~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
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Grandiosity

"In my teens, I had to be an athlete because I was not an athlete. I had to be a musician because

 I could not carry a tune. I had to be first in everything because in my perverse heart I felt myself the

least of God's creatures. I could not accept my deep sense of inferiority, and so I strove to become

captain of the baseball team, and I did learn to play the fiddle. Lead I must -- or else. This was the

 'all or nothing' kind of demand that later did me in."
- Bill W., AA Comes of Age, p. 53
©1967AAWS, As Bill Sees It, p. 214

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Thought to Consider . . .

We claim spiritual progress rather than spiritual perfection.

 


*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
N U T S =  Not Using The Steps.

 

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

From "Today, It's My Choice:"

 

"With the realization and acceptance that I had played a part in the way my life had turned out
came a dramatic change in my outlook.  It was at this point that the A.A. program began to
work for me.  In the past I had always blamed others, either God or other people, for my
circumstances.  I never felt that I had a choice in altering my life.  My decisions had been based
on fear, pride, or ego.  As a result, those decisions led me down a path of self-destruction. 
Today I try to allow my God to guide me on the road to sanity.  I am responsible for my
action -- or inaction -- whatever the consequences may be."

 

c. 1990, Daily Reflections, page 78

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
SERENITY

Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, . . .

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 106

As I continued to go to meetings and work the Steps, something began to happen to me.  I felt confused because I wasn't sure what it was that I was feeling, and then I realized I was experiencing serenity.  It was a good feeling, but where had it come from?  Then I realized it had come ". . .as the result of these steps."  The program may not always be easy to practice, but I had to acknowledge that my serenity had come to me after working the Steps.  As I work the Steps in everything I do, practicing these principles in all my affairs, now I find that I am awake to God, to others, and to myself.  The spiritual awakening I have enjoyed as the result of working the Steps is the awareness that I am no longer alone.

 

©Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.©
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~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Random Quote - Freedom through Acceptance

We admitted we couldn't lick alcohol with our own remaining resources, and so we accepted the further fact that dependence upon a Higher Power (if only our A.A. group) could do this hitherto impossible job. The moment we were able to accept these facts fully, our release from the alcohol compulsion had begun.
For most of us, this pair of acceptances had required a lot of exertion to achieve. Our whole treasured a lot of exertion to achieve. Our whole treasured philosophy of self-sufficiency had to be cast aside. This had not been done with sheer will power; it came instead as the result of developing the willingness to accept these new facts of living. We neither ran nor fought. But accept we did. And then we began to be free.

GRAPEVINE, MARCH 1962
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
"Although financial recovery is on the way for many of us, we found
we could not place money first. For us, material well-being always
followed spiritual progress; it never preceded."


Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, The Family Afterward, pg. 127

"If there be divorce or separation, there should be no undue haste
for the couple to get together. The man should be sure of his
recovery. The wife should fully understand his new way of life. If
their old relationship is to be resumed it must be on a better basis,
since the former did not work. This means a new attitude and spirit
all around. Sometimes it is to the best interests of all concerned
that a couple remain apart. Obviously, no rule can be laid down.
Let the alcoholic continue his program day by day. When the time for
living together has come, it will be apparent to both parties."

Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Working With Others, Page 99

*~*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*~*
A.A. Thought for the Day

The thoughts that come before having a slip seem to be partly subconscious. And yet it is likely that at least part of these thoughts get into our consciousness. An idle thought connected with drinking casualty pops into our mind. That is the crucial moment. Will I harbor that thought even for one minute or will I banish it from my mind at once? If I let it stay, it may develop into a daydream. I may begin to see a cool glass of beer or a Manhattan cocktail in my mind's eye. If I allow the daydream to stay in my mind, it may lead to a decision, however unconscious, to take a drink. Then I am headed for a slip. Do I let myself daydream?

Meditation for the Day

Many of us have a sort of vision of the kind of person God wants us to be. We must be true to that vision, whatever it is, and we must try to live up to it, by living the way we believe we should live. We can all believe that God has a vision of what He wants us to be like. In all people there is a good person whom God sees in us, the person we could be and that God would like us to be. But many a person fails to fulfill that promise and God's disappointments must be many.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may strive to be the kind of a person that God would have me be.

 I pray that I may try to fulfill God's vision of what I could be.