Daily Recovery Readings - June 28

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God grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change;
Courage to change the things I can;
and Wisdom to know the difference.
Thy will, not mine, be done.

June 28

Daily Reflections

THE DETERMINATION OF OUR FOUNDERS

A year and six months later these three had succeeded with seven
more.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 159

If it had not been for the fierce determination of our founders, A.A.
would have quickly faded like so many other so-called good causes. I
look at the hundreds of meetings weekly in the city where I live and I
know A.A. is available twenty-four hours a day. If I had had to hang on
with nothing but hope and a desire not to drink, experiencing rejection
wherever I went, I would have sought the easier, softer way and
returned to my previous way of life.

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Twenty-Four Hours A Day

A.A. Thought For The Day

You can prove to yourself that life is basically and fundamentally an
inner attitude. Just try to remember what troubled you most a week
ago. You probably will find it difficult to remember. Why then should
you unduly worry or fret over the problems that arise today? Your
attitude toward them can be changed by putting yourself and your
problems in God's hands and trusting Him to see that everything will
turn out all right, provided you are trying to do the right thing. Your
changed mental attitude toward your problems relieves you of their
burden and you can face them without fear. Has my mental attitude
changed?

Meditation For The Day

You cannot see the future. It's a blessing that you cannot. You could
not bear to know all the future. That is why God only reveals it to you
day by day. The first step is to lay your will before God as an
offering, ready for God to do what is best for you. Be sure that, if
you trust God, what He does for you will be for the best. The second
step is to be confident that God is powerful enough to do anything He
wills, and that no miracle in human lives is impossible with Him. Then
leave the future to God.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that I may gladly leave my future in God's hands. I pray that I
may be confident that good things will happen, as long as I am on the
right path.

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As Bill Sees It

Coping With Anger, p. 179

Few people have been more victimized by resentments than have we alcoholics. A burst
of temper could spoil a day, and a well-nursed grudge could make us miserably
ineffective. Nor were we ever skillful in separating justified from unjustified anger. As
we saw it, our wrath was always justified. Anger, that occasional luxury of more balanced
people, could keep us on an emotional jag indefinitely. These "dry benders' often led
straight to the bottle.

<< << << >> >> >>

Nothing pays off like restraint of tongue and pen. We must avoid quick-tempered
criticism, furious power-driven argument, sulking, and silent scorn. These are emotional
booby traps baited with pride and vengefulness. When we are tempted by the bait, we
should train ourselves to step back and think. We can neither think nor act to good
purpose until the habit of self-restraint has become automatic.

12 & 12
1. p. 90
2. p. 91

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Walk In Dry Places

Why it works.
Confidence.
Twelve Step meetings often begin with a reading from a famous Fifth chapter, "How it works." We know that the program does work, but why? Is there a secret or magic to it?
The real reason the program works is neither secret nor magic. The program actually relies on ancient principles that always amaze people when they are employed: Help Others, and you help yourself. Clean up your own house. Put your trust in God, not frail human beings or shaky institutions. Remove false gods, such as alcohol and other drugs.
There may be additional reasons for the program's success, but these are enough for a start. The Twelve Step program does work.
I'll take comfort today in knowing that I'm walking in a way that has been tested and proven. The program works if I let it work.

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Keep It Simple

The closest to perfection a person ever comes is when he fills out a job application form. --Stanley J. Randall
Trying to be perfect get us into trouble. Trying to be perfect means we're trying to control things.
We may be trying to cover up something. Maybe we aren't facing our pain. Maybe we've hurt
someone and we need to make amends.
We need to practice being human. Humans aren't perfect. In Steps Six and Seven, we face our human limits and our shortcomings. We then start the lifelong job of letting them go. To accept our human limits leads us to our Higher Power. We see how we need a guide in life. Our Higher Power makes a perfect guide.
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me accept that I can't be perfect. Help me be a good human being.
Action for the Day: Today, I'll list my shortcoming. I'll talk with a friend about them. I'll ask my friend to tell me what my good qualities are.

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Each Day a New Beginning

Joy fixes us to eternity and pain fixes us to time. But desire and fear hold us in bondage to time, and detachment breaks the bond. --Simone Weil
We live both in the material realm and the spiritual. In our material dimension we seek material pleasures, inherent in which is pain. Our human emotions are tied to our material attachments, and joy, at its fullest, is never found here. Real joy lies outside of the material dimension while living fully within us too, in the secret, small place inside where we always know that all is well.
We are on a trip in this life. And our journey is bringing us closer to full understanding of joy with every sorrowful circumstance. When you or I are one with God, have aligned our will with the will of God, we know joy. We know this, fully, that all is well. No harm can befall us.
Each circumstance in the material realm is an opportunity for us to rely on the spiritual realm for direction, security, and understanding. As we turn within, to our spiritual nature, we will know joy.
Every day in every situation I have an opportunity to discover real joy. It's so close and so ready for my invitation.

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Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

Chapter 5 - HOW IT WORKS

BILL'S STORY

My brother-in-law is a physician, and through his kindness and that of my mother I was placed in a nationally-known hospital for the mental and physical rehabilitation of alcoholics. Under the so-called belladonna treatment my brain cleared. Hydrotherapy and mild exercise helped much. Best of all, I met a kind doctor who explained that though certainly selfish and foolish, I had been seriously ill, bodily and mentally.

p. 7

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Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition Stories

FREEDOM FROM BONDAGE - Young when she joined, this A.A. believes her serious drinking was the result of even deeper defects. She here tells how she was free.

Through my efforts to get down to "causes and conditions," I stand convinced that my emotional illness has been present from my earliest recollection. I never did react normally to any emotional situation.

p. 544

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Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Tradition Four - "Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or A.A. as a whole."

When that lifted, a wonderful thing had happened. The head promoter wrote the Foundation office. He said he wished he'd paid some attention to A.A. experience. Then he did something else that was to become an A.A. classic. It all went on a little card about golf-score size. The cover read: "Middleton Group #1. Rule #62." Once the card was unfolded, a single pungent sentence leaped to the eye: "Don't take yourself too dam* seriously."

p. 149

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I can get more out of God by believing Him for one minute than
by shouting at Him all night.
--Smith Wigglesworth

I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming
conviction that I had absolutely no other place to go.
--Abraham Lincoln

LORD, Let me want what I have.
--Anonymous

"A positive attitude is like a fire - Unless you continue to add fuel, it
goes out."
--Alexander Lockhart

What we see depends mainly on what we look for.
--John Lubbock

All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not
seen.
--Ralph Waldo Emerson

When life seems just a dreary grind; and things seem fated to annoy;
say something nice to someone else and watch the world light up with
joy.
--Unknown

Appreciative words are the most powerful force for good on earth!
--George W. Crane

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Father Leo's Daily Meditation

WINE

"One of the disadvantages of wine
is that it makes a man mistake
words for thoughts."
--Samuel Johnson

Alcohol produced problems in my life. I was unable to control my
drinking and the result was catastrophe. I hurt people. I
endangered my health. I ruin my productivity. I became lonely. I
felt isolated. I was forever getting into arguments. The police were
often involved. People who loved me had to walk away from me
for their own sanity. Alcohol made my life a mess!

Today I can see this and I am glad I made the spiritual decision to
refuse the first drink. Today I am getting my life together. I am
becoming a productive citizen. I have friends and relationships again.
But I need to remember what I must never forget:

Alcohol + Me = Problems.

Lord, alcohol is a gift I can refuse.

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"I assure you, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life."
John 5:24

Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will
set him on high, because he has known My name. He shall call upon
Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver
him and honor him.
Psalm 91:14-15

"A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver."
Proverbs 25:11
And your ears will hear a word behind you, "This is the way, walk
in it," whenever you turn to the right or to the left.
Isaiah 30:21

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Daily Inspiration

Be easier on yourself and more forgiving so that you can begin to recognize the depth of the wisdom you already possess. Lord, help me look beyond my shortcomings so that I am better able to get through my difficult moments and am able to spend more time enjoying who I am.

One of life's greatest rewards is not what we get, but what we become. Lord, teach me as I am able to learn and give me the courage to be all that I can.

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NA Just For Today

Group Conscience

"Working with others is only the beginning of service work."
Basic Text, p.56

Service work calls for a selfless devotion to carrying the message to the still-suffering addict. But our attitude of service cannot stop there. Service also requires that we look at ourselves and our motives. Our efforts at service make us highly visible to the fellowship. In NA, it is easy to become a "big fish in a small pond." Our controlling attitude can easily drive away the newcomer.

Group conscience is one of the most important principles in service. It is vital to remember that the group conscience is what counts, not just our individual beliefs and desires. We lend our thoughts and beliefs to the development of a group conscience. Then when that conscience arises, we accept its guidance. The key is working with others, not against them. If we remember that we strive together to develop a collective conscience, we will see that all sides have equal merit. When all the discussions are over, all sides will come back to carry a unified message.

It is often tempting to think that we know what is best for the group. If we remember that it doesn't matter if we get our way, then it is easier to allow service to be the vehicle it is intended to be - a way to carry the message to the addict who still suffers.

Just for today: I will take part in the development of group conscience. I will remember that the world won't end just because I don't get my way. I will think about our p[primary purpose in all my service efforts. I will reach out to a newcomer.

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You are reading from the book Today's Gift.
It's the deepest channel that runs most true. --Kate Wolf
The greatest rivers spread themselves out wide and lazy over the earth. They roll over on themselves like great turtles turning in the warm sun. A river flows, drawn to the oceans, carving ever-deepening channels, nestling snug in the earth's welcoming lap. The current is strongest in the deepest channel. Boat navigators know that finding that channel means finding the swiftest current and the safest voyage home.
When we look at a river, or at another person, we see only the surface. What keeps our attention is usually some movement or activity on the surface. But there is more than meets the eye, especially to people. When we overlook someone because that person is quiet or simple, we may be robbing ourselves of an eye-opening discovery.
Which deeper things can I look for in my day?


You are reading from the book Touchstones.
We fear our highest possibility (as well as our lowest one). We are generally afraid to become that which we can glimpse in our most perfect moments. --Abraham Maslow
In our daily lives, we may dream of success and achievement. We strive and compete in the workplace. We go to meetings and do our part on each Step in the program searching for better lives. When success comes, we are faced with a new problem we could not have expected. It comes as an outcome of some hard work, some good luck, and some help from our friends. It is frightening to have a good thing in our lives and not be in control of it.
We are just as powerless over our successes as we are over the worst of our behaviors. We can only be faithful to our duties and ourselves. The successes, which flow from our work come and go. Since we can't nail them down, they may make us feel insecure. Many a man has destroyed his moment of success because he couldn't stand the powerless feeling. We must return to our program and allow success to rise and fall, as it will.
Today, I turn to my Higher Power for help in accepting success.


You are reading from the book Each Day a New Beginning.
Joy fixes us to eternity and pain fixes us to time. But desire and fear hold us in bondage to time, and detachment breaks the bond. --Simone Weil
We live both in the material realm and the spiritual. In our material dimension we seek material pleasures, inherent in which is pain. Our human emotions are tied to our material attachments, and joy, at its fullest, is never found here. Real joy lies outside of the material dimension while living fully within us too, in the secret, small place inside where we always know that all is well.
We are on a trip in this life. And our journey is bringing us closer to full understanding of joy with every sorrowful circumstance. When you or I are one with God, have aligned our will with the will of God, we know joy. We know this, fully, that all is well. No harm can befall us.
Each circumstance in the material realm is an opportunity for us to rely on the spiritual realm for direction, security, and understanding. As we turn within, to our spiritual nature, we will know joy.
Every day in every situation I have an opportunity to discover real joy. It's so close and so ready for my invitation.


You are reading from the book The Language of Letting Go.
When Things Don't Work
Frequently, when faced with a problem, we may attempt to solve it in a particular way. When that way doesn't work, we may continue trying to solve the problem in that same way.
We may get frustrated, try harder, get more frustrated, and then exert more energy and influence into forcing the same solution that we have already tried and that didn't work.
That approach makes us crazy. It tends to get us stuck and trapped. It is the stuff that unmanageability is made of.
We can get caught in this same difficult pattern in relationships, in tasks, in any area of our life. We initiate something, it doesn't work, doesn't flow, we feel badly, then try the same approach harder, even though it's not working and flowing.
Sometimes, it's appropriate not to give up and to try harder. Sometimes, it's more appropriate to let go, detach, and stop trying so hard.
If it doesn't work, if it doesn't flow, maybe life is trying to tell us something. Life is a gentle teacher. She doesn't always send neon road signs to guide us. Sometimes, the signs are more subtle. Something not working may be a sign!
Let go. If we have become frustrated by repeated efforts that aren't producing desired results, we may be trying to force ourselves down the wrong path. Sometimes, a different solution is appropriate. Sometimes, a different path opens up. Often, the answer will emerge more clearly in the quietness of letting go than it will in the urgency, frustration, and desperation of pushing harder.
Learn to recognize when something isn't working or isn't flowing. Step back and wait for clear guidance.
Today, I will not make myself crazy by repeatedly trying solutions that have proven themselves unsuccessful. If something isn't working, I will step back and wait for guidance.


My quiet sitting meditation time helps me to develop new quiet times during the rest of the day. Today I can look at any problem I have and release its energy so that I can be free to allow harmony to unfold. --Ruth Fishel

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Journey to the Heart
Feel Your Feelings

You don't have to do anything about your feelings. Understand that. Believe that. They are only feelings. Emotional energy is important. It's important not to block it, stop it, deny it, or repress it. It's important to discharge it. To value it. To value ourselves.

But you don't have to do anything. You don't have to act on every feeling. You don't need to control every emotion or let your emotions control you. Doing something is the old way, the way of control. Simply feel whatever you need to feel. Become fully and completely conscious of what you feel. Take responsibility for the way you choose to express your feelings. Then let your feelings go. Release the emotional energy.

Soon you will know what to do next, know what lesson is under way. You will naturally take the action that's right for you to take.

All you have to do about your feelings is feel them.

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more language of letting go
Relax now

"Only two more weeks until vacation," we say. "Two more weeks until I can relax." Then we return to our stressful lives of running here, hurrying there, and scrambling to get this or that done.

Why wait? Why not relax today? Part of living fully in the moment is taking a break when you need it. If you are tired, take a nap. Plan an afternoon away from work. Go to the park on a Saturday morning by yourself. Take a bubble bath; order dinner out; take the kids to the zoo.

So often we feel that we are running, running, just trying to keep up with the rest of the world. It's an illusion. Much of the time we're running in place. Stop. The only one keeping you on the treadmill is you. Yes, we all have responsibilities. But taking time to take care of ourselves is one of our responsibilities,too.

God, grant me the peace and grace to listen to my own needs.

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Healthful Slumber
The Importance of Sleep by Madisyn Taylor

Regular periods of sleep are key to a healthy body and a clear mind as it is during sleep that your body renews itself.

When life gets busy, sleep is often the first activity that we sacrifice. Considered a luxury by many busy people, sleep is actually as vital to sustaining a balanced life as are breathing, eating, and drinking. Getting sufficient sleep can be a potent energizer, just as not getting enough sleep can leave you feeling drained and sluggish. While eight hours is the average amount of sleep most adults should generally aim for, the right amount of sleep varies for each person. Some people may thrive on just four hours, while others don’t feel well rested unless they’ve slept for ten hours. How much we sleep also varies, depending upon where we are in life. Young people often need more sleep, while older people may need less. The benefits of sleep always stay the same. Regular and consistent periods of wakefulness and sleep are key ingredients to fostering a healthy body and a clear mind. It is during sleep that your body renews itself.

The ability to forgo sleep is considered by some to be an asset. But while it may seem that the nighttime hours can be better used for more productive activities, sleep in itself is extremely productive. During sleep, your body and psyche are both regaining their strength for the coming day. You may even have the unique opportunity to explore the hidden recesses of your personality while you dream. Meanwhile, your long-term memories are reinforced.

Many cultures engage in an afternoon siesta. Taking a nap is refreshing and can increase both productivity and creativity. Author Lewis Carroll is said to have conceived his idea for Alice in Wonderland while dreaming. A good night’s sleep also has been known to bring with it the gifts of clarity, wisdom, and a fresh perspective. Even the ancient Greeks thought of sleep as a gift from the gods. Give yourself the gift of peaceful slumber and you will likely find yourself feeling alert, refreshed, and ready for life’s challenges. You may also find yourself feeling more centered, thoughtful, and aware throughout the day so you can live your full potential. Published with permission from Daily OM

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A Day at a Time

Reflection for the Day
Almost daily, I hear of seemingly mysterious coincidences in the lives of my friends in The Program. From time to time, I've experienced such "coincidences" myself: showing up at the right place at exactly the right time; phoning a friend who, unbeknownst to me, desperately needed that particular phone call at that precise moment; hearing "my story" at an unfamiliar meeting in a strange town. These days, I choose to believe that many of life's so-called "coincidences" are actually small miracles of God, who prefers to remain anonymous.

Am I continuingly grateful for the miracle of my recovery?

Today I Pray
May my awareness of a Higher Power working in our lives grow in sensitivity as I learn, each day, of "coincidences" that defy statistics, illnesses that reverse their prognoses, hair-breadth escapes that defy death, chance meetings that change the course of a life. When the un-understandable happens, may I perceive it as just another of God's frequent miracles. My own death-defying miracle is witness enough for me.

Today I Will Remember
My life is a miracle.

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One More Day

Believe and remember this: every saint and every sinner affects those whom he will never see, because his words and deeds stamp themselves upon the soft clay of human nature everywhere.
– Joshua Loth Liebman

In a world of billions of people, it’s easy to feel insignificant. As a result, we might excuse ourselves for not acting upon our sense of rightness. After all, we might reason, what difference does it make? At those times, we’ve forgotten about the ripple effect.

Occasionally we’ve even seen our words and actions rippling from one person to another, but more often we see nothing at all. Then we must choose — whether to bitterly reject the idea of making a difference or to trust that someone, somewhere, is being comforted by a ripple of the wave we dared to make.

My presence is felt by people I know — and by people I’ll never know.

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In God’s Care

Each handicap is like a hurdle in a steeple chase, and when you ride up to it, if you throw your heart over, the horse will go along, too.
~~Lawrence Bixby

Too often we let our fears prevent us from taking advantage of the opportunities God is sending our way. Part of our recovery is developing the trust that our experiences – both the painful and the joyful ones – are part of God’s design for our growth. The paradox is that trust can come only when we plunge headlong into the opportunity that’s beckoning, in spite of our fear and mistrust. This is the continual leap of faith we must make if we are to discover the full measure of joy that is meant for each of us.

Trusting others may seem difficult because of hurtful experiences in our past. But as we come to see the people who’ve hurt us as fallible, we can better accept our own handicaps and learn from them. Forgiving ourselves and others frees us to eventually trust God in every step we take, no matter how faltering.

Today I will use each obstacle as a reminder to trust God. My fallibility will teach me both courage and humility.

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Day By Day

Practicing

To recover, we must change; it doesn’t happen by itself. Change requires practice. If we get lazy about our recovery, if we get smug or self-satisfied, we may stop practicing. If so, we may lose what we have gained, risk a slip, or even relapse.

In recovery, practice is all-important. Staying clean and sober takes practice. For starters, we must practice carrying the message to others who still suffer.

Higher Power, help me practice the program so that I can keep growing and recovering.

Today I will work on…

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Food for Thought

Spiritual Awakening

Many of us remember back to a vague time in childhood when our world seemed right and we were full of enthusiasm. Somehow, somewhere along the way, we lost that feeling of rightness and security.

For some of us who experience a spiritual awakening through the OA program, childhood faith is rediscovered and takes on new meaning. We may have lost sight of our real selves and abandoned our original faith in a Higher Power. When we have a spiritual awakening as a result of the Twelve Steps, everything falls into place, and what was lost is recovered, plus much more.

This spiritual awakening continues as we continue to work the program. It gives new meaning to our present lives and new hope for the future. We see that spiritual growth is “where it’s at” and that nothing else will satisfy our needs and our longing.

May I continue to awaken.

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One Day At A Time

ISOLATION
”Solitude vivifies; isolation kills.”
Joseph Roux

As an introvert and an agoraphobic I relate to both sides of this quote. From an introverted point of view, I need solitude to regroup, renew, and refresh. It's part of my process in life to have quiet time alone in order to "get it together". When I'm alone and I read my OA literature and meditate on what I'm reading and learning, I'm able to gain new insight and a renewed sense of direction in my program.

From an agoraphobic point of view, isolation kills my ability to stick to my program. When my social anxiety cycles and it becomes difficult to get to meetings or make phone calls, I hide from the world ~ and from my friends and other OA members who can help me maintain my abstinence.

Solitude and Isolation are both active decisions. Both require some forethought. If solitude is what I need to in order to regroup, I have to make time for it. I have to take a walk, read a book, putter around my house. On the flip side, if I'm having a hard time with Program and my social anxiety is becoming unmanageable, I can either isolate and spiral down, or I can choose to take action and get to a meeting, make a phone call, or ask my sponsor to meet me for coffee. I don't have to be alone in this program.

One day at a time...
I remember that I have control over my actions. Although I need solitude to heal, I don't have to be alone in my disease.
~ Deb B.

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AA 'Big Book' - Quote

Our behavior is as absurd and incomprehensible with respect to the first drink as that of an individual with a passion, say, for jay-walking. He gets a thrill out of skipping in front of fast-moving vehicles. - Pg. 37 - More About Alcoholism

Hour To Hour - Book - Quote

We merge in bonds of fellowship powerful enough to withstand the calls of our addiction. Our addiction is strong but not as strong as our new bonds of fellowship strengthened daily by the God of our understanding.

May my bonds of fellowship grow stronger with each hour of recovery by practicing these principles.

Being in the Moment

Today, I see that the only real point of power is in the present, which is to say that life cannot be lived backward or forward, but only in the context of today. If I truly let myself have this moment and all that it contains, I will be in quiet possession of great eternal wealth. All that is, is in this moment where all the waters meet and all the wisdom of the ages lies; it is the now that calls me to it with open arms. I work out my past, not because it is right or good or proper, but because it allows me to be in fuller possession of my present. By releasing and returning to me those parts of me that remain prisoner in my own psychic and emotional jail, I can have access to the now. I allow myself this moment.
- Tian Dayton PhD

Pocket Sponsor - Book - Quote

As you work to solve different dilemmas that arise in your life, don't stay so focused on your troubles that you miss discovering the solutions. Give your attention to your Spiritual Source in prayer, meditation, or service to others. By taking your focus off the situation, soulutions have a way of finding you.

Through conscious contact, I allow soulutions to find me.

"Walk Softly and Carry a Big Book" - Book

Suicide is such a long term decision. While living has so many more variables.

Time for Joy - Book - Quote

My quiet sitting meditation time helps me to develop new quiet times during the rest of the day. Today I can look at any problem I have and release its energy so that I can be free to allow harmony to unfold.

Alkiespeak - Book - Quote

I don't have a drinking problem, except when I can't get a drink. - Tom Waits. 'Bad Liver and a Broken Heart.'

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AA Thought for the Day

June 28

Progress
Walk day by day in the path of spiritual progress.
If you persist, remarkable things will happen. When we look back,
we realize that the things which came to us when we put ourselves in God's hands
were better than anything we could have planned.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 100

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

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
G O D = Good Orderly Direction.

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

Prayer
"The man said, 'The thing I do is to say
"God here I am and here are all my troubles.
I've made a mess of things and can't do anything about it.
You take me and all my troubles,
and do anything you want with me." '
I return to bed. It doesn't make sense. . .
I am in the bottom of hell.
And there a tremendous hope is born.
It might be true.
I tumble out of bed on my knees.
I know not what I say.
But slowly a great peace comes to me.
I feel lifted up. I believe in God.
I crawl back into bed and sleep like a child."
1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 504

Thought to Consider . . .
Faith is not belief without proof;
it's trust without reservation.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
A S A P = Always Say A Prayer

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

Foundations
>From "The Three Legacies of Alcoholics Anonymous":
"In important matters there was still considerable disagreement between the Eastern and the Midwestern viewpoints.
Our people out there were still active Oxford Group members, while we in New York had withdrawn a year before. In
Akron and vicinity they still talked about the Oxford Groups absolutes: absolute honesty, absolute purity, absolute
unselfishness, and absolute love. This dose was found to be too rich for New Yorkers, and we had abandoned the
expressions. But all of us, East and West, were placing increasing emphasis on Dr. Silkworth's expression describing
the alcoholic's dilemma: the obsession plus the allergy. By now we knew from experience that the new prospect had
to accept Step One or get no place."
2001 AAWS, Inc.; Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pgs. 160-61

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

"I have no secrets, and I fear no man. I am not anxious about death. I am alive, forever, within this 24 hours."
Brooklyn, New York, June 1974
"The Fifth Step -- A Way to Stay High,"
Step By Step

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

"...we aren't a glum lot. If newcomers could see no joy or fun in our existence,
they wouldn't want it. We absolutely insist on enjoying life."
Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, The Family Afterward, pg. 132

"Sometimes we think fear ought to be classed with stealing."
-Alcoholics Anonymous p. 68 (How It Works)

"Then fear, in turn, generates more character defects."
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 49 (Step Four)

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

Few people have been more victimized by resentments than have we alcoholics. A burst of temper could spoil a day, and a well-nursed grudge could make us miserably ineffective. Nor were we ever skillful in separating justified from unjustified anger. As we saw it, our wrath was always justified. Anger, that occasional luxury of more balanced people, could keep us on an emotional jag indefinitely. These 'dry benders' often led straight to the bottle.
Nothing pays of like restraint of tongue and pen. We must avoid quick-tempered criticism, furious power-driven argument, sulking, and silent scorn. These are emotional booby traps baited with pride and vengefulness. When we are tempted by the bait, we should train ourselves to step back and think. We can neither think nor act to good purpose until the habit of self-restraint has become automatic.

Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, remove my fear so that I may live in true faith today. I know that if I am in a true state of faith, the fear will dissipate.

Ask and you shall receive,
Seek and ye shall find,
Knock and it shall be opened unto you.
Matthew 7:7