*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 11, 2015* *Forgiveness* *I must forgive injuries, not just in words, or as a matter of form, but in my heart. I do this not for the other persons' sake, but for my own sake. Resentment, anger, or a desire to see someone punished, are things that rot my soul. Such things fasten my troubles to me with chains.* /~ Daily Reflections,/ p. 88 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Forgiveness is the final form of love.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *T G I F* = **T**hank * ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 10, 2015* *Gratitude* *Sometimes, I've lacked the discernment to be grateful, and I see this now. . . Often in the past, my prayers for help have been answered in ways that I have not recognized as answers. Indeed, I have cursed my fate instead of thanking God. I have prayed and prayed, sometimes in desperation, but I haven't thanked Him as much as I've implored Him.* ~ The AA Grapevine, September 1979 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Gratitude /has/ to be prac ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 9, 2015 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Listening In shame and despair, I went to my first AA meeting. By some minor miracle, I was able to suspend opinion, analysis, judgment. and criticism, and instead to listen and hear. I heard someone say that AA works for those who put /action/ into the program. . . I heard that I should forget about yesterday and instead concentrating on today and staying away from the first drink -- now. I tried it, and it worked.* /- Ca ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 8, 2015* *Change* *The essence of all growth is a willingness to change for the better and then an unremitting willingness to shoulder whatever responsibility this entails.* /~ As Bill Sees It/ p. 115 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *In order to change the way I feel, I need to change the way I act.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *F E E L* = **F**eel, **E**xperience, **E**xpress, **L**et go. Thanks to all of you for sharing so generously of your experience, str ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 7, 2015* *Infallible Heartbeat* *We need each other's experience, strength, and hope, regardless of age or length of sobriety. The saving grace of God doesn't come like a bolt out of the blue. It comes through, in, and from other suffering, as well as rescued, souls like you and me. I am happy to be part of a living and growing fellowship with an infallible heartbeat. Divine power is the pulse of AA, and it doesn't change, no matter how errant and foolish w ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 6, 2015 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Carrying the Message For us, if we neglect those who are still sick, there is an unremitting danger to our own lives and sanity. Under these compulsions of self-preservation, duty, and love it is not strange that our Society has concluded that it has but one high mission -- to carry the AA message to those who don't know there's a way out.* /- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions,/ p. 151 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Service ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 5, 2015* *Acceptance* *And acceptance is the answer to /all/ my problems today.  When I am disturbed, it is because I find some person, place, thing, or situation -- some fact of my life -- unacceptable to me, and I can find no serenity until I accept that person, place, thing, or situation as being exactly the way it is supposed to be at this moment. Nothing, absolutely nothing, happens in God's world by mistake. Until I could accept my alcoholism, I ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 5, 2015* *Acceptance* *And acceptance is the answer to /all/ my problems today.  When I am disturbed, it is because I find some person, place, thing, or situation -- some fact of my life -- unacceptable to me, and I can find no serenity until I accept that person, place, thing, or situation as being exactly the way it is supposed to be at this moment. Nothing, absolutely nothing, happens in God's world by mistake. Until I could accept my alcoholism, I ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 4, 2015* *Amends* *In making amends, we should be sensible, tactful, considerate, and humble without being servile or scraping. As God's people, we stand on our feet; we don't crawl before anyone.* /- As Bill Sees It,/ p. 277 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *It is the highest form of self-respect to admit mistakes and to make amends for them.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *H O W* = **H**onesty, **O**pen-mindedness, **W**illingness. Thanks to all of you for sha ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 3, 2015* *Control* *We alcoholics are men and women who have lost the ability to control our drinking. We know that no real alcoholic /ever/ recovers control. All of us felt at times that we were regaining control, but such intervals -- usually brief -- were inevitably followed by still less control, which led in time to pitiful and incomprehensible demoralization.* /- Alcoholics Anonymous,/ p. 30 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *When we try to control our drink ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 2, 2015 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Spirituality We never apologize to anyone for depending upon our Creator. We can laugh at those who think spirituality the way of weakness. Paradoxically, it is the way of strength. . . We never apologize for God.  Instead we let Him demonstrate, through us, what He can do.* - /Alcoholics Anonymous,/ p. 68 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Hold your face up to the Light, even though for the moment you do not see. *AA-relat ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 1, 2015* *Self-searching* *The wise have always known that no one can make much of his life until self-searching becomes a regular habit, until he is able to admit and accept what he finds, and until he patiently and persistently tries to correct what is wrong.* /- As Bill Sees It,/ p. 216 *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' . . .* *N O W* = **N** ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *August 31, 2015* *Trading* *I was ready to admit I was just another drunk whose life was unmanageable. Now I could lead a sober life.  But how does one do that? I traded dependence on puny self for dependence on God. I traded resentment for understanding, fear for trust, selfishness for love. I traded dissatisfaction for hope, dishonesty for truth.  I traded retaliation for amendment, taking for giving. I traded leaning upon others for serving others.  ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *August 30, 2015 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Steps Eight and Nine Steps Eight and Nine are concerned with personal relationships. First, we take a look backward and try to discover where we have been at fault; next we make a vigorous attempt to repair the damage we have done; and third, having thus cleaned away the debris of the past, we consider how, with our newfound knowledge of ourselves, we may develop the best possible relations with every human being we know.* - ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *August 29, 2015* *Fourth Dimension* *Everyone became resigned to the certainty that I would have to be shut up somewhere, or would stumble along to a miserable end. How dark it is before the dawn!  In reality that was the end of my last debauch. I was soon to be transported into what I like to call the fourth dimension of existence. I was to know happiness, peace, and usefulness, in a way that is incredibly more wonderful as time passes.* /- Alcoholics Anonymou ...Continue Reading