~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
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Promises
"We are going to know a new freedom and
a new happiness.
We will not regret the past
nor wish to shut the door on it.
We will comprehend the word serenity and
we will know peace.
No matter how far down the scale we
have gone, we will see how our experience can benefit others.
That feeling of uselessness and
self-pity will disappear. We will lose interest in selfish things
and gain interest in our fellows.
Self-seeking will slip away.
Our whole attitude and outlook upon
life will change. Fear
of people and of economic insecurity will leave us. We will intuitively know how to handle
situations which used to baffle us.
We will suddenly realize that God is
doing for us what we could not
do for ourselves. Are these
extravagant promises? We think not. They are being fulfilled among
us --
sometimes quickly, sometimes
slowly. They will always materialize if we work for them."
c.
1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, pp. 83-4
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Thought to Consider . . .
The Promises are a result not a right.
*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
P R O G R A M = People Relying On God Relay A Message
*~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~*
Madness
From "Student of Life":
"The insanity of the disease had already manifested itself. I recall thinking, as I knelt retching in the stall, that this was fantastic. Life was great; I had finally found the answer—alcohol! Yes, I overdid it the night before, but I was new to this game. I only had to learn how to drink right and I was set."
© 2001 AAWS, Inc., Fourth Edition; Alcoholics Anonymous, pg. 320
*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
ATTRACTION,
NOT PROMOTION
Through many painful
experiences, we think we have arrived at what that policy ought to be. It
is the opposite in many ways of usual promotional practice. We found that
we had to rely upon the principle of attraction rather than of promotion.
TWELVE
STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 180-181
While I was drinking I
reacted with anger, self-pity and defiance against anyone who wanted to change
me. All I wanted then was to be accepted by another human simply as I was
and, curiously, that is what I found in A.A. I became the custodian of
this concept of attraction, which is the principle of our Fellowship's public
relations. It is by attraction that I can best reach the alcoholic who
still suffers.
I thank God for having given me the attraction of a well-planned and
established program of Steps and Traditions. Through humility and the
support of my fellow sober members, I have been able to practice the A.A. way
of life through attraction, not promotion.
©Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS
ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.©
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
I
Am Responsible . . .
When anyone, anywhere,
reaches out for help, I want the hand of A.A. always to be there.
And for that: I am responsible.
-
DECLARATION OF 30TH ANNIVERSARY - INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION, 1965
DEAR
FRIENDS:
Since 1938,
the greatest part of my A.A. life has been spent in helping to create, design,
manage, and insure the solvency and effectiveness of A.A.'s
world services - the office of which has enabled our Fellowship to function all
over the globe, and as a unified whole. It
is no exaggeration to say that, under their trustees, these all important
services have accounted for much of our present size and over-all
effectiveness.
The A.A. General Service Office is by
far the largest single carrier of the A.A. message. It has well related A.A. to
the troubled world in which we live. It has fostered the spread of our
Fellowship everywhere. A.A. World Services, Inc., stands ready to serve the
special needs of any group or isolated individual, no matter the distance or
language. Its many years of accumulated experience are available to us all.
The members of our trusteeship - the
General Service Board of A.A .- will, in the future,
be our primary leaders in all of our world affairs. This high responsibility
has long since been delegated to them; they are the successors in world service
to Dr. Bob and to me, and they are directly accountable to A.A. as a whole.
This is the legacy of world-service
responsibility that we vanishing oldtimers are
leaving to you, the A.A.'s of today and tomorrow. We
know that you will guard, support, and cherish this world legacy as the
greatest collective responsibility that A.A. has or ever can have.
Yours in trust, and in affection,
Bill
Bill W. died on
January 24, 1971
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
"We are
careful never to show intolerance or hatred of drinking as
an institution. Experience shows that
such an attitude is not
helpful to anyone. Every new alcoholic
looks for this spirit among
us and is immensely relieved when he
finds we are not witch-burners.
A spirit of intolerance might repel
alcoholics whose lives could
have been saved, had it not been for
such stupidity."
~Alcoholics
Anonymous, 4th Edition, Working With Others, pg. 103~
*~*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*~*
A.A.
Thought for the Day
The A.A. way is
the way of sobriety. A.A. is known everywhere as a method that has been successful
with alcoholics. Doctors, psychiatrists, and the clergy have had some success.
Some men and women have gotten sober all by themselves. We believe that A.A. is
the most successful and happiest way to sobriety. And yet A.A. is, of course,
not wholly successful. Some are unable to achieve sobriety and some slip back
into alcoholism after they have had some measure of sobriety. Am I deeply
grateful to have found A.A.?
Meditation for the Day
Gratitude to God
is the theme of Thanksgiving Day. The pilgrims gathered to give thanks to God
for their harvest which was pitifully small. When we look around at all the
things we have today, how can we help being grateful to God? Our families, our
homes, our friends, our A.A. fellowship: all these
things are free gifts of God to us. "But for the grace of God," we
would not have them.
Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may
be very grateful today.
I pray that I may not forget where I might be but for the grace of God.