~*~A.A. Thought
For
The Day~*~
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( \ (AA)/ )
(_ /AA\ _)
/AA\
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Step One
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"No
other kind of bankruptcy is like this one. Alcohol, now become the rapacious
creditor, bleeds us all of self-sufficiency and all will to resist its
demands. Once this stark fact is accepted, our bankruptcy as going human
concerns is complete. But upon entering AA we soon take quite another view
of this absolute humiliation. We perceive that only through utter defeat
are we able to take our first steps toward liberation and strength.
Our admissions of personal powerlessness finally turn out to be firm
bedrock upon which happy and purposeful lives may be built."
1952AAWS, Twelve
Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 21
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Thought
to Consider . . .
Once we
clear a hurdle, it doesn't seem so high.
I was spiritually bankrupt long before AA entered my life and
long before alcoholism took over like a parasite under my skin. I had nothing,
no faith at all to cling to. I had no faith in man, because along with my
drinking I had lost faith in myself. I trusted no one, for others were but a
mere reflection of my own self, and I could not trust me.
I got sober in AA, and, like a miracle, the warm flood of reality
I had feared for so long flowed over me, and I was no longer afraid. I began to
wonder why. Along with sobriety, something new had come into my life.
I began to have concern for others. This word concern,
along with its sister consideration, was an alien thing to me. I had
believed myself capable of falling in love; I had thought myself a loving
mother; but these emotions, I now perceive, had been reflections of my own
self-interest. Nothing penetrated beyond my self. I began, in early sobriety, to
feel compassion for other drunks, then for my children, then for my
ex-husband. This compassion, a feeling accompanied later by love, opened the
door to a huge fortress within me which had been forever locked.
1973, AAWS, Inc., Came to Believe, pages
118-119.
*~*^As
Bill
Sees
It^*~*
Middle of the Road
"In
some sections of A.A., anonymity is carried to the point of real absurdity.
Members are on such a poor basis of communication that they don't even know each
other's last names or where each lives. It's like the cell of an underground.
"In other sections, we see exactly the reverse. It is difficult to restrain
A.A.'s from shouting too much before the whole public, by going on
spectacular 'lecture tours' to play the big shot. "However, I know that
from these extremes we slowly pull ourselves onto a middle ground. Most
lecture-giving members do not last too long, and the super anonymous people are
apt to come out of hiding respecting their A.A. friends, business associates,
and the like. I think the long-time trend is toward the middle of the road -
which is probably where we should be."
LETTER, 1959
*~*^Big
Book
Quote^*~*
"We constantly remind ourselves we are
no longer running the show, humbly saying to ourselves many times each day
"Thy will be done." We are then in much less danger of excitement, fear,
anger, worry, self-pity, or foolish decisions. We become much more
efficient. We do not tire so easily, for we are not burning up energy
foolishly as we did when we were trying to arrange life to suit
ourselves."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg.
87~
*~*^Twenty
Four
Hours A
Day^*~*
A.A. Thought for the Day
"We cannot get along without prayer
and meditation. on awakening, let us think about the twenty-four hours ahead. We
consider our plans for the day. Before we begin, we ask God to direct our
thinking. Our thought lives will be placed on a much higher plane when we start
the day with prayer and meditation. We conclude this period of meditation with a
prayer that we will be shown through the day what our next step is to be. The
basis of all our prayers is: Thy will be done in me and through me today."
Am I sincere in my desire to do God's will today?
Meditation for the Day
Breathe in the inspiration of
goodness and truth. It is the spirit of honesty, purity, unselfishness, and
love. It is readily available if we are willing to accept it wholeheartedly. God
has given us two things-His spirit and the power of choice-to accept or not, as
we will. We have the gift of free will. When we choose the path of selfishness
and geed and pride, we are refusing to accept God's spirit. When we choose the
path of love and service, we accept God's spirit and it flows into us and makes
all things new.
Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may choose the right
way. I pray that I may try to follow it to the end.
Hazelden
Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012