Thoughts For The Day~*~Instincts^*^*^*^*^ June 4
Transitions Daily
~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
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Instincts
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"The idea keeps persisting that the instincts
are primarily bad and are the roadblocks
before which all spirituality falters.
I believe that the difference between good and evil
is not the difference between spiritual
and instinctual man;
it is the difference between proper and improper
use of the instinctual.
Recognition and right channeling of the instinctual
are the essence of achieving wholeness."
Bill W., Letter, 1954
1967AAWS, As Bill Sees It, p. 287
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Thought to Consider . . .
When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.
*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
G R A C E = Gently Releasing All Conscious Expectations
*~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~*
"Poor health and a complete lack of money necessitated my remaining with Dr. Bob and Anne for very close to a year. It would be impossible for me to pass over this year without mentioning my love for, and my indebtedness to, these two wonderful people who are no longer with us. They made me feel as if I were a part of their family, and so did their children. The example that they and Bill W., whose visits to Akron were fairly frequent, set for me of service to their fellow men imbued me with a great desire to emulate them."
2001 AAWS, Inc., Fourth Edition; Alcoholics Anonymous, pgs. 251-52
*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
LETTING GO OF OUR OLD SELVES
Carefully reading the first five proposals we ask if we have omitted
anything, for we are building an arch through which we shall walk a free man at last. . . . Are we now ready to let God remove from us all the things which we have admitted are objectionable?
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, pp. 75, 76
The Sixth Step is the last "preparation" Step. Although I have already used prayer extensively, I have made no formal request of my Higher Power in the first Six Steps. I have identified my problem, come to believe that there is a solution, made a decision to seek this solution, and have "cleaned house." I now ask: Am I willing to live a life of sobriety, of change, to let go of my old self? I must determine if I am truly ready to change. I review what I have done and become willing for God to remove all my defects of character; for in the next Step, I will tell my Creator I am willing and will ask for help. If I have been thorough in the preparation of my foundation and feel that I am willing to change, I am then ready to continue
with the next Step. "If we still cling to something we will not let go, we ask God to help us be willing." (Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 76)
Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Built by the One and the Many
We give thanks to our Heavenly Father, who through so many friends and through many means and channels, has allowed us to construct this wonderful edifice of the spirit in which we are now dwelling--this cathedral whose foundations already rest upon the corners of the earth. On its great floor we have inscribed our Twelve Steps of recovery. On the side walls, the buttresses of A.A. Traditions have been set in place to contain us in unity for as long as God may will it so. Eager hearts and hands have lifted the spire of our cathedral into its place. That spire bears the name of service. May it ever point straight upward toward God.
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"Its is not only to the few that we owe the remarkable developments in our unity and in our ability to carry A.A.'s message everywhere. It is to the many; indeed, it is to the labors of all of us that owe these prime blessings."
1. A.A. COMES OF AGE, P. 234
2. TALK, 1959
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
"Let no alcoholic say he cannot recover unless he has his family back. This just isn't so. In some cases the wife will never come back for one reason or another. Remind the prospect that his recovery is not dependent upon people. It is dependent upon his
relationship with God. We have seen men get well whose families have not returned at all. We have seen others slip when the family came back too soon."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Working With Others, pg. 99~
*~*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*~*
A.A. Thought for the Day
Some things I like since becoming dry: feeling good in the morning; full use of my intelligence; joy in my work; the love and trust of my children; lack of remorse; the confidence of my friends; the prospect of a happy future; the appreciation of the beauties of nature; knowing what it is all about. I'm sure that I like these things, am I not?
Meditation for the Day
Molding your life means cutting and shaping your material into something good, something that can express the spiritual. All material things are the clay out of which we mold something spiritual. You must first recognize the selfishness in your desires and motives, actions and words, and then mold that selfishness until it is sublimated into a spiritual weapon for good. As the work of molding proceeds, you see more and more clearly what must be done to mold your life into something better.
Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may mold my life into something useful and good. I pray that I may not be discouraged by the slow progress that I make.
Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012