AA Thoughts For Today - December

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AA Thought for the Day

December 11

The Channel
The persistent use of meditation and prayer, we found, did
open the channel so that where there had been a trickle, there
now was a river which led to sure power and safe guidance from
God as we were increasingly better able to understand Him.
- Twelve Steps & Twelve Traditions, p. 109

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

AA-related 'Alconym'
P A U S E = Pay Attention, Use Step Eleven.

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

Show Business
"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.
Each person is like an actor
who wants to run the whole show;
is forever trying to arrange the lights, the ballet,
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.
Everybody, including himself, would be pleased.
Life would be wonderful."
c. 2001AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, pp. 60-1

Thought to Consider . . .
I can't do His will my way.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
P R I D E = Pretty Ridiculous Individual Directing Everything

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

Promoter among Promoters
AA History
In The Doctor's Opinion, Dr. Silkworth described a patient brought to him for treatment of chronic alcoholism who had
only partially recovered from a gastric hemorrhage, and seemed to be in a pathological state of mental deterioration.
This man was Hank P. His story in the first edition of the Big Book was titled "The Unbeliever" (Experience, Strength &
Hope, page 5). Hank worked for Standard Oil of New Jersey. He was a high-pressure kind of guy. He was called a
"promoter among promoters". He was a partner with Bill W in the Honor Dealers Car Polish Company, which they
started to earn some money while AA was still being developed.
Chapter 7 of the Big Book, "Working with Others.

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

"After endless voting on a title for the new work we had decided to call it The Way Out. But inquiry by Fritz M., our Maryland alcoholic, at The Library of Congress disclosed the fact that 12 books already bore that title. Surely we couldn't make our book the 13th. So we named it Alcoholics Anonymous instead! Though we didn't know it, our movement then got its name -- a name which because of the implication of humility and modesty has given us our treasured spiritual principle of anonymity."
AA Co-Founder, Bill W., July 1947
"Book Publication Proved Discouraging Venture,"
The Language of the Heart

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

"Outsiders are sometimes shocked when we burst into merriment over a
seemingly tragic experience out of the past. But why shouldn't
we laugh? We have recovered, and have been given the power to help
others."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, The Family Afterward, pg. 132~

“Our hope is that many alcoholic men and women, desperately in need, will see these pages, and we believe that it is
only by fully disclosing ourselves and our problems that they will be persuaded to say, ‘Yes, I am one of them too; I must
have this thing.’”
~Alcoholics Anonymous page 29

So we think cheerfulness and laughter make for usefulness.
-Alcoholics Anonymous p.132

Having learned to live so happily, we'd show everybody else how.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.156

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

It is necessary that we extricate from an examination of our personal relations every bit of information about ourselves
and our fundamental difficulties that we can. Since defective relations with other human beings have nearly always been
the immediate cause of our woes, including our alcoholism, no field of investigation could yield more satisfying and
valuable rewards than this one.
Calm, thoughtful reflection upon personal relations can deepen our insight. We can go far beyond those things which
were superficially wrong with us, to see those flaws which were basic, flaws which sometimes were responsible for the
whole pattern of our lives. Thoroughness, we have found, will pay - and pay handsomely.

Prayer for the Day: For Families Torn by Addiction -
We pray, O God of hope,
for all families
whose lives are torn and disrupted
by drugs and alcohol.
Enable them to identify the illness.
Strengthen them to seek help.
Bless them with the power of your love,
which imparts transformation and wholeness
to those who trust in your name.
Grant that as they walk this tortured road,
they may journey together
and bound close in the bond of love.
Amen.