~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
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( \(AA)/ )
(_ /AA\ _)
/AA\
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Surrender
On the face of it, surrendering certainly does not seem like
winning.
But it is in AA Only after
we have come to the end of our rope,
hit a stone wall in some
aspect of our lives beyond which we can go no further;
only when we hit
"bottom" in despair and surrender, can we accomplish sobriety which
we could
never accomplish before. We
must, and we do, surrender in order to win.
c. 1955 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, 2nd Edition,
pp. 341-2
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Thought to Consider . . .
Life didn't end when I got sober -- it started.
*~*~*AKRONYMS*~*~*
S
W A T = Surrender, Willingness, Acceptance, Trust
*~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~*
Stages
From
"The Three Legacies of Alcoholics Anonymous":
"In the first years,
those of us who sobered up in A.A. had been grim and utterly hopeless cases,
almost without exception.
But now younger folks began to appear. Lots of people turned up who still
had jobs and homes and
health and even good social standing. These in their turn were able to persuade
others like themselves of
the need for A.A. Of course it was necessary for these types of newcomers
to hit bottom emotionally. But we found they
did not have to hit every possible bottom there was in
order to admit that they
were licked. When one of these mild
cases arrived at the conviction that he
already had the principal
symptoms of alcoholism that was usually enough. He 'hit bottom' then and
there, and so was spared
years of anguish."
� 2001 AAWS,
Inc.; Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pg. 199
*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
OUR COMMON WELFARE COMES FIRST
The
unity of Alcoholics Anonymous is the most cherished quality our Society
has. . . .
We stay whole, or A.A. dies.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 129
Our
Traditions are key elements in the ego deflation process necessary to achieve
and maintain sobriety in Alcoholics Anonymous. The First Tradition
reminds me not to take credit, or authority, for my recovery. Placing our
common welfare first reminds me not to become a healer in this program; I am
still one of the patients. Self-effacing elders built the ward.
Without it, I doubt I would be alive. Without the group, few alcoholics
would recover.
The active role in renewed
surrender of will enables me to step aside from the need to dominate, the
desire for recognition, both of which played so great a part in my active
alcoholism. Deferring my personal desires for the greater good of group
growth contributes toward A.A. unity that is central to all recovery. It
helps me to remember that the whole is greater than the sum of all its parts.
�Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS
ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.�
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
In God's Economy
"In
God's economy, nothing is wasted. Through failure, we learn a lesson in
humility
which is probably needed, painful though it
is."
<<<>>>
We did not always come
closer to wisdom by reason of our virtues; our better understanding is often
rooted in the pains of our former follies. Because this has been the essence of
our individual experience, it is also the essence of our experience as a
fellowship.
1. LETTER, 1942 - 2. GRAPEVINE, NOVEMBER 1961
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
"We
will seldom be interested in liquor. If tempted, we recoil from
it as from a hot flame. We
react sanely and normally, and we will
find that this has
happened automatically. We will see that our new
attitude toward liquor has
been given us without any thought or
effort on our part. It
just comes!"
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 84~
*~*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*~*
A.A. Thought for the Day
Drinking cuts you off from God. No matter how you were brought
up, no matter what your religion is, no matter if you say you believe in God,
nevertheless you build up a wall between you and God by your drinking. You know
you're not living the way God wants you to. As a result, you have that terrible
remorse. When you come into A.A., you begin to get right with other people and
with God. A sober life is a happy life, because by giving up drinking, we've
gotten rid of our loneliness and remorse. Do I have real fellowship with other
people and with God?
Meditation for the Day
I believe that all
sacrifice and all suffering are of value to me. When I am in pain, I am being
tested. Can I trust God, no matter how low I feel? Can I say, "Thy will be
done," no matter how much I am defeated? If I can, my faith is real and
practical. it works in bad times as well as in good times. The Divine Will is
working in a way that is beyond my finite mind to understand, but I can still
trust in it.
Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may take my
suffering in my stride.
I pray that I may accept pain and defeat as part of God's plan for my spiritual growth.