~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
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The Gift
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"When asked, 'Are there
any conditions?' we joyfully reply, 'No, not a one.'
When skeptically he
comes back saying, 'But certainly there must be things
that I have to do and
believe,' we quickly answer, 'In Alcoholics Anonymous there are no musts.'
Cynically, perhaps,
he then inquires, 'What is all this going to cost me?'
We are able to laugh and
say, 'Nothing at all, there are no fees and dues.'
Thus, in a brief hour,
is our friend disarmed of his suspicion and rebellion . . .
Alcoholics Anonymous is
saying, 'We have something precious to give,
if only you will
receive.' That is all."
Bill W., February 1948
1988AAGrapevine, The
Language of the Heart, p. 79
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Thought to Consider . . .
Sobriety is a gift, not a right
*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
G
I F T S =
Getting It From The Steps
*~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~*
Stories
From "The Three Legacies of Alcoholics Anonymous":
"We had not gone much farther with the
text of the book when it was evident that something more was needed. There
would have to be a story or case history section. We would have to produce
evidence in the form of living proof, written testimonials of our membership
itself. It was felt also that the story section could identify us with the
distant reader in a way that the text itself might not. At this point Dr. Bob
and the Akronites played a vital role. The
2001 AAWS, Inc.; Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pg. 164
*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
THE "WORTH" OF SOBRIETY
Every
A.A. group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS p.
160
When
I go shopping I look at the prices and if I need what I see, buy it and
pay. Now that I am supposed to be in rehabilitation, I have to straighten
out my life. When I go to a meeting, I take a coffee with sugar and milk,
sometimes more than one. But at the collection time, I am either too busy
to take money out of my purse, or I do not have enough, but I am there
because I need this meeting. I heard someone suggest dropping the price
of a beer into the basket, and I thought, that's too much!
I almost never give one dollar. Like many others, I rely on the more
generous members to finance the Fellowship. I forget that it takes money
to rent the meeting room, buy my milk, sugar and cups. I will pay,
without hesitation, ninety cents for a cup of coffee at a restaurant after the
meeting; I always have money for that. So, how much is my sobriety and my
inner peace worth?
Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
The Fellowship's Future
"It seems proved
that A.A. can stand on its own feet anywhere and under any conditions. It has
outgrown any dependence it might once have had upon the personalities or
efforts of a few of the older members like me. New, able, and vigorous people
keep coming to the surface, turning up where they are needed. Besides, A.A. has
reached enough spiritual maturity to know that its final dependence is upon
God."
<<<>>>
Clearly, our first duty to A.A.'s future is
to maintain in full strength what
we now have. Only the
most vigilant caretaking can assure this. Never should we be lulled into
complacent self-satisfaction by the wide acclaim and success that are
everywhere ours. This is the subtle temptation which could render us stagnant
today, perchance disintegrate us tomorrow. We have always rallied to meet and
transcend failure and crisis. Problems have been our stimulants. How well,
though, shall we be able to meet the problems of success?
1. LETTER, 1940 - 2. A.A. TODAY, p. 106
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
"We think it no concern of ours what religious bodies our
members
identify themselves with
as individuals. This should be an entirely
personal affair which
each one decides for himself in the light of
past associations, or
his present choice."
Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, There Is A
Solution, pg. 28
*~*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*~*
A.A. Thought for the Day
When we come to the end
of our lives on earth, we will
take no material thing
with us. We will not take one cent
in our cold, dead hands.
The only things that we may take
are the things we have
given away If we have helped others,
we may take that with
us; if we have given of our time and
money for the good of
A.A., we may take that with us.
Looking back over our
lives, what are we proud of? Not
what we have gained for
ourselves, but what few good deeds
we have done. Those are
the things that really matter in
the long run. What will
I take with me when I go?
Meditation
for the Day
"Hallowed be Thy
Name." What does that mean to us? Here "name"
is used in the sense of
"spirit." The words mean praise to God
for His spirit in the
world, making us better. We should be
especially grateful for
God's spirit, which gives us the
strength to overcome all
that is base in our lives. His spirit
is powerful. It can help
us to live a conquering, abundant
life. So we praise and
thank Him for His spirit in our lives and in the lives of others.
Prayer
for the Day
I pray that I may be
grateful for God's spirit in me.
I pray that I may try to live in accordance with it.