AA Thoughts For Today - February

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AA Thought for the Day

February 1

Higher Power

In our personal stories you will find a wide variation in the way each teller
approaches and conceives of the Power which is greater than himself.
Whether we agree with a particular approach or conception seems to
make little difference. Experience has taught us that these are matters
about which, for our purpose, we need not be worried. They are questions
for each individual to settle for himself.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, (We Agnostics) p. 50

Thought to Ponder . . .
Willpower ... our will-ingness to use a Higher Power.

AA-related 'Alconym'
H O W = Honest, Open-minded, Willing.

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

Fear
Sometimes we think fear ought to be classed with stealing.
It seems to cause more trouble.
We reviewed our fears thoroughly.
We put them on paper,
even though we had no resentment in connection with them.
We asked ourselves why we had them.
Wasn't it because self-reliance failed us?
Self-reliance was good as far as it went,
but it didn't go far enough.
Some of us once had great self-confidence,
but it didn't fully solve the fear problem, or any other.
When it made us cocky, it was worse.
c. 2001 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, pp. 67-8

Thought to Consider . . .
Situations I fear are rarely as bad as the fear itself.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
F E A R = Forgetting Everything's All Right

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

Surrender
From "A Practical Philosophy":
"We simply stop messing in God's business. And in my opinion, when we stop messing and stop worrying, we have
turned our will and our lives over to God (or Good) as we understand (or don't understand) Him. "San Jose, California,
USA"
1973 AAWS, Inc.; Came to Believe, 30th printing 2004, pg. 116

*~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quotes ^*~*~*~*~*

"While I may be powerless to solve the globe's problems, I am given all the power I need to make a difference to my community, my family, my job, my friends, and most importantly, to stay sober and help other alcoholics."
Woodinville, Wash., November 2013
"From: "The Scoop" "
AA Grapevine

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

"But life among Alcoholics Anonymous is more than attending
gatherings and visiting hospitals. Cleaning up old scrapes, helping
to settle family differences, explaining the disinherited son to his
irate parents, lending money and securing jobs for each other, when
justified these are everyday occurrences. No one is too
discredited or has sunk too low to be welcomed cordially if he means
business."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, A Vision For You, pg. 161~

"Nearly every modern employer feels a moral responsibility for the
well-being of his help, and he tries to meet these responsibilities.
That he has not always done so for the alcoholic is easily
understood. To him the alcoholic has often seemed a fool of the
first magnitude. Because of the employee's special ability, or of his
own strong personal attachment to him, the employer has sometimes
kept such a man at work long beyond a reasonable period. Some
employers have tried every known remedy. In only a few instances has
there been a lack of patience and tolerance. And we, who have
imposed on the best of employers, can scarcely blame them if they
have been short with us."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, To Employers, pg. 137~

It mattered little whether our resentments were justified or not.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 90

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

Some strongly object to the A.A. position that alcoholism is an illness. This concept, they feel, removes moral
responsibility from alcoholics. As any A.A. knows, this is far from true. We do not use the concept of sickness to
absolve our members from responsibility. On the contrary, we use the fact of fatal illness to clamp the heaviest kind of
moral obligation onto the sufferer, the obligation to use A.A.'s Twelve Steps to get well.
'In the early days of his drinking, the alcoholic is often guilty of irresponsibility. But once the time of compulsive drinking
has arrived, he can't very well be held fully accountable for his conduct. He then has an obsession that condemns him
to drink, and a bodily sensitivity to alcohol that guarantees his final madness and death.
'But when he is made aware of this condition, he is under pressure to accept A.A.'s program of moral regeneration.

Prayer for the Day: Lord, cleanse me from all impurities and put a new heart and a new spirit within me. Remove my heart of stone and give me a heart of flesh that will be sensitive and compassionate to the needs of others. In Jesus’ name, help me to see others as you see them and to hear and answer their cries just as you would. Today, I will look for opportunities to bless others. Amen.

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AA Thought for the Day

February 2

Fear

This short word somehow touches about every aspect of our lives. It was an
evil and corroding thread; the fabric of our existence was shot through with it.
It set in motion trains of circumstances which brought us misfortune we felt we
didn’t deserve. But did not we, ourselves, set the ball rolling? Sometimes we
think fear ought to be classed with stealing. It seems to cause more trouble.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, (How It Works) pp. 67 - 68

Thought to Ponder . . .
What I fear I create.

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

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

Juggernaut
We who are alcoholics can consider ourselves
fortunate indeed.
Each of us has had his own near-fatal encounter
with the juggernaut of self-will,
and has suffered enough under its weight
to be willing to look for something better.
So it is by circumstance rather than by any virtue
that we have been driven to AA,
have admitted defeat,
have acquired the rudiments of faith,
and now want to make a decision
to turn our will and our lives over to a Higher Power.
c. 1952 AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pp. 37-8

Thought to Consider . . .
If faith without works is dead,
then willingness without action is fantasy.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
W H O = Willingness, Honesty, Openmindedness

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

Self-concern
From "'Selfish?'"
"Some A.A. speakers say, 'A.A. is a selfish program.' The word 'selfish' ordinarily implies that one is acquisitive,
demanding, and thoughtless of the welfare of others. Of course, the A.A. way of lifedoes not at all imply such
undesirable traits.
"If we cannot or will not achieve sobriety, then we become truly lost, right in the here and now. Therefore, our own
recovery and spiritual growth have to come first -- a right and necessary kind of self-concern."
c. 1967, As Bill Sees It, page 81

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

"It's a waste of time to take God's inventory."
November 1991
From: "Trusting the Silence"
Beginner's Book: Getting and Staying Sober in AA

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

"The alcoholic may find it hard to re-establish friendly relations
with his children. Their young minds were impressionable while he
was drinking. Without saying so, they may cordially hate him for
what he has done to them and to their mother. The children are
sometimes dominated by a pathetic hardness and cynicism. They cannot
seem to forgive and forget. This may hang on for months, long after
their mother has accepted dad's new way of living and thinking.
In time they will see that he is a new man and in their own way they
will let him know it."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, The Family Afterward, pg. 134~

We find that no one need have difficulty with the spirituality of the program. Willingness, honesty and open mindedness
are the essentials of recovery. But these are indispensable.
Alcoholics Anonymous, II Spiritual Experience, p. 568

It will become more and more evident as we go forward that it is pointless to become angry, or to get hurt by people
who, like us, are suffering from the pains of growing up.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 92

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

We discover that we receive guidence for our lives to just about the extent that we stop making demands upon God to
give it to us on order and on our terms.
In praying, we ask simply that throughout the day God place in us the best understanding of His will that we can have for
that day, and that we be given the grace by which we may carry it out.
There is a direct linkage among self-examination, meditation, and prayer. Taken separately, these practices can bring
much relief and benefit. But when they are logically related and interwoven, the result is an unshakable foundation for life.

Prayer for the Day: Father, I humble myself before You, Your will not mine be done. I will mediate on your Word day and night. By the grace of God I will be an obedient doer of your Word. I renew my mind to your Word, and pray that your Word will dominate my thoughts, words and actions. I am strong in you, Lord, and in the power of your might. Today, I choose Life. Amen.

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AA Thought for the Day

February 3

Major Human Failings

Let's take a universally recognized list of major human failings—the Seven
Deadly Sins of pride, greed, lust, anger, gluttony, envy, and sloth. It is not by
accident that pride heads the procession. For pride, leading to self-justification,
and always spurred by conscious or unconscious fears, is the basic breeder
of most human difficulties, the chief block to true progress.
- - Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, (Step Four) p. 48

Thought to Ponder . . .
Swallowing my pride will not get me drunk.

AA-related 'Alconym'
P R I D E = Pretty Ridiculous Individual Directing Everything.

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

Resentments
In AA we slowly learned that something had to be done
about our vengeful resentments, self-pity,
and unwarranted pride.
We had to see that every time we played the big shot,
we turned people against us.
We had to see that when we harbored grudges
and planned revenge for such defeats,
we were really beating ourselves with
the club of anger we had intended to use on others.
We learned that if we were seriously disturbed,
our first need was to quiet that disturbance,
regardless of who or what we thought caused it.
c. 1952 AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 47

Thought to Consider . . .
Resentment is like acid,
eating away at the vessel it is stored in.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
C A L M = Can Anger Leave Me?

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

Service
Tradition Two: "For our group purpose there is but one ultimate authority - a loving God as he may express Himself in
our group conscience. Our leaders are but trusted servants; they do not govern.
"The group now has a so-called rotating Committee, very sharply limited in its authority. In no sense whatever can its
members govern or direct the group. They are servants. Theirs is the sometimes thankless privilege of doing the
group's chores."
(c) 1981, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, page 134

*~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quotes ^*~*~*~*~*

"Nearly all of us, when we think about it, agree that we are a long, long way from being anywhere near grown up, from
almost any point of view. We can clearly see that our job as individuals and as a Fellowship is to keep right on growing
by the constant use of our Twelve Steps."
AA Co-Founder, Bill W., July 1960
From: "AA Tomorrow"
The Language of the Heart

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

"As each member of a resentful family begins to see his shortcomings
and admits them to the others, he lays a basis for helpful
discussion. These family talks will be constructive if they can be
carried on without heated argument, self-pity, self-justification or
resentful criticism."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, The Family Afterward, pg. 127~

"When drinking, or getting over a bout, an alcoholic, sometimes the
model of honesty when normal, will do incredible things. Afterward,
his revulsion will be terrible. Nearly always, these antics indicate
nothing more than temporary conditions."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, To Employers, pg. 140~

Perhaps we shall need to share with this person facts about ourselves which no others ought to know.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 61

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

We discover that we receive guidance for our lives to just about the extent that we stop making demands upon God to
give it to us on order and on our terms.
In praying, we ask simply that throughout the day God place in us the best understanding of His will that we can have for
that day, and that we be given the grace by which we may carry it out.
There is a direct linkage among self-examination, meditation, and prayer. Taken separately, these practices can bring
much relief and benefit. But when they are logically related and interwoven, the result is an unshakable foundation for life.

Prayer for the Day: Lord, there are times when we are so concerned about ourselves that we don’t think of others. We
ask for the gift of your Spirit that we may grow in awareness of others:
- noticing when someone is unhappy,
- sensing when there’s something wrong for somebody,
- seeing when someone feels cut off or isolated,
- knowing when to say the right word,
- expressing thanks and compliments,
- being thoughtful when someone is ill,
- giving words of encouragement,
- helping someone to feel welcome,
- realizing when someone needs the opportunity to talk.
May we grow in sensitivity towards others. Amen.

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AA Thought for the Day

February 4

More Useful to Others

Most of us sense that real tolerance of other people’s shortcomings and
viewpoints and a respect for their opinions are attitudes which make us
more useful to others. Our very lives, as ex-problem drinkers, depend upon
our constant thought of others and how we may help meet their needs.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, (There Is A Solution) pp. 19 - 20

Thought to Ponder . . .
What if I were caring rather than judgmental?

AA-related 'Alconym'
P U T = Practice Using Tolerance.

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

Humility
Every newcomer in AA is told, and soon realizes for himself,
that his humble admission of powerlessness
over alcohol is his first step toward liberation
from its paralyzing grip.
So it is that we first see humility as a necessity.
But this is the barest beginning. . .
A whole lifetime geared to self-centeredness
cannot be set in reverse all at once.
Rebellion dogs our every step at first.
c. 1952 AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pp. 72-3

Thought to Consider . . .
Many people haven't even a nodding acquaintance
with humility as a way of life.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
T R U S T = Teaching Recovery Using Steps and Traditions

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

Relief
From "More about Alcoholism":
"'They grinned, which I didn't like too much, and then asked me if I thought myself alcoholic and if I were really licked this time.
"'Then they outlined the spiritual answer and program of action which a hundred of them had followed successfully.
Though I had been only a nominal churchman, their proposals were not, intellectually, hard to swallow. But the program
of action, though entirely sensible, was pretty drastic. It meant I would have to throw several lifelong conceptions out of
the window. That was not easy. But the moment I made up my mind to go through with the process, I had the curious
feeling that my alcoholic condition was relieved, as in fact it proved to be.'"
2001 AAWS, Inc., Fourth Edition; Alcoholics Anonymous, pg.42

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

"While I've never been sober today before, I count on my Higher Power to keep me sober as he has done on all those
other days before."
Huntington, W.V., August 2006
From: "Never Sober Today Before"
Beginner's Book: Getting and Staying Sober in AA

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

"When we became alcoholics, crushed by a self-imposed crisis we could
not postpone or evade, we had to fearlessly face the proposition that
either God is everything or else He is nothing. God either is or He
isn't."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, We Agnostics, pg. 53~

We can look the world in the eye. We can be alone at perfect peace and ease. Our fears fall from us. We begin to feel
the nearness of our Creator. We may have had certain spiritual beliefs, but now we begin to have a spiritual experience.
The feeling that the drink problem has disappeared will often come strongly. We feel we are on the Broad Highway,
walking hand in hand with the Spirit of the Universe. ~Alcoholics Anonymous page 75

When we are honest with another person, it confirms that we have been honest with ourselves and with God.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 60

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

While A.A. has restored thousands of poor Christians to their churches, and has made believers out of atheists and
agnostics, it has also made good A.A.'s out of those belonging to the Buddhist, Islamic, and Jewish faiths. For example,
we question very much whether our Buddhist members in Japan would ever have joined this Society had A.A. officially
stamped itself a strictly Christian movement.
'You can easily convince yourself of this by imagining that A.A. started among the Buddhists and that they then told you
you couldn't join them unless you became a Buddhist, too. If you were a Christian alcoholic under these circumstances,
you might well turn your face to the wall and die.

Prayer for the Day: Lord in heaven, please listen to all those who are praying to You now. Those who are sad and
crying, those who have lost friends and family. Those who are alone and frightened. Help them to remember, that You
are there and You are listening. Amen.

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AA Thought for the Day

February 5

Faith Which Really Works

By discovering what our emotional deformities are, we can move
toward their correction. Without a willing and persistent effort to do
this, there can be little sobriety or contentment for us. Without a
searching and fearless moral inventory, most of us have found
that the faith which really works in daily living is still out of reach.
- - Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, (Step Four) p. 43

Thought to Ponder . . .
In order to recover we have to uncover.

AA-related 'Alconym'
A C T = Action Changes Things.

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

Faith
People of faith have a logical idea
of what life is all about.
Actually, we used to have no reasonable
conception whatever.
We used to amuse ourselves by cynically dissecting
spiritual beliefs and practices
when we might have observed that many
spiritually-minded persons of all races, colors and creeds
were demonstrating a degree of stability,
happiness and usefulness
which we should have sought ourselves.
c. 2002 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 49

Thought to Consider . . .
Feed your faith and starve your doubt.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
F A I T H = Finding Answers In The Heart.

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

Faith
Step Two: Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
"'When we encountered A.A., the fallacy of our defiance was revealed. At no time had we asked what God's will was for
us; instead we had been telling Him what it ought to be. No man, we saw, could believe in God and defy Him, too. Belief
meant reliance, not defiance. In A.A. we saw the fruits of this belief: men and women spared from alcohol's final
catastrophe. We saw them meet and transcend their other pains and trials. We saw them calmly accept impossible
situations, seeking neither to run nor to recriminate. This was not only faith; it was faith that worked under all conditions.
We soon concluded that whatever price in humility we must pay, we would pay.'"
1952, AAWS, Inc.; Printed 2005; Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pg. 31

*~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quotes ^*~*~*~*~*

"What matters is what works, not my opinion of what works."
November 1991
From: "Trusting the Silence"
Beginner's Book: Getting and Staying Sober in AA

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

"...with the alcoholic, whose hope is the maintenance and growth of a
spiritual experience, this business of resentment is infinitely
grave. We found that it is fatal. For when harboring such feelings
we shut ourselves off from the sunlight of the Spirit. The insanity
of alcohol returns and we drink again. And with us, to drink is to
die."
Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 66

"If we skip this vital step (5th Step), we may not overcome drinking.
Time after time newcomers have tried to keep to themselves certain
facts about their lives. Trying to avoid this humbling experience,
they have turned to easier methods. Almost invariably they got drunk.
Having persevered with the rest of the program, they wondered why
they fell. We think the reason is that they never completed their
housecleaning. They took inventory all right, but hung on to some of
the worst items in stock. They only thought they had lost their
egoism and fear; they only thought they had humbled themselves. But
they had not learned enough of humility, fearlessness and honesty, in
the sense we find it necessary, until they told someone else all
their life story."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 72~

It was only by repeated humiliations that we were forced to learn something about humility.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 72

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

A.A. is no success story in the ordinary sense of the word. It is a story of suffering transmuted, under grace, into spiritual progress.'
For Dr. Bob, the insatiable craving for alcohol was evidently a physical phenomenon which bedeviled several of his first
years in A.A., a time when only days and nights of carrying the message to other alcoholics could cause him to forget
about drinking. Although his craving was hard to withstand, it doubtless did account for some part of the intense
incentive that went into forming Akron's Group Number One.
Bob's spiritual release did not come easily; it was to be painfully slow. It always entailed the hardest kind of work and the
sharpest vigilance.

Prayer for the Day: For Healing - Lord, You invite all who are burdened to come to You. Allow Your healing hand to heal
me. Touch my soul with Your compassion for others. Touch my heart with Your courage and infinite love for all. Touch
my mind with Your wisdom, that my mouth may always proclaim Your praise. Teach me to reach out to You in my need,
and help me to lead others to You by my example. Most loving Heart of Jesus, bring me health in body and spirit that I
may serve You with all my strength. Touch gently this life which You have created, now and forever. Amen.

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AA Thought for the Day

February 6

Director, Principal, Father

First of all, we had to quit playing God. It didn’t work. Next, we
decided that hereafter in this drama of life, God was going to be
our Director. He is the Principal; we are His agents. He is the
Father, and we are His children. Most good ideas are simple,
and this concept was the keystone of the new and triumphant
arch through which we passed to freedom.
- - Alcoholics Anonymous, (How It Works) p. 62

Thought to Ponder . . .
If you want to stay protected, you have to be connected.

AA-related 'Alconym'
W I L L I N G = When I Live Life, I Need God.

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

Money Matters
Money gradually became our servant
and not our master.
It became a means of exchanging love and service
with those about us.
When, with God's help, we calmly accepted our lot,
then we found we could live at peace with ourselves
and show others who still suffered the same fears
that they could get over them, too.
We found that freedom from fear was
more important than freedom from want.
c. 1952 AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 122

Thought to Consider . . .
It's more important to feel happy about who I am
than who I think I should be.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
P A C E = Positive Attitudes Change Everything.

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

Hope
From "The Keys of the Kingdom":
"I stayed up all night reading that book. For me it was a wonderful experience. It explained so much I had not
understood about myself, and, best of all, it promised recovery if I would do a few simple things and be willing to have
the desire to drink removed. Here was hope. Maybe I could find my way out of this agonizing existence. Perhaps I could
find freedom and peace, and be able once again to call my soul my own."
2001 AAWS, Inc., Fourth Edition; Alcoholics Anonymous, pg. 273

[B]*~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"Change happens in sobriety and, big or small, I try to see where God wants me to fit in each day."
Monaca, Pa., April 2011
"An Unmade Bed,"
AA Grapevine

~*~*~*~*^ 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~

We can look the world in the eye. We can be alone at perfect peace and ease. Our fears fall from us. We begin to feel
the nearness of our Creator. We may have had certain spiritual beliefs, but now we begin to have a spiritual experience.
The feeling that the drink problem has disappeared will often come strongly. We feel we are on the Broad Highway,
walking hand in hand with the Spirit of the Universe. ~Alcoholics Anonymous page 75

And let's always remember that meditation is in reality intensely practical. One of its first fruits is emotional balance.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 101

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

One exercise that I practice is to try for a full inventory of my blessings and then for a right acceptance of the many gifts
that are mine - both temporal and spiritual. Here I try to achieve a state of joyful gratitude. When such a brand of
gratitude is repeatedly affirmed and pondered, it can finally displace the natural tendency to congratulate myself on
whatever progress I may have been enabled to make in some areas of living.
I try hard to hold fast to the truth that a full and thankful heart cannot entertain great conceits. When brimming with
gratitude, one's heartbeat must surely result in outgoing love, the finest emotion that we can ever know.

Prayer for the Day: Lord God, may I not only feel the need of thee when I am burdened with sorrow and care, but may I
have need of thee in my pleasures and joys. I thank thee for thy gracious kindness, thy mercy and thy protection. Amen.

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AA Thought for the Day

February 7

Faith

In this book you read again and again that faith did for us what we
could not do for ourselves. We hope you are convinced now that
God can remove whatever self-will has blocked you off from Him.
If you have already made a decision, and an inventory of your
grosser handicaps, you have made a good beginning.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, (How It Works) pp. 70 - 71

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 = Facing All Intuitively Trusting Him.

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

Language of the Heart

>From the beginning,
communication in AA has been no ordinary transmission
of helpful ideas and attitudes.
It has been unusual and sometimes unique.
Because of our kinship in suffering,
and because our common means of deliverance
are effective for ourselves only when
constantly carried to others,
our channels of contact have always been charged
with the language of the heart.
Bill W., July 1960
c. 1988 AAGrapevine, The Language of the Heart, p. 243

Thought to Consider . . .
Walk softly and carry a Big Book.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
S O B E R = Simply Observe Bill's Exemplary Recovery.

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

Altogether
From "The Three Legacies of Alcoholics Anonymous":
"In something of the same fashion this idea began to work out with other kinds of prospects. In the beginning we could
not sober up women. They were different, they said. But when they saw other women get well, they slowly followed suit.
The derelict, the rich man, the socialite, all these once thought A.A. was not for them. So did certain people of other
races and tongues and creeds. But when they clearly saw the alcoholic tragedy for which they were headed, they could
forget their differences and join A.A."
2001 AAWS, Inc.; Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pg. 199

*~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quotes ^*~*~*~*~*

"Be willing to be willing to follow directions and you will find your life changing in all areas."
Milwaukie, Ore., June 1999
From: "A Lady After All"
Beginner's Book: Getting and Staying Sober in AA

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

"Both you and the new man must walk day by day in the path of
spiritual progress. If you persist, remarkable things will happen."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Working With Others, pg. 100~

"Carry this message to other alcoholics! You can help when no one
else can. You can secure their confidence when others fail.
Remember they are very ill."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Working With Others, pg. 89~

We found that freedom from fear was more important than freedom from want.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 122

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

I am a firm believer in both guidance and prayer. But I am fully aware, and humble enough, I hope, to see there may be nothing infallible about my guidance.
'The minute I figure I have got a perfectly clear pipeline to God, I have become egotistical enough to get into real trouble. Nobody can cause more needless grief than a power-driver who thinks he has got it straight from God.

Prayer for the Day: Praying for Others - Lord, even though others misunderstand and talk about me, I will keep right on praying for them. Thank you for giving me the strength to love my enemies, to do good to those who hate me. I ask you to bless those who have hurt me, and pray for their happiness. For now is the time—you are bending down to hear! You are ready with a plentiful supply of love and kindness. Thank you for answering my prayer, for your loving kindness is wonderful; your mercy is so plentiful, so tender and so kind. Nothing – no activity, work, or relationship – has meaning without you as the center of my life. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

[bluidkiti]

AA Thought for the Day

February 8

A Spiritual Awakening

"It was only when I came fully to believe I was powerless over alcohol,
only when I appealed to a God who just might exist, that I experienced
a spiritual awakening. This freedom-giving experience came first, and
then faith followed afterward -- a gift indeed!"
- As Bill Sees It, No. 152

Thought to Ponder . . .
Avoidance is not the key; surrender opens the door.

AA-related 'Alconym'
A A = Amazing Awakening.

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

Vigilance
Now that we're in AA and sober,
and winning back the esteem of our friends
and business associates,
we find that we still need to exercise special vigilance.
As an insurance against "big-shot-ism"
we can often check ourselves by remembering
we are today sober only by the grace of God
and that any success we may be having
is far more His success than ours.
c. 1952 AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 92

Thought to Consider . . .
Always remember you're unique ... just like everyone else.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
H A L T = Honestly, Actively, Lovingly, Tolerant.

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

Today
From "Getting Ahead":
"I think that one of the main differences between an active alcoholic and a recovering alcoholic can be expressed as a
matter of tense. The active alcoholic tends to live in the future or in the past. The sober alcoholic, using part of the
philosophy he learns in his A.A. experience, lives or strives to live in the present."
1973 AAWS, Inc.; Came to Believe, 30th printing 2004, pg. 113

*~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quotes ^*~*~*~*~*

"If you need a friend who understands, look no further than the rooms of AA and the Big Book. They always hold an
answer and some faith for me."
Santa Rosa, Calif, October 2006
From: "Imperfect Progress"
Beginner's Book: Getting and Staying Sober in AA

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

"Some day we hope that Alcoholics Anonymous will help the public to
a better realization of the gravity of the alcoholic problem, but we
shall be of little use if our attitude is one of bitterness or
hostility. Drinkers will not stand for it.
After all, our problems were of our own making. Bottles were only a
symbol. Besides, we have stopped fighting anybody or anything. We
have to!"
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Working With Others, pg. 103~

"Many a man, yet dazed from his hospital experience, has stepped over
the threshold of that home into freedom. Many an alcoholic who
entered there came away with an answer. He succumbed to that gay
crowd inside, who laughed at their own misfortunes and understood
his. Impressed by those who visited him at the hospital, he
capitulated entirely when, later, in an upper room of this house, he
heard the story of some man whose experience closely tallied with his
own. The expression on the faces of the women, that indefinable
something in the eyes of the men, the stimulating and electric
atmosphere of the place, conspired to let him know that here was
haven at last."
Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, A Vision For You, pg. 160

We should avoid extreme judgments, both of ourselves and of others involved.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 82

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

Resentment is the Number One offender. It destroys more alcoholics than anything else. From it stem all forms of spiritual disease, for we have been not only mentally and physically ill, we have also been spiritually ill. When our spiritual malady is overcome, we straighten out mentally and physically.
In dealing with our resentments, we set them on paper. We listed people, institutions, or principles with whom we were angry. We asked ourselves why we were angry. In most cases it was found that our self-esteem, our pocketbooks, our ambitions, our personal relationships (including sex) were hurt or threatened.
'The most heated bit of letter-writing can be a wonderful safety valve - providing the wastebasket is somewhere nearby.

Prayer for the Day: Lord, we ask you to open our eyes that we may value and appreciate all people, recognizing what we have in common rather than focusing on what our differences might be. Inspire us to distinguish between what is important and what is not, and open our minds and hearts that we may always be people of good will who bring life and joy to others. Amen.