*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *November 24, 2014* *He Was Listening* *It finally became obvious to me that the God I thought had judged and damned me had done nothing of the sort. He had been listening, and in His own good time His answer came.  His answer was threefold: the opportunity for a life of sobriety; Twelve Steps to practice, in order to attain and maintain that life of sobriety; fellowship within the program, ever ready to sustain and help me each twenty-four-hour day.* /- Came To ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *November 23, 2014 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Perspective Until I could honesty look at myself and see that I was the problem in many situations and react appropriately inside and out; until I could discard my expectations and understand that my serenity was directionally proportional to them, I could not experience serenity and sound sobriety.* /- Daily Reflections,/p. 71 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *My perspective will change my perception.  My perception will c ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *November 22, 2014* *"If"* *Alcoholism respects no ifs.  It does not go away, not even for a week, for a day, or even for an hour, leaving us nonalcoholic and able to drink again on some special occasion or for some extraordinary reason -- not even if it is a once-in-a-lifetime celebration, or if a big sorrow hits us, or if it rains in Spain or the stars fall on Alabama. Alcoholism is for us unconditional, with no dispensations available at any price.* ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *November 21, 2014* *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."/ *Faith is a matter of degree.  I am grateful for whatever faith I have now -- far, so very far, from the kind of faith that moves mountains. There is so much more to know, and no limit to the growth of faith.  So I shall continue try ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *November 20, 2014* *A Possibility* *The idea that religion and spirituality were not one and the same was a new notion. My sponsor asked that I merely remain open-minded to the possibility that there was a Power greater than myself, one of my own understanding. . . Reluctantly, I opened my mind to the fact that maybe, just maybe, there was something to this spiritual lifestyle. Slowly but surely, I realized there was indeed a Power greater than myself.* /- Alcoholics ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *November 19, 2014 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Listening For weeks I sat in the back of the rooms, silent when others shared their experience, strength and hope. I listened to their stories and found so many areas where we overlapped -- not all of the deeds, but the feelings of remorse and hopelessness.  I learned that alcoholism isn't a sin, it's a disease. That lifted the guilt I felt.* /- Alcoholics Anonymous,/p. 344 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *I listen for dir ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *November 18, 2014* *Daily Discipline* *Meditation and prayer also teach me the art of focusing and listening. I find that the turmoil of the day gets tuned out as I pray for His will and guidance. . . The daily discipline of prayer and meditation will keep me in fit spiritual condition, able to face whatever the day brings -- without the thought of a drink.* /- Daily Reflections,/ p. 317 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *I listen for direction now.* *AA-related 'Alconym' ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *November 17, 2014* *Depression* *My depression deepened unbearably and finally it seemed to me as though I were at the very bottom of the pit. I still gagged badly on the notion of a Power greater than myself, but finally, just for the moment, the last vestige of my proud obstinacy was crushed. All at once I found myself crying out, "If there is a God, let Him show Himself!  I am ready to do anything, anything!" Suddenly the room lit up with a great wh ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *November 16, 2014 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ A New Happiness We are going to know a new freedom and a new happiness.  We will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it. We will comprehend the word serenity and we will know peace. No matter how far down the scale we have gone, we will see how our experience can benefit others.* /- Alcoholics Anonymous,/ pp. 83-84 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Happiness is part of the journey, not some distant destination. ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *November 15, 2014* *Gratitude* *Today I am grateful for a new life, one in which my prayers are those of thanksgiving. My prayer time is more for listening than for talking. I know today that if I cannot change the wind, I can adjust my sail.* /- Daily Reflections,/ p. 314 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *There is a calmness to a life lived in gratitude, a quiet joy.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *H J F* = **H**appy, **J**oyous, **F**ree. Thanks to all of you for sharin ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *November 14, 2014* *Indispensable* *When we find ourselves up-tight and even frantic, we can ask ourselves occasionally, "Am I really that indispensable?" or "Is this hurry really necessary?" What a relief to find the honest answer is frequently no! And such devices actually serve, in the long run, not only to help us get over our drinking problem and its old ways; they also enable us to become far more productive, because we conserve and channel ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *November 13, 2014* *Bill W. Shares:* *It is traditional in AA that we do not make speeches; we just talk about our own experiences. . . I was brought up in a little Yankee town of about fifty houses, East Dorset, Vermont. I was born under the shadow of a mountain there called Mount Aeolus. An early recollection is one of looking up and seeing that vast and mysterious mountain wondering what it was and whether I would ever climb that high. But I was presently distract ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *November 13, 2014* *Bill W. Shares:* *It is traditional in AA that we do not make speeches; we just talk about our own experiences. . . I was brought up in a little Yankee town of about fifty houses, East Dorset, Vermont. I was born under the shadow of a mountain there called Mount Aeolus. An early recollection is one of looking up and seeing that vast and mysterious mountain wondering what it was and whether I would ever climb that high. But I was presently distract ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *November 12, 2014 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Willingness I pray for the willingness to let go of my arrogant self-criticism, and to praise God by humbly accepting and caring for myself.* /- Daily Reflections,/ p. 324 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Trying to pray is praying.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* **W I L L I N G** = **W**hen **I** *L*ive **L**ife, **I** **N**eed **G**od. ** *A Member Shares: Hi!  I'm Di, an alcoholic.  I think the one single thing you ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *November 11, 2014* *Seduction* *Although alcohol is not a part of my life and I no longer have the compulsion to drink, it can still occur to me what a good drink tastes like and what it can do for me, from my stand-at-attention alcoholic taste buds right down to my stretched out tingling toes. As my sponsor used to point out, such thoughts are like red flags, telling me that something is not right, that I am stretched beyond my sober limit.  It's time to get ba ...Continue Reading