Thoughts For The Day~*~Love ^*^*^ July 17, 2010

 ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
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Love
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"For me, AA is a synthesis of all the philosophy
I've ever read,
all of the positive, good philosophy,
all of it based on love.  
I have seen that there is only one law,
the law of love,
and there are only two sins;
the first is to interfere with the growth
of another human being,
and the second is to interfere with one's own growth."
1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 542
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Thought to Consider . . .

When we love,
we see in others what we wish to have in ourselves.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
H A L T  =  Hope, Acceptance, Love, Tolerance

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

Pass It On

From: "Preface"

"I'll never forget the first time I met Bill Wilson. I was a couple of months sober and so excited, so thrilled to actually meet the co-founder that I gushed all over him with what my sobriety meant to me and my undying gratitude for his starting A.A. When I ran down, he took my hand in his and said simply, Pass it on.

1984, AAWS, Inc., 'Pass It On,' page 7

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
SURRENDER AND SELF-EXAMINATION

        My stability came out of trying to give, not out of demanding that I receive. Thus I think it can work out with emotional sobriety. If we examine every disturbance we have, great or small, we will find at the root of it some unhealthy dependency and its consequent unhealthy demand. Let us, with God's help, continually surrender these hobbling demands. Then we can be set free to live and love; we may then be able to Twelfth Step ourselves and others into emotional sobriety.

THE LANGUAGE OF THE HEART, p. 238

Years of dependency on alcohol as a chemical mood-changer deprived me of the capability to interact emotionally with my fellows.  I thought I had to be self-sufficient, self-reliant, and self-motivated in a world of unreliable people.  Finally I lost my self-respect and was left with dependency, lacking any ability to trust myself or to believe in anything. Surrender and self-examination while sharing with newcomers helped me to ask humbly for help.
Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Tell The Public

"A.A.'s of worldly prominence sometimes say, 'If I tell the public that I am in Alcoholics Anonymous, then that will bring in many others.'
Thus they express the belief that our anonymity Tradition is wrong -- at least for them. "They forget that, during their drinking days, prestige and the achievement of worldly ambition were their principal aims. They do not realize that, by breaking anonymity, they are unconsciously pursuing those old and perilous illusions once more. They forget that the keeping of one's anonymity often means a sacrifice of one's desire for power, prestige, and money. They do not see that if these strivings became general in A.A., the course of our whole history would be changed; that we would be sowing the seeds of our own destruction as a society. "Yet I can happily report that while many of us are tempted -- and I have been one -- few of us in America
actually break our anonymity at the public-media level."

LETTER, 1958

"A clear light seems to fall upon us all--when we open our eyes. Since our blindness is caused by our own defects, we must first deeply realize what they are. Constructive meditation is the first requirement for each new step in our spiritual growth"

Letter, 1946
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
"We never apologize to anyone for depending upon our Creator. We can
laugh at those who think spirituality the way of weakness.
Paradoxically, it is the way of strength. The verdict of the ages is
that faith means courage. All men of faith have courage. They trust
their God. We never apologize for God. Instead we let Him
demonstrate, through us, what He can do. We ask Him to remove our
fear and direct our attention to what He would have us be. At once,
we commence to outgrow fear."

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

Gossip about or criticism of personalities has no place in an A.A. clubroom. Every man in A.A. is a brother and every woman is a sister, as long as he or she is a member of A.A. We ought not to gossip about the relationships of any man or woman in the group. And if we say about another member, "I think she or he is taking a few drinks on the side," it's the worst thing we could do to that person. If a woman or a man is not living up to A.A. principles or has a slip, it's up to her or him to stand up in a meeting and say so. If they don't do that, they are only hur ting themselves. Do I talk about other members behind their backs?

Meditation for the Day

To God, a miracle of change in a person's life is only a natural happening. But it is a natural happening operated by spiritual forces. There is no miracle in personalities too marvelous to be an everyday happening. But miracles happen only to those who are fully guided and strengthened by God. Marvelous changes in people's natures happen so simply, and yet they are free from all other agencies than the grace of God. But these miracles have been prepared for by days and months of longing for something better. They are always accompanied by a real desire to conquer self and to surrender one's life to God.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may expect miracles in the lives of people. I pray that I may be used to help people change.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

Thoughts For The Day~*~Selfishness ^*^*^ July 16, 2010

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
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Selfishness
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"So our troubles, we think, are basically of our own making.
They arise out of ourselves,
and the alcoholic is an extreme example of self-will run riot,
though he usually doesn't think so.
Above everything, we alcoholics
must be rid of this selfishness.
We must, or it kills us!
God makes that possible . . .
We had to have God's help." 
1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 62
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Thought to Consider . . .

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

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
P R I D E  =  Pretty Ridiculous Individual Directing Everything

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

Peace of Mind

from: "Freedom from Bondage"

"A.A. has taught me that I will have peace of mind in exact proportion to the peace of mind I bring into the lives of other people, and it has taught me the true meaning of the admonition happy are ye who know these things and do them. For the only problems I have now are those I create when I break out in a rash of self-will."

2001, AAWS, Inc., Alcoholics Anonymous, pages 550-551

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

"A MEASURE OF HUMILITY"

In every case, pain had been the price of admission into a new life.  But this admission price had purchased more than we expected.  It brought a measure of humility, which we soon discovered to be a healer of pain.         

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 75


It was painful to give up trying to control my life, even though success eluded me, and when life got too rough, I drank to escape.  Accepting life on life's terms will be mastered through the humility I experience when I turn my will and my life over to the care of God, as I understand Him. With my life in God's care, fear, uncertainty, and anger are no longer my response to those portions of life that I would rather not have happen to me. The pain of  living through these times will be healed by the knowledge that I have received the spiritual strength to survive.
Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Where Rationalizing Leads*


"You know what our genius for rationalization is. If, to ourselves, we fully justify one slip, then our rationalizing propensities are almost sure to justify another one, perhaps with a different set of excuses. But one justification leads to another and presently we are back on the bottle full-time." Experience shows, all too often, that even the "controlled" pill-taker may get out of control. The same crazy rationalizations that once characterized his drinking begin to blight his existence. He thinks that if pills can cure insomnia so may they cure his worry. Our friends the doctors are seldom directly to blame for the dire results we so often experience. It is much too easy for alcoholics to buy these dangerous drugs, and once possessed of them the drinker is often likely to use them without any judgment whatever.

1. LETTER, 1959 - 2. GRAPEVINE, NOVEMBER 1945
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
"One of the many doctors who had the opportunity of reading this
book in manuscript form told us that the use of sweets was often
helpful, of course depending upon a doctor's advice. He thought all
alcoholics should constantly have chocolate available for its quick
energy value at times of fatigue. He added that occasionally in the
night a vague craving arose which would be satisfied by candy. Many
of us have noticed a tendency to eat sweets and have found this
practice beneficial."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, The Family Afterward, pg. 133~
*~*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*~*
A.A. Thought For The Day

We can believe that God is in His heaven and that He has a purpose for our lives, which will eventually work out as long as we try to live the way we believe He wants us to live.  It has been said that we should "wear the world like a loose garment."  That means nothing should seriously upset us because we have a deep, abiding faith that God will always take care of us.   To us that means not to be too upset by the surface wrongness of things, but to feel deeply secure in the fundamental goodness and purpose in the universe.  Do I feel deeply secure?

Meditation For The Day

Like the shadow of a great rock in a desert land, God is your refuge from the ills of life.  The old hymn says:  "Rock of ages cleft for me, let me hide myself in Thee."  God can be your shelter from the storm. God's power can protect you from every temptation and defeat.   Try to feel His divine power--call on it--accept it--and use it.   Armed with that power, you can face anything.   Each day, seek safety in God's secret place, in communion with Him.   You cannot be wholly touched or seriously harmed there. God can be your refuge.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that I may find a haven in the thought of God.   I pray that I may abide in that Strong Tower, strongly guarded.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

Thoughts For The Day~*~Paradox ^*^*^ July 15, 2010

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
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Paradox
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"We Give Away to Keep.
That seems absurd and untrue.
How can you keep anything if you give it away?
But in order to keep whatever it is we get in AA,
we must go about giving it away to others,
for no fees or rewards of any kind.
When we cannot afford to give away what we have
received so freely in AA,
we had better get ready for our next 'drunk.'
It will happen every time.
We've got to continue to give it away in order to keep it." 
- The Professor and the Paradox
1955AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous (2nd Ed.), pp. 341-2
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Thought to Consider . . .

"We are not living just to be sober;
we are living to learn, to serve, and to love."
As Bill Sees It, p. 94

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

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

Attraction

Tradition Eleven: Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion; we need always maintain personal anonymity at the level of press, radio, and films.

"Let's see how these two contrasting ideas - attraction and promotion - work out. A political party wishes to win an election, so it advertises the virtues of its leadership to draw votes. A worthy charity wants to raise money; forthwith, its letterhead shows the name of every distinguished person whose support can be obtained. Much of the political, economic, and religious life of the world is dependent upon publicized leadership. People who symbolize causes and ideas fill a deep human need. We of A.A. do not question that. But we do have to soberly face the fact that being in the public eye is hazardous, especially for us. By temperament, nearly every one of us had been an irrepressible promoter, and the prospect of a society composed almost entirely of promoters was frightening. Considering this explosive factor, we knew we had to exercise self-restraint."

1981, AAWS, Inc., Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, page 181

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
PRIDE

For thousands of years we have been demanding 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. Never was there enough of  what we thought  we wanted.

In all these strivings, so many of them well-intentioned, our crippling handicap had been our lack of humility. We had lacked  the perspective to see that character-building and spiritual  values had to come first, and that material satisfactions were not the purpose of living.          

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 71

Time and again I approached the Seventh Step, only to fall back and regroup. Something was missing and the impact of the Step escaped me. What had I overlooked?  A single word: read but ignored, the foundation of all the Steps, indeed the entire Alcoholics Anonymous program - that word is "humbly".

I understood my shortcomings: I constantly put tasks off; I angered easily; I felt too much self-pity; and thought, why me?  Then I remembered, "Pride goeth before the fall," and I eliminated pride from
my life.
Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*~*
Antidote for Fear

When our failings generate fear, we then have soul-sickness. This sickness, in turn, generates still more character defects.
Unreasonable fear that our instincts will not be satisfied drives us to covet the possessions of others, to lust for sex and power, to become angry when our instinctive demands are threatened, to be envious when the ambitions of others seem to be realized while ours are not. We eat, drink, and grab for more of everything than we need, fearing we shall never have enough. And, with genuine alarm at the prospect of work, we stay lazy. We loaf and procrastinate, or at best work grudgingly and under half steam. These fears are the termites that ceaselessly devour the foundations of whatever sort of life we try to build.
<<<>>>
As faith grows, so does inner security. The vast underlying fear of
nothingness commences to subside. We of A.A. find that our basic antidote for fear is a spiritual awakening.

1. TWELVE AND TWELVE, P. 49 - 2. GRAPEVINE, JANUARY 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

After we had sobered up through the A.A. program, we gradually began to get a peace of mind and serenity which we never thought were possible. This peace of mind is based on a feeling that fundamentally all is well. That does not mean that all is well on the surface of things. Little things can keep going wrong and big things can keep on upsetting us. But deep down in our hearts we know that everything is eventually going to be all right, now that we are living sober lives. Have I achieved a deep down, inner calm?

Meditation for the Day

You are climbing up the ladder of life, which reaches into eternity. Would God plant your feet upon an in- secure ladder? Its supports may be out of sight, hid- den in secret places, but if God has asked you to step on and up firmly, then surely He has secured your ladder. Faith gives you the strength to climb steadily this ladder of life. You should leave your security to God and trust Him not to let you fall. He is there to give you all the power you need to keep on climbing.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may climb the ladder of life without fear. I pray that I may
progress steadily through the rest of my life with faith and confidence.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

Thoughts For The Day~*~Powerless ^*^*^July 14, 2010

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
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Powerless
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"I had no problem admitting I was powerless over alcohol,
and I certainly agreed that my life had become
unmanageable.
I had only to reflect on the contrast between the plans I made
so many years ago for my life with what really happened
to know I couldn't manage my life drunk or sober.
AA taught me that willingness to believe
was enough for a beginning." 
1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 550
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Thought to Consider . . .

Life didn't end when I got sober ... it started.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
A C T I O N  =  Any Change To Improve Our Natures

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

Like the Effect

from: "The Doctor's Opinion"

"Men and women drink essentially because they like the effect produced by alcohol. The sensation is so elusive that, while they admit it is injurious, they cannot after a time differentiate the true from the false. To them, their alcoholic life seems the only normal one. They are restless, irritable and discontented, unless they can again experience the sense of ease and comfort which comes at once by taking a few drinks - drinks which they see others taking with impunity. After they have succumbed to the desire again, as so many do, and the phenomenon of craving develops, they pass through the well-known stages of a spree, emerging remorseful, with a firm resolution not to drink again. This is repeated over and over, and unless this person can experience an entire psychic change there is very little hope of his recovery."

2001, AAWS, Inc., Alcoholics Anonymous, pages xxviii-xxix

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
A NOURISHING INGREDIENT

Where humility had formerly stood for a forced feeding on humble pie, it now begins to mean the nourishing ingredient which can give us serenity.       

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 74

How often do I focus on my problems and frustrations?  When I am having a "good day" these same problems shrink in importance and my preoccupation with them dwindles.  Wouldn't it be better if I could find a key to unlock the "magic" of my "good days" for use on the woes of my "bad days"?

I already have the solution! Instead of trying to run away from my pain and wish my problems away, I can pray for humility!  Humility will heal the pain.  Humility will take me out of myself.  Humility, that strength granted to me by that "power greater than myself," is mine for the asking!  Humility will bring balance back into my life.  Humility will allow me to accept my humanness joyously.

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
The Language of the Heart

Why, at this particular point in history, has God chosen to communicate His healing grace to so many of us? Every aspect of this global unfoldment can be related to a single crucial word. The word is communication among ourselves, with the world around us, and with God. From the beginning, communication in A.A. 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.

A.A. TODAY, PP. 7-8
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
He Sold Himself Short - But he found that there was a Higher Power which had more faith in him than he had in himself.   Thus, A.A. was born in Chicago. The day before I was due to go back to Chicago, a Wednesday and Dr. Bob's afternoon off, he had me down to the office and we spent three or four hours formally going through the Six-Step program as it was at that time.  The six
steps were:

1.   Complete deflation.
2.   Dependence and guidance from a Higher Power.
3.   Moral Inventory.
4.   Confession.
5.   Restitution.
6.   Continued work with other alcoholics.

2001, Alcoholics Anonymous, page 266

*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*

A.A. Thought For The Day

One of the best things about the A.A. program is the
peace of mind and serenity that it can bring us.   In our
drinking days, we had no piece off mind or serenity.  
We had the exact opposite, a kind of turmoil and that
"quiet desperation" we knew so well.  
The turmoil of our drinking days was caused partly by our physical suffering, the terrible hangovers, the cold sweats,
the shakes and the jitters.   But it was caused even more by our mental
suffering, the loneliness, the feeling of inferiority, the lying, the remorse that every alcoholic understands.  Have I achieved more peace of mind?

Meditation For The Day

Try to look for God's leading in all your personal relationships,
in all your dealings with other persons.   God will help you
to take care of all your relationships with people, if you are willing to let Him guide you. Rejoice that God can protect
you and keep you from temptation and failure. 
God can protect you in all situations during the day, if you
will rely on His strength and go forward.   You should feel that you
are entering upon the stage of success in the proper way of living.  
You should not doubt that better things are ahead for you.   Go
forward unafraid because you feel deeply safe under God's protection.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that God may protect and keep me as long as I try to serve  Him.   I pray that I may go forward today unafraid.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012