LEARNING TO LOVE OURSELVES
Alcoholism was a lonely business, even though we were
surrounded by people who loved us... We were trying to
find emotional security either by dominating or by being
dependent upon others . . . We still vainly tried to be
secure by some unhealthy sort of domination or dependence.
AS BILL SEES IT, p. 252
When I did my personal inventory I found that I had
unhealthy relationships with most people in my life-
my friends and family, for example. I always felt isolated
and lonely. I drank to dull emotional pain.
It was through staying sober, having a good sponsor and
working the Twelve Steps that I was able to build up my
low self-esteem. First the Twelve Steps taught me to become
my own best friend, and then, when I was able to love
myself, I could reach out and love others.
***********************************************************
Twenty-Four Hours A Day
A.A. Thought For The Day
It's been proved that we alcoholics can't get sober by our
willpower. We've failed again and again. Therefore I believe
there must be a Higher Power which helps me. I think of that
power as the grace of God. And I pray to God every morning
for the strength to stay sober today. I know that power is
there because it never fails to help me. Do I believe that
AA. works through the grace of God?
Meditation For The Day
Once I am "born of the spirit," that is my life's breath.
Within me is the life of life, so that I can never perish.
The life that down the ages has kept God's children through
peril, adversity, and sorrow. I must try never to doubt or
worry, but follow where the life of the spirit leads. How
often, when little I know it, God goes before me to prepare
the way, to soften a heart, or to overrule a resentment. As
the life of the spirit grows, natural wants become less
important.
Prayer For The Day
I pray that my life may become centered in God more than in
self. I pray that my will may be directed toward doing His will.
***********************************************************
As Bill Sees It
Essence of
Growth, p. 115
Let us never fear needed change. Certainly we have to discriminate
between changes for better. But once a need becomes clearly apparent
in an individual, in a group, or in A.A. as a whole, it has long since
been
found out that we cannot stand still and look the other way.
The essence of all growth is a willingness to change for the better and
then an unremitting willingness to shoulder whatever responsibility this
entails.
Grapevine, July 1965
***********************************************************
Walk in Dry Places
Do I trigger gossip? ______ Personal
inventory.
There is a saying that "listening to gossip is gossip". How
true! If
there were no listeners, there would never be any gossip.
Some of us who pride ourselves in refraining from gossip may still have
a problem with it. It's possible we still keep our ears open for
any
juicy gossip that could fall our way. We might also "shake the tree" if
we believe another person has some gossip to share with us. This
is
done in seemingly innocent ways, sometimes just by mentioning the name
of a person to another who may have strong opinions to express.
The harm of gossip lies in what we do to ourselves when we engage in
it. There is no way we can continue to have spiritual growth if we
practice gossip, even as passive listeners. Spiritual growth takes
place within us, and it needs an environment completely free of an ill
will.
Let's beware of any tendency to say things that induce others to
gossip. At the same time, let's tune out gossip that seems to
occur
spontaneously. Gossip is the enemy of the growth we desire.
It is a real relief to know that today I have no desire to spread
gossip or listen to it. This includes things I might read in
magazines
or newspapers.
***********************************************************
Keep It Simple
The hardest thing to learn in life is which bridge to cross and which
bridge to burn.---David Russell
Making big decisions is like crossing bridges. Sometimes, these
decisions
change our lives. We find that turning back will be very hard. This is
why we have to be very careful when we decide to burn bridges. When we
decide to make changes, we act carefully. We don't want to make
decisions
out of anger or envy. Instead , we can think about what we want and how
our program can help us make wise decisions.
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me cross those bridges
that are
on my path.
Action for the Day: What do I really want in life? What decisions
do I
need to make to get
there?
***********************************************************
Each Day a New Beginning
She knows omnipotence has heard her prayer and cries "it shall be
done--sometime, somewhere." --Ophelia Guyon Browning
Patience is a quality that frequently eludes us. We want what we want
when we want it. Fortunately, we don't get it until the time is right,
but the waiting convinces us our prayers aren't heard. We must believe
that the answer always comes in its own special time and place. The
frustration is that our timetable is seldom like God's.
When we look back over the past few weeks, months, or even years, we
can recall past prayers. Had they all been answered at the time of
request, how different our lives would be. We are each on a path unique
to us, offering special lessons to be learned. Just as a child must
crawl before walking, so must we move slowly, taking the steps in our
growth in sequence.
Our prayers will be answered, sometime, somewhere. Of that we can be
sure. They will be answered for our greater good. And they will be
answered at the right time, the right place, in the right way.
I am participating in a much bigger picture than the one in my
individual prayers. And the big picture is being carefully
orchestrated. I will trust the part I have been chosen to play. And I
can be patient.
***********************************************************
Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth
Edition
Chapter 5 - HOW IT WORKS
Our actor is self-centered- -ego-centric, as people like to call it
nowadays. He is like the retired business man who lolls in the Florida
sunshine in the winter complaining of the sad state of the nation; the
minister who sighs over the sins of the twentieth century; politicians
and reformers who are sure all would be Utopia if the rest of the world
would only behave; the outlaw safe cracker who thinks society has
wronged him; and the alcoholic who has lost all and is locked up.
Whatever our protestations, are not most of us concerned with
ourselves, our resentments, or our self-pity?
pp. 61-62
***********************************************************
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.
God only knows how we got on the
subject, but she was a member of A.A. and later would become my new
sponsor. She picked me up and took me to meetings. At one
of the meetings, I met a guy who for the next year picked me up and
drove me to work. I paid him a dollar each morning. I am
sure that did not cover his gas, but it helped me to feel I was paying
my way. For the first time in my life, I was now supporting
myself.
p. 380
***********************************************************
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."
Those of us who have come to make regular use of prayer would no more
do without it than we would refuse air, food, or sunshine. And for the
same reason. When we refuse air, light, or food, the body suffers. And
when we turn away from meditation and prayer, we likewise deprive our
minds, our emotions, and our intuitions of vitally needed support. As
the body can fail its purpose for lack of nourishment, so can the soul.
We all need the light of God's reality, the nourishment of His
strength, and the atmosphere of His grace. To an amazing extent the
facts of A.A. life confirm this ageless truth.
pp. 97-98
***********************************************************
"With
the
gift
of
listening
comes the gift of healing."
--Catherine de Hueck Doherty
"Dwelling on the negative simply contributes to its power."
--Shirley MacLaine
Encourage your friends, family and co-workers to think positive.
Their enthusiasm will boost you as well.
--Anonymous
Take a break. Move around. Learn to change your perspective.
Maybe you don't need to change what you're looking at. You just need
to change where you stand.
--Melody Beattie
One step at a time. That's how you will get where you are going. You
are being led, each step of the way.
--Melody Beattie
Focus not on circumstances but on our loving and unchanging God.
--Robert Truesdale
***********************************************************
Father Leo's Daily Meditation
MAN
"Man is what he believes. "
--Anton Chekhov
My miracle is that I now believe in me. Today I accept my disease of
addiction and I do not resist or deny it. I believe that I am an
alcoholic. I
believe that I am an overeater. I am a co-dependent. I believe that I am
an adult child of an alcoholic. And this belief enables me to be free.
For too long I played the game of control; blaming and bargaining - and
I lost. Now I choose to surrender to the reality of who I am. I accept
my
disease on a daily basis and I make choices with the awareness of my
disease. And it is getting better.
My belief about my addiction has also given me an insight into God and
His gift of freedom. He loves me enough to give me choice and with this
gift comes responsibility. I believe that I am responsible for how I
live
with my addictions. Today I accept that responsibility.
What I believe reflects the God I believe in; I believe in Freedom.
***********************************************************
"And
be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another,
just as God in Christ forgave you."
Ephesians 4:32
"For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there
in the midst of them."
Matthew 18:20
"Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler,
And from the perilous pestilence. He shall cover you with His
feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge; His
truth shall be your shield and buckler."
Psalm 91:3-4
***********************************************************
Daily Inspiration
To allow past problems into your present moments can
make you feel depressed, worried and overwhelmed. Lord, help me to let
go of that which I can do nothing about so that I can take care of that
which I can.
If you would be ashamed to sign your name to your conversation, don't
say it. Lord, my words can have far reaching effects. May the effect
always be good.
***********************************************************
NA Just For Today
Twelve Steps Of Life
"Through abstinence and through
working the Twelve Steps of Narcotics Anonymous, our lives have become
useful."
Basic Text, p. 8
Before coming to Narcotics Anonymous,
our lives were centered around using. For the most part, we had very
little energy left over for jobs, relationships, or other activities.
We served only our addiction.
The Twelve Steps of Narcotics
Anonymous provide a simple way to turn our lives around. We start by
staying clean, a day at a time. When our energy is no longer channeled
into our addiction, we find that we have the energy to pursue other
interests. As we grow in recovery, we become able to sustain healthy
relationships. We become trustworthy employees. Hobbies and recreation
seem more inviting. Through participation in Narcotics Anonymous, we
help others.
Narcotics Anonymous does not promise
us that we will find good jobs, loving relationships, or a fulfilling
life. But when we work the Twelve Steps to the best of our ability, we
find that we can become the type of people who are capable of finding
employment, sustaining loving relationships, and helping others. We
stop serving our disease, and begin serving God and others. The Twelve
Steps are the key to transforming our lives.
Just for today: I will have the wisdom
to use the Twelve Steps in my life, and the courage to grow in my
recovery I will practice my program to become a responsible, productive
member of society.
***********************************************************
You are reading from the book Today's Gift.
My life has been a tapestry of rich
and royal hue, An everlasting vision of the everchanging view, A
wondrous woven magic in bits of blue and gold, A tapestry to feel and
see, impossible to hold. --Carole King
Our lives are patchwork quilts of
mismatched fabrics, all stitched together by an invisible seamstress.
The tattered, blood-red scraps of quarrels, the beige of pastry crust
baked on Saturdays in a grandmother's kitchen that always smelled
sweet, the brilliant colors of our happy moments--picnics and sunsets
and laughter--all these are necessary pieces of the tapestry of our
lives, even our cold, white doubts and emptiness.
All the colors of life sewn together
with the green thread of growth. We are a mixture of feelings and
experiences. Often, we want to cut away a square of painful memory. But
without it, our quilt would lose its beauty, for contrast would
disappear. If a piece is removed, the rest is weakened and incomplete.
How well can I accept any pain I feel
today as a part of my own beauty?
You are reading from the book
Touchstones.
I shall tell you a great secret, my
friend. Do not wait for the last judgment. It takes place every day.
--Albert Camus
We live our program in one-day
portions - and our actions today have immediate consequences. For
instance, if we listen to a brother or a sister in the program, we may
be enriched and the other person strengthened for today's challenge. We
don't have to confront every temptation of life on this day - only the
portion we can handle. Our old insanity would have us predict the
entire story of our future from today's limited viewpoint. But our
spiritual orientation
guides us to restrain ourselves. We
simply live in this moment.
The rewards of recovery are granted
every day. We begin with the gift of a new day and new possibilities.
We now have relationships that sustain us through difficulty and give
us reason to celebrate. We have a new feeling of self-respect and hope.
I am grateful for the rewards of each
day in my spiritual awakening.
You are reading from the book Each Day
a New Beginning.
She knows omnipotence has heard her
prayer and cries "it shall be done--sometime, somewhere." --Ophelia
Guyon Browning
Patience is a quality that frequently
eludes us. We want what we want when we want it. Fortunately, we don't
get it until the time is right, but the waiting convinces us our
prayers aren't heard. We must believe that the answer always comes in
its own special time and place. The frustration is that our timetable
is seldom like God's.
When we look back over the past few
weeks, months, or even years, we can recall past prayers. Had they all
been answered at the time of request, how different our lives would be.
We are each on a path unique to us, offering special lessons to be
learned. Just as a child must crawl before walking, so must we move
slowly, taking the steps in our growth in sequence.
Our prayers will be answered,
sometime, somewhere. Of that we can be sure. They will be answered for
our greater good. And they will be answered at the right time, the
right place, in the right way.
I am participating in a much bigger
picture than the one in my individual prayers. And the big picture is
being carefully orchestrated. I will trust the part I have been chosen
to play. And I can be patient.
You are reading from the book The
Language of Letting Go.
Lessons on the Job
Often, the spiritual and recovery
lessons were learning at work reflect the lessons were learning in
other areas of our life.
Often, the systems were attracted to
in our working life are similar to the systems in which we find
ourselves living and loving. Those are the systems that reflect our
issues and can help us learn our lessons.
Are we slowly learning to trust
ourselves at work? How about at home? Are we slowly learning to take
care of ourselves at work? How about at home? Are we slowly learning
boundaries and self-esteem, overcoming fear, and dealing with feelings?
If we search back over our work
history, we will probably see that it is a mirror of our issues, our
growth. It most likely is now too.
For today, we can believe that we are
right where we need to be - at home and at work.
Today, I will accept my present
circumstances on the job. I will reflect on how what I am learning in
my life applies to what Im learning at work. If I don't know, I will
surrender to the experience until that becomes clear. God, help me
accept the work I have been given to do today. Help me be open to and
learn what I need to be learning. Help me trust that it can and will be
good.
Today I can set my goals with the
clear and confident knowledge that I can only do one thing at a time
and take one step at a time towards that goal. I do not need to wait
until I reach the goal to be happy and satisfied. I am fulfilled with
each step, knowing that is all I can do in each moment. --Ruth Fishel
******************************************
Journey To The Heart
Change Your Perspective
Sometimes a slight difference in where
we stand can dramatically change how we see things.
One morning, shortly after sunrise, I
climbed to the top of a mesa in Sedona. I’d been there the day before,
staring at the shapes and forms of the other mesas, and gazing down
upon the city. Now this morning I sat in a different place to meditate
and to look around. The spot where I sat this day was only a few feet
from where I’d sat before, but the view looked entirely different. I
saw different shapes and forms in the mesas. I saw a different view of
the city, the world below.
We often need to change our position
so we can see things differently. We don’t have to make a dramatic
change, we just need to move around a little. Perhaps an unresolved
issue is blocking our vision, blocking us from seeing the beauty that’s
there. Maybe a bit of anger or self-contempt is interfering with our
vision. Maybe the changes we need to make are minor, much less than we
thought. Maybe we simply need to look at whatever we are viewing
without fear, to change our mood and see it with the eyes of love.
Take a break. Move around. Learn to
change your perspective. Maybe you don’t need to change what you’re
looking at. You just need to change where you stand.
******************************************
More Language Of Letting Go
Put your intentions out there
Be clear on what you want. If you’re
starting a business, taking a new job, learning a new skill, or
beginning a relationship, state clearly to yourself what you’re looking
for. What level of performance are you hoping to reach? Stay realistic,
but not pessimistic. What do you want? Be clear with the universe about
what your intentions are. Be as specific as you can be.
If you’re on the dating scene, what
are you looking for? Some fun? A spouse? Be clear and specific about
what you want.
After you’ve focused and clarified
your intentions, then let your intentions go. Sometimes in life we
can’t get what we want. Other times, we can. And sometimes the journey
to getting there is full of twists and turns, much more of an adventure
than anything we could have planned.
Besides, the clearer we can be about
what we want, the easier it will be to recognize and enjoy it when it
comes our way.
God, help me be clear with you and
myself about what I really want. Then, help me let go of my intentions
and surrender to your plan.
******************************************
In God’s Care
God creates out of nothing. Therefore
until a man is nothing, God can make nothing out of him.
~~Martin Luther
To bring our addictions under control,
we had to surrrender them – and our willpower – to a higher authority.
God relieves us of our compulsions as soon as we admit that we are
powerless over them. But surrender doesn’t end there. If we wish to
move beyond that point – to grow spiritually, to gain peace of mind –
relinquishing our self-will must become habitual. We must give God a
clean slate every hour, every day.
When we think we have everything under
control, we are in trouble. A Course In Miracles tells us, “Whenever
you think you know, peace will depart from you, because you have
abandoned the Teacher of peace.” Moreover, it is when we admit we do
not know how to run our life that peace returns. We invite God back by
turning a deaf ear to our selfish ego.
I offer God a clean slate on which to
write my life.
******************************************
Freeing Yourself
Knowing When to Let Someone Go
by Madisyn Taylor
Knowing when to let somebody go and
leave a relationship is a true act of self-love.
Just as a good relationship can have a
positive impact on your life, stressful, draining, or imbalanced
relationships can have negative effects on your health and well-being.
It’s common to maintain a relationship because we feel the other person
needs us or we believe that they will eventually change. We may also be
afraid of hurting the other person or feel insecure in our ability to
find new relationships. But knowing when to end a relationship and
acknowledging that the pain will pass can often prevent greater pain
and feelings of loss in the long run.
If you’re in a relationship that isn’t
satisfying or one that has become unhealthy for you, rather than
spending energy attempting to fix the problem or complaining, ask
yourself what you really want from the relationship. Consider whether
the other person truly considers your feelings or if they are willing
to change their behavior. Ask yourself if you’ve often thought about
ending the relationship or if you feel your bonds have atrophied. While
every relationship has ups and downs, when there are more downs than
ups or the two of you are bringing out the worst in each other, it may
be time to sever the connection. Be honest with yourself and your
answers, even if the truth is painful.
Relationships thrive on honesty,
communication, mutual caring, and time spent together. When one or more
of these elements are missing, it may be that the relationship, no
matter how passionate, simply isn’t worth it. It’s far better to end a
relationship that doesn’t feel right than to hold on to it and languish
in feelings of anger or resentment. Moving on without struggle, on the
other hand, can be the door that leads you to a more nurturing
relationship in the future. Published with permission from Daily OM
******************************************
A Day At A Time
Reflection For The Day
We come to know in The Program that
there is no deeper satisfaction and no greater joy than in a Twelfth
Step well done. To watch the eyes of men and women open with wonder as
they move from darkness to light, to see their lives quickly fill with
new purpose and meaning, and above all to watch them awaken to the
presence of a loving God in their lives — these things are the
substance of what we receive as we carry the message of The Program. Am
I learning through Twelfth Step experiences that gratitude should go
forward, rather than backward?
Today I Pray
May my Twelfth Steps be a wholehearted
and as convincing and as constructive as others’ Twelfth-Stepping has
been to me. May I realize that the might of The Program and its
effectiveness for all of us come through “passing it on.” When I guide
someone else to sobriety, my own sobriety is underlined and reinforced.
I humbly ask God’s guidance before each Twelfth Step.
Today I Will Remember
To pass it on.
******************************************
One More Day
To struggle when hope is banished.
To live when life’s salt is gone!
To dwell in a dream that’s vanished –
To endure, and go calmly on!
– Ben Jonson
At times we all dwell in the mansions
created by our own dreams. When dream rooms are the only ones we visit,
however, reality will jar us back to the present. We then have only two
choices: to move forward or to live continually in the past.
Just when it seems there is no future,
that there is no chance to ever live a normal life again, a thread of
hope surfaces, and we struggle onward. Recognition that we can — and
are — still enduring gives rise to hope and helps us go calmly on.
Dreams are sacred to me, but I must
live in the present so I can survive day to day.
************************************
Food For Thought
Hungry or Bored?
When we ate compulsively, we often interpreted boredom to be hunger.
When there seemed to be nothing else to do, we could always eat!
Unstructured time may have made us anxious; we thought we could fill up
with food and allay our anxieties.
To be egotistical and self-centered is to be bored. If we are always
the center of our awareness, we will soon tire of ourselves, since none
of us is all that fascinating. In order to escape boredom, we need to
turn our attention outward and focus on something besides self.
When we give our lives to our Higher Power, we are making a commitment
of service. We are asking that His will be done and that He use us as
He sees fit. By relieving us of our obsession, God frees us from
slavery to our appetites. If we are to remain free, we need to serve
Him instead of ourselves. Day by day, He shows us our tasks and as we
become absorbed in them, we lose our boredom along with our false
hunger.
May I know the true nourishment of doing Your will.
*****************************************
One Day At A Time
~ Loneliness ~
Feeling our loneliness magnifies it.
Understanding our loneliness can open
doors into our self-awareness,
which we long for and need.
Anthony Robbins
Before I found my Twelve Step program,
I felt so lonely. I was stuck in total isolation and the feeling of
loneliness felt one hundred times worse. The isolation and loneliness
caused me to continually eat ... and so I'd isolate more. What a
vicious cycle!
When I found my recovery program, I
still wanted to isolate. When going to meetings, I wanted the seat with
nobody around it. I didn't want to open my mouth to share or talk, even
after the meeting. I kept coming back even though I felt alone, because
I heard familiar things that really interested me. I eventually saw
that most of the people in the room felt the same loneliness I did. I
began to understand why I felt so lonely.
When I understood that my compulsive
eating was causing me to isolate and be more lonely, a big burden was
lifted off my shoulders. I finally felt some hope! Then I found that
there were many other doors in the past that I should open and become
more aware of. These past happenings were what started and fueled this
disease of compulsive eating. I wanted to know but I was also afraid to
find out.
The similarities, kindness and love I
found in the rooms made it easier to look at my past. Understanding
that I was not the total reason for my loneliness, I began making
amends. I needed to forgive others who had harmed me and those I had
harmed. I felt lighter and more self aware, and confidence began to
emerge.
One Day at a Time . . .
I will remember that it's okay and
good to feel my feelings but they don't have to rule my life. I don't
have to let loneliness magnify, causing me to eat uncontrollably to
solve the problem. I've learned to turn things over to my Higher Power
and to let them go. Looking back is the key to my self-awareness and my
recovery.
~ Jeanette ~
*****************************************
AA 'Big Book' - Quote
Nearly every modern employer feels a
moral responsibility for the well-being of his help, and he tries to
meet these responsibilities. That he has not always done so for the
alcoholic is easily understood. To him the alcoholic has often seemed a
fool of the first magnitude. Because of the employee's special ability,
or of his own strong personal attachment to him, the employer has
sometimes kept such a man at work long beyond a reasonable period. Some
employers have tried every known remedy. In only a few instances has
there been a lack of patience and tolerance. And we, who have imposed
on the best of employers, can scarcely blame them if they have been
short with us. - Pgs. 137-138 - To Employers
Hour To Hour - Book - Quote
Irrational actions and comments made
in stress-filled moments can keep you awake at night. If you have said
or done something unkind or irrational yesterday or today, you can
resolve the situation by making amends as soon as you get off this
computer.
I forgive myself for whatever
irrational and unkind thing I may have done. I do this by making amends
to whomever I have hurt and I do it promptly.
The Power is in the Now
I recognize that the present is alive
and vibrant and creative. All of the creative power of this alive and
radiant universe is in the present, in the here and now. If I align
myself with the present, if I allow myself to fully experience this
moment, I will find all I need in it. There is magic in this moment,
there is beauty and vibrancy in it that resonates throughout my life.
What I experience now, creates my future.
There is nothing like the present
- Tian Dayton PhD
Pocket Sponsor - Book - Quote
Recovery is not the absence of
conflict but the ability to cope with it.
My recovery comes from new daily
habits I form in seconds, minutes, and hours of simple Twelve-Step
living.
"Walk Softly and Carry a Big Book" - Book
Pray like you mean it.
Time for Joy - Book - Quote
Today I am practicing looking at all
beings with the eyes of compassion. Not only do I feel good when I come
from a place of love and understanding, I also feel useful and
connected.
Alkiespeak - Book - Quote
I'm just grateful for a door that
opens from both sides. - Sailor Bill.
*****************************************
AA Thought for the Day
April 24
The Journey
Sobriety is a journey of joyful
discovery.
Each day brings new experience,
awareness, greater hope,
deeper faith, broader tolerance.
- Daily Reflections, p. 126
Thought to Ponder . . .
The joy is in the journey, so enjoy
the ride.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
AA = Adventurers Anonymous.
~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
Language of the Heart
"As we better use the
'language of the heart,'
our communications grow apace:
already we find ourselves in a safe
passage through
all those barriers of distance and
language,
of social distinctions,
nationality and creed,
that so divide the world of our time."
Bill W., AA Today, published on the
occasion of AA's twenty-fifth anniversary.
The Language of the Heart, pp. 309-10
Thought to Consider . . .
I am responsible for carrying the
message.
I am not responsible for anyone
receiving the message.
*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
HEART
Healing Enjoying And Recovering
Together
*~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~*
Accountability
From "The Three Legacies of Alcoholics
Anonymous":
"It was evident that here was a
world-wide movement that had no direct access to its own principal
service affairs. The
Trustees had authority over our
services; A.A. itself had no authority. The simple trusteeship had been
the ideal
guardian for our infancy and
adolescence, but how in future years could it possibly go on
functioning as it had?
"At first we had talked vaguely about
a hand-picked advisory council or an elected conference of some sort.
But since
there was no imminent danger, no
action was taken.
"Following a long plea for an elected
A.A. conference and other reforms, and after having pointed out that
the Trustees
had all the authority there was, with
no responsibility to anyone, even to Dr. Bob and me.
"I set out on the road in 1948 to
sound out among the groups the possibility of an elected conference to
which the Board
of Trustees could eventually become
accountable. Bill W."
2001 AAWS, Inc.; Alcoholics Anonymous
Comes of Age, pgs. 210-11
*~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
"I look upon a pain in my feelings as
temporary indigestion of the mind. When I get a stomach-ache, it is
generally
because I've eaten something that
hasn't agreed with me. Likewise, my mental indigestion comes from some
story, bit
of gossip or circumstance that I've
swallowed without thinking."
Elmhurst, New York, March 1950
"Got a Pain in Your Feelings?,"
Emotional Sobriety II: The Next
Frontier
~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve
Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~*
"Do not be discouraged if your
prospect does not respond at once.
Search out another alcoholic and try
again. You are sure to find
someone desperate enough to accept
with eagerness what you offer. We find it a waste of time to keep
chasing a man
who cannot or will not work with you.
If you leave such a person alone, he may soon become convinced that he
cannot
recover by himself. To spend too much
time on any one situation is to deny some other alcoholic an
opportunity to live and be happy."
Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition,
Working With Others, pg. 96
"We have begun to comprehend their
futility and their fatality. We
have commenced to see their terrible
destructiveness. We have begun
to learn tolerance, patience and good
will toward all men, even our
enemies, for we look on them as sick
people."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition,
How It Works, Pg. 70~
We have gained some understanding of
the ancient words “Freely ye have received, freely give.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.
166
Misc. AA Literature - Quote
No Personal Power
'At first, the remedy for my personal
difficulties seemed so obvious that I could not imagine any alcoholic
turning the
proposition down were it properly
presented to him. Believing so firmly that Christ can do anything, I
had the
unconscious conceit to suppose that He
would do everything through me--right then and in the manner I chose.
After six
long months, I had to admit that not a
soul had surely laid hold of the Mater--not excepting myself.
'This brought me to the good healthy
realization that there were plenty of situations left in the world over
which I had no
personal power--that if I was so ready
to admit that to be the case with alcohol, so I must make the same
admission
with respect to much else. I would
have to be still and know that He, not I, was God.' LETTER, 1940
Prayer For The Day: Dear Lord, help me to search my heart
today to see if I am really living what I say I believe. Give me the
courage to look at the REAL me, and with Your help, the strength to
change whatever separates me from You. Create within me such a love for
You that I will not count the cost. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.