[bluidkiti]

December 20

Daily Reflections

THE REWARDS OF GIVING

This is indeed the kind of giving that actually demands
nothing. He does not expect his brother sufferer to pay
him, or even to love him. And then he discovers that by
the divine paradox of this kind of giving he has found
his own reward, whether his brother has yet received
anything or not.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 109

Through experience with Twelfth Step work, I came to
understand the rewards of giving that demands nothing in
return. At first I expected recovery in others, but I
soon learned that this did not happen. Once I acquired
the humility to accept the fact that every Twelfth Step
call was not going to result in a success, then I was
open to receive the rewards of selfless giving.

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Twenty-Four Hours A Day

A.A. Thought For The Day

Our faith should control the whole of our life. We
alcoholics were living a divided life. We had to find a
way to make it whole. When we were drinking, our lives
were made up of a lot of scattered and unrelated pieces.
We must pick up our lives and put them back together
again. We do it by recovering a faith in a Divine
Principle in the universe which hold us together and
holds the whole universe together and gives it meaning
and purpose. We surrender our disorganized lives to that
Power, we get into harmony with the Divine Spirit, and
our lives are made whole again. Is my life whole again?

Meditation For The Day

Avoid fear as you would a plague. Fear, even the smallest
fear, is a hacking at the cords of faith that bind you to
God. However small the fraying, in time those cords will
wear thin, and then one disappointment or shock will make
them snap. But for the little fears, the cords of faith
would have held firm. Avoid depression, which is allied to
fear. Remember that all fear is disloyalty to God. It is a
denial of His care and protection.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that I may have such trust in God today that I will
not fear anything too greatly. I pray that I may have
assurance that God will take care of me in the long run.

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As Bill Sees It

Give Thanks, p.266

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.

Grapevine, March 1962

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Walk In Dry Places

Returning to Basics
Continuing.
Now and then, an AA discussion focuses on the theme of "returning to the basics." This is a good time to shake out the excessive concerns that might be cluttering up our lives.
No matter how long we've been living in sobriety, we can never afford to dismiss the basic reasons we came to AA in the first place. We had made a mess of our lives, and no human power could relieve our alcoholism. By accepting and admitting this, we were able to find a new way of life.
This was also our admission ticket to the larger society, where people are concerned about many things. We sometimes become too caught up in all these concerns even to the extent of forgetting our own needs. It's good, occasionally, to focus a meeting on AA basics. they are as essential today as they were when we first knew that we needed them.
I'll remind myself today that the basics give me a firm foundation on which to stand.

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Keep It Simple

There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.
---Edith Wharton
Our Higher Power is the candle. And our hearts, like a mirror, reflect a warm, loving glow.
But when we used alcohol and other drugs, we tired to be the candle. We wanted to have control. Many of us acted like this to hide how out of control we felt. We never thought we could be happy by admitting we were out of control.
In recovery, we accept that it’s okay to be the mirror. We accept that our Higher Power is the candle that guides us. We want to be the mirror that reflects how much our Higher Power loves us.
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, thank-you for the light and warmth You give me.
Action for the Day: Tonight, I’ll light a candle and place it in front of a mirror. I’ll study how they work together to light the room.

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Each Day a New Beginning

Somewhere along the line of development we discover what we really are, and then we make our real decision for which we are responsible. Make that decision primarily for yourself because you can never really live anyone else's life, not even your own child's. The influence you exert is through your own life and what you become yourself. --Eleanor Roosevelt
Taking full responsibility for who we are, choosing friends, making plans for personal achievement, consciously deciding day by day where we want to go with our lives, ushers in adventure such as we've never known. For many of us, months and years were wasted while we passively hid from life in alcohol, drugs, food, and other people. But we are breathing new life today.
Recovery offers us, daily, the opportunity to participate in the adventure of life. It offers us the opportunity to share our talents, our special gifts with those with whom we share moments of time.
We are becoming, every moment of time. As are our friends. Discovering who and what we really are, alone and with one another within our experiences is worthy of celebration.
I will congratulate others and myself today.

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Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

BILL'S STORY

The real significance of my experience in the Cathedral burst upon me. For a brief moment, I had needed and wanted God. There had been a humble willingness to have Him with me---and He came. But soon the sense of His presence had been blotted out by worldly clamors, mostly those within myself. And so it had been ever since. How blind had I been.

pp. 12-13

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Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition Stories

The Vicious Cycle

How it finally broke a Southerner's obstinacy and destined this salesman to start A.A. at Philadelphia.

In the spring of 1917, in order to beat being fired from school, I became "patriotic" and joined the Army. I am one of the lads who came out of the service with a lower rank than when I went in. I had been to OTC the previous summer, so I went into the Army as a sergeant but I came out a private, and you really have to be unusual to do that. In the next two years, I washed more pans and peeled more potatoes than any other doughboy. In the Army, I became a periodic alcoholic--the periods always coming whenever I could make the opportunity. However, I did manage to keep out of the guardhouse. My last bout in the Army lasted from November 5 to 11, 1918. We heard by wireless in the fifth that the Armistice would be signed the next day (this was a premature report), so I had a couple of cognacs to celebrate; then I hopped a truck and went AWOL. My next conscious memory was in Bar le Duc, many miles from base. It was November 11, and bells were ringing and whistles blowing for the real Armistice. There I was, unshaven, clothes torn and dirty, with no recollection of wandering all over France but, of course, a hero to the local French. Back at camp, all was forgiven because it was the End, but in the light of what I have since learned, I know I was a confirmed alcoholic at nineteen.

pp. 222-223

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Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Tradition Two - "For our group purpose, there is but one ultimate authority - a loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience."

When A.A. was only three years old, an event occurred demonstrating this principle. One of the first members of A.A., entirely contrary to his own desires, was obliged to conform to group opinion.
Here is the story in his words. "One day I was doing a Twelfth Step job at a hospital in New York. The proprietor, Charlie, summoned me to his office. `Bill,' he said, `I think it's a shame that you are financially so hard up. All around you these drunks are getting well and making money. But you're giving this work full time, and you're broke. It isn't fair.' Charlie fished in his desk and came up with and old financial statement. Handing it to me, he continued, `This shows the kind of money the hospital used to make back in the 1920's. Thousands of dollars a month. It should be doing just as well now, and it would - if only you'd help me. so why don't you move your work in here? I'll give you and office, a decent drawing account, and a very healthy slice of the profits. Three years ago, when my head doctor, Silkworth, began to tell me of the idea of helping drunks by spirituality, I thought it was crackpot stuff, but I've changed my mind. some day this bunch of ex-drunks of yours will fill Madison Square Garden, and I don't see why you should starve meanwhile. What I propose is perfectly ethical. You can become a lay therapist, and more successful than anybody in the business.'

pp. 135-136

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Our struggle to be perfect at every stage of life is a common element of the human
conditions. What comes with age and wisdom is acceptance of our imperfections.
--Karen Casey & Martha Vanceburg

Don't think there are no crocodiles because the water's calm.
--Malaysian Proverb

"One thing at a time, all things in succession. That which grows slowly endures."
--J. G. Hubbard

"Very often a change of self is needed more than a change of scene."
--Arthur Christopher Benson

For it is in giving that we receive.
--Saint Francis of Assisi

My spiritual home. is one of peace, serenity, and contentment.
--Shelley

I can go to a quiet spiritual place, one with God, and feel this busy world around me,
is refreshed in beauty, love, and serenity.
--Shelley

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Father Leo's Daily Meditation

PESSIMISM

"Pessimist: One who, when he has
the choice of two evils, chooses
both."
-- Oscar Wilde

Today I am able to see how I was always looking on the "gloomy" side of life. The
glass was always half empty! I can remember thinking that nothing good was ever
going to happen, life was to be endured, everybody had a price and people were all
selfishly out for themselves.

I projected onto others my own sickness, my own despair, my own pessimism. It was
a suicidal existence. Today I choose to be a positive and creative person who refuses
to be surrounded by negativism. My attitude in life makes all the difference to my
enjoyment of life. Today my glass is more than half full and I am happy.

In the gift of choice, I recognize my potential joy.

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"I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety."
Psalm 4:8

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with
thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends
all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
Philippians 4:6-7

In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.
Proverbs 16:9

The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are
spirit and they are life.
John 6:63

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Daily Inspiration

Thoughts are powerful, so pay close attention to what you think about. Lord, help me to think thoughts of love, peace and abundance so that this becomes my experience.

There is a time for everything. Take time to pray, to sing, to laugh, to work and to touch the hearts of others. Lord, help me be aware that today will never return so that I will not misuse my time or waste it unwisely.