Thoughts For The Day~*~Peace of Mind ^*^*^*^*^ November 4, 2012

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~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
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Peace of Mind

"AA 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."
c. 1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 551
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Thought to Consider . . .

I never imagined that the greatest achievement of my life
would be peace of mind.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
P E A C E =  Providing Experienced Attitude Changes Every day.

*~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~*
 Turning Point

Step Seven: Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings. 

We saw we needn't always be bludgeoned and beaten into humility. It could come quite as much from our voluntary reaching for it as it could from unremitting suffering. A great turning point in our lives came when we sought for humility as something we really wanted, rather than as something we must have. It marked the time when we could commence to see the full implication of Step Seven: "Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings. 

1981, AAWS, Inc., Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, page 75

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
A DAILY DISCIPLINE

. . . when they [self-examination, meditation and prayer] are logically related and interwoven, the result is an unshakable foundation for life.

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 98

The last three Steps of the program invoke God's loving discipline upon my willful nature.  If I devote just a few moments every night to a review of the highlights of my day, along with an acknowledgment of those aspects that didn't please me so much, I gain a personal history of myself, one that is essential to my journey into self-discovery.  I was able to note my growth, or lack of it, and to ask in prayerful meditation to be relieved of those continuing shortcomings that cause me pain.  Meditation and prayer also teach me the art of focusing and listening.  I find that the turmoil of the day gets tuned out as I pray for His will and guidance.  The practice of asking Him to help me in my strivings for perfection puts a new slant on the tedium of any day, because I know there is honor in any job done well.  The daily discipline of prayer and meditation will keep me in fit spiritual condition, able to face whatever the day brings - without the thought of a drink.

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
A Way Out of Depression

"During acute depression, avoid trying to set your whole life in order all at once. If you take on assignments so heavy that you are sure to fail in them at the moment, then you are allowing yourself to be tricked by your unconscious. Thus you will continue to make sure of your failure, and when it comes you will have another alibi for still more retreat into depression.
"In short, the 'all or nothing' attitude is a most destructive one. It is best to begin with whatever the irreducible minimums of activity are. Then work for an enlargement of these day by day. Don't be disconcerted by setbacks - just start over."

LETTER, 1960
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
"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."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, A Vision For You, pg. 151~
 

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

I can do things that I never did before. Liquor took away my initiative and my ambition. I couldn't get up the steam to start anything. I let things slide. When 1 was drunk, I was too inert to even comb my hair. Now I can sit down and do something. I can write letters that need to be written. I can make telephone calls that should be made. I can work in my garden. I can pursue my hobbies. I have the urge to create something, that creative urge that was completely stifled by alcohol. I am free to achieve again. Have I recovered my initiative?

Meditation for the Day

"In Thy presence is fullness of joy: At Thy right hand are pleasures forever." We cannot find true happiness by looking for it. Seeking pleasure does not bring happiness in the long run, only disillusionment. Do not seek to have this fullness of joy by seeking pleasure. It cannot be done that way: Happiness is a byproduct of living the right kind of life. True happiness comes as a result of living in all respects the way you believe God wants you to live, with regard to yourself and to other people.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may not always seek pleasure as a goal. I pray that I may be content with the happiness that comes when I do the right thing.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

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Thoughts For The Day~*~Recovery ^*^*^*^*^ November 3, 2012

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

"Most emphatically we wish to say
that any alcoholic capable of honestly facing his problems
in the light of our experience can recover,
provided he does not close his mind to spiritual concepts.
He can only be defeated by an attitude
of intolerance or belligerent denial.
We find that no one need have difficulty
with the spirituality of the program.
Willingness, honesty and open mindedness
are the essentials of recovery.
But these are indispensable"
c. 1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 570
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Thought to Consider . . .

The spiritual life is not a theory.  We have to live it.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
W H O =  Willingness, Honesty, Openmindedness

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

 

Undertaker or the Asylum

From: "Bill's Story" 

It relieved me somewhat to learn that in alcoholics the will is amazingly weakened when it comes to combating liquor, though it often remains strong in other respects. My incredible behavior in the face of a desperate desire to stop was explained. Understanding myself now, I fared forth in high hope. For three or four months the goose hung high. I went to town regularly and even made a little money. Surely this was the answer - self-knowledge. 

But it was not, for the frightful day came when I drank once more. The curve of my declining moral and bodily health fell off like a ski-jump. After a time I returned to the hospital. This was the finish, the curtain, it seemed to me. My weary and despairing wife was informed that it would all end with heart failure during delirium tremens, or I would develop a wet brain, perhaps within a year. She would soon have to give me over to the undertaker or the asylum. 

2001, AAWS, Inc., Alcoholics Anonymous, page 7

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
FOCUSING AND LISTENING

There is a direct linkage among self-examination, meditation, and prayer.  Taken separately, these practices can bring much relief and benefit.

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 98

If I do my self-examination first, then surely, I'll have enough humility to pray and meditate -- because I'll see and feel my need for them.  Some wish to begin and end with prayer, leaving the self-examination and meditation to take place in between, whereas others start with meditation, listening for advice from God about their still hidden or unacknowledged defects.  Still others engage in written and verbal work on their defects, ending with a prayer of praise and thanksgiving.  These three -- self-examination, meditation and prayer -- form a circle, without a beginning or an end.  No matter where, or how, I start, I eventually arrive at my destination: a better life.
Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Circle and Triangle

Above us, at the International Convention at St. Louis in 1955, floated a banner on which was inscribed the then new symbol for A.A., a circle enclosing a triangle. The circle stands for the whole world of A.A., and the triangle stands for A.A.'s Three Legacies: Recovery, Unity, and Service.
It is perhaps no accident that priests and seers of antiquity regarded this symbol as a means of warding off spirits of evil.

<<<>>>

When, in 1955, we oldtimers turned over our Three Legacies to the whole movement, nostalgia for the old days blended with gratitude for the great day in which I was now living. No more would it be necessary for me to act for, decide for, or protect A.A.
For a moment, I dreaded the coming change. But this mood quickly passed. The conscience of A.A. as moved by the guidance of God could be depended upon to insure A.A.'s future. Clearly my job henceforth was to let go and let God.

A.A. COMES OF AGE - 1. p. 139 - 2. pp. 46, 48
*~*~*~*~*^ 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

I have charity, another word for love. That right kind of love which is not selfish passion but an unselfish, outgoing desire to help other people. To do what is best for the other person, to put what is best for him or her above my own desires. To put God first, the other person second, and myself last. Charity is gentle, kind, understanding, long-suffering, and full of desire to serve. A.A. has given me this. What I do for myself is lost; what I do for others may be written somewhere in eternity. Have I charity?

Meditation for the Day

"Ask what you will and it shall be done unto you." God has unlimited power. There is no limit to what His power can do in human hearts. But we must will to have God's power and we must ask God for it. God's power is blocked off from us by our indifference to it. We can go along our own selfish way without calling on God's help and we get no power. But when we trust in God, we can will to have the power we need. When we sincerely ask God for it, we get it abundantly.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may will to have God's power. I pray that I may keep praying for the strength I need.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

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Thoughts For The Day~*~Oldtimers ^*^*^*^*^ November 2, 2012

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*~*~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~~*
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Oldtimers
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"Many oldsters who have put our AA 'booze cure'
to severe but successful tests still find
they often lack emotional sobriety.
To attain this, we must develop real maturity and balance
(which is to say humility)
in our relations with ourselves, with our fellows,
and with God."
Bill W., AA Grapevine, January 1958
c. 1967AAWS, As Bill Sees It, p. 244
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Thought to Consider . . .

Newcomers are the lifeblood of the program,
but our oldtimers are the arteries.

*~*~*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
C H A N G E =  Choosing Honesty Allows New Growth Every day

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

Spirituality

From "In His Own Individual Right":

"Spirituality is an awakening or is it all the loose ends woven together into a mellow fabric? It's understanding or is it all the knowledge one need ever know? It's freedom if you consider fear slavery. It's confidence or is it the belief that a higher power will see you through any storm or gale? It's adhering to the dictates of your conscience or is it a deep, genuine, living concern for the people and the planet? I's peace of mind in the face of adversity. It's a keen and sharpened desire for survival. " New York, New York, USA"

1973 AAWS, Inc.; Came to Believe, 30^th printing 2004, pg. 5

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
KEEPING OPTIMISM AFLOAT

The other Steps can keep most of us sober and somehow functioning.  But Step Eleven can keep us growing, . . .

THE LANGUAGE OF THE HEART, p. 240

A sober alcoholic finds it much easier to be optimistic about life.  Optimism is the natural result of my finding myself gradually able to make the best, rather than the worst, of each situation.  As my physical sobriety continues, I come out of the fog, gain a clearer perspective and am better able to determine what courses of action to take.  As vital as physical sobriety is, I can achieve a greater potential for myself by developing an ever-increasing willingness to avail myself of the guidance and direction of a Higher Power.  My ability to do so comes from my learning -- and practicing -- the principles of the A.A. program.  The melding of my physical and spiritual sobriety produces the substance of a more positive life.

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Is Happiness the Goal?

"I don't think happiness or unhappiness is the point. How do we meet the problems we face? How do we best learn from them and transmit what we have learned to others, if they would receive the knowledge?
"In my view, we of this world are pupils in a great school of life. It is intended that we try to grow, and that we try to help our fellow travelers to grow in the kind of love that makes no demands. In short, we try to move toward the image and likeness of God as we understand Him.
"When pain comes, we are expected to learn from it willingly, and help others to learn. When happiness comes, we accept it as a gift, and thank God for it."

LETTER, 1950
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
"Yes, there is a substitute and it is vastly more than that. It is a
fellowship in Alcoholics Anonymous. There you will find release from
care, boredom and worry. Your imagination will be fired. Life will
mean something at last. The most satisfactory years of your
existence lie ahead."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, A Vision For You, pg. 152~

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

I have faith. That thing that makes the world seem right. That thing that makes sense at last. That awareness of the Divine Principle in the universe which holds it all together and gives it unity and purpose and goodness and meaning. Life is no longer ashes in my mouth or bitter to the taste. it is all one glorious whole, because God is holding it together. Faith - that leap into the unknown, the venture into what lies beyond our ken, that which brings untold rewards of peace and serenity. Have I faith?

Meditation for the Day

Keep yourself like an empty vessel for God to fill. Keep pouring yourself out to help others so that God can keep filling you up with His spirit. The more you give, the more you will have for yourself. God will see that you are kept filled as long as you are giving to others. But if you selfishly try to keep all for yourself, you are soon blocked off from God, your source of supply, and you will become stagnant. To be clear, a take must have an inflow and an outflow.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may keep pouring out what I receive. I pray that I may keep the stream clear and flowing.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

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Thoughts For The Day~*~Companionship ^*^*^*^*^ November 1, 2012

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~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
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Companionship
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"Letting go of everything at once
was both painful and terrifying. 
I could never have accomplished this alone. 
It took the help, understanding and wonderful companionship that was given so freely to me by my 'ex-alkie' friends. 
This and the program of recovery
embodied in the Twelve Steps . . .
Whole new vistas were opened up for me,
new avenues of experience to be explored,
and life began to take on color and interest."
c. 1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 311
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Thought to Consider . . .

This is a great day to be sober, patient, tolerant,
kindly and loving.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
C A R E =  Comforting And Reassuring Each other

*~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~* 

Accountable

From "The Three Legacies of Alcoholics Anonymous":

"By 1940 we had begun to see that the A.A. book should belong to our society itself. Its shares should not be forever scattered among forty-nine subscribers, Ruth Hock, Henry, and me [Bill W.]. If the Foundation could acquire these outstanding shares, the book could be placed in trust for A.A. as a whole.   They could no longer kick about the book's income being used to run the A.A. office.

"Trustee A. LeRoy Chipman conceived the idea of borrowing enough money from Mr. [John D., Jr.] Rockefeller, two of his sons [including then-future US Vice President Nelson], and the dinner guests to clear away certain debts and to buy all Works Publishing's shares (except Henry's and mine) from the cash subscribers at par. Every one of the cash subscribers gladly consented to this; they were happy to get out even. Mr. Chipman thereupon raised a total of $8,000 dollars, to be repaid to Mr. Rockefeller and the others out of book profits at a later date."

2001 AAWS, Inc.; Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pg. 189

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
I CANNOT CHANGE THE WIND

It is easy to let up on the spiritual program of action and rest on our laurels.  We are headed for trouble if we do, for alcohol is a subtle foe.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 85

My first sponsor told me there were two things to say about prayer and meditation: first, I had to start and second, I had to continue.  When I came to A.A. my spiritual life was bankrupt; if I considered God at all, He was to be called upon only when my self-will was incapable of a task or when overwhelming fears had eroded my ego.

Today I am grateful for a new life, one in which my prayers are those of thanksgiving.  My prayer time is more for listening than for talking.  I know today that if I cannot change the wind, I can adjust my sail.  I know the difference between superstition and spirituality.  I know there is a graceful way of being right, and many ways to be wrong.

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
From the Taproot

The principle that we shall find no enduring strength until we first admit complete defeat is the main taproot from which our whole Society has sprung and flowered.

<<<>>>

Every newcomer is told, and soon realizes for himself, that his humble admission of powerlessness over alcohol is his first step toward liberation from its paralyzing grip.
So it is that we first see humility as a necessity. But this is the barest beginning. To get completely away from our aversion to the idea of being humble, to gain a vision of humility as the avenue to true freedom of the human spirit, to be willing to work for humility as something to be desired for itself, takes most of us a long, long time. A whole lifetime geared to self-centeredness cannot be set in reverse all at once.

TWELVE AND TWELVE - 1. pp. 21-22 - 2. pp. 72-73
*~*~*~*~*^ 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

I have hope. That magic thing that I had lost or misplaced. The future looks dark no more. I do not even look at it, except when necessary to make plans. I try to let the future take care of itself. The future will be made up of todays and todays, stretching out as short as now and as long as eternity. Hope is justified by many right nows, by the rightness of the present. Nothing can happen to me that God does not will for me. I can hope for the best, as long as I have what I have and it is good. Have I hope?

Meditation for the Day

Faith is the messenger that bears your prayers to God. Prayer can be like incense, rising ever higher and higher. The prayer of faith is the prayer of trust that feels the presence of God which it rises to meet. It can be sure of some response from God. We can say a prayer of thanks to God every day for His grace, which has kept us on the right way and allowed us to start living the good life. So we should pray to God with faith and trust and gratitude.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may feel sure of some response to my prayers. I pray that I may be content with whatever form that response takes.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

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