~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
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/AA\
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Good Living
Understanding is the key to right principles and attitudes, and right action is the key to good living;
therefore the joy of good living is the theme of AA's Twelfth Step. With each passing day of our lives,
may every one of us sense more deeply the inner meaning of AA's simple prayer:

God grant us the serenity to accept
the things we cannot change,
Courage to change the things we can,
And wisdom to know the difference.
c. 1952 AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions,  p. 125
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Thought to Consider . . .  .

The joy is in the journey.

*~*~*AKRONYMS*~*~*
T H I N K  =  The Happiness I Never Knew

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

Growth

From "The Keys of the Kingdom":

"Letting go of everything at once was both painful and terrifying. I could never have accomplished this alone. It took the help, understanding, and wonderful companionship that was given so freely to me by my ex-alkie friends, this and the program of recovery embodied in the Twelve Steps. In learning to practice these steps in my daily living, I began to acquire faith and a philosophy to live by. Whole new vistas were opened up for me, new avenues of experience to be explored, and life began to take on color and interest. In time, I found myself looking forward to each new day with pleasurable anticipation."

� 2001 AAWS, Inc., Fourth Edition; Alcoholics Anonymous, pg. 275

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
FREEDOM FROM .  .  .  FREEDOM TO

We are going to know a new freedom.  .  .  .

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p.  83

Freedom for me is both freedom from and freedom to.  The first freedom I enjoy is freedom from the slavery of alcohol.  What a relief!  Then I begin to experience freedom from fear -- fear of people, of economic insecurity, of commitment, of failure, of rejection.  Then I begin to enjoy freedom to -- freedom to choose sobriety for today, freedom to be myself, freedom to express my opinion, to experience peace of mind, to love and be loved, and freedom to grow spiritually.  But how can I achieve these freedoms?  The Big Book clearly says that before I am halfway through making amends, I will begin to know a "new" freedom; not the old freedom of doing what I pleased, without regard to others, but the new freedom that allows fulfillment of the promises in my life.  What a joy to be free!

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Getting off a "Dry Bender"

"Sometimes, we become depressed. I ought to know; I have been a champion dry-bender case myself. While the surface causes were a part of the picture - trigger-events that precipitated depression - the underlying causes, I am satisfied, ran much deeper. "Intellectually, I could accept my situation. Emotionally, I could not.
"To these problems, there are certainly no pat answers. But part of the answer surely lies in the constant effort to practice all of A.A.'s Twelve Steps."

LETTER, 1954
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"We finally saw that faith in some kind of God was a part of our
make-up, just as much as the feeling we have for a friend. Sometimes we
had to search fearlessly, but He was there. He was as much a fact as
we were. We found the Great Reality deep down within us. In the last
analysis it is only there that He may be found."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, We Agnostics, pg. 55~

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

A drinking life isn't a happy life. Drinking cuts you off from other people and from God. One of the

worst things about drinking is the loneliness. And one of the best things about A.A. is the fellowship.

Drinking cuts you off from other people, at least from the people who really matter to you, your

family, your coworkers, and your real friends. No matter how much you love them, you build up a

wall between you and them by your drinking. You're cut off from any real companionship with

them. As a result, you're terribly lonely. Have I gotten rid of my loneliness?

Meditation for the Day

I will sometimes go aside into a quiet place of retreat with God. In that place, I will find restoration and healing and power. I will plan quiet times now and then, times when I will commune with God and arise rested and refreshed to carry on the work that God has given me to do. I know that God will never give me a load greater than I can bear. It is in serenity and peace that all true success lies.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may strengthen my inner life, so that I may find serenity.

I pray that my soul may be restored in quietness and peace