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Freefly
Administrator
966 Posts |
 Posted - 05/28/2008 : 07:07:21 AM
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AA Thought for the Day
May 28, 2008
Change
In the process of this change
I can recognize two immensely significant steps for me.
The first step I took when I admitted to myself for the first time
that all my previous thinking might be wrong.
The second step came when I first consciously wished to believe.
As a result of this experience I am convinced that to seek is to find,
to ask is to be given.
The day never passes that I do not silently cry out in thankfulness,
not merely for my release from alcohol, but even more
for a change that has given life new meaning, dignity, and beauty.
© 2003 AAWS, Experience, Strength and Hope, p. 107
With permission, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.
Thought to Ponder . . .
I came; I came to; I came to believe.
Day by Day is the only way.... |
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Freefly
Administrator
966 Posts |
Posted - 05/29/2008 : 05:58:52 AM
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AA Thought for the Day
May 29, 2008
Reaching Out
Practical experience shows
that nothing will so much insure immunity from drinking
as intensive work with other alcoholics.
It works when other activities fail. . . You can help when no one else can. . .
Life will take on new meaning.
© 2003 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 89
With permission, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.
Thought to Ponder . . .
Faith is our greatest gift;
its sharing with others our greatest responsibility.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
Hope, Encouragement, Love, Patience.
Day by Day is the only way.... |
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Freefly
Administrator
966 Posts |
Posted - 05/30/2008 : 05:56:39 AM
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AA Thought for the Day
May 30, 2008
Fellowship
I spent most of my life worrying about myself,
thinking that I was unwanted,
that I was unloved.
I've learned since being in AA that the more I worry about me loving you,
and the less I worry about you loving me, the happier I'll be.
I discovered a fellowship of human beings that I'd never seen before.
I learned how to be a friend. . .
I have learned that the more I give, the more I will have;
the more I learn to give, the more I learn to live.
© 2003 AAWS, Experience, Strength and Hope, p. 218
With permission, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.
Thought to Ponder . . .
Love that is unseen is eternal.
Faith, Empathy, Learning, Love, Openness, Wisdom,
Self-worth, Hope, Identification, People.
Day by Day is the only way.... |
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Freefly
Administrator
966 Posts |
Posted - 05/31/2008 : 06:37:32 AM
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AA Thought for the Day
May 31, 2008
Improved Perception
An improved perception of humility starts a revolutionary change
in our outlook.
Our eyes begin to open to the immense values
which have come straight out of painful ego-puncturing.
Until now, our lives have been largely devoted
to running from pain and problems.
Escape via the bottle was always our solution.
© 1967 AAWS, As Bill Sees It, p. 156
With permission, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.
Thought to Ponder . . .
Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
Choosing Humility Allows New Gifts and Energy.
Day by Day is the only way.... |
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Freefly
Administrator
966 Posts |
Posted - 06/01/2008 : 07:38:04 AM
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AA Thought for the Day
1, 2008
Emotional Turmoil
When on the roller coaster of emotional turmoil,
I remember that growth is often painful.
My evolution in the AA program has taught me
that I must experience the inner change, however painful,
that eventually guides me from selfishness to selflessness.
If I am to have serenity, I must STEP my way past emotional turmoil
and its subsequent hangover,
and be grateful for continuing spiritual progress.
© 1990 AAWS, Daily Reflections, p. 285
With permission, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.
Thought to Ponder . . .
Serenity isn't freedom from the storm; it is peace within the storm.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
Altered Attitudes.
Day by Day is the only way.... |
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Freefly
Administrator
966 Posts |
Posted - 06/02/2008 : 07:06:42 AM
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AA Thought for the Day
June 2, 2008
Easy Does It
We must learn to walk before we can run.
That's why we have these slogans.
I use that "Easy Does It" every day, to slow me down a little.
I have to watch myself all the time.
So I don't just take the inventory at night -- I take it continually throughout the day.
Before I step out and do anything, I stop and check it over first,
and then let my conscience be my guide.
For me, AA has become a way of life.
© 2003 AAWS, Experience, Strength and Hope, p. 410
With permission, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.
Thought to Ponder . . .
While it isn't always easy, if I keep it simple, it works.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
A A Way Of Life.
Day by Day is the only way.... |
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Freefly
Administrator
966 Posts |
Posted - 06/03/2008 : 07:10:29 AM
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AA Thought for the Day
June 3, 2008
A Precious Gift
None of us can ever fathom the glories
and the uncharted regions of the universe.
But we can live on earth and love one another.
We can let in the beginnings of concern, compassion, consideration,
and watch ourselves grow.
With the tools and guideposts of Alcoholics Anonymous,
we can learn a little of this precious gift --
our gateway to human spirituality.
© 1973 AAWS, Came To Believe . . .Came to believe, p. 120
With permission, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.
Thought to Ponder . . .
The Three "C's" -- Concern, Compassion, Consideration.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
Getting It From The Steps.
Day by Day is the only way.... |
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Freefly
Administrator
966 Posts |
Posted - 06/04/2008 : 07:58:55 AM
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AA Thought for the Day
June 4, 2008
Perception
We thought "conditions" drove us to drink,
and when we tried to correct these conditions
and found that we couldn't to our entire satisfaction,
our drinking went out of hand and we became alcoholics.
It never occurred to us that we needed to change ourselves,
whatever they were.
© 1953 AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 47
With permission, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.
Thought to Ponder . . .
Nobody can change my thoughts but me.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
Acceptance, Belief, Change
Day by Day is the only way.... |
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Freefly
Administrator
966 Posts |
Posted - 06/05/2008 : 08:12:16 AM
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AA Thought for the Day
June 5, 2008
Serenity
That word "serenity" looked like an impossible goal
when we first saw the prayer.
In fact, if serenity meant apathy, bitter resignation, or stolid endurance,
then we didn't even want to aim at it.
But we found that serenity meant no such thing.
When it comes to us now, it is more as plain recognition --
a clear-eyed, realistic way of seeing the world,
accompanied by inner peace and strength.
Serenity is like a gyroscope that lets us keep our balance,
no matter what turbulence swirls around us.
And that is a state of mind worth aiming for.
© 1998 AAWS, Living Sober, p. 19
With permission, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.
Thought to Ponder . . .
Serenity is not the absence of conflict but the ability to cope with it.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
Keep It Serenely Simple.
Day by Day is the only way.... |
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Pamela7030
Moderator
800 Posts |
Posted - 06/05/2008 : 12:10:46 PM
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quote:
Thought to Ponder . . .
While it isn't always easy, if I keep it simple, it works.
We always seem to make things harder than they really are!!!
Pam
"Reach for the stars...You will at least end up among the clouds"
Share your experience, strength, and hope with another and see the miracles transform your life!
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Pamela7030
Moderator
800 Posts |
Posted - 06/05/2008 : 1:18:18 PM
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Unfortunatelly, when I was in Pennsylvania, I was only able to attend one meeting. What really surprises me is that no matter where I go, anywhere in the world, I can find a meeting and feel like I belong. Like I feel a part of something. Everytime I go to a meeting, the subject is always something I need to hear at that moment. I don't know why this happens and I have quit trying to figure it out. I went to a step meeting and we read from the 12 and 12 on Step 2. I wanted to share some of that with you all.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Step Two
"Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity."
The moment they read Step Two, most AA newcomers are confronted with a dilemma, sometimes a serious one. How often have we heard them cry out, "Look what you people have done to us! You have convinced us that we are alcoholics and that our lives are unmanageable. Having reduced us to a state of absolute helplessness, you now declare that none but a Higher Power can remove our obsession. Some of us won't believe in God, others can't, and still others who do believe that God exist have no faith whatever He will preform this miaracle. Yes, you've got us over the barrel, all right--but where do we go from here?"
Let's look first at the case of the one who says he won't believe--the belligerent one. He is in a state of mind which can be described only as savage. His whole philosophy of life, in which he so gloried, is threatened. It's bad enough, he thinks, to admit alcohol has him down for keeps. But now, still smarting from that admission, he is faced with something really impossible. How he does cherish the thought that man, risen so majestically from a single cell in the primordial ooze, is the spearhead of evolution and therefore the only God that his universe knows! Must he renounce all this to save himself?
At this juncture, his AA sponsor usually laughs. This, the newcomer thinks, is just about the last straw. This is the beginning of the end. And so it is: the beginning of the end of his old life, and the beginning of his emergence into a new one. His sponsor probably says, "Take it easy. The hoop you have to jump through is a lot wider than you think. At least I've found it so. So did a friend of mine who was a one-time vice-president of the American Atheist Society, but he got through with room to spare."
"Well," says the newcomer, "I know you're telling me the truth. It's no doubt a fact that AA is full of people who once believed as I do. But just how, in these circumstances, does a fellow 'take it easy'? That's what I want to know."
"That," agrees the sponsor, " is a very good question indeed. I think I can tell you exactly how to relax. You won't have to work at it very hard, either. Listen, if you will, to these three statements. First, Alcoholics Anonymous does not demand that you believe anything. Second, to get sober and to stay sober, you don't have to swallow all of Step Two right now. Looking back, I find that I took it piecemeal myself. Third, all you really need is a truly open mind. Just resign from the debating society and quit bothering yourself with such deep questions as whether it was the hen or the egg that came first. Again I say, all you need is the open mind."
From the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions pages 25 and 26
Alcoholics Anonymous World Services Inc.
Thought to Ponder . . .
Opposite of Fear is Faith
Faith gives courage to over come Fear
----------------------------------------------------
"Reach for the stars...You will at least end up among the clouds"
Share your experience, strength, and hope with another and see the miracles transform your life!
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Edited by - Pamela7030 on 06/05/2008 1:22:08 PM |
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| Information in this forum is not monitored or provided by a medical professional. The information reflects member opinions only. Do not act on advice from these forums without first consulting a qualified medical professional. All content is copyrighted and protected by Aelius Group. |
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Freefly
Administrator
966 Posts |
Posted - 06/06/2008 : 08:12:06 AM
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AA Thought for the Day
June 6, 2008
Acceptance
It is always worthwhile to consider
how grossly that good word acceptance
can be misused.
It can be warped to justify nearly every brand of weakness, nonsense, and folly.
For instance, we can "accept" failure as a chronic condition,
forever without profit or remedy,
We can "accept" worldly success pridefully,
as something wholly of our own making.
We can also "accept" illness and death as certain evidence
of a hostile and godless universe.
With these twistings of acceptance, we AA's have had vast experience.
Hence we constantly try to remind ourselves
that these perversions of acceptance are just gimmicks for excuse-making:
a losing game at which we are, or at least have been, the world's champions.
© 1988 The AA Grapevine, Inc., The Language of the Heart, p. 270
Thought to Ponder . . .
Let it begin with me.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
Acceptance, Belief, Change.
Day by Day is the only way.... |
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Freefly
Administrator
966 Posts |
Posted - 06/07/2008 : 06:06:58 AM
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AA Thought for the Day
June 7, 2008
Self-pity
We can get so stridently concerned about me-me-me
that we lose touch with virtually everyone else.
It's not easy to put up with anyone who acts that way, except a sick infant.
So when we get into the poor-me bog, we try to hide it,
particularly from ourselves. But there's no way to get out of it.
Instead, we need to pull out of our self-absorption,
stand back, and take a good, honest look at ourselves.
Once we recognize self-pity for what it is,
we can start doing something about it other than drink.
© 1998 AAWS, Living Sober, p. 57
With permission, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.
Thought to Ponder . . .
Self-pity is followed by isolation is followed by a drink.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
Always Aware.
Day by Day is the only way.... |
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Pamela7030
Moderator
800 Posts |
Posted - 06/07/2008 : 12:38:39 PM
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From the book "As Bill Sees It", page 42.
Self-Confidence and Will Power
When first challenged to admit defeat, most of us revolted. We had approched AA expecting to be taught self-confidence. Then we had been told that so far as alcohol was concerned, self-confidence was no good whatever; in fact, it was a total liability. There was no such thing as personal conquest of the alcoholic compulsion by the unaided will.
<< << << >> >> >>
It is when we try to make our will conform with God's that we begin to us it rightly. To all of us, this was a most wonderful revelation. Our whole trouble has been the misuse of will power. We had tried to bombard our problems with it instead of attempting to bring it into agreement with God's intention for us. To make this increasingly possible is the purpose of AA's Twelve Steps.
Twelve and Twelve
1. p.22
2. p.40
The AA Way of Life....selected writings of AA's co-founder
AA World Services Inc. New York, NY.
"Reach for the stars...You will at least end up among the clouds"
Share your experience, strength, and hope with another and see the miracles transform your life!
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Freefly
Administrator
966 Posts |
Posted - 06/08/2008 : 08:41:16 AM
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AA Thought for the Day
June 8, 2008
Tornado!
The alcoholic is like a tornado roaring his way through the lives of others.
Hearts are broken. Sweet relationships are dead.
Affections have been uprooted.
Selfish and inconsiderate habits have kept the home in turmoil.
We feel a man is unthinking when he says that sobriety is enough.
He is like the farmer who came out of his cyclone cellar
to find his home ruined. To his wife, he remarked,
"Don't see anything the matter here, Ma. Ain't it grand the wind stopped blowin'?"
© 2001 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 82
With permission, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.
Thought to Ponder . . .
There is only one corner of the universe I can be certain of improving,
and that's my own self.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
Attitude Adjustment.
Day by Day is the only way.... |
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