Thoughts For The Day~*~Virtues ^*^*^*^*^ April 5, 2015

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

"We of AA are apt sometimes to brag
of the virtues of our fellowship.
Let us remember that none of these are earned virtues.
We have been forced into them, to begin with,
by the cruel lash of John Barleycorn.
We have adopted these attitudes, these practices,
this structure, not at first because we wished to
but because we had to.
But today I think we stand
willing to conform permanently and gladly
to the principles which experience,
under the grace of God,
has taught us."
Bill W., Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, p. 224

Thought to Consider . . .

Unless I accept my virtues,
I will be overwhelmed with my faults.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
LET GO
Leave Everything To God, Okay?

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

Traditions

From "The Three Legacies of Alcoholics Anonymous":

"You will remember that episode back in our living room on Clinton Street. That was the time when my group told me I [Bill W.] could never become an A.A. professional. With nearly every Tradition much the same thing has happened. At first, I obeyed because I had to; I would have lost my standing in A.A. if I had not. After a while I began to obey because I saw that the Traditions were wise and right. While I conformed because it was right to do, I still resisted inwardly.

"This was particularly true of anonymity. Today I hope I have come to a time in my A.A. life when I can obey because I really want to obey, because I really want the Traditions for myself as well as for A.A. as a whole."

2001 AAWS, Inc.; Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pg. 136

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
TRUE BROTHERHOOD

We have not once sought to be one in a family, to be a friend among friends, to be a worker among workers, to be a useful member of society. Always we tried to struggle to the top of the heap, or to hide underneath it. This self-centered behavior blocked a partnership relation with any one of those about us. Of true brotherhood we had small comprehension.

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 53

This message contained in Step Four was the first one I heard loud and clear; I hadn't seen myself in print before! Prior to my coming into A.A., I knew of no place that could teach me how to become a person among persons. From my very first meeting, I saw people doing just that and I wanted what they had. One of the reasons that I'm a happy, sober alcoholic today is that I'm learning this most important lesson.

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
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~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Spiritual Kindergarten

"We are only operating a spiritual kindergarten in which people are enabled to get over drinking and find the grace to go on living to better effect. Each man's theology has to be his own quest, his own affair."
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Show message history

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When the Big Book was being planned, some members thought that it ought to be Christian in the doctrinal sense. Others had no objection to the use of the word "God," but wanted to avoid doctrinal issues. Spirituality, yes. Religion, no. Still others wanted a psychological book, to lure the alcoholic in. Once in, he could take God or leave Him alone as he wished.
To the rest of us this was shocking, but happily we listened. Our group conscience was at work to construct the most acceptable and effective book possible.
Every voice was playing its appointed part. Our atheists and agnostics widened our gateway so that all who suffer might pass through, regardless of their belief or lack of belief.

1. LETTER, 1954
2. A.A. COMES OF AGE, PP. 162, 163, 167
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
"Burn the idea into the consciousness of every man that he can get
well regardless of anyone. The only condition is that he trust in
God and clean house."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Working With Others, pg. 98~
*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*
A.A. Thought for the Day

People often ask what makes the A.A. program work. One of the answers is that A.A. works because it gets people away from themselves as the center of the universe. And it teaches them to rely more on the fellowship of others and on strength from God. Forgetting ourselves in fellowship, prayer, and working with others is what makes the A.A. program work. Are these things keeping me sober?

Meditation for the Day

God is the great interpreter of one human personality to another. Even personalities who are the nearest together have much in their natures that remains a seated book to each other. And only as God enters and controls their lives are the mysteries of each revealed to the other. Each personality is so different. God alone understands perfectly the language of each and can interpret between the two. Here we find the miracles of change and the true interpretation of life.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may be in the right relationship to God. I pray that God will interpret to me the personalities of other people, so that I can understand them and help them.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

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Thoughts For The Day~*~Sunlight^*^*^*^*^ April 4, 2015

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

"When the thought was expressed to me
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."
Bill W., Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 12
As Bill Sees It, p. 313

Thought to Consider . . .

Joy isn't the absence of pain-- it's the presence of God.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
LET GO
Leave Everything To God, Okay?

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

Release

From "On a Winter Day":

"I knew I had to have a new beginning, and this beginning had to be here. I could not start anywhere else. I had to let go of the past and forget the future. As long as I held on to the past with one hand and grabbed at the future with the other hand, I had nothing to hold on to today with. So I had to begin here, now.

"The next time I went back to my A.A. group, the "happy hypocrites" looked different to me. I began to see love in their eyes, a greater warmth than I had ever seen before. I mentioned it to my sponsor, and he said, 'The reason you see love in these people's eyes is because you are beginning to love them. The love that we see in their eyes is the reflection of our own love. We have got to love to be loved.'--Decatur, Georgia"

1973 AAWS, Inc.; Came to Believe, 30^th printing 2004, pg. 46

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
CRYING FOR THE MOON

"This very real feeling of inferiority is magnified by his childish sensitivity and it is this state of affairs which generates in him that insatiable, abnormal craving for self-approval and success in the eyes of the world.  Still a child, he cries for the moon.  And the moon, it seems, won't have him!"

LANGUAGE OF THE HEART, p. 102

While drinking I seemed to vacillate between feeling totally invisible and believing I was the center of the universe.  Searching for that elusive balance between the two has become a major part of my recovery.  The moon I constantly cried for is, in sobriety, rarely full; it shows me instead its many other phases, and there are lessons in them all.  True learning has often followed an eclipse, a time of darkness, but with each cycle of my recovery, the light grows stronger and my vision is clearer.

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
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~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
"...In All Our Affairs

"The chief purpose of A.A. is sobriety. We all realize that without sobriety we have nothing.
"However, it is possible to expand this simple aim into a great deal of nonsense, so far as the individual member is concerned. Sometimes we hear him say, in effect, "Sobriety is my sole responsibility. After all, I'm a pretty fine chap, except for my drinking. Give me sobriety, and I've got it made!'
"As long as our friend clings to this comfortable alibi, he will make so little progress with his real life problems and responsibilities that he stands in a fair way to get drunk again. This is why A.A.'s Twelfth Step urges that we 'practice these principles in all our affairs.' We are not living just to be sober; we are living to learn, to serve, and to love."

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

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. We are not cured of alcoholism. What we really have is a daily reprieve contingent on the maintenance of our spiritual condition.

- Pg. 85 - Into Action
*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*
A.A. Thought for the Day

When I came into A.A., I found men and women who had been through the same things I had been through. But now they were thinking more about how they could help others than they were about themselves. They were a lot more unselfish than I ever was. By coming to meetings and associating with them, I began to think a little less about myself and a little more about other people. I also learned that I didn't have to depend on myself alone to get out of the mess I was in. I could get a greater strength than my own. Am I now depending less on myself and more on God?

Meditation for the Day

You cannot help others unless you understand the person you are trying to help. To understand the problems and temptations of others, you must have been through them yourself. You must do all you can to understand others. You must study their backgrounds, their likes and dislikes, their reactions and their prejudices. When you see their weaknesses, do not confront the person with them. Share your own weaknesses, sins, and temptations and let other people find their own convictions.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may serve as a channel for God's power to come into the lives of others. I pray that I may try to understand them.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

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Thoughts For The Day~*~Open Mind^*^*^*^*^ April 3, 2015

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~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
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Open Mind

"To get sober and to stay sober,
all you really need is a truly open mind.
Just resign from the debating society and
quit bothering yourself with such deep questions
as whether it was the hen or the egg that came first.
Again I say, all you need is the open mind."
Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 26

Thought to Consider . . .

Minds are like parachutes -
they won't work unless they're open.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
ABC Acceptance, Belief, Change

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

Publicity

From "The Three Legacies of Alcoholics Anonymous":

"Meanwhile, a great tide of public approval, stimulated by A.A.'s friends of press, radio, and in recent times television, began to sweep in upon us and it has never ceased. Each month a clipping service feeds our Headquarters scrapbooks with a very large amount of material. Writers constantly ask Headquarters to check their manuscripts. A.A. members are helped to appear anonymously on radio and TV programs. The making of arrangements for publicity has become a constantly increasing activity of our A.A. office. How many lives have been saved, how many years of misery have thus been averted for thousands of alcoholics and their families, only God knows."

2001 AAWS, Inc.; Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pgs. 206-07

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
ACCEPTING OUR HUMANNESS

We finally saw that the inventory should be ours, not the other man's.  So we admitted our wrongs honestly and became willing to set these matters straight.

AS BILL SEES IT, p.  222

Why is it that the alcoholic is so unwilling to accept responsibility?  I used to drink because of the things that other people did to me.  Once I came to A.A. I was told to look at where I had been wrong.  What did I have to do with all these different matters?  When I simply accepted that I had a part in them, I was able to put it on paper and see it for what it was -- humanness.  I am not expected to be perfect!  I have made errors before and I will make them again.  To be honest about them allows me to accept them -- and myself -- and those with whom I had the differences; from there, recovery is just a short distance ahead.

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

Those of us who have come to make regular use of prayer would no more do without it than we would refuse air, food, or sunshine. And for the same reason. When we refuse air, light, or food, the body suffers. And when we turn away from meditation and prayer, we likewise deprive our minds, our emotions, and our intuitions of vitally needed support.
As the body can fail its purpose for lack of nourishment, so can the soul. We all need the light of God's reality, the nourishment of His strength, and the atmosphere of His grace. To and amazing extent the facts of A.A. life confirm this ageless truth.

TWELVE AND TWELVE, PP. 97-98
*~*~*~*~*^ 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

When I was drinking, I was absolutely selfish, I thought of myself first, last, and always. The universe revolved around me at the center. When I woke up in the morning with a hangover, my only thought was how terrible I felt and about what I could do to make myself feel better. And the only thing I could think of was more liquor. To quit was impossible. I couldn't see beyond myself and my own need for another drink. Can I now look out and beyond my own selfishness?

Meditation for the Day

Remember that the first quality of greatness is service. In a way, God is the greatest servant of all, because He is always waiting for us to call on Him to help us in a good endeavors. His strength is always available to us, but we must ask it of Him through our own free will. It is a free gift, but we must sincerely seek for it. A life of service is the finest life we can live. We are here on earth to serve others. That is the beginning and the end of our real worth.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may cooperate with God in all good things. I pray that I may serve God and others and so lead a useful and happy life.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

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Thoughts For The Day~*~Humility^*^*^*^*^ April 2, 2015

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

"Our AA program is spiritually centered.
Most of us have found enough humility
to believe in and depend upon God.
We have found that humility by facing the fact
that alcoholism is a fatal malady
over which we are individually powerless."
Bill W., Box 1980: The AA Grapevine, September 1945
The Language of the Heart, p. 7

Thought to Consider . . .

Humility is not thinking less of yourself,
but thinking of yourself less.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*

YET
You'll End UpThere

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

Powerless

From "The Vicious Cycle":

"When I finally got Hank on the telephone he fired me right then. This was when I really took my first good look at myself. My loneliness was worse than it had ever been before, for now even my own kind had turned against me. This time it really hurt, more than any hangover ever had. My brilliant agnosticism vanished, and I saw for the first time that those who really believed, or at least honestly tried to find a Power greater than themselves, were much more composed and contented than I had ever been, and they seemed to have a degree of happiness I had never known."

2001 AAWS, Inc., Fourth Edition; Alcoholics Anonymous, pgs. 228-29

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
CHARACTER BUILDING

Demands made upon other people for too much attention, protection, and love can only invite domination or revulsion.  .  .  .

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p.  44

When I uncovered my need for approval in the Fourth Step, I didn't think it should rank as a character defect.  I wanted to think of it more as an asset (that is, the desire to please people).  It was quickly pointed out to me that this "need" can be very crippling.  Today I still enjoy getting the approval of others, but I am not willing to pay the price I used to pay to get it.  I will not bend myself into a pretzel to get others to like me.  If I get your approval, that's fine; but if I don't, I will survive without it.  I am responsible for speaking what I perceive to be the truth, not what I think others may want to hear.

Similarly, my false pride always kept me overly concerned about my reputation.  Since being enlightened in the A.A. program, my aim is to improve my character.

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
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~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
"When I was tired and couldn't concentrate, I used to fall back on an affirmation toward life that took the form of simple walking and deep breathing. I sometimes told myself that I couldn't do even this--that I was too weak. But I learned that this was the point at which I could not give in without becoming still more depressed.
"So I would set myself a small stint. I would determine to walk a quarter of a mile. And I would concentrate by counting my breathing--say, six steps to each slow inhalation and four to each exhalation. Having done the quarter-mile, I found that I could go on, maybe a half-mile more. Then another half-mile, and maybe another.
"This was encouraging. The false sense of physical weakness would leave me (this feeling being so characteristic of depressions). The walking and especially the breathing were powerful affirmations toward life and living and away from failure and death. The counting represented a minimum discipline in concentration, to get some rest from the wear and tear of fear and guilt.

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

"So our troubles, we think, are basically of our own making. They
arise out of ourselves, and the alcoholic is an extreme example of
self-will run riot, though he usually doesn't think so."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 62~
*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*
A.A. Thought for the Day

Since I've been in A.A., have I made a start toward becoming more loving to my family and friends? Do I visit my parents? Am I more appreciative of my spouse than I was before? Am I grateful to my family for having put up with me? Have I found real understanding with my children? Do I feel that the friends I've found in A.A. are real friends? Do I believe that they are al- ways ready to help me and do I want to help them if I can? Do I really care now about other people?

Meditation for the Day

Not what you do so much as what you are, that is the miracle-working power. You can be a force for good, with the help of God. God is here to help you and to bless you, here to company with you. You can be a worker with God. Changed by God's grace, you shed one garment of the spirit for a better one. In time, you throw that one aside for a yet finer one. And so from character to character, you are gradually transformed.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may accept every challenge. I pray that each acceptance of a challenge may make me grow into a better person.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

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Thoughts For The Day~*~Prayer^*^*^*^*^ April 1, 2015

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

"In AA we have found that the actual
good results of prayer are beyond question.
They are matters of knowledge and experience.
All those who have persisted have found
strength not ordinarily their own.
They have found wisdom beyond their
usual capability.
And they have increasingly found a peace of mind
which can stand firm in the face of
difficult circumstances."

Bill W., Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 104
As Bill Sees It, p. 127

Thought to Consider . . .

Trying to pray is praying.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
PUSH
Pray Until Something Happens

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

Depression

Step Four: Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.

"If temperamentally we are on the depressive side, we are apt to be swamped with guilt and self-loathing. We wallow in this messy bog, often getting a misshapen and painful pleasure out of it. As we morbidly pursue this melancholy activity, we may sink to such a point of despair that nothing but oblivion looks possible as a solution. Here, of course, we have lost all perspective, and therefore all genuine humility. For this is pride in reverse. This is not a moral inventory at all; it is the very process by which the depressive has so often been led to the bottle and extinction."

1952, AAWS, Inc.; Printed 2005; Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pg. 45

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
LOOKING WITHIN

Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p.  42

Step Four is the vigorous and painstaking effort to discover what the liabilities in each of us have been, and are.  I want to find exactly how, when, and where my natural desires have warped me.  I wish to look squarely at the unhappiness this has caused others and myself.  By discovering what my emotional deformities are, I can move toward their correction.  Without a willing and persistent effort to do this, there can be little sobriety or contentment for me.

To resolve ambivalent feelings, I need to feel a strong and helpful sense of myself.  Such an awareness doesn't happen overnight, and no one's self-awareness is permanent.  Everyone has the capacity for growth, and for self-awareness, through an honest encounter with reality.  When I don't avoid issues but meet them directly, always trying to resolve them, they become fewer and fewer.

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

When fear persisted, we knew it for what it was and we became able to handle it. We began to see each adversity as a God-given opportunity to develop the kind of courage which is born of humility, rather than of bravado.
<<<>>>
Prudence is a workable middle ground, a channel of clear sailing between the obstacles of fear on the one side and of recklessness on the other. Prudence in practice creates a definite climate, the only climate in which harmony, effectiveness, and consistent spiritual progress can be achieved.
<<<>>>
"Prudence is rational concern without worry."

1. GRAPEVINE, JANUARY 1962 - 2. TWELVE CONCEPTS, P. 65 - 3.TALK, 1966
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"How dark it is before the dawn! In reality that was the beginning of
my last debauch. I was soon to be catapulted into what I like to call
the fourth dimension of existence. I was to know happiness, peace, and
usefulness, in a way of life that is incredibly more wonderful as time
passes."

Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Bill's Story, pg. 8


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

Since I've been in A.A., have I made a start toward be- coming more honest? Do I no longer have to lie to my loved ones? Do I try to have meals on time, and do I try to earn what I make at work? Am I trying to be honest? Have I faced myself as I really am and have I admitted to myself that I'm no good by myself, but have to rely on God to help me do the right thing? Am I beginning to find out what it means to be alive and to face the world honestly and without fear?

Meditation for the Day

God is all around us. His spirit pervades the universe. And yet we often do not let His spirit in. We try to get along without His help and we make a mess of our lives. We can do nothing of any value without God's help. All our human relationships depend on this. When we let God's spirit rule our lives, we learn how to get along with others and how to help them.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may let God run my life. I pray that I will never again make a mess of my life through trying to run it myself.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

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