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AA Thought for the Day

November 6

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 to today with. So I had to begin here, now.
- Came To Believe . . ., p. 46

Thought to Ponder . . .
Fear not for the future, weep not for the past.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
N O W = No Other Way.

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~

Criticism
"Now and then all of us fall under heavy criticism.
When we are angered and hurt,
it's difficult not to retaliate in kind.
Yet we can restrain ourselves
and then probe ourselves,
asking whether our critics were really right.
If so, we can admit our defects to them.
This usually clears the air for mutual understanding. . .
Maybe a sense of humor can be our saving grace --
thus we can both forgive and forget."
Bill W., Letter, 1966
c. 1967AAWS, As Bill Sees It, p. 184

Thought to Consider . . .
The best way to get even is to forget.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
S O B E R = Son Of a Basket, Everything's Real

*~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~*

Every AA Ought to Know
From: "The Three Legacies of Alcoholics Anonymous"
Dr. Bob was essentially a far more humble person than I. In some ways he was a sort of spiritual natural, and this anonymity business came rather easily to him. He could not understand why some people should want so much publicity. In the years before he died, his personal example respecting anonymity did much to help me keep my own lid on. I think of one affecting instance in particular, one that every AA ought to know. When it was sure that Dr. Bob was mortally afflicted, some of his friends suggested that there should be a suitable monument or mausoleum erected in honor of him and his wife Anne - something befitting a founder and his lady. Of course this was a very natural and moving tribute. The committee went so far as to show him a sketch of the proposed edifice. Telling me about this, Dr. Bob grinned broadly and said, God bless them. They mean well. But for heaven's sake, Bill, let's you and I get buried just like other folks.
A year after his passing, I visited the Akron cemetery where Dr. Bob and Anne lie. The simple stone says not a word about Alcoholics Anonymous. Some people may think that this wonderful couple carried personal anonymity too far when they so firmly refused to use the words "Alcoholics Anonymous" even on their own burial stone. For one, I do not think so. I think that this moving and final example of self-effacement will prove of more permanent worth to AA than any amount of public attention or any great monument.
1985, AAWS, Inc., Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pages 136-137

*~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"The Twelve Steps ... are simple in language, plain in meaning. They are also workable by any person having a sincere desire to obtain and keep sobriety. The results are the proof. Their simplicity and workability are such that no special interpretations, and certainly no reservations, have ever been necessary. And it has become increasingly clear that the degree of harmonious living which we achieve is in direct ratio to our earnest attempt to follow them literally under divine guidance to the best of our ability."
AA Co-Founder, Dr. Bob, September 1948
"The Fundamentals in Retrospect"
The Best of the Grapevine, Volume 2

~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~*

"One of the many doctors who had the opportunity of reading this
book in manuscript form told us that the use of sweets was often
helpful, of course depending upon a doctor's advice. He thought all
alcoholics should constantly have chocolate available for its quick
energy value at times of fatigue. He added that occasionally in the
night a vague craving arose which would be satisfied by candy. Many
of us have noticed a tendency to eat sweets and have found this
practice beneficial."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, The Family Afterward, pg. 133~

Some people cannot be seen--we send them an honest letter. And there
may be a valid reason for postponement in some cases. But we don't
delay if it can be avoided. 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.
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, Page 83~

The power of God goes deep!
-Alcoholics Anonymous p.114

Almost any experienced A.A. will tell how his affairs have taken remarkable and unexpected turns for the better as he tried to improve his conscious contact with God.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.105

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

Our entire A.A. program rests upon the principle of mutual trust. We trust God, we trust A.A., and we trust each other. Therefore, we trust our leaders in world service. The 'Right of Decision' that we offer them is not only the practical means by which they may act and lead effectively, but it is also the symbol of our implicit confidence.
If you arrive at A.A. with no religious convictions, you can, if you wish, make A.A. itself or even your A.A. group your 'Higher Power.' Here's a large group of people who have solved their alcohol problem. In this respect they are certainly a power greater than you. Even this minimum of faith will be enough.
Many members who have crossed the threshold just this way will tell you that, once across, their faith broadened and deepened. Relieved of the alcohol obsession, their lives unaccountably transformed, they came to believe in a Higher Power, and most of them began to talk of God.

Prayer for the Day: Unselfishness Prayer - Higher Power, guide me as I walk the narrow way between being selfish and
unselfish. I know I must be selfish, to concentrate on my own recovery, so I do not slip and be of no use to myself or anyone else. Yet I must also be unselfish, reaching out to others, sensitive to their needs, and willing to meet them at any time. With Your help, I can do both, and keep a balance that will give me a right perspective in my life.