~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
^*^*^*^*^
(\ ~~ /)
( \ (AA)/ )
(_ /AA\ _)
/AA\
^*^*^*^*^
Touchy
^*^*^*^*^
"Many of us have been so touchy
that even casual reference to spiritual things
make us bristle with antagonism.
This sort of thinking had to be abandoned.
Though some of us resisted,
we found no great difficulty in casting aside such feelings.
Faced with alcoholic destruction,
we soon became as open minded on spiritual matters
as we had tried to be on other questions.
In this respect alcohol was a great persuader.
It finally beat us into a state of reasonableness.
Sometimes this was a tedious process;
we hope no one else will prejudiced for as long as
some of us were."
c.1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 48
^*^*^*^*^
Thought to Consider . . .
The solution is simple.
The solution is spiritual.
*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
A A = Altered Attitudes
"He asks me if I am willing to right all the wrongs I have ever done to anyone, no matter how wrong I thought the others were. Am I willing to be honest with myself about myself and tell someone about myself, and am I willing to think of other people, of their needs instead of myself, in order to get rid of the drink problem?
"'I'll do anything,' I reply.
"'Then all your troubles are over,' says the man . . . .
© 2001 AAWS, Inc., Fourth Edition; Alcoholics Anonymous, pg. 214
AN OPEN MIND
True humility and an open mind can lead us to faith . . .
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 33
My alcoholic thinking led me to believe that I could control my drinking, but I couldn't. When I came to A.A., I realized that God was speaking to me through my group. My mind was open just enough to know that I needed His help. A real, honest acceptance of A.A. took more time, but with it came humility. I know how insane I was, and I am extremely grateful to have my sanity restored to me and to be a sober alcoholic. The new, sober me is a much better person than I ever could have been without A.A.
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
"It is evident that the harmony,
security, and future effectiveness of A.A.
will depend largely upon our maintenance
of a thoroughly nonaggressive and pacific
attitude in all our public relations...
Even though we are now sober, the old
patterns of behavior are to a degree still
with us, always threatening to explode on
any good excuse. But we KNOW this, and
therefore I feel confident that in the
conduct of our public affairs we shall
always find the grace to exert an effective
restraint." -- Bill W.
c. 1962, Twelve Concepts for World Service,page 68
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
"...we then look at Step Six. We have emphasized willingness as
being indispensable. Are we now ready to let God remove from us all
the things which we have admitted are objectionable? Can He now take
them all-every one? If we still cling to something we will not let
go, we ask God to help us be willing."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 76~
*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*
A.A. Thought for the Day
Have I got over most of my sensitiveness, my feelings that are too easily hurt, and my just plain laziness and self-satisfaction? Am I willing to go all out for A.A. at no matter what cost to my precious self. Is my own comfort more important to me than doing the things that need to be done? Have I got to the point where what happens to me is not so important? Can I face up to things that are embarrassing or uncomfortable if they are the right things to do for the good of A.A.? Have I given A.A. just a small piece of myself. Am I willing to give all of myself whenever necessary?
Meditation for the Day
Not until you have failed can you learn true humility. Humility arises from a deep sense of gratitude to God for giving you the strength to rise above past failures. Humility is not inconsistent with self respect. The true person has self-respect and the respect of others and yet is humble. The humble person is tolerant of others' failings, and does not have a critical attitude toward the foibles of others. Humble people are hard on themselves and easy on others.
Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may be truly humble and yet have self respect. I pray that I may see the good in myself as we'll as the bad.
©Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012©
 | Subscribe to TransitionsDaily | |
Visit your group "TransitionsDaily" on the web
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Thoughts For The Day~*~Debits ^*^*^*^*^ October 17, 2006
~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
^*^*^*^*^
(\ ~~ /)
( \ (AA)/ )
(_ /AA\ _)
/AA\
^*^*^*^*^
Debits
^*^*^*^*^
"As we glance down the debit side of the day's ledger,
we should carefully examine our motives
in each thought or act that appears to be wrong.
In most cases our motives won't be hard to see and understand.
When prideful, angry, jealous, anxious, or fearful,
we acted accordingly, and that was that.
Here we need only recognize that we did act or think badly,
try to visualize how we might have done better,
and resolve with God's help to carry these lessons over into tomorrow,
making, of course, any amends still neglected."
c.1952AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 94
^*^*^*^*^
Thought to Consider . . .
Life is too short to be small.
H O W N O W = Honest, Open-minded, Willing. No Other Way!
*~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~*
"Our inventory enables us to settle with the past. When this is done, we are really able to leave it behind us. When our inventory is carefully taken, and we have made peace with ourselves, the conviction follows that tomorrow's challenges can be met as they come."
© 1952, AAWS, Inc.; Printed 2005; Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pg. 89
*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
A DAILY TUNE-UP
Every day is a day when we must carry the vision of God's will
into all of our activities.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 85
How do I maintain my spiritual condition? For me it's quite simple:
on a daily basis I ask my Higher Power to grant me the gift of
sobriety for that day! I have talked to many alcoholics who have
gone back to drinking and I always ask them: "Did you pray for
sobriety the day you took your first drink?" Not one of them said
yes. As I practice Step Ten and try to keep my house in order on
a daily basis, I have the knowledge that if I ask for a daily
reprieve, it will be granted.
©Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.©
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Time Versus Money
Our attitude toward the giving of time when compared with our attitude toward giving money presents an interesting contrast. We give a lot of our time to A.A. activities for our own protection and growth, but also for the sake of our groups, our areas, A.A. as a whole, and, above all, the newcomer. Translated into terms of money, these collective sacrifices would add up to a huge sum.
But when it comes to the actual spending of cash, particularly for A.A. service overhead, many of us are apt to turn a bit reluctant. We think of the loss of all that earning power in our drinking years, of those sums we might have laid by for emergencies or for education of the kids.
In recent years, this attitude is everywhere on the decline; it quickly disappears when the real need for a given A.A. service becomes clear. Donors can seldom see what the exact result has been. They well know, however, that countless thousands of other alcoholics and their families are being helped.
TWELVE CONCEPTS, pp. 64-65
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
"Most of us have been unwilling to admit we were real alcoholics. No person likes to think he is bodily and mentally different from his fellows. Therefore, it is not surprising that our drinking careers have been characterized by countless vain attempts to prove we could drink like other people. The idea that somehow, someday he will control and enjoy his drinking is the great obsession of every abnormal drinker. The persistence of this illusion is astonishing. Many pursue it into the gates of insanity or death."
©Alcoholics Anonymous 3rd Edition More About Alcoholism Page 30
*~*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*~*
A.A. Thought for the Day
What am I going to do today for A.A.? Is there someone I should
call up on the telephone or someone I should go to see? Is there
a letter I should write? Is there an opportunity somewhere to
advance the work of A.A. which I have been putting off or
neglecting? If so, will I do it today? Will I be done with
procrastination and do what I have to do today? Tomorrow may
be too late. How do I know there will be a tomorrow for me?
How about getting out of my easy chair and getting going? Do I
feel that A.A. depends partly on me today?
Meditation for the Day
Today look upward toward God, not downward toward yourself. Look
away from unpleasant surroundings, from lack of beauty, from the
imperfections in yourself and in those around you. In your
unrest, behold God's calmness; in your impatience, God's
patience; in your limitations, God's perfection. Looking upward
toward God, your spirit will begin to grow. Then others will
see something in you that they also want. As you grow in the
spiritual life, you will be enabled to do many things that
seemed too hard for you before.
Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may keep my eyes trained above the horizon of
myself. I pray that I may see infinite possibilities for
spiritual growth.
©Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012©
| | Subscribe to TransitionsDaily | |
Visit your group "TransitionsDaily" on the web
Monday, October 16, 2006
Thoughts For The Day~*~Great Reality ^*^*^*^*^ October 16, 2006
~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
^*^*^*^*^
(\ ~~ /)
( \ (AA)/ )
(_ /AA\ _)
/AA\
^*^*^*^*^
Great Reality
^*^*^*^*^
"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.
We finally saw that faith in some kind of God
was a part of our make-up,
just as much as the feeling we have for a friend.
Sometimes we had to search fearlessly,
but He was there.
He was as much a fact as we were.
We found the Great Reality deep down within us.
In the last analysis it is only there that He may be found.
It was so with us."
c.1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 55
^*^*^*^*^
Thought to Consider . . .
God seldom becomes a reality until God becomes a necessity.
*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
P R O G R A M = People Relying On God Relay A Message
*~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~*
"My friend had emphasized the absolute necessity of demonstrating these principles in all my affairs. Particularly was it imperative to work with others as he had worked with me. Faith without works was dead, he said. And how appallingly true for the alcoholic! For if an alcoholic failed to perfect and enlarge his spiritual life through work and self-sacrifice for others, he could not survive the certain trials and low spots ahead. If he did not work, be would surely drink again, and if he drank, he would surely die."
© 2001 AAWS, Inc., Fourth Edition; Alcoholics Anonymous, pgs. 14-15
*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
THROUGHOUT EACH DAY
This is not an overnight matter. It should continue for our lifetime.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 84
During my early years in A.A. I saw Step Ten as a suggestion that
I periodically look at my behavior and reactions. If there was
something wrong, I should admit it; if an apology was necessary,
I should give one. After a few years of sobriety I felt I should
undertake a self-examination more frequently. Not until several
more years of sobriety had elapsed did I realize the full meaning
of Step Ten, and the word "continued." "Continued" does not mean
occasionally, or frequently. It means throughout each day.
©Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.©
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
When Conflicts Mount
Sometimes I would be forced to look at situations where I was doing badly. Right away, the search for excuses would become frantic.
"These," I would exclaim, "are really a good man's faults." When that pet gadget broke apart, I would think, "Well, if those people would only treat me right, I wouldn't have to behave the way I do." Next was this: "God well knows that I do have awful compulsions. 1 just can't get over this one. So He will have to release me." At last came the time when I would shout, "This, I positively will not do! I won't even try."
Of course, my conflicts went right on mounting, because I was simply loaded with excuses, refusals, and outright rebellion.
<<<>>>
In self-appraisal, what comes to us alone may be garbled by our own rationalization and wishful thinking. The benefit of talking to another person is that we can get his direct comment and counsel on our situation.
1. GRAPEVINE, JUNE 1961 - 2. TWELVE AND TWELVE, P. 60
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
"As we go through the day we pause, when agitated or doubtful, and
ask for the right thought or action."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 87~
*~*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*~*
A.A. Thought for the Day
How seriously do I take my obligations to A.A.? Have I taken all
the good I can get out of it and then let my obligations slide? Or
do I constantly feel a deep sense of loyalty to the whole A.A.
movement? Am I not only grateful but also proud to be a part of
such a wonderful fellowship, which is doing such marvelous work
among alcoholics? Am I glad to be a part of the great work that
A.A. is doing and do I feel a deep obligation to carry on that
work at every opportunity? Do I feel that I owe A.A. my loyalty
and devotion?
Meditation for the Day
If your heart is right, your world will be right. The beginning of
all reform must be in yourself. It's not what happens to you, it's
how you take it. However restricted your circumstances, however
little you may be able to remedy financial affairs, you can always
turn to your inward self and, seeing something not in order there,
seek to right it. And as all reform is from within outward, you will
always find that the outward is improved as the inward is improved.
As you improve yourself, your outward circumstances will change for
the better. The power released from within yourself will change your
outward life.
Prayer for the Day
I pray that the hidden power within me may be released. I pray that
I may not imprison the spirit that is within me.
©Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012©
| | Subscribe to TransitionsDaily | |
Visit your group "TransitionsDaily" on the web
Sunday, October 15, 2006
Thoughts For The Day~*~The Gift^*^*^*^*^ October 15, 2006
~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
^*^*^*^*^
(\ ~~ /)
( \ (AA)/ )
(_ /AA\ _)
/AA\
^*^*^*^*^
The Gift
"Perhaps there is a better way -- we think so.
For we are now on a different basis of trusting
and relying upon God.
We trust infinite God rather than our finite selves.
We are in the world to play the role He assigns.
Just to the extent that we do as we think He would have us,
and humbly rely on Him,
does He enable us to match calamity with serenity."
c.1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 68
^*^*^*^*^
Thought to Consider . . .
What I am is God's gift to me.
What I make of myself is my gift to Him.
G I F T = God Is Forever There
*~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~*
Tools
From "A Friend Looks at Alcoholics Anonymous:"
"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, A.A. 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. 1957, Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, page 279
*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
MY CHECKLIST, NOT YOURS
Gossip barbed with our anger, a polite form of murder by character assassination, has its satisfactions for us, too. Here we are not trying to help those we criticize; we are trying to proclaim our own righteousness.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p.67
Sometimes I don't realize that I gossiped about someone until the end of the day, when I take an inventory of the day's activities, and then, my gossiping appears like a blemish in my beautiful day. How could I have said something like that? Gossip shows its ugly head during a coffee break or lunch with business associates, or I may gossip during the evening, when I'm tired from the day's activities, and feel justified in bolstering my ego at the expense of someone else.
Character defects like gossip sneak into my life when I am not making a constant effort to work the Twelve Steps of recovery. I need to remind myself that my uniqueness is the blessing of my being, and that applies equally to everyone who crosses my path in life's journey. Today the only inventory I need to take is my own. I'll leave judgement of others to the Final Judge -- Divine Providence.
©Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.©
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Emotional Sobriety
If we examine every disturbance we have, great or small, we will find at the root of it some unhealthy dependency and its consequent unhealthy demand. Let us, with God's help, continually surrender these hobbling liabilities.
Then we can be set free to live and love; we may then be able to twelfth-step ourselves, as well as others, into emotional sobriety.
GRAPEVINE, JANUARY 1958
*~*~*~*~*^ 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
Am I deeply grateful to A.A. for what it has done for me in
regaining my sobriety and opening up an entirely new life for me?
A.A. has made it possible for me to carry on other interests in
business and in various other associations with people. It has made
a full life possible for me. It would perhaps be wrong if all my
activities were limited to A.A. work. it has made a well-rounded
life possible for me in work, in play, and in hobbies of various
kinds. But will I desert A.A. because of this? Will I accept a
diploma and become a graduate of A.A.? Do I realize that I could
have nothing worthwhile without A.A.?
Meditation for the Day
There is only one way to get full satisfaction from life and that
is to live the way you believe God wants you to live. Live with God
in that secret place of the spirit and you will have a feeling of
being on the right road. You will have a deep sense of satisfaction.
The world will have meaning and you will have a place in the world,
work to do that counts in the eternal order of things. Many things
will work for you and with you, as long as you feel you are on
God's side.
Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may have a sense of the eternal value of the work I
do. I pray that I may not only work for now, but also for eternity.
©Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012©
| | Subscribe to TransitionsDaily | |
Visit your group "TransitionsDaily" on the web