*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *June 8, 2014 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Release From Fear The practice of AA's Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions in our personal lives also brought incredible releases from fear of every description, despite the wide prevalence of formidable personal problems. When fear did persist, we knew it for what it was, and under God's grace we became able to handle it.* /- The Language of the Heart,/ p. 268 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *A fear faced is a fear erased.* *AA-rel ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *June 7, 2014* *Sanity* *And we have ceased fighting anything or anyone -- even alcohol. For by this time sanity will have returned.  We will seldom be interested in liquor. If tempted, we recoil from it as from a hot flame.* /- Alcoholics Anonymous,/ p. 84 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Alcohol -- cunning, baffling, powerful!* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *S O B E R* = **S**taying **O**ff **B**ooze **E**njoying **R**ecovery. Thanks to all of you for sharing so g ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *June 6, 2014* *Awakening* *I think I have had a spiritual awakening, as undramatic as it may have been, and that it will go on and on as long as I continue to practice this program in my daily affairs. To me, there is no "spiritual side" to the program of Alcoholics Anonymous; the entire program is spiritual.* /- Came To Believe . . .,/ p. 48 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *A spiritual awakening is our greatest gift.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *G I F T S* ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *June 5, 2014* *Magic* *When I couldn't find an easier, softer way, I looked for the person with the magic wand, the one person in AA who could make me all better, right now. This was a frustrating task, and I finally realized that if I wanted this life, I was going to have to do what the others had done. No one made me drink, and no one was going to make me sober. This program is for people who want it, not people who need it.* /- Alcoholics Anonymous,/ p. 315 *Tho ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *June 4, 2014 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Obstinacy Besides a seeming inability to accept much on faith, we often found ourselves handicapped by obstinacy, sensitiveness, and unreasoning prejudice. Many of us have been so touchy that even casual reference to spiritual things made us bristle with antagonism. . . Faced with alcoholic destruction, we soon became as open minded on spiritual matters as we had tried to be on other questions. In this respect alcohol was a gre ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *June 3, 2014* *Consistency* *What right do I have to expect perfection and efficiency in my spiritual growth when the rest of my life is so full of ups and downs, ins and outs, and backs and forths? Throughout this whole adventure, the only consistency I have maintained is an absolute and total faith in AA, come what may.* /- The Best of the Grapevine/ [Vol. 1], p. 187 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Life is a steady drizzle of small things -- carry an umbrella.* *AA-r ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *June 2, 2014* *Surprise!* *Somewhat to our surprise, staying sober turns out not to be the grim, wet-blanket experience we had expected! While we were drinking, a life without alcohol seemed like no life at all. But for most members of AA, living sober is /really/ living -- a joyous experience. We much prefer it to the troubles we had with drinking. One more note: anyone can /get/ sober.  We have all done it lots of times. The trick is to stay and to /live/ sobe ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *June 1, 2014 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Awareness Today I must be aware of my alcoholism. I cannot afford to believe that I have gained control of my drinking -- or again I will think I've gained control over my life. Such a feeling of control is fatal to my recovery.* /- Daily Reflections,/ p. 26 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *My sponsor gave me a "Humility" badge; then took it away when I started wearing it.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* **A A** = **A**lway ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 31, 2014* *The Journey* *My circumstances have steadily improved as my spiritual life grows and matures. Words cannot begin to describe the feelings in my heart as I sometimes ponder how much my life has changed, how far I've come, and how much there is yet to discover. And though I'm not sure where my journey may take me next, I know I'll owe it to the grace of God and to three words of the Twelve Steps: continue, improve, and practice. Oh, and one more thing th ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 30, 2014* *Attitudes* *Our old attitudes toward our instincts need to undergo drastic revisions. Our desires for emotional security and wealth, for personal prestige and power, for romance, and for family satisfactions -- all these have to be tempered and redirected. . . If we place instincts first, we have got the cart before the horse; we shall be pulled backward into disillusionment.* /- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions,/ p. 114 *Thought to Ponder . . .* * ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 29, 2014* *Foundation Stones* *One thing I've learned in AA is not to be an alarmist. Still, around the groups I attend, it /does/ seem that we AA's sometimes get a little funny about the Traditions. That's what prompted me to wonder: What would happen if we /all/ decided to let somebody else safeguard these twelve foundation stones? If you woke up one morning, and found there was simply /no more/ AA, where would that leave you?  Yeah, that's the feeling I g ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 28, 2014 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Resentments If you have a resentment you want to be free of, if you will pray for the person or the thing that you resent, you will be free. If you will ask in prayer for everything you want for yourself to be given to them, you will be free.* /- Alcoholics Anonymous,/ p. 552 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *We are prisoners of our own resentments. Forgiveness unlocks the door and sets us free.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* **A A** ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 27, 2014* *Inspiration* *In thinking about our day we may face indecision. We may not be able to determine which course to take. Here we ask God for inspiration, an intuitive thought or a decision. We relax and take it easy.  We don't struggle. We are often surprised how the right answers come after we have tried this for a while.* /- Alcoholics Anonymous,/ p. 86 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *I asked from the heart, and I received.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 26, 2014* *Self-will* *I can recognize that I'm caught up in my will when I desperately struggle to slam a square peg into a round hole. That's the time for me to back off and trust that God's will is far better than mine.* - The AA Grapevine, November, 2013 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *If I self-forget I find.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *S W A T* = **S**urrender, **W**illingness, **A**ction, **T**rust. Thanks to all of you for sharing so generously of your e ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 25, 2014 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Honesty Only God can fully know what absolute honesty is. Therefore, each of us has to achieve what this great ideal may be -- to the best of our ability.* /- As Bill Sees It,/ p. 66 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Honesty is the absence of the intent to deceive.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* **H O W** = **H**onesty, **O**pen-mindedness, **W**illingness. ** *A Member Shares: Hi everyone, I'm Lisa, an alcoholic.  When I first ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 24, 2014* *Our Third Legacy:  Service* *All I thought about as I was making the coffee was making the coffee and how people could enjoy it. At my sponsor's suggestion, I stood near the coffeepot and welcomed everyone who came by. I must have experienced a million smiles in a very short time. And when I pushed the broom all I concentrated on was the dust rising from it as I moved across the floor. My troubles were gone for the time that I was doing these thin ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 23, 2014* *One Day At A Time* *I was a very good student of alcoholism.  I studied for twenty-four years. My habit patterns became totally based on how to continue drinking day in and day out. I became a past master of denial, an artist with self-pity, and by the time I heard the thumping of dirt and pebbles as they would soon be shoveled onto the lid of my coffin, the habit patterns had become permanent and I couldn't stop drinking even when I wanted to. . ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 22, 2014* *The Book* *By 1937, some of us realized that AA needed a standard literature. There would have to be a book. . . Well, we did quarrel violently over the preparation and distribution of that AA Book. In fact, it took five years for the clamor to die down. Should any AA's dream that the old-timers who put the Book together went about in serene meditation and white robes, then they had best forget it. The inspiration that readers now say they find in the ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 21, 2014 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Anger If we were to live, we had to be free of anger. The grouch and the brainstorm were not for us. They may be the dubious luxury of normal men, but for alcoholics these things are poison.* /- Alcoholics Anonymous,/ p. 66 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Anger rules nothing except itself.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* **A A** = **A**void **A**nger. ** *A Member Shares: I'm Donna, an alcoholic.  Just about three years ago, I ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 20, 2014* *Change* *I tried to change the time and place and amount of my drinking. I tried to change my environment, my place of living -- like most of us who at one time or another think that our trouble is geography rather than whiskey. I even entertained the idea of changing wives. I tried to change everything and everybody, /except myself/ -- the only thing I /could/ change.* /- Experience, Strength and Hope,/ p. 153 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *If nothing ch ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 19, 2014* *Prayer* *Prayer has become a habit with me.  Anytime is the time for prayer: in the street, in the factory, sitting still, walking about, or actively engaged upon some task. I must always bear in mind that, like a good parent, God often says no. And the simplest prayer is "God, thank you, thank you." I have so much to be thankful for, and sobriety tops the list.* /- Thank You For Sharing,/ p. 192 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *God never ans ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 18, 2014 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Act of Providence It is truly awful to admit that, glass in hand, we have warped our minds into such an obsession for destructive drinking that only an act of Providence can remove it from us.* /- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions,/ p. 21 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Don't give up before the miracle happens.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* **A A** = **A**lways **A**live. ** *A Member Shares: Hello, I'm Charlie J., and I have Alc ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 17, 2014* *Blessings* *Abandon yourself to God as you understand God. Admit your faults to Him and to your fellows. Clear away the wreckage of your past.  Give freely of what you find and join us. We shall be with you in the Fellowship of the Spirit, and you will surely meet some of us as you Trudge the Road of Happy Destiny. May God bless you and keep you -- until then.* /- Alcoholics Anonymous,/ p. 164 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Trust God.  Clean hou ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 16, 2014* *The Answer* *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 Believe . . ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 15, 2014* *An Open Mind* *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, and I soon found myself with a full-time God in my life and following a spiritual path that didn't conflict with my personal religious convictions.* /- Alcoholics Anonymous,/ p. 287 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Life will take on new meaning.* *AA-re ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 14, 2014 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Challenges Like most people, we have found we can take our big lumps as they come. But also like others we often discover a greater challenge in the lesser and more continuous problems of life. Our answer is in still more spiritual development. Only by this means can we improve our chances for really happy and useful living.* /- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions,/ p. 144 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Life is a steady drizzle of ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 13, 2014* *Grace* *I'm still mystified by how I got sober, and the only answer that makes sense is that I stopped drinking through the grace of God. I was thinking about the difference between those of us who get sober and those who are still drinking, and I believe the difference is that we have accepted the grace that was offered.* - The AA Grapevine, February, 1993 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Joy is in knowing there is an answer.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 12, 2014* *Absolute Certainty* *The central part of our lives today is the absolute certainty that our Creator has entered into our hearts and lives in a way which is indeed miraculous. He has commenced to accomplish those things for us which we could never do by ourselves.* /- Alcoholics Anonymous,/ p. 25 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Life is an ongoing miracle.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *G I F T* = **G**od **I**s **F**orever **T**here. Thanks to all of you ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 11, 2014 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Steps Four and Five If we have swept the searchlight of Step Four back and forth over our careers, and it has revealed in stark relief those experiences we'd rather not remember, . . then the need to quit living by ourselves with those tormenting ghosts of yesterday gets more urgent than ever.  We have to talk to somebody about them.* /- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions,/ p. 55 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Trust God.  ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 10, 2014* *New Habits* *Our drinking was connected with many habits -- big and little. Some of them were thinking habits, or things we felt inside ourselves. Others were doing habits -- things we did, actions we took. In getting used to not drinking, we have found that we needed new habits to take the place of the old ones.* /- Living Sober,/ Preface *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Habits are like cork or lead -- they tend to keep you up or hold you down.* *AA-relat ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 9, 2014* *Surrender* *On the face of it, /surrendering/ certainly doesn't sound like /winning./ But it is in AA. . . We must, and we do, surrender to win.* /- Experience, Strength and Hope,/ pp. 155-156 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Avoidance is not the key; surrender opens the door.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *K I S S* = **K**eep **I**t **S**imple; **S**urrender. Thanks to all of you for sharing so generously of your experience, strength and hope in carrying ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 8, 2014* *Time* *And what is time to me now?  It is a most precious asset. I have the luxury of being able to cherish the memory of yesterday, to live today with serenity, to wait for tomorrow. I find great contentment in just knowing where I was and where I am. And I am grateful; grateful the existence of Alcoholics Anonymous; grateful to my God for leading me to the doors of AA and to Himself, grateful for hope.* /- The Best of the Grapevine/ [Vol. 2], p. ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 7, 2014 ~ 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 excited, so thrilled to actually 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' -- The Story of Bill Wilson and How the AA Message Reached the World,/ Pr ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 6, 2014* *Communication* *Because of our kinship in suffering, and because our common means of deliverance are effective for ourselves only when constantly carried to others, our channels of contact have always been charged with /the language of the heart./* /- The Language Of The Heart,/ p. 243 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Modem-to-modem or face-to-face, AA's speak the language of the heart.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *E S H* = **E**xperience, **S**trength an ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 5, 2014* *Anger* *It is a spiritual axiom that every time we are disturbed, no matter what the cause, there is something wrong /with us./ If somebody hurts us and we are sore, we are in the wrong also. But are there no exceptions to this rule?  What about "justifiable" anger? If somebody cheats us, aren't we entitled to be mad? . . . For us of AA these are dangerous exceptions. We have found that justified anger ought to be left to those better qua ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 4, 2014 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Choice The fact is that most alcoholics, for reasons yet obscure, have lost the power of choice in drink. Our so-called willpower becomes practically nonexistent.* /- Alcoholics Anonymous,/ p.24 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Just for today, I choose not to drink.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* **H O W** = **H**onesty, **O**pen-mindedness, **W**illingness. ** *A Member Shares: Hi, my name is Candace, and I'm an alcoholic.  I w ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 3, 2014* *Amends* *Making amends to my family, and to the families of alcoholics still suffering, will always be important. Understanding the havoc I created and trying to repair the destruction, will be a lifelong endeavor. The example of my sobriety may give others hope, and faith to help themselves.* /- Daily Reflections,/ p. 173 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *It is the highest form of self-respect to admit mistakes and to make amends for them.* *AA-related 'Alc ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 2, 2014* *Secrets* *I can neither love nor be loved if I allow my secrets to get in the way. It's the side of myself that I refuse to look at that rules me. I must be willing to look at the dark side in order to heal my mind and heart because that is the road to freedom. It's the side of me that I refuse to look at that rules me.* /- Daily Reflections,/ p. 130 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *I must walk into darkness to find the light.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 1, 2014* *Willfulness* *My willfulness is still very much a part of me and may always be a stumbling block to progress in my life. So I will have to stay very close to AA, where my strength lies. I am so full of human frailty that I think it is a miracle I am here today. It's only through AA.* /- The Best of the Grapevine/ [Vol. 2], pp. 147-148 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Don't give up before the miracle happens.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *A A* = **A**lways ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *April 30, 2014 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Daily Plan On awakening let us think about the twenty-four hours ahead. We consider our plans for the day.  Before we begin, we ask God to direct our thinking, especially asking that it be divorced from self-pity, dishonest or self-seeking motives. Under these conditions we can employ our mental faculties with assurance, for after all God gave us brains to use. Our thought-life will be placed on a much higher plane when ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *April 29, 2014* *Appreciation* *It is strictly my opinion, based on my experience, that one becomes richer in spirit as one grows in spirit. The more I accept God, the more He gives me. As I become more appreciative of the benefits received, I try harder to show my appreciation. My capacity to be content with life as it is has greatly increased. Therefore, as time goes on, I become more able to be at peace with my fellowman, with God, and within myself.* /- Came To B ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *April 28, 2014* *Tornado* *The alcoholic is like a tornado roaring his way through the lives of others. Hearts are broken.  Sweet relationships are dead.  Affections have been uprooted. Selfish and inconsiderate habits have kept the home in turmoil. We feel a man is unthinking when he says sobriety is enough. He is like the farmer who came up out of his cyclone cellar to find his home ruined. To his wife, he remarked, "Don't see anything the matter her ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *April 27, 2014 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Convinced Practicing AA's Steps means the adoption of attitudes and actions that almost no alcoholic who is still drinking can dream of taking. The average alcoholic, self-centered in the extreme, doesn't care for this prospect -- unless he has to do these things in order to stay alive himself.* /- As Bill Sees It,/ p.118 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *I would rather go through life sober, believing I am an alcoholic, than go th ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *April 26, 2014* *Unity* *For thousands of alcoholics yet to come, AA does have an answer. But there is one condition.  We must, at all costs, preserve our essential unity; it must be made unbreakably secure. Without permanent unity there can be little lasting recovery for anyone.* /- The Language of the Heart,/ p. 70 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *There is no strength without unity.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *U S* = **U**nited **S**pirits. Thanks to all of yo ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *April 25, 2014* *The Light* *I approached AA with fear and hesitation. Then, urged by the dread of what was behind me, I took tiny delicate steps onto this new path. When I found the footing was firm, each tentative move brought me a little nearer to trust. Confidence grew, faith in my Higher Power expanded, and I came to recognize a light I had not known existed.* /- Alcoholics Anonymous,/ pp. 542-543 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Hold your face up to the Light, even ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *April 24, 2014* *The Journey* *Sobriety is a journey of joyful discovery. Each day brings new experience, awareness, greater hope, deeper faith, broader tolerance.* /- Daily Reflections,/ p. 126 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *The joy is in the journey, so enjoy the ride.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *AA* = **A**dventurers **A**nonymous. Thanks to all of you for sharing so generously of your experience, strength and hope in carrying the AA message. Blessings in sobri ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *April 23, 2014 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Step Four* /"Made a searching and fearless inventory of ourselves."/ *Step Four is our vigorous and painstaking effort to discover what these liabilities in each of us have been, and are. . . Without a willing and persistent effort to do this, there can be little sobriety or contentment for us.* /- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions,/ pp. 42-43 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *I am responsible for the effort -- not the o ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *April 22, 2014* *A New Beginning* *I knew I had to have a new beginning, and this beginning had to be here. I had to let go of the past and forget the future. As long as I held on to the past with one hand and grabbed at the future with the other hand I had nothing to hold on to today with.  So I had to begin here, now.* /- Came To Believe . . .,/ p. 46 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *My life hereafter is from this moment on.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *S I T* = ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *April 21, 2014* *Help Others* *Showing others who suffer how we were given help is the very thing which makes life seem so worthwhile to us now. Cling to the thought that, in God's hands, the dark past is the greatest possession you have -- the key to life and happiness for others. With it you can avert death and misery for them.* /- Alcoholics Anonymous,/ p. 124 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Only in giving do we receive in full measure.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *April 20, 2014 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Growth Growth and understanding came slowly, but they came steadily. And finally, I could feel gratitude for my sobriety -- for the saving grace of God. Now I feel totally free, because I know the truth about myself. . . I know that spiritual growth is a great, wide, beautiful thing and that I have only stepped up to the open door.* /- Came To Believe . . .,/ p. 94 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *A spiritual awakening is our grea ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *April 20, 2014 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Growth Growth and understanding came slowly, but they came steadily. And finally, I could feel gratitude for my sobriety -- for the saving grace of God. Now I feel totally free, because I know the truth about myself. . . I know that spiritual growth is a great, wide, beautiful thing and that I have only stepped up to the open door.* /- Came To Believe . . .,/ p. 94 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *A spiritual awakening is our grea ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *April 20, 2014 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Growth Growth and understanding came slowly, but they came steadily. And finally, I could feel gratitude for my sobriety -- for the saving grace of God. Now I feel totally free, because I know the truth about myself. . . I know that spiritual growth is a great, wide, beautiful thing and that I have only stepped up to the open door.* /- Came To Believe . . .,/ p. 94 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *A spiritual awakening is our grea ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *April 19, 2014* *Inventory* *When AA suggests a fearless moral inventory, it must seem to every newcomer that more is being asked of him than he can do. Both his pride and his fear beat him back every time he tries to look inside himself. Pride says, "You need not pass this way," and Fear says, "You dare not look!" But the testimony of AA's who have really tried a moral inventory is that pride and fear of this sort turn out to be bogeymen, nothing ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *April 18, 2014* *Alcoholism* *Alcoholism is deadly, ugly, and tough.  It is also cunning, baffling, and powerful. It wants me to consider perfection attainable. . . It wants me to try to fix myself with the right therapist or the right religion. . . It wants me to forget that it is a snake in the brain, hoping to catch my eye, watching, waiting. The gritty pain of alcoholism is the traction of recovery. I cannot afford to sell off the principles for an easier, s ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *April 17, 2014* *Fear* *For all its usual destructiveness, we have found that fear can be the starting point for better things. Fear can be a stepping-stone to prudence and to a decent respect for others. It can point the path to justice, as well as to hate. And the more we have of respect and justice, the more we shall begin to find the love which can suffer much, and yet be freely given.  So fear need not always be destructive, because the lessons of its conse ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *April 16, 2014 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Fellowship I have a wealth of friends and, with my AA friends, an unusual quality of fellowship. For, to these people, I am truly related.  First, through mutual pain and despair, and later through mutual objectives and newfound faith and hope. And, as the years go by, working together, sharing our experiences with one another, and also sharing a mutual trust, understanding, and love -- without strings, without obligatio ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *April 15, 2014* *Pride* *Some see pride as just a minor issue.  I see pride, and resistance to change, as the deadliest character flaw every alcoholic deals with on a daily basis. The only answer I've ever found in dealing with such a high level of denial, is written about in the Big Book, and can be found in action at just about any AA meeting in the world.* The AA Grapevine, April 2014 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Into action, out of self.* *AA-related 'Alcony ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *April 14, 2014* *Understanding* *Gradually, however, God began to clear my channels so that real understanding began to come. Then was the time when full realization and acknowledgement came to me. It was realization and acknowledgement of the fact that I was full of self-pity and resentment, realization that I had not fully given my problems to God. /I was still trying to do my own fixing./* /- Experience, Strength and Hope,/ p. 22 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Get it ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *April 13, 2014 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Acceptance And acceptance is the answer to /all/ my problems today. . . Until I could accept my alcoholism, I could not stay sober; unless I accept life completely on life's terms, I cannot be happy.* /- Alcoholics Anonymous,/ p. 417 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *My serenity is directly proportional to my level of acceptance.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* **A B C** = **A**cceptance, **B**elief, **C**hange. ** *A Member Shares: ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *April 12, 2014* *Inventory* *We want to find exactly how, when, and where our natural desires have warped us. We wish to look squarely at the unhappiness this has caused others and ourselves. By discovering what our emotional deformities are, we can move toward their correction. Without a willing and persistent effort to do this, there can be little sobriety or contentment for us.* /- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions,/ p. 43 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Trust God.&n ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *April 11, 2014* *Turn It Over* *Any of us can handle just one day; all each of us has to try at is our own job, our own family life. We don't have to try fixing up the whole world or understanding what no theologian of any faith has ever understood. We simply stop messing in God's business. . . when we stop messing and worrying, we /have/ turned our will and our lives over to God (or Good) as we understand (or don't understand) Him.* /- Came To Believe . . .,/ p. 116 ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *April 10, 2014* *Fear of Rejection* *Almost without exception, my AA friends admitted that they had struggled with the same feelings. Some claimed that their fear of rejection stemmed from a lack of self-worth; some of the men laid the difficulty to feelings of inadequacy stimulated by years of drinking. It was also asserted that we couldn't stand the responsibility of being loved and so sought rejection in subtle ways.  About the only thing that everyone agreed ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *April 9, 2014 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Prayer We finally did experiment, and when unexpected results followed, we felt different; in fact, we /knew/ different; and so we were sold on meditation and prayer. And that, we have found, can happen to anybody who tries. It has been well said that "almost the only scoffers at prayer are those who never tried it enough."* /- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions,/ p. 97 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Trying to pray is p ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *April 8, 2014* *Reprieve* *It is easy to let up on the spiritual program of action and rest on our laurels. We are headed for trouble if we do, for alcohol is a subtle foe. We are not cured of alcoholism.  What we really have is a daily reprieve, contingent on the maintenance of our spiritual condition. Every day we must carry the vision of God's will into all of our activities.* /- Alcoholics Anonymous,/ p. 85 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *AA is spiritual, is the ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *April 7, 2014* *Joy* *I have had my share of problems, heartaches, and disappointments, because that is life, but also I have known a great deal of joy and a peace that is the handmaiden of an inner freedom. I have a wealth of friends and, with my AA friends, an unusual quality of fellowship. For, to these people, I am truly related.  First, through mutual pain and despair, and later through mutual objectives and newfound faith and hope.* /- Alcoholics Anonymous ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *April 6, 2014 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Emotional Sobriety How to translate a right mental conviction into a right emotional result, and so into easy, happy, and good living -- well, that's not only the neurotic's problem, it's the problem of life itself for all of us who have got to the point of real willingness to hew to right principles in all our affairs. Even then, as we hew away, peace and joy may still elude us. That's the place so many of us AA oldsters have ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *April 5, 2014* *This Precious Gift* *None of us can ever fathom the glories and the 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 Alcoholics Anonymous, we can learn a little of this precious gift -- our gateway to human spirituality.* /- Came To Believe . . .,/ p. 120 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *The Thr ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *April 4, 2014* *Change* *It never occurred to us that we needed to change ourselves to meet conditions, whatever they were. But in AA we slowly learned that something had to be done about our vengeful resentments, self-pity, and unwarranted pride. . . We learned that if we were seriously disturbed, our /first/ need was to quiet that disturbance, regardless of who or what we thought caused it.* /- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions,/ p. 47 *Thought to Ponder . . .* * ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *April 3, 2014* *Seeking Approval* *Today I still enjoy getting the approval of others, but I am not willing to pay the price I used to pay to get it. I will not bend myself into a pretzel to get others to like me. If I get your approval, that's fine; but if I don't, I will survive without it. I am responsible for speaking for what I perceive to be the truth, not what I think others may want to hear.* /- Daily Reflections,/ p. 101 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *The privi ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *April 2, 2014 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Willingness All we need is a key, and the decision to swing the door open. There is only one key, and it is called willingness. Once unlocked by willingness, the door opens almost of itself, and looking through it, we shall see an inscription. It reads:  "This is the way to a faith that works."* /- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions,/ p. 34 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *So often times it happens that we live our l ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *April 1, 2014* *Self-worth* *I know that I am not a total loss, even when I think I am. I know that freedom, and usefulness, love, outgoingness and sharing are the important things in life. But even more important, I have to care for me and achieve a sense of self-worth. So I continue to listen.  I am still open to suggestions. I continue on my way.  And I am on my way up.* /- The Best of the Grapevine/ [Vol. 1], p. 24 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Learn to l ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *March 31, 2014* *Independence* *Over and over, we have found we cannot stay sober long just for the sake of wife, husband, children, lover, parents, other relative, or friend, nor for the sake of a job, nor to please a boss (or doctor, or judge, or creditor) -- not for /anyone/ other than ourselves. . . Independent, unaffiliated with anything else, our sobriety can grow strong enough to cope with anything -- and everybody.* /- Living Sober,/ p. 64 *Thought to Ponder ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *March 30, 2014 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ The Gift To those of us who have hitherto known only excitement, depression, or anxiety -- in other words, to all of us -- this newfound peace is a priceless gift.* /- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions,/ p. 74 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Sobriety is a gift, the price of which is eternal vigilance.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* **A A** = **A**ltered **A**ttitudes. ** *A Member Shares: Mab here, alcoholic.  The program h ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *March 29, 2014* *Surrender* *At one time the admission that I was and am an alcoholic meant shame, defeat, and failure to me. But in the light of the new understanding that I have found in AA, I have been able to interpret that defeat and that failure as seeds of victory. Because it was only through feeling defeat and failure, the inability to cope with my life and with alcohol, that I was able to surrender and accept the fact that I had this disease and that I had t ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *March 28, 2014* *Pickles* *We are also convinced, after the countless attempts we made to prove otherwise, that alcoholism is incurable -- just like some other illnesses.  It cannot be "cured" in this sense: We cannot change our body chemistry and go back to being the normal, moderate social drinkers lots of us seemed to be in our youth. . . we can no more make that change than a pickle can change itself back into a cucumber.* /- Living Sober,/ p. 8 * ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *March 27, 2014* *Uniqueness* *I just did not believe that AA would work for me as a black drunk. I genuinely believed I was different until much later, when I had what I now know to be my first spiritual awakening: that I was an alcoholic and I didn't have to drink! I also learned that alcoholism, as an equal opportunity illness, does not discriminate -- is not restricted to race, creed, or geography. At last I was released from the bondage of my uniqueness.* /- Alco ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *March 26, 2014 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Faith To me, this means a belief in a Creator who is all power, justice, and love; a God who intends for me a purpose, a meaning, and a destiny to grow, however little and haltingly, toward His own likeness and image. Before the coming of faith I had lived as an alien in a cosmos that too often seemed both hostile and cruel. In it, there could be no inner security for me.* /- As Bill Sees It,/ p. 51 *Thought to Ponder . . .* ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *March 25, 2014* *Resentments* *It is plain that a life which includes deep resentment leads only to futility and unhappiness. To the precise extent we permit these, do we squander the hours that might have been worth while.  But with the alcoholic, whose hope is the maintenance and growth of a spiritual experience, this business of resentment is infinitely grave.  We found that it is fatal.* /- Alcoholics Anonymous,/ p. 66 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Resent ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *March 24, 2014* *Stability* *My stability came out of trying to give, not out of demanding that I receive. Thus I think it can work out with emotional sobriety. If we examine every disturbance we have, we will find at the root of it some unhealthy dependency and its consequent unhealthy demand. Let us, with God's help, continually surrender these hobbling demands.* /- The Best of Bill,/ p. 58 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Sobriety is a journey, not a destination.* *AA ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *March 23, 2014 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Humility "Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings." Without some degree of humility, no alcoholic can stay sober at all.* /- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions,/ p. 70 *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**emain **T**eachable. ** *A Member Shares: My name is Hope, and I am an alcoholic.  I a ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *March 22, 2014* *Emotional Pain* *When I am hurt or upset, I have to continually look for the cause in me, and then I have to admit and correct my mistakes. It isn't easy, but as long as I know I am progressing spiritually, I know I can mark my effort up as a job well done. I have found that pain is a friend . . ..* /- Daily Reflections,/ p. 284 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Pain is what I walk through.  Misery is what I sit in.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *T R ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *March 21, 2014* *Progress* *Walk day by day in the path of spiritual progress. If you persist, remarkable things will happen. When we look back, we realize that the things we put in God's hands were better than anything we could have planned.* /- Alcoholics Anonymous,/ p. 100 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *When in doubt, be silent.  Grow where you are planted.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *G R O W T H* = **G**od **R**eveals **O**ther **W**ays **T**o **H**eal. Th ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *March 20, 2014* *Understanding* *Gradually, God began to clear my channels so that real understanding began to come. Then was the time when full realization and acknowledgement came to me. It was realization and acknowledgement of the fact that I had not fully given my problems to God. /I was still trying to do my own fixing./* /- Experience, Strength and Hope,/ p. 22 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *God seldom becomes a reality until God becomes a necessity.* *AA-relate ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *March 19, 2014 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Why AA? Wouldn't you rather recognize you have a health condition which can be successfully treated, than spend a lot of time miserably wondering about what's wrong with you? We have found this is a better-looking, and better-feeling picture of ourselves than the old gloomy selves we used to see.  It is truer, too.  We know. The proof of it is in the way we feel, act, and think -- now.* /- Living Sober,/ p. 10 *Tho ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *March 18, 2014* *Honesty* *I need to remember each day that deceiving myself about myself is setting myself up for failure or disappointment in life and in Alcoholics Anonymous. A close, /honest/ relationship with a Higher Power is the only solid foundation I've found for honesty with self and with others.* /- Daily Reflections,/ pp. 117 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Honesty isn't an event -- it's a process.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *H O W* = **H**onesty, **O**pe ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *March 17, 2014* *Fortunate Indeed* *We who are alcoholics can consider ourselves fortunate indeed. Each of us has had his own near-fatal encounter with the juggernaut of self-will, and has suffered enough under its weight to look for something better. So it is by circumstance rather than any virtue that we have been driven to AA, have admitted defeat, have acquired the rudiments of faith, and now want to make a decision to turn our will and our lives over to a Higher ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *March 16, 2014 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Keep It Simple Dr. Bob stood in the doorway, tall and upright as ever. . . This was my partner, the man with whom I never had a hard word. The wonderful, old, broad smile was on his face as he said almost jokingly, "Remember, Bill, let's not louse this thing up.  Let's keep it simple!" I turned away, unable to say a word.  This was the last time I ever saw him.* (Bill Wilson speaking of Dr. Bob Smith .. co ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *March 15, 2014* *Awareness* *Yes, we're alcoholics.  Yes, it was vitally important that we come to that awareness. Yes, we've got to be honest with ourselves and one another. But we're more than alcoholics.  Much more. We're alcoholics who are living sober lives! Alcoholics who have a choice whether or not to take that first drink. For the first time in our lives, we are really alive! Our message is good news, and we need to say so.* /- The Best of the Grap ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *March 14, 2014* *Responsibility* *In the last analysis, as a recovering alcoholic I need only have two concerns. The first is to maintain my sobriety on a daily basis and to practice the program of AA one day at a time. The second is to ensure that what was here yesterday will be here tomorrow for the next alcoholic who walks through the doors of the Fellowship. And for that I am responsible.* /- Thank You For Sharing,/ p. 181 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Every recove ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *March 13, 2014* *Dependency* *Plainly, I could not avail myself of God's love until I was able to offer it back to Him by loving others as He would have me. And I couldn't possibly do that as long as I was victimized by false dependencies. For my dependency meant demand -- a demand for the possession and control of the people and the conditions surrounding me.* /- The Best of Bill,/ p. 56 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *What I am is Gods gift to me.  What I make of ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *March 12, 2014 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Turning It Over Step Three became a cheerful acceptance of my place in the world: "I have no idea Who or What is running the show, but I know /I/'m not!" And I could also see Step Three as a good attitude, an effective approach to life: "If I am swimming in salt water and I panic and start thrashing around and fighting it, it will drown me. But if I relax and have faith in it, it will hold me afloat."* /- ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *March 11, 2014* *Keep Coming Back* *I've found that my experience can be of help to other people. I have come to believe that hard times are not just meaningless suffering and that something good might turn up at any moment. That's a big change for someone who used to come to in the morning feeling sentenced to another day of life. When I wake up today, there are lots of possibilities.  I can hardly wait to see what's going to happen next. I keep coming back bec ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *March 10, 2014* *A New Beginning* *I knew I had to have a new beginning, and this beginning had to be here. I could not start anywhere else.  I had to let go of the past and forget the future. As long as I held on to the past with one hand and grabbed at the future with the other hand, I had nothing to hold on today with.  So I had to begin here, now.* /- Came To Believe . . .,/ p. 46 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *There are no endings ... only new beginnings. ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *March 9, 2014 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Choice /The fact is that most alcoholics, for reasons yet obscure, have lost the power of choice in drink. Our so-called will power becomes practically nonexistent. We are unable, at certain times, to bring into our consciousness with sufficient force the memory of the suffering and humiliation of even a week or a month ago. We are without defense against the first drink./* /- Alcoholics Anonymous,/ p.24 *Thought to Ponder . ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *March 8, 2014* *If* *Alcoholism respects no ifs.  It does not go away, not 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 dispensation available at any price.* /- Living Sober,/ p. 6 ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *March 7, 2014* *No Reservation* *We have seen the truth demonstrated again and again: "Once an alcoholic, always an alcoholic." Commencing to drink after a period of sobriety, we are in a short time as bad as ever. If we are planning to stop drinking, there must be no reservation of any kind, nor any lurking notion that someday we will be immune to alcohol.* /- Alcoholics Anonymous,/ p. 33 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *If we want to quit drinking, we are goin ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *March 6, 2014* *Challenges* *There is no easier, softer way. To bring the great escape act into sobriety is to travel with a companion that led me to despair long ago. The teaching I receive in Alcoholics Anonymous about courage and love helps me to continue to grapple with the challenges of life as they are given to me, one day at a time.* /- The Best of the Grapevine/ [Vol.3], p. 320 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Life is a steady drizzle of small things -- carry an u ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *March 5, 2014 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Service to Others Our very lives, as ex-problem drinkers, depend upon our constant thought of others and how we may help to meet their needs.* /- Alcoholics Anonymous,/ p. 20 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Into service out of self.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* **H E L P** = **H**ope, **E**ncouragement, **L**ove, **P**atience. ** *A Member Shares: Hello all, I'm an alcoholic named Thomas .. thankful to be sober.  Service t ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *March 4, 2014* *Perfection* *I never have been and never can be perfect. As that realization became a part of me -- and it took time -- it brought me one of the greatest of the many blessings that have come to me from AA. I learned to accept myself as a fallible human being. I do not have to strive for perfection.  Mistakes are permissible.  I have the right to be wrong. And what a comfort that thought is to me, as I make my bemused way through life, one fo ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *March 3, 2014* *Communication* *From the beginning, communication in AA has been no ordinary transmission of helpful ideas and attitudes.  It has been unusual and sometimes unique. Because of our kinship in suffering, and because our common means of deliverance are effective for ourselves only when constantly carried to others, our channels of contact have always been charged with /the language of the heart./* /- The Language of the Heart,/ p. 243 *Thought to P ...Continue Reading