Thoughts For The Day~*~Debits ^*^*^*^*^ October 17, 2010

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
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Debits
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"As we glance down the debit side of the day's ledger,
we should carefully examine our motives
in each thought or act that appears to be wrong.
In most cases our motives won't be hard to see and understand.
When prideful, angry, jealous, anxious, or fearful,
we acted accordingly, and that was that.
Here we need only recognize that we did act or think badly,
try to visualize how we might have done better,
and resolve with God's help to carry these lessons over into tomorrow,
making, of course, any amends still neglected."
  c.1952AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 94
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Thought to Consider . . .

Life is too short to be small.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
H O W   N O W  =  Honest, Open-minded, Willing.   No Other Way!

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

Forgive Myself

From: "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 

1967, AAWS, Inc., As Bill Sees It, page 268
*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
A DAILY TUNE-UP

Every day is a day when we must carry the vision of God's will
into all of our activities.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 85

How do I maintain my spiritual condition? For me it's quite simple:
on a daily basis I ask my Higher Power to grant me the gift of
sobriety for that day! I have talked to many alcoholics who have
gone back to drinking and I always ask them: "Did you pray for
sobriety the day you took your first drink?" Not one of them said
yes. As I practice Step Ten and try to keep my house in order on
a daily basis, I have the knowledge that if I ask for a daily
reprieve, it will be granted.

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

Our attitude toward the giving of time when compared with our attitude toward giving money presents an interesting contrast. We give a lot of our time to A.A. activities for our own protection and growth, but also for the sake of our groups, our areas, A.A. as a whole, and, above all, the newcomer. Translated into terms of money, these collective sacrifices would add up to a huge sum.
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.
In recent years, this attitude is everywhere on the decline; it quickly disappears when the real need for a given A.A. service becomes clear. Donors can seldom see what the exact result has been. They well know, however, that countless thousands of other alcoholics and their families are being helped.

TWELVE CONCEPTS, pp. 64-65

*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
"Most of us have been unwilling to admit we were real alcoholics. 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."

©Alcoholics Anonymous 3rd Edition More About Alcoholism Page 30
*~*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*~*
A.A. Thought for the Day

What am I going to do today for A.A.? Is there someone I should
call up on the telephone or someone I should go to see? Is there
a letter I should write? Is there an opportunity somewhere to
advance the work of A.A. which I have been putting off or
neglecting? If so, will I do it today? Will I be done with
procrastination and do what I have to do today? Tomorrow may
be too late. How do I know there will be a tomorrow for me?
How about getting out of my easy chair and getting going? Do I
feel that A.A. depends partly on me today?

Meditation for the Day

Today look upward toward God, not downward toward yourself. Look
away from unpleasant surroundings, from lack of beauty, from the
imperfections in yourself and in those around you. In your
unrest, behold God's calmness; in your impatience, God's
patience; in your limitations, God's perfection. Looking upward
toward God, your spirit will begin to grow. Then others will
see something in you that they also want. As you grow in the
spiritual life, you will be enabled to do many things that
seemed too hard for you before.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may keep my eyes trained above the horizon of
myself. I pray that I may see infinite possibilities for
spiritual growth.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

Thoughts For The Day~*~Great Reality ^*^*^*^*^ October 16, 2010

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
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Great Reality
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"Deep down in every man, woman, and child,
is the fundamental idea of God.
It may be obscured by calamity, by pomp,
by worship of other things,
but in some form or other it is there.
For faith in a Power greater than ourselves,
and miraculous demonstrations of that power in human lives,
are facts as old as man himself.
 We finally saw that faith in some kind of God
was a part of our make-up,
just as much as the feeling we have for a friend.
Sometimes we had to search fearlessly,
but He was there.
He was as much a fact as we were.
We found the Great Reality deep down within us.
In the last analysis it is only there that He may be found.
It was so with us."
  c.1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 55
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Thought to Consider . . . 

God seldom becomes a reality until God becomes a necessity.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
P R O G R A M =  People Relying On God Relay A Message

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

Services

From: "AA's Legacy of Service" 

Our Twelfth Step - carrying the message - is the basic service that the A.A. Fellowship gives; this is our principal aim and the main reason for our existence. Therefore, A.A. is more than a set of principles; it is a society of alcoholics in action. We must carry the message, else we ourselves can wither and those who haven't been given the truth may die. 

Hence, an A.A. service is anything whatever that helps us to reach a fellow sufferer - ranging all the way from the Twelfth Step itself to a ten-cent phone call and a cup of coffee, and to A.A.'s General Service Office for national and international action. The sum total of all these services is our Third Legacy of Service. 

Services include meeting places, hospital cooperation, and intergroup offices; they mean pamphlets, books, and good publicity of almost every description. They call for committees, delegates, trustees, and conferences. And, not to be forgotten, they need voluntary money contributions from within the Fellowship.

[Bill W., 1951] 

2007, AAWS, Inc., AA Service Manual, page S1

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
THROUGHOUT EACH DAY

This is not an overnight matter. It should continue for our lifetime.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 84

During my early years in A.A. I saw Step Ten as a suggestion that
I periodically look at my behavior and reactions. If there was
something wrong, I should admit it; if an apology was necessary,
I should give one. After a few years of sobriety I felt I should
undertake a self-examination more frequently. Not until several
more years of sobriety had elapsed did I realize the full meaning
of Step Ten, and the word "continued." "Continued" does not mean
occasionally, or frequently. It means throughout each day.

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

Sometimes I would be forced to look at situations where I was doing badly. Right away, the search for excuses would become frantic.
"These," I would exclaim, "are really a good man's faults." When that pet gadget broke apart, I would think, "Well, if those people would only treat me right, I wouldn't have to behave the way I do." Next was this: "God well knows that I do have awful compulsions. 1 just can't get over this one. So He will have to release me." At last came the time when I would shout, "This, I positively will not do! I won't even try."
Of course, my conflicts went right on mounting, because I was simply loaded with excuses, refusals, and outright rebellion.

<<<>>>

In self-appraisal, what comes to us alone may be garbled by our own rationalization and wishful thinking. The benefit of talking to another person is that we can get his direct comment and counsel on our situation.

1. GRAPEVINE, JUNE 1961 - 2. TWELVE AND TWELVE, P. 60
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
"We feel that elimination of our drinking is but a beginning. A much
more important demonstration of our principles lies before us in our
respective homes, occupations and affairs."

Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, There Is A Solution, pg. 19
*~*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*~*
A.A. Thought for the Day

How seriously do I take my obligations to A.A.? Have I taken all
the good I can get out of it and then let my obligations slide? Or
do I constantly feel a deep sense of loyalty to the whole A.A.
movement? Am I not only grateful but also proud to be a part of
such a wonderful fellowship, which is doing such marvelous work
among alcoholics? Am I glad to be a part of the great work that
A.A. is doing and do I feel a deep obligation to carry on that
work at every opportunity? Do I feel that I owe A.A. my loyalty
and devotion?

Meditation for the Day

If your heart is right, your world will be right. The beginning of
all reform must be in yourself. It's not what happens to you, it's
how you take it. However restricted your circumstances, however
little you may be able to remedy financial affairs, you can always
turn to your inward self and, seeing something not in order there,
seek to right it. And as all reform is from within outward, you will
always find that the outward is improved as the inward is improved. 
As you improve yourself, your outward circumstances will change for
the better. The power released from within yourself will change your
outward life.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that the hidden power within me may be released. I pray that
I may not imprison the spirit that is within me.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

Thoughts For The Day^*^*^The Gift^*^*^*^*^ October 15, 2010

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

"Perhaps there is a better way -- we think so.
For we are now on a different 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."
    c.1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 68
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Thought to Consider . . .

What I am is God's gift to me.  
What I make of myself is my gift to Him.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
G I F T  =  God Is Forever There

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

Clothing Drop Box

From: "My Bottle, My Resentments and Me" 

By this time I was so wild-eyed and filthy, people would shy away from me. I hated the look of fear on their faces when they saw me. They looked at me as if I were not human, and maybe I wasn't. In one large city I took to sleeping on the grates with a piece of plastic over me so I wouldn't freeze. One night I found a clothing drop box I could get into; it made a nice warm place to sleep and I could get new clothes in the morning. In the middle of the night someone threw in more clothes. I opened the top, looked out and shouted, "Thanks!" That woman threw up her hands and ran away screaming, "Lordy, Lordy!" She jumped in her car and screeched off. 

2001, AAWS, Inc., Alcoholics Anonymous, page 441

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
MY CHECKLIST, NOT YOURS

Gossip barbed with our anger, a polite form of murder by character assassination, has its satisfactions for us, too.  Here we are not trying to help those we criticize; we are trying to proclaim our own righteousness.

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p.67

Sometimes I don't realize that I gossiped about someone until the end of the day, when I take an inventory of the day's activities, and then, my gossiping appears like a blemish in my beautiful day.  How could I have said something like that?  Gossip shows its ugly head during a coffee break or lunch with business associates, or I may gossip during the evening, when I'm tired from the day's activities, and feel justified in bolstering my ego at the expense of someone else.

Character defects like gossip sneak into my life when I am not making a constant effort to work the Twelve Steps of recovery.  I need to remind myself that my uniqueness is the blessing of my being, and that applies equally to everyone who crosses my path in life's journey. Today the only inventory I need to take is my own.  I'll leave judgement of others to the Final Judge -- Divine Providence.

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
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 liabilities.
Then we can be set free to live and love; we may then be able to twelfth-step ourselves, as well as others, into emotional sobriety.

GRAPEVINE, JANUARY 1958
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
"Once more: The alcoholic at certain times has no effective mental
defense against the first drink. Except in a few rare cases, neither
he nor any other human being can provide such a defense. His defense
must come from a Higher Power."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, More About Alcoholism, pg. 43~
*~*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*~*
A.A. Thought for the Day

Am I deeply grateful to A.A. for what it has done for me in
regaining my sobriety and opening up an entirely new life for me?
A.A. has made it possible for me to carry on other interests in
business and in various other associations with people. It has made
a full life possible for me. It would perhaps be wrong if all my
activities were limited to A.A. work. it has made a well-rounded
life possible for me in work, in play, and in hobbies of various
kinds. But will I desert A.A. because of this? Will I accept a
diploma and become a graduate of A.A.? Do I realize that I could
have nothing worthwhile without A.A.?

Meditation for the Day

There is only one way to get full satisfaction from life and that
is to live the way you believe God wants you to live. Live with God
in that secret place of the spirit and you will have a feeling of
being on the right road. You will have a deep sense of satisfaction.
The world will have meaning and you will have a place in the world,
work to do that counts in the eternal order of things. Many things
will work for you and with you, as long as you feel you are on
God's side.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may have a sense of the eternal value of the work I
do. I pray that I may not only work for now, but also for eternity.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

Thoughts For The Day~*~^*^*^*^*^ Foundation ^*^*^*^*^ October 14, 2010

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

"Taking this book down from our shelf
we turn to the page which contains the twelve steps.
Carefully reading the first five proposals
we ask if we have omitted anything,
for we are building an arch through which
we shall walk free at last.
Is our work solid so far?
Are the stones properly in place?
Have we skimped on the cement put into the foundation?
Have we tried to make mortar without sand?"
c.1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 75
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Thought to Consider . . .

This day I choose to spend in perfect peace.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
G R A C E  =  Gently Releasing All Conscious Expectations

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

 

Courtesy, Kindness, Justice and Love

Step Ten: Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it."

We can try to stop making unreasonable demands upon those we love. We can show kindness where we had shown none. With those we dislike we can begin to practice justice and courtesy, perhaps going out of our way to understand and help them. 

Whenever we fail any of these people, we can promptly admit it - to ourselves always, and to them also, when the admission would be helpful. Courtesy, kindness, justice, and love are the keynotes by which we may come into harmony with practically anybody. When in doubt we can always pause, saying, "Not my will, but Thine, be done." And we can often ask ourselves, "Am I doing to others as I would have them do to me - today?" 

1981, AAWS, Inc., Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, page 93

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
A PROGRAM FOR LIVING

When we retire at night, we constructively review our day. . . . On awakening let us think about the twenty-four hours ahead. . . . Before we begin, we ask God to direct our thinking, especially asking that it be divorced from self-pity, dishonest and self-seeking motives.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 86

I lacked serenity.  With more to do than seemed possible, I fell  further behind, no matter how hard I tried.  Worries about things not done yesterday and fear of tomorrow's deadlines denied me the calm I needed to be effective each day.  Before taking Steps Ten and Eleven, I began to read passages like the one cited above.  I tried to focus on God's will, not my problems, and to trust that He would manage my day.  It worked!  Slowly, but it worked!
Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Aspects of Spirituality

"Among A.A.'s there is still a vast amount of mix-up respecting what is material and what is spiritual. I prefer to believe that it is all a matter of motive. If we use our worldly possessions too selfishly, then we are materialists. But if we share these possessions in helpfulness to others, then the material aids the spiritual."

<<<>>>

"The idea keeps persisting that the instincts are primarily bad and are the roadblocks before which all spirituality falters. I believe that the difference between good and evil is not the difference between spiritual and instinctual man; it is the difference between proper and improper use of the instinctual. Recognition and right channeling of the instinctual are the essence of achieving wholeness."

1. LETTER, 1958 - 2. LETTER, 1954
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"Step Eleven suggests prayer and meditation. We shouldn't be shy
on this matter of prayer. Better men than we are using it constantly."

Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 85

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

How big a part of my life is A.A. ? Is it just one of my activities and a small one at that? Do I only go to A.A. meetings now and then and sometimes never go at all? Do I think of A.A. only occasionally? Am I reticent about mentioning the subject of A.A. to people who might need help? Or does A.A. fill a large part of my life? Is it the foundation of my whole life? Where would I be without A.A.? Does everything I have and do depend on my A.A. foundation? Is A.A. the foundation on which I build my life?

Meditation for the Day

Lay upon God your failures and mistakes and shortcomings. Do not dwell upon your failures, upon the fact that in the past you have been nearer a beast than an angel. You have a mediator between you and God - your growing faith - which can lift you up from the mire and point you toward the heavens. You can still be reconciled with the spirit of God. You can still regain your harmony with the Divine Principle of the universe.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may not let the beast in me hold me back from my spiritual destiny. I pray that I may rise and walk upright.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012