Thursday, July 12, 2012

Thoughts For The Day~*~Paradox ^*^*^ July 15, 2012


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

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Paradox
^*^*^
"W
e 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

^*^*^*^*^*

Thought to C
onsider . . .

"W
e 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, 2012


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

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Powerless
^*^*^
"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

^*^*^*^*^*

Thought to C
onsider . . .

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


Thoughts For The Day~*~Triumph ^*^*^ July 13, 2012


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

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Triumph
^*^*^
"I
t is only at the moment when a member ceases to drink
that he asserts the right to
describe himself as an alcoholic. . .
What an unthinking world may look upon as defeat,
alcoholics in AA know as a triumph of the spirit,
a triumph of humility over false pride and self-centeredness.  How few human beings ever have the courage
to stand up before their neighbors and, in humility,
describing themselves truthfully, to say:
'This is what I really am.' "
 
1985AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, p. 278

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Thought to C
onsider . . .

Veni, vidi, velcro ... I came, I saw, I stuck around.



*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
A A  =  Adventurers Anonymous


*~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~*
 

Inexplicable
From "Why? I Don't Know":

"I don't attempt to explain with reason and logic why these things happen. When they happen, I just accept them. I feel perhaps that God, as I understand Him, found it necessary for me to suffer the pain and anguish of an addicted alcoholic and to go through the slow and, for me, difficult program of recovery in A.A. in order to be prepared and willing to do His will. I am grateful and thankful that God has given this to me. Perhaps it is because I take the Third Step every morning. My hopes and prayers are that each day I will be able to maintain this conscious contact with God.  Kingsport, Tennessee, USA"

1973 AAWS, Inc.; Came to Believe, 30th printing 2004, pg. 70

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
HUMILITY IS A GIFT

As long as we placed self-reliance first, a genuine reliance upon a Higher Power was out of the question. That basic ingredient of all humility, a desire to seek and do God's will, was missing.               

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 72

When I first came to A.A., I wanted to find some of the elusive quality called humility.  I didn't realize I was looking for humility because I thought it would help me get what I wanted, and that I would do anything for others if I thought God would somehow reward me for it.  I try to remember now that the people I meet in the course of my day are as close to God as I am ever going to get while on this earth. I need to pray for knowledge of God's will today, and see how my experiences with hope and pain can help other people; if I can do that, I don't need to search for humility, it has found me.
Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
*
~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
The Obsession and the Answer

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.
<<<>>>
Alcoholism, not cancer, was my illness, but what was the difference? Was not Alcoholism took longer to do its killing, but the result was the same. So, I decided, if there was a great Physician who could cure the alcoholic sickness, I had better seek Him at once.

1. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, P. 30
2. A.A. COMES OF AGE, P. 61

*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
"Continue to watch for selfishness, dishonesty, resentment, and
fear. When these crop up, we ask God at once to remove them. We
discuss them with someone immediately and make amends quickly if we have harmed anyone. Then we resolutely turn our thoughts to someone we can help. Love and tolerance of others is our code."

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

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

Before alcoholics come into A.A., they are "flying blind." But A.A. gives
them a directed beam in the A.A. program. As long as they keep on this beam, the signal of sobriety keeps coming through. If they have a slip, the signal is broken. if they swing off course into drunkenness, the signal stops. Unless they regain the A.A. directed beam, they are in danger of crashing against the mountain peak of despair. Am I on the beam?

Meditation for the Day


Be expectant. Constantly expect better things. Believe that what God has in store for you is better than anything you ever had before. The way to grow old happily is to expect better things right up to the end of your life and even beyond that. A good life is a growing, expanding life, with ever widening horizons, an ever greater circle of friends and acquaintances, and an ever greater opportunity for usefulness.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may await with complete faith for the next good thing in store for me. I pray that I may always keep an expectant attitude toward life.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012


Important Medical Update

Tomorrow I will be having open heart surgery.  Could use a few of your prayers.  Operation will be bypass trying to correct the widow maker  of the left main artery.  Of course there are  three or four concerns to be corrected.
 
I will be in intensive care for at least three days and will try to send our the daily emails today and you will just have to save them until I can get back online.
 
AA is very important to me and I look forward to getting back at the wheel.  Several years ago (over 10) and we have over 9,275 subscribers and that has kept me sober.
 
Clint Y.
 

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Thoughts For The Day~*~Belief ^*^*^ July 12, 2012


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

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AA)/   )
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AA
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AA\

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Belief
^*^*^
"D
espite contrary indications,
I had little doubt that a mighty purpose and rhythm
underlay all.
How could there be so much of precise and immutable law,
and no intelligence?
I simply had to believe in a
Spirit of the Universe,
who knew neither time nor limitation."
- Bill W.
1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 10

^*^*^*^*^*

Thought to C
onsider . . .

F
aith is not belief without proof;
it's trust without reservation.



*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
A B C  =  Acceptance, Belief, Change

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

Spirituality
From "The Three Legacies of Alcoholics Anonymous":

"The liberals were the largest contingent and they had no objection to the use of the word "God" throughout the [Big] book, but they were dead set against any other theological proposition. They would have nothing to do with doctrinal issues. Spirituality, yes. But religion, no, positively no. Most of our members, they pointed out, believed in some sort of deity. But when it came to theology we could not possibly agree among ourselves, so how could we write a book that contained any such matter? There was no such thing as group opinion in these areas and there never could be. Alcoholics who had tried the missions were forever complaining about this very thing. The alcoholic's unreasoning rebellion against the specifically religious approach had severely handicapped the missions. The liberals said they did not intend to be critical; they only wanted us to remember the hard facts. Those contentions could not be denied. It was true that we could not agree on a religious basis for our fellowship and that the straight religious approach had worked in relatively few cases."

2001 AAWS, Inc.; Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pg. 162-63

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~^*~*~*~*~*
GIVING UP CENTER STAGE

For without some degree of humility, no alcoholic can stay sober at all. . .Without it, they cannot live to much useful purpose, or, in adversity, be able to summon the faith that can meet any emergency.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 70


Why do I balk at the word "humility"?  I am not humbling myself toward other people, but toward God, as I understand Him.  Humility means "to show submissive respect," and by being humble I realize I am not the center of the universe. When I was drinking, I was consumed by pride and self-centeredness. I felt the entire world revolved around me, that I was master of my destiny. Humility enables me to depend more on God to help me overcome obstacles, to help me with my own imperfections, so that I may grow spiritually. I must solve more difficult problems to increase my proficiency and, as I encounter life's stumbling blocks, I must learn to overcome them through God's help. Daily communion with God demonstrates my humility and provides me with the realization that an entity more powerful than I is willing to help me if I cease trying to play God myself.


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

Our first attempts at inventories are apt to prove very unrealistic. I used to be a champ at unrealistic self-appraisal. On certain occasion, I wanted to look at the part of my life which seemed good. Then I would greatly exaggerate whatever virtues I supposed I had attained. Next I would congratulate myself on the grand job I was doing in A.A.
Naturally this generated a terrible hankering for still more
accomplishments, and still more approval.
I was falling straight back into the pattern of my drinking days.
Here were the same old goals power, fame, and applause.
Besides, I had the best alibi known as the spiritual
objective made this utter nonsense seem perfectly right.


GRAPEVINE, JUNE 1961
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*


"We represent no particular faith or denomination. We are dealing only
with general principles common to most denominations."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Working With Others, Page 93~

*~*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*~*
A.A. Thought For The Day

Today is ours. Let us live today as we believe God wants us to live.
Each day will have a new pattern which we cannot foresee.   But we
can  open each day with a quiet period in which we say a little prayer,
asking God to help us through the day.  Personal contact with God, as
we understand Him, will from day to day bring us nearer to an
understanding of His will for us.   At the close of the day, we offer Him
thanks for another day of sobriety.   A full, constructive day has been
lived and we are grateful.  Am I asking God each day for strength and
thanking Him each night?

Meditation For The Day


If you believe that God's grace has saved you, then you must believe that He is meaning to save you yet more and keep you in the way that you should go. Even human rescuers would not save you from drowning 
only to place you in other deep and dangerous waters.
Rather, they would place you on dry land, there to restore you.
God, who is your rescuer, would certainly do this and even more.
God will complete the task He sets out to do.   He will not
throw you overboard, if you are depending on Him.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that I may trust God to keep me in the way.  
I pray that I may rely on Him not to let me go


Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012