~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~*
^*^*^*^*^

(\    ~~  /)
(   \ (
AA)/   )
(_   /
AA
\ _)
  /
AA\
^*^*^*^*^

Prayer
^*^*^
"
The man said, 'The thing I do is to say "God here I am and here are all my troubles.
I've made a mess of things and can't do anything about it. You take me and all my troubles,
and do anything you want with me."  I return to bed.  It doesn't make sense. . .
I am in the bottom of hell. And there a tremendous hope is born.
It might be true. I tumble out of bed on my knees.
I know not what I say. But slowly a great peace comes to me.
I feel lifted up.  I believe in God.
I crawl back into bed and sleep like a child."

1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 504
^*^*^*^*^*

Thought to Consider . . .

Faith is not belief without proof;
it's trust without reservation.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
A S A P  =
Always Say A Prayer

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

Foundations

From "The Three Legacies of Alcoholics Anonymous":

"In important matters there was still considerable disagreement between the Eastern and the Midwestern viewpoints. Our people out there were still active Oxford Group members, while we in New York had withdrawn a year before. In Akron and vicinity they still talked about the Oxford Groups absolutes: absolute honesty, absolute purity, absolute unselfishness, and absolute love. This dose was found to be too rich for New Yorkers, and we had abandoned the expressions. But all of us, East and West, were placing increasing emphasis on Dr. Silkworth's expression describing the alcoholic's dilemma: the obsession plus the allergy. By now we knew from experience that the new prospect had to accept Step One or get no place."

2001 AAWS, Inc.; Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pgs. 160-61

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
THE DETERMINATION OF OUR FOUNDERS

A year and six months later these three had succeeded with seven more.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 159

If it had not been for the fierce determination of our founders, A.A. would
have quickly faded like so many other so-called good causes.  I look at the
hundreds of meetings weekly in the city where I live and I know A.A. is
available twenty-four hours a day.  If I had had to hang on with nothing but
hope and a desire not to drink, experiencing rejection wherever I went, I
would have sought the easier, softer way and returned to my previous way of life.  

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.

*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Coping with Anger

Few people have been more victimized by resentments than have we alcoholics. A burst of temper could spoil a day, and a well-nursed grudge could make us miserably ineffective. Nor were we ever skillful in separating justified from unjustified anger. As we saw it, our wrath was always justified. Anger, that occasional luxury of more balanced people, could keep us on an emotional jag indefinitely. These "dry benders" often led straight to the bottle.
<<<>>>
Nothing pays off like restraint of tongue and pen. We must avoid
quick-tempered criticism, furious power-driven argument, sulking, and silent
scorn. These are emotional booby traps baited with pride and vengefulness.
When we are tempted by the bait, we should train ourselves to step back and
think. We can neither think nor act to good purpose until the habit of
self-restraint has become automatic.

TWELVE AND TWELVE - 1. P. 90 - 2. P. 91
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
"...we aren't a glum lot. If newcomers could see no joy or fun
in our existence, they wouldn't want it. We absolutely insist on enjoying life."

Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, The Family Afterward, pg. 132

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

You can prove to yourself that life is basically and
fundamentally an inner attitude. Just try to remember
what troubled you most a week ago. You probably will find
it difficult to remember. Why then should you unduly worry
or fret over the problems that arise today? Your attitude
toward them can be changed by putting yourself and your
problems in God's hands and trusting Him to see that
everything will turn out all right, provided you are
trying to do the right thing. Your changed mental attitude
toward your problems relieves you of their burden and you
can face them without fear. Has my mental attitude changed?

Meditation for the Day

You cannot see the future. It's a blessing that you cannot.
You could not bear to know all the future. That is why God
only reveals it to you day by day. The first step each day
is to lay your will before God as an offering, ready for God
to do what is best for you. Be sure that, if you trust God,
what He does for you will be for the best. The second step
is to be confident that God is powerful enough to do anything
He wills, and that no miracle in human lives is impossible
with Him. Then leave the future to God.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may gladly leave my future in God's hands.
I pray that I may be confident that good things will happen, as long as I am on the right path.