Thoughts For The Day~*~Destiny ^*^*^ September 12, 2009

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
^*^*^*^*^
(\    ~~  /)
(   \ (AA)/   )
(_   /AA\ _)
  /AA\
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Destiny
^*^*^
"Yes, we are again citizens of the world.
It is a distraught world, very tired, very uncertain.
It has worshipped its own self-sufficiency --
and that has failed.
We AA's are a people who once did that very thing.
That philosophy failed us too.
So perhaps, here and there, our example of recovery can help.
As individuals, we have a responsibility,
maybe a *double responsibility*.
It may be that we have a date with destiny."
Bill W., October 1944
1988AA Grapevine, The Language of the Heart, p. 100
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

What if I were caring rather than judgmental?

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
A A  =  Altruistic Action

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

Decisions

From: "Look Before You Leap" 

Wise men and women rightly give a top rating to the virtue of prudence. They know that without this all important attribute little wisdom is to be had. 

Mere “looking before we leap is not enough. If our looking is charged with fear, suspicion, or anger, we had better not have looked or acted at all.

 Letter, 1966 

We lose the fear of making decisions, great and small, as we realize that should our choice prove wrong we can, if we will, learn from the experience. Should our decision be the right one, we can thank God for giving us the courage and the grace that caused us so to act.

 Letter, 1966

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
I AM RESPONSIBLE

For the readiness to take the full consequences of our past acts, and to take responsibility for the well-being of others at the same time, is the very spirit of Step Nine.

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 87

In recovery, and through the help of Alcoholics Anonymous, I  learn that the very thing I fear is my freedom.  It comes from my tendency to recoil from taking responsibility for anything:  I deny, I ignore, I blame, I avoid.  Then one day, I look, I admit,  I accept.  The freedom, the healing and the recovery I experience is in the looking, admitting and accepting.  I learn to say, "Yes,  I am responsible."  When I can speak those words with honesty and sincerity, then I am free.

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Wider Understanding

To reach more alcoholics, understanding of A.A. and public good will towards A.A. must go on growing everywhere. We need to be on still better terms with medicine, religion, employers, governments, courts, prisons, mental hospitals, and all enterprises in the alcoholism field. We need the increasing good will of editors, writers, television and radio channels. These publicity outlets need to be opened ever wider.

<<<>>>

Nothing matters more to A.A.'s future welfare than the manner in which we use the colossus of modern communication. Used unselfishly and well, it can produce results surpassing our present imagination.
Should we handle this great instrument badly, we shall be shattered by the ego manifestations of our own people? Against this peril, A.A. members' anonymity before the general public is our shield and our buckler.

1. TWELVE CONCEPTS, p. 52 - 2. GRAPEVINE, NOVEMBER 1960
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"...we have ceased fighting anything or anyone, even alcohol."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 84~

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

"What draws newcomers to A.A. and gives them hope? They hear the
stories of men and women whose experiences tally with their own. The
expressions on the faces of the women, that undefinable something in
the eyes of the men, the stimulating atmosphere of the A.A. clubroom,
conspire to let them know that there is haven at last. The very
practical approach to their problems, the absence of intolerance of
any kind, the informality, the genuine democracy, the uncanny
understanding that these people in A.A. have is irresistible." Have
I found a real haven in A.A.?

Meditation for the Day

"If thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light." The
eye of the soul is the will. if your will is to do the will of God,
to serve Him with your life, to serve Him by helping others, then
truly shall your whole body be full of light. The important thing is
to strive to attune your will to the will of God, a single eye to
God's purpose, desiring nothing less than that His purposes be
fulfilled. Try to seek in all things the advance of His kingdom,
seek the spiritual values of honesty and purity, unselfishness and
love, and earnestly desire spiritual growth. Then your life will
emerge from the darkness of futility into the light of victory.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that my eye may be single. I pray that my life may be lived
in the light of the best that I know.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

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Thoughts For The Day~*~Diagnosis ^*^*^ September 11, 2009

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
^*^*^*^*^
(\    ~~  /)
(   \ (AA)/   )
(_   /AA\ _)
  /AA\
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Diagnosis
^*^*^
"We do not like to pronounce any individual as alcoholic,
but you can quickly diagnose yourself.
Step over to the nearest barroom
and try some controlled drinking.
Try a drink and stop abruptly.  Try it more than once.
It will not take long for you to decide,
if you are honest with yourself about it.
It may be worth a case of the jitters if you get a
full knowledge of your condition."
c. 1976, Alcoholics Anonymous, pp. 31-2
^*^*^*^*^
Thought to Consider . . .
I have learned that I did not get here a day early
or a drink short.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
Y A N A  =  You Are Not Alone

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

Keep Things Simple

From: "Concept XII" 

But when it comes to the actual spending of cash, particularly for A.A. service overhead, many of us are apt to turn a bit reluctant. We think of the loss of all that earning power in our drinking years, of those sums we might have laid by for emergencies or for education of the kids. We find, too, that when we drop money in the meeting hat there is no such bang as when we talk for hours to a newcomer. There is not much romance in paying the landlord. Sometimes we hold off when we are asked to meet area or Intergroup service expenses. As to world services, we may remark,  Well, those activities are a long way off, and our group does not really need them. Maybe nobody needs them.  These are very natural and understandable reactions, easy to justify. We can say, "Let's not spoil A.A. with money and service organization. Let's separate the material from the spiritual. That will really keep things simple. 

Bill W.

1962, AAWS, Inc., Twelve Concepts for World Service, page 65 

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
MAKING AMENDS

Above all, we should try to be absolutely sure that we are not delaying because we are afraid.

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS,  p. 87

To have courage, to be unafraid, are gifts of my recovery.  They empower me to ask for help and to go forth in making my amends with a sense of dignity and humility.  Making amends may require a certain amount of honesty that I feel I lack, yet with the help of God and the wisdom of others, I can reach within and find the strength to act.  My amends may be accepted, or they may not, but after they are completed I can walk with a sense of freedom and know that, for today, I am responsible.

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Satisfactions of Right Living

How wonderful is the feeling that we do not have to be specially
distinguished among our fellows in order to be useful and profoundly happy.  Not many of us can be leaders of prominence, nor do we wish to be.
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 fact that in God's sight all human beings are important, the proof that love freely given brings a full return, the certainty that we are no longer isolated and alone in self-constructed prisons, the surety that we can fit and belong in God's scheme of things - these are the satisfactions of right living for which no pomp and circumstance, no heap of material possessions, could possibly be substitutes.

TWELVE AND TWELVE, p. 124
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"Outsiders are sometimes shocked when we burst into merriment over a
seemingly tragic experience out of the past. But why shouldn't we
laugh? We have recovered, and have been given the power to help others."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, The Family Afterward, pg. 132~

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

Continuing the answers to the question of how a person can live
without liquor and be happy, we say: "You will be bound to the other
A.A.s with new and wonderful ties, for you and they will escape
disaster together and all will commence shoulder to shoulder the
common journey to a better and more satisfactory life. You will know
what it means to give of yourself that others may survive and
rediscover life. You will become happy, respected, and useful once
more. Since these things have happened to us, they can happen to
you." Have these things happened to me?

Meditation for the Day

God manifests Himself in human lives as strength to overcome evil
and power to resist temptation. The grace of God is that power which
enables a human being to change from a useless, hopeless individual
to a useful, normal person. God also manifests Himself as love-love
for other people, compassion for their problems, and a real
willingness to help them. The grace of God also manifests itself as
peace of mind and serenity of character. We can have plenty of power,
love, and serenity in our lives if we are willing to ask God for
these things each day.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may see God's grace in the strength I receive, the love
I know, and the peace I have. I pray that I may be grateful for the
things I have received through the grace of God.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

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Thoughts For The Day~*~Surrender ^*^*^ September 10, 2009

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
^*^*^*^*^
(\    ~~  /)
(   \ (AA)/   )
(_   /AA\ _)
  /AA\
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Surrender
^*^*^
"There are two things I've learned from this program.
First, to surrender completely.
I was fighting a losing battle with the bottle.
I gave up, and through defeat, I won.
Second, to change myself, because the world isn't
going to change to suit 'poor little old me.'
It's just this simple -- whatever it is in me
that led me down the alcoholic road to misery,
I no longer want any part of it."
c.1976, AA for the Woman  (AA Pamphlet P-5), p. 17

^*^*^*^*^
Thought to Consider . . .

Take a walk with God.
He will meet you at the Steps.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
A S A P  =  Always Say A Prayer

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

What I've Learned

From: "Building a New Life" 

There have been some hard times too during these years of sobriety. When I was five years sober, the daughter who drove me to the treatment program and helped me get admitted disappeared. My AA friends helped me search for her, but she has never been found. Her mother and I raised her three daughters. I did not have to take a drink. I went to lots of meetings to relieve the pain. When I lost a second daughter to cancer a few years ago, I did the same thing. 

What I've learned is that it doesn't matter what hardships and losses I've endured in sobriety, I have not had to go back to drinking. As long as I work the program, keep being of service, go to meetings, and keep my spiritual life together, I can live a decent life. 

2001, AAWS, Inc., Alcoholics Anonymous, page 485

 

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
RECOVERY BY PROXY?

They [the Promises] will always materialize if we work for them.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS  p. 84

Sometimes I think: "Making these amends is going too far!  No one should have to humble himself like that!"  However, it is this very humbling of myself that brings me that much closer to the sunlight of the spirit.  A.A. is the only hope I have if I am to continue healing and gain a life of happiness, friendship and harmony.

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
"Look Before You Leap"?

"Wise men and women rightly give a top rating to the virtue of prudence. They know that without this all important attribute little wisdom is to be had.
"Mere 'looking before we leap' is not enough. If our looking is charged with fear, suspicion, or anger, we had better not have looked or acted at all."

<<<>>>

"We lose the fear of making decisions, great and small, as we realize that should our choice prove wrong we can, if we will, learn from the experience. Should our decision be the right one, we can thank God for giving us the courage and the grace that caused us so to act."

LETTER, 1966
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"To sum up about sex: We earnestly pray for the right ideal, for
guidance in each questionable situation, for sanity, and for the
strength to do the right thing. If sex is very troublesome, we throw
ourselves the harder into helping others. We think of their needs
and work for them. This takes us out of ourselves. It quiets the
imperious urge, when to yield would mean heartache."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 70~


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

Here are answers to the question of how a person can live without liquor and be happy: "The things we put in place of drinking are more than substitutes for it. One is the fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous. In this company, you find release from care, boredom, and worry. Your imagination will be fired. Life will mean something at last. The most satisfactory years of your existence lie ahead. Among other A.A.s you win make lifelong friends. You will be bound to them with new and wonderful ties." Does life mean something to me now?

Meditation for the Day

Do you want the full and complete satisfaction that you find in serving God and all the satisfactions of the world also? it is not easy to serve both God and the world. It is difficult to claim the rewards of both. If you work for God, you will still have great rewards in the world. But you must be prepared to sometimes stand apart from the world. You cannot always turn to the world and expect all the rewards that life has to offer. If you are trying sincerely to serve God, you will have other and greater rewards than the world has to offer.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may not expect too much from the world. I pray that I may also be content with the rewards that come from serving God.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

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Thoughts For The Day~*~Delusion ^*^*^ September 9, 2009

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

Delusion
^*^*^
"We learned that we had to fully concede
to our innermost selves that we were alcoholics.
This is the first step in recovery.
The delusion that we were like other people,
or presently may be, has to be smashed."
1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 17

^*^*^*^*^
Thought to Consider . . .

There is no such thing as being 'a little bit alcoholic.'

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
D E N I A L  =  Don't Even Notice I Am Lying

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

Condemn

Tradition Three: The only requirement for A.A. membership is a desire to stop drinking.  

Why did A.A. finally drop all its membership regulations? Why did we leave it to each newcomer to decide himself whether he was an alcoholic and whether he should join us? Why did we dare say, contrary to the experience of society and government everywhere, that we would neither punish nor deprive any A.A. of membership, believe anything, or conform to anything? 

The answer, now seen in Tradition Three, was simplicity itself. At last experience taught us that to take away any alcoholic's full chance 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? 

1981, AAWS, Inc., Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, page 141

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
OPENING NEW DOORS

They [ the Promises] are being fulfilled among us
- sometimes quickly,
sometimes slowly.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 84

The Promises talked about in this passage are slowly coming to life
for me. What has given me hope is putting Step Nine into action. The
Step has allowed me to see and set goals for myself in recovery.
Old habits and behaviors die hard. Working Step Nine enables me to
close the door on the drunk I was, and to open new avenues for myself
as a sober alcoholic. Making direct amends is crucial for me. As I
repair relationships and behavior of the past, I am better able to
live a sober life! Although I have some years of sobriety, there are times when the "old stuff" from the past needs to be taken care of, and Step Nine always works, when I work it.

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Alone No More

Alcoholism was a lonely business, even though we were surrounded by people who loved us. But when our self-will had driven everybody away and our isolation became complete, we commenced to play the big shot in cheap barrooms. Failing even in this, we had to fare forth alone on the street to depend upon the charity of passers-by.
We were trying to find emotional security either by dominating or by being dependent upon others. Even when our fortunes had not totally ebbed, we nevertheless found ourselves alone in the world. We still vainly tried to be secure by some unhealthy sort of domination or dependence. For those of us who were like that, A.A. has a very special meaning. In this Fellowship we begin to learn right relations with people who understand us; we don't have to be alone any more.

TWELVE AND TWELVE, pp. 116-117
*~*~*~*~*^ 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

When alcoholics are offered a life of sobriety by following the A.A.
program, they will look at the prospect of living without alcohol and
they will ask. "Am I to be consigned to a life where I shall be stupid,
boring and glum, like some of the righteous people I see? I know I
must get along without liquor, but how can I? Have you a sufficient
substitute?" Have I found a more than sufficient substitute for
drinking?

Meditation for the Day

In God's strength you conquer life. Your conquering power is the grace
of God. There can be no complete failure with God. Do you want to make the best of life? Then live as near as possible to God, the Master and
Giver of all life. Your reward for depending on God's strength will be
sure. Sometimes the reward will be renewed power to face life,
sometimes wrong thinking overcome, sometimes people brought to a new way of living. Whatever success comes will not be all your own doing, but largely the working out of the grace of God.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may try to rely more fully on the grace of God. I pray
that I may live a victorious life.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

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