~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
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Friends
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"You are going to meet
these new friends in your own community.
Near you, alcoholics are
dying helplessly like people in a sinking ship.
If you live in a large
place, there are hundreds. High and low, rich and poor,
these are future fellows
of Alcoholics Anonymous. Among them you will make
lifelong friends. You will be bound to them with new and wonderful ties,
for you will escape
disaster together and you will commence shoulder to shoulder your common
journey. Then you will know what it means to give of yourself
that others may survive
and rediscover life. You will learn a full meaning of
'Love thy neighbor as
thyself.' "
1976 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, pp. 152-3
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Thought to Consider . . .
When we love,
we see in others what we
wish to have in ourselves.
*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
B
O G G L E = Bad Or Good, God Loves Everyone
*~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~*
Equals
From
"What is sponsorship?"
"Alcoholics
Anonymous began with sponsorship. When Bill W., only a few months sober,
was stricken with a powerful urge to drink, this thought came to him: 'You need
another alcoholic to talk to. You need another alcoholic just as much as
he needs you!'"He found Dr. Bob, who had been trying desperately and
unsuccessfully to stop drinking, and out of their common need A.A. was
born. The word 'sponsor' was not used then; the Twelve Steps had not been
written; but Bill carried the message to Dr. Bob, who in turn safeguarded his
own sobriety by sponsoring countless other alcoholics.""In
A.A., sponsor and sponsored meet as equals, just as Bill and Dr. Bob did."
1983, Questions & Answers on
Sponsorship (A.A. Pamphlet P-15), page 7
*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
"I HAD DROPPED OUT"
We
might next ask ourselves what we mean when we say that we have
"harmed" other people. What kinds of "harm" do people
do one another, anyway? To define the word "harm" in a
practical way, we might call it the result of instincts in collision, which
cause physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual damage to people.
TWELVE
STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 80
I
had been to Eighth Step meetings, always thinking, "I really haven't
harmed many people, mostly myself." But the time came when I wrote my list
out and it was not as short as I thought it would be. I either
liked you, disliked you, or needed something from you - it was that
simple. People hadn't done what I wanted them to do and intimate relationships
were out of hand because of my partners' unreasonable demands. Were these
"sins of omission"? Because of my drinking, I had "dropped
out" - never sending cards, returning calls, being there for other people,
or taking part in their lives. What a grace it has been to look at these
relationships, to make my inventories in quiet, alone with the God of my
understanding, and to go forth daily, with a willingness to be honest and
forthright in my relationships.
Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
The Beginning of True Kinship
When we reached A.A.,
and for the first time in our lives stood among people who seemed to
understand, the sense of belonging was tremendously exciting. We thought the
isolation problem had been solved. But we soon discovered that, while we
weren't alone
any more in a social sense, we still suffered many of the old pangs of anxious
apartness. Until we had talked with complete
candor of our
conflicts, and had listened to someone else do the same thing, we still didn't
belong. Step Five was the answer. It was the beginning of true kinship with man
and God.
TWELVE AND TWELVE, p. 57
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
"Opinions vary considerably as to why the alcoholic reacts
differently from normal people. We are not sure why, once a certain point is reached, little can be done
for him. We cannot answer the riddle."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, There Is A
Solution, pg. 22~
*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*
A.A. Thought for the Day
"The alcoholic is
absolutely unable to stop drinking on the basis of
self-knowledge. We must
admit we can do nothing about it ourselves.
Willpower and
self-knowledge will never help in the strange mental
blank spots when we are
tempted to drink. An alcoholic mentally is
in a very sick
condition. The last flicker of conviction that we can
do the job ourselves
must be snuffed out. The spiritual answer and
the program of action
are the only hope. Only spiritual principles
will solve our problems.
We are completely helpless apart from Divine
help. Our defense
against drinking must come from a Higher Power."
Have I accepted the
spiritual answer and the program of action?
Meditation for the
Day
Rest now until life,
eternal life, flowing through your veins and
heart and mind, bids you
to bestir yourself. Then glad work will
follow. Tired work is
never effective. The strength of God's spirit
is always available to
the tired mind and body. He is your physician
and your healer. Look to
these quiet
times of
communion with God for
rest, for peace, for
cure. Then rise refreshed in spirit and go out
to work, knowing that
your strength is able to meet any problems
because it is reinforced
by God's power.
Prayer for the Day
I pray that the peace I
have found will make me effective.
I pray that I may be relieved of all strain
during this day.