SELF-EXAMINATION

. . . we ask God to direct our thinking, especially asking
that it be divorced from self-pity, dishonest or self-seeking
motives.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 86

When said sincerely, this prayer teaches me to be truly
unselfish and humble, for even in doing good deeds I often
used to seek approval and glory for myself. By examining my
motives in all that I do, I can be of service to God and
others, helping them do what they want to do. When I put
God in charge of my thinking, much needless worry is
eliminated and I believe He guides me throughout the day.
When I eliminate thoughts of self-pity, dishonesty and
self-centeredness as soon as they enter my mind, I find
peace with God, my neighbor and myself.

***********************************************************

As Bill Sees It

Surveying the Past, p. 111

We should make an accurate and really exhaustive survey of our past
life as it affected other people. In many instances we shall find that,
though the harm done others has not been great, we have
nevertheless done ourselves considerable emotional injury.

Then, too, damaging emotional conflicts persist below the level of
consciousness, very deep, sometimes quite forgotten. Therefore, we
should try hard to recall and review those past events which
originally induced these conflicts and which continue to give our
emotions violent twists, thus discoloring our personalities and altering
our lives for the worse.

<< << << >> >> >>

"We reacted more strongly to frustrations than normal people. By
reliving these episodes and discussing them in strict confidence with
somebody else, we can reduce their size and therefore potency in the
unconsciousness."

1. 12 & 12, pp. 79-80
2. Letter, 1957

***********************************************************

Walk in Dry Places
 
Avoiding emotional whirlpools
Serenity
If we were rattling down a rough river, we would try to steer away from whirlpools and rocky rapids. Living each day requires the same alertness.
We're asking for trouble if we drift into malicious discussions about other people…  even those who seem to deserve it.  We're also sliding into rocky rapids if we get into supercharged arguments about political and religious issues.
How do we avoid touchy situations that can lead to violent arguments or terrible breakdowns in personal relationships?  We can begin by recognizing that we're not on this earth to judge, manipulate, or control other people. We'll do well today to keep our own performance up to a good standard.
We can also respond correctly to people who seem hopelessly wrong. Borrowing an idea from one Twelve Step program, we can detach from such people with love, even if circumstances require continuing contact with them.  At whatever cost, we must avoid emotional whirlpools and rocky rapids in life.
Looking ahead at the things might happen today. I'll adjust my thinking for situations that could be troublesome or destructive.  I will try especially hard to avoid trouble with my fellow workers.

***********************************************************

Keep It Simple

A great obstacle to happiness is to expect too much happiness.---Fontenelle
Our disease is sometimes call the disease of  “always wanting more.”
We push ourselves to get as much pleasure as we could. If one was good , two was better.
We didn’t see that what we were lacking was faith.
At times in recovery, we still crave “more.”
We must pay attention to these cravings. When we have a craving, maybe we’re scared, and our Higher Power is trying to tell us that, if we have faith, we’ll be taken care of. Perhaps our Higher Power just has a message of love for us. All we need to do is listen. It may be that this is only “more” we really need.
Prayer for the Day:  I pray to see my as spiritual needs. I pray to turn to my Higher Power instead of to alcohol or other drugs.
Action for the Day:  Today, I’ll think about how much recovery has given me. I will share this with a friend and with my Higher Power.

***********************************************************

Each Day a New Beginning

One has to grow up with good talk in order to form the habit of it.  --Helen Hayes
Our habits, whatever they may be, were greatly influenced, if not wholly formed, during childhood. We learned our behavior through imitation, imitation of our parents, our siblings, our peer group. But we need not be stuck in habits that are unhealthy. The choice to create new patterns of behavior is ours to make--every moment, every hour, every day. However, parting with the old pattern in order to make way for the new takes prayer, commitment, determination.
All of us who share these Steps have broken away from old patterns. We have chosen to leave liquor and pills alone. We may have chosen to leave unhealthy relationships. And we are daily choosing to move beyond our shortcomings. But not every day is a successful one. Our shortcomings have become ingrained. Years of pouting, or lying, or feeling fearful, or overeating, or procrastinating beckon to us; the habit invites itself.
We can find strength from the program and one another to let go of the behavior that stands in the way of today's happiness. And we can find in one another a better, healthier behavior to imitate.
The program is helping me to know there is a better way, every day, to move ahead. I am growing up again amidst the good habits of others, and myself.

***********************************************************

Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

Chapter 5 - HOW IT WORKS

Many of us exclaimed, “What an order! I can’t go through with it.” Do not be discouraged. No one among us has been able to maintain anything like perfect adherence to these principles. We are not saints. The point is, that we are willing to grow along spiritual lines. The principles we have set down are guides to progress. We claim spiritual progress rather than spiritual perfection.
Our description of the alcoholic, the chapter to the agnostic, and our personal adventure before and after make clear three pertinent ideas:
(a) That we were alcoholic and could not manage our own lives.
(b) That probably no human power could have relieved our alcoholism.
(c) That God could and would if He were sought.

p. 60

***********************************************************

Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition Stories

WINNER TAKES ALL - Legally blind but no longer alone, she found a way to stay sober, raise a family, and turn her life over to the care of God.

Then one night at an A.A. meeting a friend said that even though he had been in jail and done lots and lots of stuff, he was no different from me.  He felt the same things I felt.  It was then that I knew I was not unique, that the people did understand the pain inside me.

p. 378

***********************************************************

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Step Ten - "Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it."

Having so considered our day, not omitting to take due note of things well done, and having searched our hearts with neither fear nor favor, we can truly thank God for the blessings we have received and sleep in good conscience.

p. 95

***********************************************************

You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.
--Les Brown

You can't help getting older, but you don't have to get old.
--George Burns

Make your life's goal to learn and become a better person.
--Anonymous

How can we possibly describe feeling the Presence of God? It is the
difference between being a child left alone in an empty house at night
and a child who knows that her mother is in the next room. Even though
she can't see or hear her mother, she feels comforted by her warm,
loving, protective presence. And while a human parent can't always be
with us, our spiritual parent will never abandon us.
--Mary Manin Morrissey

"Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future."
--Paul Boese

The heart has eyes that the brain knows nothing of.
--American Proverb

***********************************************************

Father Leo's Daily Meditation

CHANGE

"There is nothing permanent
except change."
--Heraclitus

Today I know that I need to change. I accept that my behavior and
attitude was negative and destructive. Today I make a choice to work on
my addiction. I was changing before I embraced a spiritual program but
the change was for the worse. Each day I grew more dependent, more
isolated, more angry and depressed. I felt I was a hopeless case!

Today I am working on my anger and loneliness. I talk about those
things that cause me pain and distress. I express my fears and
resentments - and it is getting better.

God created this world in perpetual change and I believe that He is to be
discovered in the change. I am evolving into Truth with my small steps
towards recovery. The steps I take towards recovery are my "yes" to
God.

In the daily changes I discover the stability of God.

***********************************************************

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for
this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life...."
Psalm 23:6

***********************************************************

Daily Inspiration

We are not given peace of mind. We must trust in God and He will be our peace of mind. Lord, You are within my heart and therefore I need look no farther to find my peace.

There is a time for everything. Take time to pray, to sing, to laugh, to work and to touch the hearts of others. Lord, help me be aware that today will never return so that I will not misuse my time or waste it unwisely.

***********************************************************

NA Just For Today

Detachment

"Addiction is a family disease, but we could only change ourselves."
IP No. 13, "Youth and Recovery"

Many of us come from severely damaged families. At times, the insanity that reigns among our relatives feels overwhelming. Sometimes we feel like packing our bags and moving far, far away.

We pray that our family members will join us in recovery but, to our great sadness, this does not always happen. Sometimes, despite our best efforts to carry the message, we find that we cannot help those we hold most dear. Our group experience has taught us that, frequently, we are too close to our relatives to help them. We learn that it is better to leave them in our Higher Power's care.

We have found that when we stop trying to settle the problems of family members, we give them the room they need to work things out in their own lives. By reminding them that we are not able to solve their problems for them, we give ourselves the freedom to live our own lives. We have faith that God will help our relatives. Often, the best thing we can give our loved ones is the example of our own ongoing recovery. For the sake of our family's sanity and our own, we must let our relatives find their own ways to recover

Just for today: I will seek to work my own program and leave my family in the care of a Higher Power.
pg. 114

***********************************************************

You are reading from the book Today's Gift.
Hurried and worried until we're buried And there's no curtain call, Life's a very funny proposition, after all. --George M. Cohan
Often, when we involve ourselves in a whirlwind of activities, plans, and expectations, we push ourselves so hard that we don't derive any satisfaction from success. We need to face our limitations. We can't do everything we want. Even when we can do a great deal, if we overextend ourselves, take on too much, we will not enjoy ourselves, and there is no reason not to enjoy our work.
Our activities are part of what we are. If we choose to live in a frantic hurry, worrying about the next moment instead of this one, we'll miss life entirely. Part of self-knowledge is learning to pace ourselves to our own speed, learning to set goals we can attain for each day. When we do this, we can say, "Now that I've completed this, I don't have to do one more thing to feel worthwhile."
Am I trying to do too much too fast?


You are reading from the book Touchstones.
I wasn't exactly brought up in one of those Norman Rockwell paintings you used to see on the cover of the Saturday Evening Post. --Reggie Jackson
We have many myths about other people's lives. When we compare ourselves to these stories, we come up short. We have the TV families of Father Knows Best or The Waltons in our minds. We may have stories our father told about his moment of glory and how he met his challenges. Any of these images selects part of the truth and highlights it, creating a myth that might be worthwhile if we don't take it too literally.
Living real life never feels as serene as our fantasies. A myth lifts us up, carries us away to other possibilities, but we should always take it with a grain of salt. A father's recollections or a Norman Rockwell painting romanticizes a piece of reality by omitting the drudgery and confusion of life. Myths are meant as inspirations, not as measurements of our lives.
The difficulties and confusion I feel may just be part of real life. Serenity comes when I accept the mixture that real life is.


You are reading from the book Each Day a New Beginning.
One has to grow up with good talk in order to form the habit of it. --Helen Hayes
Our habits, whatever they may be, were greatly influenced, if not wholly formed, during childhood. We learned our behavior through imitation, imitation of our parents, our siblings, our peer group. But we need not be stuck in habits that are unhealthy. The choice to create new patterns of behavior is ours to make--every moment, every hour, every day. However, parting with the old pattern in order to make way for the new takes prayer, commitment, determination.
All of us who share these Steps have broken away from old patterns. We have chosen to leave liquor and pills alone. We may have chosen to leave unhealthy relationships. And we are daily choosing to move beyond our shortcomings. But not every day is a successful one. Our shortcomings have become ingrained. Years of pouting, or lying, or feeling fearful, or overeating, or procrastinating beckon to us; the habit invites itself.
We can find strength from the program and one another to let go of the behavior that stands in the way of today's happiness. And we can find in one another a better, healthier behavior to imitate.
The program is helping me to know there is a better way, every day, to move ahead. I am growing up again amidst the good habits of others, and myself.


You are reading from the book The Language of Letting Go.
Deadlines
I don't know whether I want in or out of this relationship. I've been struggling with it for months now. Its not appropriate to let it hang indefinitely. I will give myself two months to make a decision. --Anonymous
I've had this unsolved problem hanging over my head for six months now. Im confused. Im not certain what to do. Im going to give myself one month to come up with a solution. --Anonymous
Sometimes, it helps to set a deadline.
This can be true when we face unsolved problems, are struggling with a tough decision, have been sitting on the fence for a while, or have been floundering in confusion about a particular issue for a time.
That does not mean a deadline is written in stone. It means that we are establishing a time frame to help ourselves not feel so helpless and to help bring a solution into focus. Setting deadlines can free our energy to set the problem or issue aside, to let go, and allow the Universe, our Higher Power, and ourselves to begin to move toward a solution.
We don't always need to tell people we've got a deadline. Sometimes, its better to be silent, or else they may feel we are trying to control them and may rebel against our deadline. Sometimes, it is appropriate to share our deadlines with others.
Deadlines are primarily a tool to help ourselves. They need to be reasonable and appropriate to each individual situation. Used properly, deadlines can be a beneficial tool to help us get through difficult problems and situations without feeling trapped and helpless. They can help us let go of worrying and obsessing, so we can focus our energies in more constructive directions. Setting a deadline can help move us out of that uncomfortable spot of feeling victimized by a person or a problem we cant solve.
Deadlines can help us detach and move forward.
Today, I will consider whether a deadline might be helpful in some areas in my life. I claim Divine Wisdom and Guidance in setting appropriate deadlines for any problems or relationship issues that may be lingering.


I can handle anything that comes up today... even if it is only for a moment at a time. --Ruth Fishel

******************************************

Journey To The Heart

Loving Yourself Will Make It Better

Are you feeling powerless? Have circumstances taken a turn you don’t like? Do you feel there’s nothing you can do to make today better? One power that’s always available to you is the power to love yourself.

Sometimes we feel powerless. We have circumstances in our lives we simply cannot change, no matter what we do to create something different, to move the situation along. We can’t get another person to behave differently. We can’t seem to change something at work. We can’t do much about our money situation, at least not at the moment. Nothing in life seems to be going our way. It’s not that we’re doing anything wrong. We aren’t off our path or neglecting a particular lesson. The energy of that particular time in our lives is frustrating. There is no action we can take to change our circumstances. All we can do is surrender to the circumstances, accept what’s happening, and stay in the moment.

During those times, there is one action we can take that will help. We can love ourselves. When we can’t do anything about the world around us, when we can’t even seem to do much about ourselves, we can always love ourselves. When all our other powers seem stripped away, we can practice the power of self-love. It’s one power no one can take away.

Self-love will always make things better. And perhaps when a difficult time is past, you’ll look back and say, That’s what I was really learning all along– the ever present, healing power of learning to love myself.

******************************************

More Language Of Letting Go

Flip a coin

Flip a coin. …This is a secret technique of many prominent executives. Because sometimes it doesn’t matter what decision you make, as long as you make one. Then you just stick to it, having confidence in your having brought about the outcome.
–Jay Carter

Sometimes, we are truly ambivalent. We don’t know what we want. The scales are balanced, fifty-fifty.

. Flip a coin.

If you don’t like the decision the coin just made for you, at least you’ll know you know what you want.

God, help me discover who I am and what I really want.

******************************************

In God’s Care

It is not up to you to change your brother, but merely to accept him as he is.
~~A Course in Miracles

We all feel qualified to correct another. We may not do this aloud, but we oftentimes do a great job of it under our breath or in our mind. We are fortunate if we learn that correcting others is not our job. It is seldom helpful to them or to us. Correction is best left to God, who knows all the circumstamces.

If we truly need to avoid a certain person, God will direct us. If not, then it’s spiritually good for us to accept that person’s defects – perceived or real – in all their glory. If we insist on seeing error or guilt, we’ll be in the wrong frame of mind to accept what a blessing he or she is to us.

Every offensive thing someone does is a call for help. If we answer it with help instead of condemnation or correction, both of us are blessed.

I would rather be blessed than be right.

******************************************

Appreciating What Is
Enjoying Your Age

In each stage of life, there are wonderful experiences one can savor and valuable insights one can absorb. Every new decade and, in fact, every new year brings with it wisdom, transformation, and growth, as well as ends and beginnings. Many people, however, believe that there is one age that eclipses the others. They expend energy trying to reach it and, once it has passed, trying to retain it. But wishing to be younger or older is a denial of the joys that have been and the joys yet to be, as well as the beauty of your life in the present. Holding on to one age can make it difficult to appreciate each new milestone you reach. Taking pleasure in the delights of your age, whether you are in your 20s, 40s, 60s, or 80s, can help you see the magnificence and usefulness of the complex seasons of your life.

Each new year gifted to us by the universe is replete with exciting and unfamiliar experiences. In our 20s, we can embrace the energy of youth and the learning process, knowing it’s okay to not have all the answers. As we move through our third decade, we grow more self-assured as the confusion of our young adulthood melts away. We can honor these years by putting aside our fears of aging and concentrating instead on solidifying our values and enjoying our growing emotional maturity. In our 40s, we become conscious of the wisdom we have attained through life experience and are blessed with the ability to put it to good use. We are not afraid to explore unfamiliar territory or to change. In our 50s, we tend to have successfully navigated our midlife reevaluations and have prioritized our lives. In the decades beyond, we discover a greater sense of freedom than we have ever known and can truly enjoy the memory of all we’ve seen and done.

Try to enjoy the age you are at now, for each age presents its own unique wisdom to savor. Published with permission from Daily OM

******************************************

A Day At A Time

Reflection For The Day

“If a person continues to see only giants.” wrote Anais Nim, “it means he is still looking at the world through the eyes of a child.” During this 24-hour period. I won’t allow myself to be burdened by thoughts of giants and monsters — of things that are past. I won’t concern myself about tomorrow until it becomes my today. The better I use today, the more likely it is that tomorrow will be bright. Have I extended the hand of caring to another person today?

Today I Pray

God may I please grow up. May I no longer see monsters and giants on my walls, those projections of a child’s imagination. May I bury my hobgoblins and realize that those epic dream-monsters are distortions of my present fears. May they vanish with my fearfulness, in the daylight of my new serenity.

Today I Will Remember

I will put away childish fears.

******************************************

One More Day

My mind to me a kingdom is,
Such present joys therein I find
That it excels all other bliss
That earth affords or groups by kind.
– Sir Edward Dyer

Within the private confines of our thoughts, we can build castles or dream of solving all the problems of the world. At times, we may still daydream like children who envision themselves as heroes, builders, or saviors. We may still unconsciously look for drama and excitement.

Maturity give us something that our youthful selves would never have understood — compromise. We don’t have to see compromise as surrender. For us, it can mean action. When faced with the reality of dreams that can’t be achieved, we can compromise by building new dreams that not only are as important as our original one, but also offer success.

My dreams can still direct the course of my life.

************************************

Food For Thought

Social Situations

Many of us find it especially difficult to follow our food plan when we go to parties and eat with friends. We may feel deprived if we do not eat and drink what everyone else is eating and drinking. Sometimes we maintain our abstinence at the party and then go home and break it for some strange kind of emotional compensation.

The longer we live the OA program, the easier it becomes to deal with social situations. We begin to realize that the company is more important than the food and drink, and we discover that we can enjoy being with our friends regardless of what we are or are not consuming. We also become convinced that only by abstaining do we maintain our health and sanity, and we value these more than whatever refreshments are being served.

Because we are stronger now than we were before, we are less affected by the social pressure to do what everyone else is doing. We know who we are and how we can best live our own lives.

May I enjoy my friends more than food.

*****************************************

One Day At A Time

~ THE PRESENT MOMENT ~

How simple it is to see that we can only be happy now,
and there will never be a time when it is not now.
Gerald Jampolsky

During my many years of life as an compulsive eater, I thought happiness was something that was the privilege of other people. I could not imagine that happiness would be a part of my life. All I really wanted was to lose weight.

My issues with food and weight colored everything else. I always thought the biggest weight I carried was physical in nature. When I accepted the fact that I have a disease, and the weight I carried was physical, emotional and spiritual, my life began to change immeasurably. As I took the Steps to recovery, I began to experience healing on all three levels. I began to see life differently, and to live life in a whole new way.

Before recovery, I could not see the precious moment of the present. My eyes were focused on regret of the past, and fear of the future. I totally missed the complete joy of each present moment. Recovery has helped me to clear up weight I carried from my past, and to eliminate my fear of the future; replacing fear with faith. As I live in recovery, I can choose to be present in each moment, and enjoy the wonder and delight that is the gift of life.

One Day at a Time . . .
I choose to live in the present moment ... and to embrace the happiness found there.
~ Cate ~

*****************************************

AA 'Big Book' - Quote

Having made our personal inventory, what shall we do about it? We have been trying to get a new attitude, a new relationship with our Creator, and to discover the obstacles in our path. We have admitted certain defects; we have ascertained in a rough way what the trouble is; we have put our finger on the weak items in our personalinventory. Now these are about to be cast out. This requires action on our part, which, when completed, will mean that we have admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being, the exact nature of our defects. This brings us to the Fifth Step in the program of recovery mentioned in the preceding chapter. - Pg. 72 - Into Action

Hour To Hour - Book - Quote

You may be falling apart, you may be 'being strong,' or you may be falling apart and trying very hard to 'be strong.' These are both extremes that you will fluctuate between. No matter what you are doing, someone will be telling you that you 'should' respond differently. So respond how you like.

May I respond the way I respond and be proud of it!

Getting Even Today

I will push myself through to letting go of some recent insult, knowing that if I don't I bind myself to that energy. Revenge only keeps me stuck at the place of wrong doing. Better to let go the hurt or insult than the act of kindness. If I want to continue to grow my blessings in life, I will look up not down. Today I will look toward someone who has been good to me and I will think of a way to repay their kindness, knowing that when I do that, my own life feels better, too.

I connect myself to the energy of goodness.

- Tian Dayton PhD

Pocket Sponsor - Book - Quote

Although a bit of compassion might be nice now and again, you sure don't need anyone's pity! Compassion is laced with understanding while pity reflects a diminished picture of yourself. With gut level honesty, you will evoke compassion; by denying, hiding, and blaming, you are likely to evoke pity from others.

If I am genuine about my recovery with others, they will be genuine in their compassion with me.

"Walk Softly and Carry a Big Book" - Book

A winner makes commitments; a loser makes promises.

Time for Joy - Book - Quote

I can handle anything that comes up today even if it is only for a moment at a time.

Alkiespeak - Book - Quote

Gratitude is a verb. - Unknown origin.

*****************************************

AA Thought for the Day

April 20

Growth
Growth and understanding came slowly, but they came steadily.
And finally, I could feel gratitude for my sobriety -- for the saving grace of God.
Now I feel totally free, because I know the truth about myself. . .
I know that spiritual growth is a great, wide, beautiful thing
and that I have only stepped up to the open door.
- Came To Believe . . ., p. 94

Thought to Ponder . . .
A spiritual awakening is our greatest gift.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
G R O W T H = God Reveals Other Ways To Heal.

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

Faith
"In this book you read again and again
that faith did for us what we could not do for ourselves.
We hope you are convinced now that God
can remove whatever self-will has blocked you off from Him.
If you have already made a decision,
and an inventory of your grosser handicaps,
you have made a good beginning.
That being so, you have swallowed and digested
some big chunks of truth about yourself."
Alcoholics Anonymous, pp. 70-1

Thought to Consider . . .
Faith isn't belief without proof;
it's trust without reservation.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
F A I T H = Finding Answers In The Heart

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

Balance
From "Self-Pity":
When we catch self-pity starting, we also can take action against it with instant bookkeeping. For every entry of misery
on the debit side, we find a blessing we can mark on the credit side. What health we have, what illnesses we don't
have, the sunny weather, a good meal a-coming, limbs intact, kindnesses shown and received, a sober 24 hours, a
good hour's work, a good book to read, and many other items can be totaled up to outbalance the debit entries that cause self-pity.
1998 AAWS, Inc.; Living Sober, p. 58

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

"To want nothing -- to know that we cannot make anything happen -- brings inner and outer joy, total fulfillment. The
earth and the heavens and ourselves become one, and in this state of spontaneous surrender, we discover the deep,
spiritual constancy in everyday living that we were looking for all along."
September 1974
"Awareness,"
AA Grapevine

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

"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~

"We feel as though we had been placed in a position of neutrality
safe and protected. We have not even sworn off. Instead, the problem
has been removed. It does not exist for us. We are neither cocky nor
are we afraid. That is our experience. That is how we react so long
as we keep in fit spiritual condition."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, Page 85~

Third, all you really need is a truly open mind.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 26

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

Trouble: Constructive or Destructive?
There was a time when we ignored trouble, hoping it would go away. Or, in fear and in depression, we ran from it, but
found it was still with us. Often, full of unreason, bitterness, and blame, we fought back. These mistaken attitudes,
powered by alcohol, guaranteed our destruction, unless they were altered.
'Then came A.A. Here we learned that trouble was really a fact of life for everybody--a fact that had to be understood
and dealt with. Surprisingly, we found that our troubles could, under God's grace, be converted into unimagined blessings.
'Indeed, that was the essence of A.A. itself: trouble accepted, trouble squarely faced with calm courage, trouble
lessened and often transcended. This was the A.A. story, and we became a part of it. Such demonstrations became
our stock in trade for the next sufferer.' LETTER, 1966

Prayer For The Day: Dear Lord, help me to learn to really listen -- to You, to my family, to those around me, and to be
sensitive to the "unspoken," for often it is in the "unspoken" that the needs of others are revealed. You are not only heard
in a clap of thunder, or in the cry of a newborn infant, but also in the silence of a sunrise and the quiet desperation of an
anguished heart. ... Help me to listen, that I may bring Your love and comfort to others. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit that I
may develop a "listening heart." In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. © 2000 by D. L. Hammond, Permission to copy granted
for noncommercial use.