Thoughts For The Day~*~Right Living ^*^*^*^*^ September 27, 2008

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

"Service, gladly rendered, obligations squarely met,
troubles well accepted or solved with God's help,
the knowledge that at home or in the world outside
we are partners in a common effort,
the well-understood fact that in God's sight
all human beings are important,
the proof that love freely given surely brings a full return,
the certainty that we are no longer isolated and alone
in self-constructed prisons,
the surety that we need no longer be
square pegs in round holes but can fit and belong
in God's scheme of things --
these are the permanent and legitimate satisfactions
of right living for which no amount of pomp and circumstance,
no heap of material possessions,
could possibly be substitutes."
c. 1952AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 124
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . . 

We are not living just to be sober;
we are living to learn, to serve, and to love.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
L O V E  =  Living Our Valuable Experiences

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

 

Clubs

From "The Three Legacies of Alcoholics Anonymous":

"But like most A.A. clubs this first one did us far more good than harm, especially after we learned that the club had to be on the side lines and could not be managed by the A.A. groups as such. The Old Twenty-Fourth Street Club witnessed much of A.A.'s early history. Still in busy operation [as of 1957], it is now a landmark visited by members from all over the world. Similar and far larger clubs were started in Philadelphia and Minneapolis later in 1940. Scores and scores of clubrooms and clubhouses now dot our landscape. Some of the more elegant ones, especially those in Texas, have to be seen to be believed."

2001 AAWS, Inc.; Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pg. 181

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
WITHOUT RESERVATION

When brimming with gratitude, one's heartbeat must surely result in
outgoing love, . . . .
AS BILL SEES IT, p. 37

While practicing service to others, if my successes give rise to
grandiosity, I must reflect on what brought me to this point. What
has been given joyfully, with love, must be passed on without
reservation and without expectation? For as I grow, I find that no
matter how much I give with love, I receive much more in spirit.

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Honesty and Recovery

In taking an inventory, a member might consider questions such as these:
How did my selfish pursuit of the sex relation damage other people and me? What people were hurt, and how badly? Just how did I react at the time? Did 1 burn with guilt? Or did I insist that I was the pursued and not the pursuer, and thus absolve myself?
How have I reacted to frustration in sexual matters? When denied, did I become vengeful or depressed? Did I take it out on other people? If there was rejection or coldness at home, did I use this as a reason for promiscuity?

<<<>>>

Let no alcoholic say he cannot recover unless he has his family back. His recovery is not dependent upon people. It is dependent upon his relationship with God, however he may define Him.

1. TWELVE AND TWELVE, pp. 50-51 - 2. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, pp. 99-100
*~*~*~*~*^ 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

Continuing the consideration of the term "spiritual experience":
"What often takes place in a few months could seldom have been
accomplished by years of self-discipline. With few exceptions, our
members find that they have tapped an unsuspected inner resource
which they presently identify with their own conception of a Power
greater than themselves. Most of us think this awareness of a Power
greater than ourselves the essence of spiritual experience. Some of
us call it God-consciousness. In any case, willingness, honesty,
and open-mindedness are the essentials of recovery," Have I tapped
that inner resource that can change my life?

Meditation for the Day

God's power in your life increases as your ability to understand His
grace increases. The power of God's grace is only limited by the
understanding and will of each individual. God's miracle-working
power is only limited in each individual soul by the lack of
spiritual vision of that soul. God respects freewill, the right of
each person to accept or reject His miracle-working power. Only the
sincere desire of the soul gives Him the opportunity to bestow it.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may not limit God's power by my lack of vision. I
pray that I may keep my mind open today to His influence.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

---

Looking for simple solutions to your real-life financial challenges? Check out WalletPop for the latest news and information, tips and calculators.

--~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TransitionsDaily" group.
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to TransitionsDaily-unsubscribe@googlegroups.com
For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/TransitionsDaily?hl=en
To Subscribe
http://groups.google.com/group/TransitionsDaily/subscribe?hl=en
-~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---

Thoughts For The Day~*~Help * * *September 26, 2008

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
^*^*^*^*^
(\    ~~  /)
(   \ (AA)/   )
(_   /AA\ _)
  /AA\
^*^*^*^*^
Help
*  *  *
"If you are as seriously alcoholic as we were,
we believe there is no middle-of-the-road solution.
We were in a position where life was becoming impossible,
and if we had passed into the region
from which there is no return through human aid,
we had but two alternatives:
One was to go on to the bitter end,
blotting out the consciousness of our intolerable situation
as best we could;
and the other, to accept spiritual help.
This we did because we honestly wanted to,
and were willing to make the effort."
c. 1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, pp. 25-6
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

The spiritual life is not a theory.
We have to live it.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
H E L P =  Hope, Encouragement, Love, Patience

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

 

Suspend Our Own Argument

From: "Being Grateful" 

For some reason, we spent a lot of time thinking or noting or talking about how wrong or mistaken so many other people persistently were. (Whether they really were or not is irrelevant to the welcome change in our own feelings now.) For some, the change begins with a tentative willingness to wait and see, to accept for a moment the hypothesis that the other person just possibly might be right. Before rushing to judgment, we suspend our own argument, listen carefully, and watch for the outcome. 

1998, AAWS, Inc., Living Sober, pages 48-49 

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
OUR CHILDREN

The alcoholics may find it hard to re-establish 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

While on the road to recovery I received a gift that could not be purchased.  It was a card from my son in college, saying, "Dad, you can't imagine how glad I am that everything is okay.  Happy  Birthday, I love you."  My son had told me that he loved me before.  It had been during the previous Christmas holidays, when he had said to me, while crying, "Dad, I love you!  Can't you see what you're doing to yourself?"  I couldn't.  Choked with emotion, I had cried, but this time, when I received my son's card, my tears were of joy, not desperation.

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
The Fellowship's Future

"It seems proved that A.A. can stand on its own feet anywhere and under any conditions. It has outgrown any dependence it might once have had upon the personalities or efforts of a few of the older members like me. New, able, and vigorous people keep coming to the surface, turning up where they are needed. Besides, A.A. has reached enough spiritual maturity to know that its final dependence is upon God."
<<<>>>
Clearly, our first duty to A.A.'s future is to maintain in full strength what
we now have. Only the most vigilant caretaking can assure this. Never should we be lulled into complacent self-satisfaction by the wide acclaim and success that are everywhere ours. This is the subtle temptation which could render us stagnant today, perchance disintegrate us tomorrow. We have always rallied to meet and transcend failure and crisis. Problems have been our stimulants. How well, though, shall we be able to meet the problems of success?

1. LETTER, 1940 - 2. A.A. TODAY, p. 106
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
"Perhaps there is a better way--we think so. For we are now on a
different basis; the basis of trusting and relying upon God. We
trust infinite God rather than our finite selves. We are in the
world to play the role He assigns. Just to the extent that we do as
we think He would have us, and humbly rely on Him, does He enable us
to match calamity with serenity."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 68~
*~*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*~*
A.A. Thought for the Day

Continuing the consideration of the term "spiritual experience":
"The acquiring of an immediate and overwhelming God-consciousness,
resulting in a dramatic transformation, though frequent, is by no
means the rule. Most of our spiritual experiences Are of the
educational variety, and they develop slowly over a period of time.
Quite often friends of newcomers are aware of the difference long
before they are themselves. They finally realize that they have
undergone a profound alteration in their reaction to life and that
such a change could hardly have been brought about by themselves
alone." Is my outlook on life changing for the better?

Meditation for the Day

Look at the world as your Father's house. Think of all people you
meet as guests in your Father's house, to be treated with love and
consideration. Look at yourself as a servant in your Father's house,
as a servant of all. Think of no work as beneath you. Be ever ready
to do all you can for others who need your help. There is gladness
in God's service. There is much satisfaction in serving the highest
that you know. Express your love for God in service to all who are
living with you in your Father's house.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may serve others out of gratitude to God. I pray that
my work may be a small repayment for His grace so freely given me.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

---

Looking for simple solutions to your real-life financial challenges? Check out WalletPop for the latest news and information, tips and calculators.

--~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TransitionsDaily" group.
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to TransitionsDaily-unsubscribe@googlegroups.com
For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/TransitionsDaily?hl=en
To Subscribe
http://groups.google.com/group/TransitionsDaily/subscribe?hl=en
-~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---

Thoughts For The Day~*~Defects ^*^*^*^*^ September 25, 2008

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

"What we must recognize now is that we exult
in some of our defects.
We really love them.
Who, for example, doesn't like to feel just a little superior
to the next fellow, or even quite a lot superior?
Isn't it true that we like to let greed
masquerade as ambition?
To think of liking lust seems impossible.
But how many men and women speak love with their lips,
and believe what they say,
so that they can hide lust in a dark corner of their minds?
And even while staying within conventional bounds,
many people admit that their imaginary sex excursions
are apt to be all dressed up as dreams of romance."
c. 1952AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pp. 66-7
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . . 

If I want God to remove my character defects,
I'll have to stop doing them.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
T I M E =  Things I Must Earn

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

 

Common Denominators

From: "On the bridge back to life" 

As Bill read on [in: The Varieties of Religious Experience by William James], his own powers of reasoning helped him extract some important ideas from the weighty and intricate text. He saw that all the cases described by James had certain common denominators, despite the diverse ways in which they manifested themselves. These insights became important to Bill in his thinking about the plight of the alcoholic and his need for spiritual help. (He would later say that James, though long in his grave, had been a founder of Alcoholics Anonymous.) Of the three common denominators in the case histories, the first was calamity; each person James described had met utter defeat in some vital area of his life. All human resources had failed to solve his problems. Each person had been utterly desperate. 

The next common point was admission of defeat; each of the individuals acknowledged his own defeat as utter and absolute. 

The third common denominator was an appeal to a Higher Power. This cry for help could take many forms, and it might or might not be in religious terms. 

1984, AAWS, Inc., 'PASS IT ON' - The story of Bill Wilson and how the AA message reached the world, pages 124-125

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
FIRST THINGS FIRST

Some of us have taken very hard knocks to learn this truth: Job or no job - wife or no wife - we simply do not stop drinking so long as we place dependence upon other people ahead of dependence on God.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 98

Before coming to A.A., I always had excuses for taking a drink:  "She said. . .," "He said. . .," "I got fired yesterday,"  "I  got a great job today."  No area of my life could be good if I  drank again.   In sobriety my life gets better each day. I must always remember not to drink, to trust God, and to stay active in A.A.  Am I putting anything before my sobriety, God, and A.A.  today?

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Those Other People

"Just like you, I have often thought myself the victim of what other people say and do. Yet every time I confessed the sins of such people, especially those whose sins did not correspond exactly with my own, I found that I only increased the total damage. My own resentment, my self-pity would often render me well-nigh useless to anybody.
"So, nowadays, if anyone talks of me so as to hurt, I first ask myself if there is any truth at all in what they say. If there is none, I try to remember that I too have had my periods of speaking bitterly of others; that hurtful gossip is but a symptom of our remaining emotional illness; and consequently that I must never be angry at the unreasonableness of sick people.
"Under very trying conditions I have had, again and again, to forgive others - also myself. Have you recently tried this?"

LETTER, 1946
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
"...with the alcoholic, whose hope is the maintenance and growth of a
spiritual experience, this business of resentment is infinitely
grave. We found that it is fatal. For when harboring such feelings
we shut ourselves off from the sunlight of the Spirit. The insanity
of alcohol returns and we drink again. And with us, to drink is to
die."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 66~
~
*~*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*~*
A.A. Thought for the Day

Let us consider the term "spiritual experience" as given in Appendix II of the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous. "A spiritual experience is something that brings about a personality change. By surrendering our lives to God as we understand Him, we are changed. The nature of this change is evident in recovered alcoholics. This personality change is not necessarily in the nature of a sudden and spectacular upheaval. We do not need to acquire an immediate and overwhelming God consciousness, followed at once by a vast change in feeling and outlook. In most cases, the change is gradual." Do I see a gradual and continuing change in myself?

Meditation for the Day

"Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest." For rest from the care of life, you can turn to God each day in prayer and communion. Real relaxation and serenity come from a deep sense of the fundamental goodness of the universe. God's everlasting arms are underneath all and will support you. Commune with God, not so much for petitions to be granted as for the rest that comes from relying on His will and His purposes for your life. Be sure of God's strength available to you, be conscious of His support, and wait quietly until that true rest from God fills your being.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may be conscious of God's support today. I pray that I may rest safe and sure therein.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

---

Looking for simple solutions to your real-life financial challenges? Check out WalletPop for the latest news and information, tips and calculators.

--~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TransitionsDaily" group.
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to TransitionsDaily-unsubscribe@googlegroups.com
For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/TransitionsDaily?hl=en
To Subscribe
http://groups.google.com/group/TransitionsDaily/subscribe?hl=en
-~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---

Thoughts For The Day~*~Willingness ^*^*^*^*^ September 24, 2008

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

Willingness

"My friend suggested what then seemed a novel idea.
He said, 'Why don't you choose your own
conception of God?'
That statement hit me hard.
It melted the icy intellectual mountain in whose shadow
I had lived and shivered many years.
I stood in the sunlight at last.
It was only a matter of being willing to believe
in a Power greater than myself.
Nothing more was required of me to make my beginning."
c. 1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 12
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

The peaks and valleys of my life
have become gentle rolling hills.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
W H O = Willingness, Honesty, Openmindedness

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

 

Like a Crowbar

From: "Listening to the Wind" 

The Twelve Steps worked like a crowbar, prying into my dishonesty and fear. I didn't like the things I learned about myself, but I didn't want to go back where I had come from. I found out that there was no substance on the planet that could help me get honest. I would do just about anything to avoid working on myself. 

2001, AAWS, Inc., Alcoholics Anonymous, pages 467-468 

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
VIGILANCE

We have seen the truth demonstrated again and again: "Once an alcoholic, always an alcoholic." Commencing to drink after a period of sobriety, we are in a short time as bad as ever.  If we are planning to stop drinking, there must be no reservation of any kind, nor any lurking notion that someday we will be immune to alcohol.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 33

Today I am an alcoholic. Tomorrow will be no different.  My alcoholism lives within me now and forever. I must never forget what I am.  Alcohol will surely kill me if I fail to recognize and acknowledge my disease on a daily basis. I am not playing a game in which a loss is a temporary setback. I am dealing with my disease, for which there is no cure, only daily acceptance and vigilance.

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Behind Our Excuses

As excuse-makers and rationalizers, we drunks are champions. It is the business of the psychiatrist to find the deeper causes for our conduct. Though uninstructed in psychiatry, we can, after a little time in A.A., see that our motives have not been what we thought they were, and that we have been motivated by forces previously unknown to us. Therefore we ought to look, with the deepest respect, interest, and profit, upon the example set us by psychiatry.

<<<>>>

"Spiritual growth through the practice of A.A.'s Twelve Steps, plus the aid of a good sponsor, can usually reveal most of the deeper reasons for our character defects, at least to a degree that meets our practical needs. Nevertheless, we should be grateful that our friends in psychiatry have so strongly emphasized the necessity to search for false and often unconscious motivations."

1. A.A. COMES OF AGE, p. 236 - 2. LETTER, 1966
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
"We usually conclude the period of meditation with a prayer that we
be shown all through the day what our next step is to be, that we be
given whatever we need to take care of such problems. We ask
especially for freedom from self-will, and are careful to make no
request for ourselves only. We may ask for ourselves, however, if
others will be helped. We are careful never to pray for our own
selfish ends. Many of us have wasted a lot of time doing that and it
doesn't work."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 87~
*~*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*~*
A.A. Thought for the Day

Let us continue with Step Twelve. We must practice these principles in all our affairs. This part of the twelfth step must not be overlooked. It is the carrying on of the whole program. We do not just practice these principles in regard to our drinking problem. We practice them in all our affairs. We do not give one compartment of our lives to God and keep the other compartments to ourselves. We give our whole lives to God and we try to do His will in every respect. "Herein lies our growth, herein lies all the promise of the future, an ever-widening horizon." Do I carry the AA. principles with me wherever I go?

Meditation for the Day

"Lord, to whom shall we go but to Thee? Thou hast the words of eternal life." The words of eternal life are the words from God controlling your true being, controlling the real spiritual you. They are the words from God which are heard by you in your heart and mind when these are wide open to His spirit. These are the words of eternal life which express the true way you are to live. They say to you in the stillness of your heart and mind and soul: "Do this and live."

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may follow the dictates of my conscience. I pray that I may follow the inner urging of my soul.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

---

Looking for simple solutions to your real-life financial challenges? Check out WalletPop for the latest news and information, tips and calculators.

--~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TransitionsDaily" group.
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to TransitionsDaily-unsubscribe@googlegroups.com
For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/TransitionsDaily?hl=en
To Subscribe
http://groups.google.com/group/TransitionsDaily/subscribe?hl=en
-~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---