Thoughts For The Day~*~Belonging ^*^*^*^*^ December 16, 2012

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

There is no more aloneness, with that awful ache,
so deep in the heart of every alcoholic
that nothing, before, could ever reach it.
That ache is gone and never need return again.
Now there is a sense of belonging,
of being wanted and needed and loved.
In return for a bottle and a hangover,
we have been given the Keys of the Kingdom.
c. 2001AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 276
c. 1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 312

Thought to Consider . . .

Turn your wounds into wisdom.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
G R A C E =  Gently Releasing All Conscious Expectations

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

Hope

From "Finding your own way:"

"Most of us have seen death close up...but we
also have known the sort of hope that makes the
heart sing....If you are a problem drinker, you
already know enough about pain and loneliness.
We'd like you to find some of the peace and joy
we have found in meeting the reality of life's ups
and downs with a clear head and a steady heart."

c. 1975, Living Sober, page 86

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
PARTNERS IN RECOVERY

. . . nothing will so much insure immunity from drinking as intensive work with other alcoholics . . . Both you and the new man must walk day by day in the path of spiritual progress. . . . Follow the dictates of a Higher Power and you will presently live in a new and wonderful world, no matter what your present circumstances!

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, pp. 89, 100

Doing the right things for the right reasons -- this is my way of controlling my selfishness and self-centeredness.  I realize that my dependency on a Higher Power clears the way for peace of mind, happiness and sobriety.  I pray each day that I will avoid my previous actions, so that I will be helpful to others.

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Random Quote - Anger--Personal and Group Enemy

"As the book 'Alcoholics Anonymous' puts it, 'Resentment is the Number One offender,' It is a primary cause of relapses into drinking. How well we of A.A. know that for us 'To drink is eventually to go mad or die.'
"Much the same penalty overhangs every A.A. group. Given enough anger, both unity and purpose are lost. Given still more 'righteous' indignation, the group can disintegrate; it can actually die. This is why we avoid controversy. This is why we prescribe no punishments for any misbehavior, no matter how grievous. Indeed, no alcoholic can be deprived of his membership for any reason whatever.
"Punishment never heals. Only love can heal."

LETTER, 1966
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
"It is plain that a life which includes deep resentment leads only to
futility and unhappiness. To the precise extent that we permit
these, do we squander the hours that might have been worth while."

Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 66

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

The way of A.A. is the way of faith. We don't get the full benefit of the program until we surrender our lives to some Power greater than ourselves and trust that Power to give us the strength we need. There is no better way for us. We can get sober without it. We can stay sober for some time without it. But if we are going to truly live, we must take the way of faith in God. That is the path for us. We must follow it. Have I taken the way of faith?

Meditation for the Day

Life is not a search for happiness. Happiness is a by-product of living the right kind of a life, of doing the right thing. Do not search for happiness, search for right living and happiness will be your reward. Life is sometimes a march of duty during dull, dark days. But happiness will come again, as God's smile of recognition of your faithfulness. True happiness is always the by-product of a life well lived.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may not seek happiness but seek to do right. I pray that I may not seek pleasure so much as the things that bring true happiness.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

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Thoughts For The Day~*~Pride ^*^*^*^*^ December 15, 2012

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

We scarcely need to be reminded that excessive guilt
or rebellion leads to spiritual poverty.
But it was a very long time before we knew
we could go even more broke on spiritual pride.
When we early AAs got our first glimmer
of how spiritually pride full we could be,
we coined this expression:
"Don't try to get too damned good by Thursday!"
That old-time admonition may look like another of those
handy alibis that can excuse us from trying our best.
Yet a closer view reveals just the contrary.
This is our AA way of warning against pride-blindness,
and the imaginary perfection's that we do not possess.
Bill W., June 1961
c. 1988 AAGrapevine, The Language of the Heart, p. 255
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Thought to Consider . . .

Pride without gratitude is arrogance.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
S O B E R =  Simply Observe Bill's Exemplary Recovery

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

Ideas

From "'Suggested' Steps":

"I remember my sponsor's answer when I told him that the Steps were 'suggested.' He replied that they are 'suggested' in the same way that, if you were to jump out of an airplane with a parachute, it is 'suggested' that you pull the ripcord to save your life. He pointed out that it was 'suggested' I practice the Twelve Steps, if I wanted to save my life."

1990 AAWS, Inc.; Daily Reflections, pg. 344

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
DOING ANYTHING TO HELP

Offer him [the alcoholic] friendship and fellowship. Tell him that if he wants to get well you will do anything to help.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, P. 95

I remember how attracted I was to the two men from A.A. who Twelfth-Stepped me.  They said I could have what they had, with no conditions attached, that all I had to do was make my own decision to join them on the pathway to recovery. When I start convincing a newcomer to do things my way, I forget how helpful those two men were to me in their open-minded generosity.

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Random Quote - One Fellowship - Many Faiths

As a society we must never become so vain as to suppose that we are authors and inventors of a new religion. We will humbly reflect that every one of A.A.'s principles has been borrowed from ancient sources.

<<<>>>

A minister in Thailand wrote, "We took A.A.'s Twelve Steps to the largest Buddhist monastery in this province, and the head priest said, 'Why, these Steps are fine! For us as Buddhists, it might be slightly more acceptable if you had inserted the word 'good' in your Steps instead of 'God.' Nevertheless, you say that it is God as you understand Him, and that must certainly include the good. Yes, A.A.'s Twelve Steps will surely be accepted by the Buddhists around here.'"

<<<>>>

St. Louis old-timers recall how Father Edward Dowling helped start their group; it turned out to be largely Protestant, but this fazed him not a bit.

A.A. COMES OF AGE - 1. p. 231 - 2. p. 81 - 3. p. 37
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
"When ready, we say something like this: 'My Creator, I am now
willing that you should have all of me, good and bad. I pray that you
now remove from me every single defect of character which stands in
the way of my usefulness to you and my fellows. Grant me strength, as
I go out from here, to do your bidding. Amen.' We have then
completed Step Seven."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 76~
*~*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*~*
A.A. Thought for the Day

Service to others makes the world a good place. Civilization would cease if all of us were always and only for ourselves. We alcoholics have a wonderful opportunity to contribute to the well-being of the world. We have a common problem. We find a common answer We are uniquely equipped to help others with the same problem. What a wonderful world it would be if we took our own greatest problem and found the answer to it and spent the rest of our lives helping others with the same problem in our spare time. Soon we would have the right kind of a world. Do I appreciate my unique opportunity to be of service?

Meditation for the Day

Today can be lived in the consciousness of God's contact, upholding you in all good thoughts, words, and deeds. If sometimes there seems to be a shadow on your life and you feel out of sorts, remember that this is not the withdrawal of God's presence, but only your own temporary unwillingness to realize it. The quiet gray days are the days for doing what you must do, but know that the consciousness of God's nearness will return and be with you again, when the gray days are past.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may face the dull days with courage. I pray that I may have faith that the bright days will return.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

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Thoughts For The Day~*~Cordial Welcome^*^*^*^*^ December 14, 2012

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

But life among Alcoholics Anonymous
is more than attending gatherings and visiting hospitals.
Cleaning up old scrapes,
helping to settle family differences,
explaining the disinherited son to his irate parents,
lending money and securing jobs for each other,
when justified -- these are everyday occurrences.
No one is too discredited or has sunk too low
to be welcomed cordially -- if he means business.
c. 2001AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 161
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Thought to Consider . . .

If you wish to travel far and fast, travel light.
Take off all your envies, jealousies,
unforgiveness, selfishness, and fears.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
H E A R T =  Healing, Enjoying, And Recovering, Together

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

Search

From "Changing Beliefs":

"Slowly and painfully, I became aware of myself. I began to see it wasn't true that I didn't believe in anything. Rather, I had believed in the wrong things  'There is good in all of us. Seek it out, nurture it, tend it, and it will flourish.' So I began searching for the positives within me."

1973 AAWS, Inc.; Came to Believe, 30^th printing 2004, pg. 103

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
REACHING OUT

Never talk down to an alcoholic from any moral or spiritual hilltop; simply lay out the kit of spiritual tools for his inspection. Show him how they worked with you.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 95

When I come into contact with a newcomer, do I have a tendency to look at him from my perceived angle of success in A.A.?  Do I compare him with the large number of acquaintances I have made in the Fellowship? Do I point out to him in a magisterial way the voice of A.A.?  What is my real attitude toward him?  I must examine myself whenever I meet a newcomer to make sure that I am carrying the message with simplicity, humility and generosity. The one who still suffers from the terrible disease of alcoholism must find in me a friend who will allow him to get to know the A.A. way, because I had such a friend when I arrived in A.A. Today it is my turn to hold out my hand, with love, to my sister or brother alcoholic, and to show her or him the way to happiness.

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Random Quote - The Hour of Decision

"Not all large decisions can be well made by simply listing the pros and cons of a given situation, helpful and necessary as this process is. We cannot always depend on what seems to us to be logical. When there is doubt about our logic, we wait upon God and listen for the voice of intuition. If, in meditation, that voice is persistent enough, we may well gain sufficient confidence to act upon that, rather than upon logic. "If, after an exercise of these two disciplines, we are still uncertain, then we should ask for further guidance and, when possible, defer important decisions for a time. By then, with more knowledge of our situation, logic and intuition may well agree upon a right course. "But if the decision must be now, let us not evade it through fear. Right or wrong, we can always profit from the experience."

LETTER, 1966
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"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."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, There Is A Solution, pg. 28~
*~*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*~*
A.A. Thought for the Day

The way of A.A. is the way of service. Without that, it would not work. We have been "on the wagon" and hated it. We have taken the pledge and waited for the time to be up with impatience. We have tried in all manner of ways to help ourselves. But not until we begin to help other people do we get full relief. it is an axiom that the A.A. program has to be given away in order to be kept. A river flows into the Dead Sea and stops. A river flows into a clear pool and flows out again. We get and then we give. If we do not give, we do not keep. Have I given up all ideas of holding A.A. for myself alone?

Meditation for the Day

Try to see the life of the spirit as a calm place, shut away from the turmoil of the world. Think of your spiritual home as a place full of peace, serenity, and contentment. Go to this quiet, meditative place for the strength to carry you through today's duties and problems. Keep coming back here for refreshment when you are weary of the hubbub of the outside world. From this quietness and communion comes our strength.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may keep this resting place where I can commune with God. I pray that I may find refreshment in meditation on the Eternal.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

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Thoughts For The Day~*~Anger^*^*^*^*^ December 13, 2012

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

It is a spiritual axiom that every time we are disturbed,
there is something wrong with us.
If somebody hurts us and we are sore,
we are in the wrong also.
But are there no exceptions to this rule?
What about "justifiable" anger?
If somebody cheats us, aren't we entitled to be mad?
Can't we be properly angry with self-righteous folk?
For us of AA these are dangerous exceptions.
We have found that justified anger
ought to be left to those better qualified to handle it.
c. 1952AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 90
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Thought to Consider . . .

Anger is the hot wind that extinguishes the light of reason.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
A N G E R  =  Any No-Good Energy Rising

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

Traditions

From "The Three Legacies of Alcoholics Anonymous":

"Then in one of our larger centers the amazing story got around that the Foundation and the New York office and the book Alcoholics Anonymous were nothing but a huge racket. They had heard that the book Alcoholics Anonymous was making vast sums of money, that Dr. Bob and I [Bill W.] shared profits of $64,000 the year before.

"The investigating committee's accountant read our modest financial statement aloud and testified to its correctness. The committee was crestfallen and we received an apology.

"This was one of the test cases out of which A.A.'s Tradition respecting professionalism and paid workers was evolved. It was certain that I could not continue full time nor Bob devote more than half his working hours to A.A. unless we both had some definite source of steady income.  That would be contrary to the then-forming Tradition of no contributions from the outside world."

2001 AAWS, Inc.; Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pgs. 193-94

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
THINKING OF OTHERS

Our very lives, as ex-problem drinkers, depend upon our constant thought of others and how we may help meet their needs.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 20

Thinking of others has never come easily to me.  Even when I try to work the A.A. program, I'm prone to thinking, "How do I feel today. Am I happy, joyous and free?"

The program tells me that my thoughts must reach out to those around me: "Would that newcomer welcome someone to talk to?"  "That person looks a little unhappy today, maybe I could cheer him up."  It is only when I forget my problems, and reach out to contribute something to others that I can begin to attain the serenity and God-consciousness I seek.

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Random Quote - Time Versus Money

Our attitude toward the giving of time when compared with our attitude toward giving money presents an interesting contrast. We give a lot of our time to A.A. activities for our own protection and growth, but also for the sake of our groups, our areas, A.A. as a whole, and, above all, the newcomer. Translated into terms of money, these collective sacrifices would add up to a huge sum.
But when it comes to the actual spending of cash, particularly for A.A. service overhead, many of us are apt to turn a bit reluctant. We think of the loss of all that earning power in our drinking years, of those sums we might have laid by for emergencies or for education of the kids.
In recent years, this attitude is everywhere on the decline; it quickly disappears when the real need for a given A.A. service becomes clear. Donors can seldom see what the exact result has been. They well know, however, that countless thousands of other alcoholics and their families are being helped.

TWELVE CONCEPTS, pp. 64-65
*~*~*~*~*^ 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

We come now to A.A. fellowship. It is partly group therapy. It is partly spiritual fellowship. But it is even more. it is based on a common illness, a common failure, a common problem. It goes deep down into our personal lives and our personal needs. it requires a full opening up to each other of our inmost thoughts and most secret problems. All barriers between us are swept aside. They have to be. Then we try to help each other get well. The A.A. fellowship is based on a sincere desire to help each other get well. The A.A. fellowship is based on a sincere desire to help the other person. In A.A. we can be sure of sympathy, understanding, and real help. These things make the A.A. fellowship the best that we know. Do I fully appreciate the depth of the A.A. fellowship?

Meditation for the Day

The Higher Power can guide us to the right decisions if we pray about them. We can believe that many details of our lives are planned by God and planned with a wealth of forgiving love for the mistakes we have made. We can pray today to be shown the right way. We can choose the good, and when we choose it, we can feel that the whole power of the universe is behind us. We can achieve a real harmony with God's purpose for our lives.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may choose aright today. I pray that I may be shown the right way to live today.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

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