~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
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Choices
Looking back we see that our freedom to choose
badly was not, after all,
a very real freedom.
When we chose because we
"must," this
was not a free choice either. But it got us started in the
right direction. When we chose because we "ought to"
we were really doing better.
This time we were earning some freedom,
making ourselves ready for more.
But when, now
and then, we could gladly
make right choices without rebellion, holdout, or
conflict,
then we had our first glimpse of what
perfect freedom under
God's will could be like.
Bill W., May 1960
c. 1988AAGrapevine, The Language of
the Heart, p. 302
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Thought to Consider . . .
Sobriety is a choice and a treasure.
*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
C
H A N G E = Choosing Honesty Allows New Growth
Every day
*~*~*~*~*^Just For Today^*~*~*~*~*
Mantle
TRADITION TWELVE: Anonymity is the spiritual
foundation of all our traditions,
ever reminding us to place principles before personalities.
"Experiences taught us that
anonymity is real
humility at work. It is an all-pervading spiritual
quality which today keynotes A.A. life everywhere. Moved by the
spirit of anonymity, we try to give up
our natural desires for personal distinction as A.A. members both among
fellow alcoholics and before
the general public. As we lay aside these very human aspirations,
we believe that each of us takes
part in the weaving of a protective mantle which covers our whole
Society and under which we may
grow and work in unity. "We are sure that
humility, expressed by anonymity,
is the greatest safeguard that Alcoholics Anonymous can
ever have."
c. 1952, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions,
page 187
*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
THE REWARDS OF GIVING
This is indeed the kind of
giving that actually demands nothing. He does not expect his brother
sufferer to pay him, or even to love him. And then he discovers that by
the divine paradox of this kind of giving he has found his own reward, whether
his brother has yet received anything or not.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 109
Through experience with Twelfth Step work, I
came to understand the rewards of giving that demands
nothing in
return. At first I expected recovery in others, but I soon learned that
this did not happen.
Once I acquired the humility to accept the
fact that every Twelfth Step call was not going to result in
a success, then I was
open to receive the rewards of selfless giving.
©Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.©
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Random Quote - The Reality of Spiritual Experiences
"Perhaps
you raise the question of hallucination verses the divine imagery of a genuine
spiritual experience. I doubt if anyone has authoritatively
defined what a hallucination really is. However, it is certain that all
recipients of spiritual experiences declare for their reality. The best
evidence of that reality is in the subsequent fruits. Those who receive these
gifts of grace are very much changed people, almost invariably for the better.
This can scarcely be said of those who hallucinate. "Some might think me presumptuous when I say
that my own experience is real. Nevertheless, I can surely report that in my
own life and in the lives of countless others, the fruits of that experience
have been real, and the benefactions beyond reckoning."
TALK, 1960
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
"We
alcoholics are men and women who have lost the ability to control
our drinking. We know that no real
alcoholic ever recovers control.
All of us felt at times that we were
regaining control, but such
intervals, usually brief, were
inevitably followed by still less
control, which led in time to pitiful
and incomprehensible
demoralization. We are convinced to a
man that alcoholics of our
type are in the grip of a progressive
illness. Over any considerable
period we get worse, never
better."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition,
More About Alcoholism, pg. 30~
*~*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*~*
A.A. Thought for the Day
Our faith should control the whole of our life. We alcoholics were
living a divided life. We had to find a way to make it whole. When we were
drinking, our lives were made up of a lot of scattered and unrelated pieces. We
must pick up our lives and put them together again. We do it by recovering faith
in a Divine Principle in the universe that holds us together and holds the
whole universe together and gives it meaning and purpose. We surrender our
disorganized lives to that Power, we get into harmony with the Divine Spirit,
and our lives are made whole again. Is my life whole again?
Meditation for the Day
Avoid
fear as you would a plague. Fear, even the smallest fear, is a hacking at the
cords of faith that bind you to God. However small the fraying, in time those
cords will wear thin, and then one disappointment or shock will make them snap.
But for the little fears, the cords of faith would have held firm. Avoid
depression, which is allied to fear. Remember that all fear is disloyalty to
God. it is a denial of His care and protection.
Prayer for the Day
I
pray that I may have such trust in God today that I will not fear anything too
greatly.
I pray that I may have
assurance that God will take care of me in the long run.