~*~A

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
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(\   ~~ /)
(   \ (AA)/   )
(_   /AA\ _)
/AA\
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Sponsorship

"No satisfaction has been deeper and no joy greater
than in a Twelfth Step job well done.
To watch the eyes of men and women open with wonder
as they move from darkness into light,
to see their lives quickly fill with new purpose and meaning,
to see whole families reassembled,
to see the alcoholic outcast received back into his community
in full citizenship,
and above all to watch these people awaken to the
presence of a loving God in their lives --
these things are the substance of what we receive
as we carry AA's message to the next alcoholic."
c.1952AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 110
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Thought to Consider . . .

A recovering alcoholic without a sponsor
is much like a ship without a rudder.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
S P O N S O R = Sober Person Offering Newcomer Support Of Recovery.

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

Proof

From "Crossing the River of Denial:"

"At nine months of sobriety I lost the big house that I bought just to prove to you I couldn’t possibly be an alcoholic. In between five and nine months, my house was robbed. I had a biopsy on my cervix, and I had my heart broken. And the miracle of all miracles was that I didn’t have to drink over any of it. This from a woman who had had to drink over all of it. I was so unique and so arrogant when I got here, I think God knew that He had to show me early on that there was nothing a drink would make better. He showed me that His love and the power of the Steps and the Fellowship could keep me from picking up a drink one day at a time, sometimes one hour at a time, no matter what. A drink would not bring back the job, the house, or the man, so why bother?"

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
~*
FIXING ME, NOT YOU

If somebody hurts us and we are sore, we are in the wrong also.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 90

What a freedom I felt when this passage was pointed out to me!
Suddenly I saw that I could do something about my anger, I could
fix me, instead of trying to fix them. I believe that there are
no exceptions to the axiom. When I am angry, my anger is always
self-centered. I must keep reminding myself that I am human, that
I am doing the best I can, even when that best is sometimes poor.
So I ask God to remove my anger and truly set me free.

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
"Powerless Over Alcohol"

I had gone steadily downhill, and on that day in 1934 I lay upstairs in the hospital, knowing for the first time that I was utterly hopeless.
Lois was downstairs, and Dr. Silkworth was trying in his gentle way to tell her what was wrong with me and that I was hopeless. "But Bill has a tremendous amount of will power," she said. "He has tried desperately to get well. We have tried everything. Doctor, why can't he stop?"
He explained that my drinking, once a habit, had become an obsession, a true insanity that condemned me to drink against my will.

<<<>>>

"In the late stages of our drinking, the will to resist has fled. Yet when we admit complete defeat and when we become entirely ready to try A.A. principles, our obsession leaves us and we enter a new dimension - freedom under God as we understand Him."

1. A.A. COMES OF AGE, p. 52 - 2. LETTER, 1966

*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
"Despite all we can say, many who are real alcoholics are not going
to believe they are in that class. By every form of self-deception
and experimentation, they will try to prove themselves exceptions to
the rule, therefore nonalcoholic. If anyone who is showing inability
to control his drinking can do the right-about-face and drink like a
gentleman, our hats are off to him. Heaven knows, we have tried hard
enough and long enough to drink like other people!"

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, More About Alcoholism, pg. 31~

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

When new members come into my A.A. group, do I make a special
effort to make them feel at home? Do I put myself out to listen
to them, even if their ideas of A.A. are vague? Do I make it a
habit to talk to all new members myself, or do I often leave
that to someone else? I may not be able to help them, but then
again it may be something that I might say that would put them
on the right track. When I see any members sitting alone, do I
put myself out to be nice to them, or do I stay among my own
special group of friends and leave them out in the cold? Are
all new AA.'s my responsibility?

Meditation for the Day

You are God's servant. Serve Him cheerfully and readily. Nobody
likes a servant who avoids extra work, who complains about being
called from one task to do one less enjoyable. A master would
feel ill served by such a servant. But is that not how you so
often serve God? View your day's work in this light. Try to do
your day's work the way you believe God wants you to do it, never
shirking any responsibility and often going out of your way to
be of service.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may be a good servant. I pray that I may be willing
to go out of my way to be of service.