*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *July 5, 2015 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ A Foundation Taking this book down from our shelf we turn to the page which contains the twelve steps. Carefully reading the first five proposals we ask is we have omitted anything, for we are building an arch through which we shall walk a free man at last. Is our work solid so far?  Are the stones properly in place? Have we skimped on the cement put into the foundation?  Have we tried to make mortar without sand?* /- ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *July 4, 2015* *Freedom* *I craved freedom.  First, freedom to drink; later, freedom from drink. The AA program of recovery lies on a foundation of free choice. There are no mandates, laws or commandments.  AA's spiritual program, as outlined in the Twelve Steps, and by which I am offered even greater freedoms, is only suggested. I can take it or leave it.* /- Daily Reflections,/ p. 95 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Our AA freedoms create the soil in which genu ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *July 3, 2015* *A Precious Life* *I have found rooms full of wonderful people, and for me each and every one of the Big Book's promises have come true. The things I have learned from my own experience, from the Big Book, and from my friends in AA -- patience, acceptance, honesty, humility, and true faith in a Power greater than myself -- are the tools I use today to live my life, this precious life.* /- Alcoholics Anonymous,/ p. 475 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Life is ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *July 2, 2015* *Today* *Today is always here.  Life /is/ daily; today is all we have; and anybody can go one day without drinking. First, we try living in the now just in order to stay sober -- and it works. Once the idea has become a part of our thinking, we find that living life in 24-hour segments is an effective and satisfying way to handle many other matters as well.* /- Living Sober,/ p. 7 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Every day is a gift.  That is why w ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *July 1, 2015 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Humility It was only at the end of a long road, marked by successive defeats and humiliations, and the final crushing of our self-sufficiency, that we began to feel humility as something more than a condition of groveling despair.* /- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions,/ p. 72 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Learning is the very essence of humility; the two walk hand in hand.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *A R T* = **A**lways **R* ...Continue Reading

*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