~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
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(\ ~~~ /)
( \(AA)/ )
(_ /AA\ _)
/AA\
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Family Matters
Now and then the family will be plagued by specters from the
past, for the drinking career of almost every
alcoholic
has been marked by
escapades, funny, humiliating, shameful or tragic. The
first impulse will be to bury these skeletons
in a dark closet and
padlock the door. The family may be possessed by the idea that future happiness
can be based only upon
forgetfulness of the past.
We think that such a view is self-centered and in direct conflict with the new
way of living.
c. 2001AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, pp. 123-4
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Thought to Consider . . .
The spiritual life is not a theory.
We have to live it.
*~*~*AKRONYMS*~*~*
RACING
= Real Alcoholics Centered Inward Needing God
*~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~*
Acceptance
From
"'No Man Is an
"I needed to look no
further than the Twelve Steps and the powerful wording of our Serenity Prayer,
'to accept the things we cannot change.'
With the tools and guideposts of Alcoholics Anonymous, we can learn a
little of this precious gift our gateway to human
spirituality.
� 1973 AAWS,
Inc.; Came to Believe, 30th printing 2004, pg. 120
*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
WHAT WE NEED --
EACH OTHER
. . . A.A. is really
saying to every serious drinker, "You are an A.A. member if you say so . . . nobody can keep you out."
TWELVE STEPS
AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 139
For
years, whenever I reflected on Tradition Three ("The only requirement for
A.A. membership is a desire to stop drinking"), I thought it valuable only
to newcomers. It was their guarantee that no one could bar them from
A.A. Today I feel enduring gratitude for the spiritual development the
Tradition has brought me. I don't seek out people obviously different
from myself. Tradition Three, concentrating on the one way I am similar
to others, brought me to know and help every kind of alcoholic, just as they
have helped me. Charlotte, the atheist, showed me higher standards of
ethics and honor; Clay, of another race, taught me patience; Winslow, who is
gay, led me by example into true compassion; Young Megan says that seeing me at
meetings, sober thirty years, keeps her coming back. Tradition Three
insured that we would get what we need -- each other.
�Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD
SERVICES, INC.�
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
We Cannot
Stand Still
In the first days
of A.A., I wasn't much bothered about the areas of life in which I was standing
still. There was always the alibi: "After all," I said to myself,
"I'm far too busy with much more important matters." That was my near
perfect prescription for comfort and complacency.
<<<>>>
How many of us
would presume to declare, "Well, I'm sober and I'm happy. What more can I
want, or do? I'm fine the way I am." We know that the price of such
self-satisfaction is an inevitable backslide, punctuated at some point by a
very rude awakening. We have to grow or else deteriorate. For us, the status
quo can only be for today, never for tomorrow. Change we must; we cannot stand
still.
1. GRAPEVINE,
JUNE 1961 - 2. GRAPEVINE, FEBRUARY 1961
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
"For the
type of alcoholic who is able and willing to get well, little
charity, in the ordinary sense of the word, is needed or wanted. The
men
who cry for money and shelter before conquering alcohol, are on the
wrong track."
Alcoholics Anonymous,
4th Edition, Working With Others, pg. 97
*~*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*~*
A.A. Thought for
the Day
We used to depend
on drinking for a lot of things. We depended on drinking to help us enjoy
things. It gave us a "kick." It broke down our shyness and helped us
to have a "good time." We depended on drinking to help us when we
felt low physically. If we had a toothache or just a hangover, we felt better
after a few drinks. We depended on drinking to help us when we felt low
mentally. If we had a tough day at work or if we had a fight with our loved
one, or if things just seemed against us, we felt better under the influence of
alcohol. For us alcoholics, it got so that we depended on drinking for almost
everything. Have I gotten over that dependence on drinking?
Meditation for the Day
I believe that
complete surrender of my life to God is the foundation of serenity. God has
prepared for us many mansions. I do not look upon that promise as referring
only to the afterlife. I do not look upon this life as something to be
struggled through, in order to get the rewards of the next life. I believe that
the
Prayer for the Day
I pray that I
may try to do God's will.
I pray that such understanding, insight, and vision shall be mine as shall make my life eternal, here and now.