Thoughts For The Day~*~Meetings ^*^*^*^*^ April 27, 2014

---

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

"Sobriety and a plan for living
that produces a personality change
and a spiritual awakening are imperative.
Through AA, many receive the needed change
and awakening just by trying to live
by AA principles and with AA people.
We do this by going to many AA meetings
with an open mind and a desire to live the
good-feeling life without chemicals--
liquid or otherwise."
Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 459

Thought to Consider . . .

Seven days without an AA meeting makes one weak.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*

ABC
Acceptance, Belief, Change

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

Upkeep

From Having Fun Yet:

When my own house is in order, I find the different parts of my life are more manageable. Stripped from the guilt and remorse that cloaked my drinking years, I am free to assume my proper role in the universe, but this condition requires maintenance. I should stop and ask myself, Am I having fun yet? If I find answering that question difficult or painful, perhaps I'm taking myself too seriously and finding it difficult to admit that I've strayed from my practice of working the program to keep my house in order.

1990 AAWS, Inc.; Daily Reflections, pg. 31

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
JOYFUL DISCOVERIES

We realize we know only a little.  God will constantly disclose more to you and to us.  Ask Him in your morning meditation what you can do each day for the man who is still sick.  The answers will come, if your own house is in order.  But obviously you cannot transmit something you haven't got.  See to it that your relationship with Him is right, and great events will come to pass for you and countless others.  This is the Great Fact for us.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p.  164

Sobriety is a journey of joyful discovery.  Each day brings new experience, awareness, greater hope, deeper faith, broader tolerance.  I must maintain these attributes or I will have nothing to pass on.

Great events for this recovering alcoholic are the normal everyday joys found in being able to live another day in God's grace.

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
The Sense of Belonging

Perhaps one of the greatest rewards of meditation and prayer is the sense of belonging that comes to us. We no longer live in a completely hostile world. We are no longer lost and frightened and purposeless.
The moment we catch even a glimpse of God's will, the moment we begin to see truth, justice, and love as the real and eternal things in life, we are no longer deeply disturbed by all the seeming evidence to the contrary that surrounds us in purely human affairs. 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 AND TWELVE, P. 105
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
"Life will take on new meaning. To watch people recover, to see them
help others, to watch loneliness vanish, to see a fellowship grow up
about you, to have a host of friends, this is an experience you
must not miss."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Working With Others, pg. 89~
*~*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*~*
A.A. Thought for the Day

By submitting to God, were released from the power of liquor. it has no more hold on us. We're also released from the things that were holding us down: pride, selfishness, and fear. And we're free to grow into a new life, which is so much better than the old life that there's no comparison. This release gives us serenity and peace with the world. Have I been released from the power of alcohol?

Meditation for the Day

We know God by spiritual vision. We feel that He is beside us. We feel His presence. Contact with God is not made by the senses. Spirit-consciousness replaces sight. Since we cannot see God, we have to perceive Him by spiritual perception. God has to span the physical and the spiritual with the gift to us of spiritual vision. Many persons, though they cannot see God, have had a clear spiritual consciousness of Him. We are inside a box of space and time, but we know there must be something outside of that box, limitless space, eternity of time, and God.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may have a consciousness of God's presence. I pray that God will give me spiritual vision.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

---

Thoughts For The Day~*~Expectations ^*^*^*^*^ April 26, 2014

---

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

"My serenity is inversely proportional
to my expectations.
The higher my expectations of other people are,
the lower is my serenity.
I can watch my serenity level rise
when I discard my expectations.
But then my 'rights' try to move in,
and they, too, can force my serenity level down.
I have to discard my 'rights,'
as well as my expectations, by asking myself,
'How important is it, really?
How important is it compared to my serenity,
my emotional sobriety?'
And when I place more value on my serenity and sobriety
than on anything else,
I can maintain them at a higher level--
at least for the time being."
Alcoholics Anonymous, 3rd Edition p. 452

Thought to Consider . . .

Lower your standards and improve your program.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*

GRACE
Gently Releasing All Conscious Expectations

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

Popular

From When A.A. Came of Age:

At this point the Cleveland Plain Dealer ran a series of pieces that ushered in a new period for Alcoholics Anonymous, the era of mass production of sobriety.

Elrick B. Davis, a feature writer of deep understanding, was the author of a series of articles that were printed in the middle of the Plain Dealer's editorial page, and these were accompanied every two or three days by red-hot blasts from the editors themselves. In effect, the Plain Dealer was saying, Alcoholics Anonymous is good, and it works.  Come and get it.

The newspaper's switchboard was deluged. Day and night, the calls were relayed to [early members] Clarence and Dorothy and from them to members of their little group.

 2001 AAWS, Inc.; Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pg. 20

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
HAPPINESS IS NOT THE POINT

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?

AS BILL SEES IT, p.  306

In my search "to be happy," I changed jobs, married and divorced, took geographical cures, and ran myself into debt-financially, emotionally and spiritually.  In A.A., I'm learning to grow up.  Instead of demanding that people, places and things make me happy, I can ask God for self-acceptance.  When a problem overwhelms me, A.A.'s Twelve Steps will help me grow through the pain.  The knowledge I gain can be a gift to others who suffer with the same problem.  As Bill said, "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."  (As Bill Sees It, p.  306)

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Each Man's Vision

"Beyond a Higher Power, as each of us may vision Him, A.A. must never, as a society, enter the field of dogma or theology. We can never become a religion in that sense, lest we kill usefulness by getting bogged down in theological contention."
<<<>>>
"The really amazing fact about A.A. is that all religions see in our program a resemblance to themselves. For example, Catholic theologians declare our Twelve Steps to be in exact accord with their Ignatian Exercises for Retreat, and though our book reeks of sin, sickness, and death, the Christian Science Monitor has often praised it editorially.
"Now, looking through Quaker eyes, you, too, see us favorably. What happy circumstances, these!"

1. LETTER, 1954
2. LETTER, 1950
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"When you discover a prospect for Alcoholics Anonymous, find out all
you can about him. If he does not want to stop drinking, don't
waste time trying to persuade him. You may spoil a later opportunity."

Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Working With Others, pg. 90

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

The A.A. program is one of submission, release, and action. When were drinking, we're submitting to a power greater than ourselves, liquor. Our own wills are no use against the power of liquor. One drink and we're sunk. in A.A. we stop submitting to the power of liquor. Instead, we submit to a Power, also greater than ourselves, which we call God. Have I submitted myself to that Higher Power?

Meditation for the Day

Ceaseless activity is not God's plan for your life. Times of withdrawal for renewed strength are always necessary. Wait for the faintest tremor of fear and stop all work, everything, and rest before God until you are strong again. Deal in the same way with all tired feelings. Then you need rest of body and renewal of spirit force. Saint Paul said: "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." This does not mean that you are to do all things and then rely on God to find strength. it means that you are to do the things you believe God wants you to do and only then can you rely on His supply of power.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that God's spirit may be my master always. I pray that I may learn how to rest and listen, as well as how to work.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

---

Thoughts For The Day~*~Self-restraint ^*^*^*^*^ April 25, 2014

---

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
^*^*^*^*^
(\    ~~  /)
(   \ (AA)/   )
(_   /AA\ _)
  /AA\
^*^*^*^*^
Self-restraint

"Nothing pays off like restraint of tongue and pen.
We must avoid quick-tempered criticism
and furious power-driven argument.
The same goes for silent scorn.
These are emotional booby traps
baited with pride and vengefulness.
We can neither think nor act to good purpose
until the habit of self-restraint
has become automatic."
Bill W., Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 91

Thought to Consider . . .

The Seven T's - Take Time To Think The Thing Through.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
ACTION
Any Change Toward Improving One's Nature

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

Choices

From "'Use Me'":

"The voice that answered was calm and sweet beyond description. 'You have the strength. All you have to do is use it. I am here. I am with you. Use Me.'

"I was born again that day. From that moment, the compulsion was lifted. In the eleven years since, I have found in sobriety what I was searching for in the bottle. I wanted peace; God gave me peace. I wanted acceptance; God accepted me. I wanted to be loved; God assured me that He loved me."

1973 AAWS, Inc.; Came to Believe, 30^th printing 2004, pg. 33

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
ENTERING A NEW DIMENSION

In the late stages of our drinking, the will to resist has fled.  Yet when we admit complete defeat and when we become entirely ready to try A.A. principles, our obsession leaves us and we enter a new dimension -- freedom under God as we understand Him.

AS BILL SEES IT, p.  283

I am fortunate to be among the ones who have had this awesome transformation in my life.  When I entered the doors of A.A., alone and desperate, I had been beaten into willingness to believe anything I heard.  One of the things I heard was, "This could be your last hangover, or you can keep going round and round."  The man who said this obviously was a whole lot better off than I.  I liked the idea of admitting defeat and I have been free ever since!  My heart heard what my mind never could: "Being powerless over alcohol is no big deal."  I'm free and I'm grateful!

 

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Essence of Growth

Let us never fear needed change. Certainly we have to discriminate between changes for worse and changes for better. But once a need becomes clearly apparent in an individual, in a group, or in A.A. as a whole, it has long since been found out that we cannot stand still and look the other way.
The essence of all growth is a willingness to change for the better and then an unremitting willingness to shoulder whatever responsibility this entails.

GRAPEVINE, JULY 1965
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"'There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which
is proof against all arguments and which cannot fail to keep a man in
everlasting ignorance  that principle is contempt prior to
investigation.'"

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Appendice II, Spiritual
Experience, pg. 568~
*~*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*~*
A.A. Thought for the Day

I don't believe that A.A. works because I read it in a book or because I hear people say so. I believe it because I see people getting sober and staying sober. An actual demonstration is what convinces me. When I see the change in people, I can't help believing that A.A. works. We could listen to talk about A.A. an day and still not believe it, but when we see it work, we have to believe it. Seeing is believing. Do I see AA. work every day?

Meditation for the Day

Try saying "God bless her (or him)" of anyone who is in disharmony with you. Also say it of those who are in trouble through their own fault. Say it, willing that showers of blessings may fall upon them. Let God do the blessing. Leave to God the necessary correcting or disciplining. You should only desire blessing for them. Leave God's work to God. Occupy yourself with the task that He gives you to do. God's blessing will also break down all your own difficulties and build up all your successes.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may use God's goodness so that it will be a blessing to others. I pray that I may accept God's blessing so that I will have harmony, beauty, joy, and happiness.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

---

Thoughts For The Day~*~Language of the Heart ^*^*^*^*^ April 24, 2014

---

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
^*^*^*^*^
(\    ~~  /)
(   \ (AA)/   )
(_   /AA\ _)
  /AA\
^*^*^*^*^
Language of the Heart

"As we better use the
'language of the heart,'
our communications grow apace:
already we find ourselves in a safe passage through
all those barriers of distance and language,
of social distinctions,
nationality and creed,
that so divide the world of our time."

Bill W., AA Today, published on the occasion of AA's twenty-fifth anniversary.

The Language of the Heart, pp. 309-10

Thought to Consider . . .

I am responsible for carrying the message.
I am not responsible for anyone receiving the message.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
HEART
Healing Enjoying And Recovering Together

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

Accountability

From "The Three Legacies of Alcoholics Anonymous":

"It was evident that here was a world-wide movement that had no direct access to its own principal service affairs. The Trustees had authority over our services; A.A. itself had no authority. The simple trusteeship had been the ideal guardian for our infancy and adolescence, but how in future years could it possibly go on functioning as it had?

"At first we had talked vaguely about a hand-picked advisory council or an elected conference of some sort. But since there was no imminent danger, no action was taken.

"Following a long plea for an elected A.A. conference and other reforms, and after having pointed out that the Trustees had all the authority there was, with no responsibility to anyone, even to Dr. Bob and me.

"I set out on the road in 1948 to sound out among the groups the possibility of an elected conference to which the Board of Trustees could eventually become accountable. Bill W."

2001 AAWS, Inc.; Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pgs. 210-11

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
LEARNING TO LOVE OURSELVES

Alcoholism was a lonely business, even though we were surrounded by people who loved us . . .  We were trying to find emotional security either by dominating or by being dependent upon others . . .  We still vainly tried to be secure by some unhealthy sort of domination or dependence.

AS BILL SEES IT, p.  252

When I did my personal inventory I found that I had unhealthy relationships with most people in my life -- my friends and family, for example.  I always felt isolated and lonely.  I drank to dull emotional pain.

It was through staying sober, having a good sponsor and working the Twelve Steps that I was able to build up my low self-esteem.  First the Twelve Steps taught me to become my own best friend, and then, when I was able to love myself, I could reach out and love others.

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

"At first, the remedy for my personal difficulties seemed so obvious that I could not imagine any alcoholic turning the proposition down were it properly presented to him. Believing so firmly that Christ can do anything, I had the unconscious conceit to suppose that He would do everything through me--right then and in the manner I chose. After six long months, I had to admit that not a soul had surely laid hold of the Mater--not excepting myself.
"This brought me to the good healthy realization that there were plenty of situations left in the world over which I had no personal power--that if I was so ready to admit that to be the case with alcohol, so I must make the same admission with respect to much else. I would have to be still and know that He, not I, was God."

LETTER, 1940
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"Do not be discouraged if your prospect does not respond at once.
Search out another alcoholic and try again. You are sure to find
someone desperate enough to accept with eagerness what you offer. We find it a waste of time to keep chasing a man who cannot or will not work with you. If you leave such a person alone, he may soon become convinced that he cannot recover by himself. To spend too much time on any one situation is to deny some other alcoholic an opportunity to live and be happy."

Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Working With Others, pg. 96
*~*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*~*
A.A. Thought for the Day

It's been proved that we alcoholics can't get sober by our willpower. We've failed again and again. Therefore I believe there must be a Higher Power which helps me. I think of that power as the grace of God. And I pray to God every morning for the strength to stay sober today. I know that power is there because it never fails to help me. Do I believe that AA. works through the grace of God?

Meditation for the Day

Once I am "born of the spirit," that is my life's breath. Within me is the life of life, so that I can never perish. The life that down the ages has kept God's children through peril, adversity, and sorrow. I must try never to doubt or worry, but follow where the life of the spirit leads. How often, when little I know it, God goes before me to prepare the way, to soften a heart, or to overrule a resentment. As the life of the spirit grows, natural wants become less important.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that my life may become centered in God more than in sell I pray that my will may be directed toward doing His will.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

---

Thoughts For The Day~*~Gratitude ^*^*^*^*^ April 23, 2014

---

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

Gratitude

"One exercise that I practice
is to try for a full inventory of my blessings
and then for a right acceptance
of the many gifts that are mine--
both temporal and spiritual.
Here I try to achieve a state of joyful gratitude.
When such a brand of gratitude
is repeatedly affirmed and pondered,
it can finally displace the natural tendency to
congratulate myself on whatever progress
I may have been enabled to make
in certain areas of living.
I try hard to hold fast to the truth
that a full and thankful heart
cannot entertain great conceits.
When brimming with gratitude,
one's heartbeat must surely result
in outgoing love,
the finest emotion that we can ever know."
Bill W., Box 1980: The AA Grapevine, March 1962
As Bill Sees It, p. 37

Thought to Consider . . .

It's a pity we can't forget our troubles
the same way we forget our blessings.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
GIFTS
Getting It From The Steps

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

Progress

From "Gutter Bravado":

"Still very impatient, I wanted the whole deal right away. That's why I related so well to the story about a wide-eyed new person and an oldtimer. When the newcomer approached the oldtimer, envying his accomplishments and many years of sobriety, the oldtimer slapped down his hand like a gavel and said, 'I'll trade you even! My thirty years to your thirty days right now!' He knew what the newcomer had yet to find out: that true happiness is found in the journey, not the destination."

2001 AAWS, Inc., Fourth Edition; Alcoholics Anonymous, pgs. 510-11

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
A.A.  IS NOT A CURE-ALL

It would be a product of false pride to claim that A.A. is a cure-all, even for alcoholism.

AS BILL SEES IT, p.  285

In my early years of sobriety I was full of pride, thinking that A.A. was the only source of treatment for a good and happy life.  It certainly was the basic ingredient for my sobriety and even today, with over twelve years in the program, I am very involved in meetings, sponsorship and service.  During the first four years of my recovery, I found it necessary to seek professional help, since my emotional health was extremely poor.  There are those folks too, who have found sobriety and happiness in other organizations.  A.A. taught me that I had a choice: to go to any lengths to enhance my sobriety.  A.A. may not be a cure-all for everything, but it is the center of my sober living.

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
To Be Fair-Minded

Too often, I think, we have deprecated and even derided projects of our friends in the field of alcoholism just because we do not always see eye to eye with them.
We should very seriously ask ourselves how many alcoholics have gone on drinking simply because we have failed to cooperate in good spirit with these many agencies--whether they be good, bad, or indifferent. No alcoholic should go mad or die merely because he did not come straight to A.A. at the beginning.
<<<>>>
Our first objective will be the development of self-restraint. This carries a top-priority rating. When we speak or act hastily or rashly, the ability to be fair-minded and tolerant evaporates on the spot.

1. GRAPEVINE, JULY 1965
2. TWELVE AND TWELVE, P. 91

*~*~*~*~*^ 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

Men and women keep coming into A.A., licked by alcohol, often given up by doctors as hopeless cases, they themselves admitting they're helpless to stop drinking. When I see these men and women get sober and stay sober over a period of months and years, I know that A.A. works. The change I see in people who come into A.A. not only convinces me that A.A. works, but it also convinces me that there must be a Power greater than ourselves which helps us to make that change. Am I convinced that a Higher Power can help me to change?

Meditation for the Day

Cooperation with God is the great necessity for our lives. All else follows naturally. Cooperation with God is the result of our consciousness of His presence. Guidance is bound to come to us as we live more and more with God, as our consciousness becomes more and more attuned to the great Consciousness of the universe. We must have many quiet times when we not so much ask to be shown and led by God, as to feel and realize His presence. New spiritual growth comes naturally from cooperation with God.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that God may supply me with strength and show me the direction in which He wants me to grow. I pray that these things may come naturally from my cooperation with Him.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

---