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( \(AA)/ )
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Newcomers
"Abandon yourself to God as you understand God. Admit your
faults to Him and your fellows. Clear away the wreckage of your past.
Give freely of what you find and join us. We shall be with you in the
Fellowship of the Spirit, and you will surely meet some of us as you
trudge the Road of Happy Destiny. May God bless you and keep you - until
then."
1976 AAWS,
Alcoholics Anonymous,
p.
164
Thought
to Consider . . .
Newcomers are the lifeblood of the program. But our oldtimers are the arteries.
*~*AACRONYMS*~*
A B C
Acceptance, Belief, Change
*~*^Just
For
Today!^*~*
Impatient
From: "Gutter Bravado"
Still very
impatient, I wanted the whole deal right away. That's why I related so well to
the story about a wide-eyed new person and an oldtimer. When the newcomer
approached the oldtimer, envying his accomplishments and many years of sobriety,
the oldtimer slapped down his hand like a gavel and said, "I'll trade you even!
My thirty years for your thirty days - right now!" He knew what the newcomer had
yet to find out: that true happiness is found in the journey, not the
destination.
2001 AAWS Inc.
Alcoholics Anonymous, pages
510-511
*^Daily
Reflections^*
TOWARD EMOTIONAL FREEDOM
Since defective relations with other human
beings have nearly always been the immediate cause of our woes, including our
alcoholism, no field of investigation could yield more satisfying and valuable
rewards than this one.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p.80
Willingness is a peculiar thing for me in that, over a period of
time, it seems to come, first with awareness, but then with a feeling of
discomfort, making me want to take some action. As I reflected on
taking the Eighth Step, my willingness to make amends to others came as a desire
for forgiveness, of others and myself. I felt forgiveness toward others
after I became aware of my part in the difficulties of relationships. I wanted
to feel the peace and serenity described in the Promises. From working the
first seven Steps, I became aware of whom I had harmed and that I had been my
own worst enemy. In order to restore my relationships with my fellow human
beings, I knew I would have to change. I wanted to learn to live in
harmony with myself and others so that I could also live in emotional
freedom. The beginning of the end to my isolation - from my fellows and
from God - came when I wrote my Eighth Step list.
Copyright 1990
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES,
INC.