Thoughts For The Day~*~Fun^*^*^ June 16, 2013

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~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
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Fun
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"Every day, I feel a little bit more useful,
more happy, and more free.
Life, including some ups and downs, is a lot of fun.
I am part of AA which is a way of life.
If I had not become an active alcoholic and joined AA,
I might never have found my own identity
or become a part of anything."
1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 417
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Thought to Consider . . .

Joy is in knowing there is an answer.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
F I N E  =  Free, Independent, New and Energetic

*~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~*
 

Living

From "Fear of Fear:"

     "I can't afford resentments against
anyone, because they are the build-up of
another drunk.  I must live and let live."

 1976, Alcoholics Anonymous, page 325

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
OPEN-MINDEDNESS

We have found that God does not make too hard terms with those who seek Him.  To us, the realm of spirit is broad, roomy, all inclusive, never exclusive or forbidding to those who earnestly seek.  It is open, we believe, to all men.

AS BILL SEES IT, p. 7

Open-mindedness to concepts of a Higher Power can open doors to the spirit.  Often I find the human spirit in various dogmas and faiths.  I can be spiritual in the sharing of myself.  The sharing of self joins me to the human race and brings me closer to God, as I understand Him.

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Progress Rather than Perfection

On studying the Twelve Steps, many of us exclaimed, "What an order! I can't go through with it." Do not be discouraged. No one among us has been able to maintain anything like perfect adherence to these principles. We are not saints.  The point is that we are willing to grow along spiritual lines. The principles we have set down are guides to progress. We claim spiritual progress rather than spiritual perfection.
<<<>>>
"We recovered alcoholics are not so much brothers in virtue as we are
brothers in our defects, and in our common strivings to overcome them."

1. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, P. 60
2. LETTER, 1946

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

"Most of us have been unwilling to admit we were real alcoholics. No
person likes to think he is bodily and mentally different from his
fellows. Therefore, it is not surprising that our drinking careers
have been characterized by countless vain attempts to prove we could
drink like other people. 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."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, More About Alcoholism, Page 30~

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

But even faith is not the whole story. There must be service.
We must give this thing away if we want to keep it. The Dead
Sea has no outlet and it is stagnant and full of salt. The Sea
of Galilee is clear and clean and blue, as the Jordan River
carries it out to irrigate the desert. To be of service to
other people makes our lives worth living. Does service to
others give me a real purpose in life?

Meditation for the Day

Seek God early in the day, before He gets crowded out by life's
problems, difficulties, or pleasures. In that early quiet time
gain a calm, strong confidence in the goodness and purpose in
the universe. Do not seek God only when the world's struggles
prove too much and too many for you to bear or face alone.
Seek God early, when you can have a consciousness of God's
spirit in the world. People often only seek God when their
difficulties are too great to be surmounted in any other way,
forgetting that if they sought God's companionship before
they need it, many of their difficulties would never arise.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may not let God be crowded out by the hurly-burly
of life. I pray that I may seek God early and often.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

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Thoughts For The Day~*~Foundation^*^*^ June 15, 2013

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~*~A.A. Thoughts For The D ay~*~
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Foundation
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"There is a direct linkage among self-examination,
meditation, and prayer. 
Taken separately, these practices can bring
much relief and benefit. 
But when they are logically related and interwoven,
the result is an unshakable foundation for life. 
Now and then we may be granted a glimpse of
that ultimate reality which is God's kingdom. 
And we will be comforted and assured
that our own destiny in that realm will be secure
for so long as we try, however falteringly,
to find and do the will of our own Creator."
1952AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 98
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Thought to Consider . . .

Prayer is asking a question. 
Meditation is listening for the answer.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
A S A P  =  Always Say A Prayer

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

Future

From "Heard at Meetings":

"'It is wise to pray for the future, but not to worry about it, because we can't live it until it becomes the present. The depth of our anxiety measures the distance we are from God.' - Sydney, Australia"

1973 AAWS, Inc.; Came to Believe, 30^th printing 2004, pg. 26

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
MAKING A.A. YOUR HIGHER POWER

". . . You can . . . make A.A. itself your 'higher power.'  Here's a very large group of people who have solved their alcohol problem. . . . many members . . . have crossed the threshold just this way. . . . their faith broadened and deepened. . . . transformed, they came to believe in a Higher Power. . . "

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, pp. 27-28

No one was greater than I, at least in my eyes, when I was drinking.  Nevertheless, I couldn't smile at myself in the mirror, so I came to A.A. where, with others, I heard talk of a Higher Power.  I couldn't accept the concept of a Higher Power because I believed God was cruel and unloving.  In desperation I chose a table, a tree, then my A.A. group, as my Higher Power.  Time passed, my life improved, and I began to wonder about this Higher Power.  Gradually, with patience, humility and a lot of questions, I came to believe in God.  Now my relationship with my Higher Power gives me the strength to live a happy, sober life.

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Fear No Evil

Though we of A.A. find ourselves living in a world characterized by
destructive fears as never before in history, we see great areas of faith,
and tremendous aspirations toward justice and brotherhood. Yet no prophet can presume to say whether the world outcome will be blazing destruction or the beginning, under God's intention, of the brightest era yet known to mankind.
I am sure we A.A.'s will comprehend this scene. In microcosm, we have
experienced this identical state of terrifying uncertainty, each in his own life. In no sense pridefully, we can say that we do not fear the world outcome, whichever course it may take. This is because we have been enabled to deeply feel and say, "We shall fear no evil--Thy will, not ours, be done."

GRAPEVINE, JANUARY 1962

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

"For the type of alcoholic who is able and willing get well, little
charity, in the ordinary sense of the word, is need or wanted. The men
who cry for money and shelter before conquering alcohol, are on the
wrong track."

Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Working With Others, pg. 97

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

In A.A. we have three things: fellowship, faith, and service.
Fellowship is wonderful, but its wonder lasts just so long.
Then some gossip, disillusionment, and boredom may come in.
Worry and fear come back at times and we find that fellowship
is not the whole story. Then we need faith. When we're alone,
with no- body to pat us on the back, we must turn to God for
help. Can I say "Thy will be done" - and mean it?

Meditation for the Day

There is beauty in a God-guided life. There is wonder in the
feeling of being led by God. Try to realize God's bounty and
goodness more and more. God is planning for you. Wonderful are His ways - they are beyond your knowledge. But God's leading will enter your consciousness more and more and bring you ever more peace and joy. Your life is being planned and blessed by God. You may count all material things as losses if they prevent your winning your way to the consciousness of od's guidance.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may earn the rewards of God's power and peace.
I pray that I may develop the feeling of being led by God.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

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Thoughts For The Day~*~Traditions ^*^*^ June 14, 2013

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~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
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Traditions
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"The Twelve Traditions point straight
at many of our individual defects.
By implication they ask each of us to lay aside
pride and resentments.
They ask for personal as well as group sacrifice.
They ask us never to use the AA name
in any quest for personal power or distinction or money.
The Traditions guarantee the equality
of all members and the independence of all groups.
They show how we may best relate ourselves to each other
and to the world outside."
Bill W.,
1967AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, p. 96
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Thought to Consider . . .

If you have the courage to begin,
you have the courage to succeed.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
A A's - R - U S  =  Alcoholics Anonymous Recovery Unity Service


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

Core

From "The Three Legacies of Alcoholics Anonymous":

"On many a day I felt like throwing the book out the window.  "I was in this anything-but-spiritual mood on the night when the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous were written. I was sore and tired clear through. I lay in bed at 182 Clinton Street with pencil in hand and with a tablet of scratch paper on my knee. I could not get my mind on the job, much less put my heart in it. But here was one of those things that had to be done. Slowly my mind came into some kind of focus.

"Since Ebby's visit to me in the fall of 1934 we had gradually evolved what we called 'the word-of-mouth program.' Most of the basic ideas had come from the Oxford Groups, William James, and Dr. Silkworth."

2001 AAWS, Inc.; Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pg. 160

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
WHEN THE GOING GETS ROUGH

It is a design for living that works in rough going.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 15

When I came to A.A., I realized that A.A. worked wonderfully to help keep me sober.  But could it work on real life problems, not concerned with drinking?  I had my doubts.  After being sober for more than two years I got my answer.  I lost my job, developed physical problems, my diabetic father lost a leg, and someone I loved left me for another -- and all of this happened during a two-week period.  Reality crashed in, yet A.A. was there to support, comfort, and strengthen me.  The principles I had learned during my early days of sobriety became a mainstay of my life for not only did I come through, but I never stopped being able to help newcomers.  A.A. taught me not to be overwhelmed, but rather to accept and understand my life as it unfolded. 

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.

*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
"Success" in Twelfth-Stepping

"We now see that in twelfth-stepping the immediate results are not so
important. Some people start out working with others and have immediate success. They are likely to get cocky. Those of us who are not so successful at first get depressed.  As a matter of fact, the successful worker differs from the unsuccessful only in being lucky about his prospects. He simply hits newcomers who are
ready and able to stop at once. Given the same prospects, the seemingly
unsuccessful person would have produced almost the same results. You have to work on a lot of newcomers before the law of averages commences to assert itself."
<<<>>>
All true communication must be founded on mutual need. We saw that each sponsor would have to admit humbly his own needs as clearly as those of his prospect.

1. LETTER, 1942
2. A.A. TODAY, P. 10
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"'My old manner of life was by no means a bad one, but I would not
exchange its best moments for the worst I have now. I would not go
back to it even if I could.'"

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, More About Alcoholism, pg. 43~

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

In A.A. we have to learn that drink is our greatest enemy.
Although we used to think that liquor was our friend, the time
came when it turned against us and became our enemy. We don't know just when this happened, but we know that it did because we began to get into trouble - jails and hospitals. We realize now that liquor is our enemy. Is it still my main business to keep sober?

Meditation for the Day

It is not your circumstances that need altering so much as
yourself. After you have changed, conditions will naturally
change. Spare no effort to become all that God would have you
become. Follow every good leading of your conscience. Take each day with no backward look. Face the day's problems with God, and seek God's help and guidance as to what you should do in every situation that may arise. Never look back. Never leave until tomorrow the thing that you are guided to do today.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that God will help me to become all that He would have me
be. I pray that I may face today's problem as with good grace.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

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Thoughts For The Day~*~Change ^*^*^*^*^ June 13, 2013

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~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
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Change
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"How many of us would presume to declare,
'Well, I'm sober and I'm happy.
What more can I want, or do?  I'm fine the way I am.'
We know that the price of such self-satisfaction is
an inevitable backslide,
punctuated at some point by a very rude awakening.
We have to grow or else deteriorate.
For us, the status quo can only be for today,
never for tomorrow.
Change we must; we cannot stand still."
Bill W., Grapevine, February 1961
1967AAWS, As Bill Sees It, p. 25
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Thought to Consider . . .

There are only two things an alcoholic doesn't like -
the way things are, and change.

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

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

Future

From "Heard at Meetings":

"'It is wise to pray for the future, but not to worry about it, because we can't live it until it becomes the present. The depth of our anxiety measures the distance we are from God.' - Sydney, Australia"

1973 AAWS, Inc.; Came to Believe, 30^th printing 2004, pg. 26

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
LIVING OUR AMENDS

"Years of living with an alcoholic is almost sure to make any
wife or child neurotic. The entire family is to some extent,
ill."

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 122

It is important for me to realize that, as an alcoholic, I not
only hurt myself, but also those around me. Making amends to
my family, and to the families of alcoholics still suffering,
will always be important. Understanding the havoc I created
and trying to repair the destruction, will be a lifelong
endeavor. The example of my sobriety may give others hope,
and faith to help themselves.

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
A Saving Principle

The practice of admitting one's defects to another person is, of course, very ancient. It has been validated in every century, and it characterizes the lives of all spiritually centered and truly religious people. But today religion is by no means the sole advocate of this saving principle. Psychiatrists and psychologists point out the deep need every human being has for practical insight and knowledge of his own personality flaws and for a discussion of them with an understanding and trustworthy person.
So far as alcoholics are concerned, A.A. would go even further. Most of us would declare that without a fearless admission of our defects to another human being, we could not stay sober. It seems plain that the grace of God will not enter to expel our destructive obsessions until we are willing to try this.

TWELVE AND TWELVE, PP. 56-57
*~*~*~*~*^ 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

In A.A. we have to reeducate our minds. We have to learn to
think differently. We have to take a long view of drinking
instead of a short view. We have to look through the glass
to what lies beyond it. We have to look through the night
before to the morning after. No matter how good liquor looks
from the short view, we must realize that in the long run it
is poison to us. Have I learned to look through the bottle
to the better life that lies ahead?

Meditation for the Day

If you are honestly trying to live the way you believe God
wants you to live, you can get guidance from God in times of
quiet communion with Him, provided your thoughts are directed
toward God's will and all good things. The attitude of
"Thy will, not mine, be done' leads to clear guidance. Act on
this guidance and you will be led to better things. Your
impulses seem to become less your own and more the leading of God's spirit acting through your thoughts. Obeyed, they will
bring you the answers to your prayers.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may try to think God's thoughts after Him. I
pray that my thoughts may be guided by His thoughts.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

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