Thoughts For The Day~*~Gratitude^*^*^*^*^ June 11, 2014

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~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
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Gratitude
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"Another 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 some 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., March 1962
1988AAGrapevine, The Language of the Heart, p. 271
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Thought to Consider . . .

I have learned what a heart full of gratitude feels like.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
T H I N K  =  The Happiness I Never Knew

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

Illness

From "Building a New Life":

"That year I went to an alcohol treatment program twice. The first time I was in treatment, I was shaving at the mirror in the bathroom and it seemed to me that my beard was growing back in as fast as I could shave it off. Even though I was in a hospital gown, I escaped, running down the streets and jumping up and over fences. I was on the porch of a woman's house banging on the door for her to let me in when the police arrived. I tried to convince them she was my wife and my children were inside, but they saw the hospital bracelet on my wrist, and they took me back to the program. "The doctor told me that if I went into D.T.'s like that again I might not come out."

2001 AAWS, Inc., Fourth Edition; Alcoholics Anonymous, pg. 482

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
FAMILY OBLIGATIONS

. . . a spiritual life which does not include . . . family obligations may not be so perfect after all.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS  p. 129

I can be doing great in the program -- applying it at meetings, at work, and in service activities -- and find that things have gone to pieces at home.  I expect my loved ones to understand, but they cannot.  I expect them to see and value my progress, but they don't -- unless I show them.  Do I neglect their needs and desires for my attention and concern?  When I'm around them, am I irritable or boring?  Are my "amends" a mumbled "Sorry," or do they take the form of patience and tolerance?  Do I preach to them, trying to reform or "fix" them?  Have I ever really cleaned house with them?  "The spiritual life is not a theory.  We have to live it"

(Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 83).
Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
"Let's Keep It simple"

"We need to distinguish sharply between spiritual simplicity and functional simplicity. "When we say that A.A. advocates no theological proposition except God as we understand Him, we greatly simplify A.A. life by avoiding conflict and exclusiveness. "But when we get into questions of action by groups, by areas, and by A.A. as a whole, we find that we must to some extent organize to carry the
message--or else face chaos. And chaos is not simplicity."
<<<>>>
I learned that the temporary or seeming good can often be the deadly enemy of the permanent best. When it comes to survival for A.A., nothing short of our very best will be good enough.

1. LETTER, 1966
2. A.A. COMES OF AGE, P. 294
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"In this book you read again and again that faith did for us what we
could not do for ourselves. We hope you are convinced now that God can remove whatever self-will has blocked you off from Him. If you have
already made a decision, and an inventory of your grosser handicaps,
you have made a good beginning. That being so you have swallowed and
digested some big chunks of truth about yourself."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 70~
*~*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*~*
A.A. Thought for the Day

We alcoholics have to believe in some Power greater than
ourselves. Yes, we have to believe in God. Not to believe in
a Higher Power drives us to atheism. Atheism, it has been
said before, is blind faith in the strange proposition that
this universe originated in a cipher and aimlessly rushes
nowhere. That's practically impossible to believe. So we turn
to that Divine Principle in the universe that we call God.
Have I stopped trying to run my own life?

Meditation for the Day

"Lord, we thank Thee for the great gift of peace, that peace
which passeth all understanding, that peace which the world
can neither give nor take away." That is the peace that only
God can give in the midst of a restless world and surrounded
by trouble and difficulty. To know that peace is to have
received the stamp of the kingdom of God. When you have earned that peace, you are fit to judge between true and false values, between the values of the kingdom of God and the values of all that the world has to offer.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that today I may have inner peace. I pray that today I
may be at peace with myself.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

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Thoughts For The Day~*~Anger^*^*^*^*^ June 10, 2014

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Happy Birthday A.A. 
79 Years

 ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
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Anger
^*^*^
"Then the miracle happened - to me!
It isn't always so sudden with everyone,
but I ran into a personal crisis which filled me
with a raging and righteous anger.
And as I fumed helplessly and planned
to get good and drunk and show them,
my eye caught a sentence to
the book lying open on my bed.
'We cannot live with anger.'
The walls crumpled - and the light streamed in.
I wasn't trapped. I wasn't helpless.
I was free, and I didn't have to drink to 'show them.'
This wasn't 'religion' - this was freedom!
Freedom from anger and fear,
freedom to know happiness and love."
1976 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 228
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Thought to Consider ...

Anger is the hot wind that extinguishes
the light of reason.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
NUTS Not Using The Steps?

*~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~*
Beginning
from: "Two alcoholics meet"

"'I have placed both operation and myself in God's hands.  I'm going to do what it takes to get sober and stay that way.'
"Just before they stopped [at the hospital, where Dr. Bob was to perform surgery], Bill, who also had his practical side, gave him a bottle of beer...The bottle of beer Bill gave him that morning was the last drink he [Dr. Bob] ever had. "Although arguments have been and will be made for other significant occasions in A.A. history, it is generally agreed that Alcoholics Anonymous began there, in Akron, on that date: June 10, 1935."

1980, Dr. Bob and the Good Oldtimers, pages 74-75

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
IMPATIENT? TRY LEVITATING

We reacted more strongly to frustrations than normal people.

AS BILL SEES IT, p. 111


Impatience with other people is one of my principal failings.
Following a slow car in a no-passing lane, or waiting in a
restaurant for the check, drives me to distraction. Before I
give God a chance to slow me down, I explode, and that's what
I call being quicker than God. That repeated experience gave
me an idea. I thought if I could look down on these events
from God's point of view, I might better control my feelings
and behavior. I tried it and when I encountered the next slow
driver, I levitated and looked down on the other car and upon
myself. I saw an elderly couple driving along, happily chatting
about their grandchildren. They were followed by me--bug eyed
and red of face--who had no time schedule to meet anyway. I
looked so silly that I dropped back into reality and slowed down.
Seeing things from God's angle of vision can be very relaxing.

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Whose Inventory?

We do not relate intimate experiences of another member unless we are sure he would approve. We find it better, when possible, to stick to our own stories. A man may criticize or laugh at himself and it will affect others favorably, but criticism or ridicule aimed at someone else produces the contrary effect.
<<<>>>
A continuous look at our assets and liabilities, and a real desire to learn and grow by this means are necessities for us. We alcoholics have learned this the hard way. More experienced people, of course, in all times and places have practiced unsparing self-survey and criticism.

1. ALCOHOLICS ANOYMOUS, P. 125
2. TWELVE AND TWELVE, P. 88

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

"We will seldom be interested in liquor. If tempted, we recoil from
it as from a hot flame. We react sanely and normally, and we will
find that this has happened automatically. We will see that our new
attitude toward liquor has been given us without any thought or
effort on our part. It just comes!"

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 84~

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

If we have had some moral, religious, or spiritual training,
we're better prospects for A.A. When we reach the bottom, at
this crucial moment when we're thoroughly licked, we turn
instinctively to whatever decency is left in us. We call upon
whatever reserves of morality and faith are left down deep in
our heart. Have I had this spiritual experience?

Meditation for the Day

The world wonders when it sees a person who can unexpectedly draw large and unsuspected sums from the bank for some emergency. But what the world has not seen are the countless small sums paid into that bank, earned by faithful work over a long time. And so is the bank of the spirit. The world sees the person of faith make a demand on God's stores of power and the demand is met. The world does not see what that person has been putting in, in thanks and praise, in prayer and communion, in small good deeds done faithfully, steadily over the years.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may keep making deposits in God's bank. I pray that
in my hour of need, I may call upon these.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

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Thoughts For The Day~*~Wants or Needs?^*^*^*^*^ June 9, 2014

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~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
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Wants or Needs?
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"We are taught to differentiate between our wants
(which are never satisfied)
and our needs (which are always provided for).
We cast off the burdens of the past
and the anxieties of the future,
as we begin to live in the present, one day at a time.
We are granted
'the serenity to accept the things we cannot change'
- and thus lose our quickness to anger
and our sensitivity to criticism."
1976 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 560
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Thought to consider ...

Don't give up before the miracle happens.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
S T E P S = Solutions To Every Problem in Sobriety


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

 

Doubt

From "We Agnostics":

"Its main object is to enable you to find a Power greater than yourself which will solve your problem. That means we have written a book which we believe to be spiritual as well as moral. And it means, of course, that we are going to talk about God. Here difficulty arises with agnostics. Many times we talk to a new man and watch his hope rise as we discuss his alcoholic problems and explain our fellowship. But his face falls when we speak of spiritual matters, especially when we mention God, for we have re-opened a subject which our man thought he had neatly evaded or entirely ignored. "We know how he feels. We have shared his honest doubt and prejudice."

2001 AAWS, Inc., Fourth Edition; Alcoholics Anonymous, pg. 44

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*~*
LIVING IN THE NOW

First, we try living in the now just in order to stay sober -- and it works. Once the idea has become a part of our thinking, we find that living life in 24 hour segments is an effective and satisfying way to handle many other matters as well.

LIVING SOBER, p. 7

"One Day At A. Time." To a newcomer this and other one-liners of A.A. may seem ridiculous.   The passwords of the A.A. Fellowship can become lifelines in moments of stress.  Each day can be like a rose unfurling according to the plan of a Power greater than myself.  My program should be planted in the right location, just as it will need to be groomed, nourished, and protected from disease.   My planting will require patience, and my realizing that some flowers will be more perfect than others.   Each stage of the petals' unfolding can bring wonder and delight if I do not interfere or let my
expectations override my acceptance -- and this brings serenity.

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
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~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
The Rationalizers and the Self-Effacing

We alcoholics are the biggest rationalizers in the world. Fortified with the excuse that we are doing great things for A.A., we can, through broken anonymity, resume our old and disastrous pursuit of personal power and prestige, public honors, and money--the same implacable urges that, when frustrated, once caused us to drink.
<<<>>>
Dr. Bob was essentially a far more humble person than I, and anonymity came rather easily to him. When it was sure that he was mortally afflicted, some of his friends suggested that there should be a monument erected in honor of him and his wife, Anne--befitting a founder and his lady. Telling me about this, Dr. Bob grinned broadly and said, "God bless 'em. They mean well. But let's you and me get buried just like other folks."
In the Akron cemetery where Dr. Bob and Anne lie, the simple stone says not a word about A.A. This final example of self-effacement is of more permanent worth to A.A. than any amount of public attention or any great monument.

A.A. COMES OF AGE
1. PP. 292-293
2. PP. 136-137

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

"We found that as soon as we were able to lay aside prejudice and
express even a willingness to believe in a Power greater than
ourselves, we commenced to get results, even though it was impossible
for any of us to fully define or comprehend that Power, which is God."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, We Agnostics, pg. 46~


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

We finally came to the bottom. We did not have to be financially broke,
although many of us were. But we were spiritually bankrupt. We had a
soul-sickness, a revulsion against ourselves and against our way of living. Life had become impossible for us. We had to end it all or do something about it. Am I glad I did something about it?

Meditation for the Day

Faith is not seeing, but believing. I am in a box of space and time and
cannot see spacelessness or eternity. But God is not within the shell of time and space. He is timeless and spaceless. He cannot be fully comprehended by our finite minds. But we must try to make a union between our purposes and the purposes of God. By trying to merge our minds with the mind of God, a oneness of purpose results. This oneness of purpose puts us in harmony with God and others. Evil comes from being in disharmony with God and good comes from being in harmony with Him.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may be in harmony with God. I pray that I may get into the
stream of goodness in the universe.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

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Thoughts For The Day~*~Fellowship ^*^*^*^*^ June 8, 2014

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~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
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Fellowship
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"We are average Americans.
All sections of this country and many of its occupations
are represented,
as well as many political, economic, social,
and religious backgrounds.
We are people who normally would not mix.
But there exists among us a fellowship,
a friendliness, and an understanding
which is indescribably wonderful ...
The tremendous fact for every one of us
is that we have discovered a common solution."
1976 AAWS, Alcholics Anonymous, p. 17
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Thought to Ponder ...

The Journey is the Destination.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
B E S T = Been Enjoying Sobriety Today?

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

 

Commitment

From "Destinations":

"That first step is very important, whether it is the first step of a beloved child learning to walk or the First Step, taken by a man on his way to a new life. Looking into my little ones faces, I can see the same qualities that we need for the Twelve Steps of A.A.: daring, to stake everything on the attempt; a sense of direction, to be followed with no swerving, no detour; decision, to move forward without hesitation or reservation; determination, to make it all the way. Destination: a full life, a free life, a serene life. "Albany, Australia"

 1973 AAWS, Inc.; Came to Believe, 30^th printing 2004, pg. 93

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
OPENING UP TO CHANGE

Self-searching is the means by which we bring new vision, action, and grace to bear upon the dark and negative side of our natures.  With it comes the development of that kind of humility that makes it possible for us to receive God's help. . . . we find that bit by bit we can discard the old life -- the one that did not work -- for a new life that can and does work under any conditions whatever.

AS BILL SEES IT, pp. 10, 8
      
I have been given a daily reprieve contingent upon my spiritual condition, provided I seek progress, not perfection.  To become ready for change, I practice willingness, opening myself to possibilities of change.  If I realize there are defects that hinder my usefulness in A.A. and toward others, I become ready by meditating and receiving direction.  "Some of us have tried to hold on to our old ideas and the result was nil until we let go absolutely" (Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 58).  To let go and let God, I need only surrender my old ways to Him; I no longer fight nor do I try to control, but simply believe that, with God's help, I am changed and affirming this belief makes me ready.  I empty myself to be full of awareness, light, and love, and I am ready to face each day with hope.

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Between the Extremes

"The real question is whether we can learn anything from our experiences upon which we may grow and help others to grow in the likeness and image of God.
"We know that if we rebel against doing that which is reasonably possible for us, then we will be penalized. And we will be equally penalized if we presume in ourselves a perfection that simply is not there.
"Apparently, the course of relative humility and progress will have to lie somewhere between these extremes. In our slow progress away from rebellion, true perfection is doubtless several millennia away."

LETTER, 1959
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

 

"We have seen the truth demonstrated again and again: 'Once an
alcoholic, always an alcoholic.' Commencing to drink after a period
of sobriety, we are in a short time as bad as ever."

Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, More About Alcoholism, pg. 33

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

Once an alcoholic, always an alcoholic. We always get worse,
never better. We are never cured. Our alcoholism can only be
arrested. No matter how long we have been sober, if we try
liquor again, we're as bad or worse than we ever were. There
is no exception to this rule in the whole history of A.A. We
can never recapture the good times of the past. They are gone
forever. Will I try to recapture them?

Meditation for the Day

Your life has been given to you mainly for the purpose of
training your soul. This life we live is not so much for the
body as for the soul. We often choose the way of life that best
suits the body, not the way that best suits the soul. God wants
you to choose what suits the soul as well as the body. Accept
this belief and a wonderful molding of character is the result.
Reject it and God's purpose for your life is frustrated, and
your spiritual progress is delayed. Your soul is being trained
by the good you choose. Thus the purpose of your life is being
accomplished.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may choose what is good for my soul. I pray that
I may realize God's purpose for my life.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

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Thoughts For The Day~*~Freedom^*^*^*^*^ June 7, 2014

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 ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
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Freedom
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"Through AA, we can experience freedom from self.
After all, it was self ( you, me ) that stood in our own way,
that ran the show and ran ourselves into bankruptcy,
that hurt the ones we loved.
All Twelve Steps of AA are designed to kill the old self
( deflate the old ego )
and build a new, free self."
1976 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 459
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Thought to Consider . . .

Within our wonderful new world,
we have found freedom from our fatal obsession.

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

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

Development

From "The Three Legacies of Alcoholics Anonymous":

"As the chapters were slowly roughed out I read them to the New York group at its weekly meeting in our parlor at Clinton Street, and copies were sent to Dr. Bob for checking and criticisms in Akron, where we had nothing but the warmest support. But in the New York meeting the chapters got a real mauling. I redictated them and Ruth retyped them over and over. In spite of the heated arguments, the New York group's criticisms did help a lot, and to some extent the enthusiasm and confidence increased."

2001 AAWS, Inc.; Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pg. 159

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
LONG-TERM HOPE

Since most of us are born with an abundance of natural desires,
it isn't strange that we often let these far exceed their intended
purpose. When they drive us blindly, or we willfully demand that
they supply us with more satisfactions or pleasures than are
possible or due us, that is the point at which we depart from the
degree of perfection that God wishes for us here on earth. That
is the measure of our character defects, or, if you wish, of our
sins.

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 65

This is where long-term hope is born and perspective is gained,
both of the nature of my illness and the path of my recovery. The
beauty of A.A. lies in knowing that my life, with God's help, will
improve. The A.A. journey becomes richer, the understanding becomes truth, the dreams become realities--and today becomes forever.
As I step into the A.A. light, my heart fills with the presence of God.

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Tolerance in Practice

"We found that the principals of tolerance and love had to be emphasized in actual practice. We can never say (or insinuate) to anyone that he must agree to our formula or be excommunicated. The atheist may stand up in an A.A. meeting still denying the Deity, yet reporting how vastly he has been changed in attitude and outlook. Much experience tells us he will presently change his mind about God, but nobody tells him he must do so  "In such as atmosphere the orthodox, the unorthodox, and the unbeliever mix happily and usefully together. An opportunity for spiritual growth is open to all."

LETTER, 1940

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

"We are people who normally would not mix. But there exists among us
a fellowship, a friendliness, and an understanding which is
indescribably wonderful."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, There Is A Solution, pg. 17~

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

Alcoholism is a progressive illness. We go through the three stages of social drinking, trouble drinking, and merry-go-round drinking. We land in hospitals and jails. We eventually lose our homes, our families, and our self-respect. Yes, alcoholism is a progressive illness and there are only three ends to it-the insane asylum, the morgue, or total abstinence. Will I choose not to take the first drink?

Meditation for the Day

You not only can live a new life but you also can grow in grace
and power and beauty. Reach ever forward and upward after the
things of the spirit. In the animal world, the very form of an
animal changes to enable it to reach that upon which it delights
to feed. Your whole character changes as you reach upward for the things of the spirit-for beauty, for love, for honesty, for purity,
and for unselfishness. Reaching after these things of the spirit,
your whole nature becomes changed so that you can best receive and delight in the wonders of the abundant life.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may reach forward and upward. I pray that my character may be changed by this reaching upward for the things of the spirit.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

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