A. must never, as a society, enter the field of dogma or theology. We can never become a religion in that sense, lest we kill usefulness by getting bogged down in theological contention."
<<<>>>
"The really amazing fact about A.A. is that all religions see in our program a resemblance to themselves. For example, Catholic theologians declare our Twelve Steps to be in exact accord with their Ignatian Exercises for Retreat, and though our book reeks of sin, sickness, and death, the Christian Science Monitor has often praised it editorially.
"Now, looking through Quaker eyes, you, too, see us favorably. What happy circumstances, these!"

1. LETTER, 1954
2. LETTER, 1950
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"Next, we decided that hereafter in this drama of life, God was going
to be our Director. He is the Principal; we are His agents. He is
the Father, and we are His children. Most good ideas are simple, and
this concept was the keystone of the new and triumphant arch through
which we passed to freedom."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 62~

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

The A.A. program is one of submission, release, and action. When were drinking, we're submitting to a power greater than ourselves, liquor. Our own wills are no use against the power of liquor. One drink and we're sunk. in A.A. we stop submitting to the power of liquor. Instead, we submit to a Power, also greater than ourselves, which we call God. Have I submitted myself to that Higher Power?

Meditation for the Day

Ceaseless activity is not God's plan for your life. Times of withdrawal for renewed strength are always necessary. Wait for the faintest tremor of fear and stop all work, everything, and rest before God until you are strong again. Deal in the same way with all tired feelings. Then you need rest of body and renewal of spirit force. Saint Paul said: "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." This does not mean that you are to do all things and then rely on God to find strength. it means that you are to do the things you believe God wants you to do and only then can you rely on His supply of power.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that God's spirit may be my master always. I pray that I may learn how to rest and listen, as well as how to work.

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

	Subscribe to TransitionsDaily
	Email:

Visit Us at -=| Transitions Daily |=-

---

See what's free at AOL.com.

Thoughts For The Day~*~Self-restraint ^*^*^*^*^ April 25, 2007

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

"Nothing pays off like restraint of tongue and pen.
We must avoid quick-tempered criticism
and furious power-driven argument.
The same goes for silent scorn.
These are emotional booby traps
baited with pride and vengefulness.
We can neither think nor act to good purpose
until the habit of self-restraint
has become automatic."
Bill W., Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 91

Thought to Consider . . .

The Seven T's - Take Time To Think The Thing Through.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
ACTION
Any Change Toward Improving One's Nature

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

Illness

From "Listening to the Wind":

 

"One day I got up as usual. The last thing I remember was feeling so shaky I could hardly stand up. I ate a tablespoon of honey, hoping it would give me the necessary sugar rush. The next conscious memory was the emergency room. They said I was suffering from malnutrition. I was nearly thirty pounds underweight. They had the audacity to ask how much I drank! What could that possibly have to do with anything?"

 

(c) Alcoholics Anonymous Fourth Edition 2001, pgs. 462-463  

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
ENTERING A NEW DIMENSION

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.

AS BILL SEES IT, p.  283

I am fortunate to be among the ones who have had this awesome transformation in my life.  When I entered the doors of A.A., alone and desperate, I had been beaten into willingness to believe anything I heard.  One of the things I heard was, "This could be your last hangover, or you can keep going round and round."  The man who said this obviously was a whole lot better off than I.  I liked the idea of admitting defeat and I have been free ever since!  My heart heard what my mind never could: "Being powerless over alcohol is no big deal."  I'm free and I'm grateful!

©Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.©
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Essence of Growth

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 A.A. as a whole, it has long since 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.

GRAPEVINE, JULY 1965
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

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

I don't believe that A.A. works because I read it in a book or because I hear people say so. I believe it because I see people getting sober and staying sober. An actual demonstration is what convinces me. When I see the change in people, I can't help believing that A.A. works. We could listen to talk about A.A. an day and still not believe it, but when we see it work, we have to believe it. Seeing is believing. Do I see AA. work every day?

Meditation for the Day

Try saying "God bless her (or him)" of anyone who is in disharmony with you. Also say it of those who are in trouble through their own fault. Say it, willing that showers of blessings may fall upon them. Let God do the blessing. Leave to God the necessary correcting or disciplining. You should only desire blessing for them. Leave God's work to God. Occupy yourself with the task that He gives you to do. God's blessing will also break down all your own difficulties and build up all your successes.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may use God's goodness so that it will be a blessing to others. I pray that I may accept God's blessing so that I will have harmony, beauty, joy, and happiness.

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

	Subscribe to TransitionsDaily
	Email:

Visit Us at -=| Transitions Daily |=-

---

See what's free at AOL.com.