AA Thoughts For Today - March

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AA Thought for the Day

March 12

Directions
Further on, clear-cut directions are given showing how we recovered.
These are followed by forty-two personal experiences.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 29

Thought to Ponder . . .
The Twelve Steps -- a manuscript for rational living.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
G I F T S = Getting It From The Steps.

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

Fear
"Unreasonable fear that our instincts will not be satisfied drives us to covet the possessions of others, to lust for sex and
power, to become angry when our instinctive demands are threatened, to be envious when the ambitions of others
seem to be realized while ours are not. These fears are the termites that cease lessly devour the foundations of
whatever sort of life we try to build.
"Bill W., Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 49

Thought to Consider . . .
Courage is not the absence of fear, but the action in spite of the fear.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
ANONYMOUS
Actions Not Our Names Yield Maintenance Of Unity & Service

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

Awakening
>From Fear of Fear":
"As we walked back through the hall, I, for the first time in my life, said to another human being, 'I'm having trouble with
my drinking too.' She took me by the hand and introduced me to the woman that I'm very proud to call my sponsor. This
woman and her husband are both in A.A., and she said to me, 'Oh, but you're not the alcoholic; it's your husband.' I said,
'Yes.' She said, 'How long have you been married?' I said, 'Twenty-seven years.' She said "Twenty-seven years to an
alcoholic! How did you ever stand it?' I thought, now here's a nice sympathetic soul! This is for me. I said, "Well, I stood
it to keep the home together, and for the children's sake.' She said, 'Yes, I know. You're just a martyr, aren't you?' I
walked away from that woman grinding my teeth and cursing under my breath. But that night I tried to go to sleep. And I
thought, 'You're some martyr, Jane! Let's look at the record.' And when I looked at it, I knew I was just as much a drunk
as George was, if not worse. I nudged George next morning, and I said I'm in,' and he said, 'Oh, I knew you'd make it.'
2001 AAWS, Inc., Fourth Edition; Alcoholics Anonymous, pgs. 289-90

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

"Some days are harder than others, but I have been told a person is not measured by what she has achieved but by what she has overcome."
Toledo, Ohio, September 2008
"The Measure of Success"
AA Grapevine

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

"The tremendous fact for every one of us is that we have discovered
a common solution. We have a way out on which we can absolutely agree,
and upon which we can join in brotherly and harmonious action. This
is the great news this book carries to those who suffer from alcoholism."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, There Is A Solution, pg. 17

"When the spiritual malady is overcome, we straighten out mentally and physically."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 64~

The philosophy of self-sufficiency is not paying off. Plainly enough, it is a bone-crushing juggernaut whose final achievement is ruin.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 37

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

'How Can You Roll With A Punch?'
On the day that the calamity of Pearl Harbor fell upon our country, a great friend of A.A. was walking along a St. Louis
street. Father Edward Dowling was not an alcoholic, but he had been one of the founders of the struggling A.A. group in
his city. Because many of his usually sober friends had already taken to their bottles that they might blot out the
implications of the Pearl Harbor disaster, Father Ed was anguished by the thought that his cherished A.A. group would
probably do the same.
Then a member, sober less than a year, stepped alongside and engaged Father Ed in a spirited conversation - mostly
about A.A. Father Ed saw, with relief, that his companion was perfectly sober.
'How is it that you have nothing to say about Pearl Harbor? How can you roll with a punch like that?'
''Well,' replied the yearling, 'each of us in A.A. has already had his own private Pearl Harbor. So why should we drunks
crack up over this one?' GRAPEVINE, JANUARY 1962

Prayer For The Day: God our Father, you call each of us by name and you know the innermost thoughts that we keep to
ourselves. Stay with us, day by day, in good times and in bad. Empower us with your Spirit that we may grow in
character and develop a true sense of values and ideals through following Jesus. Amen.