Saturday, January 23, 2010

Thoughts For The Day~*~Tolerance^*^*^*^*^ January 23, 2010

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
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Tolerance

Finally, we begin to see that all people,
including ourselves,
are to some extent emotionally ill
as well as frequently wrong,
and then we approach true tolerance
and see what real love for our fellows actually means.  
It will become more and more evident as we go forward
that it is pointless to become angry,
or to get hurt by people who, like us,
are suffering from the pains of growing up.

c. 1952 AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions,  p. 92
^*^*^*^*^


Thought to Consider . . .

Honesty gets us sober, tolerance keeps us sober.


*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
P U T = Patience, Understanding, Tolerance

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

Involvement
From "The Keys of the Kingdom":

"A complete change takes place in our approach to life. Where we used to run from responsibility, we find ourselves accepting it with gratitude that we can successfully shoulder it. Instead of wanting to escape some perplexing problem, we experience the thrill of challenge in the opportunity it affords for another application of A.A. techniques, and we find ourselves tackling it with surprising vigor."

2001 AAWS, Inc., Fourth Edition; Alcoholics Anonymous, pgs. 275-76

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
HAVING FUN YET?

.  .  .  we aren't a glum lot. If newcomers could see no joy or fun in our existence, they wouldn't want it.  We absolutely insist on enjoying life.  We try not to indulge in cynicism over the state of the nations, nor do we carry the world's troubles on our shoulders.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p.  132

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.  I think the pain I experience is one way my Higher Power has to get my attention, coaxing me to take stock of my performance.  The slight time and effort it takes to work the program --  spot-check inventory, for example, or the making of amends, whatever is appropriate-are well worth the effort.

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

We found that we had indeed been worshipers. What a state of mental goose flesh that used to bring on! Had we not variously worshiped people, sentiment, things, money, and ourselves?
And then, with a better motive, had we not worshipfully beheld the sunset, the sea, or a flower? Who of us had not loved something or somebody? Were not these things the tissue out of which our lives were constructed? Did not these feelings, after all, determine the course of our existence?
It was impossible to say we had no capacity for faith, or love, or worship. In one form or another, we had been living by faith and little else.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 54
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"Most alcoholics owe money. We do not dodge our creditors. Telling
them what we are trying to do, we make no bones about our drinking;
they usually know it anyway, whether we think so or not. Nor are we
afraid of disclosing our alcoholism on the theory it may cause
financial harm. Approached in this way, the most ruthless creditor
will sometimes surprise us. Arranging the best deal we can we let
these people know we are sorry. Our drinking has made us slow to
pay.
We must lose our fear of creditors no matter how far we have to go,
for we are liable to drink if we are afraid to face them."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 78~
*~*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*~*
A.A. Thought for the Day


Alcoholics are people whose drinking got them into a "blind alley." They haven't been able to learn anything from their drinking experiences. They are always making the same mistakes and suffering the same consequences over and over again. They refuse to admit they're alcoholic. They still think they can handle the stuff. They won't swallow their pride and admit that they're different from ordinary drinkers. They won't face the fact that they must spend the rest of their lives without liquor. They can't visualize life without ever taking a drink. Am I out of this blind alley?

Meditation for the Day

I believe that God has all power. It is His to give and His to withhold. But lie will not withhold it from the person who dwells near Him, because then it passes insensibly from God to that person. It is breathed in by the person who lives in God's presence. I will learn to live in God's presence and then I will have those things which I desire of Him: strength, power, and joy. God's power is available to all who need it and are willing to accept it.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may get myself out of the way, so that God's power may flow in. I pray that I may surrender myself to that power.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

Friday, January 22, 2010

Thoughts For The Day~*~Vigilance^*^*^*^*^ January 22, 2010

 
~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
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Vigilance

Deliver us from temptation
must continue to be a prime ingredient of our every
attitude, practice, and prayer.
When things go well, we must never fall into the error
of believing that no great ill can possibly befall us.
Nor should we accuse ourselves of
"negative thinking" when we insist on facing
the destructive forces in and around us,
both realistically and effectively.
Vigilance will always be the price of survival.

Bill W., November 1960
c. 1988 AAGrapevine, The Language of the Heart, pp. 316-17
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

Adversity introduces us to ourselves


*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*

P E A C E  =  Providing Experienced Attitude Changes Every day.

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

Bottoms
Step Two: Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.

"Why all this insistence that every A.A. must hit bottom first? The answer is that few people will sincerely try to practice the A.A. program unless they have hit bottom. For practicing A.A.'s remaining eleven Steps means the adoption of attitudes and actions that almost no alcoholic who is still drinking can dream of taking. Who wishes to be rigorously honest and tolerant? Who wants to confess his faults to another and make restitution for harm done? Who cares anything about a Higher Power, let alone meditation and prayer?"

1952, AAWS, Inc.; Printed 2005; Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pg. 24

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
"LET'S KEEP IT SIMPLE"

A few hours later I took my leave of Dr.  Bob...  The wonderful, old, broad smile was on his face as he said almost jokingly, "Remember, Bill, let's not louse this thing up.  Let's keep it simple!'' I turned away, unable to say a word.  That was the last time I ever saw him.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS COMES OF AGE, p.  214

After years of sobriety I occasionally ask myself  "Can it be this simple?"  Then, at meetings, I see former cynics and skeptics who have walked the A.A.  path out of hell by packaging their lives, without alcohol, into twenty-four hour segments, during which they practice a few principles to the best of their individual abilities.  And then I know again that, while it isn't always easy, if I keep it simple, it works.

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
*
~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Fear as a Steppingstone

The chief activator of our defects has been self-centered fear - primarily fear that we would lose something we already possessed or would fail to get something we demanded. Living upon a basis of unsatisfied demands, we were in a state of continual disturbance and frustration. Therefore, no peace was to be had unless we could find a means of reducing these demands.

<<<>>>

For all its usual destructiveness, we have found that fear can be the starting point for better things. Fear can be a steppingstone to prudence and to a decent respect for others. It can point the path to justice, as well as to hate. And the more we have of respect and justice, the more we shall begin to find the love which can suffer much, and yet be freely given. So fear need not always be destructive, because the lessons of its consequences can lead us to positive values.

1. TWELVE AND TWELVE, p. 76 - 2. GRAPEVINE, JANUARY 1962
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"Another principle we observe carefully is that we do not relate
intimate experiences of another person unless we are sure he would
approve. We find it better, when possible, to stick to our own
stories. A man may criticize or laugh at himself and it will affect
others favorably, but criticism or ridicule coming from another often
produces the contrary effect."

Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, The Family Afterward, pg. 125
*~*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*~*
A.A. Thought for the Day

In the beginning, you want to get sober, but you're helpless, so you turn to a Power greater than yourself and by trusting in that Power, you get the strength to stop drinking. From then on, you want to keep sober, and that's a matter of reeducating your mind. After a while, you get so that you really enjoy simple, healthy, normal living. You really get a kick out of life without the artificial stimulus of alcohol. All you have to do is to look around at the members of any A.A. group and you will see how their outlook has changed. Is my outlook on life changing?
Meditation for the Day

I will never forget to say thank you to God, even on the grayest days. My attitude will be one of humility and gratitude. Saying thank you to God is a daily practice that is absolutely necessary. If a day is not one of thankfulness, the practice has to be repeated until it becomes so. Gratitude is a necessity for those who seek to live a better life.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that gratitude will bring humility. I pray that humility will bring me to live a better, life.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Thoughts For The Day~*~Illusion^*^*^*^*^ January 21, 2010

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
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Illusion

No person likes to think he is bodily
and mentally different from his fellows.
Therefore, it is not surprising that our drinking careers
have been characterized by countless vain attempts
to prove we could drink like other people.
The idea that somehow, someday he will control
and enjoy his drinking is the great obsession
of every abnormal drinker.
The persistence of this illusion is astonishing.
Many pursue it into the gates of insanity or death.

c. 1976, 2001 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 30
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Thought to Consider . . . .

T
he two most dangerous words
in a recovering alcoholic's vocabulary are, 
"I'm different."


*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
A A  =  Absolute Abstinence

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

Experience
From "More about Alcoholism":

"To us it is not far-fetched, for this kind of thinking has been characteristic of every single one of us. There was always the curious mental phenomenon that parallel with our sound reasoning there inevitably ran some insanely trivial excuse for taking the first drink. Our sound reasoning failed to hold us in check. The insane idea won out. Next day we would ask ourselves, in all earnestness and sincerity, how it could have happened."

2001 AAWS, Inc., Fourth Edition; Alcoholics Anonymous, pg. 37,
*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*

SERVING MY BROTHER

The member talks to the newcomer not in a spirit of power but in a spirit of humility and weakness.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS COMES OF AGE p.  279

As the days pass in A.A., I ask God to guide my thoughts and the words that I speak.  In this labor of continuous participation in the Fellowship, I have numerous opportunities to speak.  So I frequently ask God to help me watch over my thoughts and my words, that they may be the true and proper reflections of our program; to focus my aspirations once again to seek His guidance; to help me be truly kind and loving, helpful and healing, yet always filled with humility, and free from any trace of arrogance.

Today I may very well have to deal with disagreeable attitudes or utterances -- the typical stock-in-trade attitude of the still-suffering alcoholic.  If this should happen, I will take a moment to center myself in God, so that I will be able to respond from a perspective of composure, strength and sensibility.

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

"Each of us in turn - that is, the member who gets the most out of the program - spends a very large amount of time on Twelfth Step work in the early years. That was my case, and perhaps I should not have stayed sober with less work.
"However, sooner or later most of us are presented with other obligations - to family, friends, and country. As you will remember, the Twelfth Step also refers to "'practicing these principles in all our affairs." Therefore, I think your choice of whether to take a particular Twelfth Step job is to be found in your own conscience. No one else can tell you for certain what you ought to do at a particular time.
"I just know that you are expected, at some point, to do more than carry the message of A.A. to other alcoholics. In A.A. we aim not only for sobriety - we try again to become citizens of the world that we rejected, and of the world that once rejected us. This is the ultimate demonstration toward which Twelfth Step work is the first but not the final step."

LETTER, 1959
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"'My old manner of life was by no means a bad one, but I would not
exchange its best moments for the worst I have now. I would not go
back to it even if I could.'"

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, More About Alcoholism, pg. 43~

"Our liquor was but a symptom."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 64~


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

To grasp the A.A. program, we have to think things out. Saint Paul said: "They are transformed by the renewing of their minds." We have to learn to think straight. We have to change from alcoholic thinking to sober thinking. We must build up a new way of looking at things. Before we came into A.A., we wanted an artificial life of excitement and everything that goes with drinking. That kind of a life looked normal to us then. But as we look back now, that life looks the exact opposite of normal. In fact, it looks most abnormal. We must reeducate our minds. Am I changing from an abnormal thinker to a normal thinker?

Meditation for the Day

I will take the most crowded day without fear. I believe that God is with me and controlling all. I will let confidence be the motif running through all the crowded day. I will not get worried, because I know that God is my helper. Underneath are the everlasting arms. I will rest in them, even though the day is full of things crowding in upon me.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may be calm and let nothing upset me. I pray that I may not let material things control me and choke out spiritual things.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Thoughts For The Day~*~Communication^*^*^*^*^ January 20, 2010

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
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Communication


From the beginning,
communication in AA has been
no ordinary transmission of helpful ideas and attitudes.
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.

c. 1967 AAWS, As Bill Sees It, p. 195
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Thought to C
onsider . . .

Listening feeds the spirit.


*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
C A R E  =  Comforting And Reassuring Each other

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

 
Obedience
Tradition One: Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends upon A.A. unity.

"Every newcomer, every friend who looks at A.A. for the first time is greatly puzzled. They see liberty verging on license, yet they recognize at once that A.A. has an irresistible strength of purpose and action....The A.A. member has to conform to the principles of recovery. His life depends upon obedience to spiritual principles."

1981, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pages 129-30

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
"WE PAUSE ...  AND ASK"

As we go through the day we pause, when agitated or doubtful and ask for the right thought or action.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p.  87

Today I humbly ask my Higher Power for the grace to find the space between my impulse and my action; to let flow a cooling breeze when I would respond with heat; to interrupt fierceness with gentle peace; to accept the moment which allows judgment to become discernment; to defer to silence when my tongue would rush to attack or defend.

I promise to watch for every opportunity to turn toward my Higher Power for guidance.  I know where this power is: it resides within me, as clear as a mountain brook, hidden in the hills -- it is the unsuspected Inner Resource.

I thank my Higher Power for this world of light and truth I see when I allow it to direct my vision.  I trust it today and hope it trusts me to make all effort to find the right thought or action today.

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
*
~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Light from a Prayer

"God grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, the courage to change the things we can, and the wisdom to know the difference."

<<<>>>

We treasure our "Serenity Prayer" because it brings a new light to us that can dissipate our oldtime and nearly fatal habit of fooling ourselves.
In the radiance of this prayer we see that defeat, rightly accepted, need be no disaster. We now know that we do not have to run away, nor ought we again try to overcome adversity by still another bulldozing power drive that can only push up obstacles before us faster than they can be taken down.

GRAPEVINE, MARCH 1962
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*


"If, when you honestly want to, you find you cannot quit entirely,
or if when drinking, you have little control over the amount you take,
you are probably alcoholic. If that be the case, you may be
suffering from an illness which only a spiritual experience will
conquer."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, We Agnostics, pg. 44~

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

In A.A. we're all through with lying, hangovers, remorse, and wasting money. When we were drinking, we were only half alive. Now that we're trying to live decent, honest, unselfish lives, we're really alive. Life has a new meaning for us, so that we can really enjoy it. We feel that we're some use in the world. We're on the right side of the fence, instead of on the wrong side. We can look the world in the face instead of hiding in alleys. We come into A.A. to get sober and if we stay long enough, we learn a new way of living. Am I convinced that no matter how much fun I got out of drinking, that life never was as good as the life I can build in A.A.?

Meditation for the Day

I want to be at one with the Divine Spirit of the universe. I will set my deepest affections on things spiritual, not on things material. As we think, so we are. So I will think of and desire that which will help, not hinder, my spiritual growth. I will try to be at one with God. No human aspiration can reach higher than this.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may think love, and love will surround me. I pray that I may think health, and health will come to me.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012