Fear

Fear can be a stepping-stone to prudence

and to a decent respect for others.

It can point the path to justice, as well as to hate.

And the more we have of respect and justice,

the more we shall begin to find the love which can suffer much,

and yet be freely given.
- The Language of the Heart, p. 265


 

Thoughtfood for Sunday, August 2, 2009

Ask for Help

If you think you are an atheist, an agnostic,

a skeptic or have any other form of intellectual pride

which keeps you from accepting

what is in this book, I feel sorry for you.

If you still think you are strong enough

to beat the game yourself, that is your affair.

But if you really and truly want to quit drinking liquor

for good and all,

and sincerely feel that you must have some help,

we know that we have an answer for you.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 181

From the Big Book:

"Perhaps this is a typical attitude. (We don't have an alcohol problem)  We, who have collectively seen a great deal of business life, at least from the alcoholic angle, had to smile at this gentleman's sincere opinion. He might be shocked if he knew how much alcoholism is costing his organization a year."

c. 1939, AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, To Employers, p 149.

Prayer for the day:

"I pray that my way of living may be properly prepared day by day.  I pray  that I may strive to make myself ready for the harvest which God has planted in my heart."

c. 1975, Hazelden Foundation, Twenty-Four Hours A Day, Aug. 2.

Quote for the day:

"Other people may be there to help us, teach us, guide us along our path, but the lesson to be learned is always ours."  __Anonymous

My share:

The lessons learned would have never materialized if I didn't work on them. I wouldn't have known what to work on without the help and guidance of those in A. A.  Be Good To You, Dave

Step Two
 
It wasn't AA that had the closed mind, it was me.

The minute I stopped arguing, I could begin to see and feel.

Right there, Step Two gently and very gradually

began to infiltrate my life.

- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions,  p. 27

 

Thoughtfood for Tuesday, August 4, 2009  (Marly M's BB B'day)

Pass It On

I'll never forget the first time I met Bill Wilson.

I was a couple of months sober, and so excited, so thrilled

to actually meet the co-founder that I gushed all over him

with what my sobriety meant to me

and my undying gratitude for his starting AA.

When I ran down, he took my hand in his and said simply,

"Pass it on."
- 'Pass It On', p. 7

From the Big Book:

"Of course, this chapter refers to alcoholics, sick people, deranged men.  What our friend, the vice president, had in mind was the habitual or whoopee drinker.  As to them, his policy is undoubtedly sound, but he did not distinguish between such people and the alcoholic."

c. 1939, AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, To Employers, p. 149.

Prayer for the day:

"I pray that I may be in the stream of eternal life.  I pray that I may be cleansed and healed by the Eternal Spirit."

c. 1975, Hazelden Foundation, Twenty-Four Hours A Day, Aug.4

Quote for the day: "Prayer is not asking.  It is a longing of the soul.  It is daily admission of one's weakness.  It is better in prayer to have a heart without words that words without a heart."  __Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948)

My share:

Such simple suggestions I found difficult to manifest.  Pray daily, Pass It On. Ultimately, I did figure out that the result of daily prayer was an ability to pass it on, if by no other means, by example. Be Good To You, Dave

Thoughtfood for Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Traditions

The AA Traditions are neither rules, regulations, nor laws.

We obey them willingly because

we ought to and because we want to.

Perhaps the secret of their power lies in the fact

that these life-giving communications spring out of living experience

and are rooted in love.
- As Bill Sees It, p. 319

From the Big Book:

""It is not to be expected that an alcoholic employee will receive a disproportionate amount of time and attention.  He should not be made a favorite.  The right kind of man, the kind who recovers, will not want this sort of thing.   He will not impose.  Far from it.  He will work like the devil and thank you to his dying day."

c. 1939, AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, To Employers, p. 149

Prayer for the day:

"I pray that I may never feel inadequate to any situation.  I pray that I may be buoyed up by the feeling that God is with me."

c. 1975, Hazelden Foundation, Twenty-Four Hours A Day, Aug. 5

Quote for the day:

"People can only live fully by helping others to live.  When you give life to friends you truly live.  Cultures can only realize their further richness by honoring other Traditions.  And only be respecting natural life can humanity continue to exist."  __ Daisaku Ikeda  (Japanese Buddhist Leader, b. 1928

My share:

Many is the time I have watched a group conscience be swayed by an old-timer citing the tradition they were about to violate. It is by virtue of these living traditions that A.A. remains the beacon of hope to millions of suffering, recovering, and recovered alcoholics.  I am the better man for applying these traditions to my daily living as well.  Be Good To You, Dave

Thoughtfood for Thursday, August 6, 2009

Ambition
 
True ambition is not what we thought it was.

True ambition is the deep desire to live usefully
and walk humbly under the grace of God.

- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions,  pp. 124-5
 

From the Big Book:

"Today I own a little company.  There are two alcoholic employees who produce as much as five normal salesmen.  But why not?  They have a new attitude, and they have been saved from a living death.  I have enjoyed every moment spent in getting them straightened out."

c. 1939, AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, To Employers, pp 149-150.

Prayer for the day:

"I pray that I may be daily refiled with the right spirit.   I pray that I may be full of the joy of true living."

c. 1975, Hazelden Foundation, Twenty-Four Hours A Day, Aug. 6.

Quote for the day:

"Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet.  Only through experiences of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired and success achieved."  __Helen Keller (1880-1968)

My share:

I pass my share today to Jeff.  Be Good To You, Dave

A Member Shares:
I'm Jeff, an alcoholic.  My ambitions before AA were half measures expecting a full result.  When I didn't get what I wanted I kicked God's shins, and still catch myself at times doing that.  I'm amazed that I've come this far.  It's staggering to see how far I got on sick will.  See, pot and beer were my motivators.  I was a highly functional alkie, and went to any length to get my want list -- and my want list was a moving target.  I could see something that looked happy and bright when it was in my sights, but when I didn't get it, it confirmed that God didn't like me and it wasn't meant for me.  So I would take it deeply personal and as a sign, I didn't belong here nor had a purpose.  Today, I don't feel that way.  The Steps have shown me how to control my want list and myself.  They've allowed me to look at me and my want list, carefully monitoring what I am really doing.  Self-seeking is still a problem, and I know more will be revealed.  Thank you all for letting me share today.  May God/HP pour His love into your lives.

A Fourth Dimension

We had come to believe in the hopelessness

and futility of life as we had been living it. 

When, therefore, we were approached

by those in whom the problem had been solved,

there was nothing left for us but to pick up

the simple kit of spiritual tools laid at our feet. 

We have found much of heaven

and we have been rocketed

into a fourth dimension of existence

of which we had not even dreamed.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 25  

Thoughtfood for Saturday, August 8, 2009

Compulsion to Live

I began with blind faith, but the proof of truth is that it works.

I believed those who said that they had suffered from alcoholism,

but, through AA, were now enjoying sobriety.

So the truth was there for me to see.

But shortly I knew the truth from my own experience.

I was not only released from the compulsion to drink;

I was guided toward a compulsion to live!
- Came To Believe . ., p. 3

From the Big Book:

"Never could we recapture the great moments of the past.  There was an insistent yearning to enjoy life as we once did and a heartbreaking obsession that some new miracle of control would enable us to do it.  There was always one more attempt--and one more failure."

c. 1939, AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, A Vision For You, p. 151.

Prayer for the day:

"I pray that I may be ready to make the proper effort.  I pray that I may also recognize the need for relaxation."

c. 1975, Hazelden Foundation, Twenty-Four Hours A Day, Aug. 8.

Quote for the day:

"If one considers what need people have of an external regulation to constrain and steady them, how compulsion, slavery in a higher sense, is the sole and final condition under which the person or weaker will can prosper; then one understands the nature of conviction, 'faith.'"   __Friedrich Nietzsche (German Philosopher 1844-1900) 

My share:

I too have replaced the compulsion to drink with a compulsion to live. It was not a conscious effort.  It just happened as the result of doing the next right thing which often was getting my butt to the next meeting.  Be Good To You, Dave

Thoughtfood for Sunday, August 9, 2009

Meditation

Sometimes in sobriety I've prayed when I needed to meditate.

I've yammered at God so much that God can't get a word in edge-wise.

To me, meditation is simply being quiet and listening for a change.

It is buttoning up my lip -- and my mind

that yaps even when my mouth is shut.
- The Best of the Grapevine [Vol. 3], p. 216

From the Big Book:

"The less people tolerated us, the more we withdrew from society, from life itself.  As we became subjects of King Alcohol, shivering denizens of his mad realm, the chilling vapor that is loneliness settled down.  It thickened, ever becoming blacker." 

c. 1939, AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, A Vision For You, p.151 

Prayer for the day:

"I pray that I may be daily willing to be changed.  I pray that I may put myself wholly at the mercy of God."

c.1975, Hazelden Foundation, Twenty-Four Hours A Day, Aug. 9.

Quote for the day:

"One hour's meditation on the work of the Creator is better than seventy years of prayer."  __Muhammad   (Prophet of Islam)

My share:

Meditation, in other cultures, seems more natural.  When a society is not overwhelmed by the rushing pace of our deadline driven world, individuals might find the time, and/or be encouraged to learn how, to sit still and listen to the music of the universe, and the song within ourselves.   Be Good To You

Humility

You get just a little sobriety,

and you get just a little humility.

Not much, just a little.

Not the humility of sackcloth and ashes,

but the humility of a man who's glad he's alive and can serve.

You get just a little tolerance, not too much,

but just enough to sit and listen to the other guy. . .

And you realize that if you put all this together,

you get a little humility, a little tolerance,

a little honesty, a little sincerity, a little prayer

-- and a lot of AA.
- Experience, Strength and Hope, pp. 201-2  

Thoughtfood for Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Anonymity

For the first time I saw AA's anonymity for what it really is.

It isn't just something to save us from alcoholic shame and stigma;

its deeper purpose is actually to keep those fool egos of ours

from running hog wild after money and public fame at AA's expense.
- Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, p. 43

From the Big Book:

"We have shown how we got out from under, You say,"Yes, I'm willing. But am I to be consigned to a life where I shall be stupid, boring and glum like some righteous people I see?   I know I must get along without liquor, but how can I?  Have you a sufficient substitute?'"

c. 1939, AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, A Vision For You, p. 152.

Prayer for the day:

"I pray that I may be a co-worker with God.  I pray that I may help people by my example."

c. 1975, Hazelden Foundation, Twenty-Four Hours A Day, Aug. 12.

Quote for the day: 

"...we need always maintain personal anonymity at the level of press, radio and films."

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p.184.

My share:

The danger in taking anonymity beyond the scope of this tradition is that we neglect to get to know our fellows well enough to realize when one of them appears in the obituaries. It is imperative that we get to know the first and last names of our group members, that we get to know their experience and share ours with them.  That lack of anonymity within the fellowship is the basis of the fellowship.  Embrace your fellows.  Ask and listen. Be Good To You, Dave

Thoughtfood for Friday, August 14, 2009

Apples

I had my first awakening in AA.  The speaker said,

'If you're an apple, you can be the best apple you can be,

but you can never be an orange.'

I was an apple all right, and for the first time I understood

that I had spent my life trying to be an orange.

I looked around at a room filled with apples and,

if I was understanding the speaker,

most of them were no longer trying to be oranges."

__Alcoholics Anonymous, Third Edition,  p. 427 

From the Big Book:

"You are going to meet these new friends in you own community.  Near you, alcoholics are dying helplessly like people in a sinking ship.  If you live in a large place, there are hundreds.  High and low, rich and poor, these are future fellows of Alcoholics Anonymous.  Among them you will make lifelong friends.  You will be bound to them with new and wonderful ties, for you will escape disaster together and you will commence shoulder to shoulder your common journey.  Then you will know what it means to give of yourself that others may survive and rediscover life.  You will learn the full meaning of 'Love thy neighbor as thyself.'"

c. 1939, AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, A Vision For You, pp. 152-153.

Prayer for the day:

"I pray that I may hasten to accept the gift of abundant spiritual life.  I pray that I may live the good life to the best of my ability."

c. 1975, Hazelden Foundation, Twenty-Four Hours A Day, Aug.14.

Quote for the day:

"The ornament of a house is the friends who frequent it."

__Ralh Waldo Emerson  (American poet, lecturer and essayist, 1803-1882)

My share:

Today I leave town with a couple of AA friends.  We will attend the Area 03 Service Assembly in Flagstaff.  One of those friends is my sponsor.  His name is also Dave.  He took me to an AA Convention in Flagstaff in 1997, gave me my first "heavy metal" sobriety chip, and helped me celebrate my first year of sobriety among hundreds of recovering alcoholics. The experience was not lost to me. Truth is, I credit my higher power for the wisdom to put that guy in my life and for the continuous sobriety I have enjoyed up to and since then. I quote my sponsor daily when I say, "Be Good To You, Dave."      

Resentments

Perhaps "justifiable" resentment is the trickiest of all to handle.

It's the end product of "righteous" anger, after long cherishing,

and if it is allowed to continue,

it will slowly undermine our defenses

against taking a drink.

Even if we have been treated shabbily or unjustly,

resentment is a luxury that, as alcoholics, we cannot afford.

For us, all anger is self-destructive.
- Living Sober, p 39.   

Step Eleven

    "Sought through prayer and meditation

to improve our conscious contact with God

as we understood Him,

praying only for knowledge of His will for us

and the power to carry that out."

- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions,  p. 96

Thoughtfood for Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Step Two
 "Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity."

- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions,  p. 25
 
 
 

From the Big Book:

"Here is a brief account: Years ago, in 1935, one of our number made a journey to a certain western city.  From a business standpoint, his trip came off badly.  Had he been successful in his enterprise, he would have been set on his feet financially which, at the time, seemed vitally important.  But his venture wound up in a law suit and bogged down completely,  The proceding was shot through with much hard feeling and controversy."

c. 1939, AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, A Vision For You, pp. 153-154.

Prayer for the day:

"I pray that I may think and say and do the things that bring God closer to me.  I pray that I may find Him in a sincere prayer, a king work, or an unselfish deed."

c. 1975, Hazelden Foundation, Twenty-Four Hours A Day, Aug. 18.

Quote for the day:

"Each of us is born with the potential for the unfolding of our true self.  When you deviate from the truth, you are interfering with the intention of something greated than you are--call it nature or a

higher power.  As a result, you develop dicsomfort."

__Anonymous

My share:

I pass my share to Jim.  Be Good To You, Dave

A Member Shares:
I'm Jim, an alcoholic.  I was just talking to someone and saying that the first three Steps and Step Twelve are my favorites.  They all are so spiritual, but those four most for me, anyway.  I have known a Higher Power, whom I choose to call God, almost all my life.  I remember talking to Him as a kid when I would get beat up.  I remember talking to God when I was in the Army when I thought I was going to die at the hand of a drill sergeant.  I talked to God a lot most of my life, in fact I was a missionary for years.  I loved God so much and I knew He could do this or that but I never thought He could restore me to sanity.  I thought I was crazy from day one, especially my years of drinking.  I would drink, promise God I would stop, then drink again, feel guilty, and hate myself.  I went through that cycle for years to the point I didn't care what God thought anymore.  I drank to numb my guilt.  One day I went to one of my first AA meetings, not by my choice, but my wife's choice!  Actually, God brought me there and I heard an ol' timer say, "God loves you too."   I had been hospitalized for "craziness" twice when I was trying to get sober, but I broke down and cried when I heard those words.  I did things for God all my life but AA and you all help me to realize God does things for me, and I broke after that.  My understanding of God had changed.  He does love me too, and that was the most sane thing I've ever heard or probably ever will hear.  Thanks for letting me share.

Keep It Simple

After years of sobriety, I occasionally ask myself:

"Can it be this simple?"

Then, at meetings, I see former cynics and skeptics

who have walked the AA path out of hell, without alcohol,

into twenty-four hour segments,

during which they practice a few principles

to the best of their individual abilities.

And then I know again that,

while it isn't always easy,

if I keep it simple, it works.
- Daily Reflections, p. 30

From the Big Book:

"Bitterly discouraged, he found himself in a strange place, discredited and almost broke.  Still physically weak, and sober but a few months, he saw that his predicament was dangerous.  He wanted so much to talk with someone, but whom?"

c. 1939, AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, A Vision For You, p. 154.

Prayer for the day:

"I pray that I may worship God by sensing the eternal Spirit. 

 I pray that I may experience a new power in my life."

c. 1975, Hazelden Foundation, Twenty-Four Hours A Day, Aug. 19.

Quote for the day:

"Everything should be as simple as it is, but not simpler."

__Albert Einstein

My share:

In an effort to keep this simple...Be Good To You,Dave

Thoughtfood for Thursday, August 20, 2009

Attitudes

Whatever is done is over.  It cannot be changed.

But my attitude about it can be changed

through talking with those who

have gone before and with sponsors. . .

If I change my actions in regard to what I have done,

my attitude will change.

I won't have to wish the past away.
- Daily Reflections, p. 141

From the Big Book:

"One dismal afternoon he paced a hotel lobby wondering how his bill was to be paid.  At one end of the room stood a glass covered directory of local churches.  Down the lobby a door opened into an attractive Bar.  He could see the gay crowd inside.  In there he would find companionship and release.  Unless he took some drinks, he might not have the courage to scrape an acquaintance and would have lonely week-end."

c. 1939, AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, A Vision For You, p.154.

Prayer for the day

"I pray that I may not look back.  I pray that I may keep picking myself up and making a fresh start each day."

c. 1975, Hazelden Foundation, Twenty-Four Hours A Day, Aug. 20.

Quote for the day:

"Humor prevents a 'hardening of the attitudes."  __Anonymous

My share:

The humor and good cheer I found in my first A.A. meeting immediately changed my attitude about A.A.   Prior to that meeting

I thought A.A.  was the end of the line, the bottom of the barrel. By the end of the meeting I knew A.A. offered a new beginning by associating with others who had floated to the top of that barrel, with those who had survived.  I wanted to know how they did that.  I wanted what they had.  Be Good To You, Dave.

Thoughtfood for Friday, August 21, 2009

In All Our Affairs
 
"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."

- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions,  p. 106
 
 

From the Big Book:"Of course he couldn't drink, but why not sit hopefully at a table, a bottle of ginger ale before him?  After all, had he not been sober six months now?  Perhaps he could handle, say, three drinks--no more!  Fear gripped him.  He was on thin ice.  Again it was the old, insidious insanity--that first drink.  With a shiver, he turned away and walked down the lobby to the church directory.  Music and gay chatter still floated to him from the bar."

c. 1939, AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, A Vision For You, p. 153.

Prayer for the day:

"I pray that I may be freed from things that hold me down.  I pray that my spirit may soar in freedom."

c. 1975, Hazelden Foundation, Twenty-Four Hours A Day, Aug. 21.

Quote for the day:

"Doing one's duty, however small, in an unattached manner gives rise to the awakening of self-awareness." __Sri Sathya Sai Baba (Indian Spiritual leader, b. 1926.)

My share:

I pass my share today to Barry.  Be Good To You, Dave

A Member Shares:
My name is Barry and I am an alcoholic.  I love this program and all it has given us.  This topic comes from Tradition Twelve.  When I got to AA, they talked about turning it over to a Higher Power.  Well, this alkie did not believe in any kind of higher power when I got here.  Over the first year, I kept seeing all these "coincidences" happening, and I started to believe.  It helped me a lot, especially learning about Tradition Two; leaving things to God, that we are not in charge but God is.  So often, because many of us were control freaks before AA we tried to carry that on after coming to AA.  However, the more we put all Twelve Steps into our lives on a daily basis the less full of ourselves we become.  It is a life-long program and I am still learning.  We do need to work with each other and leave our old ways back in the past and learn a whole new way to live and work together to make a much happier life.  So far, it has been working for me for thirty years clean and sober one day at a time.  Thank you for letting me share.

Solitude

A little solitude is necessary to think

and try to work some of the Steps.

In solitude, we take our inventories.

In solitude, we admit to ourselves the exact nature of our wrongs.

In solitude, our spirits seek that Power greater than we are;

in solitude, we seek through prayer and meditation

to be aware of God's will for us.
- Came To Believe . . ., p. 109

Thoughtfood for Sunday, August 23, 2009

Seeds of Victory

At one time the admission that I was and am an alcoholic meant
 shame, defeat, and failure to me. 

But in the light of the new understanding that I have found in AA

I have been able to interpret that defeat and that failure and that

shame as seeds of victory."

Alcoholics Anonymous, Fourth Edition, p. 295

From the Big Book:

"His call to the clergyman led him presently to a certain resident of the town, who, though formerly able and respected, was then nearing the nadir of alcoholic despair.  It was the usual situation: home in jeopardy, wife ill, children distracted, bills in arrears and standing damaged.  He had a desperate desire to stop, but saw no way out, for he had earnestly tried many avenues of escape.  Painfully aware of being somehow abnormal, the man did not fully realize what it meant to be alcoholic."

c. 1939, AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, A Vision For You, p. 155.

Prayer for the day:

"I pray that I may realize that life without a goal is futile.  I pray that I may find the good life worth striving for."

c. 1975, Hazelden Foundation, Twenty-Four Hours A Day, Aug 23.

Quote for the day:

"By seeing the seed of failure in every success, we remain humble.  By seeing the seed of success in every failure, we remain hopeful."  __Anonymous

My share:

The seeds of my sobriety were planted without my understanding or knowledge several years before I took my last drink.  But when that day finally came, the seeds planted bore fruit.  I knew instinctively that AA was my answer, that AA could show me the way to learn to live without alcohol.  For that I am forever grateful.  Be Good To You, Dave.

Thoughtfood for Monday, August 24, 2009

Paradox

Such is the paradox of AA regeneration:

strength arising out of complete defeat and weakness,

the loss of one's old life as a condition for finding a new one.

But we of AA do not have to understand this paradox;

we have only to be grateful for it.
- Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, p. 46

From the Big Book:

"When our friend (Bill W.) related his experience, the man (Dr. Bob) agreed that no amount of will power he might muster could stop his drinking for long.  A spiritual experience, he conceded, was absolutely necessary, but the price seemed high upon the basis suggested.  He told how he lived in constant worry about those who might find out about his alcoholism."

c. 1939, AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, A Vision For You, p. 155.

Prayer for the day:

I pray that I may submit to the laws of nature and to the laws of God.  I pray that I may live in harmony with all the laws of life."

c. 1975, Hazelden Foundation, Twenty-Four Hours A Day, Aug. 24.

Quote for the day:

"The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change."  __Carl Rogers

My share:

Is the price too high?  Did I have to suffer more than was needed to get me into the rooms of AA?  I don't think so.  I did all I needed to do and suffered all the trials necessary to bring me to that jumping off point.  I had drunk all the drinks out there with my name on it.  I was done with that.  It was time to change.  Be Good To You, Dave

P.S. Include our friend Glen F. in your prayers as he undergoes surgery today.

Thoughtfood for Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Self-centered Fear
 
Are not most of us concerned with ourselves,

our resentments, our self-pity?

Selfishness -- self-centeredness! 

That, we think, is the root of our troubles.

- Alcoholics Anonymous,  p. 62

From the Big Book:

"He had, of course, the familiar alcoholic obsession that few knew of his drinking.  Why, he argued, should he lose the remainder of his business, only to bring still more suffering to his family by foolishly admitting his plight to people from whom he made his livelihood?   He would do anything, he said, but that."

c. 1939, AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, A Vision For You, p. 155.

Prayer for the day:

"I pray that I may not speak of act in the midst of emotional upheaval.  I pray that I may wait until the tempest is past."

c. 1975, Hazelden foundation, Twenty-Four Hours A Day, Aug. 25.

Quote for the day:

"Ultimately  we know deeply that the other side of every fear is freedom."  __Marilyn Ferguson

My share: I pass my share today to Linda.  Be Good To You, Dave

A Member Shares:
My name is Linda and I am a grateful recovering, discovering alcoholic, sober today by God's saving grace.  I have been given a second chance at doing life on God's terms as opposed to playing God myself.  I was brought up with a punishing God as well as critical alcoholic parents, and I learned to condemn.  I was good at condemning myself, and holding myself in a place of shame and guilt and remorse.  All my young life I tried to be "perfect," which only set me up to fail.  I was actually afraid to be human, afraid to make a mistake, and yet I thought I WAS a mistake and that God could not possibly love me nor could God possibly forgive me.  So when I came into AA, with my self-loathing, truly my superwoman cape was choking me.  I was sick in the head and had a heavy, cold heart.  My spirit was dark, lonely and negative.  Thank God, through time and working the Steps, through people -- kind loving, gentle people in AA, who shared honestly about themselves and were able to break down the walls of protection I had put up -- I was able to start seeing things differently.  Facing my fears took me a while to trust in the process and trust God.  Thanks to years of living the Steps, living clean and sober, and having many moments of clarity, I can laugh at myself.  I put down the bat, picked up a sense of humor, and remembered rule #62, "Don't take yourself so seriously."  The disease is serious, but I can lighten up and enjoy life.   That's what I believe my loving God put me here for.  The message is celebrate YOU, celebrate sobriety!

Thoughtfood for Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Reflections

AA reflects, in a limited, human sense,

the way God works for us.

AA people love us when we're newcomers,

not because of what we've done, but in spite of it,

not because we've earned love, but because we need it.

And so, I think, comes the final great

acceptance of the AA member:

the realization that I have been accepted by God --

that, when I staggered up those stairs for the first time,

God was there waiting for me.
- The Best of the Grapevine [Vol. 1], p. 162

From the Big Book:

"Being intrigued, however, he invited our friend to his home.  Some time later, and just as he thought be was getting control of his liquor situation, he went on a roaring bender.  For him, this was the spree that ended all sprees.  He saw that he would have to face his problems squarely that God might give him mastery."

c. 1939, AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, A Vision For You, pp. 155-156.

Prayer for the day:

"I pray that I may submit to the laws of nature and to the laws of God. I pray that I may live in harmony with all laws of life."

c. 1975, Hazelden Foundation, Twenty-Four Hours A Day, Aug. 26.

Quote for the day:

"Probably every period of life is multiplied by our reflection upon the next." __Cesare Pavese  (Italian Poet, Critic, Novelist 1908-1950)

My share:

I think it is true that my future is shaped by how I perceive it will be and by what I do today to make it so.  But also involved is how I reflect on what has come to pass that makes my today so free.

Be Good To You, Dave

Thoughtfood for Thursday, August 27, 2009

From the Big Book:

"One morning he took the bull by the horns and set out to tell those he feared what his trouble had been.  He found himself surprisingly well received, and learned that many knew of his drinking.  Stepping into his car, he made the rounds of people he had hurt.  He trembled as he went about, for this might mean ruin, particularly to a person in his line of business." 

c. 1939, AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, A Vision For You, p. 156.

Prayer for the day:

"I pray that I may willingly submit to whatever spiritual discipline is necessary.  I pray that I may accept whatever it takes to live a better life."

c. 1975, Hazelden Foundation, Twenty-Four Hours A Day, Aug. 27.

Quote for the day:

"It was pride that changed angels into devils; it is humility that makes men as angels."  Saint Augustine (396 - 430)

My share:

Having just finished speaking on the occasion of my first AA birthday, a member of my home group commented that she heard a lot of pride in my sharing.  She suggested I seek more humility if I wanted to stay stopped. I have been always mindful of that whenever I have shared my experience, strength and hope with others and trust that HP will continue to make that more of a habit for me. Be Good To You, Dave.

Thoughtfood for Friday, August 28, 2009

Willfulness
 
Each of us has had his own near-fatal encounter with the juggernaut of self-will,and has suffered enough under its weight to be willing to look for something better.

- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pp. 37-8

From the Big Book:

"At midnight he came home exhausted, but very happy.  He has not had a drink since.  As we shall see, he now means a great deal to his community, and the major liabilities of thirty years of hard drinking have been repaired in four."

c. 1939, AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, A Vision For You, p. 156.

Prayer for the day:

"I pray that I may give my share of love and service.  I pray that I may not grow weary in my attempts to do the right thing."

c. 1975, Hazelden Foundation, Twenty-Four Hours A Day, Aug 28.

Quote for the day:

"Never anticipate evils; or, because you cannot have things exactly as you wish, make them out worse that they are, through mere spite and willfulness."  __William Hazlit  (British writer, 1778-1830)

My share:

I proceed in sobriety at school, in business, at life.  I succeed in life by tempering my willfulness with the will of God as I understand Him. Missteps and mistakes from misunderstanding  God's will for me, His message, are inevitable. Be Good To You, Dave

Thoughtfood for Saturday, August 29, 2009

Fundamentals

One of the most fundamental things I have learned

is to pass on our message to other alcoholics.

That means I must think more about others than about myself.

The most important thing is to

practice these principles in all my affairs.

In my opinion, that is what Alcoholics Anonymous is all about.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 109

From the Big Book:

"But life was not easy for the two friends.  Plenty of difficulties presented themselves.  Both say that they must keep spirituality active.  One day they called up the head nurse of a local hospital.  They explained their need and inquired if she had a first class alcoholic prospect."

c. 1939, AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, A Vision For You, p. 156.

Prayer for the day:

I pray that I may choose the right way.

I pray that I may try to follow it to the end."  

c. 1975, Hazelden Foundation, Twenty-Four Hours A Day, Aug. 29.

Quote for the day:

"The human mind is our fundamental resource." 

 __John Fitzgerald Kennedy (35th American President 1927-1963)

My share:

If the mind of an alcoholic is his fundamental resource, it surely needs the gentle coaxing and the wisdom of many who have learned how to make it more of an asset than a liability. That is what A.A.'s do, help others discover the potential of a mind misused. Be Good To You, Dave

Identity

Every day, I feel a little bit more useful,

 more happy and more free.

Life, including some ups and downs, is a lot of fun.

I am a part of AA which is a way of life.

If I had not become an active alcoholic and joined AA,

I might never have found my own identity or become a part of anything.
- Experience, Strength and Hope, p.363

Thoughtfood for Monday, August 31, 2009

Courage

When fear persisted, we knew it for what it was,

and we became able to handle it.

We began to see each adversity as a God-given opportunity

to develop the kind of courage which is born of humility, rather than of bravado.
- As Bill Sees It, p.91

From the Big Book:

"Here was a prospect all right but, by the description, none too promising.  The use of spiritual principles in such cases was not so well understood as it is now.  But one of the friends said, 'Put him in a private room.  We'll be down.'"

c. 1939, AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, A Vision For You, pp156-157.

Prayer for the day:

"I pray that I may try to avoid judgment and criticism.  I pray that I may always try to build up others instead of tearing them down."

c. 1975, Hazelden Foundation, Twenty-Four Hours A Day, Aug 31.

Quote for the day:

"Count your smiles instead of your tears;

Count your courage instead of your fears."  __Anonymous

My share:

Courage is not the absence of fear, it is action for the good in the face of fear.  Be Good To You, Dave