AA Thoughts For Today - June

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AA Thought for the Day

June 14

Step Twelve

Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps,
we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice
these principles in all our affairs.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, (How It Works) p. 60

Thought to Ponder
In AA we carry the message ... not the mess.

AA-related 'Alconym'
H E A L = Helping Every Alcoholic Live.

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

Traditions
"The Twelve Traditions point straight
at many of our individual defects.
By implication they ask each of us to lay aside
pride and resentments.
They ask for personal as well as group sacrifice.
They ask us never to use the AA name
in any quest for personal power or distinction or money.
The Traditions guarantee the equality
of all members and the independence of all groups.
They show how we may best relate ourselves to each other
and to the world outside."
Bill W.,
1967AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, p. 96

Thought to Consider . . .
If you have the courage to begin,
you have the courage to succeed.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
A A's - R - U S = Alcoholics Anonymous Recovery Unity Service

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

Core
From "The Three Legacies of Alcoholics Anonymous":
"On many a day I felt like throwing the book out the window. "I was in this anything-but-spiritual mood on the night when
the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous were written. I was sore and tired clear through. I lay in bed at 182 Clinton
Street with pencil in hand and with a tablet of scratch paper on my knee. I could not get my mind on the job, much less
put my heart in it. But here was one of those things that had to be done. Slowly my mind came into some kind of focus.
"Since Ebby's visit to me in the fall of 1934 we had gradually evolved what we called 'the word-of-mouth program.' Most
of the basic ideas had come from the Oxford Groups, William James, and Dr. Silkworth."
2001 AAWS, Inc.; Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pg. 160

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

"I'm working diligently to improve my character. I work daily on trying to reign in my impetuous temper, my obsession with reaction rather than reflection, and that silly ego that keeps rearing its ugly head.
"I'm grateful for AA's reference to progress rather than perfection. Despite my shortcomings, with the help of the AA program and my brothers in AA, improvements will continue to be made"
April 2011
"Mistakes Have Been Made,"
AA Grapevine

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

"'My old manner of life was by no means a bad one, but I would not
exchange its best moments for the worst I have now. I would not go
back to it even if I could.'"
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, More About Alcoholism, pg. 43~

"...I humbly offered myself to God, as I then I understood Him, to do
with me as He would. I placed myself unreservedly under His care and
direction. I admitted for the first time that of myself I was
nothing; that without Him I was lost. I ruthlessly faced my sins and
became willing to have my new-found Friend take them away, root and branch."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Bill's Story, pg. 13~

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

We now see that in twelfth-stepping the immediate results are not so important. Some people start out working with others and have immediate success. They are likely to get cocky. Those of us who are not so successful at first get depressed.
As a matter of fact, the successful worker differs from the unsuccessful only in being lucky about his prospects. He simply hits newcomers who are ready and able to stop at once. Given the same prospects, the seemingly unsuccessful person would have produced almost the same results. You have to work on a lot of newcomers before the law of averages commences to assert itself.
All true communication must be founded on mutual need. We saw that each sponsor would have to admit humbly his own needs as clearly as those of his prospect.

Prayer For The Day: Dear heavenly Father, I do thank you for Your goodness to me. Lord, help me to guard my mouth so that those things that are edifying and good will come out and not those things that contribute to a negative lifestyle. May I bless others with my tongue and never be guilty of cursing anyone. Let my words be gracious and may they bring healing to others. Let my words be kind and gentle and loving. May I reflect Your goodness in all that I do. Forgive me when I say the wrong things. Let me speak and pray the Word of God over my life and others. Give us all grace to say things that bring life into this world. I ask this in Jesus' Holy name. Amen.