Thoughts For The Day~*~Why Worry?^*^*^*^*^ June 3, 2012

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~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
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(   \ (AA)/   )
(_   /AA\ _)
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Why Worry?
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"There are many short phrases and expressions in AA
which make sound sense.
'First Things First':  solving our immediate problems
before we try to solve all the others . . .
'Easy Does it.'  Relax a little.
Try for inner contentment.  No one individual
can carry all the burdens of the world.
Everyone has problems.  Getting drunk won't solve them.
'Twenty-four hours a day.'
Today is the day.  Doing our best,
living each day to the fullest is the art of living.
Yesterday is gone, and we don't know whether
we will be here tomorrow.
If we do a good job of living today,
and if tomorrow comes for us,
then the chances are we will do a good job when it arrives -
so why worry about it?"
1976 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 382
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Thought to Ponder . . .

Every day is a gift.
That is why we call it the present.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
S  I  T   =   Stay In Today

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

Question

Step Six: Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.

"It is plain for everybody to see that each sober A.A. member has been granted a release from this very obstinate and potentially fatal obsession. So in a very complete and literal way, all A.A.'s have 'become entirely ready' to have God remove the mania for alcohol from their lives. And God has proceeded to do exactly that.

"Having been granted a perfect release from alcoholism, why then shouldn't we be able to achieve by the same means a perfect release from every other difficulty or defect? This is a riddle of our existence, the full answer to which may be only in the mind of God."

1952, AAWS, Inc.; Printed 2005; Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pg. 64

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
ON A WING AND A PRAYER

. . . . we then look at Step Six. We have emphasized willingness
as being indispensable.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 76

Steps Four and Five were difficult, but worthwhile. Now I was
stuck on Step Six and, in despair, I picked up the Big Book and
read this passage. I was outside, praying for willingness, when
I raised my eyes and saw a huge bird rising in the sky. I
watched it suddenly give itself up to the powerful air currents
of the mountains. Swept, along, swooping and soaring, the bird
did things seemingly impossible for mortal birds to do. It was
an inspiring example of a fellow creature "letting go" to a power
greater than itself. I realized that the bird "took back his will"
and tried to fly with less trust, on its power alone, it would
spoil its apparent free flight. That insight granted me the
willingness to pray the Seventh Step prayer.
It's not easy to know God's will in each circumstance. I must
search out and be ready for the currents, and that's where prayer and meditation help! Because I am, of myself, nothing, I ask God to grant me the knowledge of His will and the power and courage to carry it out -- today.

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Relapses--and the Group

An early fear was that of slips or relapses. At first nearly every alcoholic we approached began to slip, it indeed he sobered up at all. Others would stay dry six months or maybe a year and then take a skid. This was always a genuine catastrophe. We would all look at each other and say, "Who next?"
Today, through slips are a very serious difficulty, as a group we take them in stride. Fear has evaporated. Alcohol always threatens the individual, but we know that it cannot destroy the common welfare.
<<<>>>
"It does not seem to pay to argue with 'slippers' about the proper method of getting dry. After all, why should people who are drinking tell people who are dry how it should be done?
"Just kid the boys along--ask them if they are having fun. If they are too noisy or troublesome, amiably keep out of their way."

1. A.A. COMES OF AGE, P. 97
2. LETTER, 1942

*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"Suppose we fall short of the chosen ideal and stumble?  Does this mean we are going to get drunk. Some people tell us so. But this is only a half-truth. It depends on us and on our motives."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, Page 70~


*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*

A.A. Thought for the Day

Some more things I do not miss since becoming dry: running all
over town to find a bar open to get that "pick-me-up"; meeting
my friends and trying to cover up that I feel awful; looking at
myself in a mirror and calling myself a damn fool; struggling
with myself to snap out of it for two or three days; wondering
what it is all about. I'm positive I don't miss these things, am
I not?

Meditation for the Day

Love is the power that transforms your life. Try to love your
family and your friends and then try to love everybody that you
possibly can, even the "sinners and publicans" everybody. Love
for God is an even greater thing. it is the result of gratitude
to God and it is the acknowledgment of the blessing that God has sent you.
Love for God acknowledges His gifts and leaves the way open for God
to shower yet more blessings on your thankful heart.
Say "Thank you, God," until it becomes a habit.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may try to love God and all people. I pray that
I may continually thank God for all His blessings.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

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Thoughts For The Day~*~Happiness^*^*^*^*^ June 2, 2012

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~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
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(   \ (AA)/   )
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  /AA\
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Happiness
^*^*^
"I feel myself a useful member of the human race at last.
I have something to contribute to humanity,
since I am peculiarly qualified, as a fellow-sufferer,
to give aid and comfort to those who have
stumbled and fallen over this business
of meeting life.
I get my greatest thrill of accomplishment
from the knowledge that I have played a part
in the new happiness achieved
by countless others like myself."
1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 229
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Thought to Consider . . .

The joy is in the journey, so enjoy the ride.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
B E S T  =  Been Enjoying Sobriety Today?

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

Fairness

From "We Agnostics":

"We used to amuse ourselves by cynically dissecting spiritual beliefs and practices when we might have observed that many spiritually-minded persons of all races, colors, and creeds were demonstrating a degree of stability, happiness and usefulness which we should have sought ourselves.

"Instead, we looked at the human defects of these people, and sometimes used their shortcomings as a basis of wholesale condemnation. We talked of intolerance, while we were intolerant ourselves. We missed the reality and the beauty of the forest because we were diverted by the ugliness of some of its trees. We never gave the spiritual side of life a fair hearing."

2001 AAWS, Inc., Fourth Edition; Alcoholics Anonymous, pgs. 49-50

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
THE UPWARD PATH

Here are the steps we took . . .  

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 59

These are the words that lead into the Twelve Steps.   In their direct
simplicity they sweep aside all psychological and philosophical
considerations about the rightness of the Steps.   They describe what I did: I took the Steps and sobriety was the result.   These words do not imply that I should walk the well-trodden path of those who went before, but rather that there is a way for me to become sober and that it is a way I shall have to find.   It is a new path, one that leads to infinite light at the top of the mountain.   The Steps advise me about the footholds that are safe and about chasms to avoid.   They provide me with the tools I need during the many parts of the solitary journey of my soul.   When I speak of this journey, I share my experience, strength and hope with others.

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Without Anger

Suppose A.A. falls under sharp public attack or heavy ridicule, having little or no justification in fact. Our best defense in these situations would be no defense whatever--namely, complete silence at the public level. If in good humor we let unreasonable critics alone, they are apt to subside the more quickly. If their attacks persist and it is plain that they are misinformed, it may be wise to communicate with them privately in a temperate and informative way.
If, however, a given criticism of A.A. is partly or wholly justified, it may
be well to acknowledge this privately to the critics, together with our
thanks. But under no conditions should we exhibit anger or any punitive intent.
<<<>>>
What we must recognize is that we exult in some of our defects.
Self-righteous anger can be very enjoyable. In a perverse way we can actually take satisfaction from the fact that many people annoy us; it brings a comfortable feeling of superiority.

1. TWELVE CONCEPTS, P. 74
2. TWELVE AND TWELVE, PP. 66-67

*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"We try not to indulge in cynicism over the state of the nations, nor
do we carry the world's troubles on our shoulders. When we see a man
sinking into the mire that is alcoholism, we give him first aid and
place what we have at his disposal."

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

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

Some more things I do not miss since becoming dry: wondering if the car is in the garage and how I got home; struggling to remember where I was and what I did since my last conscious moment; trying to delay getting off to work, and wondering how I will look when I get there; dreading the day ahead of me. I'm quite sure that I don't miss these things, am I not?

Meditation for the Day

You cannot believe in God and keep your selfish ways. The old self shrivels up and dies, and upon the reborn soul God's image becomes stamped. The gradual elimination of selfishness in the growth of love for God and your fellow human beings is the goal of life. At first, you have only a faint likeness to the Divine, but the picture grows and takes on more and more of the likeness of God until those who see you can see in you some of the power of God's grace at work in a human life.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may develop that faint likeness I have to the Divine. I pray
that others may see in me some of the power of God's grace at work.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

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Thoughts For The Day~*~Four Horsemen ^*^*^*^*^ June 1, 2012

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~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
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Four Horsemen
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"The less people tolerated us,
the more we withdrew from society, from life itself. 
As we became subjects of King Alcohol,
shivering denizens of his mad realm,
the chilling vapor that is loneliness settled down. 
It thickened, ever becoming blacker. 
Some of us sought out sordid places,
hoping to find understanding companionship and approval. 
Momentarily we did - then would come oblivion
and the awful awakening
to face the hideous Four Horsemen -
Terror, Bewilderment, Frustration, Despair. 
Unhappy drinkers who read this page will understand!"
1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 151
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Thought to Consider . . .

Alcohol gave me wings to fly,
and then it took away the sky.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*

A A  =  Absolute Abstinence

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

Conception

From "Back to the Fundamentals":

"The answer I was looking for was on page 12, in Ebby's words to Bill: '"Why don't you choose your own conception of God?"'

"'I've tried everything else,' I thought, 'and I've got no place else to go. I might just as well.' I sat down at my desk, got a pad of paper and a pencil, and asked myself, 'If you could pick the kind of God that you could believe in, what would He be like?' I bore in mind the facts that I was an alcoholic and that I had been a perfectionist all my life. The world was never perfect enough for me. Everything that I ever believed in, every ideal that I ever followed turned out to have feet of clay. Here was my chance. For the first time in my life, I could create something perfect. All right!

"I wrote across the page, 'God is the perfection I've been searching for all my life. He is too perfect to have human characteristics and faults.' That was the start.

"Then I wrote, 'God is the ultimate perfection. He is the perfect love, the perfect truth, the perfect goodness, the perfect understanding, tolerance, mercy, forgiveness. God is so perfect that no matter how evil, how unclean we may be, He'll forgive us if we ask, and grant us strength to overcome our shortcomings.'"

1973 AAWS, Inc.; Came to Believe, 30^th printing 2004, pgs. 63-64

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
A CHANGED OUTLOOK

Our whole attitude and outlook upon life will change.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 84

When I was drinking, my attitude was totally selfish, totally self-centered; my pleasure and my comfort came first. 
Now that I am sober, self-seeking has started to slip away. 
My whole attitude toward life and other people is
changing.  For me, the first "A" in our name stands for attitude.  My
attitude is changed by the second "A" in our name, which stands for action. 
By working the Steps, attending meetings, and carrying the message,
I can be restored to sanity.  Action is the magic word!  With a positive, helpful attitude and regular A.A.  action, I can stay sober and help others to achieve sobriety.  My attitude now is that I am willing to go to any length to stay sober!

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

Deep down in every man, woman, and child is the fundamental idea of a 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.
<<<>>>
"Faith may often be given through inspired teaching or a convincing personal example of its fruits. It may sometimes be had through reason. For instance, many clergymen believe that St. Thomas Aquinas actually proved God's existence by sheer logic. But what can one do when all these channels fail? This was my own grievous dilemma.
"It was only when I came fully to believe I was powerless over alcohol, only when I appealed to a God who just might exist, that I experienced a spiritual awakening. This freedom-giving experience came first, and then faith followed afterward--a gift indeed!"

1. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, P. 55
2. LETTER, 1966
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"Actually we were fooling ourselves, for 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."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, We Agnostics, pg. 55~

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

Some things I do not miss since becoming dry: that overall awful feeling
physically, including the shakes, a splitting headache, pains in my arms and legs, bleary eyes, fluttering stomach, droopy shoulders, weak knees, a three-day beard, and a flushed complexion. Also, facing my loved one at breakfast. Also, composing the alibi and sticking to it. Also, trying to
shave or put on make-up with a shaky hand. Also, opening up my wallet to find it empty. I don't miss these things, do I?

Meditation for the Day

You were born with a spark of the Divine within you. It had been all but
smothered by the life you were living. That celestial fire has to be tended and fed so that it will grow eventually into a real desire to live the right way. By trying to do the will of God, you grow more and more in the new way of life. By thinking of God, praying to Him, and having communion with Him, you gradually grow more like Him. The way of your transformation from the material to the spiritual is the way of Divine Companionship.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may tend the spark of the Divine within me so that it will
grow. I pray that I may be gradually transformed from the old life to the new life.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

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Thoughts For The Day~*~Sponsorship ~*~May 31, 2012

 

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~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
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(   \ (AA)/   )
(_   /AA\ _)
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Sponsorship
^*^*^
"Dr. Bob led me through all of these Steps.
At the moral inventory,
he brought up some of my bad personality traits
or character defects, such as selfishness,
conceit, jealousy, carelessness, intolerance,
ill-temper, sarcasm and resentments.
We went over these at great length and then
he finally asked me if I wanted these defects of character
taken away.
When I said yes, we both knelt at his desk and prayed . . .
If I live to be a hundred, this will always stand out in my mind.
I wish that every AA could have the benefit of this type
of sponsorship today."
1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 292
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Thought to Consider . . .

A recovering alcoholic without a sponsor
is much like a ship without a rudder.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
S P O N S O R =
Sober Person Offering Newcomer Support Of Recovery

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

 

Funding

From "The Three Legacies of Alcoholics Anonymous":

"These New York drunks just do not believe it. Some take it as a joke, and the rest talk high and holy about mixing a spiritual enterprise with money and promotion. But if they really did think that the book would sell, they would buy the stock all right, and fast. So why don't we go up and see The Reader's Digest people and find out if they will print a piece about our fellowship and this book? If the Digest runs an article about us, we will sell those books by the carloads. Anybody can see this, even these tightwad drunks. So what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

"Two days later at Pleasantville, New York, we sat in the office of Mr. Kenneth Payne, then managing editor of the Digest.  'When your book is ready next spring, let me know and I think we can put a feature writer to work. This should be a great story.'

"Henry and I reached for our hats and sped for New York. Now we had real ammunition. That very night we started a fresh canvass, and the former doubters began to sign up."

2001 AAWS, Inc.; Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pg. 158

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
READINESS TO SERVE OTHERS

. . . our Society has concluded that it has but one high mission -- to carry the A.A. message to those who don't know there's a way out.

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 151

The "Light" to freedom shines bright on my fellow alcoholics as each one of us challenges the other to grow.   The "Steps" to self-improvement have small beginnings, but each Step builds the "ladder" out of the pit of despair to new hope.   Honesty becomes my "tool" to unfurl the "chains" which bound me.   A sponsor, who is a caring listener, can help me to truly hear the message guiding me to freedom.

I ask God for the courage to live in such a way that the Fellowship may be a testimony to His favor.   This mission frees me to share my gifts of wellness through a spirit of readiness to serve others.

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

The moment we ponder a twisted or broken relationship with another person, our emotions go on the defensive. To escape looking at the wrongs we have done another, we resentfully focus on the wrong he has done us. Triumphantly we seize upon his slightest misbehavior as the perfect excuse for minimizing or forgetting our own.
Right here we need to fetch ourselves up sharply. Let's remember that alcoholics are not the only ones bedeviled by sick emotions. In many
instances we are really dealing with fellow sufferers, people whose woes we have increased. If we are about to ask forgiveness for ourselves, why shouldn't we start out by forgiving them, one and all?

TWELVE AND TWELVE, P. 78

*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
"...we have ceased fighting anything or anyone even alcohol."

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

"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

I shall not wait to be drafted for service to A.A. I Shall volunteer. I shall
be loyal in my attendance, generous in my giving, kind in my criticism, creative in my suggestions, loving in my attitudes. I shall give to A.A. my interest, my enthusiasm, my devotion, and most of all, myself Do I also accept this as my AA. credo?

Meditation for the Day

Prayer is of many kinds, but of whatever kind, prayer is the linking up of the soul and mind to God. So, if prayer is only a glance of faith, a look or a word of love, or just a feeling of confidence in the goodness and purpose in the universe, still the result of that prayer is added strength to meet all temptations and to overcome them. Even if no supplication is expressed, all the supply of strength that is necessary is secured, because the soul, being linked and united to God, receives from Him all spiritual help needed. The soul, when in its human body, still needs the things belonging to its heavenly habitation.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may be taught how to pray. I pray that I may be linked through prayer to the mind and will of God.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

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