~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
^*^*^*^*^
(\ ~~ /)
( \ (AA)/ )
(_ /AA\ _)
/AA\
^*^*^*^*^
Diagnosis
^*^*^
"We do not like to pronounce any
individual as alcoholic,
but you can quickly diagnose yourself.
Step over to the nearest barroom
and try some controlled drinking.
Try a drink and stop abruptly.
Try it more than once.
It will not take long for you to
decide,
if you are honest with yourself about
it.
It may be worth a case of the jitters
if you get a
full knowledge of your condition."
c.
1976, Alcoholics Anonymous, pp. 31-2
^*^*^*^*^
Thought to Consider . . .
I
have
learned that I did not get here a day early
or a drink short.
*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
Y A N A = You Are Not Alone
*~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~*
Keep Things Simple
From: "Concept
XII"
But when it comes
to the actual spending of cash, particularly for A.A. service overhead, many of
us are apt to turn a bit reluctant. We think of the loss of all that earning
power in our drinking years, of those sums we might have laid by for emergencies
or for education of the kids. We find, too, that when we drop money in the
meeting hat there is no such bang as when we talk for hours to a newcomer.
There is not much romance in paying the landlord. Sometimes we hold off when we
are asked to meet area or Intergroup service expenses. As to world services, we may remark,
“Well, those activities are a long way off, and our group does not really need
them. Maybe nobody needs them.” These are very natural and understandable
reactions, easy to justify. We can say, “Let’s not spoil A.A. with money and
service organization. Let’s separate the material from the spiritual. That will
really keep things simple.”
Bill W.
1962, AAWS, Inc., Twelve Concepts for World Service, page 65
*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
MAKING AMENDS
Above all,
we should try to be absolutely sure that we are not delaying because we are
afraid.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE
TRADITIONS, p. 87
To have
courage, to be unafraid, are gifts of my recovery. They empower me to ask
for help and to go forth in making my amends with a sense of dignity and
humility. Making amends may require a certain amount of honesty that I
feel I lack, yet with the help of God and the wisdom of others, I can reach
within and find the strength to act. My amends may be accepted, or they
may not, but after they are completed I can walk with a sense of freedom and
know that, for today, I am responsible.
Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Satisfactions of Right Living
How wonderful
is the feeling that we do not have to be specially
distinguished among our fellows in
order to be useful and profoundly happy.
Not many of us can be leaders of prominence,
nor do we wish to be.
Service gladly rendered, obligations
squarely met, troubles well accepted or
solved with God's help, the knowledge
that at home or in the world outside we
are partners in a common effort, the
fact that in God's sight all human
beings
are important, the proof that love freely given brings a full return,
the certainty that we are no longer
isolated and alone in self-constructed
prisons, the surety that we can fit and
belong in God's scheme of things -
these are the satisfactions of right
living for which no pomp and
circumstance, no heap of material possessions, could possibly be substitutes.
TWELVE
AND TWELVE, p. 124
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
"Outsiders
are sometimes shocked when we burst into merriment over a
seemingly tragic experience out of the past.
But why shouldn't we
laugh? We have recovered, and have been
given the power to help others."
~Alcoholics
Anonymous, 4th Edition, The Family Afterward, pg. 132~
*~*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*~*
A.A. Thought
for the Day
Continuing the
answers to the question of how a person can live
without liquor and be happy, we say:
"You will be bound to the other
A.A.s with new and wonderful ties, for you and they will
escape
disaster together and all will commence
shoulder to shoulder the
common journey to a better and more
satisfactory life. You will know
what it means to give of yourself that
others may survive and
rediscover life. You will become happy,
respected, and useful once
more. Since these things have happened
to us, they can happen to
you." Have these things happened
to me?
Meditation for the Day
God manifests Himself in human lives as
strength to overcome evil
and power to resist temptation. The grace of God is that power which
enables a human being to change from a useless,
hopeless individual
to a useful, normal person. God also
manifests Himself as love-love
for other people, compassion for their
problems, and a real
willingness to help them. The grace of
God also manifests itself as
peace of mind and serenity of
character. We can have plenty of power,
love, and serenity in our lives if we
are willing to ask God for
these things each day.
Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may see God's grace in
the strength I receive, the love I know, and the peace I have.
I pray that I may be grateful for the things I have received through the grace of God.