~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
^*^*^*^*^
(\ ~~ /)
( \ (AA)/ )
(_ /AA\ _)
/AA\
^*^*^*^*^
Fear
^*^*^
"The
practice of AA's Twelve Steps and Twelve
Traditions in our
personal lives also brought incredible releases
from fear of every description, despite the wide prevalence of
formidable personal problems.
When fear did persist, we knew it for what it was, and under God's
grace we became able to handle it.
We began to see each adversity as a God-given opportunity to develop
the kind of courage
which is born of humility, rather than bravado. Thus we were enabled to
accept ourselves, our circumstances, and our fellows."
Bill W., January
1962
1988AAGrapevine, The Language of the Heart, p. 268
^*^*^*^*^*
Thought to Consider . . .
Courage is the willingness to accept fear
and act anyway.
*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
F E A R = Fools Every Alcoholic Repeatedly
*~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~*
Bill's
Adolescent Depression
From:
"Chapter One"
With the onset of
depression, his academic performance dropped. “The upshot was that I failed
German and, for that reason, could not graduate. Here I was, president of my
senior class…and they wouldn’t give me a diploma! My mother arrived, extremely
angry, from
He failed to
graduate with his class (although school records now list him with the group).
Following a summer of agonizing depression, he went to live with his mother
near
What had caused
Bill to change from high achiever to a helpless depressive? As he saw it, the
major problem was the he could no longer be Number
One. “I could not
be anybody at all. I could not win, because the adversary was death. So
my life, I thought, had ended then and there.”
1984, AAWS, Inc., Pass It On…The story of
Bill Wilson and how the AA message reached
the world, pages 36-37
*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
WE JUST TRY
My stability came out of trying
to give, not out of demanding that I receive.
THE BEST OF
BILL, p. 46-47
As long as I try, with all my heart
and soul, to pass along to others what has been passed along to me, and do not demand
anything in return, life is good to me. Before entering this program of Alcoholics
Anonymous I was never
able to give without demanding something in return. Little did I know that,
once I began to give freely of myself, I would begin to receive, without ever
expecting or demanding anything at all. What I receive
today is the gift of "stability", as Bill did; stability in my A.A.
program; within myself; but most of all, in my relationship with my Higher
Power, whom I choose to call God.
Copyright 1990
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Everyday
Living
The A.A. emphasis on personal inventory is heavy because a
great many of us have never really acquired the habit of accurate
self-appraisal.
Once this healthy practice has become a habit, it will prove so
interesting
and profitable that the time it takes won't be missed. For these
minutes and
often hours spent in self-examination are bound to make all the other
hours
of our day better and happier. At length, our inventories become a
necessity
of everyday living, rather than something unusual or set apart.
TWELVE AND
TWELVE, pp. 89-90
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
"In dealing with
resentments, we set them on paper. We listed
people, institutions or principles with whom we were angry. We asked
ourselves why we were angry. In most cases it was found that our
self-esteem, our pocketbooks, our ambitions, our personal
relationships,(including sex) were hurt or
threatened."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It
Works, pg. 64~
*~*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*~*
A.A. Thought for the Day
"Who are you to say there is no God? This challenge comes to all
of us. Are
we capable of denying that there is a design and purpose in all of life
as we
know it? Or are we willing to admit that faith in some kind of Divine
Principle is a part of our
make-up, just as much as the feeling we have for a
friend? We find a great Reality deep down within us, if we face
ourselves as
we really are. In the last analysis, it is only there that God may be
found.
When we find this Reality within us, we are restored to our right
minds."
Have I found the great Reality?
Meditation for the Day
"Behold, I make all things new." When you change to a new way
of life, you leave many things behind you. It is only the earth-bound spirit
that cannot soar. Loosen somewhat the strands that tie you to the earth. It is
only the earthly desires that bind you. Your new freedom will depend on your
ability to rise above earthly things. Clipped wings can grow again. Broken
wings can regain a strength and beauty unknown before. if
you will, you can be released and free.
Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may be freed from things that hold me down.
I pray that my spirit may soar in freedom.