AA Thoughts For Today - June

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AA Thought for the Day

June 25

Accurate Self-Appraisal

The emphasis on inventory is heavy only because a great many of us
have never really acquired the habit of accurate self-appraisal. Once
this healthy practice has become grooved, it will be so interesting and
profitable that the time it takes won't be missed. For these minutes and
sometimes hours spent in self-examination are bound to make all the
other hours of our day better and happier.
- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, (Step Ten) pp. 89 - 90

Thought to Ponder . . .
Am I doing to others as I would have them do to me—today?

AA-related 'Alconym'
S O B E R = Spiritually On Beam; Everything's Right.

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

Belonging
"There is no more 'aloneness,' with that awful ache,
so deep in the heart of every alcoholic
that nothing, before, could ever reach it.
That ache is gone and never need return again.
Now there is a sense of belonging,
of being wanted and needed and loved.
In return for a bottle and a hangover,
we have been given the Keys of the Kingdom."
1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 312

Thought to Consider . . .
If I'm not comfortable within myself,
I can't be comfortable with others.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
A C T I O N = Any Change Toward Improving One's Nature

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

Plan
From "The Missing Link":
"Following this spiritual path made a major difference in my life. It seemed to fill that lonely hole that I used to fill with alcohol. My self-esteem improved dramatically, and I knew happiness and serenity as I had never known it before. I started to see the beauty and usefulness in my own existence, and tried to express my gratitude through helping others in whatever ways I could. A confidence and faith entered my life and unraveled a plan for me that was bigger and better than I could have ever imagined.
"It wasn't easy, and it has never been easy, but it gets so much better."
2001 AAWS, Inc., Fourth Edition; Alcoholics Anonymous, pgs. 287-88

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

"Even though some of the ghosts of the past may still be spooking around, popping up from time to time to scare me, today I can pretty much handle them. Today the only real monster I have to face is myself, that part of me that tries to urge me back to drinking."
Waukesha, Wisconsin, October 1994
"Trick or Treat,"
AA Grapevine

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

"Putting out of our minds the wrongs others had done, we resolutely
looked for our own mistakes. Where had we been selfish, dishonest,
self-seeking and frightened? Though a situation had not been entirely
our fault, we tried to disregard the other person involved entirely.
Where were we to blame? The inventory was ours, not the other man's.
When we saw our faults we listed them. We placed them before us in
black and white. We admitted our wrongs honestly and were willing to
set these matters straight."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 67~

"To be vital, faith must be accompanied by self sacrifice and
unselfish, constructive action."
Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Working With Others, pg. 93

"If we are sorry for what we have done, and have the honest desire to let God take us to better things, we believe we will be forgiven and will have learned our lesson."
-Alcoholics Anonymous p. 70 (How It Works)

"Often it was while working on this Step with our sponsors or spiritual advisers that we first felt truly able to forgive others, no matter how deeply we felt they had wronged us."
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 58 (Step Five)

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

The primary fact that we fail to recognize is our total inability to form a true partnership with another human being. Our egomania digs two disastrous pitfalls. Either we insist upon dominating the people we know, or we depend upon them far too much.L
If we lean too heavily on people, they will sooner or later fail us, for they are human, too, and cannot possibly meet our incessant demands. In this way our insecurity grows and festers.
When we habitually try to manipulate others to our own willful desires, they revolt, and resist us heavily. Then we develop hurt feelings, a sense of persecution, and a desire to retaliate.
My dependency meant demand--a demand for the possession and control of the people and the conditions surrounding me.

Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, grant that I may forgive others just as You have forgiven me.