Alcoholic Anonymous – Daily Ponderables –
Together We Trudge the Road of Happy Destiny – Saturday, 30 November 2013
Daily Reflections
PROTECTION FOR ALL
At the personal level, anonymity provides
protection for all members from identification as alcoholics, a safeguard often
of special importance to newcomers. At the level of press, radio, TV, and
films, anonymity stresses the equality in the Fellowship of all members by
putting the brake on those who might otherwise exploit their A.A. affiliation
to achieve recognition, power, or personal gain.("UNDERSTANDING
ANONYMITY," page 5)
Attraction is the main force in the
Fellowship of A.A. The miracle of continuous sobriety of alcoholics within A.A.
confirms this fact every day. It would be harmful if the Fellowship promoted
itself by publicizing, through the media of radio and TV, the sobriety of
well-known public personalities who became members of A.A. If these
personalities happened to have slips, outsiders would think our movement is not
strong and they might question the veracity of the miracle of the century.
Alcoholics Anonymous is not anonymous, but its members should be.(From the book
Daily Reflections © Copyright 1990 by Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.)
Twenty-Four Hours A Day
A.A. Thought for the Day
We have slips in A.A. It has been said
these are not slips but premeditated drunks, because we have to think about
taking a drink before we actually take one. The thought always comes before the
act. It is suggested that people should always get in touch with an A.A. before
taking that first drink. The failure to do so, makes it probable that they had
decided to take the drink anyway. And yet the thoughts that come before taking
a drink are often largely subconscious. People usually don't know consciously
what made them do it. Therefore, the common practice is to call these things
slips. Am I on guard against wrong thinking?
Meditation for the Day
"The eternal God is thy
refuge." He is a sanctuary, a refuge from the cares of life. You can get
away from the misunderstanding of others by retiring into your own place of
meditation. But from yourself, from your sense of failure, your weakness, your
shortcomings, whither can you flee? Only to the eternal God, your refuge, until
the immensity of His spirit envelops your spirit and it loses its smallness and
weakness and comes into harmony again with His.
Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may lose my limitations in
the immensity of God's love. I pray that my spirit may be in harmony with His
spirit.(From the book Twenty-Four Hours a Day © Copyright 1975 by Hazelden Foundation)
NA - Just for Today
Sharing The Real Me
"Sharing with others keeps us from feeling
isolated and alone."(Basic Text page 81)
Intimacy is the sharing of our innermost
thoughts and feelings with another human being. Many of us long for the warmth
and companionship intimacy brings, but those things don't come without effort.
In our addiction, we learned to guard ourselves from others lest they threaten
our using. In recovery, we learn how to trust others. Intimacy requires us to
lower our defenses. To feel the closeness intimacy brings, we must allow others
to get close to us - the real us.
If we are to share our innermost selves
with others, we must first have an idea of what those innermost selves are
truly like. We regularly examine our lives to find out who we really are, what
we really want, and how we really feel. Then, based on our regular inventories
of ourselves, we must be as completely and consistently honest with our friends
as we can be.
Intimacy is a part of life, and therefore
a part of living clean - and intimacy, like everything in recovery, has its
price. The painstaking self-scrutiny intimacy calls for can be hard work. And
the total honesty of intimacy often brings its own complications. But the
freedom from isolation and loneliness that intimacy brings is well worth the
effort.
Just for today: I seek the freedom from
isolation and loneliness that intimacy brings. Today, I will get to know
"the real me" by taking a personal inventory, and I will practice
being completely honest with another person.((page 348)From the book Just for
Today © Copyright 1991-2013 by Narcotics Anonymous World Services, Inc.)
Thought for Today
"The man who removes a mountain
begins by carrying away small stones."(William Faulkner)
Buddha/Zen Thoughts
Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only
by love; this is the eternal rule.
Native American
"Someone must speak for them. I do
not see a delegation for the four footed. I see no seat for eagles. We forget
and we consider ourselves superior, but we are after all a mere part of the
Creation."(Oren Lyons, ONONDAGA)
Whenever we make decisions, we need to
look around and see who would be affected by them. If we change the course of a
river, who, what will be affected? If we put poison on the gardens, who, what
will be affected? If we cut the trees and too many are cut, who, what will be
affected? We need to become aware of the consequences of our actions. We need
to pay attention to our thoughts. We are accountable to our children to leave
the Earth in good shape.
My Creator, help me make right decisions
Walk In Dry Places
Spiritual pride
Seeking humility
Those of us who have found a Higher Power
in our lives can feel truly blessed. We know we're on the right path by
witnessing the wonderful changes that continue to come into our lives.
One pitfall in this, however, is the risk
of becoming "Spiritually proud." We sometimes feel that our beliefs
are so superior that others should accept them as well. We even become critical
of the beliefs of others.
If this happens, we actually will be
severing our own conscious contact with our higher power. False pride is a new
form will be back in charge. Others will sense this too, and may withdraw from
us.
Our best safeguard against this trap of
spiritual pride is a reminder that we don't have all the answers. We can share
our understanding with others, but we should never imply that we know what's
best for them. Spiritual growth should being humility, not more of the pride
that was destroying us.
I can leave all outcomes in God's hands
today, knowing that everything is being controlled in a spiritual way.
Big Book
"We avoid retaliation or argument.
We wouldn't treat sick people that way. If we do, we destroy our chance of
being helpful."(Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 67)
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If you're not enjoying your sobriety it's
your own damn fault
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