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AA Thought for the Day

November 8

Belonging
Perhaps one of the greatest rewards of meditation and prayer is the sense of belonging that comes to us.
We no longer live in a completely hostile world. We are no longer lost and frightened and purposeless.
The moment we catch even a glimpse of God's will,
the moment we begin to see truth, justice, and love as the real and eternal things in life,
we are no longer deeply disturbed by all the seeming evidence that surrounds us in purely human affairs.
We know that God lovingly watches over us.
- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 105

Thought to Ponder . . .
Prayer asks the question. Meditation listens for the answer.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
Y A N A = You Are Not Alone.

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

Authority
"Many people wonder how AA can function
under such a seeming anarchy.
Other societies have to have law and force and sanction
and punishment, administered by authorized people.
Happily for us,
we found we need no human authority whatever.
We have two authorities which are far more effective.
One is benign, the other malign.
There is God, our Father, who very simply says,
'I am waiting for you to do my will.'
The other authority is named John Barleycorn,
and he says, 'You had better do God's will or I will kill you.'
And sometimes he does kill.
So, when all the chips are down,
we conform to God's will or perish.
At this level, the death sentence hangs over the AA member,
his group, and AA as a whole."
Bill W., St. Louis, July 1955
c. 1957AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, p. 105

Thought to Consider . . .
Faith is the substance of things hoped for,
and the evidence of things not seen.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
F I T = Faith, Intuition, Trust.

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

Growth
>From "The Three Legacies of Alcoholics Anonymous":
"Thus A.A. rolled along until the spring of 1941, when we could count 2,000 members, a gain of 1,200 in a single year. We thought this was good going, but actually we had not seen anything yet. We were on the threshold of the event that made Alcoholics Anonymous a national institution overnight.
"Dr. A. Wiese Hammer, already champion of A.A. in Philadelphia, had drawn our fellowship to the attention of Curtis Bok, one of the owners of the Saturday Evening Post [an extremely popular magazine of the time]. At first the editorial board of the Post was dubious. But Mr. Bok had seen some of our Philadelphia members and had heard about their recovery at first hand; he knew whereof he spoke. And the next thing we knew Mr. Jack Alexander, a star feature writer for the Post, appeared at our Vesey Street office [in New York City]."
2001 AAWS, Inc.; Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pg. 190

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

"Spiritual progress isn't what gets us sober, it's what keeps us sober."
Spiritual Awakenings Vol. 1
State College, Pa.,April 1994
"Working Incognito,"

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

"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
that sobriety is enough"
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 82~

"'How can I best serve thee--Thy will (not mine) be done."
Alcoholics Anonymous Page 85

Our real purpose is to fit ourselves to be of maximum service to God and the people about us.
-Alcoholics Anonymous p.77

Even the newest of newcomers finds undreamed rewards as he tries to help his brother alcoholic, the one who is even blinder than he.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.109

Misc. AA Literature - Quote
Honesty with ourselves and others gets us sober, but it is tolerance that keeps us that way.
'Experience shows that few alcoholics will long stay away from a group just because they don't like the way it is run. Most return and adjust themselves to whatever conditions they must. Some go to a different group, or form a new one.
'In other words, once an alcoholic fully realizes that he cannot get well alone, he will somehow find a way to get well and stay well in the company of others. It has been that way from the beginning of A.A. and probably always will be so.'

Prayer for the Day: What Is Best - O Lord, You know what is best for me. Let this or that be done, as you please. Give what You will, how much You will, and when You will.