Alcoholic Anonymous – Daily Ponderables –
Together We Trudge the Road of Happy Destiny – Sunday, 1 December 2013
Daily Reflections
"SUGGESTED" STEPS
Our Twelfth Step also says that as a
result of practicing all the Steps, we have each found something called a
spiritual awakening. . . . A.A.'s manner of making ready to receive this gift
lies in the practice of the Twelve Steps in our program."(TWELVE STEPS AND
TWELVE TRADITIONS, page 5)
I remember my sponsor's answer when I
told him that the Steps were "suggested". He replied that they are
"suggested" in the same way that, if you were to jump out of an
airplane with a parachute, it is "suggested" that you pull the
ripcord to save your life. He pointed out that it was "suggested" I
practice the Twelve steps, if I wanted to save my life. So I try to remember
daily that I have a whole program of recovery based on all Twelve of the
"suggested" Steps.(From the book Daily Reflections © Copyright 1990
by Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.)
Twenty-Four Hours A Day
A.A. Thought for the Day
The thoughts that come before having a
slip are often largely subconscious. It is a question whether or not our
subconscious minds ever become entirely free from alcoholic thoughts as long as
we live. For instance, some of us dream about being drunk when we are asleep,
even after several years of sobriety in A.A. During the period of our drinking
days, our subconscious minds have been thoroughly conditioned by our alcoholic
way of thinking and it is doubtful if they ever become entirely free of such
thoughts during our lifetime. But when our conscious minds are fully
conditioned against drinking, we can stay sober and our subconscious minds do
not often bother us. Am I still conditioning my conscious mind?
Meditation for the Day
Having sympathy and compassion for all
who are in temptation, a condition that we are sometimes in, we have a
responsibility toward them. Sympathy always includes responsibility. Pity is
useless because it does not have a remedy for the need. But wherever our
sympathy goes, our responsibility goes too. When we are moved with compassion,
we should go to the one in need and bind up his wounds as best we can.
Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may have sympathy for those
in temptation. I pray that I may have compassion for others' trials.(From the
book Twenty-Four Hours a Day © Copyright 1975 by Hazelden Foundation)
NA - Just for Today
Life's Rewards
"We begin to pray only for God's
will for us. That way, we get only what we are capable of handling."(Basic
Text page 47)
Imagine what might happen if God gave us
everything we wanted. A fabulous new car, straight A's, a triple salary raise -
all ours without effort, just for the asking.
Now imagine the problems that come along
with unearned riches, new luxury cars, and unmerited scholastic recognition.
What would we do with a huge salary raise that had been granted for no reason?
How would we handle our new financial responsibilities? And how would we live
up to that raise? Could we ever make it appear that we deserve such pay when we
know we don't?
What about that fantastic new car? Most
come with expensive insurance premiums and hefty maintenance costs. Are we
prepared to care for what we've asked for?
Academic honors? Could we perform like A
students after we'd been given high marks we hadn't earned? What would we do if
we were exposed as frauds?
When we talk to God, we need to remember
that we live in the real world. We earn rewards and learn to handle them as we
do. Confining our prayers to requests for knowledge of God's will, the power to
carry it out, and the ability to live with the consequences will ensure that we
get no more than we can handle.
Just for today: I will pray only for
knowledge of God's will and the power to carry that out in the real world.((page
348)From the book Just for Today © Copyright 1991-2013 by Narcotics Anonymous
World Services, Inc.)
Thought for Today
Contentment comes not so much from great
wealth as from few wants.(Epictetus)
Buddha/Zen Thoughts
No matter how bad a state of mind you may
get into, if you keep strong and hold out, eventually the floating clouds must
vanish and the withering wind must cease.(Dogen)
Native American
"Sometimes dreams are wiser then
waking."(Black Elk (Hehaka Sapa), OGLALA)
The Great Spirit has many ways of
communicating with the human being. He talks to us through the five
senses-sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch. For example, we can observe
nature and see a lesson or get an answer. These five senses function primarily
in the physical world. But we also have the ability to receive communication
from the Unseen World. To do this we have a sixth sense. It comes in the form
of dreams, imagination, intuition, inspiration or a hunch. Along with the dream
or intuitive thought there is a feeling, a knowing. We just know it's true
without the need for proof. We need to pay attention to our dreams and
intuition. Don't cast them off as being silly or useless. Be respectful to our
dreams and feelings.
Creator, if you speak to me through
dreams, let me know it in terms I can understand.
Keep It Simple
Having had a spiritual awakening as the
result of these steps(First part of Step Twelve.)
We are awake! Our spirits are alive. We
are part of the world. Our addiction no longer clouds our vision. How?
Step Twelve answers this.
The beauty of Step Twelve is that if we
feel our spirits starting to go dead, we know how to awaken them. It's simple.
Turn to the Steps. After all, working the Steps has awakened our spirits. The
hope and serenity we feel are gifts given to us through the Steps of our
program. And the more we turn to the Steps for help, the more life we'll feel.
The Steps are what feed and heal our souls.
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, Thank
you for the Steps. If I start to believe it is I who keeps me sober, remind me
of my life before the Twelve Steps.
Action for the Day: Today, I'll read the
Twelve Steps. I'll think of how each Step helped awaken my spirit.
Big Book
"To show other alcoholics precisely
how we have recovered is the main purpose of this book."(Alcoholics
Anonymous, 4th Edition, Foreword To First Edition, pg.
xiii)
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If you're not enjoying your sobriety it's
your own damn fault
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