AA Thoughts For Today - July

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AA Thought for the Day

July 9

Forgiveness
If we ask, God will certainly forgive our derelictions.
But in no case does He render us white as snow and keep us that way without our cooperation.
That is something we are supposed to be willing to work toward ourselves.
He asks only that we try as best we know how to make progress in the building of character.
- Twelve Steps & 12 Traditions, p. 65

Thought to Ponder . . .
Forgiveness is the key to moving forward.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
T G I F = Thank God I'm Forgiven.

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

Attitude
" 'Then I woke up.
I had to admit that AA showed results, prodigious results.
I saw that my attitude regarding these
had been anything but scientific.
It wasn't AA that had the closed mind, it was me.
The minute I stopped arguing,
I could begin to see and feel.
Right there, Step Two gently and very gradually
began to infiltrate my life.
I can't say upon what occasion,
or upon what day I came to believe
in a Power greater than myself,
but I certainly have that belief now.
To acquire it, I had only to stop fighting
and practice the rest of AA's program
as enthusiastically as I could.' "
1952AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 27

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

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
A A = Altered Attitudes

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

My Solution
From: "AA Taught Him to Handle Sobriety"
"Bewilderment, fear, and resentment moved into my life. And yet my ability to lie outwardly and to kid myself inwardly
grew with every drink I took. Indeed, I had to drink now to live, to cope with the demands of everyday existence. When I
encountered disappointments or frustrations - as I did more and more frequently - my solution was to drink. I had
always been oversensitive to criticism and was acutely so now. When I was criticized or reprimanded, the bottle was
my refuge and comfort."
2001, AAWS, Inc., Alcoholics Anonymous, page 555

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

"I saw that fear was a character defect, so I modified my Seventh Step Prayer. After 'remove every single defect of
character,' I added, 'and every unreasonable fear.'"
Brea, California, July 2010
"Unreasonable Fears,"
No Matter What: Dealing with Adversity in Sobriety

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

"Helping others is the foundation stone of your recovery. A kindly
act once in a while isn't enough. You have to act the Good Samaritan
every day, if need be."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Working With Others, pg. 97~

"We have no desire to convince anyone that there is only one way by
which faith can be acquired. If what we have learned and felt and
seen means anything at all, it means that all of us, whatever our
race, creed, or color are the children of a living Creator with whom
we may form a relationship upon simple and understandable terms as
soon as we are willing and honest enough to try."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, There Is A Solution, pg. 28~

“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.”
-Alcoholics Anonymous p. 452 (3rd Edition)

“These conclusions did not require action; they required only acceptance.”
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 34

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

Though an alcoholic does not respond, there is no reason why you should neglect his family. You should continue to be friendly to them, explaining A.A.s concept of alcoholism and its treatment. If they accept this and also apply our principles to their problems, there is a much better chance that the head of the family will recover. And even though he continues to drink, the family will find life more bearable.
Unless a new members family readily expresses a desire to live upon spiritual principles, we think he ought not to urge them. They will change in time. His better behavior will usually convince them far more than his words.
*Today, the initiation of the A.A. way of life in the home is the central purpose of the Al-Anon Family Groups, of which there are (as of 1980) about 16,000 throughout the world. These are composed of wives, husbands, and relatives of alcoholics. In restoring families to the good life, Al-Anons success has been enormous.

Prayer for the Day: "Higher Power, help me live in accordance with spiritual principles. Only then can I approve of myself."