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Freefly
Administrator
964 Posts |
 Posted - 07/26/2008 : 07:22:47 AM
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AA Thought for the Day
July 26, 2008
Fallible
Seven of our Twelve Steps state unequivocally
that I have been, am, and will be wrong.
I have shortcomings and defects of character.
I never have been and never will be perfect.
As that realization became a part of me-- and it took time -- it brought me
one of the greatest of many blessings that have come to me from AA.
I learned to accept myself as a fallible human being.
© 1986 The AA Grapevine, Inc., The Best Of The Grapevine [Vol. 2], p. 167
Thought to Ponder . . .
Give me the courage to be imperfect.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
Surrender, Willingness, Acceptance, Trust.
Day by Day is the only way.... |
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Freefly
Administrator
964 Posts |
Posted - 07/27/2008 : 07:53:18 AM
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AA Thought for the Day
July 27, 2008
Fear
The achievement of freedom from fear is a lifetime undertaking,
one that can never be wholly completed.
When under heavy attack, acute illness, or in other conditions
of serious insecurity, we shall all react, well or badly, as the case may be.
Only the vainglorious claim perfect freedom from fear,
though their very grandiosity is really rooted in the fears
they have temporarily forgotten.
© 1988 The AA Grapevine, Inc., The Language Of The Heart, p. 265
Thought to Ponder . . .
Turn fear into faith.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
Forgetting Everything's All Right.
Day by Day is the only way.... |
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Pamela7030
Moderator
800 Posts |
Posted - 07/27/2008 : 09:35:11 AM
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July 27...............We Do Recover
"After coming to NA, we found ourselves amoung a very special group of people who have suffered like us and found recovery. In their experiences, freely shared, we found hope for ourselves. If the program worked for them, it would work for us."
Basic Text, p. 10
A newcomer walks into his or her first meeting, shaking and confused. People are milling about. Refreshments and literature are set out. The meeting starts after everyone has drifted over to their chairs and settled themselves in. After taking a bewildered glance at the odd assortment of folks in the room, the newcomer asks, "Why should I bet my life on this group? After all, they're just a bunch of addicts like me."
Though it may be true that not many of our members had much going for us when we got here, the newcomer soon learns that the way we are living today is what counts. Our meetings are filled with addicts whose lives have turned completely around. Against all odds, we are recovering. The newcomer can relate to where we've been and draw hope from where we are now. Today, every one of us has the opportunity to recover.
Yes, we can safely entrust our lives to our Higher Power and to Narcotics Anonymous. So long as we work the program the payoff is certain: freedom from active addiction and a better way of life.
Just For Today: The recovery I've found in Narcotics Anonymous is a sure thing. By basing my life on it, I know I will grow.
From the book Just For Today, Daily Meditations for
Recovering Addicts, NA World Services, Inc. page 217
It is never too late to be who you might have been.
~George Eliot
Seventy percent of success in life is showing up.
~Woody Allen
"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
964 Posts |
Posted - 07/28/2008 : 07:59:26 AM
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AA Thought for the Day
July 28, 2008
Troubles
There was a time when we ignored trouble, hoping it would go away.
Or, in fear and in depression, we ran from it, but found it was still with us.
Often, full of unreason, bitterness, and blame, we fought back.
These mistaken attitudes, powered by alcohol, guaranteed our destruction,
unless they were altered. Then came AA. . . .
Surprisingly, we found that our troubles could, under God's grace,
be converted into unimagined blessings.
© 1967 AAWS, As Bill Sees It, p. 110
With permission, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.
Thought to Ponder . . .
Attitudes are contagious. Is yours worth catching?
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
Altered Attitudes.
Day by Day is the only way.... |
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Pamela7030
Moderator
800 Posts |
Posted - 07/28/2008 : 2:06:12 PM
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July 28, 2008
"The people who are the angriest are the people who are the most afraid."
It took me a long time to make the connection between my anger and my fear. For years I drowned my fear in alcohol and drugs, and lived pretty detached from my feelings. Those times when I couldn't use, or any extended periods of abstinence, usually left me feeling agitated, edgy, longing for and needing a drink or a drug. I lived for the instant calm and sense of ease my addiction provided me with.
When I entered the program, I was unprepared for the shock of emotions that would grab me and try to pull me apart. Chief among these were my feelings of dread and fear, which manifested themselves as first anger, and then rage. It wasn't until I completed my fear inventory that I began to understand that the reason I was so angry was because I was so full of fear!
One of the gifts of my recovery today is that I am now quick to trace any discomfort, agiitation or anger back to fear. If I'm complaining about a line being too long, or someone driving too slow, or if I'm angry at my boss or spouse, I stop and ask myself what I'm afraid of. When the answer comes, as it always does, I use the tools I've developed in the program to deal with it.
Today I have empathy for people who are angry because I know they are really just people who are afraid.
From the web site "Wisdom of the Rooms"
www.wisdomoftherooms.com
Some of the world's greatest feats were accomplished by people not smart enough to know they were impossible.
~Doug Larson
Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.
~Author Unknown
"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 - 07/28/2008 : 2:20:52 PM
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July 28.............Secrets and Intimacy
"We feared that if we ever revealed ourselves as we were, we would surely be rejected."
Basic Text, p. 31
Having relationships without barriers, ones in which we can be entirely open with our feelings, is something many of us desire. At the same time, the possibility of such intimacy causes us more fear than almost any other situation in life.
If we examine what frightens us, we'll usually find that we are attempting o hide an aspect of our personalities that we are ashamed of, an aspect we sometimes haven't even admitted to ourselves. We don't want others to know of our insecurities, our pain, or our neediness, so we simply refuse to expose them. We may imagine that if no one knows about our imperfections, those imperfections will cease to exist.
This is the point where our relationships stop. Anyone who enters our lives will not get past the point at which our secrets begin. To maintain intimacy in a relationship, it is essential that we acknowledge our defects and accept them. When we do, the fortress of denial, erected to keep these things hidden, will come crashing down, enabling us to build up our relationships with others.
Just For Today: I have oportunities to share my inner self. I will take advantage of those opportunities and draw closer to those I love.
From the book Just For Today, Daily Meditations for
Recovering Addicts, NA World Services, Inc. page 218
It is a most mortifying reflection for a man to consider what he has done, compared to what he might have done.
~Samuel Johnson, in Boswell's Life of Johnson, 1770
Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.
~T.S. Eliot
"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
964 Posts |
Posted - 07/29/2008 : 06:15:52 AM
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AA Thought for the Day
July 29, 2008
Prayer
When we open the door on a spiritual search
with our whole lives thrown into it,
we shall find Him always ready to receive our feeblest approaches and
our most selfish and childish prayers and our always entirely unworthy selves.
He is always ready to get down to business with us.
The experimental approach seems to me to be the essence
of our finding the help of a Higher Power.
We first lean on another human being who seems to be finding the answer,
and then we lean on the Higher Power that stands behind him.
© 1985 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous Comes Of Age, p. 264
With permission, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.
Thought to Ponder . . .
Joy is in knowing there is an answer.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
His Ever-Loving Presence.
Day by Day is the only way.... |
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Pamela7030
Moderator
800 Posts |
Posted - 07/29/2008 : 3:34:50 PM
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July 29..................Expectations
"As we realize our need to be forgiven, we tend to be more forgiving."
Basic Text, p.38
Our behavior toward other people in our life is a mirror of our behavior toward ourselves. When we demand perfection of ourselves, we come to demand it from others around us, too. As we strive to repair and heal our lives in recovery, we may also expect others to work just as hard and to recover at the same pace as we do. And just as we are often unforgiving of our own mistakes, we may shut out friends and family members when they don't meet our expectations.
Working the steps helps us understand our own limitations and our humanity. We come to see our failures as human mistakes. We realize that we will never be perfect, that we will, at times, disappoint ourselves and others. We hope for forgiveness.
As we learn to gently accept ourselves, we can start to view others with the same accepting and tolerant heart. These people, too, are only human, trying to do their best and sometimes falling short.
Just For Today: I will treat others with the tolerance and forgiveness I seek for myself.
From the book Just For Today, Daily Meditations for
Recovering Addicts, NA World Services, Inc. page 219
Try not. Do or do not. There is no try.
~Yoda in The Empire Strikes Back
As I grow to understand life less and less,I learn to love it more and more.
~Jules Renard
Reputation is what men and women think of us; character is what God and angels know of us.
~Thomas Paine
"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
964 Posts |
Posted - 07/31/2008 : 09:01:32 AM
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AA Thought for the Day
July 31, 2008
Rewards
Most importantly, I know who I am, I know my goals, dreams,
values, and boundaries,
and I know how to protect, nurture, and validate them.
Those are the true rewards of sobriety,
and they're what I was looking for all along. . .
I came to AA in order to stop drinking; what I received in return was my life.
© 2001 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 327
With permission, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.
Thought to Ponder . . .
The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
Sobriety Tops Our Priorities.
Day by Day is the only way.... |
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Freefly
Administrator
964 Posts |
Posted - 08/01/2008 : 08:19:26 AM
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AA Thought for the Day
August 1, 2008
The Journey
Words cannot begin to describe the feelings in my heart
as I sometimes ponder how much my life has changed,
how far I've come, and how much there is yet to discover.
And though I'm not sure where my journey may take me next,
I know I'll owe it to the grace of God, and to the words of the Twelve Steps:
continue, improve, and practice.
Oh, and one more thing they told me: Humility is the key.
© 2001 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 511
With permission, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.
Thought to Ponder . . .
Sobriety is a journey, not a destination.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
Choosing Humility Allows New Gifts and Energy.
Day by Day is the only way.... |
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Freefly
Administrator
964 Posts |
Posted - 08/02/2008 : 06:01:11 AM
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AA Thought for the Day
August 2, 2008
Circus Act
I realized I had been living outside myself for so long
I'd almost become a walking vacancy.
I was still running a kind of circus which had numerous, highly believable posters
plastered all over its outside -- See the Spectacular Non-Drinking Person!
Watch How Movingly He Can Recite the Twelve Steps! --
but which had nothing going on inside the tent. . . .
Perhaps the scariest part of turning recovery into just another celebrity act
is that, it tends to glamorize drunkenness almost as an ad does
and make it seem that being a poor sot is somehow an especially interesting
and possibly even superior condition.
I can't speak for anyone else, but I can state without reservation
that as far as this particular drunk is concerned,
that foolish notion got me into a whole lot of trouble. Over and over.
© 1998 The AA Grapevine, Inc., The Best Of The Grapevine [Vol. 3], p. 238
Thought to Ponder . . .
Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our traditions,
ever reminding us to place principles before personalities.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
When Into Self, Discover Our Motives.
Day by Day is the only way.... |
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Freefly
Administrator
964 Posts |
Posted - 08/04/2008 : 08:25:49 AM
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AA Thought for the Day
August 4, 2008
Paradox 2
We GIVE AWAY TO KEEP.
That seems absurd and untrue. How can you keep anything if you give it away?
But in order to keep whatever it is we get in AA,
we must go about giving it away to others, for no fees or rewards of any kind.
When we cannot afford to give away what we have received so freely in AA,
we had better get ready for our next "drunk." It will happen every time.
We've got to continue to give it away in order to keep it.
© 2003 AAWS, Experience, Strength and Hope, p.156
With permission, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.
Thought to Ponder . . .
We surrender to win; we give away to keep;
we suffer to get well; we die to live.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
No Othere Way.
Day by Day is the only way.... |
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Pamela7030
Moderator
800 Posts |
Posted - 08/04/2008 : 12:51:23 PM
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August 4................When Is A Secret Not A Secret?
"Addicts tend to live secret lives... It is a great relief to get rid of all our secrets and to share the burden of our past."
Basic Text, p. 32
We've heard it said that "we're as sick as our secrets." What do we keep secret, and why?
We keep secret those things that cause us shame. We may hold onto such things because we don't want to surrender them. Yet if they're causing us shame, wouldn't we live more easily with ourselves if we were rid of them?
Some of us hold onto the things that cause us shame for another reason. It's not that we don't want to be rid of them; we just don't believe we can be rid of them. They've plagued us for so long, and we've tried so many times to rid ourselves of them, that we've stopped hoping for relief. Yet still they shame us, and still we keep them secret.
We need to remember who we are: recovering adicts. We who tried so long to keep our drug use a secret have found freedom from the obsession and compulsion to use. Though many of us enjoyed using right to the end, we sought recovery anyway. We just couldn't stand the toll our using was taking on us. When we admitted our powerlessness and sought help from others, the burden of our secret was lifted from us.
The same principle applies to whatever secrets may burden us. Yes, we're as sick as our secrets. Only when our secrets stop being secret can we begin to find relief from those things that cause us shame.
Just For Today: My secrets can make me sick only as long as they stay secret. Today, I sill talk with my sponsor about my secrets.
From the book Just For Today, Daily Meditations for
Recovering Addicts, NA World Services, Inc. page 226
"True friendship comes when the silence between two people is comfortable."
~David Tyson Gentry
Some people are so afraid to die that they never begin to live.
~VanDyke, Henry
"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
964 Posts |
Posted - 08/05/2008 : 05:13:48 AM
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AA Thought for the Day
August 5, 2008
Paradox 3
We SUFFER TO GET WELL.
There is no way to escape the terrible suffering of remorse and regret
and shame and embarrassment
which starts us on the road to getting well from our affliction.
There is no new way to shake out a hangover. It's painful.
And for us, necessarily so. I told this to a friend
as he sat weaving to and fro on the side of the bed, in terrible shape,
about to die for some paraldehyde. I said, "Lost John" -- that's his nickname --
"Lost John, you know you're going to have to do a certain amount of shaking
sooner or later." "Well," he said, "for God's sake let's make it later!"
We suffer to get well.*
© 2003 AAWS, Experience, Strength and Hope, p.156
With permission, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.
Thought to Ponder . . .
We surrender to win; we give away to keep;
we suffer to get well; we die to live.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
Always Awesome.
Day by Day is the only way.... |
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Pamela7030
Moderator
800 Posts |
Posted - 08/06/2008 : 09:54:00 AM
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August 6
"If you don't go within, you go without."
Legend has it the deepest wisdom was once freely available to man, but he continued to ignore it. The Gods, growing tired of this, decided to hide this wisdom so only those determined to use it would search and find it. They considered hiding it on the tallest mountain, then underneath the sea, and even buried in the earth, but decided that man would eventually stumble upon it. Finally they decided on the perfect place, inside man himself, a place he would never think to look.
This certainly describes me before recovery. I was constantly searching outside of myself for the answers to my life. I was convinced the right job, or the right relationship, or more money would fill the hole I had inside me. Eventually I turned to drugs and alcohol thinking the temporary relief I got would work, but it never did.
I remember the first time I heard this quote, "If you don't go within, you go without". It meant that not only were all the answers inside of me, but that if I didn't go inside for them, then I would keep searching outside of myself and would continue to go without the solutions. It's taken years for me to consistently search within - the Gods did find the perfect hiding place! - but each time I do, the wisdom is there waiting for me.
It's just like my sponsor keeps telling me, "It's an inside job".
There are costs and risks to a program of action, but they are far less than the long-range risks and costs of comfortable inaction.
~John F. Kennedy
"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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