AA Thoughts For Today - April

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AA Thought for the Day

April 16

Tradition Four

With respect to its own affairs, each A.A. group should be responsible to no other authority
than its own conscience. But when its plans concern the welfare of neighboring groups also,
those groups ought to be consulted. And no group, regional committee, or individual should
ever take any action that might greatly affect A.A. as a whole without conferring with the
trustees of the General Service Board. On such issues our common welfare is paramount.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, Appendices I

Thought to Ponder
The Steps help me live with me; the Traditions help me live with you.

AA-related 'Alconym'
T R U S T = Try Relying Upon Steps and Traditions.

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

Responsibility
"I Am Responsible . . .
When anyone, anywhere, reaches out for help,
I want the hand of AA always to be there.
And for that:
I am responsible."
Declaration of 30th Anniversary International Convention, 1965

Thought to Consider . . .
Service is spirituality in action.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
EGO
Easing God Out

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

Healing
From "Tightrope":
"When I first came to this Fellowship, I had lost my health and sanity, my friends, much of my family, my self-respect,
and my God. In the years since, all of these have been restored to me. I no longer have the sense of impending doom. I
no longer wish for death or stare at myself in the mirror with loathing. I have come to terms with my Higher Power"
2001 AAWS, Inc., Fourth Edition; Alcoholics Anonymous, pg. 368

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

"I've found a life I never knew existed. I'm so overwhelmed with gratitude that there's no room for a bad day."
Costa Mesa, Calif., December 1994
"He Gave Me the Shirt Off His Back,"
The Best of the Grapevine, Volume 3

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

"We families of Alcoholics Anonymous keep few skeletons in the
closet. Everyone knows about the others' alcoholic troubles. This
is a condition which, in ordinary life, would produce untold grief;
there might be scandalous gossip, laughter at the expense of other
people, and a tendency to take advantage of intimate information.
Among us, these are rare occurrences. We do talk about each other a
great deal, but we almost invariably temper such talk by a spirit of
love and tolerance."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, The Family Afterward, pg. 125~

"I was to test my thinking by the new God-consciousness within.
Common sense would thus become uncommon sense. I was to sit quietly
when in doubt, asking only for direction and strength to meet my
problems as He would have me. Never was I to pray for myself, except
as my requests bore on my usefulness to others. Then only might I
expect to receive. But that would be in great measure."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Bill's Story, Page 13

Moreover, it is usually a fact that our behavior when drinking has aggravated the defects of others.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 78

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

'Perfect' Humility
For myself, I try to seek out the truest definition of humility that I can. This will not be the perfect definition, because I
shall always be imperfect.
At this writing, I would choose one like this: 'Absolute humility would consist of a state of complete freedom from myself,
freedom from all the claims that my defects of character now lay so heavily upon me. Perfect humility would be a full
willingness, in all times and places, to find and to do the will of God.'
When I meditate upon such a vision, I need not be dismayed because I shall never attain it, nor need I swell with
presumption that one of these days its virtues shall all be mine.
I only need to dwell on the vision itself, letting it grow and ever more fill my heart. This done, I can compare it with my
last-taken personal inventory. Then I get a sane and healthy idea of where I stand on the highway to humility. I see that
my journey toward God has scarce begun.
As I thus get down to my right size and stature, my self-concern and importance become amusing. GRAPEVINE, JUNE 1961

Prayer For The Day: Dear Father, how I love thee. Thank you for this day. Allow me to see the beauty and wonder that your loving hands have created.