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

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

​Click here now to check out our list of Recovery Podcasts!
~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~
^*^*^*^*^
(\  ~~~  /)
(    \(AA)/    )
(_ /AA\ _)
/AA\
^*^*^*^*^
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 Up There

*~*^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.

*~*^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

~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~
^*^*^*^*^
(\  ~~~  /)
(     \(AA)/    )
(_ /AA\ _)
 /AA\
^*^*^*^*^
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 becoming 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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Thoughts For The Day~*~Give Thanks ^*^*^ March 31

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

"Though I still find it difficult to accept today's pain and anxiety with any degree of serenity - as those more advanced in the spiritual life seem able to do - I can give thanks for present pain nevertheless. I can remember how the agonies of alcoholism, the pain of rebellion and thwarted pride, have often led me to God's grace, and so to a new freedom."
Bill W., Box 1980: The AA Grapevine, March 1962
As Bill Sees It, p. 266

Thought to Consider . . .

Serenity isn't freedom from the storm; it is peace within the storm.

*~*AACRONYMS*~*

HOPE
Hearing Other Peoples' Experience

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

 

Enlightenment

From "Bill's Story":

"These were revolutionary and drastic proposals, but the moment I fully accepted them, the effect was electric. There was a sense of victory, followed by such a peace and serenity as I had never known. 

"For a moment I was alarmed, and called my friend, the doctor, to ask if I were still sane. He listened in wonder as I talked.

"Finally he shook his head saying, "Something has happened to you I don't understand. But you had better hang on to it. Anything is better than the way you were." The good doctor now sees many men who have such experiences. He knows that they are real."
2001 AAWS, Inc., Fourth Edition; Alcoholics Anonymous, pg. 14

*^Daily Reflections^*

NO ONE DENIED ME LOVE

On the A.A.  calendar it was Year Two .  .  .  .  A newcomer appeared at one of these groups .  .  .  .  He soon proved that his was a desperate case, and that above all he wanted to get well.  .  .  .  [He said], "Since I am the victim of another addiction even worse stigmatized than alcoholism, you may not want me among you."
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, pp. 141-42

I came to you -- a wife, mother, woman who had walked out on her husband, children, family.  I was a drunk, a pill-head, a nothing.  Yet no one denied me love, caring, a sense of belonging.  Today, by God's grace and the love of a good sponsor and a home group, I can say that -- through you in Alcoholics Anonymous -- I am a wife, a mother, a grandmother and a woman.  Sober.  Free of pills.  Responsible.

Without a Higher Power I found in the Fellowship, my life would be meaningless.  I am full of gratitude to be a member of good standing in Alcoholics Anonymous.
Copyright 1990
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.

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

To Watch Loneliness Vanish

Almost without exception, alcoholics are tortured by loneliness. Even before our drinking got bad and people began to cut us off, nearly all of us suffered the feeling that we didn't quite belong. ? Either we were shy, and dared not draw near others, or we were noisy good fellows constantly craving attention and companionship, but rarely getting it. There was always that mysterious barrier we could neither surmount nor understand. That's one reason we loved alcohol too well. But even Bacchus betrayed us; we were finally struck down and left in terrified isolation.
<<< >>>
Life takes on new meaning in A.A. 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 not to be missed.
1. TWELVE AND TWELVE, P. 57
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, P. 89

*~*^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

Since I've been in A.A., have I made a start toward being more unselfish? Do I no longer want my own way in everything? When things go wrong and I can't have what I want, do I no longer sulk? Am I trying not to waste money on myself? And does it make me happy to see my family and my home have enough attention from me? Am I trying not to be all "get" and no "give"?

Meditation for the Day

Each day is a day of progress, steady progress forward, if you make it so. You may not see it, but God does. God does not judge by outward appearance. He judges by the heart. Let Him see in your heart a simple desire always to do His will. Though you may feel that your work has been spoiled or tarnished, God sees it as an offering for Him. When climbing a steep hill, people are often more conscious of the weakness of their stumbling feet than of the view, the grandeur, or even of the upward progress.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may persevere in all good things. I pray that I may advance each day in spite of my stumbling feet.
Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

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Thoughts For The Day~*~The Past ^*^*^ March 30

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

"Showing others who suffer how we were given help is the very thing which makes life seem so worthwhile to us now. Cling to the thought that, in God's hands, the dark past is the greatest possession you have--the key to life and happiness for others. With it you can avert death and misery for them."
Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 124

Thought to Consider . . .

Get it - Give it - Grow in it.

*~*AACRONYMS*~*

PACE

Positive Attitudes Change Everything

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

 

Privacy

From "From Loneliness to Solitude":

"As the sober weeks go by, we can enjoy and treasure the few moments of solitude we are able to find in the rush and hurry of life today. When we cease to fear loneliness and begin to cherish and use our solitude to advantage, we have come a long way. We realize a little solitude is necessary to think and to try to work some of the Steps. In solitude, we take our inventories. In solitude, we admit to ourselves the exact nature of our wrongs. In solitude, our spirits seek that Power greater than we are; in solitude, we seek through prayer and meditation to be aware of God's will for us." 
Houston, Texas, USA
1973 AAWS, Inc.; Came to Believe, 30^th printing 2004, pg. 109

*^Daily Reflections^*

OUR GROUP CONSCIENCE

". . . sometimes the good is the enemy of the best."
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS COMES OF AGE, p. 101

I think these words apply to every area of A.A.'s Three Legacies: Recovery, Unity and Service!  I want them etched in my mind and life as I "trudge the Road of Happy Destiny" (Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 164).  These words, often spoken by co-founder Bill W., were appropriately said to him as the result of the group's conscience.  It brought home to Bill W. the essence of our Second Tradition: "Our leaders are but trusted servants; they do not govern."

Just as Bill W. was originally urged to remember, I think that in our group discussions we should never settle for the "good," but always strive to attain the "best."  These common strivings are yet another example of a loving God, as we understand Him, expressing Himself through the group conscience.  Experiences such as these help me to stay on the proper path of recovery.  I learn to combine initiative with humility, responsibility with thankfulness, and thus relish the joys of living my twenty-four hour program.

Copyright 1990
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.

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

Review the Day

When we retire at night, we constructively review our day. Were we resentful, selfish, dishonest, or afraid? Do we owe an apology? Have we kept something to ourselves which should be discussed with another person at once? Were we kind and loving toward all? What could we have done better? Were we thinking of ourselves most of the time? Or were we thinking of what we could do for others, of what we could pack into the stream of life? We must be careful not to drift into worry, remorse, or morbid reflection, for that would diminish our usefulness to ourselves and to others. After making our review, we ask God's forgiveness and inquire what corrective measure should be taken.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, P. 86

*~*^Big Book Quote^*~*

"Once more: The alcoholic at certain times has no effective mental defense against the first drink. Except in a few rare cases, neither he nor any other human being can provide such a defense. His defense must come from a Higher Power."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, More About Alcoholism, pg. 43~

*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*

A.A. Thought for the Day

Before I met A.A., I was very unloving. From the time I went away to school, I paid very little attention to my mother and father, I was on my own and didn't even bother to keep in touch with them. After I got married, I was very unappreciative of my spouse. Many a time I would go out all by myself to have a good time. I paid too little attention to our children and didn't try to understand them or show them affection. My few friends were only drinking companions, not real friends. Have I gotten over loving nobody but my self?

Meditation for the Day

Be calm, be true, and be quiet. Do not get emotionally upset by anything that happens around you. Feel a deep, inner security in the goodness and purpose in the universe. Be true to your highest ideals. Do not let yourself slip back into the old ways of reacting. Stick to your spiritual guns. Be calm always. Do not talk back or defend yourself too much against accusation, whether false or true. Accept criticism as well as you accept praise. Only God can judge the real you.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may not be upset by the judgment of others. I pray that I may let God be the judge of the real me.
Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

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Thoughts For The Day~*~Housecleaning ^*^*^ March 29

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

"Somehow, being alone with God doesn't seem as embarrassing as facing up to another person. Until we actually sit down and talk aloud about what we have so long hidden, our willingness to clean house is still largely theoretical. When we are honest with another person, it confirms that we have been honest with ourselves and with God."
Bill W., Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 60

Thought to Consider . . .

If we skip this vital step, we may not overcome drinking.
Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 72

*~*AACRONYMS*~*

STEPS

Solutions To Every Problem in Sobriety

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

Selfless

From "When A.A. Came of Age":

"As this tidal offering of top public approval swept in, we realized that it could do us incalculable good or great harm. Everything would depend upon how it was channeled. We simply could not afford to take the chance of letting self-appointed members present themselves as messiahs representing A.A. before the whole public. The promoter instinct in us might be our undoing. If even one such person publicly got drunk or was lured into using A.A.'s name for his own purposes, the damage might be irreparable. At this altitude (press, radio, films, and television [and the internet] ), anonymity  100 per cent anonymity  was the only possible answer. Here principles would have to come before personalities, without exception.

"These experiences taught us that anonymity is real humility at work. It is an all-pervading spiritual quality which today keynotes A.A. life everywhere."
2001 AAWS, Inc.; Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pg. 134

*^Daily Reflections^*

TRUSTED SERVANTS

They are servants.  Theirs is the sometimes thankless privilege of doing the group's chores.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 134

In Zorba the Greek, Nikos Kazantzakis describes an encounter between his principal character and an old man busily at work planting a tree.  "What is it you are doing?" Zorba asks.  The old man replies: "You can see very well what I'm doing, my son, I'm planting a tree." "But why plant a tree," Zorba asks, "if you won't be able to see it bear fruit?" And the old man answers: "I, my son, live as though I were never going to die." The response brings a faint smile to Zorba's lips and, as he walks away, he exclaims with a note of irony: "How strange -- I live as though I were going to die tomorrow!"

As a member of Alcoholics Anonymous, I have found that the Third Legacy is a fertile soil in which to plant the tree of my sobriety.  The fruits I harvest are wonderful: peace, security, understanding and twenty-four hours of eternal fulfillment; and with the soundness of mind to listen to the voice of my conscience when, in silence, it gently speaks to me, saying: You must let go in service.  There are others who must plant and harvest.
Copyright 1990
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.

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

Will Power and Choice

"We A.A.'s know the futility of trying to break the drinking obsession by will power alone. However, we do know that it takes great willingness to adopt A.A.'s Twelve Steps as a way of life that can restore us to sanity. "No matter how grievous the alcohol obsession, we happily find that other vital choices can still be made. For example, we can choose to admit that we are personally powerless over alcohol; that dependence upon a 'higher Power' is a necessity, even if this be simply dependence upon an A.A. group. Then we can choose to try for a life of honesty and humility, of selfless services to out fellows and to "God as we understand Him." "As we continue to make these choices and so move toward these high aspirations, our sanity returns and the compulsion to drink vanishes."
LETTER, 1966

*~*^Big Book Quote^*~*

"The great fact is just this, and nothing less: That we have had deep and effective spiritual experiences which have revolutionized our whole attitude toward life, toward our fellows and toward God's universe. The central fact of our lives today is the absolute certainty that our Creator has entered into our hearts and lives in a way which is indeed miraculous. He has commenced to accomplish those things for us which we could never do by ourselves."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, There Is A Solution, pg. 25~

*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*

A.A. Thought for the Day

Before I met A.A., I was very dishonest. I lied to my spouse constantly about where I had been and what I'd been doing. I took time off from my work and pretended I'd been sick or gave some other dishonest excuse. I was dishonest with myself, as well as with other people. I would never face myself as I really was or admit when I was wrong. I pretended to myself that I was as good as the next person, although I suspected I wasn't. Am I now really honest?

Meditation for the Day

I must live in the world and yet live apart with God. I can go forth from my secret times of communion with God to the work of the world. To get the spiritual strength I need, my inner life must be lived apart from the world. I must wear the world as a loose garment. Nothing in the world should seriously upset me, as long as my inner life is lived with God. All successful living arises from this inner life.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may live my inner life with God. I pray that nothing shall invade or destroy that secret place of peace.
Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

You can now receive Transitions Daily 3 ways:

1. Sign up at www.DailyAAEmails.com - To subscribe now send an email to TransitionsDaily@gmail.com with subscribe in the subject line. Unless you specify a different email in the message, your return email address will be manually added to the closed Google Group TransitionsDaily. 2.  Join the Transitions Daily Private Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/transdaily/ 3.  Follow Transitions Daily on Twitter https://twitter.com/transdaily1

Devotions are posted Daily to both Facebook and Twitter. ​​Remember on Facebook you are anonymous, on Twitter you are not!

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The members of this group are anonymous with no sale or disclosure of membership to other members or the redistribution of emails of any kind. Once you have been added, you will receive a confirmation email. Please allow 24  48 hours for entry.
 
Feel free to share www.DailyAAEmails.com in meetings, with friends, sponsors, and especially your sponsees in recovery! You can also download the Transitions Daily Flyer by clicking on this link http://www.transitionsdaily.org/images/Transitions-Daily.pdf to use in your service work!
 
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