~*~A

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
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(   \ (AA)/   )
(_   /AA\ _)
/AA\
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Tolerance
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"Honesty with ourselves and others gets us sober, but it is tolerance that keeps us that way.
Experience shows that few alcoholics will long stay away from a group because
they don't like the way it is run. Most return and adjust themselves
to whatever conditions they must. Some go to a different group, or form a new one.
In other words, once an alcoholic fully realizes that he cannot get well alone,
he will somehow find a way to get well and stay well in the company of others.
It has been that way from the beginning of AA and probably always will be so."
Bill W., Letter, 1943
1967AAWS, As Bill Sees It, p. 312
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Thought to Consider . . .

What does it benefit me to not like another human being?

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
H E A R T = Healing, Enjoying, And Recovering, Together

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

Home Group

From: "The Group and Its G.S.R."

For most A.A.s, membership in a home group is one of the keys to continuing sobriety. In a home group, they accept service responsibilities and learn to sustain friendships. The home group affords individual A.A.s the privilege of voting on issues that affect the Fellowship as a whole; it is the very basis of the service structure. While most A.A. members attend other groups regularly, the home group is where they participate in business meetings and cast their vote as part of the group conscience of the Fellowship as a whole. As with all group conscience matters, each member has one vote.

The Long Form of Tradition Three and a section of Warranty Six, Concept 12, aptly describe what an A.A. group is:

Tradition Three: “Our membership ought to include all who suffer from alcoholism. Hence we may refuse none who wish to recover. Nor ought A.A. membership ever depend upon money or conformity. Any two or three alcoholics gathered together for sobriety may call themselves an A.A. group, provided that, as a group, they have no other affiliation.”

Warranty Six: “…much attention has been drawn to the extraordinary liberties which the A.A. Traditions accord to the individual member and to his group: no penalties to be inflicted for nonconformity to A.A. principles; no fees or dues to be levied – voluntary contributions only; no member to be expelled from A.A. – membership always to be the choice of the individual; each A.A. group to conduct its internal affairs as it wishes – it being merely requested to abstain from acts that might injure A.A. as a whole; and finally that any group of alcoholics gathered together for sobriety may call themselves an A.A. group provided that, as a group, they have no other purpose or affiliation.”

2006, AAWS, Inc., AA Service Manual, page S23

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
A "DESIGN FOR LIVING"

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, p. 28

I try each day to raise my heart and hands in thanks to God for showing me a "design for living" that really works through our beautiful Fellowship. But what, exactly, is this "design for living" that "really works"? For me, it is the practice of the Twelve Steps to the best of my ability, the continued awareness of a God who loves me unconditionally, and the hope that, in each new day, there is a purpose for my being. I am truly, truly blessed in the Fellowship.

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Willing to Believe

Do not let any prejudice you may have against spiritual terms deter you from
honestly asking yourself what they might mean to you. At the start, this was
all we needed to commence spiritual growth, to effect our first conscious
relation with God as we understood Him. Afterward, we found ourselves
accepting many things which had seemed entirely out of reach. That was
growth. But if we wished to grow we had to begin somewhere. So at first we
used our own conceptions of God, however limited they were.
We needed to ask ourselves but one short question: "Do I now believe, or am I even willing to believe, that there is a Power greater than myself?'' As soon
as a man can say that he does believe, even in this small degree, or is
willing to believe, we emphatically assure him that he is on his way.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 47
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
"Let no alcoholic say he cannot recover unless he has his family
back. This just isn't so. In some cases the wife will never come
back for one reason or another. Remind the prospect that his
recovery is not dependent upon people. It is dependent upon his
relationship with God. We have seen men get well whose families have
not returned at all. We have seen others slip when the family came back too soon."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Working With Others, pg. 99~
*~*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*~*
A.A. Thought for the Day

We in A.A. are offering an intangible thing, a
psychological and spiritual program. Its a wonderful
program. When we learn to turn to a Higher Power, with
faith that that Power can give us the strength we need,
we find peace of mind. When we reeducate our minds by
learning to think differently, we find new interests that
make life worthwhile. We who have achieved sobriety
through faith in God and mental reeducation are modern
miracles. It is the function of our A.A. program to
produce modern miracles. Do I consider the change in my
life a modern miracle?

Meditation for the Day

You should never doubt that God's spirit is always with
you, wherever you are, to keep you on the right path.
God's keeping power is never at fault, only your
realization of it. You must try to believe in God's
nearness and availability of His grace. It is not a
question of whether God can provide a shelter from the
storm, but of whether or not you seek the security of
that shelter. Every fear, worry, or doubt is disloyalty
to God. You must endeavor to trust God wholly. Practice
saying: "All is going to be well." Say it to yourself
until you feel it deeply.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may feel deeply that all is well.

I pray that nothing will be able to move me from that deep conviction.