Thoughts For The Day~*~Friends ^*^*^ August 16

[Transitions Daily]

~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~
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Friends

"You are going to meet these new friends in your own community.  Near you, alcoholics are dying helplessly like people in a sinking ship.  If you live in a large place, there are hundreds.  High and low, rich and poor, these are future fellows of Alcoholics Anonymous.   Among them you will make lifelong friends.  You will be bound to them with new and wonderful ties, for you will escape disaster together and you will commence shoulder to shoulder your common journey.  Then you will know what it means to give of yourself that others may survive and rediscover life.  You will learn a full meaning of 'Love thy neighbor as thyself.'"
1976 AAWS
Alcoholics Anonymous pp. 152-153

Thought to Consider . . .

When we love, we see in others what we wish to have in ourselves.

*~*AACRONYMS*~*

B O G G L E
Bad Or Good, God Loves Everyone

*~*^Just For Today!^*~*

Equals

From "What is sponsorship?"

 

"Alcoholics Anonymous began with sponsorship.  When Bill W., only a few months sober, was stricken with a powerful urge to drink, this thought came to him: 'You need another alcoholic to talk to.  You need another alcoholic just as much as he needs you!' He found Dr. Bob, who had been trying desperately and unsuccessfully to stop drinking, and out of their common need A.A. was born.  The word 'sponsor' was not used then; the Twelve Steps had not been written; but Bill carried the message to Dr. Bob, who in turn safeguarded his own sobriety by sponsoring countless other alcoholics. In A.A., sponsor and sponsored meet as equals, just as Bill and Dr. Bob did."

1983 Questions & Answers on Sponsorship
(A.A. Pamphlet P-15), page 7

*^Daily Reflections^*

"I HAD DROPPED OUT"

We might next ask ourselves what we mean when we say that we have "harmed" other people.  What kinds of "harm" do people do one another, anyway?  To define the word "harm" in a practical way, we might call it the result of instincts in collision, which cause physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual damage to people.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS p. 80

I had been to Eighth Step meetings, always thinking, "I really haven't harmed many people, mostly myself." But the time came when I wrote my list out and it was not as short as I thought it would be. I either liked you, disliked you, or needed something from you - it was that simple. People hadn't done what I wanted them to do and intimate relationships were out of hand because of my partners' unreasonable demands. Were these "sins of omission"?  Because of my drinking, I had "dropped out" - never sending cards, returning calls, being there for other people, or taking part in their lives. What a grace it has been to look at these relationships, to make my inventories in quiet, alone with the God of my understanding, and to go forth daily, with a willingness to be honest and forthright in my relationships.
Copyright 1990
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.

*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*

The Beginning of True Kinship

When we reached A.A., and for the first time in our lives stood among people who seemed to understand, the sense of belonging was tremendously exciting. We thought the isolation problem had been solved. But we soon discovered that, while we weren't alone any more in a social sense, we still suffered many of the old pangs of anxious apartness. Until we had talked with complete candor of our conflicts, and had listened to someone else do the same thing, we still didn't belong. Step Five was the answer. It was the beginning of true kinship with man and God.
TWELVE AND TWELVE p. 57

*~*^Big Book Quote^*~*

"Opinions vary considerably as to why the alcoholic reacts differently from normal people. We are not sure why, once a certain point is reached, little can be done for him. We cannot answer the riddle."
Alcoholics Anonymous 4th Edition
There Is A Solution, pg. 22

*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*

A.A. Thought for the Day

"The alcoholic is absolutely unable to stop drinking on the basis of self-knowledge. We must admit we can do nothing about it ourselves. Willpower and self-knowledge will never help in the strange mental blank spots when we are tempted to drink. An alcoholic mentally is in a very sick condition. The last flicker of conviction that we can do the job ourselves must be snuffed out. The spiritual answer and the program of action are the only hope. Only spiritual principles will solve our problems. We are completely helpless apart from Divine help. Our defense against drinking must come from a Higher Power." Have I accepted the spiritual answer and the program of action?

Meditation for the Day

Rest now until life, eternal life, flowing through your veins and heart and mind, bids you to bestir yourself. Then glad work will follow. Tired work is never effective. The strength of God's spirit is always available to the tired mind and body. He is your physician and your healer. Look to these quiet times of communion with God for rest, for peace, for cure. Then rise refreshed in spirit and go out to work, knowing that your strength is able to meet any problems because it is reinforced by God's power.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that the peace I have found will make me effective. I pray that I may be relieved of all strain during this day.
Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

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