~*~A.A.
Thoughts
For
The
Day~*~
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Growing Pains
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"How to translate a right mental conviction into a
right emotional result, and so into easy, happy, and good living - well,
that's not only the neurotic's problem, it's the problem of life itself for
all of us who have got to the point of real willingness to hew to right
principles. Even then, as we hew away, peace and joy may still elude us.
That's the place so many of us AA oldsters have come to. And it's a hell
of a spot, literally."
- Bill W.
1988AAGrapevine, The Language of the
Heart, p. 237
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Thought
to Consider . . .
Minds are like parachutes - they won't work unless
they're open.
*~*AACRONYMS*~*
S O B E R =
Simply Observe Bill's Exemplary Recovery
*~*^Just
For
Today!^*~*
Reactions to
Money
Tradition
Seven: Every A.A. group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside
contributions.
Alcoholics are
certainly all-or-nothing people. Our reactions to money prove this. As A.A.
emerged from its infancy into adolescence, we swung from the idea that we needed
vast sums of money to the notion that A.A. shouldn't have any. On every lip were
the words You can't mix A.A. and money. We shall have to separate the spiritual
from the material. We took this violent new tack because here and there members
had tried to make money out of their A.A. connections, and we feared we'd be
exploited. Now and then, grateful benefactors had endowed clubhouses, and as a
result there was sometimes outside interference in
our affairs. We had been presented with a hospital, and almost immediately the
donor's son became its principal patient and would-be manager. One A.A. group
was given five thousand dollars to do with what it would. The hassle over that
chunk of money played havoc for years. Frightened by these complications, some
groups refused to have a cent in their treasuries.
1981, AAWS, Inc., Twelve Steps and Twelve
Traditions, page
161
*~*^Daily
Reflections^*~*
A LOOK BACKWARD
First, we take a look backward
and try to discover where we have been at fault; next we make a vigorous attempt
to repair the damage we have done; . . .
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p.
77
As a traveler on a fresh and exciting A.A.
journey of recovery, I experienced a newfound peace of mind and the
horizon appeared clear and bright, rather than obscure and dim. Reviewing
my life to discover where I had been at fault seemed to be such an arduous and
dangerous task. It was painful to pause and look backward. I was
afraid I might stumble! Couldn't I put the past out of my mind and just
live in my new golden present? I realized that those in the past whom I
had harmed stood between me and my desire to continue my movement toward
serenity. I had to ask for courage to face those persons from my life who
still lived in my conscience, to recognize and deal with the guilt that their
presence produced in me. I had to look at the damage I had done, and
become willing to make amends. Only then could my journey of the spirit
resume.
Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES,
INC.
*~*^As
Bill
Sees
It^*~*
Leadership in A.A.
No society can function well without able leadership
at all its levels, and A.A. can be no exception. But we A.A.'s sometimes cherish
the thought that we can do without much personal leadership at all. We are apt
to warp the traditional idea of "principles before personalities" around to such
a point that there would be no "personality" in leadership whatever. This would
imply rather faceless robots trying to please everybody. A leader in A.A.
service is a man (or woman) who can personally put principles, plans, and
policies into such dedicated and effective action that the rest of us naturally
want to back him up and help him with his job. When a leader powerdrives us
badly, we rebel; but when he too meekly becomes an order-taker and he exercises
no judgment of his own -- well, he really isn't a leader at all.
TWELVE CONCEPTS, pp. 39, 40
*~*^Big
Book
Quote^*~*
"The fact is that most
alcoholics, for reasons yet obscure, have lost the power of choice in drink.
Our so-called will power becomes practically nonexistent. We are unable, at
certain times, to bring into our consciousness with sufficient force the
memory of the suffering and humiliation of even a week or a month ago. We
are without defense against the first drink."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, There Is A
Solution, pg. 24~
*~*^Twenty
Four
Hours A
Day^*~*
A.A. Thought for the Day
"There was nothing left for us
but to pick up the simple kit of spiritual tools laid at our feet by
Alcoholics Anonymous. By doing so, we have a spiritual experience which
revolutionizes our whole attitude toward life, toward others, and toward God's
universe. The central fact of our lives today is the absolute certainty that our
Creator has entered into our hearts and lives there in a way that is indeed
miraculous. He has commenced to accomplish those things for us that we could
never do for ourselves." Have I let God come into my life?
Meditation for the
Day
The moment a thing seems wrong to you or a
person's actions to be not what you think they should be, at that moment begins
your obligation and responsibility to pray for those wrongs to be righted or
that person to be changed. What is wrong in your surroundings or in the people
you know? Think about these things and make these matters your responsibility.
Not to interfere or be a busybody, but to pray that a change may come through
your influence. You may see lives altered and evils banished in time. You can
become a force for good wherever you are.
Prayer for the Day
I
pray that I may be a co-worker with God. I pray that I may help people by
my example.
Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012