Thoughts For The Day~*~Working With Others ^*^*^ September 19
Transitions Daily
~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
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Working With Others
"Life will take on new meaning. To watch people recover, to
see them help others, to watch loneliness vanish, to see a fellowship
grow up about you, to have a host of friends - this is an experience you
must not miss. We know you will not want to miss it."
c. 1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p.
89
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Thought to Consider . . .
Sobriety is a choice and a
treasure.
*~*AACRONYMS*~*
H E A R T = Healing,
Enjoying, And Recovering, Together
*~*^Just For Today!^*~*
That was with me the beginning of a new life. It would be difficult, if not impossible, for me to put into words the change that has taken place in me. I have since learned that with many members the change has been almost instantaneous. This was not the case with me. I was tremendously inspired at first, but my basic thinking was not altered that evening nor did I expect any profound change. I felt that while the spiritual aspect of what these men had was not for me, I did believe strongly in the emphasis they put on the need to help others. I felt that if I could have the inspiration of these gatherings and if I could have an opportunity to try to help others that the two together would reinforce my own will power and thus be of tremendous assistance. But gradually, in a manner I cannot explain, I began to re-examine the beliefs I had thought beyond criticism. Almost imperceptibly my whole attitude toward life underwent a silent revolution. I lost many worries and gained confidence. I found myself saying and thinking things that a short time ago I would have condemned as platitudes! A belief in the basic spirituality of life has grown and with it belief in a supreme and guiding power for good. 2003, AAWS, Inc., Experience, Strength & Hope - Stories from the first three editions of Alcoholics Anonymous, pages 106-107
ACCEPTANCE
We admitted we couldn't lick alcohol with our own remaining resources, and so we accepted the further fact that dependence upon a Higher Power (if only our A.A. group) could do this hitherto impossible job. The moment we were able to accept these facts fully, our release from the alcohol compulsion had begun.
AS BILL SEES IT, p. 109
Freedom came to me only with my acceptance that I could turn my will and my life over to the care of my Higher Power, whom I call God. Serenity seeped into the chaos of my life when I accepted that what I was going through was life, and that God would help me through my difficulties--and much more, as well. Since then He has helped me through all of my difficulties! When I accept situations as they are, not as I wish them to be, then I can begin to grow and have serenity and peace of mind.
Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
Individual Responsibilities
Let us emphasize that our reluctance to fight one another, or anybody else, is not counted as some special virtue which entitles us A.A.'s to feel superior to other people. Nor does this reluctance mean that the members of A.A. are going to back away from their individual responsibilities as citizens. Here they should feel free to act as they see the right upon the public issues of our times. But when it comes to A.A. as a whole, that's quite a different matter. As a group we do not enter into public controversy, because we are sure that our Society will perish if we do.
TWELVE AND TWELVE, p. 177
*~*^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
Let us
continue with Steps Two, Three, and Eleven. We must turn to a Higher Power
for help, because we are helpless ourselves. When we put our drink problem
in God's hands and leave it there, we have made the most important decision
of our lives. From then on, we trust God for the strength to keep sober.
This takes us off the center of the universe and allows us to transfer our
problems to a Power outside ourselves. By prayer and meditation, we seek to
improve our conscious contact with God. We try to live each day the way we
believe God wants us to live. Am I trusting God for the strength to stay
sober?
Meditation for the Day
"These things have I spoken unto you, that your joy
may be full." Even a partial realization of the spiritual life brings much
joy. You feel at home in the world when you are in touch with the Divine
Spirit of the universe. Spiritual experience brings a definite satisfaction.
Search for the real meaning of life by following spiritual laws. God
wants you to have spiritual success and He intends that you have it. If
you live your life as much as possible according to spiritual laws, you can
expect your share of joy and peace, satisfaction and success.
Prayer for the Day
I pray that I will find
happiness in doing the right thing. I pray that I will find satisfaction in
obeying spiritual laws.
Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center
City, MN 55012