*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *June 30, 2015* *Defects* *At the very least, we shall have to come to grips with some of our worst character defects and take action toward their removal as quickly as we can. The moment we say, "No, never!" our minds close against the grace of God. Delay is dangerous, and rebellion may be fatal.* /- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions,/ p. 69 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *If I want God to remove my character defects, I'll have to stop doing them.* *AA-relate ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *June 29, 2015* *Meditation* *Meditation belongs and grows with daily life and daily growth, for it is in daily life that analytical thought binds us into the dilemma of opposites and consequently into sorrow, pleasure-seeking, and loss of freedom. In a life that may often seem onerous, boring and senseless, meditation can free us to its beauty, its joy beyond pleasure, its passion beyond sorrow.* /- The Best of the Grapevine/ [Vol. 1], p. 172 *Thought to Ponder . . ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *June 28, 2015 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Living Sober Living sober turns out to be not at all grim, boring, and uncomfortable, as we had feared, but rather something we began to enjoy and find much more exciting than our drinking days. We'll show you how.* /- Living Sober,/ Preface *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Life will take on new meaning.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *H O W* = **H**onesty, **O**pen-mindedness, **W**illingness. ** *A Member Shares: Hello Family, my ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *June 27, 2015* *Vigilance* *My alcoholism lives within me now and forever.  I must never forget what I am. Alcohol will kill me if I fail to recognize and acknowledge my disease on a daily basis. I am not playing a game in which a loss is a temporary setback. I am dealing with my disease for which there is no cure, only daily acceptance and vigilance.* /- Daily Reflections,/ p. 276 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *If I don't drink today, I have the hope of a tomorrow ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *June 27, 2015* *Vigilance* *My alcoholism lives within me now and forever.  I must never forget what I am. Alcohol will kill me if I fail to recognize and acknowledge my disease on a daily basis. I am not playing a game in which a loss is a temporary setback. I am dealing with my disease for which there is no cure, only daily acceptance and vigilance.* /- Daily Reflections,/ p. 276 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *If I don't drink today, I have the hope of a tomorrow ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *June 26, 2015* *Overcoming Self-will* *I feel myself a useful member of the human race at last. I have something to contribute to humanity, since I am peculiarly qualified, as a fellow-sufferer, to give aid and comfort to those who have stumbled and fallen over this business of meeting life. . . I believe that my once over-weening self-will has finally found its proper place, for I can say many times daily, "Thy will be done, not mine" . . . and mean it.* - ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *June 25, 2015* *Balance* *Today, independence and healthy relationships form a dynamic balance, which I maintain by striving for the serenity to accept the things I can't change, the willingness to turn things over, and the courage to put my time and energy into things I can change. That is the wisdom to know the difference.* - The AA Grapevine, July 2011, p. 30 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Wisdom is knowing the right path to take; integrity is taking it.* *AA-relate ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *June 24, 2015 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Pass It On I'll never forget the first time I met Bill Wilson. I was a couple of months sober and so thrilled to 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,'/ Preface *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Let it begin with me.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* * ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *June 23, 2015* *The First One* *If we do not take the first drink, we never get drunk.  Therefore, instead of planning to never get drunk, or trying to limit the number of drinks or the amount of alcohol, we have learned to concentrate on avoiding only one drink: the first one.* /- Living Sober,/ p. 5 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *The first drink has the last say.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *A A* = **A**lways **A**ware. Thanks to all of you for sharing so gen ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *June 22, 2015* *My Chance to Live* *I believe I was one of the lucky ones. Not just because I found this program at such a young age; I feel fortunate that I found AA at all. My approach to drinking brought me to the jumping-off place described in the Big Book much faster than anyone could have imagined. I'm convinced if I had continued on my course, I wouldn't have survived much longer. I don't believe I was smarter than anyone else, as I'm often told by those who c ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *June 21, 2015 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Honesty Let us therefore continue our several searches for self-deception, great or small. . . How truth makes us free is something that we AAs can well understand. It cut the shackles that once bound us to alcohol. . . May we therefore quicken our search for still more genuine honesty, and deepen its presence in all our affairs.* /- The Language of the Heart,/ p. 264 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Honesty is the absence of the i ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *June 20, 2015* *Guidance* *I promise to watch for every opportunity to turn toward my Higher Power for guidance. I know where this power is: it resides within me, as clear as a mountain brook, hidden in the hills -- it is the unsuspected Inner Resource.* /- Daily Reflections,/ p. 28 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *The power within me is far greater than any fear before me.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *F A I T H* = **F**acing **A**n **I**nner **T**ruth **H**eals. Than ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *June 19, 2015* *Carrying the Message* *If AA had provided me with a social life, a job, and a husband, I'd have had no reason to place my reliance upon God. If they had done anything other than carry the message of recovery, I might have missed it. Thank God, that's all AA does.* /- The Home Group: Heartbeat of AA,/ p. 113 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *In AA we don't carry the alcoholic; we carry the message.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *P R O G R A M* = **P**eople ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *June 18, 2015* *This Precious Gift* *None of us can ever fathom the glories and 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 AA, we can learn a little of this precious gift -- our gateway to human spirituality.* /- Came To Believe . . .,/ p. 120 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *The Three "C's" ~ C ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *June 17, 2015 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Progress No one among us has been able to maintain anything like perfect adherence to these principles. We are not saints.  The point is, that we are willing to grow along spiritual lines. The principles we have set down are guides to progress. We claim spiritual progress rather than spiritual perfection.* /Alcoholics Anonymous,/ p. 60 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *The road to recovery is always under construction.* *AA-re ...Continue Reading