Thoughts For The Day~*~The Gift ^*^*^ July 26
Transitions Daily
~A.A.
Thoughts
For The
Day~
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The Gift
"When asked, 'Are there any
conditions?' we joyfully reply, 'No, not a one.' When skeptically he
comes back saying, 'But certainly there must be things that I have to do
and believe,' we quickly answer, 'In Alcoholics Anonymous there are no
musts.' Cynically, perhaps, he then inquires,
'What is all this going to cost me?' We are able to laugh and say,
'Nothing at all, there are no fees and dues.' Thus, in a brief hour, is
our friend disarmed of his suspicion and rebellion . . . Alcoholics
Anonymous is saying, 'We have something precious to give, if only you
will receive.' That is all."
Bill W., February 1948
1988AAGrapevine, The
Language of the Heart, p. 79
Thought to Consider . . .
Sobriety
is a gift, not a right
G I F T S = Getting It From The Steps
*~*^Just For Today!^*~*
Stories
"We had not gone much farther
with the text of the book when it was evident that something more was needed.
There would have to be a story or case history section. We would have to produce
evidence in the form of living proof, written testimonials of our membership
itself. It was felt also that the story section could identify us with the
distant reader in a way that the text itself might not. At this point Dr. Bob
and the Akronites played a vital role. The Akron group was the larger and had
more case history material, and the means of putting it into story form now
appeared. Two years earlier a former newspaperman, Jim S., had been lifted off
skid row and nursed back to health and sobriety. Jim and Dr. Bob went after all
the Akronites who had substantial sobriety records for testimonial material. In
most cases Jim interviewed the prospects and wrote their stories for them. Dr.
Bob wrote his own. By January the Akronites had produced eighteen fine
stories."
2001 AAWS, Inc.
Alcoholics
Anonymous Comes of Age, pg.
164
*^Daily
Reflections^*
THE "WORTH" OF SOBRIETY
Every A.A. group ought to be fully
self-supporting, declining outside contributions.
TWELVE STEPS
AND TWELVE TRADITIONS p. 160
When I go shopping I look at the
prices and if I need what I see, buy it and pay. Now that I am supposed to
be in rehabilitation, I have to straighten out my life. When I go to a
meeting, I take a coffee with sugar and milk, sometimes more than one. But
at the collection time, I am either too busy to take money out of my
purse, or I do not have enough, but I am there because I need this
meeting. I heard someone suggest dropping the price of a beer into the
basket, and I thought, that's too much! I almost never give one
dollar. Like many others, I rely on the more generous members to finance
the Fellowship. I forget that it takes money to rent the meeting room, buy
my milk, sugar and cups. I will pay, without hesitation, ninety cents for
a cup of coffee at a restaurant after the meeting; I always have money for
that. So, how much is my sobriety and my inner peace worth?
Copyright 1990
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES,
INC.
*~*^As
Bill
Sees
It^*~*
The Fellowship's Future
"It seems proved that A.A. can stand on its own
feet anywhere and under any conditions. It has outgrown any dependence it might
once have had upon the personalities or efforts of a few of the older members
like me. New, able, and vigorous people keep coming to the surface, turning up
where they are needed. Besides, A.A. has reached enough spiritual maturity to
know that its final dependence is upon God."
<<< >>>
Clearly, our first duty to A.A.'s future is to
maintain in full strength what we now have. Only the most vigilant caretaking
can assure this. Never should we be lulled into complacent self-satisfaction by
the wide acclaim and success that are everywhere ours. This is the subtle
temptation which could render us stagnant today, perchance disintegrate us
tomorrow. We have always rallied to meet and transcend failure and crisis.
Problems have been our stimulants. How well, though, shall we be able to meet
the problems of success?
1. LETTER, 1940
2. A.A. TODAY, p.
106
*~*^Big
Book
Quote^*~*
"We think it no concern of ours what religious bodies our
members identify themselves with as individuals. This should be an
entirely personal affair which each one decides for himself in the light
of past associations, or his present
choice."
Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, There Is A Solution, pg.
28
*^Twenty
Four
Hours A
Day^*
A.A. Thought for the Day
When we come to the end of our lives on
earth, we will take no material thing with us. We will not take one cent
in our cold, dead hands. The only things that we may take are the things
we have given away If we have helped others, we may take that with us; if we
have given of our time and money for the good of A.A., we may take that with
us. Looking back over our lives, what are we proud of? Not what we have
gained for ourselves, but what few good deeds we have done. Those are the
things that really matter in the long run. What will I take with me when I
go?
Meditation for the
Day
"Hallowed be Thy Name." What does that mean to us?
Here "name" is used in the sense of "spirit." The words mean praise to God
for His spirit in the world, making us better. We should be especially
grateful for God's spirit, which gives us the strength to overcome all that
is base in our lives. His spirit is powerful. It can help us to live a
conquering, abundant life. So we praise and thank Him for His spirit in our
lives and in the lives of others.
Prayer for the Day
I
pray that I may be grateful for God's spirit in me. I pray that I may try to
live in accordance with it.
Hazelden
Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012
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