Thoughts For The Day~*~Unity ^*^*^ November 21
Transitions Daily
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Unity
The unity of Alcoholics Anonymous is the most cherished quality our Society has. Our lives, the lives of all to come, depend squarely upon it. We stay whole, or AA dies. Without unity, the heart of AA would cease to beat; our world arteries would no longer carry the life-giving grace of God; His gift to us would be spent aimlessly. Back again in their caves, alcoholics would reproach us and say, 'What a great thing AA might have been!"
c. 1952AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 129
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Thought to Consider . . .
AA is not something you join, it's a way of life.
*~*AACRONYMS*~*
T E A M = Together Everyone Achieves More
*~*^Just
For
Today!^*~*
Complete
Defeat
From:
"From the Taproot"
The
principle that we shall find no enduring strength until we first admit complete
defeat is the main taproot from which our whole Society has sprung and
flowered.
Twelve and Twelve, pages 21-22
Every newcomer is told, and soon realizes for himself, that his humble admission of powerlessness over alcohol is his first step toward liberation from its paralyzing grip.
So it
is that we first see humility as a necessity. But this is the barest beginning.
To get completely away from our aversion to the idea of being humble, to gain a
vision of humility as the avenue to true freedom of the human spirit, to be
willing to work for humility as something to be desired for itself, takes most
of us a long, long time. A whole lifetime geared to self-centeredness cannot be
set in reverse all at once.
Twelve and
Twelve,
pages 72-73
1967, AAWS, Inc., As Bill Sees It, page
305
A CLASSIC PRAYER
Lord, make me a channel for thy peace -- that where there is hatred, I may bring love -- that where there is wrong, I may bring the spirit of forgiveness -- that where there is discord, I may bring harmony -- that where there is error, I may bring truth -- that where there is doubt, I may bring faith -- that where there is despair, I may bring hope -- that where there are shadows, I may bring light - that where there is sadness, I may bring joy. Lord, grant that I may seek rather to comfort than to be comforted - to understand, than to be understood - to love, than to be loved. For it is by self-forgetting that one finds. It is by forgiving that one is forgiven. It is by dying that one awakens to Eternal Life. Amen.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 99
No matter where I am in my spiritual growth, the St. Francis prayer helps me improve my conscious contact with the God of my understanding. I think that one of the great advantages of my faith in God is that I do not understand Him, or Her, or It. It may be that my relationship with my Higher Power is so fruitful that I do not have to understand. All that I am certain of is that if I work the Eleventh Step regularly, as best I can, I will continue to improve my conscious contact, I will know His will for me, and I will have the power to carry it out.
*~*^As
Bill
Sees
It^*~*
Humility Brings Hope
Now that we no longer patronize bars
and bordellos, now that we bring home the pay checks, now that we are so very
active in A.A., and now that people congratulate us on these signs of progress -
well, we naturally proceed to congratulate ourselves. Of course, we are not yet
within hailing distance of humility.
<<<>>>
We
ought to be willing to try humility in seeking the removal of our other
shortcomings, just as we did when we admitted that we were powerless over
alcohol, and came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore
us to sanity. If humility could enable us to find the grace by which the deadly
alcohol obsession could be banished, then there must be hope of the same result
respecting any other problem we can possibly have.
1. GRAPEVINE, JUNE 1961 - 2. TWELVE AND TWELVE, p.
76
*~*^Big
Book
Quote^*~*
"Much has already been said about receiving strength,
inspiration, and direction from Him who has all knowledge and power. If we
have carefully followed directions, we have begun to sense the flow of His
Spirit into us. To some extent we have become God-conscious. We have begun to
develop this vital sixth sense. But we must go further and that means more
action."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg.
85~
*~*^Twenty
Four
Hours A
Day^*~*
A.A. Thought for the Day
I
no longer waste money, but try to put it to good use. Like all of us, when I was
drunk, I threw money around like I really had it. It gave me a feeling of
importance-a millionaire for a day. But the morning after, with an empty wallet
and perhaps also some indecipherable checks, was a sad awakening. How could I
have been such a fool? How will I ever make it up? Thoughts like these get you
down. When we are sober, we spend our hard earned money as it should be spent.
Although perhaps some of us could be more generous in our A.A. giving, at least
we do not throw it away. Am I making good use of my money?
Meditation for the Day
You were meant to be at home and comfortable in
the world. Yet some people live a life of quiet desperation. This is the
opposite of being at home and at peace in the world. Let your peace of mind be
evident to those around you. Let others see that you are comfortable, and seeing
it, know that it springs from your trust in a Higher Power. The dull, hard way
of resignation is not God's way. Faith takes the sting out of the winds of
adversity and brings peace even in the midst of struggle.
Prayer
for the Day
I pray that I may be more comfortable in my way
of living. I pray that I may feel more at home and at peace within
myself.
Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN
55012