AA Thoughts For Today - August

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AA Thought for the Day

August 2

Grace
Each of us would like to live at peace with himself and his fellows.
We would like to be assured that the grace of God can do for us what we cannot do for ourselves.
- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 76

Thought to Ponder . . .
The will of God will never take me where the grace of God will not protect me.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
G R A C E = Gently Releasing All Conscious Expectations.

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

Responsibility
"Our spiritual way of life is safe for future generations if,
as a Society, we resist the temptation to receive money
from the outside world.
But this leaves us with a responsibility -
one that every member ought to understand.
We cannot skimp when the treasurer of our group
passes the hat.
Our groups, our areas, and AA as a whole
will not function unless our services are sufficient
and their bills are paid.
When we meet and defeat the temptation to take large gifts,
we are only being prudent.
But when we are generous with the hat
we give a token that we are grateful for our blessings
and evidence that we are eager to share what we have found with all those who
still suffer."
Bill W., November 1957
1988AAGrapevine, The Language of the Heart, p. 221

Thought to Consider . . .
The manner of giving is worth more than the gift.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
H O P E = Happy Our Program Exists

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

Name
>From "The Three Legacies of Alcoholics Anonymous":
"The Akron and New York groups had been voting for months on possible titles [for the Big Book]. This had become an after-the-meeting form of amusement and interest. The title 'Alcoholics Anonymous' had appeared very early in the discussion, probably in October, 1938. We do not know who first used these words. After we New Yorkers had left the Oxford Groups in 1937 we often described ourselves as a 'nameless bunch of alcoholics.' From this phrase it was only a step to the idea of 'Alcoholics Anonymous.' This was its actual derivation."
2001 AAWS, Inc.; Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pg. 165

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

"The little things that happen, the spoken word, the kind smile, the nod of encouragement -- the fellowship that goes with the program -- these things I will never forget."
Benoni, January 1988
"A Special Kind of Peace,"
AA Grapevine

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

"Once more: The alcoholic at certain times has no effective mental
defense against the first drink. Except in a few rare cases, neither
he nor any other human being can provide such a defense. His defense must come from a Higher Power."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, More About Alcoholism, pg. 43~

"When many hundreds of people are able to say that the consciousness
of the Presence of God is today the most important fact of their
lives, they present a powerful reason why one should have faith."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, We Agnostics, pg. 51~

"We, who have recovered from serious drinking, are miracles of mental health."
-Alcoholics Anonymous p. 133 (The Family Afterward)

"In 2003, it is estimated that over two million have recovered through A.A."
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 15 (Foreword)

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

In my teens, I had to be an athlete because I was not an athlete. I had to be a musician because I could not carry a tune. I had to be the president of my class in boarding school. I had to be first in everything because m my perverse heart I felt myself the least of God's creatures. I could not accept my deep sense of inferiority, and so I strove to become captain of the baseball team, and I did learn to play the fiddle. Lead I must - or else. This was the 'all or nothing' kind of demand that later did me in.
'I'm glad you are going to try that new job. But make sure that you are only going to 'try.' If you approach the project in the attitude that 'I must succeed, I must not fail, I cannot fail,' then you practically guarantee the flop which in turn will guarantee a drinking relapse. But if you look at the venture as a constructive experiment only, then all should go well.

Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, thank you for allowing me to recover from a seemingly hopeless state of mind and body. Please give me the compassion to carry my experience, strength, and hope to others today.