Alcoholic Anonymous – Daily Ponderables –
Together We Trudge the Road of Happy Destiny – Tuesday, 26 November 2013
Daily Reflections
THE HAZARDS OF PUBLICITY
People who symbolize causes and ideas
fill a deep human need. We of A.A. do not question that. But we do have to
soberly face the fact that being in the public eye is hazardous, especially for
us.(TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, page 181)
As a recovered alcoholic I must make an
effort to put into practice the principles of the A.A. program, which are
founded on honesty, truth and humility. While I was drinking I was constantly
trying to be in the limelight. Now that I am conscious of my mistakes and of my
former lack of integrity, it would not be honest to seek prestige, even for the
justifiable purpose of promoting the A.A. message of recovery. Is the publicity
that centers around the A.A. Fellowship and the miracles it produces not worth
much more? Why not let the people around us appreciate by themselves the
changes that A.A. has brought in us, for that will be a far recommendation for
the Fellowship than any I could make.(From the book Daily Reflections © Copyright 1990 by Alcoholics Anonymous World
Services, Inc.)
Twenty-Four Hours A Day
A.A. Thought for the Day
Continuing our thoughts about the rewards
that have come to us as a result of our new way of living, we have found that
we have gotten rid of any of our fears, resentments, inferiority complexes,
negative points of view, self-centeredness, criticism of others, over
sensitiveness, inner conflicts, the habits of procrastination, undisciplined
sex, wasting money, boredom, false perfectionism, jealousy, and envy of others.
We are glad to be rid of our drinking, and we are also very glad to be rid of
these other things. We can now go forward in the new way of life, as shown us
by A.A. Am I ready to go forward in the new life?
Meditation for the Day
"He that has eyes to see, let him
see." To the Seeing Eye, the world is good. Pray for a Seeing Eye, to see
the purpose of God in everything good. Pray for enough faith to see God's care
in His dealings with you. Try to see how He has brought you safely through your
past life so that now you can be of use in the world. With the eyes of faith
you can see God's care and purpose everywhere.
Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may have a Seeing Eye. I
pray that with the eye of faith I may see God's purpose everywhere.(From the
book Twenty-Four Hours a Day © Copyright 1975 by Hazelden Foundation)
NA - Just for Today
Responsibility
"A lot happens in one day, both
negative and positive. If we do not take the time to appreciate both, perhaps
we will miss something that will help us grow."(IP No. 8, "Just For
Today")
Responsibility, responsibility - the
responsibility of life are everywhere. We're "supposed to" wear seat
belts. We're "supposed to "clean our homes. We're "supposed
to" do certain things for our spouse, our children, the people we sponsor.
On top of all of this we're "supposed to" go to meetings and practice
our program as best we can. It's no wonder that, sometimes, we want to run from
all these tasks and escape to some far-off island where we're not
"supposed to" do anything.
At times like these, when we become
overwhelmed with our responsibilities, we have forgotten that responsibility
need not be burdensome. When we have the desire to run away from our
responsibilities we need to slow down, remember why we have chosen them, and
pay attention to the gifts they bring. Whether it's a job we normally find
challenging and interesting, or a partner whose personality we are usually
excited by, or a child whom we naturally like to play with and care for, there
is joy to be found in all the responsibilities of our lives.
Just for today: Each moment is special. I
will pay attention, grateful for my responsibilities and the special joys they
bring.((page 344)From the book Just for Today © Copyright 1991-2013 by
Narcotics Anonymous World Services, Inc.)
Thought for Today
"Gratitude makes sense of our past,
brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow."(Melody
Beattie)
"Nothing is wonderful after you are
used to it."(Clancy I.)
Twist on The Pickle Story:
You can turn a cucumber into a pickle
You can't turn a pickle back into a
cucumber
But you can turn a pickle into a Newcomer
Buddha/Zen Thoughts
Monks, there are these three elements of
escape. What three?
This escape from lusts which is
renunciation; this escape from forms which is the formless existence; and this
escape from whatsoever has become, is compounded, has arisen by the law of
causation, which is making to cease. These are the three elements of escape.(Itivuttaka)
Native American
"In our traditional ways, the woman
is the foundation of the family."(Haida Gwaii Traditional Circle of Elders)
We must pay attention to the role of the
woman in the family. She is the heartbeat of the family. She should be
respected and treated in a sacred manner. We should listen to her guidance. We
should help make her role easier by helping with chores or just telling her how
much we appreciate her.
Great Spirit, I ask you to bless all the
moms.
Walk In Dry Places
What ought to work--but doesn't
Understanding Alcoholism
One of the old theories about alcoholism
was that we drink because we had deep psychological problems. It followed that
if we could clear up these problems, we would no longer need to drink
excessively.
Another theory was that staying dry for a
long period of time would dislodge one's alcoholic tendencies. After a certain
length of sobriety, we would be able to return to normal drinking. (NOT)
Both theories sound plausible, but in
practice neither has worked. Many of us came to grief trying to make these
ideas work.
What we eventually learn about
psychological problems is that they may intensify our troubles, but they are
not the real cause of our alcoholism. The cause may be rooted in some physical
problem that enables us to achieve unusual highs from drinking. We also know
that one drink acts as a trigger for more drinking--- at least for us.
Our answer has been, first and foremost,
to eliminate the first drink. Even if it doesn't square with theories, it
works.
No matter how long I've been sober, one
drink would be deadly to me. Accepting that fact enabled me to get sober after
finding that theories about my problem weren't working.
Big Book
"Despite all we can say, many who
are real alcoholics are not going to believe they are in that class. By every
form of self-deception and experimentation, they will try to prove themselves
exceptions to the rule, therefore nonalcoholic. If anyone who is showing inability
to control his drinking can do the right-about-face and drink like a gentleman,
our hats are off to him. Heaven knows, we have tried hard enough and long
enough to drink like other people!"(Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition,
More About Alcoholism, page 31)
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The Survivor's Prayer for Strength
Dear God, give me the strength to get
through the day.
Give me the words to know what to say.
Your love sustains me along the way.
Just give me wisdom for all my days.
In times of sorrow, times of distress,
give me a word for those depressed.
In times of pain, or serious illness,
God, let me minister to those who are weakest.
God, if THY WILL for me, if my life is
required for what I can't see, I pray YOUR will, NOT MINE to be, in times of
trouble no matter how big it may be.
God, help me your will to discern, so I
can trust your love govern. And when I complain while going through the storm make
my will to your will conform.
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If you're not enjoying your sobriety it's
your own damn fault
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