AA Thoughts For Today - April

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AA Thought for the Day

April 18

Hitting Bottom
Why all this insistence that every A.A. must hit bottom first? The answer is that few
people will sincerely try to practice the A.A. program unless they have hit bottom. For
practicing A.A.'s remaining eleven Steps means the adoption of attitudes and actions
that almost no alcoholic who is still drinking can dream of taking.
- 12 Steps & 12 Traditions, p. 24

Thought to Ponder . . .
Sobriety without action is fantasy.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
C H A O S = Can't Handle Another Overwhelming Situation.

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

Right Living
"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 fact that in God's sight all human beings
are important,
the proof that love freely given brings a full return,
the certainty that we are no longer
isolated and alone in self-constructed prisons,
the surety that we can fit and belong
in God's scheme of things -
these are the satisfactions of right living
for which no pomp and circumstance,
no heap of material possessions,
could possibly be substitutes."
Bill W., Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 124
As Bill Sees It, p. 254

Thought to Consider . . .
"I have been given a quiet place in bright sunshine."
Bill W., Box 1980:
The AA Grapevine, Jan. 1958. The Language of the Heart, p. 238

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
GIFT
God Is Forever There

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

Help
>From "Coincidence?":
"Only a block or so from the pier, I saw a man approaching from the opposite direction, with his head down, walking into
the rain. When he came to me, he stopped and smiled, and I recognized him as a priest I knew from home. I told him I
was very ill. He then sat on a bench with me in the rain and assured me that in time all my troubles would pass and the
day would come when I would understand them. He said I was not to do anything foolish, but ask God's help, and
somehow everything would work out."
1973 AAWS, Inc.; Came to Believe, 30th printing 2004, pg. 71

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

"Genuine simplicity for today is to be found, I think, in whatever principles, practices, and services can permanently
insure our widespread harmony and effectiveness. Therefore it has been better to state our principles than to leave
them vague; better to clarify their applications than to leave these unclear; better to organize our services than to leave
them to hit-or-miss methods, or to none at all."
AA Co-Founder, Bill W., July 1960
"Let's Keep It Simple -- But How?"
The Language of the Heart

~*~*~*~*^ 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~

"Suppose we fall short of the chosen ideal and stumble? Does this
mean we are going to get drunk. Some people tell us so. But this is
only a half-truth. It depends on us and on our motives."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, Page 70~

Consider, too, our talents for procrastination, which is really sloth in five syllables.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 67

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

Learn in Quiet
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 A.A. in so few words. With amazing speed the Serenity Prayer came into general use.
In meditation, debate has no place. We rest quietly with the thoughts or prayers of spiritually centered people who
understand, so that we may experience and learn. This is the state of being that so often discovers and deepens a
conscious contact with God.
1. A.A. COMES OF AGE, P. 196
2. TWELVE AND TWELVE, PP. 100-101

Prayer For The Day: Morning Light - For this new morning with its light, For rest and shelter of the night, For health and food, for love and friends. For everything Thy goodness sends, We thank Thee, dearest Lord. Amen.