On this date in 1971, the 53rd Anniversary of his marriage to
Lois, Bill W. died.
What can we say,
except "Thanks, Bill."
~A.A.
Thoughts
For
The
Day~
^*^*^*^*^
(\ ~~~ /)
(
\(AA)/ )
(_ /AA\ _)
/AA\
^*^*^*^*^
Belief
Here are thousands of men and women, worldly
indeed. They flatly declare that since they have come to believe in a
Power greater than themselves, to take a certain attitude toward that
Power, and to do certain simple things, there has been a revolutionary
change in their way of living and thinking. In the face of collapse and
despair, in the face of the total failure of their human resources, they
found that a new power, peace, happiness, and sense of direction flowed into
them.
c. 2001AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p.
50
^*^*^*^*^
Thought
to Consider . . .
Newcomers are the lifeblood of the program. But our
old-timers are the arteries.
*~*AACRONYMS*~*
P R O G R
A M = People Relying On God Relay A Message
*~*^Just
For
Today!^*~*
Visibility
From "The Three Legacies of
Alcoholics Anonymous":
"The 1941-1945 period brought
still other developments. Our downtown Vesey Street office was moved to 415
Lexington Avenue, just opposite Grand Central [train] Station. We made this move
because the need for serving the many A.A. travelers through New York had become
urgent. Our new location near Grand Central brought us into contact with
visitors who, for the first time, began to see Alcoholics Anonymous as a vision
for the whole world."
2001 AAWS, Inc.; Alcoholics
Anonymous Comes of Age, pgs.
198-99
*^Daily
Reflections^*
GETTING INVOLVED
There is action and more action. "Faith without works is dead" . .
. To be helpful is our only aim.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, pp.
88-89
I understand that service is a vital
part of recovery but I often wonder, "What can I do?" Simply start with
what I have today! I look around to see where there is a need. Are
the ashtrays full? Do I have hands and feet to empty them?
Suddenly I'm involved! The best speaker may make the worst coffee; the
member who's best with newcomers may be unable to read; the one willing to clean
up may make a mess of the bank account -- yet every one of these people and jobs
is essential to an active group. The miracle of service is this: when I
use what I have, I find there is more available to me than I realized
before.
Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES,
INC.
*~*^As
Bill
Sees
It^*~*
Alike When the Chips Are Down
In
the beginning, it was four whole years before A.A. brought permanent sobriety to
even one alcoholic woman. Like the "high bottoms," the women said they were
different; A.A. couldn't be for them. But as the communication was perfected,
mostly by the women themselves, the picture changed. This process of
identification and transmission has gone on and on. The Skid-Rower said he was
different. Even more loudly, the socialite (or Park Avenue stumblebum) said the
same - so did the artists and the professional people, the rich, the poor, the
religious, the agnostic, the Indians and the Eskimos, the veterans, and the
prisoners. But nowadays all of these, and legions more, soberly talk about
how very much alike all of us alcoholics are when we admit that the chips are
finally down.
GRAPEVINE, OCTOBER 1959
*~*^Big
Book
Quote^*~*
"Yes, there is a substitute and it is
vastly more than that. It is a fellowship in Alcoholics Anonymous. There you
will find release from care, boredom and worry. Your imagination will be
fired. Life will mean something at last. The most satisfactory years of
your existence lie ahead. Thus we find the fellowship, and so will
you."
~Alcoholics Anonymous,
4th Edition, A Vision For You, pg. 152~
*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*
A.A. Thought for the Day
Alcoholics who are living in a blind alley refuse
to be really honest with themselves or with other people. They're running away
from life and won't face things as they are. They won't give up their
resentments. They're too sensitive and too easily hurt. They refuse to try to be
unselfish. They still want everything for themselves. And no matter how many
disastrous experiences they have had with drinking, they still do it over and
over again. There's only one way to get out of that blind alley way of living
and that's to change your thinking. Have I changed my thinking?
Meditation for the Day
I know that the vision and power that I
receive from God are limitless, as far as spiritual things are concerned. But in
temporal and material things, I must submit to limitations. I know that I cannot
see the road ahead. I must go just one step at a time, because God does not
grant me a longer view. I am in uncharted waters, limited by my temporal and
spatial life, but unlimited in my spiritual life.
Prayer for the Day
I pray that, in spite of my material
limitations, I may follow God's way. I pray that I may learn that trying to do
His will is perfect freedom.
Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012