-~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
^*^*^*^*^
(\    ~~  /)
(   \ (AA/   )
(    /AA\ )
   /AA\
^*^*^*^*^
Fellowship
^*^*^*^*^
"Today, I'm counting my blessings instead of my troubles.
When I walked into the friendly atmosphere
of my first AA meeting, I knew I was where I belonged.
Here were people who had thought and felt as I had.
Here was the understanding I'd been searching for all my life.
These people were my friends,
and I felt their sincere interest in me.
With these new and enlightening doors opening up to me,
I was able to make the eventual decision to stop drinking,
a day at a time -- because I, too, was an alcoholic.
And with this came the only real freedom,
the freedom of truth."
c. 1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 355
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

If you love someone, tell them now.  
Eternity is time enough for silence.

 *~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
C A R E =  Comforting And Reassuring Each other

 *~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~*

Camel Metaphor

From: "As Dr. Bob said…" 

According to Ed, Dr. Bob would explain prayer by telling how the camels in a caravan would kneel down in the evening, and the men would unload their burdens. In the morning, they would kneel down again, and the men would put the burdens back on. “It's the same with prayer,” Dr. Bob said. “We get on our knees to unload at night. And in the morning when we get on our knees again, God gives us just the load we are able to carry for that day.”  

1980, AAWS, Inc., DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers, page 229

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
LOVED BACK TO RECOVERY

Our whole treasured philosophy of self-sufficiency had to be cast aside. This had not been done with old-fashioned willpower; it was instead a matter of developing the willingness to accept these new facts of living.  We neither ran nor fought.  But accept we did.  And then we were free.
                       
BEST OF THE GRAPEVINE, Vol. 1, p. 198

I can be free of my old enslaving self.  After a while I recognize, and believe in, the good within myself.  I see that I have been loved back to recovery by my Higher Power, who envelops me.  My Higher Power becomes that source of love and strength that is performing a continuing miracle in me.  I am sober . . . and I am grateful.

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
*
~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
"Fearless and Searching"

My self-analysis has frequently been faulty. Sometimes I've failed to share my defects with the right people; at other times, I've confessed their defects, rather than my own; and at still other times, my confession of defects has been more in the nature of loud complaints about my circumstances and my problems.

<<<>>>

When A.A. suggests a fearless moral inventory, it must seem to every newcomer that more is being asked of him than he can do. Every time he tries to look within himself, Pride says, "You need not pass this way," and Fear says, "You dare not look!"
But pride and fear of this sort turn out to be bogeymen, nothing else. Once we have a complete willingness to take inventory, and exert ourselves to do the job thoroughly, a wonderful light falls upon this foggy scene. As we persist, a brand-new kind of confidence is born, and the sense of relief at finally facing ourselves is indescribable.

1. GRAPEVINE, JUNE 1958 - 2. TWELVE AND TWELVE, pp. 49-50
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
"Life will take on new meaning. To watch people recover, to see them
help others, to watch loneliness vanish, to see a fellowship grow up
about you, to have a host of friends—this is an experience you
must not miss."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Working With Others, pg. 89~

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

Step One is, "We admitted we were powerless over alcohol-that our
lives had become unmanageable." This step states the membership
requirement of A.A. We must admit that our lives are disturbed. We
must accept the fact that we are helpless before the power of alcohol.
We must admit that we are licked as far as drinking is concerned and
that we need help. We must be willing to accept the bitter fact that
we cannot drink like normal people. And we must make, as gracefully
as possible, a surrender to the inevitable fact that we must stop
drinking. Is it difficult for me to admit that I am different from
normal drinkers?

Meditation for the Day

"Show us the way, O' Lord, and let us walk in Thy paths." There seems
to be a right way to live and a wrong way You can make a practical
test. When you live the right way, things seem to work out well for
you. When you live the wrong way, things seem to work out badly for
you. You seem to take out of life about what you put into it. if you
disobey the laws of nature, the chances are that you will be
unhealthy. If you disobey the spiritual and moral laws, the chances
are that you will be unhappy. By following the laws of nature and
the spiritual laws of honesty, purity, unselfishness, and love, you
can expect to be reasonably healthy and happy.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may try to live the right way.

 I pray that I may follow the path that leads to a better life.