Thoughts For The Day~*~Surrender^*^*^*^*^ December 27, 2011

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

Such is the paradox of AA regeneration:
strength arising out of complete defeat and weakness,
the loss of one's old life
as a condition for finding a new one.
But we of AA do not have to understand that paradox;
we have only to be grateful for it.
Bill W.
c. 1957, 1985AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, p. 46
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . . .

We surrender to win

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
K I S S  =  Keep It Simple, Surrender

*~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~*
 

Autonomy

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

"Some may think that we have carried the principle of group autonomy to extremes. . . .

"But this ultra-liberty is not so risky as it looks. In the end the innovators would have to adopt A.A. principles  "at least some of them"  in order to remain sober at all.  If, on the other hand, they found something better than A.A., or if they were able to improve on our methods, then in all probability we would adopt what they discovered for general use everywhere. This sort of liberty also prevents A.A. from becoming a frozen set of dogmatic principles that could not be changed even when obviously wrong."  Bill W., 1959

2001 AAWS, Inc.; Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pgs. 104-05
*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
PROBLEM SOLVING

"Quite as important was the discovery that spiritual principles would solve all my problems.  "

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p.  42

Through the recovery process described in the Big Book, I have come to realize that the same instructions that work on my alcoholism, work on much more.  Whenever I am angry or frustrated, I consider the matter a manifestation of the main problem within me, alcoholism.  As I "walk" through the Steps, my difficulty is usually dealt with long before I reach the Twelfth "suggestion," and those difficulties that persist are remedied when I make an effort to carry the message to someone else.  These principles do solve my problems!  I have not encountered an exception, and I have been brought to a way of living which is satisfying and useful.

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Life Is Not a Dead End

When a man or a woman has a spiritual awakening, the most important meaning of it is that he has now become able to do, feel, and believe that which he could not do before on his unaided strength and resources alone. He has been granted a gift which amounts to a new state of consciousness and being.
He has been set on a path which tells him he is really going somewhere, that life is not a dead end, not something to be endured or mastered. In a very real sense he has been transformed, because he has laid hold of a source of strength which he had hitherto denied himself.

TWELVE AND TWELVE, PP. 106-107
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
"We do not like to pronounce any individual as alcoholic, but you can
quickly diagnose yourself, Step over to the nearest barroom and try
some controlled drinking. Try to drink and stop abruptly. Try it
more than once. It will not take long for you to decide, if you are
honest with yourself about it. It may be worth a bad case of jitters
if you get a full knowledge of your condition."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, More About Alcoholism, pg. 31~
 
*~*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*~*
A.A. Thought for the Day

I need the A.A. principles for the development of the buried life within me, that good life, which I had misplaced, but which I found again in this fellowship. This life within me is developing slowly but surely, with many setbacks, many mistakes, many failures, but still developing. As long as I stick close to A.A., my life will go on developing, and I cannot yet know what it will be, but I know that it will be good. That's all I want to know. It will be good. Am I thanking God for A.A.?

Meditation for the Day

Build your life on the firm foundation of true gratitude to God for all His blessings and true humility because of your unworthiness of these blessings. Build the frame of your life out of self-discipline; never let yourself get selfish or lazy or contented with yourself. Build the walls of your life out of service to others, helping them to find the way to live. Build the roof of your life out of prayer and quiet times, waiting for God's guidance from above. Build a garden around your life out of peace of mind and serenity and a sure faith.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may build my life on A.A. principles. I pray that it may be a good building when my work is finished.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

Thoughts For The Day~*~Letting Go^*^*^*^*^ December 23, 2011

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

Letting go of everything at once
was both painful and terrifying. 
I could never have accomplished this alone. 
It took the help, understanding
and wonderful companionship
that was given so freely to me by my ex-alkie friends.
This and the program of recovery
embodied in the Twelve Steps.
In learning to practice these steps in my daily living,
I began to acquire faith and a philosophy to live by.
Whole new vistas were opened up for me,
new avenues of experience to be explored,
and life began to take on color and interest.
c. 1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 311
c. 2001AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 275
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

The peaks and valleys of my life
have become gentle rolling hills.


*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
F A I T H   = Finding Answers In The Heart.

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

Sharing

From "Aspects of Spirituality:"

"Among A.A.'s there is still a vast amount of
mix-up respecting what is material and what
is spiritual.  I prefer to believe that it is
all a matter of motive.  If we use our worldly
possessions too selfishly, then we are materialists.
But if we share these possessions in helpfulness
to others, then the material aids the spiritual."

c. 1967, As Bill Sees It, page 287

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
RECOVERY, UNITY, SERVICE

Our Twelfth Step -- carrying the message -- is the basic service that AA's Fellowship gives; this is our principal aim and the main reason for our existence.

                        THE LANGUAGE OF THE HEART, P.  160

I thank God for those who came before me, those who told me not to forget the Three Legacies: Recovery, Unity and Service.  In my home group, the Three Legacies were described on a sign which said: "You take a three-legged stool, try to balance it on only one leg, or two.  Our Three Legacies must be kept intact.  In Recovery, we get sober together; in Unity, we work together for the good of our Steps and Traditions; and through Service-we give away freely what has been given to us."

One of the chief gifts of my life has been to know that I will have no message to give, unless I recover in unity with A.A. principles.

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
MERRY CHRISTMAS! - Random Quote - A.A.--the Lodestar

We can be grateful for every agency or method that tries to solve the problem of alcoholism--whether of medicine, religion, education, or research. We can be open-minded toward all such efforts and we can be sympathetic when the ill-advised ones fail. We can remember that A.A. itself ran for years on "trial and error."
As individuals, we can and should work with those that promise success--even a little success.
<<<>>>
Every one of the pioneers in the total field of alcoholism will generously say that had it not been for the living proof of recovery in A.A., they could not have gone on. A.A. was the lodestar of hope and help that kept them at it.

GRAPEVINE, MARCH 1958
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
"...we were at Step Three, which is that we decided to turn our will
and our life over to God as we understood Him. Just what do we mean
by that, and just what do we do?

The first requirement is that we be convinced that any life run on
self-will can hardly be a success. On that basis we are almost
always in collision with something or somebody, even though our
motives are good. Most people try to live by self-propulsion."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 60~
*~*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*~*
A.A. Thought for the Day

We have definitely left that dream world behind. It was only a sham. It was a world of our making and it was not the real world. We are sorry for the past, yes, but we learned a lot from it. We can put it down to experience, valuable experience, as we see it now, because it has given us the knowledge necessary to face the world as it really is. We had to become alcoholics in order to find the A.A. program. We would not have gotten it any other way. In a way, it was worth it. Do I look at my past as valuable experience?

Meditation for the Day

Shed peace, not discord, wherever you go. Try to be part of the cure of every situation, not part of the problem. Try to ignore evil, rather than to actively combat it. Always try to build up, never to tear down. Show others by your example that happiness comes from living the right way. The power of your example is greater than the power of what you say.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may try to bring something good into every situation today. I pray that I may be constructive in the way I think and speak and act today.

 

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

Thoughts For The Day~*~Broad Highway^*^*^*^*^ December 26, 2011

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

We can only clear the ground a bit.
If our testimony helps sweep away prejudice,
enables you to think honestly,
encourages you to search diligently within yourself,
then, if you wish, you can join us on the Broad Highway.
With this attitude you cannot fail.
The consciousness of your belief is sure to come to you.
c. 1976, 2001AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 55
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

The joy is in the journey, so enjoy the ride

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
F A I T H =  Fantastic Adventures In Trusting Him.

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

Alike

From "The Missing Link":

"They opened a book and read a chapter titled 'Step Seven.' After the reading, they went around the table for comments, and for the first time in my life, I found myself surrounded by people I could really relate with. I no longer felt as if I was a major misfit, because here was a roomful of people who felt precisely as I did, and a major weight had been lifted. I happened to be in the last chair around the table to speak and, confused by the reading, all I could say was, 'What the heck are shortcomings?'"

2001 AAWS, Inc., Fourth Edition; Alcoholics Anonymous, pg. 286

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
ACCEPTING SUCCESS OR FAILURE

Furthermore, how shall we come to terms with seeming failure or success?  Can we now accept and adjust to either without despair or pride?  Can we accept poverty, sickness, loneliness, and bereavement with courage and serenity?  Can we steadfastly content ourselves with the humbler, yet sometimes more durable, satisfactions when the brighter, more glittering achievements are denied us?

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p.  112

After I found A.A. and stopped drinking, it took a while before I understood why the First Step contained two parts: my powerlessness over alcohol, and my life's unmanageability.  In the same way, I believed for a long time that, in order to be in tune with the Twelve Steps, it was enough for me "to carry this message to alcoholics."  That was rushing things.  I was forgetting that there were a total of Twelve Steps and that the Twelfth Step also had more than one part.  Eventually I learned that it was necessary for me to "practice these principles" in all areas of my life.  In working all the Steps thoroughly, I not only stay sober and help someone else to achieve sobriety, but also I transform my difficulty with living into a joy of living.

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 ^*~*~*~*~*

"...the actual or potential alcoholic, with hardly an exception,
will be absolutely unable to stop drinking on the basis of self
knowledge. This is a point we wish to emphasize and re-emphasize, to
smash home upon our alcoholic readers as it has been revealed to us
out of bitter experience."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, More About Alcoholism, pg. 39~
*~*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*~*
A.A. Thought for the Day

I am glad to be a part of A.A., of that great fellowship that is spreading over the United States and all over the world. I am only one of the many A.A.'s, but I am one. I am grateful to be living at this time, when I can help A.A. to grow, when it needs me to put my shoulder to the wheel and help keep the movement going. I am glad to be able to be useful, to have a reason for living, a purpose in life. I want to lose my life in this great cause and so find it again. Am I grateful to be an A.A.?

Meditation for the Day

These meditations can teach us how to relax. We can be of service to other people in a small way, at least. And we can be happy while doing it. We should not worry too much about people we cannot help. We can make it a habit to leave the outcome of the things we do to the Higher Power. We can go along through life doing the best we can, but without a feeling of urgency or strain. We can enjoy all the good things and the beauty of life, but at the same time depend deeply on God.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may give my life to this worthwhile cause. I pray that I may enjoy the satisfaction that comes from good work well done.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012