AA Thought For Today - January

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AA Thought for the Day

January 30

Paradox
1. We SURRENDER TO WIN.
On the face of it, surrendering certainly does not seem like winning.
But it is in AA. Only after we have come to the end of our rope,
hit a stone wall in some aspect of our lives beyond which we can go no further;
only when we hit "bottom" in despair and surrender, can we accomplish sobriety,
which we could never accomplish before.
We must, and we do, surrender in order to win.
- Experience, Strength & Hope, pp. 153-154

Thought to Ponder . . .
We surrender to win; we give away to keep;
we suffer to get well; we die to live.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
K I S S = Keep It Simple; Surrender.

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

Good Living
Understanding is the key to right principles and attitudes,
and right action is the key to good living;
therefore the joy of good living
is the theme of AA's Twelfth Step.
With each passing day of our lives,
may every one of us sense more deeply
the inner meaning of AA's simple prayer:

God grant us the serenity to accept
the things we cannot change,
Courage to change the things we can,
And wisdom to know the difference.
c. 1952 AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 125

Thought to Consider . . . .
The joy is in the journey.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
T H I N K = The Happiness I Never Knew

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

Growth
From "The Keys of the Kingdom":
"Letting go of everything at once was both painful and terrifying. I could never have accomplished this alone. It took the
help, understanding, and wonderful companionship that was given so freely to me by my ex-alkie friend this and the
program of recovery embodied in the Twelve Steps. In learning to practice these steps in my daily living, I began to
acquire faith and a philosophy to live by. Whole new vistas were opened up for me, new avenues of experience to be
explored, and life began to take on color and interest. In time, I found myself looking forward to each new day with
pleasurable anticipation."
2001 AAWS, Inc., Fourth Edition; Alcoholics Anonymous, pg. 275

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

"I am finally learning really to live one day at a time and to appreciate and be alert to the beautiful, marvel-filled, albeit
sometimes infuriating world around me."
Saratoga, Calif.,August 1985
"Beyond the Generation Gap,"
The Home Group: Heartbeat of AA

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

"We cannot be helpful to all people, but at least God will show us
how to take a kindly and tolerant view of each and every one."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 67~

The next question they asked was ,"You can quit twenty-four hours , can't you?" I said , "Sure , yes , anybody can do
that , for twenty-four hours ." They said , "That's what we're talking about . Just twenty-four hours at a time ." That sure
did take a load off of my mind . Every time I'd start thinking about drinking , I would think of the long , dry years ahead
without having a drink; but this idea of twenty-four hours , that it was up to me from then , was a lot of help .
Alcoholics Anonymous , Page 188

Then fear, in turn, generates more character defects.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 49

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

Sometimes, we become depressed. I ought to know; I have been a champion dry-bender case myself. While the
surface causes were a part of the picture - trigger-events that precipitated depression - the underlying causes, I am
satisfied, ran much deeper.
'Intellectually, I could accept my situation. Emotionally, I could not.
'To these problems, there are certainly no pat answers. But part of the answer surely lies in the constant effort to
practice all of A.A.'s Twelve Steps.

Prayer for the Day: Father, by the grace you have given me, I trust you and your promises. You said that you would
never leave me nor forsake me. You are always with me, in every personal and business situation. Thank you for the
Holy Spirit who is my Comforter, Counselor, Helper, Advocate, Intercessor, Strengthener, Teacher and Guide. Though
fear arises, I will not be dismayed because you uphold me with your victorious right hand in Jesus’ name. You are my Helper. Amen.

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AA Thought for the Day

January 31

Paradox
2. We GIVE AWAY TO KEEP.
That seems absurd and untrue.
How can you keep something if you give it away?
But in order to keep whatever it is we get in AA,
we must go about giving it away to others, for no fees or rewards of any kind.
- Experience, Strength & Hope, p. 154

Thought to Ponder . . .
We surrender to win; we give away to keep;
we suffer to get well; we die to live.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
N O W = No Other Way.

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

Surrender
On the face of it,
surrendering certainly does not seem like winning.
But it is in AA
Only after we have come to the end of our rope,
hit a stone wall in some aspect of our lives
beyond which we can go no further;
only when we hit "bottom" in despair and surrender,
can we accomplish sobriety which we could
never accomplish before.
We must, and we do, surrender in order to win.
c. 1955 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, 2nd Edition, pp. 341-2

Thought to Consider . . .
Life didn't end when I got sober -- it started.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
S W A T = Surrender, Willingness, Acceptance, Trust

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

Stages
From "The Three Legacies of Alcoholics Anonymous":
"In the first years, those of us who sobered up in A.A. had been grim and utterly hopeless cases, almost without
exception. But now younger folks began to appear. Lots of people turned up who still had jobs and homes and health
and even good social standing. These in their turn were able to persuade others like themselves of the need for A.A. Of
course it was necessary for these types of newcomers to hit bottom emotionally. But we found they did not have to hit
every possible bottom there was in order to admit that they were licked. When one of these mild cases arrived at the
conviction that he already had the principal symptoms of alcoholism that was usually enough. He 'hit bottom' then and
there and so was spared years of anguish."
2001 AAWS, Inc.; Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pg. 199

*~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quotes ^*~*~*~*~*

"We well know that our defects, as people and as a Society, have been and still are very great. And we hope that we shall never cease to rededicate ourselves to their correction."
AA Co-Founder, Bill W., March 1960
"After Twenty-Five Years"
The Language of the Heart

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

"We will seldom be interested in liquor. If tempted, we recoil from
it as from a hot flame. We react sanely and normally, and we will
find that this has happened automatically. We will see that our new
attitude toward liquor has been given us without any thought or
effort on our part. It just comes!"
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 84~

"Now we try to put spiritual principles to work in every department
of our lives. When we do that, we find it solves our problems too;
the ensuing lack of fear, worry and hurt feelings is a wonderful
thing."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, To Wives, pg. 116~

When, and how, and in just what instances did my selfish pursuit of the sex relation damage other people and me?
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 50

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

In God's economy, nothing is wasted. Through failure, we learn a lesson in humility which is probably needed, painful though it is.'
We did not always come closer to wisdom by reason of our virtues; our better understanding is often rooted in the pains of our former follies. Because this has been the essence of our individual experience, it is also the essence of our experience as a fellowship.

Prayer for the Day: Lord, show me how to live today with genuine concern for others. In expressing my care, may I show people that they are valued, loved and appreciated for who they are. Amen.