Thoughts For The Day~*~Amends ^*^*^*^*^ November 11, 2012

---

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

"Though the variations were many,
my main theme was always 'How godawful I am!'
Just as I often exaggerated my modest attainments by pride,
so I exaggerated my defects through guilt.
I would race about, confessing all (and a great deal more)
to whoever would listen.
Believe it or not, I took this widespread exposure
of my sins to be great humility on my part,
and considered it a great spiritual asset and consolation!
But later on I realized at depth that
the great harms I had done others were not truly regretted.
These episodes were merely the basis for
storytelling and exhibitionism."
Bill W., AAGrapevine, June 1961
c. 1967AAWS, As Bill Sees It, p. 311
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

Don't mess up an amends with an excuse.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
W H O   M E ? =
Willingness, Honesty, Open-mindedness, Must Exist

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

Aim Toward Perfection

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

Let's dispose of what appears to be a hazardous open end we have left. It is suggested that we ought to become entirely willing to aim toward perfection. We note that some delay, however, might be pardoned. That word, in the mind of a rationalizing alcoholic, could certainly be given a long term meaning. He could say, "How very easy! Sure, I'll head toward perfection, but I'm certainly not going to hurry any. Maybe I can postpone dealing with some of my problems indefinitely." Of course, this won't do. Such a bluffing of oneself will have to go the way of many another pleasant rationalization. At the very least, we shall have to come to grips with some of our worst character defects and take action toward their removal as quickly as we can. 

1981, AAWS, Inc., Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, page 69

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
SELF-ACCEPTANCE

We know that God lovingly watches over us.  We know that when we turn to Him, all will be well with us, here and hereafter.

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 105

I pray for the willingness to remember that I am a child of God, a divine soul in human form, and that my most basic and urgent life-task is to accept, know, love and nurture myself.  As I accept myself, I am accepting God's will.  As I know and love myself, I am knowing and loving God.  As I nurture myself I am acting on God's guidance.

I pray for the willingness to let go of my arrogant self-criticism, and to praise God by humbly accepting and caring for myself.

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Greater than Ourselves

If a mere code of morals or a better philosophy of life were sufficient to overcome alcoholism, many of us would have recovered long ago. But we found that such codes and philosophies did not save us, no matter how much we tried. We could wish to be moral, we could wish to be philosophically comforted, in fact, we could will these things with all our might, but the power needed for change wasn't there. Our human resources, as marshaled by the will, were not sufficient; they failed utterly.
Lack of power: That was our dilemma. We had to find a power by which we could live - and it had to be a Power greater than ourselves.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, pp. 44-45
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
"If we are sorry for what we have done, and have the honest desire to
let God take us to better things, we believe we will be forgiven and
will have learned our lesson. If we are not sorry, and our conduct
continues to harm others, we are quite sure to drink. We are not
theorizing. These are facts out of our experience."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 70~
*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*
A.A. Thought for the Day

When I think of all who have gone before me, I realize that I am only one, not very important, person. What happens to me is not so very important after all. And A.A. has taught me to be more outgoing, to seek friendship by going at least halfway, to have a sincere desire to help. I have more self-respect now that I have less sensitiveness. I have found that the only way to live comfortably with myself is to take a real interest in others. Do I realize that I am not so important after all?

Meditation for the Day

As you look back over your life, it is not too difficult to believe that what you went through was for a purpose, to prepare you for some valuable work in life. Everything in your life may well have been planned by God to make you of some use in the world. Each person's life is like the pattern of a mosaic. Each thing that happened to you is like one tiny stone in the mosaic, and each tiny stone fits into the perfected pattern of the mosaic of your life, which has been designed by God.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may not need to see the whole design of my life. I pray that I may trust the Designer.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

---

Thoughts For The Day~*~Today ^*^*^*^*^ November 10, 2012

---

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

"I realize that all I'm guaranteed in life is today.
The poorest person has no less
and the wealthiest has no more --
each of us has but one day.
What we do with it is our own business;
how we use it is up to us individually.
I feel that I have been restored to health and sanity
these past years not through my own efforts
nor as a result of anything I may have done,
but because I've come to believe
-- to really believe --
that alone I can do nothing.
That my own innate selfishness and stubbornness
are the evils which, if left unguarded,
can drive me to alcohol.
I have come to believe that my illness is spiritual
as well as physical and mental,
and I know that for help in the spiritual sphere
I have to turn to a Higher Power."
c. 1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 473
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

I can't have a better tomorrow
if I am thinking about yesterday all the time.

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

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

Design for Living

From: "There Is A Solution" 

Here was the terrible dilemma in which our friend found himself when he had the extraordinary experience, which as we have already told you, made him a free man. 

We, in our turn, sought the same escape with all the desperation of drowning men. What seemed at first a flimsy reed, has proved to be the loving and powerful hand of God. A new life has been given us or, if you prefer, "a design for living" that really works. 

2001, AAWS, Inc., Alcoholics Anonymous, page 28

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
A SENSE OF BELONGING

Perhaps one of the greatest rewards of meditation and prayer is the sense of belonging that comes to us.

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 105

That's what it is - belonging!  After a session of meditation I knew that the feeling I was experiencing was a sense of belonging because I was so relaxed.  I felt quieter inside, more willing to discard little irritations.  I appreciated my sense of humor.  What I also experience in my daily practice is the sheer pleasure of belonging to the creative flow of God's world.  How propitious for us that prayer and meditation are written right into our A.A. way of life.

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
High and Low

When our membership was small, we dealt with "low-bottom cases" only. Many less desperate alcoholics tried A.A., but did not succeed because they could not make the admission of their hopelessness.
In the following years, this changed. Alcoholics who still had their health, their families, their jobs, and even two cars in the garage, began to recognize their alcoholism. As this trend grew, they were joined by young people who were scarcely more than potential alcoholics. How could people such as these take the First Step?
By going back in our own drinking histories, we showed them that years before we realized it we were out of control, that our drinking even then was no mere habit, that it was indeed the beginning of a fatal progression.

TWELVE AND TWELVE, p. 23
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
"The fact is that most alcoholics, for reasons yet obscure, have lost
the power of choice in drink. Our so-called will power becomes
practically nonexistent. We are unable, at certain times, to bring
into our consciousness with sufficient force the memory of the
suffering and humiliation of even a week or a month ago. We are
without defense against the first drink."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, There Is A Solution, pg. 24~

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

I am less self-centered. The world used to revolve around me at the center. I cared more about myself, my own needs and desires, my own pleasure, my own way, than I did about the whole rest of the world. What happened to me was more important than any- thing else I could think of. I was selfishly trying to be happy and therefore I was unhappy most of the time. I have found that selfishly seeking pleasure does not bring true happiness. Thinking of myself all the time cut me off from the best in life. A.A. taught me to care less about myself and more about the other person, Am I less self-centered?

Meditation for the Day

When something happens to upset you and you are discouraged, try to feel that life's difficulties and troubles are not intended to arrest your progress in the spiritual life, but to test your strength and to increase your determination to keep going. Whatever it is that must be met, you are to either overcome it or use it. Nothing should daunt you for long, nor should any difficulty entirely overcome or conquer you. God's strength will always be there, waiting for you to use it, Nothing can be too great to be overcome, or if not overcome, then used,

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may know that there can be no failure with God. I pray that with His help I may live a more victorious life.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

---

Thoughts For The Day~*~Growth ^*^*^*^*^ November 9, 2012

---

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
^*^*^*^*^
(\    ~~  /)
(   \ (AA)/   )
(_   /AA\ _)
  /AA\
^*^*^*^*^
Growth
^*^*^*^*^
"It seems to me that the primary object
of any human being is to grow, as God intended,
that being the nature of all growing things.
Our search must be for what reality we can find,
which includes the best definition and feeling
of love that we can acquire.
If the capability of loving is in the human being,
then it must surely be in his Creator.
Theology helps me in that many of its concepts
cause me to believe that I live in a rational universe
under a loving God,
and that my own irrationality can be chipped away,
little by little.
This is, I suppose, the process of growth
for which we are intended."
Bill W., Letter,  1958
c. 1967AAWS, As Bill Sees It, p. 295
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

All you have to do to change your life is change your mind.

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

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

 

Response

From "A Small White Card":

"Yet I had a spiritual experience the night I called A.A., though I didn't realize it until later. Two angels came, carrying a real message of hope, and told me about A.A. My sponsor laughed when I denied that I had prayed for help. I told him that the only time I had mentioned God was when, in my despair at being unable to get either drunk or sober, I had cried out, 'God! What am I going to do?'

"He replied, 'I believe that prayer was a pretty good one for a first one from an atheist. It got an answer, too.. "Brighton, Colorado, USA"

 1973 AAWS, Inc.; Came to Believe, 30^th printing 2004, pg. 25

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
STEPPING INTO THE SUNLIGHT

But first of all we shall want sunlight; nothing much can grow in the dark.  Meditation is our step out into the sun.

AS BILL SEES IT, p. 10

        Sometimes I think I don't have time for prayer and meditation, forgetting that I always found the time to drink.  It is possible to make time for anything I want to do if I want it badly enough.  When I start the routine of prayer and meditation, it's a good idea to plan to devote a small amount of time to it.  I read a page from our Fellowship's books in the morning, and say "Thank You, God," when I go to bed at night.  As prayer becomes a habit, I will increase the time spent on it, without even noticing the foray it makes into my busy day.  If I have trouble praying, I just repeat the Lord's Prayer because it really covers everything. Then I think of what I can be grateful for and say a word of thanks.

        I don't need to shut myself in a closet to pray. It can be done even in a room full of people.  I just remove myself mentally for an instant.  As the practice of prayer continues, I will find I don't need words, for God can, and does, hear my thoughts through silence.

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
In the Sunlight at Last

When the thought was expressed that there might be a God personal to me, I didn't like the idea. So my friend Ebby made what then seemed a novel suggestion. He said, "Why don't you choose your own conception of God?"
That statement hit me hard. It melted the icy intellectual mountain in whose shadow I had lived and shivered many years. I stood in the sunlight at last.

<<<>>>

It may be possible to find explanations of spiritual experiences such as ours, but I have often tried to explain my own and have succeeded only in giving the story of it. I know the feeling it gave me and the results it has brought, but I realize I may never fully understand its deeper why and how.

1. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 12 - 2. A.A. COMES OF AGE, p. 45
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"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."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, A Vision For You, pg. 164

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

I have lost much of my inferiority complex. I was always trying to escape from life. I did not want to face reality. I was full of self-pity. I was constantly sorry for myself. I tried to avoid all responsibilities. I did not feel that I would handle the responsibilities of my family or my work. Owing to my inferiority complex, I was eager to be free of all responsibilities. I wanted to drift; I wanted to be "on the beach." A.A. showed me how to get over my feeling of inferiority. It made me want to accept responsibility again. Have I lost my inferiority complex?

Meditation For the Day

"One thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things that are before, I press onward toward the goal. " We should forget those things which are behind us and press onward toward something better. We can believe that God has forgiven us for all our past sins, provided we are honestly trying to live today the way we believe He wants us to live. We can wipe clean the slate of the past. We can start today with a clean slate and go forward with confidence toward the goal that has been set before us.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may drop off the load of the past. I pray that I may start today with a light heart and a new confidence.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

---

Thoughts For The Day~*~Authority ^*^*^*^*^ November 8, 2012

---

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

"Many people wonder how AA can function
under such a seeming anarchy.
Other societies have to have law and force and sanction
and punishment, administered by authorized people.
Happily for us,
we found we need no human authority whatever.
We have two authorities which are far more effective.
One is benign, the other malign.
There is God, our Father, who very simply says,
'I am waiting for you to do my will.'
The other authority is named John Barleycorn,
and he says, 'You had better do God's will or I will kill you.'
And sometimes he does kill.
So, when all the chips are down,
we conform to God's will or perish.
At this level, the death sentence hangs over the AA member,
his group, and AA as a whole."
Bill W., St. Louis, July 1955
c. 1957AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, p. 105
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

Faith is the substance of things hoped for,
and the evidence of things not seen.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
F I T  =  Faith, Intuition, Trust.

*~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~*
 

Growth

From "The Three Legacies of Alcoholics Anonymous":

"Thus A.A. rolled along until the spring of 1941, when we could count 2,000 members, a gain of 1,200 in a single year. We thought this was good going, but actually we had not seen anything yet. We were on the threshold of the event that made Alcoholics Anonymous a national institution overnight.

"Dr. A. Wiese Hammer, already champion of A.A. in Philadelphia, had drawn our fellowship to the attention of Curtis Bok, one of the owners of the Saturday Evening Post [an extremely popular magazine of the time]. At first the editorial board of the Post was dubious. But Mr. Bok had seen some of our Philadelphia members and had heard about their recovery at first hand; he knew whereof he spoke. And the next thing we knew Mr. Jack Alexander, a star feature writer for the Post, appeared at our Vesey Street office [in New York City]."

2001 AAWS, Inc.; Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pg. 190

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
AN INDIVIDUAL ADVENTURE

Meditation is something which can always be further developed.  It has no boundaries, either of width or height.  Aided by such instruction and example as we can find, it is essentially an individual adventure, something which each one of us works out in his own way.

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 101

My spiritual growth is with God as I understand Him.  With Him I find my true inner self.  Daily meditation and prayer strengthen and renew my source of well-being.  I receive then the openness to accept all that He has to offer.  With God I have the reassurance that my journey will be as He wants for me, and for that I am grateful to have God in my life.

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Tolerance Keeps Us Sober

"Honesty with ourselves and others gets us sober, but it is tolerance that keeps us that way.
"Experience shows that few alcoholics will long stay away from a group just because they don't like the way it is run. Most return and adjust themselves to whatever conditions they must. Some go to a different group, or form a new one.
"In other words, once an alcoholic fully realizes that he cannot get well alone, he will somehow find a way to get well and stay well in the company of others. It has been that way from the beginning of A.A. and probably always will be so."

LETTER, 1943
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
"The alcoholic is like a tornado roaring his way through the lives of
others. Hearts are broken. Sweet relationships are dead.
Affections have been uprooted. Selfish and inconsiderate habits have
kept the home in turmoil. We feel a man is unthinking when he says
that sobriety is enough"

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 82~
*~*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*~*
A.A. Thought for the Day

I have lost much of my inferiority complex. I was always trying to escape from life. I did not want to face reality. I was full of self-pity. I was constantly sorry for myself. I tried to avoid all responsibilities. I did not feel that I would handle the responsibilities of my family or my work. Owing to my inferiority complex, I was eager to be free of all responsibilities. I wanted to drift; I wanted to be "on the beach." A.A. showed me how to get over my feeling of inferiority. It made me want to accept responsibility again. Have I lost my inferiority complex?

Meditation for the Day

"One thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things that are before, I press onward toward the goal." We should forget those things which are behind us and press onward toward something better.. We can believe that God has forgiven us for all our past sins, provided we are honestly trying to live today the way we believe He wants us to live. We can wipe clean the slate of the past. We can start today with a clean slate and go forward with confidence toward the goal that has been set before us.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may drop off the load of the past. I pray that I may start today with a light heart and a new confidence.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

---