AA Thought For Today - November

[bluidkiti]

AA Thought for the Day

November 1

Serenity Prayer
In 1941, a news clipping was called to our attention by a New York member.
In an obituary notice from a local paper, there appeared these words:
"God grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, the courage to change the things we can,
and the wisdom to know the difference." Never had we seen so much AA in so few words.
With amazing speed the Serenity Prayer came into general use.
- As Bill Sees It, p. 108

Thought to Ponder . . .
Life is fragile, handle with prayer.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
H O P E = Hang On; Pray Every day.

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~

Companionship
"Letting go of everything at once
was both painful and terrifying.
I could never have accomplished this alone.
It took the help, understanding and wonderful companionship that was given so freely to me by my 'ex-alkie' friends.
This and the program of recovery
embodied in the Twelve Steps . . .
Whole new vistas were opened up for me,
new avenues of experience to be explored,
and life began to take on color and interest."
c. 1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 311

Thought to Consider . . .
This is a great day to be sober, patient, tolerant,
kindly and loving.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
C A R E = Comforting And Reassuring Each other

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

Accountable
>From "The Three Legacies of Alcoholics Anonymous":
"By 1940 we had begun to see that the A.A. book should belong to our society itself. Its shares should not be forever scattered among forty-nine subscribers, Ruth Hock, Henry, and me . If the Foundation could acquire these outstanding shares, the book could be placed in trust for A.A. as a whole. They could no longer kick about the book's income being used to run the A.A. office.
"Trustee A. LeRoy Chipman conceived the idea of borrowing enough money from Mr. [John D., Jr.] Rockefeller, two of his sons [including then-future US Vice President Nelson], and the dinner guests to clear away certain debts and to buy all Works Publishing's shares (except Henry's and mine) from the cash subscribers at par. Every one of the cash subscribers gladly consented to this; they were happy to get out even. Mr. Chipman thereupon raised a total of $8,000 dollars, to be repaid to Mr. Rockefeller and the others out of book profits at a later date."
2001 AAWS, Inc.; Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pg. 189

[B]*~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"No prophet can presume to say whether the world outcome will be blazing destruction or the beginning, under God's intention, of the brightest era yet known to mankind. I am sure we AAs well comprehend this scene. In microcosm, we have experienced this identical state of terrifying uncertainty, each in his own life."
AA Co-Founder, Bill W., January 1962
"This Matter of Fear"
The Language of the Heart

*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~*

"If, when you honestly want to, you find you cannot quit entirely,
or if when drinking, you have little control over the amount you take,
you are probably alcoholic. If that be the case, you may be
suffering from an illness which only a spiritual experience will
conquer."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, We Agnostics, pg. 44~

The very practical approach to his problems, the absence of
intolerance of any kind, the informality, the genuine democracy, the
uncanny understanding which these people had were irresistible.
Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, A Vision For You, Page 160

It may be that both will decide that the way of good sense and loving kindness is to let by-gones be by-gones.
-Alcoholics Anonymous p.82

With those we dislike we can begin to practice justice and courtesy, perhaps going out of our way to understand and help them.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.93

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

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.
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.

Prayer for the Day: Please Lord - Please Lord, teach us to laugh again; but God, Don't ever let us forget that we cried.

[bluidkiti]

AA Thought for the Day

November 2

Moral Responsibility
Some strongly object to the AA position that alcoholism is an illness.
This concept, they feel, removes moral responsibility from alcoholics.
As any AA knows, this is far from true. . .
We use the fact of fatal illness to clamp the heaviest kind of moral obligation onto the sufferer,
the obligation to use AA's Twelve Steps to get well.
- As Bill Sees It, p. 32

Thought to Ponder . . .
It's not your fault, but it is your responsibility.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
A A = Accountable Actions.

*~*~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~~*

Oldtimers
"Many oldsters who have put our AA 'booze cure'
to severe but successful tests still find
they often lack emotional sobriety.
To attain this, we must develop real maturity and balance
(which is to say humility)
in our relations with ourselves, with our fellows,
and with God."
Bill W., AA Grapevine, January 1958
c. 1967AAWS, As Bill Sees It, p. 244

Thought to Consider . . .
Newcomers are the lifeblood of the program,
but our oldtimers are the arteries.

*~*~*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
C H A N G E = Choosing Honesty Allows New Growth Every day

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

Spirituality
>From "In His Own Individual Right":
"Spirituality is an awakening or is it all the loose ends woven together into a mellow fabric? It's understanding or is it all the knowledge one need ever know? It's freedom if you consider fear slavery. It's confidence or is it the belief that a higher power will see you through any storm or gale? It's adhering to the dictates of your conscience or is it a deep, genuine, living concern for the people and the planet? I's peace of mind in the face of adversity. It's a keen and sharpened desire for survival. " New York, New York, USA"
1973 AAWS, Inc.; Came to Believe, 30th printing 2004, pg. 5

*~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"In despair, I had cried out, 'Now I am willing to do anything. If there is a God, will he show himself?' And he did. This was my first conscious contact, my first awakening. I asked from the heart, and I received."
AA Co-Founder, Bill W., July 1960
The Language of the Heart

~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~*

"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."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, A Vision For You, pg. 152~

'Abandon yourself to God as you understand God. Admit your faults to Him and to 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.'
Alcoholics Anonymous p.164

The point is, that we are willing to grow along spiritual lines.
-Alcoholics Anonymous p.60

We will want the good that is in us all, even in the worst of us, to flower and to grow.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.98

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

I don't think happiness or unhappiness is the point. How do we meet the problems we face? How do we best learn from them and transmit what we have learned to others, if they would receive the knowledge?
'In my view, we of this world are pupils in a great school of life. It is intended that we try to grow, and that we try to help our fellow travelers to grow in the kind of love that makes no demands. In short, we try to move toward the image and likeness of God as we understand Him.
'When pain comes, we are expected to learn from it willingly, and help others to learn. When happiness comes, we accept it as a gift, and thank God for it.

Prayer for the Day: My Prayer For You -
I thought of you so much today
I went to God in prayer.
To ask Him to watch over you
and show you that I care.
My prayer for you was not for rewards
ones that you can touch or feel.
But true rewards for happiness
that are so very real.
Like love and understanding
in all the things you do.
For guidance when you need it most
to see your troubles through.
I asked Him for good health for you
so your future could be bright.
And faith to accept life's challenges
with courage to do what's right.
I gave thanks to Him for granting my prayer
to bring you peace and love.
May you feel the warmth in your life
with Gods blessings from above.

[bluidkiti]

AA Thought for the Day

November 3

Minding Our Own Business
We saw that the more AA minded its own business the greater the general influence would become.
Medicine and religion and psychiatry began to borrow some of our ideas and experience.
So did research, rehabilitation, and education. All sorts of therapeutic groups began to spring up.
They dealt with gambling, divorce, delinquency, dope addiction, mental illness and the like.
They, too, borrowed from AA but they made their own adaptations.
They worked their own fields, and we did not have to endorse them or tell them how to live.
- Alcoholics Anonymous Comes Of Age, p. 109

Thought to Ponder . . .
"Shoemaker, stick to thy last!" . . . better do one thing supremely well than many badly.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
A A = Always Alive.

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~

Recovery
"Most emphatically we wish to say
that any alcoholic capable of honestly facing his problems
in the light of our experience can recover,
provided he does not close his mind to spiritual concepts.
He can only be defeated by an attitude
of intolerance or belligerent denial.
We find that no one need have difficulty
with the spirituality of the program.
Willingness, honesty and open mindedness
are the essentials of recovery.
But these are indispensable"
c. 1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 570

Thought to Consider . . .
The spiritual life is not a theory. We have to live it.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
W H O = Willingness, Honesty, Openmindedness

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

Undertaker or the Asylum
From: "Bill's Story"
It relieved me somewhat to learn that in alcoholics the will is amazingly weakened when it comes to combating liquor, though it often remains strong in other respects. My incredible behavior in the face of a desperate desire to stop was explained. Understanding myself now, I fared forth in high hope. For three or four months the goose hung high. I went to town regularly and even made a little money. Surely this was the answer - self-knowledge.
But it was not, for the frightful day came when I drank once more. The curve of my declining moral and bodily health fell off like a ski-jump. After a time I returned to the hospital. This was the finish, the curtain, it seemed to me. My weary and despairing wife was informed that it would all end with heart failure during delirium tremens, or I would develop a wet brain, perhaps within a year. She would soon have to give me over to the undertaker or the asylum.
2001, AAWS, Inc., Alcoholics Anonymous, page 7

*~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"I've got a brand new feeling, gratitude -- a feeling that has visited me more and more frequently -- sometimes with the rush of cleansing tears -- sometimes with just a serene flow of mental thank-yous for some small, God-given bonus in a routine day."
Spiritual Awakenings Vol. 1
Minneapolis, Minn., April 1983
"A Rush of Gratitude,"

~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~*

"Actually we were fooling ourselves, for deep down in every man,
woman, and child, is the fundamental idea of God. It may be obscured
by calamity, by pomp, by worship of other things, but in some form
or other it is there. For faith in a Power greater than ourselves, and
miraculous demonstrations of that power in human lives, are facts as
old as man himself."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, We Agnostics, pg. 55~

The basic principles of the A.A. program, it appears, hold good for
individuals with many different lifestyles, just as the program has
brought recovery to those of many different nationalities. The
Twelve Steps that summarize the program may be called los Doce Pasos
in one country, les Douze Etapes in another, but they trace exactly
the same path to recovery that was blazed by the earliest members of
Alcoholics Anonymous.
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Foreward To Third Edition, Page xxii~

I must turn in all things to the Father of Light who presides over us all.
-Alcoholics Anonymous p.14

We all need the light of God's reality, the nourishment of His strength, and the atmosphere of His grace.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.97

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

Above us, at the International Convention at St. Louis in 1955, floated a banner on which was inscribed the then new symbol for A.A., a circle enclosing a triangle. The circle stands for the whole world of A.A., and the triangle stands for A.A.'s Three Legacies: Recovery, Unity, and Service.
It is perhaps no accident that priests and seers of antiquity regarded this symbol as a means of warding off spirits of evil.
When, in 1955, we oldtimers turned over our Three Legacies to the whole movement, nostalgia for the old days blended with gratitude for the great day in which I was now living. No more would it be necessary for me to act for, decide for, or protect A.A.
For a moment, I dreaded the coming change. But this mood quickly passed. The conscience of A.A. as moved by the guidance of God could be depended upon to insure A.A.'s future. Clearly my job henceforth was to let go and let God.

Prayer for the Day: Self-respect Prayer - O God, teach me that self-respect cannot be hunted. It cannot be purchased. It is never for sale. It comes to me when I am alone, in quiet moments, in quiet places, when I suddenly realize that, knowing the good, I have done it; knowing the beautiful, I have served it; knowing the truth, I have spoken it.

[bluidkiti]

AA Thought for the Day

November 4

Meditation
Meditation belongs and grows with daily life and daily growth,
for it is in daily life that analytical thought binds us into the dilemma of opposites
and consequently into sorrow, pleasure-seeking, and loss of freedom.
In a life that often may seem onerous, boring, and senseless,
meditation can free us to its beauty, its joy beyond pleasure, its passion beyond sorrow.
- The Best Of The Grapevine [Vol. 1], p. 172

Thought to Ponder . . .
Meditation is our step out into the sun.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
H O P E = Heart Open, Please Enter.

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~

Peace of Mind
"AA has taught me that I will have peace of mind
in exact proportion to the peace of mind
I bring into the lives of other people,
and it has taught me the true meaning of the admonition
'happy are ye who know these things and do them.'
For the only problems I have now are those I create
when I break out in a rash of self-will."
c. 1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 551

Thought to Consider . . .
I never imagined that the greatest achievement of my life
would be peace of mind.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
P E A C E = Providing Experienced Attitude Changes Every day.

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

Turning Point
Step Seven: Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
We saw we needn't always be bludgeoned and beaten into humility. It could come quite as much from our voluntary reaching for it as it could from unremitting suffering. A great turning point in our lives came when we sought for humility as something we really wanted, rather than as something we must have. It marked the time when we could commence to see the full implication of Step Seven: "Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
1981, AAWS, Inc., Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, page 75

*~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"Regardless of what happened before or what may happen tomorrow, what is the very best thing I can possibly do, right now?"
Santa Monica, Calif., May 2007
"A Life Without Problems,"
No Matter What: Dealing with Adversity in Sobriety

~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~*

"The less people tolerated us, the more we withdrew from society,
from life itself. As we became subjects of King Alcohol, shivering
denizens of his mad realm, the chilling vapor that is loneliness
settled down. It thickened, ever becoming blacker. Some of us
sought out sordid places, hoping to find understanding companionship
and approval. Momentarily we did�then would come oblivion and
the awful awakening to face the hideous Four Horsemen�Terror,
Bewilderment, Frustration, Despair."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, A Vision For You, pg. 151~

I have seen hundreds of families set their feet in the path that
really goes somewhere; have seen the most impossible domestic
situations righted; feuds and bitterness of all sorts wiped out. I
have seen men come out of asylums and resume a vital place in the
lives of their families and communities. Business and professional
men have regained their standing. There is scarcely any form of
trouble and misery which has not been overcome among us.
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Bill's Story, Page 15~

We want to leave you with the feeling that no situation is too difficult and no unhappiness too great to be overcome.
-Alcoholics Anonymous p.104

And they have increasingly found a peace of mind which can stand firm in the face of difficult circumstances.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.104

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

During acute depression, avoid trying to set your whole life in order all at once. If you take on assignments so heavy that you are sure to fail in them at the moment, then you are allowing yourself to be tricked by your unconscious. Thus you will continue to make sure of your failure, and when it comes you will have another alibi for still more retreat into depression.
In short, the 'all or nothing' attitude is a most destructive one. It is best to begin with whatever the irreducible minimums of activity are. Then work for an enlargement of these day by day. Don't be disconcerted by setbacks - just start over.

Prayer for the Day: Do It Now - Dear God, I expect to pass through this world but once. Any good therefore that I can do, or any kindness that I can show to a fellow creature, let me do it now. Let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.

[bluidkiti]

AA Thought for the Day

November 5

Acceptance
Our very first problem is to accept our present circumstances as they are, ourselves as we are,
and the people about us as they are. . .
This is an exercise in acceptance that we can profitably practice every day of our lives.
- As Bill Sees It, p. 44

Thought to Ponder . . .
The Three A's .. Awareness, Acceptance, Action.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
A B C = Acceptance, Belief, Change.

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~

Service
"Service, gladly rendered, obligations squarely met,
troubles well accepted or solved with God's help,
the knowledge that at home or in the world outside
we are partners in a common effort,
the well-understood fact that in God's sight
all human beings are important,
the proof that love freely given surely brings a full return,
the certainty that we are no longer isolated and alone
in self-constructed prisons,
the surety that we need no longer be square pegs
in round holes
but can fit and belong in God's scheme of things --
these are the permanent and legitimate satisfactions
of right living
for which no amount of pomp and circumstance,
no heap of material possessions,
could possibly be substitutes."
c. 1952AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 124

Thought to Consider . . .
Service is spirituality in action.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
H O P E = Helping Other People Every day

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

Test That Theory
From: "A Drunk Like You"
Now somehow, between the time I lost my job and my flight to the convention, I decided maybe I was not an alcoholic and I needed to test that theory. After all, I was a researcher, and things had to be tested. I decided that on the plane (it seemed like a safe place) I would put the question to the test. If I could have one drink and no more, I was not an alcoholic - alcoholics can't do that. So when the stewardess came by to ask me if I wanted a drink, I said, "Yes." She put two little bottles' worth in a glass ("No ice, thank you very much") and went up the aisle. On her way back she asked if I wanted another, and I said, "Yes." I drank for the whole flight - before dinner, during dinner, and after dinner. As we approached our destination, I searched my pocket for a pen to fill out the in-flight magazine response card. I found this large coin. I took it out to see what it was. It was my ninety-day pocket piece, and I was reminded of what I was doing. And the thought came to me: Wow, those guys at the meeting were right - I am powerless over alcohol. I put that coin back in my pocket and from that day to this, some 15-1/2 years later, I have had no urge to drink.
2001, AAWS, Inc., Alcoholics Anonymous, page 404

*~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"One of the truly great gifts in this Fellowship of mutually concerned people is the gift of the art of listening ... But our need to listen goes beyond meetings and talks with friends ... We need Step Eleven and our greater conscious contact with the Divine Listener. Then will our serenity emerge; then will our help to others have quality."
Spiritual Awakenings Vol. 1
Anonymous, May 1960
"Where the Words Come From,"

~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~*

THE PROMISES
"If we are painstaking about this phase of our development, we will
be amazed before we are half way through. We are going to know a new
freedom and a new happiness. We will not regret the past nor wish to
shut the door on it. We will comprehend the word serenity and we will
know peace. No matter how far down the scale we have gone, we will
see how our experience can benefit others. That feeling of uselessness
and self-pity will disappear. We will lose interest in selfish things
and gain interest in our fellows. Self-seeking will slip away. Our
whole attitude and outlook upon life will change. Fear of people and
of economic insecurity will leave us. We will intuitively know how to
handle situations which used to baffle us. We will suddenly realize
that God is doing for us what we could not do for ourselves."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, Page 83~

Most of us have been unwilling to admit we were real alcoholics. No
person likes to think he is bodily and mentally different from his
fellows. Therefore, it is not surprising that our drinking careers
have been characterized by countless vain attempts to prove we could
drink like other people. The idea that somehow, someday he will
control and enjoy his drinking is the great obsession of every
abnormal drinker. The persistence of this illusion is astonishing.
Many pursue it into the gates of insanity or death.
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, More About Alcoholism, Page 30~

We have begun to learn tolerance, patience and good will toward all men, even our enemies, for we look on them as sick people.
-Alcoholics Anonymous p.70

A continuous look at our assets and liabilities, and a real desire to learn and grow by this means, are necessities for us.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.88

Misc. AA Literature - Quote
It is a spiritual axiom that every time we are disturbed, no matter what the cause, there is something wrong with us. If somebody hurts us and we are sore, we are in the wrong, too.
But are there no exceptions to this rule? What about 'justifiable' anger? If somebody cheats us, aren't we entitled to be mad? And shouldn't we be properly angry with self-righteous folks?
For us of A.A. these adventures in anger are sometimes very dangerous. We have found that even justified anger ought to be left to those better qualified to handle it.

Prayer for the Day: Change - I pray that I might continue to change, and I appreciate You for investing in me Your time, Your patience, Your understanding, and for seeing in me someone worthwhile. I am sorry for the past---but I will change for the better, and I am grateful for the opportunity.

[bluidkiti]

AA Thought for the Day

November 6

Beginning
I knew I had to have a new beginning, and this beginning had to be here. I could not start anywhere else.
I had to let go of the past and forget the future.
As long as I held on to the past with one hand and grabbed at the future with the other hand,
I had nothing to hold on to today with. So I had to begin here, now.
- Came To Believe . . ., p. 46

Thought to Ponder . . .
Fear not for the future, weep not for the past.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
N O W = No Other Way.

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~

Criticism
"Now and then all of us fall under heavy criticism.
When we are angered and hurt,
it's difficult not to retaliate in kind.
Yet we can restrain ourselves
and then probe ourselves,
asking whether our critics were really right.
If so, we can admit our defects to them.
This usually clears the air for mutual understanding. . .
Maybe a sense of humor can be our saving grace --
thus we can both forgive and forget."
Bill W., Letter, 1966
c. 1967AAWS, As Bill Sees It, p. 184

Thought to Consider . . .
The best way to get even is to forget.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
S O B E R = Son Of a Basket, Everything's Real

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

Every AA Ought to Know
From: "The Three Legacies of Alcoholics Anonymous"
Dr. Bob was essentially a far more humble person than I. In some ways he was a sort of spiritual natural, and this anonymity business came rather easily to him. He could not understand why some people should want so much publicity. In the years before he died, his personal example respecting anonymity did much to help me keep my own lid on. I think of one affecting instance in particular, one that every AA ought to know. When it was sure that Dr. Bob was mortally afflicted, some of his friends suggested that there should be a suitable monument or mausoleum erected in honor of him and his wife Anne - something befitting a founder and his lady. Of course this was a very natural and moving tribute. The committee went so far as to show him a sketch of the proposed edifice. Telling me about this, Dr. Bob grinned broadly and said, God bless them. They mean well. But for heaven's sake, Bill, let's you and I get buried just like other folks.
A year after his passing, I visited the Akron cemetery where Dr. Bob and Anne lie. The simple stone says not a word about Alcoholics Anonymous. Some people may think that this wonderful couple carried personal anonymity too far when they so firmly refused to use the words "Alcoholics Anonymous" even on their own burial stone. For one, I do not think so. I think that this moving and final example of self-effacement will prove of more permanent worth to AA than any amount of public attention or any great monument.
1985, AAWS, Inc., Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pages 136-137

*~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"The Twelve Steps ... are simple in language, plain in meaning. They are also workable by any person having a sincere desire to obtain and keep sobriety. The results are the proof. Their simplicity and workability are such that no special interpretations, and certainly no reservations, have ever been necessary. And it has become increasingly clear that the degree of harmonious living which we achieve is in direct ratio to our earnest attempt to follow them literally under divine guidance to the best of our ability."
AA Co-Founder, Dr. Bob, September 1948
"The Fundamentals in Retrospect"
The Best of the Grapevine, Volume 2

~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~*

"One of the many doctors who had the opportunity of reading this
book in manuscript form told us that the use of sweets was often
helpful, of course depending upon a doctor's advice. He thought all
alcoholics should constantly have chocolate available for its quick
energy value at times of fatigue. He added that occasionally in the
night a vague craving arose which would be satisfied by candy. Many
of us have noticed a tendency to eat sweets and have found this
practice beneficial."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, The Family Afterward, pg. 133~

Some people cannot be seen--we send them an honest letter. And there
may be a valid reason for postponement in some cases. But we don't
delay if it can be avoided. We should be sensible, tactful, considerate
and humble without being servile or scraping. As God's people we stand
on our feet; we don't crawl before anyone.
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, Page 83~

The power of God goes deep!
-Alcoholics Anonymous p.114

Almost any experienced A.A. will tell how his affairs have taken remarkable and unexpected turns for the better as he tried to improve his conscious contact with God.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.105

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

Our entire A.A. program rests upon the principle of mutual trust. We trust God, we trust A.A., and we trust each other. Therefore, we trust our leaders in world service. The 'Right of Decision' that we offer them is not only the practical means by which they may act and lead effectively, but it is also the symbol of our implicit confidence.
If you arrive at A.A. with no religious convictions, you can, if you wish, make A.A. itself or even your A.A. group your 'Higher Power.' Here's a large group of people who have solved their alcohol problem. In this respect they are certainly a power greater than you. Even this minimum of faith will be enough.
Many members who have crossed the threshold just this way will tell you that, once across, their faith broadened and deepened. Relieved of the alcohol obsession, their lives unaccountably transformed, they came to believe in a Higher Power, and most of them began to talk of God.

Prayer for the Day: Unselfishness Prayer - Higher Power, guide me as I walk the narrow way between being selfish and
unselfish. I know I must be selfish, to concentrate on my own recovery, so I do not slip and be of no use to myself or anyone else. Yet I must also be unselfish, reaching out to others, sensitive to their needs, and willing to meet them at any time. With Your help, I can do both, and keep a balance that will give me a right perspective in my life.

[bluidkiti]

AA Thought for the Day

November 7

Prayer
Prayer has become a habit with me. Anytime is the time for prayer:
in the street, in the factory, sitting still, walking about, or actively engaged upon some task.
I must always bear in mind that, like a good parent, God often says no.
And the simplest prayer is "God, thank you, thank you."
I have so much to be thankful for, and sobriety tops the list.
- Thank You For Sharing, p. 192

Thought to Ponder . . .
Prayers may seem unanswered, but never are.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
A S A P = Always Say A Prayer.

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~

Possibility
"As soon as we admitted the possible existence
of a Creative Intelligence,
A Spirit of the Universe underlying the totality of things,
we began to be possessed of a new sense
of power and direction,
provided we took other simple steps.
We found that God does not make too hard terms
for those who seek Him.
To us, the Realm of the Spirit is broad, roomy, all inclusive,
never exclusive or forbidding to those who earnestly seek.
It is open, we believe, to all men."
c. 1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 46

Thought to Consider . . .
Take a walk with God. He will meet you at the Steps.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
F A I T H = Fantastic Adventures In Trusting Him.

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

Very Precious Thing
From: "Loneliness to Solitude"
There are two sides of man's being alone. In our language, loneliness expresses the pain of being alone. Solitude expresses the glory of being alone.
What happens to us in AA that makes it possible for us, not only to endure, but to enjoy moments of solitude? What changes our loneliness to solitude?
The love and understanding we find in AA are a protective curtain between ourselves and the aching aloneness of our drinking days. The first few weeks, some of us spend most of our time in an AA club talking with others. Then it becomes evident that we must go to work and somehow meet the demands and responsibilities of our daily lives. We are afraid. Will the old loneliness hit us again when we are out of the actual presence of other AA members?
Sooner or later, by practicing the principles of the Twelve Steps, we find in ourselves a very precious thing, something inside that we can be comfortable with regardless of whether we are at home by ourselves or anywhere else that life takes us.
AA members are not emotional cripples who need someone to hold their hands every moment of the day and night to prevent their falling. We grow up with the help of God, as we understand Him, and the fellowship of the group, and by applying the Twelve Steps to our lives.
1973, AAWS, Inc., Came to Believe, page 109

*~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"Our Twelve Traditions ... represent the sum of our experience as individuals, as groups within AA, and similarly with our fellows and other organizations in the great fellowship of humanity under God throughout the world. They are all suggestions, yet the spirit in which they have been conceived merits their serious, prayerful consideration as the guideposts of AA policy for the individual, the group, and our various committees, local and national."
AA Co-Founder, Dr. Bob, September 1948
"The Fundamentals in Retrospect"
The Best of the Grapevine, Volume 2

~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~*

"When we became alcoholics, crushed by a self-imposed crisis we could
not postpone or evade, we had to fearlessly face the proposition that
either God is everything or else He is nothing. God either is or He isn't."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, We Agnostics, pg. 53~

..we were at Step Three, which is that we decided to turn our will
and our life over to God as we understood Him. Just what do we mean
by that, and just what do we do?

The first requirement is that we be convinced that any life run on
self-will can hardly be a success. On that basis we are almost
always in collision with something or somebody, even though our
motives are good. Most people try to live by self-propulsion.
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 60~

The greatest enemies of us alcoholics are resentment, jealousy, envy, frustration, and fear.
-Alcoholics Anonymous p.145

No one wants to be agonized by the chronic pain of envy or to be paralyzed by sloth.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.66

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

Though the variations were many, my main theme was always 'How godawful I am!' Just as I often exaggerated my modest attainments by pride, so I exaggerated my defects through guilt. I would race about, confessing all (and a great deal more) to whoever would listen. Believe it or not, I took this widespread exposure of my sins to be great humility on my part, and considered it a great spiritual asset and consolation!
But later on I realized at depth that the great harms I had done others were not truly regretted. These episodes were merely the basis for storytelling and exhibitionism. With this realization came the beginning of a certain amount of humility.

Prayer for the Day: Light a Candle - O God of my understanding, light a candle within my heart, that I may see what is therein and remove the wreckage of the past.

[bluidkiti]

AA Thought for the Day

November 8

Belonging
Perhaps one of the greatest rewards of meditation and prayer is the sense of belonging that comes to us.
We no longer live in a completely hostile world. We are no longer lost and frightened and purposeless.
The moment we catch even a glimpse of God's will,
the moment we begin to see truth, justice, and love as the real and eternal things in life,
we are no longer deeply disturbed by all the seeming evidence that surrounds us in purely human affairs.
We know that God lovingly watches over us.
- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 105

Thought to Ponder . . .
Prayer asks the question. Meditation listens for the answer.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
Y A N A = You Are Not Alone.

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~

Authority
"Many people wonder how AA can function
under such a seeming anarchy.
Other societies have to have law and force and sanction
and punishment, administered by authorized people.
Happily for us,
we found we need no human authority whatever.
We have two authorities which are far more effective.
One is benign, the other malign.
There is God, our Father, who very simply says,
'I am waiting for you to do my will.'
The other authority is named John Barleycorn,
and he says, 'You had better do God's will or I will kill you.'
And sometimes he does kill.
So, when all the chips are down,
we conform to God's will or perish.
At this level, the death sentence hangs over the AA member,
his group, and AA as a whole."
Bill W., St. Louis, July 1955
c. 1957AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, p. 105

Thought to Consider . . .
Faith is the substance of things hoped for,
and the evidence of things not seen.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
F I T = Faith, Intuition, Trust.

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

Growth
>From "The Three Legacies of Alcoholics Anonymous":
"Thus A.A. rolled along until the spring of 1941, when we could count 2,000 members, a gain of 1,200 in a single year. We thought this was good going, but actually we had not seen anything yet. We were on the threshold of the event that made Alcoholics Anonymous a national institution overnight.
"Dr. A. Wiese Hammer, already champion of A.A. in Philadelphia, had drawn our fellowship to the attention of Curtis Bok, one of the owners of the Saturday Evening Post [an extremely popular magazine of the time]. At first the editorial board of the Post was dubious. But Mr. Bok had seen some of our Philadelphia members and had heard about their recovery at first hand; he knew whereof he spoke. And the next thing we knew Mr. Jack Alexander, a star feature writer for the Post, appeared at our Vesey Street office [in New York City]."
2001 AAWS, Inc.; Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pg. 190

*~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"Spiritual progress isn't what gets us sober, it's what keeps us sober."
Spiritual Awakenings Vol. 1
State College, Pa.,April 1994
"Working Incognito,"

~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~*

"The alcoholic is like a tornado roaring his way through the lives of
others. Hearts are broken. Sweet relationships are dead.
Affections have been uprooted. Selfish and inconsiderate habits have
kept the home in turmoil. We feel a man is unthinking when he says
that sobriety is enough"
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 82~

"'How can I best serve thee--Thy will (not mine) be done."
Alcoholics Anonymous Page 85

Our real purpose is to fit ourselves to be of maximum service to God and the people about us.
-Alcoholics Anonymous p.77

Even the newest of newcomers finds undreamed rewards as he tries to help his brother alcoholic, the one who is even blinder than he.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.109

Misc. AA Literature - Quote
Honesty with ourselves and others gets us sober, but it is tolerance that keeps us that way.
'Experience shows that few alcoholics will long stay away from a group just because they don't like the way it is run. Most return and adjust themselves to whatever conditions they must. Some go to a different group, or form a new one.
'In other words, once an alcoholic fully realizes that he cannot get well alone, he will somehow find a way to get well and stay well in the company of others. It has been that way from the beginning of A.A. and probably always will be so.'

Prayer for the Day: What Is Best - O Lord, You know what is best for me. Let this or that be done, as you please. Give what You will, how much You will, and when You will.

[bluidkiti]

AA Thought for the Day

November 9

Action
It is easy to let up on the spiritual program of action and rest on our laurels.
We are headed for trouble if we do, for alcohol is a subtle foe. We are not cured of alcoholism.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 85

Thought to Ponder . . .
There is action and more action.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
A A = Accountable Actions.

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~

Growth
"It seems to me that the primary object
of any human being is to grow, as God intended,
that being the nature of all growing things.
Our search must be for what reality we can find,
which includes the best definition and feeling
of love that we can acquire.
If the capability of loving is in the human being,
then it must surely be in his Creator.
Theology helps me in that many of its concepts
cause me to believe that I live in a rational universe
under a loving God,
and that my own irrationality can be chipped away,
little by little.
This is, I suppose, the process of growth
for which we are intended."
Bill W., Letter, 1958
c. 1967AAWS, As Bill Sees It, p. 295

Thought to Consider . . .
All you have to do to change your life is change your mind.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
C H A N G E = Choosing Honesty Allows New Growth Every day

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

Response
>From "A Small White Card":
"Yet I had a spiritual experience the night I called A.A., though I didn't realize it until later. Two angels came, carrying a real message of hope, and told me about A.A. My sponsor laughed when I denied that I had prayed for help. I told him that the only time I had mentioned God was when, in my despair at being unable to get either drunk or sober, I had cried out, 'God! What am I going to do?'
"He replied, 'I believe that prayer was a pretty good one for a first one from an atheist. It got an answer, too.. "Brighton, Colorado, USA"
1973 AAWS, Inc.; Came to Believe, 30th printing 2004, pg. 25

*~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"Full consciousness ... implies not only the willingness to receive the love and benefits AA has to offer, but also to surrender to the equally painful experience of exposure to ourselves, and others, of ourselves."
Spiritual Awakenings Vol. 1
Pleasantville, N.Y., August 1959
"The Sense of Sobriety,"

~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~*

"Abandon yourself to God as you understand God. Admit your faults to
Him and to 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."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, A Vision For You, pg. 164

Much to our relief, we discovered we did not need to consider
anothers conception of God. Our own conception, however inadequate,
was sufficient to make the approach and to effect a contact with
Him. As soon as we admitted the possible existence of a Creative
Intelligence, a Spirit of the Universe underlying the totality of
things, we began to be possessed of a new sense of power and
direction, provided we took other simple steps.
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, We Agnostics, pg. 46~

A kindly act once in a while isn't enough.
-Alcoholics Anonymous p.97

Looking at Step Five, we decided that an inventory, taken alone, wouldn't be enough.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.108

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

When the thought was expressed that there might be a God personal to me, I didn't like the idea. So my friend Ebby made what then seemed a novel suggestion. He said, 'Why don't you choose your own conception of God?'
That statement hit me hard. It melted the icy intellectual mountain in whose shadow I had lived and shivered many years. I stood in the sunlight at last.
It may be possible to find explanations of spiritual experiences such as ours, but I have often tried to explain my own and have succeeded only in giving the story of it. I know the feeling it gave me and the results it has brought, but I realize I may never fully understand its deeper why and how.

Prayer for the Day: Prayer for Healing - Higher Power, You have told us to ask and we will receive, to seek and we will find, to knock and You will open the door to us. I trust in Your love for me and in the healing power of Your compassion. I praise You and thank You for the mercy You have shown to me. Higher Power, I am sorry for all my mistakes. I ask for Your help in removing the negative patterns of my life. I accept with all my heart Your forgiving love. And I ask for the grace to be aware of the character defects that exist within myself. Let me not offend You by my weak human nature, or by my impatience, resentment, or neglect of people who are a part of my life. Rather, teach me the gift of understanding and the ability to forgive, just as You continue to forgive me. I seek Your strength and Your peace so that I may become Your instrument in sharing those gifts with others. Guide me in my prayer that I might know what needs to be healed and how to ask You for that healing. It is You, Higher Power, whom I seek. Please enter the door of my heart and fill me with the presence of Your Spirit now and forever. I thank You, God, for doing this.

[bluidkiti]

AA Thought for the Day

November 10

Understanding
None of us has to understand God or worry about things beyond our control.
We can indulge ourselves in the luxury of not-worrying. Any of us can handle just one day;
all each of us has to try at is our own job, our own family life. We don't have to try fixing up the whole world
or understanding what no theologian of any faith has ever understood. We simply stop messing in God's business.
And in my opinion, when we stop messing and stop worrying,
we have turned our will and our lives over to God (or Good) as we understand (or don't understand) Him.
- Came To Believe . . ., p. 116

Thought to Ponder . . .
I would rather live my life as if there is a God and die to find out there isn't,
than live my life as if there isn't, and die to find out there is.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
G O D = Good Orderly Direction.

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~

Today
"I realize that all I'm guaranteed in life is today.
The poorest person has no less
and the wealthiest has no more --
each of us has but one day.
What we do with it is our own business;
how we use it is up to us individually.
I feel that I have been restored to health and sanity
these past years not through my own efforts
nor as a result of anything I may have done,
but because I've come to believe
-- to really believe --
that alone I can do nothing.
That my own innate selfishness and stubbornness
are the evils which, if left unguarded,
can drive me to alcohol.
I have come to believe that my illness is spiritual
as well as physical and mental,
and I know that for help in the spiritual sphere
I have to turn to a Higher Power."
c. 1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 473

Thought to Consider . . .

I can't have a better tomorrow
if I am thinking about yesterday all the time.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
S I T = Stay In Today

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

Design for Living
From: "There Is A Solution"
Here was the terrible dilemma in which our friend found himself when he had the extraordinary experience, which as we have already told you, made him a free man.
We, in our turn, sought the same escape with all the desperation of drowning men. What seemed at first a flimsy reed, has proved to be the loving and powerful hand of God. A new life has been given us or, if you prefer, "a design for living" that really works.
2001, AAWS, Inc., Alcoholics Anonymous, page 28

*~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"We measure our progress in AA by two words, 'humility' and 'responsibility.' May I ever keep my eye on these yardsticks as I continue to seek only knowledge of his will for me."
Spiritual Awakenings Vol. 1
Tulsa, Okla., July 1978
"The Power of the Program,"

~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~*

"The fact is that most alcoholics, for reasons yet obscure, have lost
the power of choice in drink. Our so-called will power becomes
practically nonexistent. We are unable, at certain times, to bring
into our consciousness with sufficient force the memory of the
suffering and humiliation of even a week or a month ago. We are
without defense against the first drink."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, There Is A Solution, pg. 24~

Highly competent psychiatrists who have dealt with us have found it
sometimes impossible to persuade an alcoholic to discuss his
situation without reserve. Strangely enough, wives, parents and
intimate friends usually find us even more unapproachable than do the
psychiatrist and the doctor.
But the ex-problem drinker who has found this solution, who is
properly armed with facts about himself, can generally win the entire
confidence of another alcoholic in a few hours. Until such an
understanding is reached, little or nothing can be accomplished.
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, There Is A Solution, pg. 18~

When we saw others solve their problems by a simple reliance upon the Spirit of the Universe, we had to stop doubting the power of God.
-Alcoholics Anonymous p.52

The answer, now seen in Tradition Three, was simplicity itself.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.141

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

When our membership was small, we dealt with 'low-bottom cases' only. Many less desperate alcoholics tried A.A., but did not succeed because they could not make the admission of their hopelessness.
In the following years, this changed. Alcoholics who still had their health, their families, their jobs, and even two cars in the garage, began to recognize their alcoholism. As this trend grew, they were joined by young people who were scarcely more than potential alcoholics. How could people such as these take the First Step?
By going back in our own drinking histories, we showed them that years before we realized it we were out of control, that our drinking even then was no mere habit, that it was indeed the beginning of a fatal progression.

Prayer for the Day: THINGS TO GIVE -
Today, I pray I may give:
To my enemy: Forgiveness
To my opponent: Tolerance
To my customer: Service
To a friend: Kindness
To all people: Charity
To my family: My heart.
To every child: A good example.
To myself: Respect
To You, Higher Power: LOVE
With all my heart, with all my soul, with all my mind.

[bluidkiti]

AA Thought for the Day

November 11

Seduction

Although alcohol is not a part of my life and I no longer have the compulsion to drink,
it can still occur to me what a good drink tastes like and what it can do for me,
from my stand-at-attention alcoholic taste buds right down to my stretched out tingling toes.
As my sponsor used to point out, such thoughts are like red flags, telling me that something is not right,
that I am stretched beyond my sober limit. It's time to get back to basic AA and see what needs changing.
That special relationship with alcohol will always be there, waiting to seduce me again.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, pp. 396-397

Thought to Ponder . . .
Alcohol -- cunning, baffling, powerful!

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
A A = Always Aware.

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~

Amends
"Though the variations were many,
my main theme was always 'How godawful I am!'
Just as I often exaggerated my modest attainments by pride,
so I exaggerated my defects through guilt.
I would race about, confessing all (and a great deal more)
to whoever would listen.
Believe it or not, I took this widespread exposure
of my sins to be great humility on my part,
and considered it a great spiritual asset and consolation!
But later on I realized at depth that
the great harms I had done others were not truly regretted.
These episodes were merely the basis for
storytelling and exhibitionism."
Bill W., AAGrapevine, June 1961
c. 1967AAWS, As Bill Sees It, p. 311

Thought to Consider . . .
Don't mess up an amends with an excuse.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
W H O M E ? =
Willingness, Honesty, Open-mindedness, Must Exist

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

Aim Toward Perfection
Step Six: Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character
Let's dispose of what appears to be a hazardous open end we have left. It is suggested that we ought to become entirely willing to aim toward perfection. We note that some delay, however, might be pardoned. That word, in the mind of a rationalizing alcoholic, could certainly be given a long term meaning. He could say, "How very easy! Sure, I'll head toward perfection, but I'm certainly not going to hurry any. Maybe I can postpone dealing with some of my problems indefinitely." Of course, this won't do. Such a bluffing of oneself will have to go the way of many another pleasant rationalization. At the very least, we shall have to come to grips with some of our worst character defects and take action toward their removal as quickly as we can.
1981, AAWS, Inc., Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, page 69

*~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"We can't grow without giving ourselves space for silence and the voice within."
Greenwich Village, N.Y., December 1997
"Oh God, You Again?"
I Am Responsible: The Hand of AA

~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~*

"If we are sorry for what we have done, and have the honest desire to
let God take us to better things, we believe we will be forgiven and
will have learned our lesson. If we are not sorry, and our conduct
continues to harm others, we are quite sure to drink. We are not
theorizing. These are facts out of our experience."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 70~

We do not like to pronounce any individual as alcoholic, but you can
quickly diagnose yourself, Step over to the nearest barroom and try
some controlled drinking. Try to drink and stop abruptly. Try it
more than once. It will not take long for you to decide, if you are
honest with yourself about it. It may be worth a bad case of jitters
if you get a full knowledge of your condition.
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, More About Alcoholism, pg. 31~

We alcoholics see that we must work together and hang together, else most of us will finally die alone.
-Alcoholics Anonymous p.561

Surrounded by so many A.A. friends, these so-called loners tell us they no longer feel alone.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.120

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

If a mere code of morals or a better philosophy of life were sufficient to overcome alcoholism, many of us would have recovered long ago. But we found that such codes and philosophies did not save us, no matter how much we tried. We could wish to be moral, we could wish to be philosophically comforted, in fact, we could will these things with all our might, but the power needed for change wasn't there. Our human resources, as marshaled by the will, were not sufficient; they failed utterly.
Lack of power: That was our dilemma. We had to find a power by which we could live - and it had to be a Power greater than ourselves.

Prayer for the Day: Your Gift - Thank You, Higher Power, for Your gift of recovery; that through this Program I have come to know myself better than ever before, and that I have come to know others better as well. I pray that I may be eternally grateful for this, Your blessing.

[bluidkiti]

AA Thought for the Day

November 12

Willingness
I pray for the willingness to let go of my arrogant self-criticism,
and to praise God by humbly accepting and caring for myself.
- Daily Reflections, p. 324

Thought to Ponder . . .
Trying to pray is praying.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
W I L L I N G = When I Live Life, I Need God.

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~

Practice
"God willing, we members of AA may never again
have to deal with drinking,
but we do have to deal with sobriety every day.
How do we do it?
By learning -- through practicing the Twelve Steps
and through sharing at meetings --
how to cope with the problems
that we looked to booze to solve, back in our drinking days."
c. 1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 560

Thought to Consider . . .
There's no elevator, you have to take the Steps.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
S T E P S = Solutions To Every Problem in Sobriety

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

Red Flags
From: "The Perpetual Quest"
Many years later, although alcohol is not part of my life and I no longer have the compulsion to drink, it can still occur to me what a good drink tastes like and what it can do for me, from my stand-at-attention alcoholic taste buds right down to my stretched out tingling toes. As my sponsor used to point out, such thoughts are like red flags, telling me that something is not right, that I am stretched beyond my sober limit. It's time to get back to basic AA and see what needs changing. That special relationship with alcohol will always be there, waiting to seduce me again. I can stay protected by continuing to be an active member of AA.
2001, AAWS, Inc., Alcoholics Anonymous, pages 396-397

*~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"Our Serenity Prayer ... brings a new light to us that can dissipate our old-time and nearly fatal habit of fooling ourselves." AA Co-Founder, Bill W., March 1962
"What Is Acceptance?"
The Language of the Heart

~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~*

"When you discover a prospect for Alcoholics Anonymous, find out all
you can about him. If he does not want to stop drinking, don't
waste time trying to persuade him. You may spoil a later opportunity."
Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Working With Others, pg. 90

Our whole attitude and outlook upon life will change.
-Alcoholics Anonymous p.84

Or, if my disturbance was seemingly caused by the behavior of others, why do I lack the ability to accept conditions I cannot change?
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.52

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

Almost every newspaper reporter who covers A.A. complains, at first, of the difficulty of writing his story without names. But he quickly forgets this difficulty when he realizes that here is a group of people who care nothing for acclaim.
Probably this is the first time in his life he has ever reported on an organization that wants no personalized publicity. Cynic though he may be, this obvious sincerity quickly transforms him into a friend of A.A.
Moved by the spirit of anonymity, we try to give up our natural desires for personal distinction as A.A. members, both among fellow alcoholics and before the general public. As we lay aside these very human aspirations, we believe that each of us takes part in the weaving of a protective mantle which covers our whole Society and under which we may grow and work in unity.

Prayer for the Day: I Promise Myself: Today I pray:
To promise myself to be so strong that nothing can disturb my peace of mind;
To talk health, happiness, and prosperity to every person I meet;
To make all my friends feel that there is something worthwhile in them.
To look at the sunny side of everything and make my optimism come true....
To think only of the best, to work only for the best & to expect only the best.
To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as I am about my own.
To forget the mistakes of the past, and press on to do the greater achievement of the future.
To wear a cheerful expression at all times, and give a smile to every living creature I meet.
To give so much time to improving myself that I have no time to criticize others.
To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.

[bluidkiti]

AA Thought for the Day

November 13

Bill W. Shares:
It is traditional in AA that we do not make speeches; we just talk about our own experiences. . .
I was brought up in a little Yankee town of about fifty houses, East Dorset, Vermont.
I was born under the shadow of a mountain there called Mount Aeolus.
An early recollection is one of looking up and seeing that vast and mysterious mountain wondering what it was
and whether I would ever climb that high.
But I was presently distracted by my aunt, who, as a fourth-birthday present, made me a plate of fudge.
For the next thirty-five years I pursued the fudge of life and quite forgot about the mountain.
(AA co-founder Bill W., July 1950)
- Alcoholics Anonymous Comes Of Age, pp. 52-53

Thought to Ponder . . .
Your perception will change your experience. Your experience is your life.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
E S H = Experience, Strength and Hope

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~

Spiritual Life
"The spiritual life is not a theory.
We have to live it.
Unless one's family expresses a desire to live upon
spiritual principles
we think we ought not to urge them.
We should not talk incessantly to them about spiritual matters.
They will change in time.
Our behavior will convince them more than our words.
We must remember that ten or twenty years
of drunkenness would make a skeptic out of anyone."
Alcoholics Anonymous, Page 83

Thought to Consider . . .
Attitudes are contagious. Is yours worth catching?

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
P A C E =Positive Attitudes Change Everything

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

Unconditional
From: "Getting our of the "if trap"
But then, after a sober while, for some of us there comes a time when - plop! - a new discovery slaps us in the face. That same old eiffy thinking habit of our tippling days has, without our seeing it, attached itself to not drinking. Unconsciously, we have placed conditions on our sobriety. We have begun to think sobriety is just fine - if everything goes well, or if nothing goes askew.
In effect, we are ignoring the biochemical, unchangeable nature of our ailment. Alcoholism respects no ifs. It does not go away, not for a week, for a day, or even for an hour, leaving us nonalcoholic and able to drink again on some special occasion or for some extraordinary reason - not even if it is a once-in-a-lifetime celebration, or if a big sorrow hits us, or if it rains in Spain or the stars fall on Alabama. Alcoholism is for us unconditional, with no dispensations available at any price.
1998, AAWS, Inc., Living Sober, page 63

*~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"When I first started in AA, I began each day asking God to help keep me sober that day, and ended each night by thanking him for another day of sobriety. I still end each day that way, as I have done almost every night during the past forty-one years. It is a routine for me, but every once in a while I pause to reflect on what it truly means. I do it every night so that God won't change his mind, as I truly believe he helped lead me from the pits of alcoholism to the AA way of life."
Alexandria, Va., April 2002
"A Real War Story,"
Voices of Long-Term Sobriety

~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~*

"Practical experience shows that nothing will so much insure immunity
from drinking as intensive work with other alcoholics."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Working With Others, pg. 89~

So our rule is not to avoid a place where there is drinking, if we
have a legitimate reason for being there. That includes bars,
nightclubs, dances, receptions, weddings, even plain ordinary whoopee
parties. To a person who has had experience with an alcoholic, this
may seem like tempting Providence, but it isn't.
You will note that we made an important qualification. Therefore,
ask yourself on each occasion, Have I any good social, business, or
personal reason for going to this place? Or am I expecting to steal a
little vicarious pleasure from the atmosphere of such places?' If you
answer these questions satisfactorily, you need have no
apprehension. Go or stay away, whichever seems best. But be sure
you are on solid spiritual ground before you start and that your
motive in going is thoroughly good. Do not think of what you will
get out of the occasion. Think of what you can bring to it. But if
you are shaky, you had better work with another alcoholic instead
Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Working With Others, pg. 101

This we did because we honestly wanted to, and were willing to make the effort.
-Alcoholics Anonymous p.26

Without a willing and persistent effort to do this, there can be little sobriety or contentment for us.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.43

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

Vision is, I think, the ability to make good estimates, both for the immediate and for the more distant future. Some might feel this sort of striving to be heresy against 'One day at a time.' But that valuable principle really refers to our mental and emotional lives and means chiefly that we are not foolishly to repine over the past nor wishfully to daydream about the future.
As individuals and as a fellowship, we shall surely suffer if we cast the whole job of planning for tomorrow onto a fatuous idea of providence. God's real providence has endowed us human beings with a considerable capability for foresight, and He evidently expects us to use it. Of course, we shall often miscalculate the future in whole or in part, but that is better than to refuse to think at all.

Prayer for the Day: My Worth - I pray to remember that my worth is not determined by my show of outward strength, or the volume of my voice, or the thunder of my accomplishments. It is to be seen, rather, in terms of the nature and depths of my commitments, the genuineness of my friendships, the sincerity of my purpose, the quiet courage of my convictions, my capacity to accept life on life's terms, and my willingness to continue "growing up." This I pray.

[bluidkiti]

AA Thought for the Day

November 14

Indispensable
When we find ourselves up-tight and even frantic, we can ask ourselves occasionally,
"Am I really that indispensable?" or "Is this hurry really necessary?"
What a relief to find the honest answer is frequently no!
And such devices actually serve, in the long run, not only to help us get over our drinking problem and its old ways;
they also enable us to become far more productive, because we conserve and channel our energy better.
- Living Sober, p. 46

Thought to Ponder . . .
Rashness and haste make all things insecure. Take it easy!

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
O D A A T = One Day At A Time.

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~

Sanity
"My actions drunk or sober, before AA,
were not those of a sane person.
My desire to be honest with myself made it necessary
for me to realize that my drinking was irrational.
It had to be, or I could not have justified
my erratic behavior as I did.
I've been benefited from a dictionary definition I found
that reads: 'rationalization is giving
a socially acceptable reason for
socially unacceptable behavior,
and socially unacceptable behavior is a form of insanity."
c. 1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, pp. 550-1

Thought to Consider . . .
Let the lunatic out of the attic.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
K I S S = Keep It Simple, Surrender

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

Balance Today's Books
From: "Yesterday's Baggage"
For the wise have always known that no one can make much of his life until self-searching becomes a regular habit, until he is able to admit and accept what he finds, and until he patiently and persistently tries to correct what is wrong.
Twelve and Twelve, page 88

I have more than enough to handle today, without dragging along yesterday's baggage too. I must balance today's books, if I am to have a chance tomorrow. So I ask myself if I have erred and how I can avoid repeating that particular behavior. Did I hurt anyone, did I help anyone, and why? Some of today is bound to spill over into tomorrow, but most of it need not if I make an honest daily inventory.
1990, AAWS, Inc., Daily Reflections, page 287

*~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"I have always carried a meeting list and quarter for a phone call because I don't know when I am going to want another drink."
Cornwall, Ontario, January 2005
"From Rags to Riches,"
Voices of Long-Term Sobriety

~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~*

"We will seldom be interested in liquor. If tempted, we recoil from
it as from a hot flame. We react sanely and normally, and we will
find that this has happened automatically. We will see that our new
attitude toward liquor has been given us without any thought or
effort on our part. It just comes!"
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 84

We have learned that whatever the human frailties of various faiths
may be, those faiths have given purpose and direction to millions.
People of faith have a logical idea of what life is all about.
Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, We Agnostics, pg. 49

Were we kind and loving toward all?
-Alcoholics Anonymous p.86

Courtesy, kindness, justice, and love are the keynotes by which we may come into harmony with practically anybody.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.93

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

Through the vital Fifth Step, we began to get the feeling that we could be forgiven, no matter what we had thought or done.
Often it was while working on this Step with our sponsors or spiritual advisers that we first felt truly able to forgive others, no matter how deeply we felt they had wronged us.
Our moral inventory had persuaded us that all-round forgiveness was desirable, but it was only when we resolutely tackled Step Five that we inwardly knew we'd be able to receive forgiveness and give it, too.

Prayer for the Day: Right Living - Higher Power, deliver me: From the cowardice that dare not face new truth; From the laziness that is contented with half-truth; >From the arrogance that thinks it knows all truth; These things, good Lord, I pray for, Give me the strength to work for.

[bluidkiti]

AA Thought for the Day

November 15

Gratitude
Today I am grateful for a new life, one in which my prayers are those of thanksgiving.
My prayer time is more for listening than for talking.
I know today that if I cannot change the wind, I can adjust my sail.
- Daily Reflections, p. 314

Thought to Ponder . . .
There is a calmness to a life lived in gratitude, a quiet joy.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
H J F = Happy, Joyous, Free.

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~

Pain
"Though I still find it difficult to accept
today's pain and anxiety with any great degree of serenity
-- as those more advanced in the spiritual life
seem able to do --
I can give thanks for present pain nevertheless.
I find the willingness to do this
by contemplating the lessons learned from past suffering
-- lessons which have led to the blessings I now enjoy.
I can remember how the agonies of alcoholism,
the pain of rebellion and thwarted pride,
have often led me to God's grace, and so to a new freedom."
Bill W., Grapevine, March 1962
c. 1967AAWS, As Bill Sees It, p. 266

Thought to Consider . . .
Joy isn't the absence of pain -- it's the presence of God.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
A B C = Acceptance, Belief, Change

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

Wrong
>From "When A.A. Came of Age":
"After a long interval we heard from the promoter. He wrote, 'You told us that outside enterprises can be fine and very helpful. But you also said that they could not be mixed with A.A. I figured that they could be, and should be. Well, you folks at Headquarters were right and I was wrong.'
"With his letter, the promoter sent us a card, which he had already mailed to every group in the United States. It was folded like a golf score card, and on the outside was printed, 'Group so-and-so, place so-and-so. Rule No. 62.' When the card was unfolded a single pungent sentence met the eye: 'Don't take yourself too damned seriously.'"
2001 AAWS, Inc.; Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pg. 104

*~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"More than a million of us who suffer from the disease of alcoholism have found not just the ability to live with or survive this insidious disease, but a joyful way of life as new as this morning and as old as mankind. We can gain sobriety, aspire to serenity, at no greater price than caring for our fellow sufferers and sharing with them what has been freely given to us. We can experience the true joy of love that we once tried to destroy by not giving it away, and we can learn the truth that the more we give away, the more we will have."
Brick Town, N.J., January 1977
"Because One Man Was Lonely,"
AA Grapevine

~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~*

"We never apologize to anyone for depending upon our Creator. We can
laugh at those who think spirituality the way of weakness.
Paradoxically, it is the way of strength. The verdict of the ages is
that faith means courage. All men of faith have courage. They trust
their God. We never apologize for God. Instead we let Him
demonstrate, through us, what He can do. We ask Him to remove our
fear and direct our attention to what He would have us be. At once,
we commence to outgrow fear."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 68~

When working with a man and his family, you should take care not to
participate in their quarrels. You may spoil your chance of being
helpful if you do. But urge upon a man's family that he has been a
very sick person and should be treated accordingly. You should warn
against arousing resentment or jealousy. You should point out that
his defects of character are not going to disappear over night. Show
them that he has entered upon a period of growth. Ask them to
remember, when they are impatient, the blessed fact of his sobriety.
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Working With Others, pg. 100~

We will comprehend the word serenity and we will know peace.
-Alcoholics Anonymous p.84

Can we accept poverty, sickness, loneliness, and bereavement with courage and serenity?
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.112

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

Many people wonder how A.A. can function under a seeming anarchy. Other societies have to have law and force and sanction and punishment, administered by authorized people. Happily for us, we found that we need no human authority whatever. We have two authorities which are far more effective. One is benign, the other malign.
There is God, our Father, who very simply says, 'I am waiting for you to do my will.' The other authority is named John Barleycorn, and he says, 'You had better do God's will or I will kill you.'
The A.A. Traditions are neither rules, regulations, nor laws. We obey them willingly because we ought to and because we want to. Perhaps the secret of their power lies in the fact that these life-giving communications spring out of living experience and are rooted in love.

Prayer for the Day: Against Temptations - May the strength of my Higher Power guide me. May the power of my Higher Power preserve me. May the wisdom of my Higher Power instruct me. May the hand of God protect me. May the way of God direct me. May the shield of God defend me. And may the presence of, and belief in, my Higher Power guard me against the temptations of the world.

[bluidkiti]

AA Thought for the Day

November 16

A New Happiness
We are going to know a new freedom and a new happiness. We will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it.
We will comprehend the word serenity and we will know peace.
No matter how far down the scale we have gone, we will see how our experience can benefit others.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, pp. 83-84

Thought to Ponder . . .
Happiness is part of the journey, not some distant destination.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
T H I N K = The Happiness I Never Knew.

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~

Meditation
"We liked AA all right,
and were quick to say that it had done miracles.
But we recoiled from meditation and prayer
as obstinately as the scientist who refused to perform
a certain experiment lest it prove his pet theory wrong.
Of course, we finally did experiment,
and when unexpected results followed, we felt different;
in fact we knew different;
and so were sold on meditation and prayer.
And that, we have found, can happen to anybody who tries.
It has been said that 'almost the only scoffers at prayer
are those who never tried it enough.' "
c. 1952AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 97

Thought to Consider . . .
Meditation means trusting the silence around me for a while,
as if it were an answer I had long sought.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
F A I T H = Finding Answers In The Heart

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

Caring
>From "Brothers in Our Defects":
"The identification that one alcoholic has with another is mysterious, spiritual almost incomprehensible. But it is there. I 'feel' it. Today I feel that I can help people and that they can help me.
"It is a new and exciting feeling for me to care for someone; to care what they are feeling, hoping for, praying for; to know their sadness, joy, horror, sorrow, grief; to want to share those feelings so that someone can have relief."
1990 AAWS, Inc.; Daily Reflections, pg. 118

*~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"Times change, alcoholism doesn't."
Marysville, Wash., September 2001
"The Same Chance I Had,"
Voices of Long-Term Sobriety

~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~*

"We needed to ask ourselves but one short question. 'Do I now
believe, or am I even willing to believe, that there is a Power
greater than myself?' As soon as a man can say that he does believe,
or is willing to believe, we emphatically assure him that he is on
his way. It has been repeatedly proven among us that upon this
simple cornerstone a wonderfully effective spiritual structure can be
built."
Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, We Agnostics, pg. 47

"Step Eleven suggests prayer and meditation. We shouldn't be shy on this matter of prayer. Better men than we are using it constantly"
Alcoholics Anonymous p.85

We must take the lead.
-Alcoholics Anonymous p.83

They do not drive by mandate; they lead by example.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.135

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

Most people try to live by self-propulsion. Each person is like an actor who wants to run the whole show and is forever trying to arrange the lights, the scenery, and the rest of the players in his own way. If his arrangements would only stay put, if only people would do as he wished, the show would be great.
What usually happens? The show doesn't come off very well. Admitting he may be somewhat at fault, he is sure that other people are more to blame. He becomes angry, indignant, self-pitying.
Is he not really a self-seeker even when trying to be useful? Is he not a victim of the delusion that he can wrest satisfaction and happiness out of this world if he only manages well?

Prayer for the Day: Prayer to Know - Grant it to me, Higher Power:
To know that which is worth knowing,
To love that which is worth loving,
To praise that which pleases You most,
To work for that which helps others,
Grant it to me:
To distinguish with true judgment things that differ, and above all to search out, and to do what is most pleasing to You.

[bluidkiti]

AA Thought for the Day

November 17

Depression
My depression deepened unbearably and finally it seemed to me as though I were at the very bottom of the pit.
I still gagged badly on the notion of a Power greater than myself, but finally, just for the moment,
the last vestige of my proud obstinacy was crushed.
All at once I found myself crying out, "If there is a God, let Him show Himself! I am ready to do anything, anything!"
Suddenly the room lit up with a great white light. I was caught into an ecstasy which there are no words to describe.
It seemed to me, in the mind's eye, that I was on a mountain and a wind not of air but of spirit was blowing.
And then it burst upon me that I was a free man.
(Bill W., AA co-founder)
- Alcoholics Anonymous Comes Of Age, p. 63

Thought to Ponder . . .
God enters us through our wounds.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
H O P E = Heart Open; Please Enter.

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~

Affirmation!
"Taking advantage of technological advances, for example,
AA members with computers
can participate in meetings online,
sharing with fellow alcoholics across the country
or around the world.
Fundamentally, though, the difference between
an electronic meeting and the home group around the corner
is only one of format.
In any meeting, anywhere, AA's share experience,
strength, and hope with each other,
in order to stay sober and help other alcoholics.
Modem-to-modem or face-to-face,
AA's speak the language of the heart
in all its power and simplicity."
c. 2001AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, Foreword to Fourth Edition, p. xxiv

Thought to Consider . . .
AA is where "we" make miracles.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
H O P E = Happy Our Program Exists.

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

Baffling Feature
From: "More About Alcoholism"
For those who are unable to drink moderately the question is how to stop altogether. We are assuming, of course, that the reader desires to stop. Whether such a person can quit upon a nonspiritual basis depends upon the extent to which he has already lost the power to choose whether he will drink or not. Many of us felt that we had plenty of character. There was a tremendous urge to cease forever. Yet we found it impossible. This is the baffling feature of alcoholism as we know it - this utter inability to leave it alone, no matter how great the necessity or the wish.
2001, AAWS, Inc., Alcoholics Anonymous, page 34

*~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"Few of us will ever be famous, but we can all be great because we serve each other."
McAllen, TX, October 1997
"Internal Restoration,"
Thank You for Sharing

~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~*

"Putting out of our minds the wrongs others had done, we resolutely
looked for our own mistakes. Where had we been selfish, dishonest,
self-seeking and frightened? Though a situation had not been entirely
our fault, we tried to disregard the other person involved entirely.
Where were we to blame? The inventory was ours, not the other man's.
When we saw our faults we listed them. We placed them before us in
black and white. We admitted our wrongs honestly and were willing to
set these matters straight."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 67~

"Each day, somewhere in the world, recovery begins when one alcoholic talks with another alcoholic, sharing experience, strength, and hope."
Alcoholics Anonymous Foreword to the Third Edition

It reminds us that we are to place principles before personalities; that we are actually to practice a genuine humility.
-Alcoholics Anonymous p.566

Where humility had formerly stood for a forced feeding on humble pie, it now begins to mean the nourishing ingredient which can give us serenity.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.74

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

As the doubter tries the process of prayer, he should begin to add up the results. If he persists, he will almost surely find more serenity, more tolerance, less fear, and less anger. He will acquire a quiet courage, the kind that isn't tension-ridden. He can look at 'failure' and 'success' for what these really are. Problems and calamity will begin to mean his instruction, instead of his destruction. He will feel freer and saner.
The idea that he may have been hypnotizing himself by auto-suggestion will become laughable. His sense of purpose and of direction will increase. His anxieties will commence to fade. His physical health will be likely to improve. Wonderful and unaccountable things will start to happen. Twisted relations in his family and on the outside will improve surprisingly.

Prayer for the Day: Recovery Prayer - Today and every day, I pray to be ever mindful that recovery is the most important thing in my life, without exception. I may believe my job, or my home life, or one of many other things, comes first. But if I don't stay with the Program, chances are I won't have a job, a family, sanity, or even life. If I am convinced that everything in life depends on my recovery, I have a much better chance of improving my life. If I put other things first, I am only hurting my chances.

[bluidkiti]

AA Thought for the Day

November 18

Daily Discipline
Meditation and prayer also teach me the art of focusing and listening.
I find that the turmoil of the day gets tuned out as I pray for His will and guidance. . .
The daily discipline of prayer and meditation will keep me in fit spiritual condition,
able to face whatever the day brings -- without the thought of a drink.
- Daily Reflections, p. 317

Thought to Ponder . . .
I listen for direction now.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
A R T = Always Remain Teachable

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~

Prayer
"As the alcoholic goes along with his process of prayer,
he begins to add up the results.
If he persists, he will almost surely find more serenity,
more tolerance, less fear, and less anger.
He will acquire a quiet courage, the kind that doesn't strain him.
He can look at so-called failure and success
for what they really are.
Problems and calamity will begin to mean instruction,
rather than destruction.
He will feel freer and saner. . .
Wonderful and unaccountable things will start to happen.
Twisted relations with family and on the outside
will unaccountably improve."
Bill W., June 1958
c. 1988AAGrapevine, The Language of the Heart, p. 241

Thought to Consider . . .
Trying to pray is praying.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
H O P E = Hang On; Pray Every day

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

Disturbing Reflection
Step Five: Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs
More realism and therefore more honesty about ourselves are the great gains we make under the influence of Step Five. As we took inventory, we began to suspect how much trouble self-delusion had been causing us. This had brought a disturbing reflection. If all our lives we had more or less fooled ourselves, how could we now be so sure that we weren't still self-deceived? How could we be certain that we had made a true catalog of our defects and had really admitted them, even to ourselves? Because we were still bothered by fear, self-pity, and hurt feelings, it was probable we couldn't appraise ourselves fairly at all. Too much guilt and remorse might cause us to dramatize and exaggerate our shortcomings. Or anger and hurt pride might be the smoke screen under which we were hiding some of our defects while we blamed others for them. Possibly, too, we were still handicapped by many liabilities, great and small, we never knew we had.
1981, AAWS, Inc., Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pages 58-59

*~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"How wonderful to be sober, to be able to think clearly (at times, at least), and to become aware of some portion of the greater wisdom concealed so deeply within myself."
Columbus, OH, April 1981
"A New Way of Looking at Life,"
Voices of Long-Term Sobriety

~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~*

"Now we go out to our fellows and repair the damage done in the
past. We attempt to sweep away the debris which has accumulated out
of our effort to live on self-will and run the show ourselves. If we
haven't the will to do this, we ask until it comes. Remember it was
agreed at the beginning we would go to any lengths for victory over
alcohol."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg.76~

Resentment is the "number one" offender . It destroys more alcoholics then anything else.
-Alcoholics Anonymous p.64

The joy of living we really have, even under pressure and difficulty.
-Alcoholics Anonymous p.15

The joy of living is the theme of A.A.'s Twelfth Step, and action is its key word.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.106

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

'My observation is that some people can get by with a certain amount of postponement, but few can live with outright rebellion.'
'We have succeeded in confronting many a problem drinker with that awful alternative, 'This we A.A.'s do, or we die.' Once this much is firmly in his mind, more drinking only turns the coil tighter.
As many an alcoholic has said, 'I came to the place where it was either into A.A. or out the window. So here I am!

Prayer for the Day: Kindness and Service - O Lord, help me always to remember thankfully the work of those who helped me when I needed help. Reward them for their kindness and service, and grant that I may have the will, the time, and the opportunity to do the same for others.

[bluidkiti]

AA Thought for the Day

November 19

Listening
For weeks I sat in the back of the rooms, silent when others shared their experience, strength and hope.
I listened to their stories and found so many areas where we overlapped -- not all of the deeds,
but the feelings of remorse and hopelessness. I learned that alcoholism isn't a sin, it's a disease.
That lifted the guilt I felt.
- Alcoholics Anonymous,p. 344

Thought to Ponder . . .
I listen for direction now.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
H E A R T = Healing, Enjoying, And Recovering Together.

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~

Commitment
"No matter how much one wishes to try,
how can he turn his own will and his own life
over to the care of whatever God he thinks there is?
A beginning, even the smallest, is all that is needed.
Once we have placed the key of willingness in the lock,
and have the door ever so slightly open,
we find that we can always open it some more."
c. 1967AAWS, As Bill Sees It, p. 122

Thought to Consider . . .
If you always do what you've always done,
you will always be where you've always been.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
H O W = Honest, Open, Willing

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

Ingredient
From: "Me An Alcoholic?"
Here I found an ingredient that had been lacking in any other effort I had made to save myself. Here was - power! Here was power to live to the end of any given day, power to have the courage to face the next day, power to have friends, power to help people, power to be sane, power to stay sober. That was seven years ago - and many AA meetings ago - and I haven't had a drink during those seven years. Moreover, I am deeply convinced that so long as I continue to strive, in my bumbling way, toward the principles I first encountered in the earlier chapters of this book, this remarkable power will continue to flow through me. What is this power? With my AA friends, all I can say is that it's a Power greater than myself. If pressed, all I can do is follow the psalmist who said it long before me: "Be still, and know that I am God."
2001, AAWS, Inc., Alcoholics Anonymous, pages 386-387

*~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"The best university for me -- the best school, the best teaching -- was in analyzing mistakes that I'd made and problems I created because of these mistakes. Not my successes."
Warsaw, Poland, October 1996
"A Smiling Man, A Happy Man,"
AA Around the World

~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~*

"God will constantly disclose more to you and to us. Ask Him in your
morning meditation what you can do each day for the man who is still
sick. The answers will come, if your own house is in order. But
obviously you cannot transmit something you haven't got. See to it
that your relationship with Him is right, and great events will come
to pass for you and countless others. This is the Great Fact for us."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, A Vision For You, pg. 164~

We learned that we had to fully concede to our innermost selves that we were alcoholics. This is the first step in recovery. The delusion that we are like other people, or presently may be, has to be smashed.”
~Alcoholics Anonymous page 30

Some of us have tried to hold on to our old ideas and the result was nil until we let go absolutely.
-Alcoholics Anonymous p.58

And so it is: the beginning of the end of his old life, and the beginning of his emergence into a new one.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.26

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

More than most people, I think, alcoholics want to know who they are, what this life is about,, whether they have a divine origin and an appointed destiny, and whether there is a system of cosmic justice and love.
It is the experience of many of us in the early stages of drinking to feel that we have had glimpses of the Absolute and a heightened feeling of identification with the cosmos. While these glimpses and feelings doubtless have a validity, they are deformed and finally swept away in the chemical, spiritual, and emotional damage wrought by the alcohol itself.
In A.A., and in many religious approaches, alcoholics find a great deal more of what they merely glimpsed and felt while trying to grope their way toward God in alcohol.

Prayer for the Day: Make Me -
God, who touchest earth with beauty,
make my heart anew;
with thy Spirit recreate me,
pure and strong and true.
Like thy springs and running waters,
make me crystal pure;
like thy rocks of towering grandeur,
make me strong and sure.
Like thy dancing waves in sunlight,
make me glad and free;
like the straightness of the pine trees
let me upright be.
Like the arching of the heavens
lift my thoughts above,
turn my dreams to noble action:
ministries of love.
God, who touchest earth with beauty,
make my heart anew;
keep me ever by the Spirit,
pure and strong and true.

[bluidkiti]

AA Thought for the Day

November 20

A Possibility
The idea that religion and spirituality were not one and the same was a new notion.
My sponsor asked that I merely remain open-minded to the possibility that there was a Power greater than myself,
one of my own understanding. . .
Reluctantly, I opened my mind to the fact that maybe, just maybe, there was something to this spiritual lifestyle.
Slowly but surely, I realized there was indeed a Power greater than myself.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 287

Thought to Ponder . . .
The Power within me is far greater than any fear before me.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
H O P E = Heart Open; Please Enter

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~

Honesty
"I know the biggest word for me in AA is 'honesty.'
I don't believe this program would work for me
if I didn't get honest with myself about everything.
Honesty is the easiest word for me to understand
because it is the exact opposite of what I've been doing
all my life.
Therefore, it will be the hardest to work on.
But I will never be totally honest -- that would make me perfect,
and none of us can claim to be perfect.
Only God is.
If I work on it every day, it will be easier
to be honest with myself.
Then getting and staying honest with other people
will come automatically.
I know I will be grateful for a chance to make amends
to everybody I have hurt in the past."
c. 1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 482

Thought to Consider . . .
Honesty is the absence of the intent to deceive.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
H O P E = Honest, Open, Positive, Environment

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

Structure of Service
From: Concept V:
Throughout our world service structure, a traditional Right of Appeal ought to prevail, thus assuring us that minority opinion will be heard and that petitions for the redress of personal grievances will be carefully considered."
We believe that the spirit of democracy in our Fellowship and in our world service structure will always survive, despite the counter forces which will no doubt continue to beat upon us. Fortunately we are not obliged to maintain a government that enforces conformity by inflicting punishments. We need to maintain only a structure of service that holds aloft our Traditions, that forms and executes our policies thereunder, and so steadily carries our message to those who suffer.
Hence we believe that we shall never be subjected to the tyranny of either the majority or the minority, provided we carefully define the relations between them and forthwith tread the path of world service in the spirit of our Twelve Steps, our Twelve Traditions, and our Conference Charter - in which I trust that we shall one day inscribe these traditional Rights of Appeal and Petition.
1962, AAWS, Twelve Concepts of World Service, pages 24-25

*~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"I'd like to develop Step Eleven further -- for the benefit of the complete doubter, the unlucky one who can't believe it has any real merit at all .... As he goes along with his process of prayer, he begins to add up the results. If he persists, he will almost surely find more serenity, more tolerance, less fear, and less anger. He will acquire a quiet courage, the kind that doesn't strain him. He can look at so-called failure and success for what they really are. Problems and calamity will begin to mean instruction, instead of destruction. He will feel freer and saner ... His sense of purpose and of direction will increase. His tensions and anxieties will commence to fade. His physical health is likely to improve. Wonderful and unaccountable things will start to happen. Twisted relations in his family and on the outside will unaccountably improve.
"Even if few of these things happen, he will still find himself in possession of great gifts. When he has to deal with hard circumstances he can face them and accept them. He can now accept himself and the world around him."
AA Co-Founder, Bill W., June 1958
"Take Step Eleven"
The Language of the Heart

~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~*

"Once more: The alcoholic at certain times has no effective mental
defense against the first drink. Except in a few rare cases, neither
he nor any other human being can provide such a defense. His defense
must come from a Higher Power."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, More About Alcoholism, pg. 43~

"Each day, somewhere in the world, recovery begins when one alcoholic talks with another alcoholic, sharing experience, strength, and hope."
Alcoholics Anonymous Foreword to the Third Edition

We claim spiritual progress rather than spiritual perfection.
-Alcoholics Anonymous p.60

He asks only that we try as best we know how to make progress in the building of character.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.65

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

Some of us still ask, 'Just what is this Third Legacy business anyhow? And just how much territory does 'service' take in?'
Let's begin with my own sponsor, Ebby. When Ebby heard how serious my drinking was, he resolved to visit me. He was in New York; I was in Brooklyn. His resolve was not enough; he had to take action and he had to spend money.
He called me on the phone and then got into the subway; total cost, ten cents. At the level of the telephone booth and subway turnstile, spirituality and money began to mix. One without the other would have amounted to nothing at all.
Right then and there, Ebby established the principle that A.A. in action calls for the sacrifice of much time and a little money.

Prayer for the Day: Guide Me - Thank You, Higher Power, for this beautiful day, for strength, for health. Help me to live this day for You. Place in my path some way to serve You. Help me to know that no other walks in My shoes, that there is something that only I can do today. Guide my thoughts and deeds that I may feel Your presence today and in all the tomorrow.

[bluidkiti]

AA Thought for the Day

November 21

Step Eleven
"Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him,
praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out."

Faith is a matter of degree. I am grateful for whatever faith I have now -- far, so very far, from the kind of faith that

moves mountains.
There is so much more to know, and no limit to the growth of faith. So I shall continue trying to work the Eleventh Step,
trying to improve my conscious contact with God as I understand Him.
- The Best Of The Grapevine [Vol. 2], p. 277

Thought to Ponder . . .
People of faith have a logical idea of what life is all about.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
F A I T H = Forever Always In The Heart.

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~

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

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

*~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"Until today, at least, I am getting further away from that first drink, which is the one that inevitably leads me to complete disaster."
Caracas, Venezuela, May 1971
"My Name Is Adolfo,"
AA Around the World

~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~*

"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~

The alcoholic is like a tornado roaring his way through the lives of others . Hearts are broken . Sweet relationships are dead . Affections have been uprooted . Selfish and inconsiderate habits have kept the home in turmoil . We feel a man is unthinking when he says that sobriety is enough . He is like the farmer who came up out of his cyclone cellar to find his home ruined . To his wife, he remarked , "Don't see anything the matter here , Ma. Ain't it grand the wind stopped blowin'?"
Alcoholics Anonymous , Page-82

We shouldn't be shy on this matter of prayer.
-Alcoholics Anonymous p.85

"The actual experience of meditation and prayer across the centuries is, of course, immense.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.98

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

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.

Prayer for the Day: Dear God, I had another anniversary today, one more year in recovery. It has been difficult at times, but it has allowed many blessings. I am a human being again. I feel new strength in my body, spirit, and mind. The world has never looked so good. I have the respect of my friends and family. I am productive in my work. I do not miss slippery people and places. When I have been tempted, You, my Higher Power, have sustained me. I have found a home in the Fellowship and friends support me. Stay close by me, God. I thank You. This is the life I love.

[bluidkiti]

AA Thought for the Day

November 22

"If"
Alcoholism respects no ifs. It does not go away, not even for a week, for a day, or even for an hour,
leaving us nonalcoholic and able to drink again on some special occasion or for some extraordinary reason --
not even if it is a once-in-a-lifetime celebration, or if a big sorrow hits us, or if it rains in Spain or the stars fall on

Alabama.
Alcoholism is for us unconditional, with no dispensations available at any price.
- Living Sober, p. 63

Thought to Ponder . . .
Alcohol -- cunning, baffling, powerful!

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
A A = Always Aware.

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~

Gratitude
"A complete change takes place in our approach to life.
Where we used to run from responsibility,
we find ourselves accepting it
with gratitude that we can successfully shoulder it.
Instead of wanting to escape some perplexing problem,
we experience a thrill of challenge
in the opportunity it affords for another application
of AA techniques,
and we find ourselves tackling it with surprising vigor."
c. 1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, pp. 311-12

Thought to Consider . . .
When brimming with gratitude,
one's heartbeat must surely result in outgoing love,
the finest emotion we can ever know.
Bill W., March 1962

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
T H I N K = The Happiness I Never Knew

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

Awareness
>From "The Three Legacies of Alcoholics Anonymous":
"The [Saturday Evening Post] article appeared in the March 1, 1941, issue. Jack's [Alexander] extensive investigation and his remarkable capacity for sympathy and rapport with us produced a piece which had immense impact. By mail and telegram a deluge of pleas for help and orders for the book Alcoholics Anonymous, first in hundreds and then in thousands, hit Box 658. Pawing at random through the incoming mass of heartbreaking appeals, we found ourselves crying. What on earth could we do with them? We were really swamped.
"We saw that we must have help. So we rounded up every A.A. woman and every A.A. wife who could use a typewriter. The upper floor of the Twenty-Fourth Street Club was converted into an emergency headquarters. For days [A.A. office manager] Ruth and the volunteers tried to answer the ever increasing tide of mail. They were almost tempted into using form letters. But experience had shown that this would not do at all. A warm personal communication must be sent to every prospect and his family."
2001 AAWS, Inc.; Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pg. 191

*~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"For all its usual destructiveness, we have found that fear can be the starting point for better things. Fear can be a stepping-stone to prudence and to a decent respect for others. It can point the path to justice, as well as to hate. And the more we have of respect and justice, the more we shall begin to find the love which can suffer much, and yet be freely given. So fear need not always be destructive, because the lessons of its consequences can lead us to positive values."
AA Co-Founder, Bill W., January 1962
"This Matter of Fear"
The Language of the Heart

~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~*

"We try not to indulge in cynicism over the state of the nations, nor
do we carry the world's troubles on our shoulders. When we see a man
sinking into the mire that is alcoholism, we give him first aid and
place what we have at his disposal."
Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, The Family Afterward, pg. 132~

Acceptance is the key to my relationship with God today. I never just sit and do nothing while waiting for Him to tell me what to do. Rather, I do whatever is in front of me to be done, and I leave the results up to Him, however it turns out, that's God's will for me.
I must keep my magic magnifying mind on my acceptance and off my expectations, for my serenity is directly proportional to my level of acceptance. When I remember this, I can see I've never had it so good. Thank God for A.A.!
Alcoholics Anonymous Page 452

Our real purpose is to fit ourselves to be of maximum service to God and the people about us.
-Alcoholics Anonymous p.77

When the Twelfth Step is seen in its full implication, it is really talking about the kind of love that has no price tag on it.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.106

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

'Thanks much for your letter of criticism. I'm certain that had it not been for its strong critics, A.A. would have made slower progress.'
'For myself, I have come to set a high value on the people who have criticized me, whether they have seemed reasonable critics or unreasonable ones. Both have often restrained me from doing much worse than I actually have done. The unreasonable ones have taught me, I hope, a little patience. But the reasonable ones have always done a great job for all of A.A. - and have taught me many a valuable lesson.'

Prayer for the Day: To Be Honest - Higher Power, help me to be honest with myself. It is so easy to alibi, to make excuses for my shortcomings. It is so easy to blame others and circumstances as a child does. Help me to see myself honestly: a human being who needs You this day and every day. Help me to surrender my weak will to Your strength.

[bluidkiti]

AA Thought for the Day

November 23

Perspective
Until I could honesty look at myself and see that I was the problem in many situations and react appropriately inside

and out;
until I could discard my expectations and understand that my serenity was directionally proportional to them,
I could not experience serenity and sound sobriety.
- Daily Reflections,p. 71

Thought to Ponder . . .
My perspective will change my perception. My perception will change my experience. My experience is my life.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
A A = Attitude Adjustment.

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~

Faith

"We had seen spiritual release,
but liked to tell ourselves it wasn't true.
Actually we were fooling ourselves,
for deep down in every man, woman, and child,
is the fundamental idea of God.
It may be obscured by calamity, by pomp,
by worship of other things,
but in some form or other it is there.
For faith in a Power greater than ourselves,
and miraculous demonstrations
of that power in human lives,
are facts as old as man himself."
c. 1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, pp. 55

Thought to Consider . . .
Faith is putting all your eggs in God's basket,
then counting your blessings before they hatch.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
F A I T H = Finding Answers In The Heart

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

Reliable
>From "God Is Good":
"Each day, God gives us a new challenge. Sometimes, it is prosperity; sometimes, adversity. Prosperity can lead to complacency; adversity, to self-pity. Either one of these reactions is a luxury I cannot afford. I do not always fully accept my adversities as good while I am going through them, but the mere fact that I am now able to write these words proves the logic in my faith that God is good."
1973 AAWS, Inc.; Came to Believe, 30th printing 2004, pg. 87

*~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"The Twelve Steps are deceptively simple but provide limitless spiritual growth for anyone with the patience to stay the course."
Riverside, Ill., September 2007
"It Works for Me,"
Voices of Long-Term Sobriety

~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~*

3rd Step Prayer:
"God, I offer myself to Thee to build with me and to do with
me as Thou wilt. Relieve me of the bondage of self, that I may better
do Thy will. Take away my difficulties, that victory over them may
bear witness to those I would help of Thy Power, Thy Love, and Thy
Way of life. May I do Thy will always!"
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 63~

"I earnestly advise every alcoholic to read this book through , and though perhaps he came to scoff , he may remain to pray" Dr. W.D. Silkworth M.D.
Alcoholics Anonymous p.xxx

For if an alcoholic failed to perfect and enlarge his spiritual life through work and self-sacrifice for others, he could not survive the certain trials and low spots ahead.
-Alcoholics Anonymous p.15

When, with God's help, we calmly accepted our lot, then we found we could live at peace with ourselves and show others who still suffered the same fears that they could get over them, too.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.122

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

The immediate object of our quest is sobriety-freedom from alcohol and from all its baleful consequences. Without this freedom, we have nothing at all.
Paradoxically, though, we can achieve no liberation from the alcohol obsession until we become willing to deal with those character defects which have landed us in that helpless condition. In this freedom quest, we are always given three choices.
A rebellious refusal to work upon our glaring defects can be an almost certain ticket to destruction. Or, perhaps for a time, we can stay sober with a minimum of self-improvement and settle ourselves into a comfortable but often dangerous mediocrity. Or, finally, we can continuously try hard for those sterling qualities that can add up to fineness of spirit and action - true and lasting freedom under God.

Prayer for the Day: Teach Me -
Teach me, God, so that I might know
The way to change and the way to grow.
Give me the words to ask You how
To handle the here and live in the now.
Tempt me not with valleys of death,
Give me freedom from fear in every breath.
And though mistakes I make in my daily life,
Deliver me from aiding strife.
Understand me, God, as I am now
And show me the furrows I need to plow
To reach my goal as a ripening food,
So I might feed others all that is good.
Fill me with energy known as the Power,
Until I come to rest at the midnight hour.

[bluidkiti]

AA Thought for the Day

November 24

He Was Listening
It finally became obvious to me that the God I thought had judged and damned me had done nothing of the sort.
He had been listening, and in His own good time His answer came. His answer was threefold:
the opportunity for a life of sobriety; Twelve Steps to practice, in order to attain and maintain that life of sobriety;
fellowship within the program, ever ready to sustain and help me each twenty-four-hour day.
- Came To Believe . . ., p. 11

Thought to Ponder . . .
God never answers a question that starts with "why."

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
A A = Answer Available.

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~

Meetings
"A 'spiritual experience' to me meant attending meetings,
seeing a group of people,
all there for the purpose of helping each other;
hearing the Twelve Steps and the Twelve Traditions
read at a meeting,
and hearing the Lord's Prayer, which in an AA meeting
has such great meaning --
'They will be done, not mine.'
A spiritual awakening soon came to mean
trying each day to be a little more thoughtful,
more considerate, a little more courteous to those
with whom I came in contact."
c. 1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 381

Thought to Consider . . .
Seven days without a meeting makes one weak.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
Y A N A = You Are Not Alone

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

Alternatives
From: "We Agnostics"
In the preceding chapters you have learned something of alcoholism. We hope we have made clear the distinction between the alcoholic and the non-alcoholic. If, when you honestly want to, you find you cannot quit entirely, or if when drinking, you have little control over the amount you take, you are probably alcoholic. If that be the case, you may be suffering from an illness which only a spiritual experience will conquer.
To one who feels he is an atheist or agnostic such an experience seems impossible, but to continue as he is means disaster, especially if he is an alcoholic of the hopeless variety. To be doomed to an alcoholic death or to live on a spiritual basis are not always easy alternatives to face.
2001, AAWS, Inc., Alcoholics Anonymous, page 44

*~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"We sense that here in AA this shared darkness has become a shared light."
Pleasantville, N.Y., August 1959
"The Sense of Sobriety"
Spiritual Awakenings

~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~*

"We alcoholics are sensitive people. It takes some of us a long time to outgrow that serious handicap."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, The Family Afterward, pg. 125~

And we have ceased fighting anything or anyone ---even alcohol . For by this time sanity will have returned . We will seldom be interested in liquor . If tempted , we recoil from it as from a hot flame . We react sanely and normally , and we will find that this has happened automatically . We will see that our new attitude toward liquor has been given us without any thought or effort on our part . It just comes! That is the miracle of it . We are not fighting it , neither are we avoiding temptation . We feel as though we had been placed in a position of neutrality--- safe and protected . We have not even sworn off . Instead , the problem has been removed .It does not exist for us . We are neither cocky nor are we afraid . That is our experience . That is how we react so long as we keep in fit spiritual condition .
Alcoholics Anonymous , Page 84-85

At once, we commence to outgrow fear.
-Alcoholics Anonymous p.68

Then fear, in turn, generates more character defects.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.49

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

When dealing with a prospect of agnostic or atheistic bent, you had better use everyday language to describe spiritual principles. There is no use arousing any prejudice he may have against certain theological terms and conceptions, about which he may already be confused. Don't raise such issues, no matter what your own convictions are.
Every man and woman who has joined A.A. and intends to stick has, without realizing it, made a beginning on Step Three. Isn't it true that, in all matters touching upon alcohol, each of them has decided to turn his or her life over to the care, protection, and guidance of A.A.?
Already a willingness has been achieved to cast out one's own will and one's own ideas about the alcohol problem in favor of those suggested by A.A. Now if this is not turning one's will and life over to a new-found 'Providence,' then what is it?

Prayer for the Day: The Fellowship Prayer - Dear Higher Power I am grateful that: I am part of the Fellowship, one among many, but I am one. I need to work the Steps for the development of the buried life within me. Our Program may be human in its organization, but it is Divine in its purpose. The purpose is to continue my spiritual awakening. Participating in the privileges of the movement, I shall share in the responsibilities, taking it upon myself to carry my fair share of the load, not grudgingly, but joyfully. To the extent that I fail in my responsibilities, the Program fails. To the extent that I succeed, the Program succeeds. I shall not wait to be drafted for service to my fellow members, I shall volunteer. I shall be loyal in my attendance, generous in my giving, kind in my criticism, intuitive in my suggestions, loving in my attitudes. I shall give to the Program my interest, my enthusiasm, my devotion, and, most of all, myself.

[bluidkiti]

AA Thought for the Day

November 25

Humility
Perpetual quietness of heart. It is to have no trouble. It is never to be fretted or vexed, irritable or sore;
to wonder at nothing that is done to me, to feel nothing done against me.
It is to be at rest when nobody praises me, and when I am blamed or despised,
it is to have a blessed home in myself where I can go in and kneel to my Father in secret and be at peace,
as in a deep sea of calmness, when all around and about is seeming trouble.
- Dr. Bob and the Good Oldtimers, p. 222

Thought to Ponder . . .
Many people haven't even a nodding acquaintance with humility as a way of life.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
A A = Always Aware.

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~

Vision
"Vision is, I think, the ability to make good estimates,
both for the immediate and for the more distant future.
Some might feel this sort of striving to be a sort of heresy,
because we AA's are constantly telling ourselves,
'One day at a time.'
But that valuable principle really refers to
our mental and emotional lives
and means chiefly that we are not to foolishly
repine over the past nor wishfully
day-dream about the future. . .
Vision is therefore the very essence of prudence,
an essential virtue if ever there was one.
Of course we shall often miscalculate the future
in whole or in part,
but that is better than to refuse to think at all."
Bill W., 1962
c. 1962AAWS, Twelve Concepts for World Service, 26th printing, p. 40

Thought to Consider . . .
Right actions for the future
are the best apologies for wrong ones in the past.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
T I M E = Things I Must Earn

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

Look Squarely
Step Four: Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
Step Four is our vigorous and painstaking effort to discover what these liabilities in each of us have been, and are. We want to find exactly how, when, and where our natural desires have warped us. We wish to look squarely at the unhappiness this has caused others and ourselves. By discovering what our emotional deformities are, we can move toward their correction. Without a willing and persistent effort to do this, there can be little sobriety or contentment for us. Without a searching and fearless moral inventory, most of us have found that the faith which really works in daily living is still out of reach.
1981, AAWS, Inc., Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pages 42-43

*~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"I ask the newcomer to help me wash the coffeepot, or put chairs away, because service was, and still is, my key to belonging."
Manchester, New Hampshire, September 2000
"The Key to Belonging,"
I Am Responsible: The Hand of AA

~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~*

"Selfishness self-centeredness! That, we think, is the root of
our troubles. Driven by a hundred forms of fear, self-delusion, self-
seeking, and self-pity, we step on the toes of our fellows and they
retaliate. Sometimes they hurt us, seemingly without provocation,
but we invariably find that at some time in the past we have made
decisions based on self which later placed us in a position to be hurt."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 62~

We learned that we had to fully concede to our innermost selves that we were alcoholics. This is the first step in recovery. The delusion that we are like other people, or presently may be, has to be smashed.”
Alcoholics Anonymous page 30

Were we thinking of ourselves most of the time?
-Alcoholics Anonymous p.66

When these things happen we should not think too ill of ourselves.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.105

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

In praying, our immediate temptation will be to ask for specific solutions to specific problems, and for the ability to help other people as we have already thought they should be helped. In that case, we are asking God to do it our way. Therefore, we ought to consider each request carefully to see what its real merit is.
Even so, when making specific requests, it will be well to add to each one of them this qualification: '. . . if it be Thy will.'

Prayer for the Day: First Step Prayer - Today, I ask for help with my addiction. Denial has kept me from seeing how powerless I am and how my life is unmanageable. I need to learn and remember that I have an incurable illness and that abstinence is the only way to deal with it.

[bluidkiti]

AA Thought for the Day

November 26

Anger
If we were to live, we had to be free of anger. The grouch and the brainstorm were not for us.
They may be the dubious luxury of normal men, but for the alcoholic these things are poison.
- Alcoholics Anonymous,p. 71

Thought to Ponder . . .
Anger rules nothing except itself.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
A A = Avoid Anger.

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~

Diagnosis
"We do not like to pronounce any individual as alcoholic,
but you can quickly diagnose yourself.
Step over to the nearest barroom
and try some controlled drinking.
Try to drink and stop abruptly.
Try it more than once.
It will not take long for you to decide,
if you are honest with yourself about it.
It may be worth a bad case of jitters
if you get a full knowledge of your condition."
c. 1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, pp. 31-2

Thought to Consider . . .
If you want to quit drinking,
you are going to have to quit drinking.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
D E A D = Drinking Ends All Dreams

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

New
From: "Winner Takes All"
In working the steps, my life changed. I think differently today; I feel different today. I am new. We have a sign at the AA meetings I go to that says, Expect a Miracle. My sobriety is full of miracles. When my son filled out an application for college, I filled one out too, and was accepted. Soon I will be a senior and I have a 3.71 grade point average. Thanks to AA, I have come a long way from being near the bottom of my high school class. It takes me a bit longer to read the material, so I have a CCTV (I put my book under the camera and it comes out in big print on a monitor). I have a talking calculator that helped me get through statistics and a telescope that can help me see the board. I accept help from the disabled student services and gladly make use of the volunteer notetakers.
I learned to accept the things I could not change (in this case my vision) and change the things I can (I could be grateful for and accept the visual aids instead of being embarrassed and rejecting them as I had when I was younger).
2001, AAWS, Inc., Alcoholics Anonymous, pages 380-381

*~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"I was amazed at the things I was grateful for: those painful situations that served to show me my character defects; the ability to accept and share my pain with others; the opportunities to do things I was afraid to do which gave me strength and confidence."
State College, Pa., April 1994
"Working Incognito,"
Spiritual Awakenings

~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~*

"'There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which
is proof against all arguments and which cannot fail to keep a man in
everlasting ignorance , that principle is contempt prior to investigation.'"
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Appendice II, Spiritual Experience, pg. 568~

Now we need more action, without which we find
that “Faith without works is dead.’’ Let’s look at
Steps Eight and Nine. We have a list of all persons we have
harmed and to whom we are willing to make amends.
We made it when we took inventory. We subjected
ourselves to a drastic self-appraisal. Now we go out to
our fellows and repair the damage done in the past.
We attempt to sweep away the debris which has accu*
mulated out of our effort to live on self-will and run
the show ourselves. If we haven’t the will to do this,
we ask until it comes. Remember it was agreed at the
beginning we would go to any lengths for victory over alcohol.
Alcoholics Anonymous page 76

This we did because we honestly wanted to, and were willing to make the effort.
-Alcoholics Anonymous p.26

Without a willing and persistent effort to do this, there can be little sobriety or contentment for us.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.43

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

Those adolescent urges that so many of us have for complete approval, utter security, and perfect romance - urges quite appropriate to age seventeen - prove to be an impossible way of life at forty-seven or fifty-seven.
Since A.A. began, I've taken huge wallops in all these areas because of my failure to grow up, emotionally and spiritually.
As we grow spiritually, we find that our old attitudes toward our instinctual drives need to undergo drastic revisions. Our demands for emotional security and wealth, for personal prestige and power all have to be tempered and redirected.
We learn that the full satisfaction of these demands cannot be the sole end and aim of our lives. We cannot place the cart before the horse, or we shall be pulled backward into disillusionment. But when we are willing to place spiritual growth first - then and only then do we have a real chance to grow in healthy awareness and mature love.

Prayer for the Day: Second Step Prayer - I pray for an open mind so I may come to believe in a Power greater than myself. I pray for humility and the continued opportunity to increase my faith. I don't want to be crazy any more.

[bluidkiti]

AA Thought for the Day

November 27

Gratitude
I am grateful not only for sobriety, but for the quality of life my sobriety has brought.
God has been gracious enough to give me sober days and a life blessed with peace and contentment,
as well as the ability to give and receive love, and the opportunity to serve others
-- in our Fellowship, my family and my community.
For all of this, I have a "full and thankful heart."
- Daily Reflections, p. 93

Thought to Ponder . . .
There is a calmness to a life lived in gratitude; a quiet joy.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
A A = Always Awesome.

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~

Forgive
"Just like you, I have often thought myself the victim
of what other people say and do.
Yet every time I confessed the sins of such people,
especially those whose sins did not correspond
exactly with my own,
I found that I only increased the total damage. . .
Under very trying circumstances,
I have had, again and again, to forgive others -- also myself.
Have you recently tried this?"
Bill W., Letter, 1946
c. 1967AAWS, As Bill Sees It, p. 268

Thought to Consider . . .
Life is an adventure in forgiveness.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
F E E L = Feel, Experience, Express, Let go

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

Refuge
>From "for AAs, a Season of Gratitude"
The holiday season can be difficult for many AAs, especially the newcomer. The pressure to drink may feel overwhelming when it seems all the world is hoisting glasses in one toast after another. At these times, the prospect of the usual round of holiday parties can be as inviting as a stroll in a minefield to the alcoholic struggling to stay away from the first drink.
The AA group, though, can be a refuge. Meeting marathons provide a safe place for recovering alcoholics who are on their own, as well as those looking for a break from family festivities. Some groups schedule dances or potluck dinners, providing a place to congregate and celebrate in sober fellowship.
It's safe to say that AA group celebrations are held in most parts of the world, wherever seasonal festivities are celebrated. Large or small, in remote rural areas or big cities, the sharing and hospitality always center on a regular AA meeting. But the styles of group gatherings are as varied as the members and regional customs dictate.
2003, AAWS, Inc., Box 459, 49(6):2

*~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"To be happily sober, we must be active -- and this does not necessarily mean group activity. The Loner is part of a much larger group of people in far distant places, all members of AA with the same problems, fears, and happiness to be shared ... I may not be in face-to-face contact with other AA members, but my real friends in AA are too many to enumerate, and I find there aren't enough hours in the day to do all I should."
Salisbury, Rhodesia, February 1970
"Alone? Not This Loner!"
AA Around the World

~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~*

"On awakening let us think about the twenty-four hours ahead. We
consider our plans for the day. Before we begin, we ask God to
direct our thinking, especially asking that it be divorced from self-
pity, dishonest or self-seeking motives. Under these conditions we
can employ our mental faculties with assurance, for after all God
gave us brains to use. Our thought-life will be placed on a much
higher plane when our thinking is cleared of wrong motives."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 86~

“What about people who proved that man could never fly? Yet we had been seeing another kind of flight, a spiritual liberation from this world, people who rose above their problems. They said God made these things possible, and we only smiled. We had seen spiritual release, but liked to tell ourselves it wasn't true. Actually we were fooling ourselves, for deep down in every man, woman, and child, is the fundamental idea of God.”
~Alcoholics Anonymous ~page 55

Showing others who suffer how we were given help is the very thing which makes life seem so worth while to us now.
-Alcoholics Anonymous p.124

Even the newest of newcomers finds undreamed rewards as he tries to help his brother alcoholic, the one who is even blinder than he.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.109

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

We realize we know only a little. God will constantly disclose more to you and to us. Ask Him in your morning meditation what you can do each day for the man who is still sick. The answers will come, if your own house is in order.
But obviously you cannot transmit something you haven't got. See to it that your relationship with Him is right, and great events will come to pass for you and countless others. This is the great fact for us.
To the Newcomer:
Abandon yourself to God as you understand God. Admit your faults to Him and to 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.

Prayer for the Day: Third Step Prayer - God, I offer myself to Thee — to build with me and to do with me as Thou wilt. Relieve me of the bondage of self, that I may better do Thy will. Take away my difficulties, that victory over them may bear witness to those I would help of Thy Power, Thy Love, and Thy Way of life. May I do Thy will always!

[bluidkiti]

AA Thought for the Day

November 28

The Lesson
This, then, became the opening to the spiritual world.
With the guidance of the program and the encouragement and example within the Fellowship,
I could begin to find out about myself and be prepared to accept what I found.
I learned in the Fellowship that if others could accept me and love me as I was, then I should love myself as I was
-- not for what I was, but for what I could become.
So I have learned a little about my mind and about my will and about my emotions and passions.
- Came To Believe . . ., p. 3

Thought to Ponder . . .
Learn to listen; listen to learn.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
A B C = Accept, Begin, Continue.

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~

Promises
"We are going to know a new freedom
and a new happiness.
We will not regret the past
nor wish to shut the door on it.
We will comprehend the word serenity
and we will know peace.
No matter how far down the scale we have gone,
we will see how our experience can benefit others.
That feeling of uselessness and self-pity
will disappear.
We will lose interest in selfish things
and gain interest in our fellows.
Self-seeking will slip away.
Our whole attitude and outlook upon life will change.
Fear of people and of economic insecurity
will leave us.
We will intuitively know how to handle
situations which used to baffle us.
We will suddenly realize that God is doing for us
what we could not do for ourselves.
Are these extravagant promises? We think not.
They are being fulfilled among us --
sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly.
They will always materialize if we work for them."
c. 1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, pp. 83-4

Thought to Consider . . .
The Promises are a result not a right.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
P R O G R A M = People Relying On God Relay A Message

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

How To Live
From: "Stars Don't Fall"
AA taught me how not to drink. And also, on the twenty-four hour plan, it taught me how to live. I know I do not have to be queen of them all to salve a frightened ego. Through going to meetings and listening, and occasionally speaking, through doing Twelve Step work, whereby in helping others you are both the teacher and the student, by making many wonderful AA friends, I have been taught all the things in life that are worth having. I am no longer interested in living in a palace, because palace living was not the answer for me. Nor were those impossible dreams I used to have the things I really wanted.
2003, AAWS, Inc., Experience, Strength & Hope, pages 362-363

*~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"Recovery is giving it away. If you don't give it away you can't have it ... Be part of the pipeline."
Greenwich Village, N.Y., December 1997
"Oh God, You Again?"
I Am Responsible: The Hand of AA

~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~*

"We are careful never to show intolerance or hatred of drinking as
an institution. Experience shows that such an attitude is not
helpful to anyone. Every new alcoholic looks for this spirit among
us and is immensely relieved when he finds we are not witch-burners.
A spirit of intolerance might repel alcoholics whose lives could
have been saved, had it not been for such stupidity."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Working With Others, pg. 103~

We do not like to pronounce any individual as alcoholic , but you can quickly diagnose yourself . Step over to the nearest barroom and try some controlled drinking . Try to drink and stop abruptly . Try it more than once . It will not take long for you to decide , if you are honest with yourself about it . It may be worth a bad case of jitters if you get a full knowledge of your condition .
Alcoholics Anonymous , Page 31-32

The only requirement for membership is an honest desire to stop drinking.
-Alcoholics Anonymous p.xiv

When we are honest with another person, it confirms that we have been honest with ourselves and with God.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.60

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

When anyone, anywhere, reaches out for help, I want the hand of A.A. always to be there. And for that: I am responsible.
DEAR FRIENDS: Since 1938, the greatest part of my A.A. life has been spent in helping to create, design, manage, and insure the solvency and effectiveness of A.A.'s world services - the office of which has enabled our Fellowship to function all over the globe, and as a unified whole.
It is no exaggeration to say that, under their trustees, these all important services have accounted for much of our present size and over-all effectiveness.
The A.A. General Service Office is by far the largest single carrier of the A.A. message. It has well related A.A. to the troubled world in which we live. It has fostered the spread of our Fellowship everywhere. A.A. World Services, Inc., stands ready to serve the special needs of any group or isolated individual, no matter the distance or language. Its many years of accumulated experience are available to us all.
The members of our trusteeship - the General Service Board of A.A .- will, in the future, be our primary leaders in all of our world affairs. This high responsibility has long since been delegated to them; they are the successors in world service to Dr. Bob and to me, and they are directly accountable to A.A. as a whole.
This is the legacy of world-service responsibility that we vanishing oldtimers are leaving to you, the A.A.'s of today and tomorrow. We know that you will guard, support, and cherish this world legacy as the greatest collective responsibility that A.A. has or ever can have.
Yours in trust, and in affection,
Bill W. died on January 24, 1971.

Prayer for the Day: Fourth Step Prayer - Dear God, It is I who has made my life a mess. I have done it, but I cannot undo it. My mistakes are mine and I will begin a searching & fearless moral inventory. I will write down my wrongs, but I will also include that which is good. I pray for the strength to complete the task.

[bluidkiti]

AA Thought for the Day

November 29

Rebellion
Rebellion dogs our every step at first.
When we have finally admitted we are powerless over alcohol, we are apt to breathe a great sigh of relief, saying,
"Well, thank God that's over! I'll never have to go through that again!"
Then we learn, often to our consternation, that this is only the first milestone on the new road we are walking.
- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 73

Thought to Ponder . . .
May the road always lead where you need to be.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
O D A A T = One Day At A Time.

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~

A Friend
"We finally saw that faith in some kind of God
was a part of our make-up,
just as much as the feeling we have for a friend.
Sometimes we had to search fearlessly,
but He was there.
He was as much a fact as we were.
We found the Great Reality deep down within us.
In the last analysis it is only there that He may be found.
It was so with us."
c. 1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 55

Thought to Consider . . .
Faith dares the soul to go beyond what the eyes can see.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
F A I T H = Finding Answers In The Heart.

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

Income
>From "The Three Legacies of Alcoholics Anonymous":
"The peak of the flood finally passed, but the regular correspondence traffic through Headquarters remained so great that we saw we would have to have permanent paid help. Volunteers could not handle the situation.
"We also realized that these increased demands upon the office could not be met out of book income. So for the first time we asked the A.A. groups to help. Trustees Howard and Bert went on the road. They asked that all A.A. groups contribute to a special fund in the Foundation which would be earmarked 'for A.A. office expenses only.' The contributions would be entirely voluntary. As a measuring stick, it was suggested that each group send in one dollar per member per year."
2001 AAWS, Inc.; Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pgs. 191-92

*~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"Difficult times bring us to new degrees of acceptance and humility because we learn on a deeper level how close we really are to our next drink. If we hang on, we learn how the grace of the Fellowship and the principles of the program carry us through the tough spots as well as the times of joy."
Providence, R.I., March 2009
"The Bottom of the Glass,"
Voices of Long-Term Sobriety

~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~*

"Remember that we deal with alcohol, cunning, baffling, powerful!
Without help it is too much for us. But there is One who has all
power that One is God. May you find Him now!"
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, Page 58~

'We are sure God wants us to be happy, joyous, and free. We cannot subscribe to the belief that this life is a vale of tears, though it once was just that for many of us. But it is clear that we made our own misery. God didn't do it. Avoid the, the deliberate manufacture of misery, but if trouble comes, cheerfully capitalize it as an opportunity to demonstrate His omnipotence."
Alcoholics Anonymous Page 133

Some of us once had great self-confidence, but it didn't fully solve the fear problem, or any other.
-Alcoholics Anonymous p.68

We found that freedom from fear was more important than freedom from want.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.122

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

Sometimes, we register surprise, shock, and anger when people find fault with A.A. We are apt to be disturbed to such an extent that we cannot benefit by constructive criticism.
This sort of resentment makes no friends and achieves no constructive purpose. Certainly, this is an area in which we can improve.
It is evident that the harmony, security, and future effectiveness of A.A. will depend largely upon our maintenance of a thoroughly nonaggressive and pacific attitude in all our public relations. This is an exacting assignment, because in our drinking days we were prone to anger, hostility, rebellion, and aggression. And, even though we are now sober, the old patterns of behavior are to a degree still with us, always threatening to explode on any good excuse.
But we now know this, and therefore I feel confident that in the conduct of our public affairs we shall always find the grace to exert restraint.

Prayer for the Day: Fifth Step Prayer - Higher Power, My inventory has shown me who I am, yet I ask for Your help in admitting my wrongs to another person and to You. Assure me, and be with me, in this Step, for without this Step I cannot progress in my recovery. With Your help, I can do this and I will do it.

[bluidkiti]

AA Thought for the Day

November 30

Meditation and Prayer
Perhaps one of the greatest rewards of meditation and prayer is the sense of belonging that comes to us.
We no longer live in a completely hostile world. We are no longer lost and frightened and purposeless.
- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions,p. 105

Thought to Ponder . . .
Trying to pray is praying.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
P U S H = Pray Until Something Happens.

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~

Perfection
"Day by day, we try to move a little
toward God's perfection.
So we need not be consumed by maudlin guilt
for failure to achieve His likeness and image by Thursday next.
Progress is our aim,
and His perfection is the beacon, light-years away,
that draws us on."
Bill W., Letter, 1966
c. 1967AAWS, As Bill Sees It, p. 15

Thought to Consider . . .
Remember the 3 P's:
Perfectionism (leads to) Procrastination (leads to) Paralysis.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
P U T = Patience, Understanding, Tolerance.

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

Belief
>From "He Took Control":
"One of the oldtimers used the electricity metaphor, which I later found in the Big Book. 'A person walking into a dark room does not worry about understanding electricity,' he said. 'He just finds the switch and turns on the light.' He explained that we can turn on the switch of spirituality by simply asking God each morning for another day of sobriety and thanking Him at night for another beautiful sober day. He said, 'Do it mechanically if you really don't believe in it. But do it every day. There is probably no one who really understands the wonderful ways of the Higher Power, and we don't need to. He understands us.'"
1973 AAWS, Inc.; Came to Believe, 30th printing 2004, pg. 30

*~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"I began to find ... a more centered, purposeful life, at least in the sense that my body, mind, emotions, and soul were all more or less heading in the same direction. I was riding one horse instead of four."
La Canada, Calif., November 1989
"Stepping Into the Sunlight,"
Spiritual Awakenings

~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~*

"Abandon yourself to God as you understand God. Admit your faults to
Him and to 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."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, A Vision For You, pg. 164

"We never apologize to anyone for depending upon our Creator. We can laugh at those who think spirituality the way of weakness. Paradoxically, it is the way of strength. "
Alcoholics Anonymous page 68

When resentful thoughts come, try to pause and count your blessings.
-Alcoholics Anonymous p.119

When in doubt we can always pause, saying, "Not my will, but Thine, be done.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.93

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

As newcomers, many of us have indulged in spiritual intoxication. Like a gaunt prospector, belt drawn in over the last ounce of food, we saw our pick strike gold. Joy at our release from a lifetime of frustration knew no bounds.
The newcomer feels he has struck something better than gold. He may not see at once that he has barely scratched a limitless lode which will pay dividends only if he mines it for the rest of his life and insists on giving away the entire product.

Prayer for the Day: Sixth Step Prayer - Dear God, I am ready for Your help in removing from me the defects of character which I now realize are an obstacle to my recovery. Help me to continue being honest with myself and guide me toward spiritual and mental health.