Thoughts For The Day~*~Forgive^*^*^*^*^ November 27, 2011

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

"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. . .
Under very trying circumstances,
I have had, again and again, to forgive others -- also myself.
Have you recently tried this?"
Bill W., Letter, 1946
c. 1967AAWS, As Bill Sees It,  p. 268
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

Life is an adventure in forgiveness.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
F E E L =  Feel, Experience, Express, Let go

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

Refuge

From "for AAs, a Season of Gratitude" 

The holiday season can be difficult for many AAs, especially the newcomer. The pressure to drink may feel overwhelming when it seems all the world is hoisting glasses in one toast after another. At these times, the prospect of the usual round of holiday parties can be as inviting as a stroll in a minefield to the alcoholic struggling to stay away from the first drink. 

The AA group, though, can be a refuge. Meeting marathons provide a safe place for recovering alcoholics who are on their own, as well as those looking for a break from family festivities. Some groups schedule dances or potluck dinners, providing a place to congregate and celebrate in sober fellowship. 

It's safe to say that AA group celebrations are held in most parts of the world, wherever seasonal festivities are celebrated. Large or small, in remote rural areas or big cities, the sharing and hospitality always center on a regular AA meeting. But the styles of group gatherings are as varied as the members and regional customs dictate. 

2003, AAWS, Inc., Box 459, 49(6):2

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
THE PERILS OF THE LIMELIGHT

In the beginning, the press could not understand our refusal of all personal publicity. They were genuinely baffled by our insistence upon anonymity. Then they got the point. Here was something rare in the world - a society which said it wished to publicize its principles and its work, but not its individual members. The press was delighted with this attitude. Ever since, these friends have reported A.A. with an enthusiasm which the most ardent members would find hard to match.                              

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 182

It is essential for my personal survival and that of the Fellowship that I not use A.A. to put myself in the limelight.  Anonymity is a way for me to work on my humility.  Since pride is one of my most dangerous shortcomings, practicing humility is one of the best ways to overcome it.  The Fellowship of A.A. gains worldwide recognition by its various methods of publicizing its principles and its work, not by its individual members advertising themselves.  The attraction created by my changing attitudes and my altruism contributes much more to the welfare of A.A. than self-promotion.

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

We realize we know only a little. God will constantly disclose more to you and to us. Ask Him in your morning meditation what you can do each day for the man who is still sick. The answers will come, if your own house is in order.
But obviously you cannot transmit something you haven't got. See to it that your relationship with Him is right, and great events will come to pass for you and countless others. This is the great fact for us.
To the Newcomer:
Abandon yourself to God as you understand God. Admit your faults to Him and to your fellows. Clear away the wreckage of your past. Give freely of what you find and join us. We shall be with you in the fellowship of the spirit, and you will surely meet some of us as you trudge the road of happy destiny.
May God bless you and keep you - until then.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 164
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
"On awakening let us think about the twenty-four hours ahead. We
consider our plans for the day. Before we begin, we ask God to
direct our thinking, especially asking that it be divorced from self-
pity, dishonest or self-seeking motives. Under these conditions we
can employ our mental faculties with assurance, for after all God
gave us brains to use. Our thought-life will be placed on a much
higher plane when our thinking is cleared of wrong motives."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 86~
*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*
A.A. Thought for the Day

The way of A.A. is the way of sobriety, fellowship, service, and faith. Let us take up each one of these things and see if our feet are truly on the way. The first and greatest to us is sobriety. The others are built on sobriety as a foundation. We could not have the others if we did not have sobriety. We all come to A.A. to get sober, and we stay to help others get sober. We are looking for sobriety first, last, and all the time. We cannot build any decent kind of a life unless we stay sober. Am I on the A.A. way?

Meditation for the Day

To truly desire to do God's will, therein lies happiness for a human being. We start out wanting our own way. We want our wills to be satisfied. We take and we do not give. Gradually we find that we are not happy when we are selfish, so we begin to make allowances for other people's wills. But this again' does not give us full happiness, and we begin to see that the only way to be truly happy is to try to do God's will. In these times of meditation, we seek to get guidance so that we can find God's will for us.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may subordinate my will to the will of God. I pray that I may be guided today to find His will for me.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

Thoughts For The Day~*~Diagnosis^*^*^*^*^ November 26, 2011

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
^*^*^*^*^
(\    ~~  /)
(   \ (AA)/   )
(_   /AA\ _)
  /AA\
^*^*^*^*^
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 to 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 bad case of jitters
if you get a full knowledge of your condition."
c. 1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous,  pp. 31-2
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

If you want to quit drinking,
you are going to have to quit drinking.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
D E A D =  Drinking Ends All Dreams

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

New

From: "Winner Takes All" 

In working the steps, my life changed. I think differently today; I feel different today. I am new. We have a sign at the AA meetings I go to that says, Expect a Miracle. My sobriety is full of miracles. When my son filled out an application for college, I filled one out too, and was accepted. Soon I will be a senior and I have a 3.71 grade point average. Thanks to AA, I have come a long way from being near the bottom of my high school class. It takes me a bit longer to read the material, so I have a CCTV (I put my book under the camera and it comes out in big print on a monitor). I have a talking calculator that helped me get through statistics and a telescope that can help me see the board. I accept help from the disabled student services and gladly make use of the volunteer notetakers. 

I learned to accept the things I could not change (in this case my vision) and change the things I can (I could be grateful for and accept the visual aids instead of being embarrassed and rejecting them as I had when I was younger). 

2001, AAWS, Inc., Alcoholics Anonymous, pages 380-381

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
THE HAZARDS OF PUBLICITY

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.                        

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 181

As a recovered alcoholic I must make an effort to put into practice the principles of the A.A. program, which are founded on honesty, truth and humility.  While I was drinking I was constantly trying to be in the limelight.  Now that I am conscious of my mistakes and of my former lack of integrity, it would not be honest to seek prestige, even for the justifiable purpose of promoting the A.A. message of recovery.  Is the publicity that centers around the A.A. Fellowship and the miracles it produces not worth much more?  Why not let the people around us appreciate by themselves the changes that A.A. has brought in us, for that will be a far better recommendation for the Fellowship than any I could make.

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

Those adolescent urges that so many of us have for complete approval, utter security, and perfect romance - urges quite appropriate to age seventeen - prove to be an impossible way of life at forty-seven or fifty-seven.  Since A.A. began, I've taken huge wallops in all these areas because of my failure to grow up, emotionally and spiritually.

<<<>>>

As we grow spiritually, we find that our old attitudes toward our instinctual drives need to undergo drastic revisions. Our demands for emotional security and wealth, for personal prestige and power all have to be tempered and redirected.
We learn that the full satisfaction of these demands cannot be the sole end and aim of our lives. We cannot place the cart before the horse, or we shall be pulled backward into disillusionment. But when we are willing to place spiritual growth first - then and only then do we have a real chance to grow in healthy awareness and mature love.

1. GRAPEVINE, JANUARY 1958 - 2. TWELVE AND TWELVE, p. 114
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
"'There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which
is proof against all arguments and which cannot fail to keep a man in
everlasting ignorance , that principle is contempt prior to
investigation.'"

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Appendice II, Spiritual
Experience, pg. 568~
*~*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*~*
A.A. Thought for the Day

Continuing our thoughts about the rewards that have come to us as a result of our new way of living, we have found that we have gotten rid of any of our fears, resentments, inferiority complexes, negative points of view, self-centeredness, criticism of others, over sensitiveness, inner conflicts, the habits of procrastination, undisciplined sex, wasting money, boredom, false perfectionism, jealousy, and envy of others. We are glad to be rid of our drinking, and we are also very glad to be rid of these other things. We can now go forward in the new way of life, as shown us by A.A. Am I ready to go forward in the new life?

Meditation for the Day

"He that has eyes to see, let him see." To the Seeing Eye, the world is good. Pray for a Seeing Eye, to see the purpose of God in everything good. Pray for enough faith to see God's care in His dealings with you. Try to see how He has brought you safely through your past life so that now you can be of use in the world. With the eyes of faith you can see God's care and purpose everywhere.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may have a Seeing Eye. I pray that with the eye of faith I may see God's purpose everywhere.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

Thoughts For The Day~*~Vision^*^*^*^*^ November 25, 2011

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

^*^*^*^*^
(\    ~~  /)
(   \ (AA)/   )
(_   /AA\ _)
  /AA\
^*^*^*^*^
Vision

"Vision is, I think, the ability to make good estimates,
both for the immediate and for the more distant future.
Some might feel this sort of striving to be a sort of heresy,
because we AA's are constantly telling ourselves,
'One day at a time.'
But that valuable principle really refers to
our mental and emotional lives
and means chiefly that we are not to foolishly
repine over the past nor wishfully
day-dream about the future. . .
Vision is therefore the very essence of prudence,
an essential virtue if ever there was one.
Of course we shall often miscalculate the future
in whole or in part,
but that is better than to refuse to think at all."
Bill W., 1962
c. 1962AAWS, Twelve Concepts for World Service, 26th printing, p. 40
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

Right actions for the future
are the best apologies for wrong ones in the past.
* * *

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

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

Look Squarely

Step Four: Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. 

Step Four is our vigorous and painstaking effort to discover what these liabilities in each of us have been, and are. We want to find exactly how, when, and where our natural desires have warped us. We wish to look squarely at the unhappiness this has caused others and ourselves. By discovering what our emotional deformities are, we can move toward their correction. Without a willing and persistent effort to do this, there can be little sobriety or contentment for us. Without a searching and fearless moral inventory, most of us have found that the faith which really works in daily living is still out of reach.

 1981, AAWS, Inc., Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pages 42-43

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
A POWERFUL TRADITION

In the years before the publication of the book "Alcoholics Anonymous,"  we had no name. . .by a narrow majority the verdict was for naming our book "The Way Out." . . .One of our early lone members. . . found exactly twelve books already titled "The Way Out.". . . So "Alcoholics Anonymous" became first choice.  That's how we got a name for our book of experience, a name for our movement and, as we are now beginning to see, a tradition of the greatest spiritual import.

"A.A. TRADITION: HOW IT DEVELOPED." pp. 35-36

Beginning with Bill's momentous decision in Akron to make a telephone call rather than a visit to the hotel bar, how often has a Higher Power made itself felt at crucial moments in our history!  The  eventual importance that the principle of anonymity would acquire was but dimly perceived, if at all, in those early days. There seems to have been an element of chance even in the choice of a name for our Fellowship.

God is no stranger to anonymity and often appears in human affairs in the guises of "luck", "chance," or "coincidence."  If anonymity, somewhat fortuitously, became the spiritual basis for all of our Traditions, perhaps God was acting anonymously on our behalf.

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

In praying, our immediate temptation will be to ask for specific solutions to specific problems, and for the ability to help other people as we have already thought they should be helped. In that case, we are asking God to do it our way. Therefore, we ought to consider each request carefully to see what its real merit is.
Even so, when making specific requests, it will be well to add to each one of them this qualification: ". . . if it be Thy will."

TWELVE AND TWELVE, p. 102
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
"Selfishness self-centeredness! That, we think, is the root of
our troubles. Driven by a hundred forms of fear, self-delusion, self-
seeking, and self-pity, we step on the toes of our fellows and they
retaliate. Sometimes they hurt us, seemingly without provocation,
but we invariably find that at some time in the past we have made
decisions based on self which later placed us in a position to be
hurt."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 62~
*~*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*~*
A.A. Thought for the Day

I am not so envious of other people, nor am I so jealous of other people's possessions and talents. When I was drinking, I was secretly full of jealousy and envy of those people who could drink normally, who had the love and respect of their families, who lived a normal life and were accepted as equals by their friends. I pretended to myself that I was as good as they were, but I knew it wasn't so. Now I don't have to be envious any more. I try not to want what I don't deserve. I'm content with what I have earned by my efforts to live the right way. More power to those who have what I have not. At least, I'm trying. Have I got rid of the poison of envy?

Meditation for the Day

"My soul is restless till it finds its rest in Thee." A river flows on, until it loses itself in the sea. Our spirits long for rest in the spirit of God. We yearn to realize a peace, a rest, a satisfaction that we have never found in the world or its pursuits. Some are not conscious of their need, and shut the doors of their spirits against the spirit of God. They are unable to have true peace.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may feel the divine unrest. I pray that my soul may find its rest in God.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

Thoughts For The Day~*~Meetings^*^*^*^*^November 24, 2011

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

"A 'spiritual experience' to me meant attending meetings,
seeing a group of people,
all there for the purpose of helping each other;
hearing the Twelve Steps and the Twelve Traditions
read at a meeting,
and hearing the Lord's Prayer, which in an AA meeting
has such great meaning --
'They will be done, not mine.'
A spiritual awakening soon came to mean
trying each day to be a little more thoughtful,
more considerate, a little more courteous to those
with whom I came in contact."
c. 1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 381
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

Seven days without a meeting makes one weak.

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

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

Alternatives

From: "We Agnostics" 

In the preceding chapters you have learned something of alcoholism. We hope we have made clear the distinction between the alcoholic and the non-alcoholic. 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. 

To one who feels he is an atheist or agnostic such an experience seems impossible, but to continue as he is means disaster, especially if he is an alcoholic of the hopeless variety. To be doomed to an alcoholic death or to live on a spiritual basis are not always easy alternatives to face.

2001, AAWS, Inc., Alcoholics Anonymous, page 44

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
A UNIVERSAL SEARCH

Be quick to see where religious people are right. Make use of what they offer.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 87

I do not claim to have all the answers in spiritual matters, any more than I claim to have all the answers about alcoholism.  There are others who are also engaged in a spiritual search.  If I keep an open mind about what others have to say, I have much to gain.  My sobriety is greatly enriched, and my practice  of the Eleventh Step more fruitful, when I use both the literature and practices of my Judeo-Christian tradition, and the resources of other religions.  Thus, I receive support from many sources in staying away from the first drink.

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
A New-Found Providence

When dealing with a prospect of agnostic or atheistic bent, you had better use everyday language to describe spiritual principles. There is no use arousing any prejudice he may have against certain theological terms and conceptions, about which he may already be confused. Don't raise such issues, no matter what your own convictions are.

<<<>>>

Every man and woman who has joined A.A. and intends to stick has, without realizing it, made a beginning on Step Three. Isn't it true that, in all matters touching upon alcohol, each of them has decided to turn his or her life over to the care, protection, and guidance of A.A.?
Already a willingness has been achieved to cast out one's own will and one's own ideas about the alcohol problem in favor of those suggested by A.A. Now if this is not turning one's will and life over to a new-found "Providence," then what is it?

1. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 93 - 2. TWELVE AND TWELVE, p. 35
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"We alcoholics are sensitive people. It takes some of us a long time
to outgrow that serious handicap."

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

Instead of pretending to be perfectionists, in A.A. we are content if we are making progress. The main thing is to be growing. We realize that perfectionism is only a result of false pride and an excuse to save our faces. In A.A. we are willing to make mistakes and to stumble, provided we are always stumbling forward. We are not so interested in what we are as in what we are becoming. We are on the way, not at the goal. And we will be on the way as long as we live. No A.A. has ever "arrived." But we are getting better. Am I making progress?

Meditation for the Day

Each new day brings an opportunity to do some little thing that will help to make a better world, that will bring God's kingdom a little nearer to being realized on earth. Take each day's happenings as opportunities for something you can do for God. In that spirit, a blessing will attend all that you do. Offering this day's service to God, you are sharing in His work. You do not have to do great things.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that today I may do the next thing, the unselfish thing, the loving thing. I pray that I may be content with doing small things as long as they are right.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012