*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 19, 2016* *Children of Chaos* Over the years, every conceivable deviation from our Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions has been tried. That was sure to be, since we are so largely a band of ego-driven individuals. Children of chaos, we have defiantly played with every brand of fire, only to emerge unharmed and, we think, wiser. These very deviations created a vast process of trial and error, which under the grace of God, has brought us to where we stand today. /- ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 18, 2016 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Alone No More Alcoholism was a lonely business, even though we were surrounded by people who loved us. But when our self-will had driven everybody away and our isolation became complete, we commenced to play the big shot in cheap barrooms. . . For those of us who were like that, AA has a very special meaning. In this Fellowship we begin to learn right relations with people who understand us; we don’t have to be alone any more.* ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 17, 2016* *Perspective* The Big Book tells me, an alcoholic, how I can use the Twelve Steps to cope with my problems and discover who I am. The Third Step gave me a perspective from outside myself, an objective viewpoint from which I could see myself as I am, not as I would like to be, and thus helped me to approach what is now the excitement of living. /- AA Around the World,/ p. 62 *Thought to Ponder . . .* My perspective will change my perception.  My pe ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 16, 2016* *Step Five* /“Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.”/ I found I had learned something.  I had learned that the Power called God was a /kind/ power, before whom one who had done wrong need not stand in fear. And I had learned that there are kind human beings, to whom one could admit error without fear of attack or denunciation. This made it possible for me to /admit/ wrong; thereafter I was spared ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 15, 2016 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Surrender When we look back, we realize that the things which came to us when we put ourselves in God’s hands were better than anything we could have planned. * /- Alcoholics Anonymous,/ p. 100 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Letting go is a process, not an event. AA-related 'Alconym' . . . *A A** = **A**lways **A**wesome. ** *A Member Shares: I'm Alanna, an alcoholic.  I started blacking out at about age 14.  And as a t ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 14, 2016* *Step Five* /“Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.”/ Until we had talked with complete candor of our conflicts, and had listened to someone else do the same thing, we still didn’t belong. Step Five was the answer.  It was the beginning of true kinship with man and God. /- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions,/ p. 57 *Thought to Ponder . . .* I am as sick as my secrets. *AA-related 'Alconym' . . ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 13, 2016* *The Journey* I was always taught to prepare for the journey through life, never realizing until I came to AA --when I honestly became willing to be taught forgiveness and forgiving— that life itself is the journey. The journey of life is a very happy one, as long as I am willing to accept change and responsibility. /- Daily Reflections,/ p. 185 *Thought to Ponder . . .* The joy is in the journey, so enjoy the ride. *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *A R T ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 12, 2016* *Willpower* We know for sure that alcoholics do have tremendous willpower. Consider the ways we could manage to get a drink in defiance of all visible possibilities. Merely to get up some mornings – with a rusting cast-iron stomach, all your teeth wearing tiny sweaters, and each hair electrified – takes willpower many nondrinkers rarely dream of. Once you’ve gotten up with your head, on those certain mornings, the ability to carry it all through the day ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 11, 2016 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Forgiveness “Under very trying conditions I have had, again and again, to forgive others – also myself. Have you recently tried this?” * /- As Bill Sees It,/ p. 268 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *To be forgiven we must forgive. AA-related 'Alconym' . . . *T G I F** = **T**hank **G**od **I**'m **F**orgiven. ** *A Member Shares: I’m Lance, an alcoholic.  Yes, we alkies do have choices.  We can steam and stew and blow hard ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 10, 2016* *True Love* I never knew what true love was until I began my recovery in AA. My schooling in that emotion began early and led me to the conclusion that love is what creates in a sober AA member the outer show of an inner glow. /- The Best of the Grapevine/ [Vol. 3], p. 294 *Thought to Ponder . . .* Great love is the sunlight of AA's tree of life. *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *T L C* = **T**ears, **L**aughter, **C**aring. Thanks to all of you for shar ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 9, 2016* *Awakening* At a meeting, 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,/ p. 427 *Th ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 8, 2016 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Laughter But we are not a glum lot.  If newcomers could see no joy or fun in our existence, they wouldn’t want it. We absolutely insist on enjoying life. . . Outsiders are sometimes shocked when we burst into merriment over a seemingly tragic experience out of the past. But why shouldn’t we laugh?  We have recovered, and have been given the power to help others.* /- Alcoholics Anonymous,/ p. 132 *Thought to Ponder . . ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 7, 2016* *Growing Up* Change is the characteristic of all growth.  From drinking to sobriety, from dishonesty to honesty, from conflict to serenity, from hate to love, from childish dependence to adult responsibility -- all this and infinitely more represent change for the better. /- As Bill Sees It,/ [Vol. 1], p. 76 *Thought to Ponder . . .* Serenity is not the absence of conflict but the ability to cope with it. *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *K I S S* = * ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 6, 2016* *Isolation* Isolation creeps up on us.  We can mask it with familiar props that are not in themselves bad. We can isolate ourselves in an attempt to clean up our apartments (and then not do the cleaning); we can isolate ourselves in churches or in sleep; we can use family, sweethearts, compulsive working, television.  The list is long. The nicest way to end it is the way you and I do: together. Reach out -- people can't read your mind.  Sa ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 5, 2016* *Humility* Humility is a personal achievement, it cannot be given away. It comes in glimmers and grows like an ice crystal. It is fragile, too, thus requiring constant care and protection. /- The Home Group: Heartbeat of AA,/ p. 126 *Thought to Ponder . . .* Anonymity is real humility at work. *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *A A* = **A**lways **A**wesome. Thanks to all of you for sharing so generously of your experience, strength and hope in carrying th ...Continue Reading