Thoughts For The Day~*~Ground Zero ^*^*^*^*^ October 4, 2006

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

"War fever ran high in the New England town
to which we new, young officers from Plattsburg
were assigned,
and we were flattered when the first citizens
took us to their homes, making us feel heroic.
Here was love, applause, war;
moments sublime with intervals hilarious.
I was part of life at last,
and in the midst of the excitement I discovered liquor.
I forgot the strong warnings and the prejudices
of my people concerning drink.
In time we sailed for "Over There."
We landed in England.
I visited Winchester Cathedral.
Much moved, I wandered outside.
My attention was caught by a doggerel on an old
tombstone:
'Here lies a Hampshire Grenadier
Who caught his death
Drinking cold small beer . . .'
Ominous warning -- which I failed to heed."
Bill W.,
c.1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous,  p. 1
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

I have learned what the Grace of God feels like.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
H O P E = Helping Other People Every day

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

Turn-Around

From "Tightrope":

"When I first came to this Fellowship, I had lost my health and sanity, my friends, much of my family, my self-respect, and my God. In the years since, all of these have been restored to me. I no longer have the sense of impending doom. I no longer wish for death or stare at myself in the mirror with loathing. I have come to terms with my Higher Power . . ."

© 2001 AAWS, Inc., Fourth Edition; Alcoholics Anonymous, pg. 368

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
A NECESSARY PRUNING

. . .we know that the pains of drinking had to come before sobriety, and emotional turmoil before serenity.

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 94

I love spending time in my garden feeding and pruning my beautiful flowers.  One day, as I was busily snipping away, a neighbor stopped by.  She commented, "Oh! Your plants are so beautiful, it seems such a shame to cut them back."  I replied, "I know how you feel, but the excess must be removed so they can grow stronger and  healthier."  Later I thought that perhaps my plants feel pain, but God and I know it's part of the plan and I've seen the results.  I was quickly reminded of my precious A.A. program and how we all grow through pain.  I ask God to prune me when it's time, so I can grow.

©Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.©
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
To Lighten Our Burden

Only one consideration should qualify our desire for a complete disclosure of the damage we have done. That will arise where a full revelation would seriously harm the one to whom we are making amends. Or - quite as important -- other people. We cannot, for example, unload a detailed account of extramarital adventuring upon the shoulders of our unsuspecting wife or husband.
It does not lighten our burden when we recklessly make the crosses of others heavier.

<<<>>>

In making amends, we should be sensible, tactful, considerate, and humble without being servile or scraping. As God's people, we stand on our feet; we don't crawl before anyone.

1. TWELVE AND TWELVE, p. 86 - 2. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 83
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
"Actually we were fooling ourselves, for deep down in every man,
woman, and child, is the fundamental idea of God. It may be obscured
by calamity, by pomp, by worship of other things, but in some form
or other it is there. For faith in a Power greater than ourselves, and
miraculous demonstrations of that power in human lives, are facts as
old as man himself."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, We Agnostics, pg. 55~

*~*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*~*
A.A. Thought For The Day

Am I critical of other members of A.A. or of new prospects? Do I
ever say about other members: "I don't think they're sincere, I
think they're bluffing, or I think they're taking a few drinks on
the quiet?" Do I realize that my doubtful and skeptical attitude
is hurting those members, if only in my attitude toward them, which
they cannot help sensing? Do I say about new prospects: "They'll
never make the program," or do I say: "They'll only last a few
months?" If I take         this attitude, I am unconsciously
hurting those prospects' chances. Is my attitude always
constructive and never destructive?

Meditation For The Day

To be attracted toward God and a better life, you must be spirit-
guided. There is wonderful illumination of thought given to those
who are spirit-guided. To those who are material-guided, there is
nothing in God or a finer life to appeal to them or to attract
them. But to those who are spirit-guided there is strength and
peace and calm to be found in communion with an Unseen Lord. To
those who believe in this God they cannot see but whose power
they can feel, life has a meaning and purpose. They are children
of the Unseen Lord, and all human beings are their brothers and
sisters.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that I may be spirit-guided. I pray that I may feel God's
presence and power in my life.

 

©Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012©

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Thoughts For The Day~*~Demonstration ^*^*^*^*^ October 3, 2006

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

"Men and women who use alcohol as an escape
are not the only ones who are afraid of life,
hostile to the world, fleeing from it into loneliness.
Millions who are not alcoholics
are living today in illusory worlds,
nurturing the basic anxieties and insecurities
of human existence
rather than face themselves with courage and humility.
To these people, AA can offer as a cure no magic potion,
no chemical formula, no powerful drug.
But it can demonstrate to them how to use the tools
of humility, honesty, devotion, and love,
which indeed are the heart of the Twelve Steps
of our recovery."
c.1957AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, p. 279
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . . 

AA Is like an adjustable wrench, it fits almost any nut.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
H O P E = Help Open People's Eyes

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

Habit

Step Ten: Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.

""The wise have always known that no one can make much of his life until self-searching becomes a regular habit, until he is able to admit and accept what he finds, and until he patiently and persistently tries to connect what is wrong."

© 1952, AAWS, Inc.; Printed 2005; Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pg. 88

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
SERENITY AFTER THE STORM

Someone who knew what he was talking about once remarked that pain was the touchstone of all spiritual progress.  How heartily we A.A.'s can agree with him. . .

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS,  p. 93-94

When on the roller coaster of emotional turmoil, I remember that growth is often painful.  My evolution in the A.A. program has taught me that I must experience the inner change, however painful, that eventually guides me from selfishness to selflessness.  If I am to have serenity, I must STEP my way past emotional turmoil and its subsequent hangover, and be grateful for continuing spiritual progress.

©Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.©
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
A Higher Power for Atheists

I have had many experiences with atheists, mostly good. Everybody in A.A. has the right to his own opinion. It is much better to maintain an open and tolerant society than it is to suppress any small disturbances their opinions might occasion. Actually, 1 don't know of anybody who went off and died of alcoholism because of some atheist's opinions on the cosmos.
"But I do always entreat these folks to look to a 'Higher Power' -namely, their own group. When they come in, most of their A.A. group is sober, and they are drunk. Therefore, the group is a 'Higher Power.' That's a good enough start, and most of them do progress from there. I know how they feel, because I was once that way myself."

LETTER, 1962
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
"We cannot subscribe to the belief that his life is a vale of tears,
though it once was just that for many of us. But it is clear that we
made our own misery. God didn't do it. Avoid then, the
deliberate manufacture of misery, but if trouble comes, cheerfully
capitalize it as an opportunity to demonstrate His omnipotence."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, The Family Afterward, pg. 133~
*~*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*~*
A.A. Thought For The Day

How do I talk with new prospects? Am I always trying to dominate
the conversation? Do I lay down the law and tell prospects what
they will have to do? Do I judge them privately and feel that they
have small chance of making the program? Do I belittle them to
myself? Or am I willing to bare my soul so as to get them talking
about themselves? And, then, am I willing to be a good listener,
not interrupting, but hearing them out to the end? Do I feel deeply
that they are my brothers or my sisters?   Will I do all I can to
help them along the path to sobriety?

Meditation For The Day

"The work of righteousness shall be peace and the effect of
righteousness shall be quietness and assurance forever." Only when
the soul attains this calm, can there be true spiritual work done,
and mind and soul and body be strong to conquer and bear all things.
Peace is the result of righteousness. There is no peace in wrong
doing, but if we live the way God wants us to live, quietness and
assurance follow. Assurance is that calmness born of a deep
certainty of God's strength available to us and in His power to
love and guard us from all harm and wrong doing.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that I may attain a state of true calmness. I pray that I
may live in quietness and peace.

©Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012©

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Thoughts For The Day~*~Amends ^*^*^*^*^ October 2, 2006

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
^*^*^*^*^
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(   \ (AA)/   )
(_   /AA\ _)
  /AA\
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Amends
^*^*^*^*^
"Somehow, being alone with God doesn't seem so 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."
Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 60
Copyright © 1952 by A.A.W.S. Inc.

Thought to Consider . . . 

It is the highest form of self-respect to admit mistakes
and to make amends for them.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
H O W = Honest, Open, and Willing

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

Progress

From "The Family Afterward":

"The head of the house ought to remember that he is mainly to blame for what befell his home. He can scarcely square the account in his lifetime. But he must see the danger of over-concentration on financial success. Although financial recovery is on the way for many of us, we found that we could not place money first. For us, material well-being always followed spiritual progress; it never preceded."

© 2001 AAWS, Inc., Fourth Edition; Alcoholics Anonymous, pg. 127

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
"THE ACID TEST"

As we work the first nine Steps, we prepare ourselves for the
adventure of a new life. But when we approach Step Ten we commence
to put our A.A. way of living to practical use, day by day, in
fair weather or foul. Then comes the acid test: can we stay sober,
keep in emotional balance, and live to good purpose under all
conditions?
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 88

I know the Promises are being fulfilled in my life, but I want to
maintain and develop them by the daily application of Step Ten. I
have learned through this Step that if I am disturbed, there is
something wrong with me. The other person may be wrong too, but
I can only deal with my feelings. When I am hurt or upset, I have
to continually look for the cause in me, and then I have to admit
and correct my mistakes. It isn't easy, but as long as I know I
am progressing spiritually, I know that I can mark my effort up
as a job well done. I have found that pain is a friend; it lets
me know their is something wrong with my emotions, just as a
physical pain lets me know there is something wrong with my body.
When I take the appropriate action through the Twelve Steps, the
pain gradually goes away.

©Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.©
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Recovery Through Giving

For a new prospect, outline the program of action, explaining how you made a self-appraisal, how you straightened out your past, and why you are now endeavoring to be helpful to him. It is important for him to realize that your attempt to pass this on to him plays a vital part in your own recovery. Actually, he may be helping you more than you are helping him. Make it plain that he is under no obligation to you.

<<<>>>

In the first six months of my own sobriety, I worked hard with many alcoholics. Not a one responded. Yet this work kept me sober. It wasn't a question of those alcoholics giving me anything. My stability came out of trying to give, not out of demanding that I receive.

1. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 94 - 2. GRAPEVINE, JANUARY 1958
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
"If, when you honestly want to, you find you cannot quit entirely,
or if when drinking, you have little control over the amount you take,
you are probably alcoholic. If that be the case, you may be
suffering from an illness which only a spiritual experience will
conquer."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, We Agnostics, pg. 44~
*~*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*~*
A.A. Thought For The Day

What makes an effective talk at an A.A. meeting? It is not a fine
speech with fine choices of words and an impressive delivery. Often
a few simple words direct from the heart are more effective than
the most polished speech. There is always a temptation to speak
beyond your experience, in order to make a good impression. This
is never effective. What does not come from the heart does not
reach the heart? What comes from personal experience and a sincere
desire to help the other    person, reaches the heart.   Do I speak
for effect or with a deep desire to help?

Meditation For The Day

"Thy will be done" must be your oft-repeated prayer. And in the
willing of God's will there should be gladness. You should delight
to do that will because when you do, all your life goes right and
everything tends to work out for you in the long run. When you are
honestly trying to do God's will and humbly accepting the results,
nothing can seriously hurt you. He who accepts the will of God in
his life may not inherit the earth, but he will inherit real peace
of mind.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that I may have a yielded will. I pray that my will be
attuned to the will of God.

©Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012©

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Thoughts For The Day~*~^*^*^*^*^ Flimsy Reed ^*^*^*^*^ October 1, 2006

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

"We sought 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."
c.1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 28
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . . 

The task ahead of us is never as great
as the Power behind us.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
P R O G R A M  =  People Relying On God Relay A Message

*~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~*
Alert to Temptation

From "Steering clear of emotional entanglements:"

"Alcohol certainly did not ripen our comprehension
of mature love, nor our ability to enter into and
handle it if it did come our way.  Rather, our drinking
lives left our emotional selves pinched, scraped,
bent, and bruised, if not firmly warped.
 
"So, as our experience shows, the first nondrinking
days are likely to be periods of great emotional
vulnerability....Whatever the cause, the condition
is one we have to watch out for, because it can
tempt us to drink faster than the eye, head, or
heart can realize."

c. 1975, Living Sober, page 61

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
LEST WE BECOME COMPLACENT

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.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 85

When I am in pain it is easy to stay close to the friends I have found in the program.  Relief from that pain is provided in the solutions contained in A.A.'s Twelve Steps.  But when I am feeling good and things are going well, I can become complacent.  To put it simply, I become lazy and turn into the problem instead of the solution.  I need to get into action, to take stock: where am I and where am I going?  A daily inventory will tell me what I must change to regain spiritual balance.  Admitting what I find within myself, to God and to another human being, keeps me honest and humble.

©Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.©
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Going It Alone

Going it alone in spiritual matters is dangerous. How many times have we heard well-intentioned people claim the guidance of God when it was plain that they were mistaken? Lacking both practice and humility, they had deluded themselves and so were able to justify the most arrant nonsense on the ground that this was what God had told them.
People of very high spiritual development almost always insist on checking with friends or spiritual advisers the guidance they feel they have received from God. Surely, then, a novice ought not lay himself open to the chance of making foolish, perhaps tragic, blunders. While the comment or advice of others may not be infallible, it is likely to be far more specific than any direct guidance we may receive while we are still inexperienced in establishing contact with a Power greater than ourselves.

TWELVE AND TWELVE, p. 60
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
" I had always believed in a Power greater that myself. I had often
pondered these things. I was not an atheist. Few people really are, for
that means blind faith in the strange proposition that this universe
originated in a cipher and aimlessly rushes no where."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Bill's Story, pg. 10~

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

A.A. will lose some of its effectiveness if I do not do my share. Where am I failing? Are there some things I do not feel like doing? Am I held back by self-consciousness or fear? Self-consciousness is a form of pride. It is a fear that something may happen to you. What happens to you is not very important. The impression you make on others does not depend so much on the kind of a job you do as on your sincerity and honesty of purpose. Am I holding back because I am afraid of not making a good impression?

Meditation for the Day

Look to God for the true power that will make you effective. See no other wholly dependable supply of strength. That is the secret of a truly effective life. And you, in your turn, will be used to help many others find effectiveness. Whatever spiritual help you need, whatever spiritual help you desire for others, look to God. Seek that God's will be done in your life and seek that your will conforms to His. Failures come from depending too much on your own strength.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may feel that nothing good is too much for me if I look to God for help. I pray that I may be effective through His guidance.

 

©Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012©

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