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God grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change;
Courage to change the things I can;
and Wisdom to know the difference.
Thy will, not mine, be done.

January 28

Daily Reflections


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As Bill Sees It

Troublemakers Can Be Teachers, p. 28

Few of us are any longer afraid of what any newcomer can do to our
A.A. reputation or effectiveness. Those who slip, those who
panhandle. those who scandalize, those with mental twists, those who
rebel at the program, those who trade on the A.A. reputation--all such
persons seldom harm an A.A. group for long.

Some of these have become our most respected and best loved. Some
have remained to try our patience, sober nevertheless. Others have
drifted away. We have begun to regard the troublesome ones not as
menaces, but rather as our teachers. They oblige us to cultivate
patience, tolerance, and humility. We finally see that they are only
people sicker than the rest of us, that we who condemn them are
Pharisees whose false righteousness does our group the deeper
spiritual damage.

Grapevine, August 1946

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Walk In Dry Places
 
Easy does it_____ Avoiding tension
As people of excess, alcoholics tend to swing between periods of great activity and times of complete lassitude. There is a tendency to waste time at one point, and then overcompensate for it by working feverishly and frantically to catch up. Both ways are out of balance.
We need to approach life in a relaxed manner, letting the natural rhythm of events take over and do some of the work for us.  Too much effort defeats itself.  The overanxious person strives too hard and makes things worse, like the salesman who talks too long and kills the sale.
In the AA way of life, we expect and accept responsibilities.  But we are not slavishly committed to success at any price.  We make a full commitment to any project we undertake, and we do our best at all times.  Then we let things unfold rather than trying to force them.
It is also common to hear people say, "EASY DOES IT, BUT DO IT!"  This is a reminder that t he slogan is not a prescription for laziness and indifference.  It is also a reminder to avoid high-pressure tactics and excessive pushing.
I'll let things work out today. I'll do whatever has to be done.

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Keep It Simple

We're part of the fellowship we call "the program." Let's also remember that we're part of a larger fellowship called " the human race." We all hurt the same. We all love the same. We all need understanding and care. Yet, in other ways, we are not all the same. Let's remember to understand differences among people. If not, we'll be afraid of anyone who's not like us. And this isn't God's way.
Prayer for the Day:  Higher Power, help me to love all people. Help me be open to others who are different from me. Help me love my neighbor.

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Each Day a New Beginning

I think self-awareness is probably the most important thing towards being a champion.  --Billie Jean King
Champions are made. How lucky we are to have the Steps to guide us to become champions. The program promises us self-awareness, but we have to put forth the effort. And the process isn't always easy. We have liabilities, all of us, and it's generally easier to see them than our assets. Self-awareness is recognizing both. To become a champion, whether as an athlete, a homemaker, a teacher, a secretary, or an attorney, is to maximize the assets and minimize the liabilities, but to accept the existence of both. The program that we share offers us daily opportunities to know ourselves, to help other women know themselves, and to strengthen our assets along the way. We can feel our assets growing, and it feels good. We can see our liabilities diminish, and it feels good. The program offers us a championship.
I can strengthen my assets, first by knowing them, and then by emphasizing them repeatedly. I'll focus on one today.

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Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

Chapter 6 - INTO ACTION

Much has already been said about receiving strength, inspiration, and direction from Him who has all knowledge and power. If we have carefully followed directions, we have begun to sense the flow of His Spirit into us. To some extent we have become God-conscious. We have begun to develop this vital sixth sense. But we must go further and that means more action.

p. 85

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Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition Stories

Our Southern Friend

Pioneer A.A., minister's son, and southern farmer, he asked, "Who am I to say there is no God?"

My wife hears my voice and knows I have found the answer to life. She comes to New York. I get out of the hospital and we visit some of these new-found friends. What a glorious time we have!

p. 216

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Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Step Six - "Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character."

The moment we say, "No, never!" our minds close against the grace of God. Delay is dangerous, and rebellion may be fatal. This is the exact point at which we abandon limited objectives, and move toward God's will for us

p. 69

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Listening feeds the spirit.

The two most dangerous words in a recovering alcoholic's vocabulary are, "I'm different."

Honesty gets us sober, tolerance keeps us sober.

Newcomers are the lifeblood of the program. But our old-timers are the arteries.

The spiritual life is not a theory. We have to live it.

Trust God. Clean house. Help others.

The peaks and valleys of my life have become gentle rolling hills.

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Father Leo's Daily Meditation

WISDOM

"Education today, more than
ever before, must see clearly the
dual objectives: education for
living and education for making
a living."
-- James Mason Wood

The spiritual life is a productive life. Not only does it make for a prosperous
life in every sense of the word but it makes for a creative lifestyle. Nothing is
wasted on the spiritual man; he learns from his mistakes and doubts.

For too long I was stunted in my spiritual growth by negative and destructive
thinking. I became dependent upon a sick self and attracted equally sick
people. I used my education and knowledge to keep people out and
remained isolated. I needed to change. I wanted to change. But how? As
with everything else in life I needed to imitate those who were
successful. I needed to be shown how to live a different way. I
needed to discover the power of my spirituality. I found successful people. They
helped me. Today I am able to help myself.

I pray for the knowledge to imitate those who are successful in life.

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No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him. 1 Corinthians 2:9

Walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. Galatians 5:16

Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. Hebrews 11:6

Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness." Genesis 1:26

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Daily Inspiration

How precious are the little joys throughout the day. Lord, You have such love for me. I find You everywhere I look.

Trials are part of life. How you respond to them determines the quality of your life. Lord, in Your justice, rescue and deliver me.

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NA Just For Today

An Every-Day Addict

" We can never fully recover, no matter how long we stay clean."
Basic Text p. 80

After getting a little time in the program, some of us begin to think we have been cured. We've learned everything NA has to teach us; we've grown bored with the meetings; and our sponsor keeps droning the same old refrain: " The steps-the steps-the steps!" We decide it is time to get on with our lives, cut way back on meetings, and try to make up for the years we have lost to active addiction. We do this, however, at the peril of our recovery.

Those of us who have relapsed after such an episode often try to go to as many meetings as we can-some of us go to a meeting every day for several years. It may take that long for us to understand that we will always be addicts. We may feel well some days and sick on other days, but we are addicts every day. At any time, we are subject to delusion, denial, rationalization, justification, insanity-all the hallmarks of the typical addict's way of thinking. If we want to continue living and enjoying life without the use of drugs, we must practice an active program of recovery each day.

Just for today: I am an addict every day, but today I have the choice to be a recovering addict. I will make that choice by practicing my program.
pg. 28

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You are reading from the book Today's Gift.
It is such a secret place, the land of tears. --Antoine de St. Exupery
Where do tears come from? Perhaps each of us has a private well where the tears rise from. Each of us has our own landscape of events that have hurt us or given us joy. And so we have our own private responses to the world around us. Something may hurt one of us that would not hurt another. Like the oceans and rivers, sometimes our well of tears is flowing. We do not always understand all the forces affecting the oceans, or our well of tears. The kind of bucket that draws water from a well is solid and durable, and it lowers itself deep enough to find water. Good friends and family members are like that. It is comforting to share our private well with such people.
Who will I invite to drink from my well today?


You are reading from the book Touchstones.
To perceive is to suffer. --Aristotle
As men in this program, we have given up our compulsive escapes from life. Our escapes may have been through dependent relationships with others, or with money, sex, food, drugs, work, or emotional binges. But now we are learning to live without them, and this has brought us in touch with our feelings. We feel more joy and more pain in recovery. Often the first feelings in recovery are painful or frightening.
We learn we can deal with life - all of it, a little at a time. We accept pain as part of life. Because of our escapes, our growing up was delayed. We didn't learn how to deal with our pain because we escaped into an anesthetic, a high, and a relief.
Our spiritual recovery program brings us together with other men and women who have pledged to set aside these escapes. Among the many rewards is a reawakening to all of life. No longer will we filter out the suffering because that, too, is part of being aware.
Today, I am thankful for all the life that I perceive and pray for the strength to meet the pain.


You are reading from the book Each Day a New Beginning.
I think self-awareness is probably the most important thing towards being a champion. --Billie Jean King
Champions are made. How lucky we are to have the Steps to guide us to become champions. The program promises us self-awareness, but we have to put forth the effort. And the process isn't always easy. We have liabilities, all of us, and it's generally easier to see them than our assets. Self-awareness is recognizing both. To become a champion, whether as an athlete, a homemaker, a teacher, a secretary, or an attorney, is to maximize the assets and minimize the liabilities, but to accept the existence of both. The program that we share offers us daily opportunities to know ourselves, to help other women know themselves, and to strengthen our assets along the way. We can feel our assets growing, and it feels good. We can see our liabilities diminish, and it feels good. The program offers us a championship.
I can strengthen my assets, first by knowing them, and then by emphasizing them repeatedly. I'll focus on one today.


You are reading from the book The Language Of Letting Go.
Staying in the Present Moment
Often, one of our biggest questions is "What's going to happen?" We may ask this about our relationships, our career, our recovery, and our life. It is easy to tangle us up in worrisome thoughts.
Worrying about what's going to happen blocks us from functioning effectively today. It keeps us from doing our best now. It blocks us from learning and mastering today's lessons. Staying in the now, doing our best, and participating fully today are all we need to do to assure ourselves that what's going to happen tomorrow will be for the best.
Worrying about what's going to happen is a negative contribution to our future. Living in the here and now is ultimately the best thing we can do, not only for today, but also for tomorrow. It helps our relationships, our career, our recovery, and our life.
Things will work out, if we let them. If we must focus on the future other than to plan, all we need to do is affirm that it will be good.
I pray for faith that my future will be good if I live today well, and in peace. I will remember that staying in the present is the best thing I can do for my future. I will focus on what's happening now instead of what's going to happen tomorrow.


As I take the time to let my stress go today I will be filled with love and peace and joy. I will be aware of these feelings through my day and share them with others. --Ruth Fishel

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Journey To The Heart

What Interests You?

It’s easy to talk ourselves out of trying something new, then sit at home whining that we’re bored. It’s just as easy, and a lot more fun, to find something interesting to do.

Learn to make a basket out of pine needles. Try spelunking, or take a tap dancing class. Learn to fly an airplane or carve a walking stick. Take lessons on that musical instrument you’ve always wanted to play. You can learn to braid your hair, write a poem, or even act in a play.

Have you talked yourself out of doing activities you used to like to do? Is there something new you’d like to learn or explore, something you’ve always thought you might like to do?

Begin a journey of discovery. Find out what interests you. Don’t limit your interests to activities connected just to work or spiritual growth. Opening up to the world and all it has to offer expands your creativity. Discovering what your interests are, then letting yourself pursue them will become part of your spiritual path.

There are many magical things in the world, and people happy to teach you how to do them. See all there is to do. Get out of your house and out of your rut and discover what interests you.

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More Language Of Letting Go

There’s magic in our beliefs

There’s a church in the town of Chimayo, New Mexico. Rumor has it that the soil surrounding the church has special healing properties. Long before the church existed, there was a spring gushing up from the ground nearby. The Tewa Indians of the area believed that this spring held special magical properites and thought that by drinking the water, their infirnities could be healed. The water eventually stopped bubbling up, leaving only a muddy pool, and still the pilgrims came seeking healing. Finally, even the mud dried and turned to dust, and still the Tewa came. They ate the dust or mixed it with water and drank it. And many times it healed them.

Then the Spanish built a church in the area. When the stories of the magical healing dust persisted, the church decided to blend with the local beliefs instead of trying to eradicate superstition.

Today, people still come to the Santuario de Chimayo to be blessed or to take a little dirt from El Pocito, the little well in a back room. They still believe that the dust will heal them. And many times it does.

Is the dust magical? I don’t know. But there’s magic in what we believe.

Our beliefs tell our future better than any crystal ball or or psychic can. As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he, one holy book says. Be mindful of your thoughts and beliefs. What you think and believe today, whether it’s I can’t or I can, is what you will manifest tomorrow.

Do you have any beliefs right now that are holding you down or back? What are your I can’s and what are your I cant’s? Take a moment. Look into your heart. Examine what you believe to be true. Is there an area of your life that could be benefited by thinking and believing something else?

If you’re going to use the power of your mind, use it to form a positive belief. Sometimes, the littlest bit of magic is all we need to change our lives.

God, help me come to believe what is right and true about myself, life, and others. Show me, and help me understand, the power and magic of what I believe.

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A Day At A Time

Reflection For The Day

Now that I am in The Program, I am no longer enslaved by alcohol and other drugs. Free, free at last from the other drugs. Free, free at last from the morning-after tremors, the dry heaves, the three-day beard, the misplaced eyelashes. Free, free at last from working out the alibis and hopng they won’t unravel; free from blackouts; free from watching the clock so that I can somehow get that desperately-needed “first one.” Do I treasure my freedom from chemical enslavement?

Today I Pray

Praise God that I am free of chemicals. This is my first freedom, from which other freedoms will develop — freedom to appraise my behavior sanely and constructively, freedom to grow as a person, freedom to maintain relationships with others on a sound basis. I will never cease to thank my Higher Power for leading me away from my enslavement.

Today I Will Remember

Praise God for my freedom.

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One More Day

Love received and love given comprise the best form of therapy. – Gordon W. Allport

Many of us with health problems are — by choice or by necessity — alone, and we may sometimes feel uneasy in a world geared for couples and families. Everywhere there seems to be yet another couple — on a park bench, strolling on the sidewalk, and on television. This is especially painful if we had, at one time in our lives, a happy, long-term relationship.

Now we are finding a more complete and less restrictive sense of companionship and still maintaining our independence. Romantic love is not the only basis for trust and friendship. A Friend we can trust may also become a confidante, a strong emotional supporter, and an all-around booster. We may be alone, but we realize that we need not be lonely.

I am lucky to have one close friend. I am blessed when I have several. I am no longer alone.

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Food For Thought

Blessed Are the Hungry

When we are sated and overly full of food, there is no room left for the spirit. We feel like taking a nap, rather than working productively or playing enjoyably. During our overeating careers, how many hours have we wasted in bed, sleeping off the effects of a binge?

To eat no more than is necessary is to maintain our minds and bodies in a state of alertness and readiness for action. To say no to the sugars and starches which throw our blood sugar out of balance is to keep our energy level on an even keel.

As we lose excess weight and get rid of debilitating fat, we will probably experience some periods of hunger. There is nothing wrong with being hungry. Often it is when we are hungry that we are most humble and ready to listen to our Higher Power.

To accept physical hunger with serenity is to be spiritually strong.

I pray that my hunger may bring me closer to You, Lord.

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One Day At A Time

~ SUCCESS ~

Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.
Winston Churchill
(1874 – 1965) a highly decorated British politician who served as Prime Minister of the U.K.

My life before program consisted of one failure after the next. I could never master success with my eating, much less with my life in general.

Once I came into these rooms and started working the Twelve Steps, with a God of my understanding and the knowledge that God is in control of all in my life, I began to realize that life is NOT a series of failures, only slow successes.

One Day at a Time . . .
I am a success if I keep on trying regardless of the outcome, because it is truly God's will for me.
~ Linda K. ~

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AA 'Big Book' - Quote

We do talk about each other a great deal, but we almost invariably temper such talk by a spirit of love and tolerance.

Another principle we observe carefully is that we do not relate intimate experiences of another person unless we are sure he would approve. We find it better, when possible, to stick to our own stories. A man may criticize or laugh at himself and it will affect others favorably, but criticism or ridicule coming from another often produces the contray effect. - Pg. 125 - The Family Afterwards

Hour To Hour - Book - Quote

The most important thing to know about Step Three, turning our will over to a Higher Power, is that all we can do is DECIDE to do it. There is no 'will' we can wrap and send. Once we make the decision to do this, our Higher Power will work for us through the rest of the Steps.

I decide to align my will with that of the Source of my Spirit.

A Birthday Wish

Today I will make a wish. I will make a wish and trust that it will find wings. I will see it flying through the air, blown from a loving hand toward eternity. Birthdays are for wishing; wishing with a child's excitement, with an innocent faith that what I wish for can come forth. I will see my wish as already fulfilled, I will experience it as if it is happening right now, as if it is real. I am making my wish right NOW.

My wishes have wings.

- Tian Dayton PhD

Pocket Sponsor - Book - Quote

Many meetings, many chances; few meetings, few chances; no meetings, no chances.

The trouble with staying home and isolating is I get a lot of bad advice.

"Walk Softly and Carry a Big Book" - Book

Making amends is a good way to have the last word!

Time for Joy - Book - Quote

As I take the time to let my stress go today I will be filled with love and peace and joy. I will be aware of these feelings throughout my day and share them with others.

Alkiespeak - Book - Quote

I get drunk - we stay sober. - Cubby S.

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AA Thought for the Day

January 28

Isolation
Isolation sneaks up on us.
We can mask it with familiar props that are not in themselves bad.
We can isolate ourselves in an attempt to clean up our apartments (and then not do the cleaning);
we can isolate ourselves in churches or in sleep; we can use family, sweethearts,
compulsive working, television.  The list is long.
The nicest way to end it is the way you and I do: together.
Reach out -- people can't read your mind.
Say ouch!  Someone hears.  Always.
- The Best of the Grapevine, pp. 84-85

Thought to Ponder . . .
Isolation is a darkroom for developing negatives.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
Y A N A = You Are Not Alone.

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

Thankfulness
I try to hold fast to the truth
that a full and thankful heart
cannot entertain great conceits.
When brimming with gratitude,
one's heartbeat must surely result in outgoing love,
the finest emotion that we can ever know.
Bill W., AAGrapevine, March 1962
c. 1967 AAWS, As Bill Sees It,  p. 37

Thought to Consider . . .

The peaks and valleys of my life
have become gentle rolling hills.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*

G I F T S  =  Getting It From The Steps

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

Puzzle
From "More about Alcoholism":
"The actual or potential alcoholic, with hardly an exception, will be absolutely unable to stop drinking on the basis of self
-knowledge. This is a point we wish to emphasize and re-emphasize, to smash home upon our alcoholic readers as it
has been revealed to us out of bitter experience."
 2001 AAWS, Inc., Fourth Edition; Alcoholics Anonymous, pg. 39

*~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"Nothing improves if you drink."
El Granada, Calif., March 2003
     "How an Atheist Works the Steps,"
Beginners' Book:
Getting and Staying Sober in AA

~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~*

"The minute we put our work on a service plane, the alcoholic
commences to rely upon our assistance rather than upon God. He
clamors for this or that, claiming he cannot master alcohol until
his material needs are cared for. Nonsense. Some of us have taken very
hard knocks to learn this truth: Job or no job  wife or no wife  we
simply do not stop drinking so long as we place dependence upon other
people ahead of dependence on God."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Working With Others, pg. 98~

 "Resentment is the "number one" offender. It destroys more
alcoholics than anything else."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 64~

He thought it better to give comfort than to receive it; better to understand than to be understood; better to forgive than to be forgiven.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 101

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

Few of us are any longer afraid of what any newcomer can do to our A.A. reputation or effectiveness. Those who slip, those who panhandle, those who scandalize, those with mental twists, those who rebel at the program, those who trade on the A.A. reputation - all such persons seldom harm an A.A. group for long.
Some of these have become our most respected and best loved. Some have remained to try our patience, sober nevertheless. Others have drifted away. We have begun to regard the troublesome ones not as menaces, but rather as our teachers. They oblige us to cultivate patience, tolerance, and humility. We finally see that they are only people sicker than the rest of us, that we who condemn them are the Pharisees whose false righteousness does our group the deeper spiritual damage.

Prayer for the Day:  Prayer of St. Thomas Aquinas - Grant me, O Lord my God, a mind to know you, a heart to seek you, wisdom to find you, conduct pleasing to you, faithful perseverance in waiting for you, and a hope of finally embracing you. Amen. 

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