NEW SOIL . . . NEW ROOTS
Moments of perception can build into a lifetime of
spiritual serenity, as I have excellent reason to know.
Roots of reality, supplanting the neurotic underbrush,
will hold fast despite the high winds of the forces which
would destroy us, or which we would use to destroy ourselves.
AS BILL SEES IT, p. 173
I came to A.A. green--a seedling quivering with exposed
taproots. It was for survival but it was a beginning. I
stretched, developed, twisted, but with the help of others,
my spirit eventually burst up from the roots. I was free.
I acted, withered, went inside, prayed, acted again,
understood anew, as one moment of perception struck. Up
from my roots, spirit-arms lengthened into strong, green
shoots: high-springing servants stepping skyward.
Here on earth God unconditionally continues the legacy of
higher love. My A.A. life put me "on a different footing
. . . [my] roots grasped a new soil."
(Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 12).
***********************************************************
Twenty-Four Hours A Day
A.A. Thought For The Day
People believe in A.A. when they see it work. An actual
demonstration is what convinces them. What they read in
books, what they hear people say doesn't always convince
them. But when they see a real honest-to-goodness change
take place in a person, a change from a drunkard to a sober,
useful citizen, that's something they can believe because
they can see it. There's really only one thing that proves
to me that A.A. works. Have I seen the change in people who
come into A.A.?
Meditation For The Day
Divine control and unquestioning obedience to God are the
only conditions necessary for a spiritual life. Divine
control means absolute faith and trust in God, a belief
that God is the Divine Principle in the universe and that
He is the intelligence and the Love that controls the
universe. Unquestioning obedience to God means living each
day the way you believe God wants you to live, constantly
seeking the guidance of God in every situation and being
willing to do the right thing at all times.
Prayer For The Day
I pray that I may always be under Divine Control and always
practice unquestioning obedience to God. I pray that I may
be always ready to serve Him.
***********************************************************
As Bill Sees It
To Be
Fair-Minded, p. 113
Too often, I think, we have deprecated and even derided projects of our
friends in the field of alcoholism just because we do not always see eye
to eye with them.
We should very seriously ask ourselves how many alcoholics have gone
on drinking simply because we have failed to cooperate in good spirit
with these many agencies--whether they be good, bad, or indifferent.
No alcoholics should go mad or die merely because he did not come
straight to A.A. at the beginning.
<< << << >> >> >>
Our first objective will be the development of self-restraint. This
carries a top-priority rating. When we speak or act hastily or rashly,
the ability to be fair-minded and tolerant evaporates on the spot.
1. Grapevine, July 1963
2. 12 & 12, p. 91
***********************************************************
Walk in Dry Places
Faking it, and then making it.
Finding the Spirit of the Thing.
We're sometimes advised to "fake it until you make it." But how
can
anything false really lead us to recovery? Aren't we told that this is
an honest program?
We're not being dishonest by pushing ourselves to become actively
involved in AA. The self-help movements have told us for years that we
have to form an image of what we want to be in order to reach our
goals. We are forming an image that corresponds to the sober people we
want to be. We are actually rehearsing sober living and working
to
accept a picture of sobriety in our heart of hearts.
There's also much to be said for "faking it" enough to attend meetings
and try to benefit from association with people….. even those we
don't
like. This puts us in line for the change we really need.
A lot of members say that they "white-knuckled it" during the
first
months or years of sobriety. If this worked to bring recovery, it had
to be the right approach.
Even if there is rebellion within, today I'll talk and act like the
sober person I want to be.
***********************************************************
Keep It Simple
One meets his destiny often on the road one takes to avoid it.---French
proverb
None of us, perhaps, ever thought we'd end up in recovery. But we were
working at joining recovery years before we got here! Maybe recovery
was
our fate from the day we first took a drink or a pill. Others around us
could see the writing on the wall, but we couldn't. We were to busy
trying to avoid the pain. Alcoholism and other drug abuse have to do
with
us trying to find spiritual wholeness--- the kind of spiritual
wholeness
we're finding now. . .in recovery. So, let's welcome recovery into our
lives. We have found our spiritual home.
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, I got lost because I acted like
I
knew the way to a good
life. You lead the way. Thank-you for putting me on the right track.
Action for the Day: Today, I'll think about why it's my fate to
be in
recovery. I will list
ways that I try to avoid my fate.
***********************************************************
Each Day a New Beginning
Our own rough edges become smooth as we help a friend smooth her
edges. --Sue Atchley Ebaugh
Focusing on a good point in every person we encounter today will
benefit us in untold ways. It will smooth our relations with that
person, inviting her to respond kindly also. It will increase our
awareness of the goodness all around us. It will help us realize that
if everyone around us has positive traits, then we must also have them.
But perhaps the greatest benefit of focusing on good points is that it
enhances us as women; a healthy, positive attitude must be cultivated.
Many of us had little experience with feeling positive before the
turning point, recovery.
Recovery is offering us a new lease on life every moment. We are
learning new behaviors, and we are learning that with the help of a
higher power and one another, all things that are right for us are
possible. It is energizing, focusing on the good points of others,
knowing that their good points don't detract from our own.
In the past, we may have secretly hated other women's strengths because
we felt inferior. We are free from that hate now, if we choose to be. A
strength we can each nurture is gratitude for being helped by, and
privy to, the strengths of our friends and acquaintances.
Bad points get worse with attention. My good points will gain strength.
***********************************************************
Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth
Edition
Chapter 5 - HOW IT WORKS
The first requirement is that we be convinced that any life run on
self-will can hardly be a success. On that basis we are almost always
in collision with something or somebody, even though our motives are
good. Most people try to live by self-propulsion. Each person is like
an actor who wants to run the whole show; is forever trying to arrange
the lights, the ballet, the scenery and the rest of the players in his
own way. If his arrangements would only stay put, if only people would
do as he wished, the show would be great. Everybody, including himself,
would be pleased. Life would be wonderful. In trying to make these
arrangements our actor may sometimes be quite virtuous. He may be kind,
considerate, patient, generous; even modest and self-sacrificing. On
the other hand, he may be mean, egotistical, selfish and dishonest.
But, as with most humans, he is more likely to have varied traits.
pp. 60-61
***********************************************************
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.
When I was three years sober, I made
one of the most difficult decisions I had ever made. I left the
marriage. I did not leave because I didn't love him. I
still love him, but the marriage was not a healthy place for me to
be. I found myself with two children to support. I was
legally blind and had no job skills. When I moved out, I first
moved into public housing for blind people. This was a shocking
experience for me, but it was full of growth. For the first time
in my life, I was learning to accept my handicap. Before this I
would plan out my day as if I could see and then plan it out again
based on the fact that my vision was limited.
p. 379
***********************************************************
Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions
Step Eleven - "Sought
through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God
as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and
the power to carry that out."
To certain newcomers and to those one-time agnostics who still cling to
the A.A. group as their higher power, claims for the power of prayer
may, despite all the logic and experience in proof of it, still be
unconvincing or quite objectionable. Those of us who once felt this way
can certainly understand and sympathize. We well remember how something
deep inside us kept rebelling against the idea of bowing before any
God. Many of us had strong logic, too, which "proved" there was no God
whatever. What about all the accidents, sickness, cruelty, and
injustice in the world? What about all those unhappy lives which were
the direct result of unfortunate birth and uncontrollable
circumstances? Surely there could be no justice in this scheme of
things, and therefore no God at all.
pp. 96-97
***********************************************************
"Spiritual
growth
results
from
absorbing
and digesting
truth and
putting it to practice in daily life."
--White Eagle
There is no exercise better for the heart than reaching down and
lifting people up.
--John Andrew Holmes
"Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only
you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other
people spend it for you."
--Carl Sandburg
>From that place of stillness, the right action will emerge and you
will
find your next step. From that place of stillness, you can move into the
present moment. There you will find your power, and there you will
find God.
--Melody Beattie
You don't have to wait for Christmas to give gifts of love and joy.
Give that love to others and yourself. Give it often. Give it freely.
Give it all year round.
--Melody Beattie
When we listen, God speaks and guides.
--Paul K. McAfee
***********************************************************
Father Leo's Daily Meditation
MUSIC
"I have my own particular
sorrows, loves, delights; and
you have yours. But sorrow,
gladness, yearning, hope, love
belong to all of us, in all times
and in all places. Music is the
only means whereby we feel
these emotions in their
universality."
--H. A. Overstreet
A language for the world is music. It unites all peoples, cultures,
religions and backgrounds; it points man beyond himself, while at the
same time breathing through him God's glory. Music makes man
wonder, enables him to dream, allows him to rest in the miracle of
creativity.
Drugs stopped me from appreciating the gift of music. They twisted
and corrupted sounds and made them destructive and coarse. Drugs
took from me so much and left me with a feeling of utter emptiness.
In my recovery I can hear again. My spiritual program incorporates
music, different types of music, the inexhaustible joys of melody. I can
feel in it, through it, with it - another miracle.
Thank You for the gift of music that enables me to grow in my
understanding of self and my need of others.
***********************************************************
"But
when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know
what your right hand is doing."
Matthew 6:3
"But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man
observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes
away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was."
James 1:22-24
"I know, O Lord, that your judgments are right.... Let your steadfast
love become my comfort.... For your law is my delight."
Psalm 119:75-77
***********************************************************
Daily Inspiration
When you feel the need to tell someone how bad your
day has been, tell them how good it's been instead. Lord, help me to
highlight the parts of my day that will bring me to a peaceful and
joyful place.
There is always a reason why people act as they do. Lord, help me to be
more patient and understanding.
***********************************************************
NA Just For Today
Traveling The Open Road
"This is our road to spiritual growth."
Basic Text, p. 35
When we arrived at our first NA
meeting, it looked like the end of the road to many of us. We weren't
going to be able to use anymore. We were spiritually bankrupt. Most of
us were totally isolated and didn't think we had much to live for.
Little did we realize that, as we began our program of recovery, we
were stepping onto a road of unlimited possibilities.
At first, just not using was tough
enough. Yet, as we watched other addicts working the steps and applying
those principles in their lives, we began to see that recovery was more
than just not using. The lives of our NA friends had changed. They had
a relationship with the God of their understanding. They were
responsible members of the fellowship and of society. They had a reason
to live. We began to believe these things were possible for us, too.
As we continue our recovery journey,
we can get sidetracked by complacency, intolerance, or dishonesty. When
we do, we need to recognize the signs quickly and get back on our path
— the open road to freedom and growth.
Just for today: I am continuing to
develop my spiritual, social, and general living skills by applying the
principles of my program. I can travel as far as I wish on the open
road of recovery.
***********************************************************
You are reading from the book Today's
Gift.
I meant to do my work today But a
brown bird sang in an apple tree, And a butterfly flitted across the
field And all the leaves were calling me. --Richard LeGallienne
The harried hen scurried about her
house, trying to put it in order. Some friends she hadn't seen for
years were due to arrive later that day, and she wanted everything
perfect for them. In a flurry, she made the bed, put away the dishes,
and scrubbed the floor. Oh dear, she thought in dismay, I meant to wash
the sheets today.
Frantically, she flew back to the
bedroom and tore the sheets from the made bed.
Just then, a neighbor arrived and
stood at hen's door, watching her anxiously rush about. "Dear hen," he
said in a patient loving tone, for he was quite fond of her, "You will
never enjoy your visit if you continue to race about. Come. Sit and
rest and tell me of these friends. Have you any snapshots?" The hen did
as her neighbor had suggested, and soon her friends arrived to find her
relaxed, refreshed, and warm with the memories of them.
What is my real work for the day?
You are reading from the book
Touchstones.
The first springs of great events,
like those of great rivers, are often mean and little. --Jonathan Swift
Our lives are like streams which flow
through time. Looking at the flow of our whole lives, we see the
interconnections of many days that seemed minor. Each day contributes
to the stream of goals and faith and relationships. As we look at the
flow of a whole river, we see at its beginning a little trickle of
water here, joining another trickle there, slowly gathering together a
stream that develops force and direction.
We may look for intensity in our lives
and ignore the quiet. Much of our lives may have been lived on a roller
coaster of major crises. As terrible as it seemed, it was not dull.
Today may seem rather boring. But in recovery we learn to appreciate
the more subtle trickle that a good day can be. Simply continuing with
the flow - of our program, of faithfulness to our values, of being
emotionally present in our relationships - adds up to a rich life.
May I see the continuity of my life in
the simple moments of this day.
You are reading from the book Each Day
a New Beginning.
Our own rough edges become smooth as
we help a friend smooth her edges. --Sue Atchley Ebaugh
Focusing on a good point in every
person we encounter today will benefit us in untold ways. It will
smooth our relations with that person, inviting her to respond kindly
also. It will increase our awareness of the goodness all around us. It
will help us realize that if everyone around us has positive traits,
then we must also have them. But perhaps the greatest benefit of
focusing on good points is that it enhances us as women; a healthy,
positive attitude must be cultivated. Many of us had little experience
with feeling positive before the turning point, recovery.
Recovery is offering us a new lease on
life every moment. We are learning new behaviors, and we are learning
that with the help of a higher power and one another, all things that
are right for us are possible. It is energizing, focusing on the good
points of others, knowing that their good points don't detract from our
own.
In the past, we may have secretly
hated other women's strengths because we felt inferior. We are free
from that hate now, if we choose to be. A strength we can each nurture
is gratitude for being helped by, and privy to, the strengths of our
friends and acquaintances.
Bad points get worse with attention.
My good points will gain strength.
You are reading from the book The
Language of Letting Go.
Coping With Stress
Inevitably, there are times of stress
in our lives, no matter how long we've been in recovery.
Sometimes, the stress is outside or
around us. We're feeling balanced, but our circumstances are stressful.
Sometimes, the stress is within; we feel out of balance.
When the stress is external and
internal, we experience our most difficult times.
During stressful times, we can rely
more heavily on our support systems. Our friends and groups can help us
feel more balanced and peaceful in spite of our stressful conditions.
Affirming that the events taking place
are a temporarily uncomfortable part of a good, solid plan can help. We
can assure ourselves that we will get through. We won't be destroyed.
We won't crumple or go under.
It helps to go back to the basics to
focus on detachment, dealing with feelings, and taking life one day at
a time.
Our most important focus during times
of stress is taking care of ourselves. We are better able to cope with
the most irregular circumstances; we are better able to be there for
others, if we're caring for ourselves. We can ask ourselves regularly:
What do we need to do to take care of ourselves? What might help us
feel better or more comfortable?
Self-care may not come as easily
during times of stress. Self-neglect may feel more comfortable. But
taking care of us always works.
Today, I will remember that there is
no situation that can't be benefited by taking care of myself.
Today I will be aware not to judge
myself when I feel less than perfect. I am beginning to love myself
just as I am and that feels so nice. --Ruth Fishel
******************************************
Journey To The Heart
On the Other Side of Fear Is Joy
Climb over the wall of fear.
Fear can be like a brick wall on our
path. We may say we want to move forward– we want to feel better, do
something new, live differently, go to the next place on our journey–
but if we have unrecognized fears about that, we may feel like we’ve
hit a wall. We don’t know we’re afraid; the fear is tucked and hidden
away. All we can see is that, for some unknown reason, we can’t seem to
move forward in our life. We’re in the dark.
Or we may be conscious of our fear,
but be refusing to deal with it. We have talked ourselves out of
honestly addressing the fear by telling ourselves to be strong and
brave. While there is much to be gained from pressing forward at
certain times in our lives, there simply are other times when we cannot
do that because our fear holds us back. There are times in life when
real power comes from being vulnerable enough to say, Yes, I am afraid.
Gently face our fears one at a time as
they arise. Let each fear surface into consciousness. Tell yourself you
know it’s there. Then release its energy; let it dissipate into the
air. Don’t be afraid of what you’ll find; the feeling is only fear.
There’s a magic I’ve learned over the
years. It happens when I feel my fear. My life changes. I become
empowered to move on. Barricades I have not been able to penetrate
crumble and disappear. And all I had to do was simply face and feel my
fear.
******************************************
More Language Of Letting Go
Solve the right problems
Are you solving the problems you want
to solve, or the problems you think that you are supposed to solve?
–Thom Rutledge
Peter spent his days solving problems.
He had attended the right college and found the right profession and
worked for the right people. As a successful accountant, he counted
other people’s money and figured out what they owed the government.
Peter was good at his job, but he wanted to take pictures. Still,
accounting was an important job, and people needed him to help them
with their taxes. Solving other people’s money problems took up most of
Peter’s time, so much time that he gradually forgot about taking
pictures.
One day, he picked up a magazine on
photography and started reading. He bought a camera and took some
pictures. Then he took a vacation and took some more pictures. He
entered them in a local showing and received second prize.
Peter didn’t stop being an accountant.
But now he spends as much time solving problems of aperture and shutter
speed as he does 401k’s and 1099′s.
Are you solving the problems that you
want to solve? Or are you solving the same problem over and over?
Find the answers to the questions you
have.
Then find more questions to ask.
God, give me the courage to follow my
heart. Teach me how to experience more joy in my life.
******************************************
In God’s Care
Those who cannot change their minds
cannot change anything.
~~George Bernard Shaw
One thing we all have going for us is
the ability to change our mind. Thank God. If we were still stuck with
our childhood beliefs, where would we be now? Many of us have gotten
into deep trouble – physically and emotionally – by following beliefs
that proved wrong. For instance, the treacherous belief that we are
self-sufficient, that to depend on others is a sign of weakness. How
many of us crashed and burned while holding high the banner of
independence?
Disastrous circumstances have forced
us to change our mind. Now we know that we cannot get along without
others, nor without a Higher Power to guide us. We are still tempted
daily to go it alone – old habits die hard – but we can change our mind
as often as needed.
With God’s help, I can exercise the
greatest force for change in my life – I can change my mind.
******************************************
Together on Earth
Seeing the Bigger Picture
by Madisyn Taylor
When we see a photo of our earth from
space, it is hard to feel ourselves as being separate from all others.
Seeing an image of the planet Earth
taken from space inspires awe in many of us, since we can clearly see
the connectedness of all of us who live upon this planet. We have
created imaginary boundaries, sectioning ourselves into countries and
states, forgetting that in reality we are all living together,
breathing the same air, drinking from the same water, eating food grown
from the same earth. We share everything on this planet, whether we are
conscious of it or not, with other people, and those people are our
brothers and sisters. Keeping a photograph or painting of the planet
Earth in a prominent place in our homes can be a positive way to
remember our interconnectedness.
Meditating on the fact that any sense
of separation we have from one another is truly an illusion, we will
naturally begin to make more conscious choices in our daily lives. The
simple act of preparing food, or determining how to dispose of our
refuse, can be done with the consciousness that whatever we do will
affect all our brothers and sisters, no matter how far away they live,
as well as the planet herself. When we foster this kind of awareness in
ourselves out of a feeling of awe, it becomes easier to be conscious
than to fall back into old habits of thinking of ourselves as separate.
When we contemplate the earth in her
wholeness, we attune ourselves to the truth of the bigger picture,
which is the Earth, and all of us, every one of us, living on her body.
We are connected to one another in the most intimate way, because we
literally share our living space. As more people become aware of the
reality of our interdependency, things will shift in a positive
direction, and much of the discord that we see now will give way to a
more cooperative, loving conscious. This is happening already, so as
our consciousness grows, we can join with the many other minds working
to live in the spirit of togetherness. Published with permission from
Daily Om
******************************************
A Day At A Time
Reflection For The Day
As I Attend meetings of The Program,
my eyes open wider and wider. Other people’s problems make mine look
small, yet they are facing them with courage and confidence. Others are
trapped in situations as bad as mine, but they bear their troubles with
more fortitude. By going to meetings, I find many reasons to be
grateful. My load has begun to lighten. Do I expect easy solutions to
my problems? Or do I ask only to be guided to a better way?
Today I Pray
Make The Program my way of life. Its
goals are my goals. Its members are my truest friends. May I pass along
the skills for coping I have learned there. May my turnabout and the
resulting transformation in my life inspire others, as others have
inspired me.
Today I Will Remember
May I be grateful.
******************************************
One More Day
As mature people we must learn not to
love ourselves excessively nor to mistrust the universe morbidly.
– Joshua Loth Liebman
Each time we know success, large or
small, we may tend to applaud ourselves. We have all see small children
clapping their hands together in glee at some small triumph. That is
the spontaneity of human nature.
Even now that we are older, we may
find it difficult not to praise ourselves in front of others each time
we make some kind of gain. We learn we are applauded for those special
times with which all people can identify — success on the job or when a
new child or grandchild is born. Sometimes, however, our applause must
be private — treasured by no one but ourselves — for we may be the only
one to realize how much we deserve it.
When I achieve success, in any aspect
of my life I will glow with inner pride.
************************************
Food For Thought
Happiness
Happiness is rarely achieved by pursuing it. We compulsive overeaters
used to think that food could make us happy, but we found that it could
not. Many of us tried other substances, too, such as alcohol, drugs, or
money. When these also failed us, we may have decided that only a
perfect partner could make us happy. Alas, we soon discovered that
there are no perfect individuals, only ordinary people with faults like
our own.
So where does happiness fit in? At some point along the line, we
abandon the frantic pursuit of an external object of happiness and
begin to work on ourselves. As we go through the Twelve Steps, we
become less self-centered and more focused on a Higher Power. As we are
able to concentrate more on His will and less on our own, we find that
periods of happiness come as a by product. Paradoxically, when
happiness is no longer our goal, we have more of it.
In You, there is joy.
*****************************************
One Day At A Time
COMPULSIONS
“Compulsive urges to overeat, gorge or
purge
are inadequate coping mechanisms.
Compulsion is loss of control
and continuation of the behavior
despite the consequences.”
Gloria Arenson
Compulsive overeating is not a moral
dilemma. It is not about “right” or “wrong.” It is not a
black-and-white situation. I learned at a pre-verbal stage that
compulsive overeating is a coping mechanism. When I cried to be held, I
was fed. When I cried because I was wet, I was fed. When I cried
because I was in pain, I was fed. When life was good, I was fed. Is it
any wonder I came to reach for food when life was happening around me?
This program teaches me better ways to
cope with life. Instead of reacting to life, I have learned through the
Steps how to take action. I did not choose this disease, but I do
choose recovery. Through the help of my Higher Power, the program, and
other program members I can recover. I can live in the solution one day
at a time and one meal at a time.
One Day at a Time . . .
I will have a program. I choose
recovery, health, love and life.
~ Sarah H.
*****************************************
AA 'Big Book' - Quote
For most normal folks, drinking means
conviviality, companionship and colorful imagination. It means release
from care, boredom and worry. It is joyous intimacy with friends and a
feeling that life is good. But not so with us in those last days of
heavy drinking. - Pg. 151 - A Vision For You
Hour To Hour - Book - Quote
'We can reach UP for that energy, and
we can reach IN for that energy, feel that life force, touch that Power
Greater Than Ourselves. We can reach up and in and hold on and hang in
there. If we just stop. We can climb up from that dark hole. And be
here. Be present. Be awake for the next miracle.'--Ruth Fishel,
I do not give up before the miracle,
of climbing up from this dark hole and seeing the clean and sober light.
Treasures
If I am alive then I need to look
around me and feel thankful for the gifts that are mine. There is so
much to be grateful for if I am willing to consider the blessings I
already have. There is a wisdom in gratitude because what I focus on
with appreciation has a way of expanding in my life. If I erase my
blessings, I don't feed them with the grace of gratitude. If I give
thanks for them, I show the creative force that brings forth all good
things that I am worthy enough to appreciate what has been so
generously given to me.
I know enough to say thank you
- Tian Dayton PhD
Pocket Sponsor - Book - Quote
Seven days without a meeting, makes
one weak.
Just as I am not independently wealthy
and need to work to stay solvent, I am not independently healthy and
need meetings to stay soulvent.
"Walk Softly and Carry a Big Book" - Book
Try to listen sober, your ears work
better that way.
Time for Joy - Book - Quote
Today I will be aware not to judge
myself when I feel less than perfect. I am beginning to love myself
just as I am and that feels so nice.
Alkiespeak - Book - Quote
I came into AA with no conditions on
my sobriety. Not to save a job or a marriage, or my standing in the
community. I came here to save my life, and I'm real grateful for that.
I see so many people come in here for other reasons and when that works
out and it still doesn't fix them ...a lot get drunk. - Sean A.
*****************************************
AA Thought for the Day
April 22
A New Beginning
I knew I had to have a new beginning,
and this beginning had to be here.
I had to let go of the past and forget
the future.
As long as I held on to the past with
one hand and grabbed at the future with the other hand
I had nothing to hold on to today
with. So I had to begin here, now.
- Came To Believe . . ., p. 46
Thought to Ponder . . .
My life hereafter is from this moment
on.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
S I T = Stay In Today.
~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
Meditation
"Perhaps one of the greatest rewards
of meditation and prayer
is the sense of belonging that comes
to us.
We no longer live in a completely
hostile world.
We are no longer lost and frightened
and purposeless.
We know that God lovingly watches over
us.
We know that when we turn to Him,
all will be well with us,
here and hereafter."
Bill W., Twelve Steps and Twelve
Traditions, p. 105
As Bill Sees It, p. 117
Thought to Consider . . .
Prayer is asking a question;
meditation is listening to the answer.
*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
G R A C E
Gently Releasing All Conscious
Expectations
*~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~*
Resentment
Step Four: Made a searching and
fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
"But in A.A. we slowly learned that
something had to be done about our vengeful resentments, self-pity, and
unwarranted pride. We had to see that
every time we played the big shot, we turned people against us. We had
to see
that when we harbored grudges and
planned revenge for such defeats, we were really beating ourselves with
the club
of anger we had intended to use on
others. We learned that if we were seriously disturbed, our first need
was to quiet
that disturbance, regardless of who or
what we thought caused it."
1952, AAWS, Inc.; Printed 2005; Twelve
Steps and Twelve Traditions, pg. 47
*~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
"I live in the Three Legacies of
Unity, Recovery, and Service, and have gained 36 spiritual principles
to help me through
life one day at a time."
Gig Harbor, Washington, April 2011
"Get in the Car,"
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~
"Remember that we deal with alcohol,
cunning, baffling, powerful!
Without help it is too much for us.
But there is One who has all
power that One is God. May you find
Him now!"
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition,
How It Works, Page 58~
And when we turn away from meditation
and prayer, we likewise deprive our minds, our emotions, and our
intuitions of
vitally needed support.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.
97
Misc. AA Literature - Quote
Complete Security?
Upon entering A.A., the spectacle of
years of waste threw us into panic. financial importance was no longer
our principal
aim; we now clamored for material
security.
Even when we were re-established in
our business, terrible fears often continued to haunt us. This made us
misers and
penny-pinchers all over again.
Complete financial security we must have--or else.
We forgot that most alcoholics in A.A.
have an earning power considerably above average; we forgot the immense
good
will of our brother A.A.'s who were
only too eager to help us to better jobs when we deserved them; we
forgot the actual
or potential financial insecurity of
every human being in the world. And, worst of all, we forgot God. In
money matters we
had faith only in ourselves, and not
too much of that. TWELVE AND TWELVE, PP. 120-121
Prayer For The Day: Dear Lord, thank you for this day. I ask
that you give me strength and wisdom to deal with all things that
happen today with intellegence and kindness.