Thoughts For The Day~*~Prayer^*^*^ June 28

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

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Prayer
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"The man said, 'The thing I do is to say "God here I am and here are all my troubles. I've made a mess of things and can't do anything about it. You take me and all my troubles, and do anything you want with me." I return to bed.  It doesn't make sense. . . I am in the bottom of hell. And there a tremendous hope is born. It might be true. I tumble out of bed on my knees. I know not what I say. But slowly a great peace comes to me. I feel lifted up.  I believe in God. I crawl back into bed and sleep like a child."
1976 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 504
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Thought to Consider . . .

Faith is not belief without proof; it's trust without reservation.

*~*AACRONYMS*~*

A S A P  = Always Say A Prayer

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

Foundations

From "The Three Legacies of Alcoholics Anonymous":

"In important matters there was still considerable disagreement between the Eastern and the Midwestern viewpoints. Our people out there were still active Oxford Group members, while we in New York had withdrawn a year before. In Akron and vicinity they still talked about the Oxford Groups absolutes: absolute honesty, absolute purity, absolute unselfishness, and absolute love. This dose was found to be too rich for New Yorkers, and we had abandoned the expressions. But all of us, East and West, were placing increasing emphasis on Dr. Silkworth's expression describing the alcoholic's dilemma: the obsession plus the allergy. By now we knew from experience that the new prospect had to accept Step One or get no place."
2001 AAWS, Inc.; Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pgs. 160-61

*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*

THE DETERMINATION OF OUR FOUNDERS

A year and six months later these three had succeeded with seven more.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 159

If it had not been for the fierce determination of our founders, A.A. would have quickly faded like so many other so-called good causes.  I look at the hundreds of meetings weekly in the city where I live and I know A.A. is available twenty-four hours a day.  If I had had to hang on with nothing but hope and a desire not to drink, experiencing rejection wherever I went, I would have sought the easier, softer way and returned to my previous way of life.  
Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.

*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*

Coping with Anger

Few people have been more victimized by resentments than have we alcoholics. A burst of temper could spoil a day, and a well-nursed grudge could make us miserably ineffective. Nor were we ever skillful in separating justified from unjustified anger. As we saw it, our wrath was always justified. Anger, that occasional luxury of more balanced people, could keep us on an emotional jag indefinitely. These "dry benders" often led straight to the bottle.
<<<>>>
Nothing pays of like restraint of tongue and pen. We must avoid quick-tempered criticism, furious power-driven argument, sulking, and silent scorn. These are emotional booby traps baited with pride and vengefulness. When we are tempted by the bait, we should train ourselves to step back and think. We can neither think nor act to good purpose until the habit of self-restraint has become automatic.
TWELVE AND TWELVE - 1. P. 90 - 2. P. 91

*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*

"...we aren't a glum lot. If newcomers could see no joy or fun in our existence, they wouldn't want it. We absolutely insist on enjoying life."
Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, The Family Afterward, pg. 132

*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*

A.A. Thought for the Day

You can prove to yourself that life is basically and fundamentally an inner attitude. just try to remember what troubled you most a week ago. You probably will find it difficult to remember. Why then should you unduly worry or fret over the problems that arise today? Your attitude toward them can be changed by putting yourself and your problems in God's hands and trusting Him to see that everything will turn out all right, provided you are trying to do the right thing. Your changed mental attitude toward your problems relieves you of their burden and you can face them without fear. Has my mental attitude changed?

Meditation for the Day

You cannot see the future. It's a blessing that you cannot. You could not bear to know all the future. That is why God only reveals it to you day by day. The first step each day is to lay your will before God as an offering, ready for God to do what is best for you. Be sure that, if you trust God, what He does for you will be for the best. The second step is to be confident that God is powerful enough to do anything He wills, and that no miracle in human lives is impossible with Him. Then leave the future to God.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may gladly leave my future in God's hands. I pray that I may be confident that good things will happen, as long as I am on the right path.
Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

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Thoughts For The Day~*~Powerless^*^*^ June 27

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~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
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Powerless
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"Most certainly I was powerless over alcohol, and for me, my life had become unmanageable. It wasn't how far I had gone, but where I was headed. It was important to me to see what alcohol had done to me and would continue to do if I didn't have help. At first it was a shock to realize I was an alcoholic, but the realization that there was hope made it easier. The baffling problem of getting drunk when I had every intention of staying sober was simplified. It was a great relief to know I didn't have to drink any more."
1976 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 379
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Thought to Consider . . .

Just because I'm powerless does not mean that I am helpless.

*~*AACRONYMS*~*

H O P E  =  Happy Our Program Exists

*~*^Just For Today!^*~*

Faith

From "God is Good":

"To go along with this deep-seated belief in God, I have developed an enormous faith in God. He is good. My understanding is that everything He sends my way is for my benefit. But the growth of this understanding has taken time, as well as a relinquishing of my resistance to change. I needed the trials and tribulations I have had, so that I could surrender and give up self. Only in complete acceptance of the utter defeat of my pride and ego could I begin to win."
1973 AAWS, Inc.; Came to Believe, 30^th printing 2004, pgs. 86-87

*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*

CONFORMING TO THE A.A. WAY

We obey A.A.'s Steps and Traditions because we really want them for ourselves.   It is no longer a question of good or evil; we conform because we genuinely want to conform.  Such is our process of growth in unity and function.   Such is the evidence of God's grace and love among us.
A.A. COMES OF AGE, p. 106

It is fun to watch myself grow in A.A.  I fought conformity to A.A. principles from the moment I entered, but I learned from the pain of my belligerence that, in choosing to live the A.A. way of life, I opened myself to God's grace and love.  Then I began to know the full meaning of being a member of Alcoholics Anonymous.
Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.

*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*

Down to Earth

Those of us who have spent much time in the world of spiritual make-believe have eventually seen the childishness of it. This dream world has been replaced by a great sense of purpose, accompanied by a growing consciousness of the power of God in our lives.

We have come to believe He would like us to keep our heads in the clouds with Him, but that our feet ought to be planted on earth. That is where our fellow travelers are, and that is where our work must be done. There are the realities for us. We have found nothing incompatible between a powerful spiritual experience and a life of sane and happy usefulness.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, P. 130

*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*

"In thinking about our day we may face indecision. We may not be able to determine which course to take. Here we ask God for inspiration, an intuitive thought or a decision. We relax and take it easy. We don't struggle. We are often surprised how the right answers come after we have tried this for a while."
Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 86

*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*

A.A. Thought for the Day

If you can take your troubles as they come, if you can maintain your calm and composure amid pressing duties and unending engagements, if you can rise above the distressing and disturbing circumstances in which you are set down, you have discovered a priceless secret of daily living. Even if you are forced to go through life weighed down by some inescapable misfortune or handicap and yet live each day as it comes with poise and peace of mind, you have succeeded where most people have failed. You have wrought a greater achievement than a person who rules a nation. Have I achieved poise and peace of mind?

Meditation for the Day

Take a blessing with you wherever you go. You have been blessed, so bless others. Such stores of blessings are awaiting you in the months and years that lie ahead. Pass on your blessings. Blessing can and does go around the world, passed on from one person to another. Shed a little blessing in the heart of one person. That person is cheered to pass it on, and so, God's vitalizing, joy-giving message travels on. Be a transmitter of God's blessings.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may pass on my blessings. I pray that they may flow into the lives of others.
Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

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Thoughts For The Day~*~Surrender ^*^*^ June 26

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
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Surrender
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"We surrender to win. On the face of it, surrendering certainly does not seem like winning. But it is in AA. Only after we have come to the end of our rope, hit a stone wall in some aspect of our lives beyond which we can go no further; only when we hit "bottom" in despair and surrender, can we accomplish sobriety which we could never accomplish before. We must, and we do, surrender in order to win."
1955AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, 2nd Edition, p. 341
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Thought to Consider . . .

Acceptance is not submission; it is acknowledgment of the facts of a situation, then deciding what you're going to do about it.

*~*AACRONYMS*~*

H O W  =  Honest, Open, and Willing

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

Bottom

From Medicine Looks at Alcoholics Anonymous":

"I heard of the need to hit bottom, of the necessity for accepting a higher Power, of the indispensability of humility. These were ideas which had never crossed my professional horizon and certainly had never influenced my nonprofessional thinking or attitudes. Revolutionary as they were, they nevertheless made sense, and I found myself embarked on a tour of discovery. "The individual alcoholic was always fighting an admission of being licked, of admitting that he was powerless. If and when he surrendered, he quit fighting, admitted he was licked, and accepted the fact that he was powerless and needed help. If he did not surrender, a thousand crises could hit him and nothing constructive would happen. The need to induce surrender became a new therapeutic goal. The miracle of A.A. was now a little clearer, though the reason was still obscure why the program and the fellowship of A.A. could induce a surrender which could in turn lead to a period of no drinking." -- Dr. Harry Tiebout, 1955

2001 AAWS, Inc.; Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pg. 247

*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*

A GIFT THAT GROWS WITH TIME

For most normal folks, drinking means conviviality, companionship and colorful imagination. It means release from care, boredom and worry. It is joyous intimacy with friends and a feeling that life is good.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 151

The longer I chased these elusive feelings with alcohol, the more out of reach they were.  However, by applying this passage to my sobriety, I found that it described the magnificent new life made available to me by the A.A. program.  It "truly does get better" one day at a time.  The warmth, the love and the joy so simply expressed in these words grow in breadth and depth each time I read it.  Sobriety is a gift that grows with time.
Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.

*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*

Money--Before and After

In our drinking time, we acted as if the money supply were inexhaustible, though between binges we'd sometimes go to the other extreme and become miserly. Without realizing it, we were just accumulating funds for the next spree. Money was the symbol of pleasure and self-importance. As our drinking became worse, money was only an urgent requirement which could supply us with the next drink and the temporary comfort of oblivion it brought. <<<>>>
Although financial recovery is on the way for many of us, we find we cannot place money first. For us, material well-being always follows spiritual progress; it never precedes.
1. TWELVE AND TWELVE, P.120
2. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, P. 127

*~*^ 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

We must know the nature of our weakness before we can determine how to deal with it. When we are honest about its presence, we may discover that it is imaginary and can be overcome by a change of thinking. We admit that we are alcoholics and we would be foolish if we refused to accept our handicap and do something about it. So by honestly facing our weakness and keeping ever present the knowledge that for us alcoholism is a disease with which we are afflicted, we can take the necessary steps to arrest it. Have I fully accepted my handicap?

Meditation for the Day

There is a proper time for everything. I must learn not to do things at the wrong time, that is, before I am ready or before conditions are right. it is always a temptation to do something at once, instead of waiting until the proper time. Timing is important. I must learn, in the little daily situations of life, to delay action until I am sure that I am doing the right thing at the right time. So many lives lack balance and timing. In the momentous decisions and crises of life, they may ask God's guidance, but into the small situations of life, they rush alone.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may delay action until I feel that I am doing the right thing. I pray that I may not rush in alone.
Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

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Thoughts For The Day~*~Belonging^*^*^ June 25

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
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Belonging
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"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."
1976 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 312
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Thought to Consider . . .

If I'm not comfortable within myself, I can't be comfortable with others.

*~*AACRONYMS*~*

A C T I O N  = Any Change Toward Improving One's Nature

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

Plan

From "The Missing Link":

"Following this spiritual path made a major difference in my life. It seemed to fill that lonely hole that I used to fill with alcohol. My self-esteem improved dramatically, and I knew happiness and serenity as I had never known it before. I started to see the beauty and usefulness in my own existence, and tried to express my gratitude through helping others in whatever ways I could. A confidence and faith entered my life and unraveled a plan for me that was bigger and better than I could have ever imagined.

"It wasn't easy, and it has never been easy, but it gets so much better."
2001 AAWS, Inc., Fourth Edition; Alcoholics Anonymous, pgs. 287-88

*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*

A TWO-WAY STREET

If we ask, God will certainly forgive our derelictions. But in no case does He render us white as snow and keep us that way without our cooperation.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS,   p. 65

When I prayed, I used to omit a lot of things for which I needed to be forgiven. I thought that if I didn't mention those things to God, He would never know about them. I did not know that if I had just forgiven myself for some of my past deeds, God would forgive me also. I was always taught to prepare for the journey through life, never realizing until I came to A.A. when I honestly became willing to be taught forgiveness and forgiving that life itself is the journey. The journey of life is a very happy one, as long as I am willing to accept change and responsibility.
Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.

*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*

Domination and Demand

The primary fact that we fail to recognize is our total inability to form a true partnership with another human being. Our egomania digs two disastrous pitfalls. Either we insist upon dominating the people we know, or we depend upon them far too much.  If we lean too heavily on people, they will sooner or later fail us, for they are human, too, and cannot possibly meet our incessant demands. In this way our insecurity grows and festers. When we habitually try to manipulate others to our own willful desires, they revolt, and resist us heavily. Then we develop hurt feelings, a sense of persecution, and a desire to retaliate.
<<<>>>
My dependency meant demand--a demand for the possession and control of the people and the conditions surrounding me.
2. GRAPEVINE, JANUARY 1958

*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*

"Putting out of our minds the wrongs others had done, we resolutely looked for our own mistakes. Where had we been selfish, dishonest, self-seeking and frightened? Though a situation had not been entirely our fault, we tried to disregard the other person involved entirely.  Where were we to blame? The inventory was ours, not the other man's.  When we saw our faults we listed them. We placed them before us in black and white. We admitted our wrongs honestly and were willing to set these matters straight."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 67~

*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*

A.A. Thought For The Day

One of the most encouraging facts of life is that your weakness can become your greatest asset. Kites and airplanes rise against the wind.  In climbing up a high mountain, we need the stony crags and rough places to aid us in our climb.  So your weakness can become an asset if you will face it, examine it, and trace it to its origin. Set it in the very center of your mind. No weakness, such as drinking, ever turned into an asset until it was first fairly faced. Am I making my weakness my greatest asset?

Meditation For The Day

Whenever we seek to worship God, we think of the great universe that God rules over, of creation, of mighty law and order throughout the universe. Then we feel the awe that precedes worship. I too must feel awe, feel the desire to worship God in wondering amazement. My mind is in a box of space and time and it is so made that I cannot conceive of what is beyond space or time, the limitless and the eternal. But I know that there must be something beyond space and time, and that something must be the limitless and eternal Power behind the universe. I also know that I can experience that Power in my life.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that I may accept the limitless and eternal Spirit. I pray that It may express Itself in my life.
Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

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Thoughts For The Day~*~Friendship ^*^*^ June 24

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
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Friendship
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"Carry this message to other alcoholics! You can help when no one else can.  You can secure their confidence when others fail.  Remember they are very ill.  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 around you, to have a host of friends - this is an experience you must not miss.  Frequent contact with newcomers and with each other is the bright spot of our lives."

1976 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 89
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Thought to Consider . . .

I keep my sobriety by giving it away.

*~*AACRONYMS*~*

C A R E  =  Comforting And Reassuring Each other

*~*^Just For Today!^*~*
 

Progress

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

"If we ask, God will certainly forgive our derelictions. But in no case does He render us white as snow and keep us that way without our cooperation. That is something we are supposed to be willing to work toward ourselves. He asks only that we try as best we know how to make progress in the building of character."

1952, AAWS, Inc.; Printed 2005; Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pg. 65

*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*

A 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.                               
AS BILL SEES IT, p. 95

When I came to A.A., I was run down by the bottle and wanted to lose the obsession to drink, but I didn't really know how to do that.  I decided to stick around long enough to find out from the ones who went before me.  All of a sudden I was thinking about God! I was told to get a Higher Power and I had no idea what one looked like.  I found out there are many Higher Powers. I was told to find God, as I understand Him, that there was no doctrine of the Godhead in A.A.  I found what worked for me and then asked that Power to restore me to sanity.  The obsession to drink was removed and one day at a time my life went on, and I learned how to live sober.
Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.

*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*

Aspects of Tolerance

All kinds of people have found their way into A.A. Not too long ago, I sat talking in my office with a member who bears the title of Countess. That same night, I went to an A.A. meeting. It was winter, and there was a mild-looking little gent taking the coats. I said, "Who's that?" And somebody answered, "Oh, he's been around for a long time. Everybody likes him. He used to be one of Al Capone's mob." That's how universal A.A. is today.
<<<>>>
We have no desire to convince anyone that there is only one way by which faith can be acquired. All of us, whatever our race, creed, or color, are the children of a living Creator, with whom we may form a relationship upon simple and understandable terms as soon as we are willing and honest enough to try.

1. A.A. COMES OF AGE, P. 102
2.ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, P. 28 

*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*

"When we became alcoholics, crushed by a self-imposed crisis we could not postpone or evade, we had to fearlessly face the proposition that either God is everything or else He is nothing. God either is or He isn't."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, We Agnostics, pg. 53~

*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*

A.A. Thought for the Day

Alcohol is our weakness. We suffer from mental conflicts from which we look for escape by drowning our problems in drink. We try through drink to push away from the realities of life. But alcohol does not feed, alcohol does not build, it only borrows from the future and it ultimately destroys.  We try to drown our feelings in order to escape life's realities, little realizing or caring that in continued drinking we are only multiplying our problems.  Have I got control over my unstable emotions?

Meditation for the Day

When I let personal piques and resentments interfere with what I know to be my proper conduct, I am on the wrong track and I am undoing all I have built up by doing the right thing. I must never let personal piques interfere with living the way I know God wants me to live. When I have no clear guidance from God, I must go forward quietly along the path of duty. The attitude of quiet faith will receive its reward as surely as acting upon God's direct guidance. I must not weaken my spiritual power by letting personal piques upset me.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may not let myself become too upset. I pray that I may go quietly along the path I have chosen.
Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

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