AA Thoughts For Today - May

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AA Thought for the Day

May 30

Our Families


We ought to sit down with the family and frankly analyze the past as we
now see it, being very careful not to criticize them. Their defects may be
glaring, but the chances are that our own actions are partly responsible.
So we clean house with the family, asking each morning in meditation
that our Creator show us the way of patience, tolerance, kindliness and love.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, (Into Action) p. 83

Thought to Ponder
The Three "C's" -- Concern, Compassion, Consideration.

AA-related 'Alconym'
P A U S E = Patience And Understanding Succeed Every time.

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

Unity

" 'Practically never have I heard a heated religious, political,
or reform argument among AA members.
So long as we don't argue these matters privately,
it's a cinch we never shall publicly.'
As by some deep instinct, we AA's have known
from the very beginning that we must never,
no matter what the provocation,
publicly take sides in any fight, even a worthy one. . .
. . . We do not enter into public controversy,
because we know that our Society will perish if it does.
We conceive the survival and spread
of Alcoholics Anonymous to be
something of far greater importance
than the weight we could collectively
throw back of any other cause."
1952AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pp. 176-77

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

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
BUT
Being Unconvinced Totally

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

Messages
From "Mathematical Miracle":
"Finally, he found a basement bar on a quiet side street, practically deserted. He sat down on a bar stool and ordered a
double bourbon on the rocks.
"Then the bartender stopped in his tracks, took a long, hard look at the customer, leaned over the bar, and said in a low
tone, 'I was in Milwaukee about four months ago, and one night I attended an open meeting. You were on the speaking
platform, and you gave one of the finest A.A. talks I ever heard.
"For a few minutes, the customer sat there probably in a state of shock. Then he picked his money off the bar with
trembling hands and walked out, all desire for a drink drained out of him. Chicago, Illinois, USA"
1973 AAWS, Inc.; Came to Believe, 30th printing 2004, pg. 74

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

"I have learned to keep quiet when I disagree and to give others freedom to express opinions widely different from my
own -- without giving in to the urge to enlighten them. I am grateful for all the voices of AA."
Alexandria, Va., March 2007
"Humble Proportion,"
AA Grapevine

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

"Life will take on new meaning. To watch people recover, to see them help others, to watch loneliness vanish, to see a
fellowship grow up about you, to have a host of friends, this is an experience you must not miss."
Alcoholics Anonymous, Working With Others, pg. 89

"Yes, there is a substitute and it is vastly more than that. It is a
fellowship in Alcoholics Anonymous. There you will find release from
care, boredom and worry. Your imagination will be fired. Life will
mean something at last. The most satisfactory years of your
existence lie ahead."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, A Vision For You, pg. 152

Once we have a complete willingness to take inventory, and exert ourselves to do the job thoroughly, a wonderful light
falls upon this foggy scene.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 49

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

Meditation is something which can always be further developed. It has no boundaries, of width or height or depth. Aided
by such instruction and example as we can find, it is essentially an individual adventure, something which each one of
us works out in his own way. But its object is always the same: to improve our conscious contact with God, with His
grace, wisdom, and love.
And let's always remember that meditation is in reality intensely practical. One of its first fruits is emotional balance.
With it we can broaden and deepen the channel between ourselves and God as we understand Him.

Prayer For The Day: Dear Heavenly Father, I thank you for all you have done for me. You do so much and yet I still ask for more. Please forgive me and guide me to be appreciative for what I have and what is truly important.

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AA Thought for the Day

May 31

Faith

Leaving aside the drink question, they tell why living was
so unsatisfactory. They show how the change came over
them. When many hundreds of people are able to say
that the consciousness of the Presence of God is today
the most important fact of their lives, they present a
powerful reason why one should have faith.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, (We Agnostics) p. 51

Thought to Ponder
Faith is like a muscle, the more we use it, the more it grows.

AA-related 'Alconym'
F A I T H = Fear And Insecurity? Trust Him!

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

Sponsorship
"Dr. Bob led me through all of these Steps.
At the moral inventory,
he brought up some of my bad personality traits
or character defects, such as selfishness,
conceit, jealousy, carelessness, intolerance,
ill-temper, sarcasm and resentments.
We went over these at great length and then
he finally asked me if I wanted these defects of character
taken away.
When I said yes, we both knelt at his desk and prayed . . .
If I live to be a hundred, this will always stand out in my mind.
I wish that every AA could have the benefit of this type
of sponsorship today."
1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 292

Thought to Consider . . .
A recovering alcoholic without a sponsor
is much like a ship without a rudder.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
S P O N S O R =
Sober Person Offering Newcomer Support Of Recovery

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

Funding
From "The Three Legacies of Alcoholics Anonymous":
"These New York drunks just do not believe it. Some take it as a joke, and the rest talk high and holy about mixing a
spiritual enterprise with money and promotion. But if they really did think that the book would sell, they would buy the
stock all right, and fast. So why don't we go up and see The Reader's Digest people and find out if they will print a piece
about our fellowship and this book? If the Digest runs an article about us, we will sell those books by the carloads.
Anybody can see this, even these tightwad drunks. So what are we waiting for? Let's go!"
"Two days later at Pleasantville, New York, we sat in the office of Mr. Kenneth Payne, then managing editor of the
Digest. 'When your book is ready next spring, let me know and I think we can put a feature writer to work. This should
be a great story.'
"Henry and I reached for our hats and sped for New York. Now we had real ammunition. That very night we started a
fresh canvass, and the former doubters began to sign up."
2001 AAWS, Inc.; Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pg. 158

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

"Groups change, just like people do, and we AAs fight change. Although we can never go back to the way it once was, we will survive -- yea, even thrive -- as long as we remember Tradition Five, 'Each Alcoholics Anonymous group ought to be a spiritual entity having but one primary purpose -- that of carrying its message to the alcoholic who still suffers."
Pittsburgh, Pa., May 1996
"Remember the Struggle,"
AA Grapevine

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

"...we have ceased fighting anything or anyone even alcohol."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 84~

"The greatest enemies of us alcoholics are resentment, jealousy,
envy, frustration, and fear."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, To Employers, pg. 145~

Having been granted a perfect release from alcoholism, why then shouldn’t we be able to achieve by the same means a perfect release from every other difficulty or defect?
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 64

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

The moment we ponder a twisted or broken relationship with another person, our emotions go on the defensive. To escape looking at the wrongs we have done another, we resentfully focus on the wrong he has done us. Triumphantly we seize upon his slightest misbehavior as the perfect excuse for minimizing or forgetting our own.
Right here we need to fetch ourselves up sharply. Let's remember that alcoholics are not the only ones bedeviled by sick emotions. In many instances we are really dealing with fellow sufferers, people whose woes we have increased.
If we are about to ask forgiveness for ourselves, why shouldn't we start out by forgiving them, one and all?

Prayer For The Day: Dear Father, Thank you for this beautiful day. As I breath in the fresh air, please help me never forget that each day is a gift.